The Detroit Pistons are a professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association (the NBA).  The Detroit Pistons play in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference with four other teams: the Chicago Bulls, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Indiana Pacers and the Milwaukee Bucks.  Pistons tickets will surely be hard to come by during the 2010-2011 NBA schedule.

Pistons 2009-2010 Outlook

After advancing to the playoffs 8 straight seasons, the Detroit Pistons finished in last place in the Central Division with a 27-55 record.  The 27 wins was the lowest number of wins since the Pistons won just 20 games back in 1993-1994.  Richard Hamilton led the Pistons in scoring with an 18.1 points per game average.  Jonas Jerebko led the PIstons with 6.0 rebounds per game.  Rodney Stuckey led the team with a 4.76 assists per game average and was also 2nd on the team with a 16.6 points per game average.  The Pistons were hurt by "poor" play from their big 2 free agent signings heading into the 2009-2010 NBA schedule.  Ben Gordon from the Chicago Bulls averaged just 13.8 points per game - he was expected to be their main scoring threat.  And Charlie Villanueva from the Milwaukee Bucks averaged just 11.9 points per game and 4.7 rebounds per game - he was expected to be more of a consistent threat on both sides of the ball but didn't live up to the hype.  Usually-reliable Tayshaun Price missed 33 games because of injury and averaged just 13.5 points per game.  It was truly a disappointing season for Pistons' brass and Pistons' fans alike.

While most of the other NBA teams were making moves to free up salary cap space to land on the "big" 2010 free agents - Lebron James, Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, Amare Stoudemaire, Carlos Boozer, Joe Johnson - this past summer, the PIstons' hands were tied because of the lucrative deals on the books for Gordon and Villanueva.  It will likely be another rough 2010-2011 campaign for the Pistons, but they did bring back Ben Wallace to finish out his career in a Pistons uniform.  Get your Pistons NBA tickets at the Palace of Auburn Hills before it's too late.

History

The Detroit Pistons originally played in the National basketball League as the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons from 1941 through 1948.  In 1948, the Pistons joined the ranks of the Basketball Association of America and the team was known simply as the Fort Wayne Pistons.  Following that 1948 season, Pistons owner Fred Zollner brokered a merger between the country’s two professional basketball leagues – the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League – to form the NBA.  The newly created NBA started with the 1948-1949 season.  The Fort Wayne Pistons advanced to the NBA playoffs in all but one of its 1st nine seasons in the NBA.  Twice, the Fort Wayne Pistons lost in the NBA Finals: 4-3 to the Syracuse Nationals in 1955 and 4-1 to the Philadelphia 76ers in 1956.  The Pistons franchise remained in Fort Wayne, Indiana until 1957. 

During the summer of 1957, Mr. Zollner moved the team to Detroit, Michigan which had not had a professional basketball team since the Detroit Gems of the National Basketball League moved to Minneapolis to become the Minneapolis Lakers in 1947.  During the 1960’s and 1970’s, the Detroit Pistons had many strong individual players, but weak teams.  With the likes of Dave DeBusschere, Dave Bing and Bob Lanier, it was always surprising when the Detroit Pistons never mounted a serious playoff push during this stretch.  From 1957 through 1983, the furthest the Detroit Pistons ever advanced in the playoffs was the Conference Semifinals in 1974 and 1976.  The 1980’s, however, brought the era of the “Bad Boys” as the likes of Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, Vinnie Johnson, Joe Dumars, Rick Mahorn, John Salley, Dennis Rodman and Adrian Dantley, led the Detroit Pistons to back-to-back NBA championships in 1988-1989 and 1989-1990.  Head Coach Chuck Daly was masterful at channeling in the various individual personalities of the players on these teams to generate the team chemistry necessary for winning an NBA Championship. 

Following the heyday of the 1980’s, the Pistons experienced a funk during the Bulls’ Michael Jordan-era of the 1990’s.  During the 1990’s, the Detroit Pistons advanced to the NBA playoffs only 5 times in 10 years, losing in the 1st round each and every time.  Following that poor stretch, Former Pistons star Joe Dumars was hired as the President of Basketball Operations in 2000 and he quickly transformed the team into one the best teams in the NBA during the 2000’s.  Dumars brought in Ben Wallace, Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess to help bolster the team’s defensive prowess.  Dumars also utilized the talent of head coaches Rick Carlisle, Larry Brown and Flip Saunders to bring an important team-oriented concept to the franchise.  And starting with the 2001-2002 season, the Detroit Pistons have advanced to at least the Conference Semifinals in 6 consecutive years.  The Detroit Pistons recorded the franchise’s 3rd NBA Championship in 2003-2004 with a dominating 4-1 series victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.  The Detroit Pistons advanced to the NBA Finals the following year, but they lost to the San Antonio Spurs 4-3.  And while the Cleveland Cavaliers upset the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2007, the Detroit Pistons are still considered one of the best teams in the NBA.                            

The Detroit Pistons have retired the following players’ numbers:  Chuck Daly’s #2 (the number 2 represents the 2 NBA Championship teams he coached with the Detroit Pistons); Joe Dumars’ #4; Isiah Thomas’ #11; Vinnie Johnson’s #15; Bob Lanier’s #16; Dave Bing’s #21; and Bill Laimbeer’s #40.  The Detroit Pistons have also honored team owner (since 1974) William Davidson with an honorary banner for his more than 30 years of service with the Detroit Pistons.  

Pistons TV/Radio

All Detroit Pistons basketball games can be seen on FOX Sports Detroit television network in the greater Michigan area.  NBC, ESPN and TNT may also televise Detroit Pistons games based on the popularity of the game.  Tune into the Pistons flagship radio station WXYT 97.1 on your FM dial to catch each Detroit Pistons basketball game on the radio.  Some games will be broadcast on WWJ 950 AM when game coverage conflicts with Lions, Tigers or Red Wings games.

The Detroit Pistons play their home games at the Palace of Auburn Hills.  The Palace of Auburn Hills opened in 1988 and has also been the home for the Detroit Shock of the Women’s National Basketball Association (the WNBA) since 1998.  It is the largest arena in the NBA, as it boasts a seating capacity of 22,076 devoted die-hard Detroit Pistons fans.  The Palace of Auburn Hills has also played host to numerous memorable and historic concerts and special events during its 20 year history.

Stadium: The Palace of Auburn Hills
                  5 Championship Drive
                  Auburn Hills, Michigan 48326

www.nba.com/pistons
www.palacenet.com

2007-2008 Pistons
2009-2010 Pistons