How the Pistons went from the brink of a dynasty to over 10 years without a playoff win | Collapse

The Detroit Pistons and their president of basketball operations, Joe Dumars, had constructed a magnificent roster that went out every night and performed a beautiful hoops symphony of selfless ball with ferocious defense.
They rode that to an NBA Championship, came excruciatingly close to repeating, leading to Dumars becoming irrationally impatient, losing his touch, and eventually trading his team’s leader and floor general for pennies on the dollar - and it sent them falling down a pit of despair of terrible hires, trades, signings, draft picks, even a mutiny against a head coach ... until they were nothing but unidentifiable rubble.
Written and produced by Alex Rubenstein
Shot by Michael Imhoff
Edited By Jiazhen Zhang
Motion Graphics by Michael Das
Subscribe: goo.gl/Nbabae
Check out our full video catalog: goo.gl/9pMHRV
Visit our playlists: goo.gl/NvpZFF
Like SB Nation on Facebook: goo.gl/Pzcs7O
Follow on Twitter: goo.gl/5LI02D
Follow on Instagram: goo.gl/aY2FFK
Explore SB Nation: www.sbnation.com

[@Logan-ee5rx]

I was in college when the pistons won the chip in 04’. My beer pong name was Chauncey Fill-cups.

[@Joe_Parmesan]

Mr. Big Shots of Whiskey

[@camstephens2289]

that’s legendary

[@teamredshirt]

That’s extremely dumb. I love it. 😂

[@Joohnny23]

Love it. Hahaha.

[@tobitt_6028]

MANCHESTER UNITED I love both sports, but copying and pasteing that same comment on basketball vids is extremely disrespectful. Both sports are extremely entertaining, and a reason soccer is so much more famous is only because it has existed far longer. Man city and philly supporter here. And don’t call me plastic. I supported city since 2012-2013 season as I got into football. Btw, why are you even watching this video if you don’t like basketball?

[@hunterchovanec2711]

And now 28 losses in a row, the ultimate fall from grace

[@joesakic91]

Joe Dumars had three bonehead mistakes in taking Darko Milicic, handing Larry Brown the pink slip despite one win away from back-to-back titles, and trading Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson. But Tom Gores made it worse.

[@LegendMkr7]

About now they need that truck made for ants.

[@jepoyburner]

I remember when they traded Chauncey. That was the end man. He held that team together.

[@elliemyers6435]

Good point here. Losing Ben really hurt too, but Ben really wasn't very good once he left the Pistons. Chauncey put in three All-Star seasons with Denver once Detroit moved him. To me, that really was the biggest blow. Especially since the Pistons got a broken down, aging, AI back, who didn't fit the team at all. That trade did seem to be the blow that started it all. It's amazing that Joe was so good at building the team from 2003-2008, but then so awful in building the squad from 2008-2015. Literally just one bad move after another.

[@fuckthechinesevirus9462]

They traded for Iverson who was out of his prime

[@janjones690]

I dont know why they broke up the 04 pistons . They could stayed togeher a lot longer !!

[@mamadoudiallo7874]

Jeffry De Leon I remember that day I thought it was so fake

[@mgoblue9389]

I remember too. I was a freshman in high school, and the last class of the day just let out. My friend had a basketball tryouts meeting after school that day and I told him id stick around and my mom would take us home after. I meet him at the bball meeting and the first thing he says to me is "THE PISTONS JUST TRADED CHAUNCEY". I stood there shocked and asked for proof, and while he was pulling it up, I asked who we got for him and he said allen Iverson. My stomach sank, and I knew it was over

[@willbowden6897]

*Makes 5 straight conference finals appearances including a title and another NBA Finals appearance* Dumars: That's not good enough, let's blow the whole thing up and never win a playoff series again

[@Manu-qq2im]

6 straight

[@paulthompson8456]

They had nothing after ben left. No interior D. Plus with Boston, clevland, orlando on the come up what good would it be to keep tge aging guys together. Blame Joe D and 1 horrible draft decision after another.

[@matthewchen8452]

@@paulthompson8456 The narrative that their interior D without Ben was bad is just wrong. Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess were still an elite defensive frontcourt, and Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson were quality backups. They posted the league's 3rd best paint defense that season. The 07-08 Pistons squad posted the 2nd best record in the NBA at 59 wins and was the league's 4th ranked defense and 6th ranked offense. The defense didn't fall off until after the 08 season, when age and injuries caused the both Sheed and AMD to decline rapidly. Johnson and Maxiell weren't good enough to fill those shoes in bigger minutes and they slipped from 4th to 16th.

[@paulthompson8456]

Lemme rephrase without ben wallace and larry brown guys like dwade amd lebron were able to feast in the paint. We were a good team but we were not the defensive juggernaut that put the leage on watch when we set the record for most teams held under 70 pts in a row. Mcdyess had no knees by the time he came here amd rasheed wasnt a great one on one defemder when it came to the better forewards. Nobody could rotate to the weak side like Ben. Whats funny is you named thos players but all thos players together dont equal a prime wallace defensive IQ.

[@dickbuttkiss6002]

6 straight. Imagine if they hadn't passes on Dwyane Wade for Darko Milicic

[@Vanamonde]

>Obsessed with Uconn >Passes on Kemba Walker At least they took Drummond.

[@nitpicker9406]

Walker and Drummond aren't winning a championship

[@fleischmann1996]

Nit Picker no, but they’d be a lot better than what they were at one point

[@nitpicker9406]

@@fleischmann1996 They would lose to the 76ers in the first round of the playoffs rather than the Bucks. Wooooohooo!

[@Monk-Amani.]

Drummond's not what they hoped.

[@kevinzhu6417]

@@nitpicker9406 walker is still a much better pick than what they got.

[@thomasrockhoff]

Back to back Detroit collapses? I feel personally attacked

[@dewymessiah_8355]

Tom Rockhoff lol imagine how I felt watching the giants-nets

[@TheNorthie]

Being a Detroit fan having those back to back championships was awesome. Now idk where we are

[@twoac]

Tigers episode next?

[@eastsidereviews727]

Right? I'm triggered.

[@jacksonbear1]

Late 80s-Early 90s Pistons might be next

[@Treatyee]

Most underrated NBA champions: '04 Detroit Pistons '11 Dallas Mavericks

[@fatseip9562]

Oddly enough in time to come I believe history will view the raptors warriors chip not so great. Whereas I believe the Bucks chip last year will become higher on the list. Lastly the pistons have two underrated champion squads, the bad boy pistons.

