1988–89 Detroit Pistons season

1988–89 Detroit Pistons season
NBA champions
Conference champions
Division champions
Head coachChuck Daly
General managerJack McCloskey
OwnerWilliam Davidson
ArenaThe Palace of Auburn Hills
Results
Record63–19 (.768)
PlaceDivision: 1st (Central)
Conference: 1st (Eastern)
Playoff finishNBA champions
(Defeated Lakers 4–0)
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
TelevisionWKBD-TV
(George Blaha, Dick Motta)
PASS Sports
(Fred McLeod, Tom Wilson)
RadioWWJ
(George Blaha, Dick Motta)

The 1988–89 Detroit Pistons season was the 41st season for the Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball Association, and their 32nd season in Detroit, Michigan.[1] Before the start of the regular season, the Pistons moved from the Pontiac Silverdome to their brand-new arena known as The Palace of Auburn Hills.[1]

The team won their first eight games of the regular season,[2] and held a 31–13 record at the All-Star break.[3] However, Adrian Dantley was unhappy with his role on the team, losing playing time to Dennis Rodman at the small forward position.[4][5][6] At mid-season, the team traded Dantley to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for All-Star forward Mark Aguirre, a childhood friend of Isiah Thomas;[7][8][9] Dantley felt that Thomas had a major role in engineering the trade, so that Aguirre could have the opportunity of winning a championship, an accusation that Thomas denied.[5][10][6]

With the addition of Aguirre, the Pistons posted a nine-game winning streak in March, won eight consecutive games between March and April, then won their final five games of the season, finishing in first place in the Central Division with a league-best record of 63–19, and earning the first seed in the Eastern Conference.[11][12]

Thomas led the team with 18.2 points, 8.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game, while Joe Dumars averaged 17.2 points and 5.7 assists per game, and Vinnie Johnson contributed 13.8 points per game off the bench. In addition, Bill Laimbeer provided the team with 13.7 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, while Rodman provided with 9.0 points and 9.4 rebounds per game off the bench, and Rick Mahorn averaged 7.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Also off the bench, James Edwards contributed 7.3 points per game, and John Salley provided with 7.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.[13]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Houston Astrodome in Houston, Texas, Thomas was selected for the 1989 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team; Thomas scored 19 points along with 14 assists and 4 steals, despite the Eastern Conference losing to the Western Conference, 143–134.[14][15][16] Dumars and Rodman were both named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team; Thomas and Dumars both finished tied in 17th place in Most Valuable Player voting,[17][18] while Rodman finished in third place in Defensive Player of the Year voting,[19][18] finished in third place in Sixth Man of the Year voting,[20][18] and also tied in seventh place in Most Improved Player voting,[21][18] and head coach Chuck Daly finished in fourth place in Coach of the Year voting.[22][18]

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1989 NBA playoffs, the Pistons swept the Boston Celtics in three straight games,[23][24][25] then swept the 5th-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in four straight games in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals.[26][27][28] In the Eastern Conference Finals, they trailed 2–1 to Michael Jordan and the 6th-seeded Chicago Bulls, but managed to win the series in six games to advance to the 1989 NBA Finals,[29][30][31] where the Pistons would win their first ever NBA championship, sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers in four straight games, as Dumars was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player.[32][33][34] This series was a rematch from last year's NBA Finals, with the Pistons avenging their NBA Finals loss. The Pistons clinched every series victory on the road that was later followed by the 1999 San Antonio Spurs, and the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers.

Following the season, Mahorn was left unprotected in the 1989 NBA expansion draft, where he was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves expansion team;[35][36][37] however, Mahorn never played for the Timberwolves due to a contract dispute, and was later on traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.[38][39][40]

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

Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
2 30 Fennis Dembo Forward  United States Wyoming
2 48 Micheal Williams Guard  United States Baylor

[41]

Roster

1988–89 Detroit Pistons roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From
SF 23 Mark Aguirre 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 232 lb (105 kg) 1959–12–10 DePaul
PF 50 Darryl Dawkins 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 251 lb (114 kg) 1957–01–11 Evans High School (Orlando, FL)
SF 34 Fennis Dembo 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1966–01–24 Wyoming
SG 4 Joe Dumars 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1963–05–24 McNeese State
C 53 James Edwards 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1955–11–22 Washington
SG 15 Vinnie Johnson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1956–09–01 Baylor
C 40 Bill Laimbeer 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1957–05–19 Notre Dame
SG 25 John Long 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1956–08–28 Detroit Mercy
PF 44 Rick Mahorn 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1958–09–21 Hampton
SF 10 Dennis Rodman 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1961–05–13 SE Oklahoma State
PF 22 John Salley 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1964–05–16 Georgia Tech
PG 11 Isiah Thomas 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1961–04–30 Indiana
PG 24 Micheal Williams 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1966–07–23 Baylor
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
  • (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

