Most clutch player in Detroit Pistons history: Chauncey Billups
The Detroit Pistons of the mid-2000s are one of the less heralded contenders of recent NBA history, often characterized as a ragtag band of misfit players all playing team basketball in such a way that they knocked off the ego-filled star squad of Los Angeles Lakers in 2004 to win a title.
That does this group a disservice, as they were a true contender who went to six straight Eastern Conference Finals. Chauncey Billups was a key part of that core and the player who often had the ball in his hands towards the end of close games. He earned the nickname “Mr. Big Shot” because he lacked fear of the biggest moments.
Key Moment: In the 2004 postseason the Pistons were locked in a dogfight with the New Jersey Nets, who had won the Eastern Conference each of the past two seasons. With the series tied 2-2 and the Pistons down three points in the closing seconds, Billups squared up with the basket and launched a shot from half court.
Improbably the shot banks in, tying the game and sending it to overtime. While the Pistons would eventually lose in triple-overtime, they won the last two games of the series and went on to beat the Lakers in the NBA Finals.