[@thegent8916]

@@fatseip9562 The Bad Boy Pistons were hardly underrated. They were as advertised.

[@Jay-qb9gi]

2011 Dallas Mavericks 2004 Detroit Pistons 2006 Miami Heat 2008 Celtics 2019 Toronto Raptors

[@coreyrowe4119]

2021 Milwaukee Bucks

[@ChiefBlue4298]

@@Jay-qb9gihow are the 2008 Celtics underrated? They were one of the most talked about NBA champions of all time

[@macnsteez3938]

I love how Bob Horry shows up in all these collapses. Dude broke so many hearts in the early-mid 00s (More rings than MJ, goated)

[@harrisonlee9585]

Sam Cassell is in about four of these haha

[@krambone]

Robert just the best role player a person could be lbs. Jordan🐐

[@idipped2521]

He didn't like being called Bob either which is funny

[@cactusjack2264]

6th Man of the year award should be named after him tbh lol

[@razkable]

He also ended the Knicks in 95...everyone forgets he played amazing in the 95 finals too

[@pct87]

I never liked the pistons, but it was difficult to not cheer for the 04 pistons. Arguably the best David vs Goliath finals in nba history.

[@joshuaharris5032]

pct87 either that or the 11 mavs v heat

[@billybadass3056]

and who was Goliath???? from what I remember LA shouldn't have won NEITHER the Spurs or Timberwolves Series lool.. That was a Beat Down in the Waiting XD....

[@CJEstradaMartinez]

The Lakers simply imploded on themselves.

[@billybadass3056]

@@CJEstradaMartinez nah, they were just DOMINATED!!!lol!!!

[@andreingramakadjscrewrip7372]

@Gary Thompson Didn't the Celtics win that series, though? If so, by default it can't be the best David v. Goliath story since David lost

[@AdamEllis33]

Ben Wallace could beat me up by looking at me

[@thatnewpimptrickgangstacli8922]

Will Cushman I swear

[@tiddiesattic]

I'd rather get my ass whooped by Ben(or anyone else)than find out what my dad would do if I backed down... *still! & That SOB is 70!!

[@explosivereactionstv7414]

Will Cushman it has to be the Afro. That shit gave him superpowers on defense and he was strong as a hoss

[@unknownyes9470]

@@tiddiesattic uhhhhh....alright.

[@detroittigers1282]

Yea Ben was a beast, Ron Artest wanted no part of Ben Wallace, he may be crazy but ain't stupid lol. And Ben is one of them quiet types, which makes him even more scary lol.

[@Tee-OhBee]

That Khris Middleton trade is wild. Jennings played one full year for Detroit, Middleton still playing at an All-Star level, playing in the ECF. Dumars fell off tremendously.

[@razkable]

He was a second round pick and unknown at the time...he wasn't yet a mini klay thompson and jennings was well known coming off a comeback year and still very young as he came into the league at 19

[@JWex-jy7sk]

I’m a Bucks fan who remembers that trade and where I was when it was announced. Brandon Knight was the main guy in the deal we got excited about and he was a fan favorite during his time in Milwaukee. Khris Middleton when he first got here was just viewed at by fans…”Okay and we also got this little known young SF who averaged 6 PPG off the Pistons bench.”

[@tj5180]

To be fair Jennings was balling but had injuries. Middleton was unknown at the time and wasnt a starter

[@scotthumphrey8773]

A stunning list of has-beens and never-weres. Almost like Dumars wanted to wreck the organization.

[@Tyrunner0097]

The biggest blessing for Middleton was that the Bucks were TERRIBLE that year (2013-14), and that allowed him to play more minutes and show the team what he was capable of. And even more nuts was that the trade for Khris was made just 2, 3 weeks after the Bucks drafted Giannis.

[@Joe_Parmesan]

Drafting Darko was the beginning of the end, before the team reached the mountaintop. Missing on D Wade, Melo and Bosh was brutal, because they could've been worked into a team known for their work ethic

[@brianking2365]

One of the worst draft decisions ever in any sport. Along with teams who passed on Tom Brady and Mike Trout

[@ThegoddessAqua817]

What’s worse is that melo was told by the pistons that they would draft him, but didn’t. Now that’s just sad

[@quadryjohnson2099]

Nothing will ever convince me of why they chose the Reject Backstreet Boy over Melo, Wade, or Bosh. Nobody should've allowed that pick to happen.

[@geordiejones5618]

Imagine if they won the Lebron lottery. A defensive heavy team with the best young offensive prospect would have been amazing to see. Detroit would have owned the East for a loooong time just based on what the Cavs could do despite horrible executive decisions after drafting Lebron.

[@catman-du8927]

@@geordiejones5618 They couldn't have won the draft lottery. It would have been the Grizzlies pick if it went number 1. The Grizzlies sent the pick with top 1 protection to the Pistons in '97

[@winstonsmith11]

I remember 2004. I'm a Lakers fan, and I wasn't even mad. Helps when you're only 2 years removed from a 3-peat... But if you were a fan of basketball, you were a fan of that Pistons team. Never should've traded Chauncey away... Never. That was the death blow.

[@sofakingonmynuts1438]

Took the fans right out of the sport, you absolutely could not replace any of them. They worked really hard a won, who the fuck cares about the finals when you are making deep playoff runs. 10 years of shit management now we have Little Cesars fucking arena 😡😡😡😡🤢🤢🤢🤢🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮 fuck that

[@corn9692]

Lakers fan in MI, I liked this team, but enduring my father talk trash the whole series was devastating lol.

[@razkable]

scoring 100 on that pistons team without ot was such an aberration I think more players have scored 70+ then scored 100 on them without needing ot that season...crazy man

[@wad316]

Oh man, I remember that being the cause of EVERYTHING!!

[@zerocal76]

Fuckk Laker fan here too. And that Finals loss was stunning. Now that I understand bball a lot more than as a kid, I get it but it still sucks. Had to give props to the Pistons though, best defense ever in the Finals

[@philrobinson2924]

Seeing as you've hit Detroit 2 times in a row, I would say that you should do the lions next, but you have to have success to collapse, so nevermind

[@ericorourke235]

But they can do the Tigers!

[@dionr1168]

It wasn't a collapse as much as it was a Curse. The Curse of Bobby Layne.