Central Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Detroit Pistons 63 19 .768 – 37–4 26–15 20–10
x-Cleveland Cavaliers 57 25 .695 6 37–4 20–21 19–11
x-Atlanta Hawks 52 30 .634 11 33–8 19–22 20–10
x-Milwaukee Bucks 49 33 .598 14 31–10 18–23 11–19
x-Chicago Bulls 47 35 .573 16 30–11 17–24 12–18
Indiana Pacers 28 54 .341 35 20–21 8–33 8–22
#
Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Detroit Pistons 63 19 .768 –
2 y-New York Knicks 52 30 .634 11
3 x-Cleveland Cavaliers 57 25 .695 6
4 x-Atlanta Hawks 52 30 .634 11
5 x-Milwaukee Bucks 49 33 .598 14
6 x-Chicago Bulls 47 35 .573 16
7 x-Philadelphia 76ers 46 36 .561 17
8 x-Boston Celtics 42 40 .512 21
9 Washington Bullets 40 42 .488 23
10 Indiana Pacers 28 54 .341 35
11 New Jersey Nets 26 56 .317 37
12 Charlotte Hornets 20 62 .244 43

Game log

Regular season

1988–89 game log
Total: 63–19 (Home: 37–4; Road: 26–15)
November: 11–3 (home: 4–1; road: 7–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
1 November 4
8:30 p.m. EST 		@ Chicago W 107–94 Dantley (22) Mahorn (10) Thomas (14) Chicago Stadium
18,420 		1–0
2 November 5
7:30 p.m. EST 		Charlotte W 94–85 Dantley (18) Laimbeer (12) Dumars,
Thomas (7) 		The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		2–0
3 November 8
7:30 p.m. EST 		@ Philadelphia W 116–109 Dumars (30) Laimbeer (11) Dumars,
Thomas (9) 		The Spectrum
10,115 		3–0
4 November 9
7:30 p.m. EST 		Atlanta W 101–95 Thomas (21) Laimbeer (13) Thomas (12) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		4–0
5 November 11
8:00 p.m. EST 		@ Boston W 116–107 Dantley (31) Mahorn (6) Thomas (10) Boston Garden
14,890 		5–0
6 November 15
8:30 p.m. EST 		@ Dallas W 108–99 Laimbeer (23) Laimbeer (21) Thomas (12) Reunion Arena
17,007 		6–0
7 November 16
8:30 p.m. EST 		@ San Antonio W 94–88 Dumars (20) Mahorn (10) Thomas (8) HemisFair Arena
11,991 		7–0
8 November 18
9:30 p.m. EST 		@ Phoenix W 121–105 Dumars (31) Rodman (12) Thomas (11) Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
14,471 		8–0
9 November 19
8:30 p.m. EST 		@ Houston L 98–109 Thomas (26) Rodman (12) Thomas (6) The Summit
16,611 		8–1
10 November 22
7:30 p.m. EST 		@ Charlotte W 99–93 Dumars (26) Mahorn (10) Thomas (8) Charlotte Coliseum
23,389 		9–1
11 November 23
7:30 p.m. EST 		New York L 111–133 Dantley (25) Laimbeer,
Rodman (9) 		Thomas (11) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		9–2
12 November 26
8:30 p.m. EST 		L.A. Lakers W 102–99 Dumars (20) Mahorn (11) Thomas (10) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		10–2
13 November 29
7:30 p.m. EST 		@ Indiana L 98–107 Laimbeer (22) Laimbeer (10) Thomas (12) Market Square Arena
10,275 		10–3
14 November 30
7:30 p.m. EST 		Indiana W 114–111 Thomas (36) Laimbeer (9) Thomas (9) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		11–3
December: 9–4 (home: 6–1; road: 3–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
15 December 2
8:00 p.m. EST 		@ Washington W 120–114 Dantley (28) Mahorn (8) Thomas (10) Capital Centre
12,606 		12–3
16 December 4
7:30 p.m. EST 		@ New Jersey W 102–99 Dantley (21) Mahorn (12) Thomas (8) Brendan Byrne Arena
12,517 		13–3
17 December 6
8:30 p.m. EST 		@ Milwaukee L 84–109 Dantley (17) Laimbeer (6) Laimbeer (6) Bradley Center
15,619 		13–4
18 December 7
7:30 p.m. EST 		Chicago W 102–89 Dantley (31) Laimbeer (12) Thomas (13) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		14–4
19 December 9
8:00 p.m. EST 		@ Atlanta W 92–82 Dumars (24) Laimbeer,
Rodman,
Salley (8) 		Dumars (6) The Omni
16,374 		15–4
20 December 10
7:30 p.m. EST 		Philadelphia W 106–100 Thomas (37) Laimbeer (15) Laimbeer (7) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		16–4
21 December 14
7:30 p.m. EST 		Milwaukee L 110–119 Dantley (22) Laimbeer (12) Thomas (12) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		16–5
22 December 15
7:30 p.m. EST 		@ Cleveland L 98–119 Dumars (16) Rodman (10) Williams (7) Richfield Coliseum
18,718 		16–6
23 December 17
7:30 p.m. EST 		Charlotte W 100–91 Thomas (25) Mahorn (12) Thomas (7) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		17–6
24 December 20
7:30 p.m. EST 		Miami W 116–100 Johnson (22) Rodman (9) Thomas (9) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		18–6
