Article: Best Pistons team not the win a Title

[flow]

https://pistonpowered.com/2022/08/08/best-detroit-pistons-team-not-win-title/

So, I don't know just how young the author is, but if you're going to publish an article for all the world to see about a subject encompassing all-time, you should probably research relevant material from even before your time.

Subject of the article is the best ever Pistons team to not win a title. And the author chose the 2005-06 team, while giving honorable mentions to the 2004-05 team, the 2007-08 team, and one of Grant Hill's teams in the 90's.

Conspicuous by its absence was even a mention of the 1986-87 or 1987-88 Bad Boys teams, which are clearly, imo, the best and 2nd best Pistons teams to not win it. While reasonable minds could disagree with that, none can disagree that they belong at the forefront of the conversation. It's just a cringe-worthy piece of writing for a site like this. It's like someone publishing an article about the best centers in Celtics history and not mentioning Bill Russell.


* The only team arguably on the same tier as '87 and '88 is the 2004-05 team. Once Saunders took over the following season, the team lost its edge, despite scoring more points & winning more regular season games, and was never a serious threat for the championship.

[Uncle Mxy]

1988 was a phantom foul away from winning a title.

[NYPiston]

The author must be under 30 years old or just wants to be controversial. It's the 1988 Pistons and not all that close IMO, in fact I'd probably take them over the 1990 Pistons that won a Championship.
I actually thought the 2005 Pistons were better than the Championship team from the prior year but those teams don't measure up to the prime Bad Boys IMO. Should have been a 3 Peat damnit, right smack dab in the middle of the Glamour Era of Bird, Magic and an emerging MJ.

Historians always say that The Bad Boys crashed The Glamour Party for a small 2 year period. No, it was 3 years and actually should have been 4 years if Isiah didn't **** his pants for a moment in time.

[flow]

in fact I'd probably take them over the 1990 Pistons that won a Championship.

Me too.

[Manocad]

Definitely the 1988 team. They had to go through two HOFer-filled championship teams to win a championship in the Celtics and Lakers, not to mention Jordan’s Bulls.

[zeebneeb]

Agreed with everything here already said.

Pistons are a phantom foul, and a Horrey three away from having 5 titles.

Still burns my ass.

[Snakebites]

It depends on how you want to look at it. There is a rational and straightforward case for the 05-06 group. They won 64 games- 10 more than either 2005 or 1988. And I certainly remember the team “feeling” better than 2005 too, at least in the regular season

They also went down pretty meekly to the Heat that year too though.

If you’re going by how close they came to winning it’s gotta be 1988 though. At least in 2005 it can be chalked up to an actual mistake made by Piston players on the court.

So yeah, I think 1988.

[Cowology]

I adamantly believe the '88 team was robbed of their 1st championship. The Bad Boys *should* have a three-peat, which would elevate their overall historical ranking. There is always going to be animosity towards that team because of the way they played/behaved, but very few teams have ever been able to win 3 in a row. And they should have if not for the league intervening on the Lakers behalf.

But I'm a conspiracy nut who believes all sortsa things with regards to the lottery having been rigged and the Kings being absolutely robbed in '02. *shrug* I got trust issues.

[edmunder_prc]

I adamantly believe the '88 team was robbed of their 1st championship. The Bad Boys *should* have a three-peat, which would elevate their overall historical ranking. There is always going to be animosity towards that team because of the way they played/behaved, but very few teams have ever been able to win 3 in a row. And they should have if not for the league intervening on the Lakers behalf.

But I'm a conspiracy nut who believes all sortsa things with regards to the lottery having been rigged and the Kings being absolutely robbed in '02. *shrug* I got trust issues.

If people like Epstein/Mossad/CIA can honeytrap world and economic leaders with whatever kind of sex and lavish lifestyles they want - NBA refs are somewhere around gnats on the Earth totem pole.

Some very strange things happen in NBA games with guys immediately getting two fouls and going to the bench, crazy phantom fouls, guys getting techs, etc.

I dont have "trust issues", that puts the issue as my problem. The NBA has clear and obvious standardization problems where X does not equal Y. Slapping a guy might or might not be a foul. Some games X team has 40 free throws and Y team has 12, while Y team was in the paint the whole game getting hit.

Anyways - Bad Boys teams were on another level. 2005 team was really high on talent but coasted way too much. McDyess was the only guy out there who really was killing himself, unlike in 2003 and 2004 when many of those guys were playing like they could die if they didnt give 100%.

[flow]

It depends on how you want to look at it. There is a rational and straightforward case for the 05-06 group. They won 64 games- 10 more than either 2005 or 1988. And I certainly remember the team “feeling” better than 2005 too, at least in the regular season

They also went down pretty meekly to the Heat that year too though.