[@caseym22]

I'm laughing to hide the pain 😂😭

[@detroittigers1282]

Right lol. They could do that we have 1 playoff win since 1957, only non expansion team to never make a Super Bowl.

[@Criminalpresident45]

He should do the Tigers they were a playoff team from 2011 to 2014 then fell apart

[@NickGuy0320]

Im just here to say DEEEEEETROITTTT BAAAAASKETBAAAALLLLLL 03/04 was so hype

[@closeet293]

Phoenix Ochocinco DEEEEETROITTT BAAAASKETBAAAALLLLL SUCKS

[@forthesakeofthenationalist9375]

@@closeet293 And after winning that 2004 title. They always got sweep by Mailman Hometeam, Utah Jazz every season, a major payback for not letting him have a Chip on his hand.

@@forthesakeofthenationalist9375 good for him winning regular season series. Still didn't get it done when it counted.

[@Logan-ee5rx]

For the Sake of the Nationalist As a longtime Pistons fan I can safely say Utah has never been a threat to me. I don’t know why you think we should be mad at them? I only have beef with the Bulls, Celtics, Pacers, Lakers specifically Kareem, Spurs, and Heat.

[@cjvaye99]

What was that guys name? I still remember his calls. Buh buh buh Ben bbbbbbWALLACE. Chauncey Buh Buh Buh Billups, its palace time for the prince Tayshuan Prince!

[@Tyrunner0097]

It's crazy that Khris Middleton was really just a throw-in in the Knight-Jennings trade, and he is now an All-Star and NBA Champion and will prob have his number retired in Milwaukee.

[@joesakic91]

And Khris Middleton added an Olympic Gold Medal to his resume with Team USA in Tokyo 2020/21.

[@yzwme586]

Cliffs: They traded Billups As a Detroit native, it was all down hill from there.

[@dariusgoatland10]

Wallace leaving was the end. It wouldn't have matter if the trade happened or not; the pistons weren't winning another ring without Ben.

[@J-Hue]

The way that deal went down left a dark cloud over my whole week. lol Dumars did Rip and Chauncey dirty on that one. Rip made it clear he wasn't staying if Chauncey was moved, so he held out til the deadline. And almost as soon as he re-signed, Joe D sent Chauncey out. I was mad af.

[@MIB_Bos_Dolo]

@@dariusgoatland10 How can you say that when they made it to the conference finals both years after he left, there true downfall was the trade of Billups.

[@ericwilliams8613]

Why do y'all keep saying that 🤦 they fell apart once Ben signed with Chicago billups was still there as a matter of fact that whole roster was still there except Ben Wallaceand after going to the championship the best they could do that next year without Wallace was the 8th seed in which they got swept in the first roundall double-digit losses to the Cleveland cavaliers so stop saying that billups was the reason that they fell apart because Ben Wallace left and they wasn't nothing good after that

[@ericwilliams8613]

@@dariusgoatland10 exactly these idiot are slow.... Ben Wallace signed with Chicago and the Pistons could barely make the damn playoffs after that remember when Wallace left Chauncey billups was still there for another year which they couldn't stop nobody's big man the best I could do like I said before was the 8th seed and then got they asses sweat by Cleveland in the first round all double-digit losses FUK IS YALL TALKIN BOUT THEY COULDN'T DEFEND DOWN LOW AT ALL THAT'S WHY SHAQ AND WADE WERE SO DOMINANT THEY COULDN'T STOP SHAQ WHICH OPENED THE DOOR FOR WADE TO GO OFF

[@chefjake7531]

yall gotta stop doing these Detroit franchise u keep reminding me of the good ol days 😭😭😭😭😭

[@brentchase4460]

Next they will do the tigers 😭

[@nickstarr4141]

At least they can’t do the Lions

[@chefjake7531]

@@brentchase4460 ikr

[@chefjake7531]

@@nickstarr4141 facts unless they go back to 1950s

[@Virtuoso191]

The 1957 Detroit Lions then a half century worth of collapses

[@allsystemsgo8678]

Hamilton and Billups were an amazing backcourt, so underrated

[@calebmarek]

For me, this Pistons era happened right during the time of life when you are most impressionable.. I was 10-11 for the title year and still remember having to beg my parents to stay up late during the school year to be able to watch all the playoff games. Some of, if not, my greatest memories as a fan in that 04 run.. And then the Horry shot .. And the 26 straight for Lebron.. And Wade coming back to beat us 3 years after we picked freaking Darko.. Ugh.. All these still hurt to this day.

[@Dtown1996]

Pistons should’ve started rebuilding after the 2008 season

[@TheLordsChips1234]

Your mom should have too

[@Mrhubbavlog1]

Kevin Durants Burner Account how long did it take to come up with that gem

[@sofakingonmynuts1438]

when you pass on wade there is no coming back charlie

[@mr.robertdobalina9199]

Alexsalinas You know he was sitting on it for a while, waiting for the perfect opportunity to sling it onto an unsuspecting victim. Truly masterful.

[@kaya5658]

They fucked up the draft 03 darko oh god

[@charlieburgess2353]

Anyone else find it funny that Dumars passed on UCONN alumni Kemba Walker

[@TheCrzymofo94]

as a Pistons fan it infuriates me

[@NIN10DOXD]

Seriously. One of UCONN'S best players.

[@jaydonwil1604]

Dinars has passed on HELLA people

[@hajime2k]

@@jaydonwil1604 Dumars airballed the '03 draft. Bosh would have easily filled in once Rasheed or Ben were on the decline.

[@fuckthechinesevirus9462]

He passed on Melo too

[@NYCfrankie]

That 05 finals was amazing it was also the least watched finals in a very long time unfortunately nba purists and ppl who enjoy watching teams actually play defense were treated to a great 7 game series

[@michaelolympics9915]

Yeah I watched it, it's always a good show when the Spurs are playing another elite team

[@wad316]

That's because everyone hate these teams. People were butthurt about Detroit thrashing the Lakers, they found the Spurs boring, they wanted a duel between Steve Nash of the Suns Vs Dwyane Wade of the Heat.

[@Bigedub101]

@@michaelolympics9915People want that BS where just bunch of shots thrown up

[@jayinthebx]

Because neither pistons or the spurs are play in huge markets. Plus the spurs as successful as they were. Are very boring to watch no offense.