25 December 22
7:30 p.m. EST 		@ New York L 85–88 Johnson (19) Mahorn (14) Yhomas (7) Madison Square Garden
19,591 		18–7
26 December 28
7:30 p.m. EST 		Phoenix W 106–100 Dantley (24) Rodman (14) Dumars (9) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		19–7
27 December 30
8:00 p.m. EST 		Houston W 95–83 Dumars (28) Laimbeer,
Mahorn (13) 		Dantley,
Laimbeer,
Thomas (5) 		The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		20–7
January: 8–6 (home: 7–2; road: 1–4)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
28 January 3
7:30 p.m. EST 		@ Atlanta L 104–123 Thomas (28) Rodman (8) Thomas (6) The Omni
16,371 		20–8
29 January 6
8:00 p.m. EST 		Atlanta W 111–88 Laimbeer,
Thomas (19) 		Laimbeer (10) Thomas (12) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		21–8
30 January 7
7:30 p.m. EST 		@ Indiana L 99–113 Thomas (31) Rodman (12) Thomas (8) Market Square Arena
16,105 		21–9
31 January 11
7:30 p.m. EST 		New York L 93–100 Laimbeer (21) Rodman (10) Thomas (9) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		21–10
32 January 13
8:00 p.m. EST 		Washington W 119–103 Dantley (35) Laimbeer (14) Thomas (8) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		22–10
33 January 15
2:30 p.m. EST 		@ Milwaukee L 112–120 Thomas (25) Laimbeer (10) Thomas (13) Bradley Center
18,633 		22–11
34 January 16
7:30 p.m. EST 		Boston W 96–87 Johnson (21) Laimbeer (12) Thomas (10) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		23–11
35 January 18
7:30 p.m. EST 		New Jersey W 103–90 Dantley (24) Rodman (16) Johnson,
Thomas (6) 		The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		24–11
36 January 20
8:00 p.m. EST 		Indiana W 132–99 Laimbeer (27) Laimbeer,
Rodman (11) 		Thomas (12) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		25–11
37 January 22
12 Noon EST 		@ Boston L 99–112 Thomas (26) Salley (11) Salley,
Thomas (5) 		Boston Garden
14,890 		25–12
38 January 25
7:30 p.m. EST 		Golden State W 105–104 Thomas (27) Rodman (16) Thomas (8) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		26–12
39 January 27
8:00 p.m. EST 		Cleveland L 79–80 Johnson,
Thomas (22) 		Rodman (17) Thomas (5) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		26–13
40 January 29
7:00 p.m. EST 		Sacramento W 122–97 Rodman (24) Rodman (16) Thomas (15) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		27–13
41 January 31
8:00 p.m. EST 		@ Chicago W 104–98 (OT) Thomas (34) Rodman (14) Dantley (8) Chicago Stadium
18,288 		28–13
February: 8–3 (home: 4–0; road: 4–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
42 February 3
8:00 p.m. EST 		@ Philadelphia W 124–106 Dantley (33) Laimbeer,
Salley,
Thomas (7) 		Thomas (7) The Spectrum
15,268 		29–13
43 February 5
2:00 p.m. EST 		Chicago W 113–102 Johnson (27) Rodman (13) Thomas (9) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		30–13
44 February 8
7:30 p.m. EST 		Milwaukee W 107–96 Laimbeer (22) Rodman (12) Thomas (14) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		31–13
All-Star Break
45 February 14
10:30 p.m. EST 		@ L.A. Lakers W 111–103 Dumars,
Thomas (23) 		Rodman (15) Thomas (15) Great Western Forum
17,505 		32–13
46 February 16
10:30 p.m. EST 		@ Sacramento W 95–84 Dumars,
Johnson,
Laimbeer (20) 		Rodman (15) Thomas (14) ARCO Arena
16,517 		33–13
47 February 18
10:00 p.m. EST 		@ Golden State L 119–121 (OT) Laimbeer,
Rodman (32) 		Rodman (21) Thomas (13) Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena
15,025 		33–14
48 February 20
4:00 p.m. EST 		@ Denver L 101–103 Johnson (21) Laimbeer (16) Thomas (10) McNichols Sports Arena
17,022 		33–15
49 February 22
7:30 p.m. EST 		Portland W 105–94 Dumars (19) Rodman (15) Thomas (12) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		34–15
50 February 25
7:30 p.m. EST 		@ New Jersey W 113–95 Aguirre (31) Mahorn (9) Dumars (10) Brendan Byrne Arena
20,049 		35–15
51 February 26
7:00 p.m. EST 		L.A. Clippers W 110–98 Thomas (21) Rodman (13) Thomas (11) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		36–15
52 February 28
8:00 p.m. EST 		@ Cleveland L 99–115 Aguirre,
Thomas (28) 		Rodman (11) Thomas (13) Richfield Coliseum
20,246 		36–16
