During his 14-year career, Joe Dumars was a two-time NBA champion, six-time All-Star and full-time gentleman. And when he played his final game - an 87-75 loss to Atlanta in Game 5 of a first-round playoff series - an era ended for the Detroit Pistons.

Dumars, a four-time member of the NBA's All-Defensive First Team, finished his career as Detroit's franchise leader in points (16,401) and games (1,018) before moving into the team's front office. He was MVP of the 1989 NBA Finals, recipient of the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 1994 and the winner of the 1996 NBA Sportsmanship Award.

Grant Hill had another stellar season in 1998-99, earning All-NBA Second Team honors after leading the Pistons in scoring (21.1 ppg), rebounds (7.1 rpg) and assists (6.0 apg) for the third time in four years.

Alvin Gentry was 29-21 in his first full season as Detroit's coach. The Pistons received a lift from free-agent acquisition Christian Laettner, who averaged 13.8 points and 6.6 rebounds in 16 games. Laettner missed 34 games with an Achilles injury and broken rib, but he helped Detroit to a 13-3 record when he played.