Detroit Pistons · Franchise era 5 of 7
Going to Work: the Detroit Pistons story
Franchise era
2000–01—2008–09
Going to Work
Detroit Pistons
The story in one sentence
A cast assembled through shrewd trades reached six straight conference finals and upset the Lakers for the 2004 championship.
01
Five players, one defense and the 2004 title
02
Chauncey Billups, Ben Wallace, Richard Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace gave the era its recognizable core.
03
Its ending created the conditions for the long rebuild.
Timeline
How it unfolded
Before 2000–01
What came before
Hill became an immediate All-NBA player, but Detroit never built a playoff winner strong enough to match his talent.
2004
NBA Finals: Detroit Pistons vs Los Angeles Lakers
2005
Eastern Conference Finals: Detroit Pistons vs Miami Heat
2005
NBA Finals: Detroit Pistons vs San Antonio Spurs
After 2008–09
What came next
Detroit reached the playoffs only twice as a series of veteran bets failed to create a sustainable core.
The core