March: 16–1 (home: 9–0; road: 7–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
53 March 1
7:30 p.m. EST 		Utah W 96–85 Johnson (34) Laimbeer (13) Dumars (7) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		37–16
54 March 3
8:00 p.m. EST 		Cleveland W 96–90 Laimbeer (24) Laimbeer (14) Thomas (11) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		38–16
55 March 5
7:30 p.m. EST 		@ Miami W 109–100 Johnson,
Thomas (22) 		Rodman (10) Thomas (8) Miami Arena
15,008 		39–16
56 March 6
7:30 p.m. EST 		Denver W 129–116 Dumars (25) Mahorn (19) Thomas (9) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		40–16
57 March 8
7:30 p.m. EST 		Seattle W 112–96 Thomas (27) Laimbeer (19) Thomas (12) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		41–16
58 March 11
7:30 p.m. EST 		@ Philadelphia W 111–106 Thomas (34) Laimbeer (16) Thomas (8) The Spectrum
17,678 		42–16
59 March 12
7:00 p.m. EST 		Washington W 110–104 Laimbeer (24) Laimbeer (16) Thomas (8) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		43–16
60 March 14
7:30 p.m. EST 		@ Indiana W 129–117 Dumars (30) Johnson (7) Dumars (8) Market Square Arena
12,031 		44–16
61 March 17
8:00 p.m. EST 		Boston W 106–98 Johnson (30) Laimbeer,
Rodman (10) 		Dumars (7) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		45–16
62 March 18
9:00 p.m. EST 		@ Milwaukee L 100–117 Aguirre,
Johnson (14) 		Rodman (13) Dumars (9) Bradley Center
18,633 		45–17
63 March 21
8:00 p.m. EST 		@ Atlanta W 110–95 Thomas (26) Laimbeer (12) Dumars (9) The Omni
16,371 		46–17
64 March 22
7:30 p.m. EST 		San Antonio W 115–94 Laimbeer (21) Laimbeer (10) Thomas (10) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		47–17
65 March 24
8:00 p.m. EST 		New Jersey W 112–96 Dumars (35) Aguirre (11) Thomas (11) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		48–17
66 March 25
7:30 p.m. EST 		@ Charlotte W 113–101 Dumars (18) Laimbeer (11) Thomas (6) Charlotte Coliseum
23,388 		49–17
67 March 27
7:30 p.m. EST 		Dallas W 90–77 Thomas (30) Laimbeer,
Rodman (11) 		Dumars (6) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		50–17
68 March 29
9:30 p.m. EST 		@ Utah W 108–104 Thomas (25) Mahorn (11) Thomas (8) Salt Palace
12,444 		51–17
69 March 31
10:00 p.m. EST 		@ Seattle W 111–108 Dumars (27) Rodman (7) Dumars,
Thomas (4) 		Seattle Center Coliseum
14,810 		52–17
April: 11–2 (home: 7–0; road: 4–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
70 April 2
9:00 p.m. EDT 		@ L.A. Clippers W 117–101 Dumars (23) Laimbeer (18) Dumars,
Thomas (7) 		Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
14,309 		53–16
71 April 4
10:30 p.m. EDT 		@ Portland L 100–118 Rodman (16) Rodman (18) Dumars (6) Memorial Coliseum
12,880 		53–18
72 April 6
7:30 p.m. EDT 		Chicago W 115–108 Dumars (20) Laimbeer (22) Thomas (10) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		54–18
73 April 7
8:00 p.m. EDT 		@ Chicago W 114–112 (OT) Johnson (30) Mahorn (11) Dumars,
Johnson (8) 		Chicago Stadium
18,678 		55–18
74 April 9
7:00 p.m. EDT 		Milwaukee W 100–91 Aguirre (20) Aguirre (11) Dumars (13) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		56–18
75 April 10
7:30 p.m. EDT 		@ Washington W 124–100 Laimbeer (27) Laimbeer (11) Dumars (11) Capital Centre
11,305 		57–18
76 April 12
7:30 p.m. EDT 		Cleveland W 107–95 Johnson (31) Mahorn (11) Dumars (11) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		58–18
77 April 14
8:00 p.m. EDT 		@ New York L 100–104 Laimbeer (19) Rodman (10) Dumars (8) Madison Square Garden
19,591 		58–19
78 April 16
7:00 p.m. EDT 		Washington W 104–98 Aguirre (19) Laimbeer (10) Dumars,
Thomas (7) 		The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		59–19
79 April 18
7:30 p.m. EDT 		@ Cleveland W 118–102 Dumars (42) Mahorn (11) Dumars (11) Richfield Coliseum
20,273 		60–19
80 April 19
7:30 p.m. EDT 		Indiana W 115–105 Dumars (20) Rodman (14) Dumars (11) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		61–19
81 April 21
8:00 p.m. EDT 		Philadelphia W 100–91 Aguirre (22) Mahorn (9) Dumars (9) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		62–19
82 April 23
3:30 p.m. EDT 		Atlanta W 99–81 Johnson (23) Rodman (13) Dumars (4) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		63–19
1988–89 schedule

