Chauncey Billips earned Finals MVP after leading Detroit past Los Angeles to the 2004 NBA Championship.
The Detroit Pistons have made the playoffs 43 times in their franchise history. They have won three championships along the way. Let’s highlight each title and discuss how they got there.
1989
The Pistons went 63-19 during the 1988-89 regular season. At the time, that was their most regular season wins in franchise history. Prior to that, they had never won more than 54 games in a season. Their roster was loaded with NBA greats, including Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Bill Laimbeer and Dennis Rodman. That season, Rodman finished third in the Defensive Player of the Year voting.
The Pistons carried their dominance over into the playoffs, completing sweeps over the Celtics and Bucks in their first two series. They then defeated the Bulls in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals. That proved to be their most difficult task as they went on to sweep the Lakers in the NBA Finals to win their first championship. Dumars, who was named Finals MVP, averaged 17.5 points and 5.6 assists during the Pistons’ playoff run.
1990
After winning the championship in 1989, the Pistons went 59-23 the following regular season. Rodman won the Defensive Player of the Year Award, while Thomas averaged 18.4 points and 9.4 assists per game. Thomas, Dumars, Lambieer and Rodman all played in at least 75 games and the Pistons had six total players appear in at least 81 games.
The Pistons began the playoffs with a sweep of the Pacers in the first round. They then defeated the Knicks in five games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. They were taken to seven games by the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals and ultimately came away with the victory. The Pistons then dispatched the Trail Blazers in five games to win their second consecutive championship. This time, it was Thomas who was named Finals MVP. Over 20 playoff games that season, Thomas averaged 20.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 2.2 steals.
2004
The Pistons went 54-28 during the 2003-04 regular season. Their two most productive scorers were Richard Hamilton and Chauncey Billups, who averaged 17.6 and 16.9 points per game, respectively. Their defense was anchored by Ben Wallace, who provided 9.5 points, 12.4 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 1.8 steals per game. He finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year voting and seventh in MVP voting that season.
A first-round matchup against the Bucks resulted in the Pistons winning in five games. It then took seven games for them to get past the Nets in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Pistons won the Eastern Conference Finals in six games against the Pacers before winning their third championship by defeating the Lakers in five games in the NBA Finals. Billups won Finals MVP and finished the playoffs with averages of 16.4 points and 5.9 assists per game. Wallace was also excellent in the playoffs, averaging 10.3 points, 14.3 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and 1.9 steals. Their leading playoff scorer was Hamilton, who averaged 21.5 points per game.
