golden state warriors history: beating eventual champion pistons (Photo: YouTube)
Twenty-five years ago this week, famed Coach Don Nelson was enjoying modest success in his first year with the Golden State Warriors.
Taking a team that the previous year had won only 20 games all season under then Coach George Karl, Nelson had guided the Warriors to a 28-20 record in the early stages of the 1988-89 season.
The Warriors were trying to win their eighth out of nine games when the shut-down defensive-minded “Bad Boys” of the Detroit Pistons arrived in town for an evening showdown at the Oakland County Coliseum Arena (now known as Oracle Arena).
The Pistons, who at the time sported a league best 33-14 record, were en-route to a 63-win season capped by their first championship.
Thus, they took little notice of the improved play the Warriors were showcasing at the time.
The Pistons were a team stocked with household names: Isiah Thomas, Dennis Rodman, Bill Laimbeer, Joe Dumars,John Salley, Mark Aguirre and Rick Mahorn.
The Warriors, however, had only a few names that the general NBA audience could recognize.
This included the young Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond as well as the always interesting 7’7″ Manute Bol.
In front of a sell-out crowd of 15,025, the teams entertained the audience with a see-saw affair that saw the lead change several times until the Warriors took a slim 86-81 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Paced by Rodman’s staggering stat-line of 32 points, 21 rebounds and 3 blocks, the Pistons were able to force OT after holding the Warriors to an 18-point final quarter.
With the crowd going nuts in the extra stanza, it would be the 51 combined points by Mullin and Richmond, however, that would lift the Warriors to a 121-119 victory.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qJiBVc4OT8&w=420&h=315]As noted, the Pistons were on their way to the first of consecutive titles.
The Warriors, however, would use the win as a springboard to a 43-39 season.
This preceded a stunning playoff run that included a 3-0 sweep over the heavily favored Utah Jazz before being eliminated by the Phoenix Suns in the Conference Semifinals, 4-1.
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