Detailed records

Playoffs

1989 playoff game log
Eastern Conference First Round: 3–0 (home: 2–0; road: 1–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 April 28
8:00 p.m. EDT 		Boston W 101–91 Dumars (25) Laimbeer (12) Thomas (10) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		1–0
2 April 30
3:30 p.m. EDT 		Boston W 102–95 Thomas (26) Laimbeer (15) Thomas (8) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		2–0
3 May 2
8:00 p.m. EDT 		@ Boston W 100–85 Johnson (25) Rodman (9) Thomas (10) Boston Garden
14,890 		3–0
Eastern Conference Semifinals: 4–0 (home: 2–0; road: 2–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 May 10
8:00 p.m. EDT 		Milwaukee W 85–80 Laimbeer (19) Laimbeer (17) Dumars (6) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		1–0
2 May 12
8:00 p.m. EDT 		Milwaukee W 112–92 Salley (23) Rodman (13) Thomas (10) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		2–0
3 May 14
3:30 p.m. EDT 		@ Milwaukee W 110–90 Thomas (26) Laimbeer (11) Dumars (10) Bradley Center
18,633 		3–0
4 May 15
8:00 p.m. EDT 		@ Milwaukee W 96–94 Dumars (22) Thomas (10) Thomas (13) Bradley Center
18,633 		4–0
Eastern Conference Finals: 4–2 (home: 2–1; road: 2–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 May 21
1:00 p.m. EDT 		Chicago L 88–94 Mahorn (17) Laimbeer (15) Thomas (10) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		0–1
2 May 23
8:00 p.m. EDT 		Chicago W 100–91 Thomas (33) Rodman (12) Thomas (4) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		1–1
3 May 27
2:00 p.m. EDT 		@ Chicago L 97–99 Aguirre (25) Rodman (13) Thomas (11) Chicago Stadium
18,676 		1–2
4 May 29
3:00 p.m. EDT 		@ Chicago W 86–80 Thomas (27) Rodman (18) Thomas (6) Chicago Stadium
18,676 		2–2
5 May 31
8:00 p.m. EDT 		Chicago W 94–85 Johnson (22) Rodman (14) Thomas (12) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		3–2
6 June 2
9:00 p.m. EDT 		@ Chicago W 103–94 Thomas (33) Rodman (15) Dumars (9) Chicago Stadium
18,676 		4–2
NBA Finals: 4–0 (home: 2–0; road: 2–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 June 6
9:00 p.m. EDT 		L.A. Lakers W 109–97 Thomas (24) Aguirre,
Rodman (10) 		Thomas (9) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		1–0
2 June 8
9:00 p.m. EDT 		L.A. Lakers W 108–105 Dumars (33) Aguirre (6) Thomas (7) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454 		2–0
3 June 11
3:30 p.m. EDT 		@ L.A. Lakers W 114–110 Dumars (31) Rodman (19) Thomas (8) Great Western Forum
17,505 		3–0
4 June 13
9:00 p.m. EDT 		@ L.A. Lakers W 105–97 Dumars (23) Johnson,
Laimbeer (6) 		Dumars,
Johnson,
Thomas (5) 		Great Western Forum
17,505 		4–0
1989 schedule

