The NBA playoffs this season are in full swing. The teams in the semi-finals have contributed quite exciting performances to us. Morant scored 47 points, Celtic "Double Tanhua" vs. Antetokounmpo, etc., which have attracted a lot of attention.
This reminds us of a team in the East more than ten years ago. They entered the Eastern Conference Final for 6 consecutive years, setting a record, and also won the championship on the peak Lakers "F4". It can be said to be a model of a civilian team. Next, let’s take a look at this civilian group that year.
The perfect team structure is the main reason for maintaining competitiveness
Although this team seemed very ordinary back then, it can even be said that most of the players were eliminated by other teams, so it is hard for anyone to believe that this Piston can create the achievements of the past " Bad Kids Legion ". However, the fact is that these frustrated stars gathered together and instead had a strong chemical reaction.
02-03 season, the team got the CET-winning King Richard Hamilton and Chauncey Billups through the draft, and obtained the "Little Prince" Prince , plus the Ben Wallace , which was already in the team, and the prototype of this later Eastern Conference powerhouse has been decided. This season's playoffs is their first season in the Eastern Conference Finals. What really transformed the Pistons was a key deal in the 2003-04 season. At that time, as a representative of the infamous Portland "Prison", "Roaring Heavenly Lord" Rashid Wallace was put on the trading shelves due to his overly indulgent personality and constant trouble.
However, although he was one of the power forwards who were as famous as Duncan and Garnett at that time, due to his poor record, most teams did not dare to take over him until the Pistons got a bargain. Since then, the team has finally gathered the starting five tigers of Billups, Hamilton , Prince and the "Wallace Brothers", which was also the ace that the Pistons dominated the East in those years. In addition, the team later introduced strong stars such as McDyce, Amir Johnson , Mark Hill , etc., which are all factors that make them successful. At the 2006 All-Star Game, the East even sent the four kings except Prince, and , James , and eventually reversed and defeated the West, becoming a good story.
horrible playoff dominance, interpreting the victory of civilians
In addition, one thing that must be mentioned is their horrible playoff dominance. Although James later set a record in the Eastern Conference that he entered the Eastern Conference Finals and the Finals for eight consecutive years, after all, he represented Cavaliers and Heat , so it was indeed a remarkable achievement that the Pistons were able to enter the Eastern Conference Finals for six consecutive years.
02-03 season, Billups and Hamilton had just arrived at the team, and Prince was even a rookie, but they achieved a record of 50 wins and 32 losses. In the playoffs, the two stars averaged 40.5 points per game, while big-ben scored 8.9 points, 16.3 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 3.1 blocks. This was their first time entering the Eastern Conference Finals, but unfortunately they lost to Nets . However, in the 2003-04 season, Rashid Wallace's arrival allowed them to complete the last piece of the puzzle to win the championship.
In the playoffs, the five major stars each performed their duties, Wallace brothers guarded the basket, Prince focused on the opponent's core, while Billups led the team, and Hamilton sent out fatal mid-range shots. In the finals that year, they did the same thing and finally defeated the Lakers 4:1, creating a civilian myth.
and in the 2004-05 season, they continued to maintain their original lineup and stood out from the East again. If it weren't for the magical performance of Robert Holly and the heroic performance of Ginobili , maybe Pistons could have completed the glory of defending the title, but they only lost to Spurs 3:4.In the 2005-06 season, they scored a terrifying record of 64 wins and 18 losses in the regular season. Except for Prince, all the other four tigers were selected for the All-Star , which also affirmed their strength.
However, it was also the beginning of this year that they never returned to the finals. Heat , Cavaliers and Celtics all became their victims. However, it is undeniable that this Pistons is definitely a team that is rare in history, with the right players and the right system, creating the right victory. The honors they have also confirmed the slogan "Where amzing happens!" of NBA.
