NBA History: The best era for each of the 30 franchises

SAN ANTONIO - JANUARY 14: Tim Duncan #21 of the San Antonio Spurs looks to drive around Dirk Nowitzki #41 of the Dallas Mavericks at the SBC Center on January 14, 2005 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2005 NBAE (Photo by Chris Birck/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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Detroit Pistons: 1986-90

The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics were kings of the NBA in the 1980s. They claimed eight of the 10 championships, occasionally at the other’s expense. Some team had to unhinge their stranglehold on the rest of the league, and it was the rough and tough style of the Detroit Pistons that ended both reigns.

Detroit’s roster wasn’t overflowing with talent that helped it run through the rest of the league. It boasted an All-Star backcourt of Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars, but the heart of those Pistons squads was an all-out mentality at the defensive end that birthed the Bad Boys era of basketball.

Of course, championship success didn’t happen for the Pistons overnight. They had to endure quite a bit of heartbreak before rising to the top, losing to Boston in the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals in seven games after blowing a golden opportunity to steal a pivotal Game 5.

They’d topple the Celtics the following season to advance to their first NBA Finals in over 30 years, only to face defeat at the hands of LA in another hard-fought seven-game series with its share of what-if moments.

It was only after Detroit was humbled in defeat where it could rise to the NBA mountaintop. The Pistons would go on to claim back-to-back titles in 1989 and 1990, going a combined 8-1 in the championship round to validate a style of punishment that left them with little fanfare around the NBA.

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