[@Tyrunner0097]

I loved watching the Spurs of the early 2000's, especially the Twin Towers of The Admiral and Tim Duncan.

[@robertbaker837]

Nice to see them doing well now though

[@polsdofer]

I still have my red Rip Hamilton jersey. They were so fun to watch.

[@Funktaro5]

Ben Wallace is my favorite athlete ever. You're absolutely right. That team made defense fun.

[@polsdofer]

@@Funktaro5 Big Ben was the best. I wanna pick up his throwback jersey, since I'm trying to collect throw backs.

[@sosmooth13]

Funk the sad thing is that he plays with more heart and intensity than Drummond and he’s MUCH smaller. I’m tired of watching Drummond put up half assed baby hooks and getting bodied by everyone else

[@Funktaro5]

​@@sosmooth13 So am I. It's not really fair to expect every player to have the drive, defensive IQ, and leadership of one of the best ever in that regard, but if Drummond did, he'd be an all-time great.

[@gamezstaastudios8588]

I fondly remember those Detroit Pistons teams. They were a ferocious, competitive, team and now they're shadows of themselves. All because they imploded from the inside out. What a shame.

[@razkable]

i don't get why dumars thomas laimbeer are not part of the organization...those guys bled for the pistons....they would not have let what has occurred happen

[@rex6830]

@@razkable dumars was there Isaiah Thomas was a terrible gm can’t comment on laimbeer

[@HaitianSinsation1914]

Man that Robert horry shot was literally the dagger in the heart

[@dubbrown5594]

Not resigning Ben Wallace was the beginning of the end

[@Theterminato2013]

Joe Dumars trading Chauncey Billups for out of prime Allen Iverson was the final nail of the coffin. They went from a contender to an 8th seed barely reaching the playoffs with 39 wins.

[@dubbrown5594]

@@Theterminato2013 Facts

[@JWex-jy7sk]

@Terminato92 That and firing Flip Saunders for Michael Curry who had no coaching experience and really only got the job because he was Dumars best friend. Ever since then it’s just been a revolving door of head coaches where it seems like anyone who gets hired there it’s career suicide for their head coaching career

[@hajime2k]

That Darko draft was the real fatal blow. Pistons got the 2nd pick trading off some rotation guy a few years prior. Dumars liked Tayshaun, so he opted not to take Carmelo. He also liked Rip, so he passed on D-Wade. Pistons didn't have Rasheed at the time, so drafting Bosh would have made the most sense. But Dumars chose an 18 year old that was like the 10-11th man on a European squad.

[@HakeemTheDream616]

No letting Larry Bird go to the Knicks was the beginning of the end

[@16nman]

As a Detroit fan, this hurt to watch.Great Video tho

[@detroittigers1282]

Yea this has been a painful decade, first since the 70s without any championships, only the Tigers in 2012 even made a championship round.

[@reggiethomas8324]

Man I HATED those years and forgot about them until he brung then back up

[@sosmooth13]

I loved this era. I could go to the games and watch a quality team effort win. Now, it feels subpar even with the offense heavy league

[@16nman]

@@reggiethomas8324 you hated that we Won?

[@16nman]

@@sosmooth13 yeah as a someone growing up during this time, it was amazing to watch.

[@StandOnBizness5]

We chose Brandon Knight over Kemba Walker 🤦🏽‍♂️👎🏽

[@pillarsofserpents]

31 teams passed over Tom Brady. hindsight is 20/20 man.

[@ericwilliams8613]

Joe stupid ass dumars did that's who

[@gjuliovucaj6573]

Yeah lol n kennard over Mitchell. But the youngster they got this year is alright.

[@J-Hue]

To be fair, Brandon Knight had potential. He was starting to breakout as a star for Milwaukee before they shipped him to Phoenix and moved him to sg. Him and our other draft picks needed better coaching than the Pistons were giving.

[@elliemyers6435]

@@J-Hue You're right about this. Brandon Knight really wasn't that bad (Obviously, Not as good as Kemba, Kawhi or Klay, but a lot of other teams missed on those three), and put up decent numbers in his first two years in Detroit, and then put up very good numbers in Milwaukee and Phoenix. Reducing him to that clip of him getting dunked on by DeAndre Jordan really isn't fair. A lot of guys get viciously dunked on in their careers, and it's not their defining moment.

[@professorjaybee]

1st 10 mins... Me: At least they didn’t bring up the Darko pick! SB: 10:03

[@zerogeass21]

I remember the Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva signings. Gordon cashed out after that amazing 2009 playoffs.

[@terryplummer8003]

I live in Detroit 💯🙏🏿 this shit reminds me of the good ole days

[@pattongilbert]

I really like how you guys are now building up the team before it’s torn down. Very helpful and nice.

[@rickyfelan]

Miss the 04 pistons. Detroit Basketball at its best.

[@lucki4mac]

That was such a Basketball Operation's Debacle during the 2000s era, the Pistons definitely should have won more than One NBA championship, maybe winning like at least 2 back-to back Championships. What a Dang Shame

[@razkable]

the pistons will go down as the most shocking eastern champion ever one of the most shocking champs ever maybe top 2-3 and the only team without a hall of famer to win a title...so far...now I think rip billups and ben all have cases but we will see...of those three I think rip should be the hall of famer...then ben....but thats just me...brown the coach though is a hall of famer so theres that as is dumars the gm...but yeah its odd to have no player be hall of fame caliber..and only one all star that year even though sheed had been one as a blazer rip and billups were not yet..to be led by a center is weird in nba history

[@mi4johns]

At least they won a ring, the same can not be said for the Jazz.

[@joesakic91]

@@razkable Well, Big Ben is part of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2021.

[@factzfromakt1860]

As a Pistons fan, this is therapy. I was one of the few people when we won in 2004 to say we should've drafted Melo. Lots of people told me I was stupid and we didn't need him, look how things panned out.......... ........to this day those same friends tell me "You were right bro".....

[@theultimatepielord8697]

Tbh if they had melo, Tayshaun might never have broken up, or they might not have traded for Sheed, which could've left them with no rings. Darko sucking helped because it left that hole at PF to get Sheed.

[@jazzroyale7260]

@@theultimatepielord8697 They still would’ve won… Billups, RIP, Prince, Melo, Big Ben lineup would’ve been too devastating for teams… To have a superstar that they desperately needed with the 4x dpoy, and an all star underrated PG who we saw played really nicely next to Melo and rip as the underrated 3rd scorer who played like an all star as well… plus Prince who was an elite defender who can also give u 10+ pts, Etc…dynasty if you ask me!! With or without Sheed.

