1988 NBA Finals against Lakers ranks as the greatest playoff series involving the Detroit Pistons since NBA-ABA merger

In an incredible feature that’s sure to suck you in, ESPN’s John Hollinger ranked the 50 greatest playoff series since the NBA-ABA merger. The Pistons appeared on the list six times:

10.  1988 NBA FINALS: PISTONS VS. LAKERS

Los Angeles Lakers Detroit Pistons

4 3

GAME 1	GAME 2	GAME 3	GAME 4	GAME 5	GAME 6	GAME 7
DET 105 LAL  93	DET 96 LAL 108	LAL 99 DET 86	LAL  86 DET 111	LAL  94 DET 104	DET 102 LAL  103	DET 105 LAL  108
Hollinger’s series rating: 17.7

Not only did this go seven games, but the last two were as good as you’ll ever see. The Pistons set the tone in Game 1 by surprising the favored Lakers, 105-93. But from there it took a little while for the drama to ramp up; each of the first five games ended with a double-digit margin.

However, the last two made up for it. While hopping up and down the court on a sprained ankle, Isiah Thomas scored 25 points in the third quarter of Game 6 and nearly led Detroit to victory. The Pistons were up by three with a minute left, but L.A. hung on to win 103-102 after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s late free throws, a rushed Detroit miss, and a wild scene as Dennis Rodman and Byron Scott nearly came to blows just before the buzzer.

The seventh game was just as tight. After leading by as many as 15, the Lakers hung on to a three-point win (after rushing the court before the buzzer while the Pistons tried to get off a final shot), thanks in large part to 36 points, 16 boards and 10 assists from James Worthy — the only triple-double of the Finals MVP’s career.

Photo credit: MPS/US Presswire

14.  1988 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: PISTONS VS. CELTICS

Detroit Pistons Boston Celtics

4 2

GAME 1	GAME 2	GAME 3	GAME 4	GAME 5	GAME 6
DET 104 BOS 96	DET 115 BOS 119 (2OT)	BOS 94 DET 98	BOS 79 DET 78	DET 102 BOS 96 (OT)	BOS 90 DET 95
Hollinger’s series rating: 23.9

The Bad Boys finally got over the hump in this series and knocked off their Eastern Conference rivals, with the help of an unlikely rally from 16 points down in Game 5 in Boston to win in overtime, 102-96 — the second game to require an extra session. Prior to that point it looked like Boston would hold on again, as the Celtics held Detroit to 10 points in the fourth quarter of Game 4 to steal a hard-fought 79-78 win in the Silverdome.

No game was decided by more than eight points, and things weren’t settled until Detroit’s Vinnie Johnson ignited a rally for a 95-90 Detroit win in Game 6. Celtics star Larry Bird, hampered in equal part by painful bone spurs and Detroit’s harassing defense, averaged only 10.0 points on 35.1 percent shooting for the series.

Photo credit: AP Photo/Peter Southwick

16.  2007 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: CAVS VS. PISTONS

Cleveland Cavaliers Detroit Pistons

4 2

GAME 1	GAME 2	GAME 3	GAME 4	GAME 5	GAME 6
CLE 76 DET 79	CLE 76 DET 79	DET 82 CLE 88	DET 87 CLE 91	CLE 109 DET 107 (2OT)	DET 82 CLE 98
Hollinger’s series rating: 16.1

This series is notable for one of the great individual performances in playoff history. LeBron James scored 25 straight points at the end of regulation and in the two overtimes to lead underdog Cleveland to a stunning Game 5 win in Detroit. The Pistons then melted down in Game 6 as the Cavs completed their rally from a 2-0 deficit.

This was a tight series throughout, with the first two games won by the Pistons by identical 79-76 scores and the first five decided by six points or fewer. And before his heroics, James was criticized for a decision to pass to Donyell Marshall rather than shoot it himself at the end of Game 1.

But that was all forgotten after his heroics in Game 5. James rallied Cleveland from a seven-point deficit with 3:15 to play and hit the game-winning lay-up with two seconds left in the second overtime to finish with 48 points.

