Detroit Pistons

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The Pistons are one of the NBA's "Original Eight" charter teams. They were founded as the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, a semi-professional company basketball team based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1937. The club turned professional in 1941 as a member of the National Basketball League (NBL), where they won two NBL championships (1944 and 1945). The Pistons later joined the Basketball Association of America (BAA) in 1948. The NBL and BAA merged to become the NBA in 1949, and the Pistons became part of the merged league. In 1957, the franchise moved to Detroit. The Pistons have won three NBA championships: in 1989, 1990 and 2004.

In Their Own Story

By 1988, the dynamic had shifted. The Pistons finally unseated Boston, winning the Eastern Conference Finals 4–2 and advancing to face the Lakers. This series broke Detroit's 21-game losing streak at the Boston Garden; they won two of three games there, including a dramatic 102–96 overtime victory in Game 5 after trailing by 16. The Pistons' rough play suppressed Bird's scoring to just 10 points per game on 35.1% shooting, forcing Boston to rely heavily on Kevin McHale. Two years later, the rivalry reached its climax again in the 1989 First Round, where Detroit swept Boston 3–0 for their first championship, though Larry Bird missed the series due to injury.

Reader's Guide

The Pistons played in Olympia Stadium for their first four seasons in Detroit, then moved to Cobo Arena beginning in the 1961–62 season. In 1978, they moved to the Silverdome in Pontiac. The team's fortunes turned in 1981 when they drafted Isiah Thomas. Under head coach Chuck Daly, the Pistons adopted a physical, defense-oriented style known as the "Bad Boys" and won NBA championships in 1989 and 1990.

Did You Know?

• In the 1988 Eastern Conference Finals, Larry Bird averaged 19.7 points on 44.2% shooting.