[@jakebuchsbaum3348]

@@jazzroyale7260 the pistons would have at the very least won in 2004 and 2005 maybe they 3 peat. But I have a question for you. If the pistons do pick Melo and still win in 05, what do you think the narrative around Tim Duncan’s legacy is? Does he still get 3 more rings?

[@michaelgeorgezhou1678]

Sheed / Prince >>>> Melo (at least this is true for defense)

[@razkable]

Should of picked wade or melo...they needed depth at sg and sf in 03...remember this is jerry stackhouse still not hamillton at sg for them...they had hunter who came back after including him in the trade him for sheed and they got lucky mike james an undrafted pg could give them some minutes that postseason but neither had size or were sgs especially playing with billups in the backcourt....melo and prince would find it hard to play together I feel...but wade hamillton billups sheed ben or going small with prince at pf and either wallace at center is a perfect 5 man lineup

[@flyyhighhr]

let my boy Seth do all the basketball videos he's the man

[@tylerspeier3161]

more.spritee yoo he is though

[@PierreDennis]

I'm from Vancouver, BC and I've been a Pistons fan for almost two decades...it's been a rough decade and a half. But I will forever be a Pistons fan till the day I die. I'll forever cheer for them from Vancouver! Cheers, other Pistons fans!

[@steelerfaninperu]

I was there when Rasheed left Big Shot Bob alone for that three. I knew the series was over after that. Little did we know it would mark the downfall of an entire organization. Once Billups was gone there was no saving the Pistons. But there was never a more beautiful team with 5 guys and no superstars. You never knew who would drop the points on any given night, and they were so much fun to watch. I'll always be grateful for having season tickets for the 03/04 and 04/05 seasons. Saw some amazing ball.

[@mrtrololorific]

I’m a Laker fan but man I became a big Ben Wallace fan after they beat the Lakers in the Finals. Until now, I continue to support the Pistons and became a fan of the team.

[@CrazyKonaKai]

The Kings collapse after the mid-2000s is probably more heartbreaking

[@SFK360]

@TheTot Process Were you living under a rock? They were one of the most stacked teams in the league and definitely would've won a title if they had made it out of the West. Kings fans are still bitter about the officiating in that WCF game against the Lakers and I can't say that I blame them.

[@winstonsmith11]

@@SFK360Ifs and buts. But I can't argue with that wcf game. They may well have won it all that year.

[@SmoothCriminal12]

@@SFK360 Still doesn't excuse Peja and Christie going cold in Game 7

[@CrazyKonaKai]

@TheTot Process if only you knew how it felt to be a kings fan from 2009-2016

[@Virtuoso191]

2002 western finals appearance was the highest point of the franchise. You're better off not having a collapse video on your Kings.

[@Andrew-ly6yf]

The 04 pistons and the 01 Kings are my dream match-up

[@Angel-bg3rf]

Do it on 2k

[@scgamer]

2002 better

[@joesakic91]

@@scgamer I say 2003 Kings vs. 2004 Pistons.

[@mikebaker6418]

I remember the pistons defense being so good that they were playing a team and the team celebrated when they scored over 70 points. The pistons had held the previous 13 teams under 70 points.

[@foreverstudent4735]

Do a collapse of the Celtics after their last NBA finals win of the Bird era

[@Briggie]

Losing both Len Bias and Reggie Lewis. Not trading away aging stars for picks or young talent while they still had value. Not even going to get into Pitino Trading away Billups for Anderson Picking Mercer over T-Mac List goes on. The only reason they got out of it was because a future hall of famer fell into their lap and Pitno stunk up the joint so much he left.

[@injusticeberserker2800]

Briggie they should have gotten Paul more help after Antoine Walkers departure after the 2003 season. So much wasted potential playoff births and possibly even more.

[@PhilBurr100]

Totally agree, from their 86' dominance, to bias death in that summer, to mchale's foot, then bird's back, to ainges trade to sacramento, then dj's retirement (capped by that ewing turnaround), and lastly the death of reggie lewis. Would be an amazing watch!

[@Mr.Sax.]

@@injusticeberserker2800 It's not that easy to "get help" and Toine didn't leave the Celtics, he got traded, by their recently named Director of Basketball Operations, Danny Ainge. Ainge passed some years trying to get good young players with the assets he had and in 4 years he used those players to trade for Garnett and Allen. It's a shame KG's superstardom only lasted one season because he got hurt.

[@musyarofah1]

-recruiting rick pitino as HC over larry bird

[@alfonsot.9439]

Thank you for the therapy session. - Pistons fan

[@razkable]

he did get one thing wrong..they didnt replace just okur but also real 6th man corliss with antonio ..okur was more of a 8th man corliss was a bigger loss and how did hunter not get mentioned as part of that core from 2003-2008?..smdh...

[@razkable]

picking d wade or keeping okur and james over ham elden darko and hunter would of changed everything ….never understood why they gave up on the youthful james and okur but kept old ass hunter and elden kept the bum ham and didn't give up on darko...those were mistakes...corliss for mcydyess worked out but not keeping okur in particular bit them in the ass as ben declined and sheed aged...in 05 arroyo was fine I guess in place of james but losing okur was a hole they could not fill on the roster

[@doritochipgamer474]

Detroit fans: Finally it’s ove- *SB uploads this video* Detroit fans: End me

[@MKISports]

You can do an extended episode on Detroit's 2023-'24 history of ineptitude on Dorktown soon enough if they break the losing streak record

[@Nikkerman]

I feel like I'm the only one who misses them, it would be cool to see more chippy blue collar teams that win nba championships out of nowhere in between the dynasties

[@shotokhan1992]

i agree. the grizzlies were the only team that came anywhere close to doing the same thing

[@Swizzy-D]

The Toronto Raptors literally just did it with Kawhi. 1 Superatar and many great Role Players who don’t get the respect they deserve.

[@explodingrabbit51]

@@Swizzy-D and with the current 19-20 season you have both the Heat and Raptors doing major work with guys who were undrafted and/or super late lottery picks. Even with the Spurs slowly collapsing and Detroit still being a joke the no-nonsense team first mentality definitely lives on with those teams.

