1988–89 Detroit Pistons season

A ticket for a November 1988 game between the Pistons and the Charlotte Hornets.

The 1988-89 NBA season was the Detroit Pistons' 41st season in the NBA and 32nd season in the Detroit metropolitan area. The Pistons moved from the Pontiac Silverdome to the brand-new Palace of Auburn Hills before the start of the season, which culminated in the Pistons' first NBA championship, sweeping the Lakers in four games in the NBA Finals a rematch from last year's NBA Finals and avenging their NBA Finals loss. Following the season, Rick Mahorn was picked up by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 1989 expansion draft and was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers soon after.

The Pistons and Lakers would face each other again 15 years later in the NBA Finals in 2004, where the Pistons won in five games en route to their third NBA championship despite being underdogs to the heavily-favored Lakers.

Draft picks

Roster

Roster listing

1988–89 Detroit Pistons roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY-MM-DD) From SF 23 Aguirre, Mark 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 232 lb (105 kg) DePaul SF 34 Dembo, Fennis 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Wyoming G 4 Dumars, Joe 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) McNeese State F/C 53 Edwards, James 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Washington SG 15 Johnson, Vinnie 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Baylor University C 40 Laimbeer, Bill 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) University of Notre Dame SG 25 Long, John 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) University of Detroit Mercy F/C 44 Mahorn, Rick 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Hampton F 10 Rodman, Dennis 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) SE Oklahoma State F/C 22 Salley, John 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Georgia Tech PG 11 Thomas, Isiah (C) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Indiana PG 24 Williams, Micheal 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Baylor	Head coach Chuck Daly Assistant coach(es) Brendan Malone Brendan Suhr Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured

Regular season

On February 15, 1989, the Pistons traded Adrian Dantley to the Dallas Mavericks for Mark Aguirre. Dantley was unhappy relegating the leadership role on the Pistons to Isiah Thomas, while Aguirre had clashed with his coaches and teammates in Dallas. Aguirre was more amenable to deferring to Thomas, and accepted his role in Chuck Daly's system. His ability to shoot the three, post up, run the floor, and pass was instrumental in the growth of the team.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Regular season

Playoffs

Playoffs

After finishing with the best record in the NBA, the Pistons swept through the first two rounds of the playoffs. In the Eastern Conference finals, they faced the Chicago Bulls, whom they had defeated in the conference semifinals a year earlier. Although the Bulls were able to win two of the first three games, the Pistons' use of their "Jordan Rules" defense wore out Michael Jordan, setting up Detroit's second consecutive NBA Finals appearance against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Eastern Conference First Round

(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (8) Boston Celtics: Pistons win series 3-0

• Game 1 @ The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills (April 28): Detroit 101, Boston 91
• Game 2 @ The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills (April 30): Detroit 102, Boston 95
• Game 3 @ Boston Garden, Boston (May 2): Detroit 100, Boston 85

Last Playoff Meeting: 1988 Eastern Conference Finals (Detroit won 4-2)

Eastern Conference Semifinals

(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (5) Milwaukee Bucks: Pistons win series 4-0

• Game 1 @ The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills (May 10): Detroit 85, Milwaukee 80
• Game 2 @ The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills (May 12): Detroit 112, Milwaukee 92
• Game 3 @ Bradley Center, Milwaukee (May 14): Detroit 110, Milwaukee 90
• Game 4 @ Bradley Center, Milwaukee (May 15): Detroit 96, Milwaukee 94

Last Playoff Meeting: 1976 Western Conference First Round (Detroit won 2-1)

Eastern Conference Finals

(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (6) Chicago Bulls: Pistons win series 4-2

• Game 1 @ The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills (May 21): Chicago 94, Detroit 88
• Game 2 @ The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills (May 23): Detroit 100, Chicago 91
• Game 3 @ Chicago Stadium, Chicago (May 27): Chicago 99, Detroit 97
• Game 4 @ Chicago Stadium, Chicago (May 29): Detroit 86, Chicago 80
• Game 5 @ The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills (May 31): Detroit 94, Chicago 85
• Game 6 @ Chicago Stadium, Chicago (June 2): Detroit 103, Chicago 94

Last Playoff Meeting: 1988 Eastern Conference Semifinals (Detroit won 4-2)

Player stats

Regular season

Playoffs

NBA Finals

The Pistons' overpowering play allowed them to sweep the Lakers, who struggled to fill the defensive void left by Byron Scott's injury prior to the start of the Finals. Joe Dumars was named Finals MVP. In addition, Magic Johnson pulled a hamstring early in the second game, and unable to play the rest of the series. The Lakers' depleted backcourt allowed the Pistons to easily win the 1988-89 NBA Championship.

Pistons win series 4-0

Award winners

• Joe Dumars, NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award
• Joe Dumars, NBA All-Defensive First Team
• Dennis Rodman, NBA All-Defensive First Team

External links

• Detroit Pistons on Database Basketball
• Detroit Pistons on Basketball Reference