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.

Player stats

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game

Regular season

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Mark Aguirre 36 32 29.7 .483 .293 .738 4.2 2.5 .44 .19 15.5
Adrian Dantley 42 42 31.9 .521 .000 .839 3.9 2.2 .55 .14 18.4
Darryl Dawkins 14 0 3.4 .474 .000 .500 .5 .1 .00 .07 1.9
Fennis Dembo 31 0 2.4 .333 .000 .800 .7 .2 .03 .00 1.2
Joe Dumars 69 67 34.9 .505 .483 .850 2.5 5.7 .91 .07 17.2
James Edwards 76 1 16.5 .500 .000 .686 3.0 .6 .14 .41 7.3
Steve Harris 3 0 2.3 .250 .000 1.000 .7 .0 .33 .00 1.3
Vinnie Johnson 82 21 25.3 .464 .295 .734 3.1 3.0 .90 .21 13.8
Bill Laimbeer 81 81 32.6 .499 .349 .840 9.6 2.2 .63 1.23 13.7
John Long 24 1 6.3 .475 .000 .846 .5 .6 .00 .08 2.0
Rick Mahorn 72 61 24.9 .517 .000 .748 6.9 .8 .56 .92 7.2
Pace Mannion 5 0 2.8 1.000 .000 .000 .6 .0 .20 .00 .8
Dennis Rodman 82 8 26.9 .595 .231 .626 9.4 1.2 .67 .93 9.0
Jim Rowinski 6 0 1.3 .000 .000 1.000 .3 .0 .00 .00 .7
John Salley 67 21 21.8 .498 .000 .692 5.0 1.1 .60 1.07 7.0
Isiah Thomas 80 76 36.6 .464 .273 .818 3.4 8.3 1.66 .25 18.2
Micheal Williams 49 0 7.3 .364 .222 .660 .6 1.4 .27 .06 2.6

Playoffs

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Mark Aguirre 17 17 27.2 .489 .276 .737 4.4 1.6 .47 .18 12.6
Fennis Dembo 2 0 2.0 1.000 .000 .000 .0 .0 .00 .00 1.0
Joe Dumars 17 17 36.5 .455 .083 .861 2.6 5.6 .71 .06 17.6
James Edwards 17 0 18.6 .471 .000 .784 2.1 .7 .06 .47 7.1
Vinnie Johnson 17 0 21.9 .455 .417 .758 2.6 2.5 .24 .18 14.1
Bill Laimbeer 17 17 29.2 .465 .357 .806 8.2 1.8 .35 .47 10.1
John Long 4 0 2.0 1.000 .000 1.000 .0 .0 .00 .00 1.2
Rick Mahorn 17 17 21.2 .580 .000 .654 5.1 .4 .53 .76 5.7
Dennis Rodman 17 0 24.1 .529 .000 .686 10.0 .9 .35 .71 5.8
John Salley 17 0 23.1 .586 .000 .667 4.6 .5 .53 1.47 8.9
Isiah Thomas 17 17 37.2 .412 .267 .740 4.3 8.3 1.59 .24 18.2
Micheal Williams 4 0 1.5 .000 .000 1.000 .5 .5 .25 .00 .5

Player Statistics Citation:[13]

NBA Finals

Main article: 1989 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.

Game Home Team Road Team series
Game 1 Detroit 109 L.A. Lakers 97 1–0
Game 2 Detroit 108 L.A. Lakers 105 2–0
Game 3: L.A. Lakers 110 Detroit 114 3–0
Game 4: L.A. Lakers 97 Detroit 105 4–0

Pistons win series 4–0

Award winners

References

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