[@pezpowerproductions2602]

khan 1992 you wouldn’t consider last years raptors in that scenario?

[@anthonyrojas1242]

@@Swizzy-D Kyle Lowery. Multiple time all star. Pascal Siacam just signed a massive deal and made the all Star team. That team was the #1 seed the season before. They literally swapped Derozen got Kawhi and Danny Green. They totally upgraded. That team was stacked. Get the facts right homie. And they played a broken GSW.

[@maxjohansen9475]

This is the team that made me love basketball.

[@Funktaro5]

Same. My favorite sports team ever really.

[@maxjohansen9475]

Funk I was just discussing this team with my coworker from D-town the other day, about how they went from starting 5 all stars (apparently 4) to being absolutely useless in the span of 3 seasons.

[@PatrickMHoey]

This was the team we had in Detroit when I was in high school. This was the early/pre-Bron hype. He was just a rookie, and people thought he could turn out to be a bust. The league is better since then, but I’m glad I got to be a fan during the early 2000s days to know that.

[@davidprice4777]

I loved that 2004 Pistons Championship team!All heart and toughness,no flash but defense and clutch shooting!Try where in the Eastern Conference for 6 years in a row!

[@davidbehman4836]

The Billups for Iverson trade was the worst move in the history of the franchise. From an historic run of 6 straight trips to the conference finals (longest streak in the last 45 years) to not a single playoff win in at least 11 years. Unbelievable.

[@zacm5618]

David Behman dumars made that move to free up cap space to get 2 max guys. The problem was he spent that money on Ben freaking Gordon and charlie villanueva...as opposed to a Chris bosh and LeBron James

[@lastnameever3990]

makes more than 1 conference final in a row: "he's not producing enough"

[@GudJonnyCakes]

I know huh

[@rytisgervickas7892]

04 pistons is probably my favourite team of last 20 years. Hard work, team spirit and no flashy bullshit

[@thomasg2488]

I miss days of the NBA where you could build tough teams like this and win titles

[@thomassankara1391]

My Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns are doing that right now.

[@AyushSingh-ky8ix]

You probably could build a team like this but it would be hard to find guys like this. Guys like Ben Wallace and Chauncey Billups don’t grow on trees and it’s another thing entirely to get them all on one team.

[@thebestchannel5456]

@@thomassankara1391 somewhat

[@thomassankara1391]

@thebestchannel5456 yeah true you need a Superstar with new rules. Sacramento Kings could win a Championship, but their defense ranked 22nd. If it was top 5 or even top 10 they'd be one of my favorites

[@thepubknight6144]

​@@thomassankara1391 yup my spurs during that era was built the same....seeing the and pistons in finals was my favorite finals to watch

[@ThaRealCowboibishop]

This is my favorite all time squad ever! I love tha gritty shit! Defense wins championships baby!

[@jona.scholt4362]

Those 2006 All Star jerseys were a crime against humanity

[@BabyBluChef]

Love this series. Do a series called Rise where you talk about how once terrible teams formed dynasties. That’s would be cool like how the broncos lost 4 SB but ended going back to back in the late 90s or like how the Patriots went from a joke to a dynasty

[@trueempire8948]

That Pistons team was one of favorites teams of all time. Just a great team.

[@johndelacruz5025]

I think letting Ben go was the start of our downfall.. yeah the team was still tight were still winning games, we made it to the conference finals a few more times but it was never the same without Ben. Pistons fan from the Philippines here..

[@WarioSaysSo]

I remember feeling somewhat devastationg after the 2004 NBA Finals. It felt so heavy to see my man "The Mailman" Karl Malone geting screwed to finaly get that NBA championship he of ALL players who had not won deserved one. But thanks to the petty fighting between Kobe Bryant & SHaquille O'neal, the Lakers GAVE away that championship and ruined any chanse left for Malone to win. Sure he was still at 40+ a man who had proved he was still a beast and could play top level basketball and be a leader as he was the only reason Shaq & Kobe performed well with his leadership, but after 20 years, his hunger had now faded away forever. He just could not any longer must up the decication that was needed and after 20 years of championship failures - despite 2x MVP, 2 Olympic golds, 14 NBA All-Stars, 3 NBA Finals and much more, it was sadly not enough.....

[@DARC-87]

They were incredible. Absolutely incredible. I don't respect the Lakers, Celtics or Knicks. I respect the Detroit Pistons. -Cavs Fan

[@jamesfowler206]

ty for this. I remember watching every playoff game in a sports bar in big rapids, MI with a good buddy of mine while I was in college. Such a great time in my life. Watching them crush the lakers in the finals was awesome!

[@Blown4banger]

You should do one of these on the Phoenix Suns from 2004 until now. From a regular 60 win team, making the conference finals multiple times, to a bottom feeder that gets completely screwed by the 2019 draft lottery. I'm a Suns fan, and while it would be depressing as hell to watch, it would be entertaining.

[@moflushepisode1]

Dumars has all the qualifications to be a GM for the Knicks😂😂😂

[@psuley1977]

Dumars and Isaiah Thomas were one of the best backcourts in NBA history, and became two of the worst GMs of the last quarter century.

[@internettroll7497]

@@psuley1977 dumars actually won gm of the year Edit :executive of the year 03

[@psuley1977]

@@internettroll7497 Very true. He deserves as much credit for putting that initial team together, as he does blame for the 2013 roster.

[@internettroll7497]

@@psuley1977 that is true.

[@MuhammadFarukh]

I swear, the Knicks are the butt of all NBA jokes. Especially now with the KD-Nets signing lmao

[@domepiecemcgrill3896]

That 04 team was so nice. I missed a few of the finals games on a vacation in Hawaii. But that Deffense was special and those stats solidified it for me. Great video.

[@johngittings4673]

I love how the narrator so calmly says “A man best known for having his soul ripped straight from his body by DeAndre Jordan in the middle of a basketball game” about Brandon Knight. That line was hilarious 😂 and the narrator’s calm demeanor made it even funnier.

[@TS-kk9ei]

It's rough being a pistons fan in 2019.

[@sabsters2020]

Rough being a Detroit fan*

[@crispyasfuck2856]

Blake griffin was insane to watch this season though dude had the best scoring season in pistons history

[@brico1052]

Yeah... when the pistons who got swept in the first round of the playoffs are probably our most competitive team, u know we’re having a rough time... lmao

[@rank1graves]

Preach brother

[@ajgonzalez8451]

Im watching this after the Pistons tied the record for most consecutive losses. It seems things haven't changed.

