Just nine years after hitting rock bottom with a 16-66 record, the Pistons reached the top of the basketball world in 1989. Their 63 wins in the 1988-89 season were a franchise best. That season the Pistons also moved into a new home-the 21,454-seat Palace of Auburn Hills.

The team started slowly but took off after a midseason trade sent Adrian Dantley and a No. 1 draft choice to Dallas in exchange for Mark Aguirre. Far from disrupting team chemistry, the deal enhanced the squad's spirit.

The Pistons were the league's best team all season. They had a guard-oriented offense featuring Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars, a solid work ethic, and they lived up to their Bad Boys image with tough, physical play. (When Bill Laimbeer missed a game on January 29 to serve a fighting suspension, it interrupted a string of 685 consecutive games played that dated back to 1982.)

The Pistons were led by Thomas, whose angelic smile belied a fiercely competitive nature. He could shoot from the outside or drive to the basket and was always among the league leaders in assists. Backcourtmate Dumars had many of the same offensive skills as Thomas, though he wasn't expected to pass as much, and he was a formidable defender. Laimbeer was a bruising inside player but not a traditional center; his shot from long range became a trademark of the Pistons' offense. In addition, Laimbeer developed his persona as a villain, becoming a player opposing fans loved to hate.

These star-quality players were augmented by a cast of role players and specialists. Aguirre possessed as inventive an offensive repertoire as any NBA player. Vinnie Johnson was capable of torrid shooting streaks. Dennis Rodman, Rick Mahorn, James Edwards, and John Salley each brought different assets to the front line while sharing playing time.

Dumars and Rodman were named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team at season's end, starting a long string of selections for Rodman. Thomas led the club in scoring with 18.2 points per game, but the scoring burden was well distributed-five players averaged more than 13.7 points. Rodman displayed an unerring nose for the ball, led the team in rebounding (9.4 rpg), and, unexpectedly, led the league in shooting percentage (.595), mostly by declining to shoot anything but point-blank layups.

The Pistons fashioned the NBA's best regular-season record at 63-19 and shredded opposing teams in the playoffs. They cruised through the first two rounds of the postseason, eliminating Boston and Milwaukee without suffering a loss. The Chicago Bulls provided a little more resistance before falling in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals.

In a rematch of the previous year's NBA Finals, the Pistons demolished an injury-plagued Lakers team by sweeping the defending champs in four straight games. A new star was born as Dumars averaged 27.3 points in the series and was named Finals MVP. In 17 playoff games Detroit held the opposition to only 92.9 points per game, the stingiest defense of any NBA champion since the advent of the 24-second shot clock in 1954-55.