Detroit Pistons

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The Pistons were founded as the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons in 1937, a semi-professional company team sponsored by Fred Zollner, owner of the Zollner Corporation, a foundry that manufactured pistons. The team turned professional in 1941 and joined the NBL, winning NBL championships in 1944 and 1945. They also won the World Professional Basketball Tournament in 1944, 1945 and 1946. In 1948, the team became the Fort Wayne Pistons and jumped to the BAA. In 1949, Fred Zollner brokered the formation of the NBA from the BAA and the NBL at his kitchen table. There are suggestions that Pistons players conspired with gamblers to shave points and throw various games during the 1953–54 and 1954–55 seasons, including accusations that the team may have intentionally lost the 1955 NBA Finals. After the 1956–57 season, Zollner moved the team to Detroit, keeping the Pistons name due to Detroit's status as the center of the automobile industry. The team played at Olympia Stadium for four seasons, then moved to Cobo Arena in 1961. In 1974, Zollner sold the team to glass magnate Bill Davidson. The team moved to the Silverdome in Pontiac in 1978. The franchise's fortunes turned in 1981 when they drafted Isiah Thomas. Key acquisitions included Vinnie Johnson (1981), Bill Laimbeer (1982), and head coach Chuck Daly (1983). In the 1985 draft, they selected Joe Dumars. Before the 1986–87 season, they acquired John Salley, Dennis Rodman, and Adrian Dantley, adopting a physical, defense-oriented style that earned them the nickname "Bad Boys." In 1987, they reached the Eastern Conference Finals but lost to the Celtics. In 1988, they won a then-franchise-record 54 victories and their first division title in 32 years, then defeated the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals and advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since moving to Detroit.

In Their Own Story

The Eastern Conference Finals became an annual ritual of survival for Chicago. In 1988, after Jordan's 61-point explosion in 1987 and his 59-point outburst on Easter Sunday 1988, coach Chuck Daly vowed never to let him score freely again. The Pistons clamped down, winning the series 4–2. The following year, with the Bulls as the 6th seed, they surprised many by upsetting Cleveland and New York before meeting Detroit. Chicago took a 2–1 lead in the Conference Finals, but the Pistons' physicality and 'Jordan Rules' turned the tide, securing three straight wins to take the title. In 1990, under new coach Phil Jackson, the Bulls adopted the triangle offense to counter Detroit's aggression. They posted a 55–27 record, just behind the 59–23 Pistons. The rematch in the Conference Finals went the distance, with Chicago pushing Detroit to Game 7. However, the Pistons showed their dominance on home court, winning the series and their second straight title against Portland. It was only in 1991 that the tide turned; the Bulls posted a league-best 61–21 record. In the Conference Finals rematch, Chicago swept Detroit 4–0. The series ended with a moment of pure defiance: Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, and Mark Aguirre walked off the court with 7.9 seconds remaining to avoid congratulating their opponents, leaving only Joe Dumars and John Salley to shake hands.

Reader's Guide

The Pistons have won three NBA championships: in 1989, 1990 and 2004. Their first title came in 1989 after beating the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals. They won their second straight title in 1990 after beating the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals. The team's home games are played at Little Caesars Arena in Midtown Detroit.

Did You Know?

• The Pistons were originally a semi-professional company team sponsored by the Zollner Corporation, which manufactured pistons.
• Fred Zollner brokered the formation of the NBA from the BAA and the NBL at his kitchen table in 1949.
• George Yardley set the NBA single-season scoring record in the Pistons' first season in Detroit, becoming the first player to score 2,000 points in a season.
• The Pistons' 1979–80 team lost its last 14 games, which, combined with seven losses at the start of the 1980–81 season, set a then-NBA record losing streak of 21 games.
• The team's "Bad Boys" nickname came from their physical, defense-oriented style of play adopted before the 1986–87 season.