[@eMCEe131]

appreciate the in-depth look at the Pistons! much love.

[@TheW.I.N.K.]

If the Celtics had not formed THAT Big 3, everything might've been different. The loss to them was the real beginning of the collapse.

[@maxforstag]

If the Celtics had not formed that big 3, LeBron and Kobe would've overwhelmingly dominated the Finals from '08-'10. The Pistons were over the hill and 'Bron was entering the MVP stage of his career.

[@razkable]

lebron beat them in 07 he would of beat them in 08...guarantsheed ..it was inevitable

[@robertperrella4194]

it actually started with with that 2003 draft in taking darko milicic who joe dumars NEVER EVER SAW HIM PLAY WHATSOEVER !!!!!!! they could have drafted dwayne wade,chris bosh, or carmelo anthony!!!!! they also cut back big time on the scouting department as well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!....THIS IS WHY YOU ALWAYS DRAFT THE BEST ATHLETE AVAILABLE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Loganbub]

@@razkable 08 Pistons were a lot better than the 07 team.

[@pomerlain8924]

Joe overreacted after that loss in 2008. It's understandable to be upset after losing in the conference finals 3 years in a row. But changing the coach and then trading away the heartbeat of the team for an over-the-hill AI wasn't the answer. The team never recovered from those moves. What he needed to do was re-up by going after a big name free agent.

[@wiseogjc370]

I love this vid series because it shows the frailty of maintaining a level greatness for a pro team. Keep it up.

[@razkable]

had they just drafted wade and kept okur who knows how many titles they win....

[@TheGeneralZubas]

The lesson of the detroit pistons? Joe Dumars was better at playing than GMing

[@Funktaro5]

When you watch this you really get the sense that one of his biggest flaws was just being so damn quick on the trigger finger regarding coaches. Larry Brown won a title and came within one game of winning another in his second year. How on earth do you CHOOSE to fire him after that? Then Flip was also a great coach for us, and he fires him because getting to the conference finals every year is not good enough. After that every single coaching decision he made was a disaster, but it didn't help that he was still so quick on firing those guys. It's like he thought winning titles was so easy and if a coach couldn't do that every year, they weren't good enough for him.

[@mangrove]

@@Funktaro5 Joe didn't choose to fire Brown, that was Bill Davidson. Davidson was pissed about Brown's overtures to Cleveland and New York during the '05 season. He demanded that he be fired, and dragged his name in the press afterwards. Brown didn't return to Detroit for reunions until after Mr. D died. The same with Rick Carlisle; Mr. D didn't like how Carlisle had treated employees in the organization, and wanted him gone, as well.

[@Funktaro5]

​@@mangrove I've never heard that before. I knew why Brown was fired, but haven't heard anything about Dumars not being on board with the decision. Sounds like he still was at fault for all the other decisions after that though.

[@mangrove]

@@Funktaro5 Flip had longevity compared with the others, but the feeling was that the inmates were running the asylum. Flip didn't command the respect of the players, especially after Ben had refused to sub back into a game in 2006. When a rookie like Stuckey is openly disrespecting the HC in practice, you know that he's lost the room. I think Joe is culpable for that and not holding the players to a higher standard. Promoting Curry to HC proved to be a mistake, as well. I know that he had been an assistant to Flip, and had commanded a lot of respect as a player and head of the Players assoc., but the Chauncey trade and relegating Rip to the bench in favor of AI wrecked any chance he had of succeeding.

[@YankeesFan0620]

Same goes for Jordan..

[@chrismorris6865]

This video aged beautifully.

[@ZIC26]

1. Trading away/not resigning/releasing key bench players the year after we won the championship. A weakened bench made us vulnerable when it mattered most. 2. Drafting Darko Milicic. This draft day blunder by Dumars had long-lasting negative effects as many of the players who were drafted after Milicic i.e. Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade aka three of the other top five players in the 2003 NBA Draft that we could have had went on to have tremendously better careers. This hurt us as we didn’t have a talented player that we could have built the team around for the future. 3. Ben Wallace’s decision to sign with the Bulls. This left a huge hole in our defense as opposing teams no longer had to worry about Wallace waiting underneath the rim to deter them from getting easy baskets which allowed them to penetrate the lane against us with ease. 4. Trading Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson. If Wallace was the heart of our team, then Billups was the brains of our team. Trading him away was the final nail in the coffin that signaled the end of our team as an Eastern Conference powerhouse. 5. Signing Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon to max contracts. Giving max contracts to two guys who were complementary role players at best also hurt us as we could have used that money to sign maybe one legitimate All-Star and a borderline All-Star. By giving them max contracts, we were pretty much screwed in terms of adding other decent players to our team. These five things, I believe, are what sent the Pistons into a downward spiral of mediocrity and irrelevancy that they, to this day, are still recovering from. Will the Pistons ever return to prominence? Who knows, but if they do, it doesn’t look like it will be anytime soon.

[@Shinobi6407]

Tayshaun Prince survived longer than every other major piece of the '04 title squad. Imagine that......

[@Funktaro5]

Not surprising. He was the youngest. That was just his second year in the league.

[@alexanderadonyae7937]

@@Funktaro5 true

[@EazyyMuthuLovinnE]

Joe Dumars was both an awfful GM yet a good GM lmfao

[@samuel2pac72]

EazyyMuthuLovinnE He was sincere in his quest for revitalizing the franchise, he didn’t have much luck though.

[@wateralchemist7123]

No Dumars was awful point blank. He drafted Rodney White over Joe Johnson, I won't mention Darko that speaks for itself. Walter Sharpe, Carlos Delfino, Rodney Stuckey...JOE COULD NOT DRAFT!!!

[@KZ3fps]

He was 90 percent awful and 10 percent good Let us not forget that he selected Darko instead of Carmelo, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh.

[@Wheelio]

@@wateralchemist7123 His drafting was awful, but his trades weren't bad. He traded for Rasheed Wallace, Rip Hamilton, and Ben Wallace. He was a great GM in the early 00's when the team had no pressure to contend and was rebuilding. It was when they were contenders that he started making desperation moves that backfired.

[@wateralchemist7123]

The Pistons historically get decent players from trades or free agency, but when you can draft your franchise suffers. Look at Michael Jordan when he drafted future Hall of Famers Kwame Brown and Adam Morrison. Lol

[@alexanderrobb3865]

This is fantastic!! Very well done!!

