This Detroit Pistons team featured a starting line up of Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars at guards, Adrian Dantley and Rick Mahorn at forwards and Bill Laimbeer at center. The team had a strong bench-and quite possibly one of the greatest benches in NBA history as it featured guard Vinnie Johnson-an explosive scorer, small forward/ power forward Dennis Rodman-outstanding defender and rebounder and more sane/not as wild during this stage of his career-John Salley-solid athletic defensive-minded power-forward/center best known for his shot blocking skills but could also score a little and get out on the break and James Edwards-a low post scorer aquirred from Phoenix at the trade deadline. This team was best known for playing pheonomal defense and playing rough ball and was hence known as the Bad Boys, and the Oakland Raiders of the NBA. This team had fallen to the Celtics in the seven game series of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals ( a series they would have won were it not for Larry Bird's steal of Bill Laimbeer's pass during game 5 of the series) the Pistons came back and defeated the Cetlics in the 1988 Eastern Conference Finals. In the 1988 Finals agains the Los Angeles Lakers, they won game one at the Forum, highlighted by Adrian Dantley's 34 points and jumping out a 57-40 lead at half time. The Pistons almost won game two also, however the Lakers pulled out the victory and then lost game three back at the Silver dome. The Pistons won games four and five and then came back to the Forum, needing just one more win. Isiah Thomas then erupted for 25 points in the third quarter but then suffered a sprained ankle in the game when his foot landed on Michael Cooper during a fastbreak, where he rolled his ankle. The Pistons lead by three points with one minute left, when Byron Scott hit a jumper, and Kareem Abdul Jabbar hit two free throws (on what could be considered a ticky-tack foul by Bill Laimbeer. In game seven, with Isiah playing on a sprainked ankle, he was limited to just 28 minutes and the Lakers took a 15 point lead in the fourth quarter. However the Pistons rallied back however the Lakers hung on barely. Had Isiah Thomas not suffered a sprained ankle in game six perhaps the Pistons would have won this series. This team was also hurt by the fact that Rick Mahorn--whom was referred to the as the Pistons MVP by GM Jack McCloskey--was limited due to a back injury and could only play limited minutes, although this was't as devasting as the team could use Dennis Rodman, John Salley and James Edwards in that spot.
