HISTORY QUICK FACTS
• Sixty-two Detroiters have played in the NBA over its history, including
some of the nearly 300 Detroit high school athletes who have played
college basketball over the last six years.
• Moving to Detroit from Ft. Wayne in 1957, the Pistons played four
seasons at Olympia Stadium (1957-58 thru 1960-61) and 17 seasons at
Cobo Arena (1961-62 thru 1977-78).
• First star was George Yardley – who pumped in 2,001 points and won
the 1957-58 scoring title while becoming the first NBA player to top
2,000 points in a season.
• The Detroit Pistons hosted the NBA All-Star game in 1958-59.
• Played last game in Olympia Stadium on March 18, 1961. Detroit beat
the L.A. Lakers 123-114 to force a deciding Game 5 in the playoffs.
•
1961-62 was Detroit Pistons first season at Cobo Arena. The club got
close enough to sniff the NBA Finals, but couldn’t fight the Army. L.A.
forward Pfc. Elgin Baylor was granted special leave from the military
and Detroit lost to the Lakers 4-2 in the West Finals. It was the closest
the team would get to the Finals before 1987.
•
Ray Scott would become one of the most influential faces on the team
during this time – as a player (1961-67) he averaged 17.6 points and 13.5
rebounds during the 1963-64 season, including a career-high 39 points
vs. Cincinnati (12/1/64)…Then as coach (1972-76), he became NBA
Coach of the Year in 1974...His 147-134 career record was the best
coaching record of any tenure prior to Chuck Daly.
•
Dave Bing is arguably one of the two best Detroit Pistons players
during the club’s era of playing basketball in the city…Arriving in 1966,
he would earn NBA Rookie of the Year honors and become the NBA
scoring champ in his second season….He scored 15,235 points as a
Piston, made three All-NBA teams, seven All-Star games, was named
one of the NBA’s Top 50 players of All-Time and inducted into the Hall
of Fame in 1990.
•
Bob Lanier joined the Pistons in 1970 as the No. 1 overall draft pick….The Pistons reached the playoffs four times during
his nine-year tenure….He averaged 22.3 points and 12.5 rebounds over his first five seasons and scored 40-plus points
20 times as a Piston (most during that time)….He made eight NBA All-Star teams as a Piston (named All-Star MVP in
1974), NBA All-Rookie and won the Kennedy Citizenship Award in 1977-78…Named to the Hall of Fame in 1991.
• In Bob Lanier’s rookie season of 1970-71, the team enjoyed its first winning season in Detroit – 45-37 – but missed the
playoffs.
• Earl Lloyd – the first black NBA player was hired by the Pistons as the fourth black NBA head coach on November 8,
1971. He later became the team’s television analyst.
• After 17 seasons in Detroit, the city caught Pistons fever for the first time in 1973-74. The club went 52-30, including
a 29-12 home record where they drew 300,000 fans in a season for the first time…The season ended in a classic seven game playoff series with the Chicago Bulls.
• Dave Bing and the organization parted ways in 1975 when he was traded to Washington for a first round pick and the
NBA’s assist leader Kevin Porter on August 28, 1975.
• Detroit went 44-38 in the 1976-77 season, staggered into the playoffs and lost to Golden State 2-1 --- it would be the
club’s last playoff appearance until 1984.
•
The Pistons recorded a 38-44 record in their final season at Cobo Arena and ended the year with a memorable game. Denver guard David Thompson was attempting to pass San Antonio’s George Gervin for the NBA’s scoring title. Playing against the Pistons, he finished with 73 points, the third-most in NBA history. Gervin, a Detroiter, scored 63 in
a game later that night to hold on and secure the scoring title.
• In 1984, the Pistons played Game 5 of its first round playoff series against New York at Joe Louis Arena due to schedule
conflict at Silverdome…Isiah Thomas scored 16 points in the final 1:34 of regulation to send the game into overtime.
• Detroit played 15 regular-season and five playoff games at Joe Louis Arena during the 1984-85 season after the
Silverdome roof collapsed during a snowstorm.