[@YOUNGPADAWON]

If anything the Billups trade was really the downfall

[@TheCrzymofo94]

Being a Die Hard Pistons fan, this reminds me of the heartbreak of being spoiled with an amazing team and having it ripped apart because of our leader Mr. Big Shot being dealt for Iverson

[@rudedawg4207]

2003-04 pistons are why i’m a nba fan today. Begged my mom for ben wallace jersey after they had won and i cherished tf outta that thing haha. Sadly i still stick by the team no matter what. Tough especially since i’m born and raised in California lol

[@cowboy68]

These are great .winning time created an interest of NBA past been watching these all day

[@g_superson1c255]

Nobody: Joe Dumars: yep I’m gonna fire this coach

[@explosivereactionstv7414]

We could point their collapse to the loss of Ben Wallace to the Bulls and the Lebron performance in the 2007 Eastern Finals

[@codyssmith73]

Trading Billups for AI tho.

[@codyssmith73]

@@zacm5618 Okay, so you want to free up cash? Trade somebody else then. You don't deal a versatile PG who does everything you can ask of him out on the floor for a player who while a better scorer, is far worse at everything else.

[@jourdanwashington1737]

The collapse was foreshadowed when they drafted Darko then it began when Larry Brown left. After that it was terrible

[@nikosvault]

Lebron in that series....25, 8, 8, Meh.

[@wad316]

Yeah had Ben been around in 07, I doubt it Lebron would've been running into a steel wall.

[@apr8189]

Looking back, I'd have to say the Malace at the Palace was the beginning of the collapse for the Pistons. And that's a shame too because the Pistons at that time were a top contender in the east

[@thorboysen3318]

I am a fan of the pistons for over 25 years (greetings to Bill Lambeer by the way) and i still have hope....! Even if it's a difficult time right now...! Detroit Pistons will be back on top one day! Best wishes from Germany!!! 👍👍👍

[@DanSurgeYT]

And here we are, almost 20 years later and my Pistons still haven't won a championship since '04. I wasn't even one yet. 😭😭😭

[@jaybird4571]

Lmao.. fam that was a great time in Detroit. I believe the Detroit shock won that year as well. Hopefully you have watched the games here on KZbin. They played the pacers in the second round. Game to had 36 blocks in it. Great memories.

[@T1theinfamous]

The most depressing part is that we're still paying Josh Smith.

[@crispyasfuck2856]

Yikes i almost forgot about that bum

[@themac2008]

😂

[@Manny-pl9ct]

What could've been.... Great vid

[@jerryjanik480]

This is one of my favorite NBA teams of all time the team that got me to love the NBA in high school the reason why I became a Detroit Pistons fan me and my brother were from Buffalo New York our dad from Detroit we became Pistons fans because of those themes

[@jeremiahhall4083]

Thank you. This was well done.

[@mhskingtanner6310]

Who's here after Kris Middleton won a championship with the Bucks?

[@68020845865]

y'all need to update this collapse lol

[@angelalfaro9606]

Tough to watch this! I remember all this as a Pistons fan :[

[@ZackZ-mg9uq]

The NBA banned hand checking soon as the Pistons won in 2004. It changed the Defense First landscape of Detroit and we have been trying to find an identity ever since.

[@beezy22]

The pistons teams of the mid 2000s talented and played good defense...the troubles started by letting mehmet okur leave after the 04 season the brawl in Detroit falling short of a repeat against the spurs...losing ben wallace to the bulls then losing the eastern conference finals in 06, 07, and 08...then the nail in the coffin was trading Chauncey Billups to Denver for Allen Iverson....that set the tone and killed the pistons for years...

[@zacm5618]

Bryan R. If dumars didn't spend their max money on Ben Gordon and villanueva then the Chauncey trade wasnt a bad deal. They did that to free up cap space to get 2 max guys. Dumars just spent the money on the wrong 2 guys. Should have been wade and bosh

[@beezy22]

@@zacm5618 for sure...the nba is a tough business...still to this day i remember the pistons bad boys breakup...the salary cap stinks big time...

[@zacm5618]

Bryan R. Yeah that shit hurt the red wings too

[@fightsports66]

If the Pistons had drafted Chris Bosh instead of Darko they could have just plugged him in when the Wallace's left.

[@zacm5618]

fightsports66 they wouldnt have gotten rasheed if they took bosh or wade

[@fightsports66]

@@zacm5618 Wade was a shooting guard coming out of college so drafting him would not have stopped them from being interested in Wallace.

[@zacm5618]

fightsports66 I'm saying they would've been in better shape with wade or bosh so trading for rasheed wouldn't have been necessary and no they prob don't win a title

[@fightsports66]

@@zacm5618 The main reason from what I recall anyway is as much as the coaches and front office loved Ben for his defense and rebounding he was so lacking offensively they felt they had to get someone with some scoring ability at PF or C if they were going to try to win right now. Then Rasheed became available and they jumped on it. I am not a Melo fan but if they had taken Wade or Melo they still would have had the same scoring problem at center and Rasheed still would have been put on the trading block by the Hawks.

[@fightsports66]

@@zacm5618 I made a mistake in my first post. You are right in that if they picked Chris Bosh they would not have gotten Wallace.

[@irocwell32]

Rasheed Wallace was a beast! I was a fan of his from day 1. Wherever he went that's who I rooted for. I felt so bad for him when he was in Portland, because they kept losing to L.A. in the playoffs. So glad he got that ring in 04.

[@TjSamson]

Detroit are pretty much dominant during the 2000's era with the power of Red Wings, Pistons, and Tigers.

[@emutv4100]

especially with the red wings

[@razkable]

since 1991 the only dominant sports team in Detroit is the red wings ….the other teams combined have 1 title and will only have 1 title over 30 years thats 90 seasons...

[@Logan-ee5rx]

I agree. Even though our teams could have won more titles it always seemed like we had stacked teams. It was a fun ride and I feel lucky to have been a part of Detroit sports for the late 90s and early 2000s. Mike Illitch the goat because he would always bring big stars to Detroit.

[@johngittings4673]

The Tigers were the best and worst during the 2000s. In 2006, they went to the World Series and had some very competitive teams in the following years. However, let’s not forget the 2003 Tigers that went 43-119 🤢.