If you’re going by how close they came to winning it’s gotta be 1988 though. At least in 2005 it can be chalked up to an actual mistake made by Piston players on the court.

So yeah, I think 1988.

I remember feeling the opposite. I felt as that season drew on that the glitzy results were fools gold. Partly because I wasn't thrilled with the Saunders. But also because the team just wasn't wound as tight.

[NYPiston]

It depends on how you want to look at it. There is a rational and straightforward case for the 05-06 group. They won 64 games- 10 more than either 2005 or 1988. And I certainly remember the team “feeling” better than 2005 too, at least in the regular season

They also went down pretty meekly to the Heat that year too though.

If you’re going by how close they came to winning it’s gotta be 1988 though. At least in 2005 it can be chalked up to an actual mistake made by Piston players on the court.

So yeah, I think 1988.

That record in '05-'06 was deceiving IMO. They didn't look as good as their record indicated and the team was starting to run on fumes towards the end of the season and in the playoffs to the point where it looked like they had no chance against Miami, I thought the '05 team was better despite having 10 less wins. For all intents and purposes, the Spurs closed their championship window.

[Snakebites]

It depends on how you want to look at it. There is a rational and straightforward case for the 05-06 group. They won 64 games- 10 more than either 2005 or 1988. And I certainly remember the team “feeling” better than 2005 too, at least in the regular season

They also went down pretty meekly to the Heat that year too though.

If you’re going by how close they came to winning it’s gotta be 1988 though. At least in 2005 it can be chalked up to an actual mistake made by Piston players on the court.

So yeah, I think 1988.

I remember feeling the opposite. I felt as that season drew on that the glitzy results were fools gold. Partly because I wasn't thrilled with the Saunders. But also because the team just wasn't wound as tight.

I guess I’m more thinking of earlier in the year.

But yeah, I suppose we remember it somewhat differently- I remember the regular season pretty fondly. I do remember not feeling particularly confident in the playoffs.

[Uncle Mxy]

The Pistons took the Syracuse Nationals to 7 games in the 1955 Finals. Led by HOFer George Yardley and 8-Time All-Star Larry Foust, they had the best record in the league that year.

[Manocad]

The Pistons took the Syracuse Nationals to 7 games in the 1955 Finals. Led by HOFer George Yardley and 8-Time All-Star Larry Foust, they had the best record in the league that year.

Can you imagine the outcry if that team had teal uniforms?

[Uncle Mxy]

I'd love retro uniforms with their logo.

[flow]

The Pistons took the Syracuse Nationals to 7 games in the 1955 Finals. Led by HOFer George Yardley and 8-Time All-Star Larry Foust, they had the best record in the league that year.

Watch on YouTube

[zeebneeb]

I'd love retro uniforms with their logo.

Same here. I have always believed that new unis could incorporate this logo.

In a few years, not only will the logo be retro, but so will the Pistons that make up the logo be as well..

[Uncle Mxy]

The 1955, 1988 and 2005 Pistons outscored their Finals opponents overall, but lost in a Finals Game 7.

[King Bugs]

You can pick any season in the "Goin' to Work" era where we didn't win, we were contenders every year and in the conference finals every May. I agree with everyone's picks, but that 06-07 season when we choked to the Cavaliers... I will never get over us blowing that series. There's no way in hell we should have lost to that awful team. That was supposed to be the year we cruised to the finals through a comically bad Eastern Conference and get revenge on the Spurs for '05, but this time we have homecourt advantage.

But nope... Larry Hughes and Eric Snow had our all-star backcourt in jail, I mean they were just playing epically bad. It was a total struggle to put points on the board with Rip & Chauncey playing like crap. For all the hype Lebron got in that series for carrying the Cavs, he only had 2 good games in that series. Game 2 (which they lost) and of course Thee Game 5 that everyone slobbers over. Like that's really how bad we choked. Ruined my whole summer.

[flow]

The 1955, 1988 and 2005 Pistons outscored their Finals opponents overall, but lost in a Finals Game 7.

And the '87 team outscored the Celtics in the ECF, despite losing in 7.

Most gut-wrenching series ever. They had Game 5 won. The game was over. Just inbound the ball... Bird steals....
Pistons would have won it in 6.

But no worries, they had Game 7 won, too. Nice lead as the 3rd quarter's ending. As long as nothing crazy happens.... Then something crazy happened. Dantley and Vinnie collide heads while diving for a loose ball. Dantley is carted off to a hospital on a stretcher. Vinnie is concussed and worthless for the rest of the game. The lead evaporates by the middle of the 4th quarter.

By the end of that 7th game, two things were clear. 1. Boston was going to the Finals. 2. Detroit was the better team.

I put the '87 team right up there behind '88.