Detroit Pistons · Franchise era 3 of 7
The Bad Boys: the Detroit Pistons story
Franchise era
1981–82—1993–94
The Bad Boys
Detroit Pistons
The story in one sentence
Thomas led a deep, punishing team through three straight Finals and championships in 1989 and 1990.
01
Defense, defiance and back-to-back titles
02
Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Bill Laimbeer and Dennis Rodman gave the era its recognizable core.
03
Its ending created the conditions for the grant hill bridge.
Timeline
How it unfolded
Before 1981–82
What came before
Individual stars flourished, but Detroit won only one playoff series in its first 24 seasons in the city.
1988
NBA Finals: Detroit Pistons vs Los Angeles Lakers
1989
NBA Finals: Detroit Pistons vs Los Angeles Lakers
1990
NBA Finals: Detroit Pistons vs Portland Trail Blazers
After 1993–94
What came next
Hill became an immediate All-NBA player, but Detroit never built a playoff winner strong enough to match his talent.
The core