Remembering the night Detroit Pistons dethroned Boston Celtics, finally made NBA Finals
Detroit Free Press front page on June 4, 1988.
DETROIT FREE PRESS
EVAN PETZOLD | Detroit Free Press
Thirty-two years ago, the Detroit Pistons cured a franchise-long heartache.
On June 3, 1988, the Pistons uncrowned the Boston Celtics, 95-90, in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals to win the series, 4-2. Celtics star Larry Bird was held to 16 points on 4 of 17 shooting.
For the first time in team history, the Pistons weren't just flirting with the NBA Finals –– they made it all the way.
Vinnie Johnson scored a team-high 24 points off the bench, making 9 of 18 shots, with four rebounds and four assists. Adrian Dantley scored 22, Isiah Thomas dished out nine assists, Bill Laimbeer had nine rebounds and John Salley recorded five blocks.
A total team effort, without double-digit scoring from either Thomas or Joe Dumars, propelled the "Bad Boys" to their first NBA Finals, a matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Beating the Celtics in the playoffs was a new taste of success for the Pistons after losing to them in Game 7 of the 1987 Eastern Conference finals and Game 6 of the 1985 conference semifinals.
There wasn't much doubt the Pistons and Celtics would meet again in the 1988 postseason. Detroit finished the regular season 54-28 to claim the second seed, while Boston ended 57-25 with the top spot in the conference.
The Pistons entered the series with 21-straight losses at the Boston Garden. Despite past struggles, Detroit gutted out road wins in Games 1 and 5 before finishing off the Celtics at home.
Detroit also reached the Finals on June 3, 1990, for the third-straight season, by taking down Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in seven games. That game is known as the Scottie Pippen migraine game, as the Bulls' second-best player was stricken with a strong headache that morning, limiting him to two points on 1-for-10 shooting.
Detroit Free Press sports front page on June 4, 1990.
DETROIT FREE PRESS
Even though the Pistons lost to the Lakers in the 1988 Finals, they won back-to-back titles in the next two years. Detroit topped Boston in the next two playoff meetings between the teams: the 1989 first round and 1991 conference semifinals.
Evan Petzold is a sports reporting intern at the Detroit Free Press.
Contact him at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.
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