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Sign up for E-news1983-86: Detroit Acquires Daly And Dumars
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Chuck Daly with Joe Dumars (left) and Isiah Thomas (right)
Andrew D. Bernstein
NBAE Photos
NBAE Photos
In 1983 the Pistons hired Chuck Daly as coach. Daly had started his coaching career at Punxsutawney High School in Pennsylvania, then had worked his way through the college and pro ranks, spending part of a season as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Early in the 1983-84 season the Pistons participated in the highest-scoring game in NBA history. In a December 13 contest against the Denver Nuggets, Detroit notched a 186-184 triple-overtime victory. Isiah Thomas (47 points), John Long (41), and Kelly Tripucka (35) had huge scoring nights, as did Denver's Kiki Vandeweghe (51), Alex English (47), and Dan Issel (28).
Bolstered by that record night, as well as by the arrival of Daly, Detroit made a dramatic improvement to 49-33 in 1983-84. Bill Laimbeer pulled down 12.2 rebounds per contest, while Thomas and Tripucka tied for the team scoring lead with 21.3 points per game. In a January game against Chicago, Tripucka tallied a team-record 56 points, topping Dave Bing's 1971 mark of 54. Then in February, Thomas set a club record by making 13 consecutive field goals against Cleveland. Thomas's 204 steals on the season set another franchise record, and he also earned the first of three consecutive All-NBA First Team selections. In the All-Star Game he scored 21 points and had 15 assists, numbers that earned him the MVP trophy.
Detroit returned to the NBA Playoffs in 1984, but an inexperienced Pistons squad lost in the first round to the New York Knicks.
The team slipped a bit to 46-36 in the 1984-85 season. Thomas led the league with 1,123 assists (13.9 apg), wresting the crown from Los Angeles' Magic Johnson and setting an NBA mark that was later broken by Utah's John Stockton. Thomas also tied Kevin Porter's team mark for assists in a game by dishing out 25 against the Dallas Mavericks. Laimbeer's 12.4 rebounds per game ranked him second in the league to Moses Malone of the Philadelphia 76ers. The Pistons won a playoff series for only the fourth time in franchise history when they swept the New Jersey Nets in the first round. Detroit then ran into a Finals-bound Boston Celtics squad and lost in six games.
In the 1985 NBA Draft the Pistons picked 6-3 guard Joe Dumars out of McNeese State, securing the third member of the Thomas-Laimbeer-Dumars triumvirate that anchored their championship teams of the future. Before the season Detroit also acquired power forward Rick Mahorn from the Washington Bullets.
The team repeated its 46-36 record in 1985-86. Laimbeer led the league in rebounding with 13.1 per game. Near the end of the season the Silverdome roof collapsed, and the Pistons played their final 15 games at Joe Louis Arena and Cobo Arena. Isiah Thomas earned his second All-Star Game MVP Award, scoring 30 points at Dallas. Detroit faced the Atlanta Hawks and Dominique Wilkins in a first-round playoff series and lost, three games to one.
Early in the 1983-84 season the Pistons participated in the highest-scoring game in NBA history. In a December 13 contest against the Denver Nuggets, Detroit notched a 186-184 triple-overtime victory. Isiah Thomas (47 points), John Long (41), and Kelly Tripucka (35) had huge scoring nights, as did Denver's Kiki Vandeweghe (51), Alex English (47), and Dan Issel (28).
Bolstered by that record night, as well as by the arrival of Daly, Detroit made a dramatic improvement to 49-33 in 1983-84. Bill Laimbeer pulled down 12.2 rebounds per contest, while Thomas and Tripucka tied for the team scoring lead with 21.3 points per game. In a January game against Chicago, Tripucka tallied a team-record 56 points, topping Dave Bing's 1971 mark of 54. Then in February, Thomas set a club record by making 13 consecutive field goals against Cleveland. Thomas's 204 steals on the season set another franchise record, and he also earned the first of three consecutive All-NBA First Team selections. In the All-Star Game he scored 21 points and had 15 assists, numbers that earned him the MVP trophy.
Detroit returned to the NBA Playoffs in 1984, but an inexperienced Pistons squad lost in the first round to the New York Knicks.
The team slipped a bit to 46-36 in the 1984-85 season. Thomas led the league with 1,123 assists (13.9 apg), wresting the crown from Los Angeles' Magic Johnson and setting an NBA mark that was later broken by Utah's John Stockton. Thomas also tied Kevin Porter's team mark for assists in a game by dishing out 25 against the Dallas Mavericks. Laimbeer's 12.4 rebounds per game ranked him second in the league to Moses Malone of the Philadelphia 76ers. The Pistons won a playoff series for only the fourth time in franchise history when they swept the New Jersey Nets in the first round. Detroit then ran into a Finals-bound Boston Celtics squad and lost in six games.
In the 1985 NBA Draft the Pistons picked 6-3 guard Joe Dumars out of McNeese State, securing the third member of the Thomas-Laimbeer-Dumars triumvirate that anchored their championship teams of the future. Before the season Detroit also acquired power forward Rick Mahorn from the Washington Bullets.
The team repeated its 46-36 record in 1985-86. Laimbeer led the league in rebounding with 13.1 per game. Near the end of the season the Silverdome roof collapsed, and the Pistons played their final 15 games at Joe Louis Arena and Cobo Arena. Isiah Thomas earned his second All-Star Game MVP Award, scoring 30 points at Dallas. Detroit faced the Atlanta Hawks and Dominique Wilkins in a first-round playoff series and lost, three games to one.
