Detroit Pistons: Top 5 individual playoff performances in team history

Detroit Pistons: Top 5 individual playoff performances (honorable mentions)

Bill Laimbeer vs Portland Trail Blazers, Game 2 of the 1990 NBA Finals

Although the Detroit Pistons came up short in this one, losing 106-105, it was a thing of beauty to watch Bill Laimbeer control the basketball game. His 26 point, 11 rebound, 4 assist stat-line is plenty impressive, but the big man also knocked down 6-of-9 threes in an era when 7-footers rarely dared shoot the long ball. He was always one of the team’s leaders whether the box score showed it or not; in Game 2 of the 1990 NBA Finals, it most certainly did.

Jerry Stackhouse vs Toronto Raptors, Game 2 of the 2002 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

This is a moment that is somewhat lost in history, but let’s dust it off and examine it for a moment. After the Bad Boys had come and gone, yet before the Goin’ to Work Crew was fully in place, Jerry Stackhouse erupted for 31 points to give the Pistons a 2-0 series lead in a best-of-seven they would go on to win 4-1. Ben Wallace set the defensive tone, racking up 15 rebounds, 3 blocks and 3 steals, and together, the duo gave fans hope that they could be building blacks of the next great Pistons team. As we know, those who held that viewpoint were half right, as Stack was soon dealt for Richard Hamilton. Nevertheless, for that moment in time, Stackhouse getting loose against an overmatched Raptors squad was exciting.

Dennis Rodman vs Chicago Bulls, Game 4 of the 1990 Eastern Conference Finals

Spoiler Alert: the Bulls won the battle, but not the war. In Game 4 of the 1990 Eastern Conference Finals, Dennis Rodman put forth his most dominant playoff effort as a Pistons with a monstrous 20 point-20 rebound double-double. It came in a losing effort, resulting in the Bulls tying the series at 2 games a piece, but the Worm nearly led the Pistons to a comeback that game and even in losing maintained the tone of that rivalry, staving off Michael Jordan for one final season. Rodman’s brilliance that day was fitting as he was basking in the glow of having won his first Defensive Player of the Year award. Like Ben Wallace, Rodman’s greatness didn’t always show up in the box score, but it did here as the reigning champions close in on a second consecutive title.