Photo credit: Ned Dishman/NBAE/Getty Images

37.  2005 NBA FINALS: PISTONS VS. SPURS

San Antonio Spurs Detroit Pistons

4 3

GAME 1	GAME 2	GAME 3	GAME 4	GAME 5	GAME 6	GAME 7
DET 69 SAS 84	DET 76 SAS 97	SAS 79 DET 96	SAS  71 DET 102	SAS 96 DET 95 (OT)	DET 95 SAS 86	DET 74 SAS 81
Hollinger’s series rating: 13.2

This series loses style points because it did as much to turn off viewers as it did to invigorate them, but it featured the two top defensive teams of the era and the last three games were thrillers. Game 5 was the crucial one, decided on a Robert Horry 3-pointer in overtime, and then the Spurs rallied in the second half of Game 7 after it appeared Detroit might pull of the unprecedented feat of winning Games 6 and 7 on the road.

The problem with this series was that it was more for the purist than the fan. The Spurs and Pistons defended like gangbusters and shared the ball offensively, but the clash produced a series of defensive-minded games with few individual highlights. The other thing that hurts this series is the first four games — none of them were close.

Photo credit: Noah Graham/NBAE/Getty Images

41.  2006 EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: CAVS VS. PISTONS

Detroit Pistons Cleveland Cavaliers

4 3

GAME 1	GAME 2	GAME 3	GAME 4	GAME 5	GAME 6	GAME 7
CLE  86 DET 113	CLE 91 DET 97	DET 77 CLE 86	DET 72 CLE 74	CLE 86 DET 84	DET 84 CLE 82	CLE 61 DET 79
Hollinger’s series rating: 11.0

In their first postseason appearance in eight years, the Cavs gave the 64-win Pistons all they could handle, winning the middle three games in stunning fashion. However, experience would eventually win out, as Detroit rallied to win Games 6 and 7 in the first of back-to-back playoff classics between the Central Division rivals.

Of particular note were Game 4, 5, and 6, each of which were decided by just two points. The second of the three, an 86-84 stunner by Cleveland on a game-winner by Drew Gooden that gave the Cavs a 3-2 series lead, left Detroit forward Antonio McDyess so stunned that he went straight home … in his uniform. But the Pistons eked out an 84-82 win in Cleveland when the Cavs couldn’t grab a defensive board in the final minute, then easily won Game 7.

Photo credit: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

43.  2004 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: PISTONS VS. PACERS

Detroit Pistons Indiana Pacers

4 2

GAME 1	GAME 2	GAME 3	GAME 4	GAME 5	GAME 6
DET 74 IND 78	DET 72 IND 67	IND 78 DET 85	IND 83 DET 68	DET 83 IND 65	IND 65 DET 69
Hollinger’s series rating: 10.0

Type "Pacers Pistons 2004" into a search engine and you’ll get a hundred pages about a brawl before you ever read about the playoffs. But six months prior to their unfortunate fight these two squared off in a classic defensive playoff matchup.

This series is a bit of a rarity, because its turning point and defining play — Tayshaun Prince’s out-of-nowhere rejection of Reggie Miller’s go-ahead layup attempt — came early, in Game 2. It was a symbolic moment for one of the most dominant defensive teams in history, and that, along with an amazing 18 more rejections that day, helped Detroit to a 72-67 win.

The Pistons would hold the Pacers to under 70 twice more, helping them win the lowest-scoring series in playoff history. But while it lacked in points, it didn’t lack in drama. Four of the six games were decided by five points or fewer, including Miller’s go-ahead 3 with 31 seconds left in Game 1 and a 69-65 brickfest in the clincher that turned when Ron Artest flagrantly fouled Richard Hamilton off the ball late in the fourth quarter.

Photo credit: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

I definitely thought Hollinger underrated the 2004 conference finals against the Pacers. That series was a war with both teams playing incredibly sound and tough defense.

Although I wouldn’t make a case that any of these series should’ve replaced another series on Hollinger’s list, I also thought the Pistons’ 1984 first-round loss to the Knicks, 1987 conference-finals loss to the Celtics and 2004 second-round win over the Nets could have received consideration.

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