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On this day in 1989: The Detroit Pistons win their first championship

By Nicolas Henkel

AUBURN HILLS, MI - JUNE 13: Rick Mahorn #4 of the Detroit Pistons celebrates with his teamates in the locker room after winning the 1989 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, MI. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1989 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
AUBURN HILLS, MI - JUNE 13: Rick Mahorn #4 of the Detroit Pistons celebrates with his teamates in the locker room after winning the 1989 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, MI. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1989 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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It’s been 31 years to the day since the Detroit Pistons won their first championship in franchise history.

June 13th, 1989. The Detroit Pistons completed their four game sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers to capture their first title in franchise history, and solidifying the Bad Boys as an all-time team.

Joe Dumars was awarded with the Finals MVP trophy after averaging 27.3 points 6.0 assists and 1.8 rebounds per game. Coming off the heels of a bitter Finals loss in 1988, one where Isiah Thomas had a historic game six performance, Detroit was finally able to get over the hump.

With seemingly every single team in the league spending year after year losing to either the Lakers or the Celtics, a team was able to interrupt the NBA’s glamour party, and they did it in the most ‘Detroit’ way imaginable.

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The sheer physicality that those Pistons teams played with went unmatched. Not just at the time, but throughout the history of the league. The Bad Boys unapologetically beating down their opponents both mentally and physically on a nightly basis was too overwhelming.

During the entirety of this four game series against the Lakers, Detroit only attempted 20 three-pointers for the entire series, with none of them coming from the MVP Dumars. Given the era and the style of play, it’s not necessarily a surprise.

The two teams combined attempted 63 three-pointers. In any given NBA game today you nearly eclipse that inside of a single game, let alone an entire series.

The Pistons ended the regular season with an astonishing record of 63-19, winning the division and winning 90 percent of their home games (37-4). They weren’t just the best team that season, they were one of the best all-time.

The Bad Boys continued their reign over the NBA by winning another championship the following season against Portland. After that, the team was broken up through various moves, injuries, and retirements.

But for two brief years, the Detroit Pistons were truly the best team on the planet.

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