The Detroit Pistons finally climbed the NBA’s mountaintop in 1989, but not everyone was ready to give them credit. They beat the Los Angeles Lakers via a sweep, yet the series came with an obvious caveat. Magic Johnson played hurt, while Byron Scott was out of commission. 

For some, that detracted from what the Bad Boys accomplished. The Pistons had been knocking at the door for years, but their first title could still be dismissed as something won against a wounded opponent. 

So, what’s a foolproof solution? Well, winning it again in 1990 would leave far less room for that argument.

The Pistons did it again

There was some truth to the cynics’ argument about the Pistons’ 1989 title run. The Purple and Gold were pretty much on their way to their straight ring, opening the ’89 postseason with 11 straight victories. They swept the Portland Trail Blazers, the Seattle SuperSonics, and the Phoenix Suns to arrange a date with the Bad Boys. 

And then, health became a factor. B-Scott hurt his hamstring before the series even began. Magic’s hamstring also gave up on him in Game 2, which basically killed the Lakers’ chances. Not even James Worthy’s 40-point outing in Game 4 could save them from the Pistons’ broom.

Detroit could hear the noise carry over to the next season. Even though Kareem Abdul-Jabbar decided to call it quits after the 1989 series, L.A. was still loaded from top to bottom. They won 63 games in 1989-90, the league’s best, and four games above the Pistons, who topped the East.

If this ever came down to another Lakers-Pistons showdown, Detroit would welcome the challenge again. Instead, L.A. got stunned by the Suns in the second round. Phoenix eventually got mauled by the Blazers in the WCF to arrange a showdown with the Pistons.

Before the 1990 NBA Finals series, many, including Lakers’ Johnson, felt Detroit’s only advantage against Portland was experience. Everywhere else, the younger, more athletic squad had the upper hand.

“Portland’s different from Chicago,” Magic said, referring to the Pistons’ ECF opponents. “They’re going to cause problems in the open court. And they’ve got more talent than Chicago. Detroit is going to have to contain their break. And they’re going to have to contain Portland’s offensive rebounds. I think Portland has the best rebounding in the league.”

Ultimately, however, the Pistons prevailed. Detroit staved off a potentially devastating Game 2 overtime defeat and dug deep to string together three more victories to complete a gentleman’s sweep of Portland.

“You rank this one as more of a satisfaction for a job well done,” said Pistons’ Bill Laimbeer, who led the series in rebounding. “We wanted to repeat as champions, but not so much to prove it to anybody else. We wanted to do it for ourselves.”

Thomas, who won the Finals MVP after averaging 27/5/7, declared: “You can say what you want about me, but you can’t say that I’m not a winner.”

Going back-to-back put the Pistons in a very exclusive club. They join the Lakers as the only other franchise that won two championships in a row in the 80s. Before that, only the 1968 and 1969 Boston Celtics achieved the feat, showing just how difficult it was to stay on top once everyone was coming after you.

For these Pistons, however, the second title meant something more personal. It gave them a chance to put any doubts about their first championship to rest. Winning two in a row meant the first was no fluke, regardless of what anyone may have thought.

About the author

NBA Writer at Basketball Network

Jan covers pretty much all things basketball, especially fascinating anecdotes that help him take glorious trips down memory lane. He goes beyond stats, uncovering tone, mindset, and stories that reveal the true pulse of the game.