Ranking the NBA’s small market teams

#2: Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons actually have a losing record, sitting at 2796-3038. However, that included their brief time in Fort Wayne in the 1950s. In Detroit, historically, they haven’t been much better. So why are they listed so high? Well, they have made seven Finals and won three of them. Those seven appearances are more than any other team on the list and beat out our bottom nine teams combined.

The Pistons had two core eras. They were the “Bad Boys” in the pre-Jordan years and won two titles with Isiah Thomas, and then they were the “Going to Work Pistons” beating the Shaq/Kobe/Malone/Payton Lakers in 2004. In between eras, they remained competitive thanks to Grant Hill. If he stayed healthy, he would be the greatest Piston ever. But he didn’t.

Seven Finals is quite an accomplishment, and beating the early-2000s Lakers in 2004, the Showtime Lakers in 1989, and the Drexler Blazers in 1990 makes it even more of a momentous task. What makes it even more impressive is that the 2004 Pistons did it with only one All-Star, Ben Wallace. The entire 2004 team did not have a single NBA 75 member, being the third team to win without a player represented, and the only one since 1979. Detroit vs everybody, am I right?

Since the “Going to Work Pistons” hung it up, the franchise has refused to tank or rebuild, until Cade Cunningham was on the table. The Pistons traded for Blake Griffin in 2017, which was one of the more confusing trades ever. The Pistons were in a perfect position to tank but delayed it by a few seasons.

The Pistons also spent much of the 2010s relying on old-school center Andre Drummond to run the offense. Drummond was a fine player, but he should have been the second option. But since they never tanked, Drummond was never joined by another promising player. If the Pistons were competent during the last decade, they would be a solid team by now instead of just living off promise. The past is more than enough to seal the number two spot, though.