Top 5 Pistons plays in NBA Finals history
By Greg Tonge
The Detroit Pistons have competed in seven championships dating all the way back to to their days in Fort Wayne. Check out the top 5 plays from their appearances in the Finals.
Now, let’s get into the list:
#5:
1989 NBA Finals, Game 4
With about eight minutes left in the fourth quarter of a tightly contested game, Vinnie Johnson threads a bounce pass down low to James Edwards who slams it home over LA’s A.C. Green and Orlando Woolridge. The Detroit Pistons would go on to sweep the Lakers and claim their first title since moving to Detroit. We’ll see more from the assist man Vinnie Johnson later in the countdown.
#4:
2004 NBA Finals, Game 5
Seven minutes away from bringing a third NBA championship to Detroit, Ben Wallace took a missed shot from Rip Hamilton and threw it down with power over a crowd of defenders. That put the Pistons up by 25 points and they would go on to clinch the championship with a 100-87 victory.
#3:
1989 NBA Finals, Game 3
In a pivotal game 3, the Pistons were up on the two-time defending champion Lakers 113-110 with only :09 seconds left on the clock. The inbound pass would find its way to David Rivers in the corner, but when he pulled up for the game-tying three he was denied by defensive stud Joe Dumars. He would then save the ball from going out of bounds and all but lock up the 3-0 lead.
#2:
1988 NBA Finals, Game 6
Around halfway through game 6, Isaiah Thomas suffered a severe sprained ankle on a flukey play. He responded by scoring 25 points in the third quarter, and finishing the game with the stat line of 43 points, 8 assists, and 6 steals in one of the most heroic performances in NBA history.
#1:
1990 NBA Finals, Game 5
Up 3-1 on the Portland Trailblazers, the Pistons saw themselves tied 90-90 with seven seconds remaining on the game clock. Isaiah Thomas caught the inbounds pass and dished it off to Vinnie Johnson who would make the most of his opportunity by hitting a jumper to give the team a 92-90 lead with only 0.7 seconds remaining. Isaiah Thomas would go on to be the finals MVP, but there is no doubt that Vinnie Johnson hit one of the biggest shots in NBA Finals history.
Next: Pistons: Clips & notes from key prospects pro day
The Detroit Pistons would go on to win three of the seven championships that they played in, putting them tied for sixth most of any franchise.
h/t: NBA, Nathan Olsen