Region 3
2. 1989 NBA CHAMPION DETROIT PISTONS v. 4. 1995 SEATTLE SUPERSONICS
Pistons: 63-19, 1st Cen Div, 7th Off, 3rd Def
d. Celtics East 1st Rnd 3-0
d. Bucks East Semis 4-0
d. Bulls East Finals 4-2
d. Lakers NBA Finals 4-0
#29 overall seed
d. '03 Lakers (2-1, Aguirre, Dumars-PotG)
d. '72 Knicks (2-0 Aguirre/Rodman-PotG)
d. '13 Thunder (2-1, Isiah/Laimbeer)
Coach: Chuck Daly
Starters
C Bill Laimbeer (31 Notre Dame) 13.7 PPG 16.6 PER 9 Win Shares 3.4
F Rick Mahorn (30 Hampton) 7.3 12.1 4.6 1.1
F Dennis Rodman (27 SE Oklahoma St) 9 16.3 8.1 2.3
G Isiah Thomas (27 Indiana) 18.2 17.1 7 3.4
G Joe Dumars (25 McNeese St) 17.2 16.8 7 2.9
Rotation Reserves
C James Edwards (33 Washington) 7.3 11.6 2.8 -.2
F John Salley (24 Geo Tech) 7 12.4 3.5 1
F Mark Aguirre (29 DePaul) 15.5 15.1 2.8 .8
G Vinnie Johnson (32 Baylor) 13.8 17.3 5.9 2.2
G Adrian Dantley (33 Notre Dame) 18.4 18.2 5.3 1.4
Leaders: Laimbeer 3rd Def Reb, 3rd Def Reb %, 4th Def Rating
Rodman 1st FG%, Eff FG%, 3rd Reb %
Johnson 5th TO%
The World Champion Pistons are the first team we've seen in Rnd 2 not to have a player on any All NBA Team; they've got no 20 PER, no double digit WS - what they have is wild depth; 29 year old Aguirre and 33 year old Dantley both coming off the bench (rare mid season trade of players of this calibre for a team that winds up this historically significant) Danley leading the team in PER, 31 year old Laimbeer in Win Shares. It's the last Bad Boy Pistons team standing. In 4 Regional Finals, the Pistons are just the second NBA Champion to appear - the first was the '80 Lakers, who won Region 1. 25 year old Joe Dumars was NBA Finals MVP, he and 27 year old Dennis Rodman were first team all defense.
Sonics: 57-25, 2nd Pac Div, 2nd Off, 10th Def
Lost Lakers West 1st
#61 overall seed
d. '95 Magic (2-0, Kemp/Gill PotG)
d. '19 Warriors (2-1, GP/Detlef)
d. '92 Bulls (2-1, Kemp/GP)
Coach: George Karl
Starters
C Sam Perkins (33 North Carolina) 12.7 PPG 16.2 PER 8.5 Win Shares 2.9
F Shawn Kemp (25 Trinity Valley) 18.7 21.7 10.6 2.5
F Detlef Schrempf (32 Washington) 19.2 20.3 12.9 4.7
G Gary Payton (26 Oregon St) 20.6 21.3 11.7 5.2 VORP
G Kendall Gill (26 Illinois) 13.7 15.2 4.6 1.4
Rotation Reserves
C Bill Cartwright (37 San Francisco) 2.4 4 .2 -.5
F Byron Houston (25 Oklahoma St) 3.4 13.8 .5 -.2
F Vincent Askew (28 Memphis) 9.9 13.6 4.6 .8
G Nate McMillan (30 NC St) 5.2 13.1 5.1 2.9
G Sarunas Marciulionis (30) 9.3 14.2 2.3 .3
Leaders: Kemp (3rd Rebounds, 4th Reb%, 2nd Team All NBA
Payton (2nd Steals, 3rd Steals/Gm, 2nd Team All NBA
Schrempf (3rd 3PT %, 2nd True Shooting, 1st Off Rating, 4th Off WS, 5th WS, 4th WS/48, 3rd Team All NBA
McMillan (5th Steals/Gm, 2nd Steal% 1st Def +/0)
Perkins (2nd TO%, 3rd Off Rating)
Here's the '95 team; 3 starters have 20+ PER and double digit WS, Detlef is 32, Payton's 26, Kemp's 25 - they were all named to the All Star Team. Payton was first team all defense; 30 year old McMillan second team. We just saw the '97 Sonics fall in the Region 3 Final, they get one more shot here. This club had a truly stunning Rounds 2/3, knocking off the Curry/Durant Warriors and Jordan's Bulls.
Matchup:
C Push
F Kemp (Sonics)
F Detlef (Sonics)
G GP (Sonics)
G Dumars (Pistons)
Bench: Pistons
It's the 3rd best defense from '89 against the 2nd best offense from '95 - 5 different Pistons and 4 different Sonics have won PotG so far in the tournament.
Gm 1: Detroit: The Palace: Announcers: George Blaha/Dick Motta
1Qtr
9 Pistons 9 Sonics 5
Pistons Mahorn, Mahorn, Rodman, Mahorn(3)
Sonics GP, Gill, Detlef(1)
6 Pistons 13 Sonics 11
Pistons Mahorn, Laimbeer
Sonics Perkins, Gill, Detlef
Region 4 Finals - the Lakers, Spurs, Bulls but not the Bulls you're thinking of, have already won their regions.
3 Pistons 17 Sonics 17
Pistons Salley, Dantley
Sonics Gill, Detlef, GP
1Score Sonics 23 Pistons 22
Pistons Dumars(1) Edwards, Williams
Sonics Marciulionis, Kemp, Askew
Rick Mahorn comes out demanding the ball, 9 points in the first 4 minutes.
2Qtr
9 Pistons 38 Sonics 32
Pistons Laimbeer(3) Dantley, Dantley, Dantley, Aguirre, Aguirre(3) Dantley
Sonics Houston, Houston, Houston, Detlef(3)
6 Sonics 43 Pistons 41
Pistons Dumars(3)
Sonics Kemp(3) Perkins, Gill, Gill, GP
Lot of points in these 6 minutes; Adrian Dantley comes out and pumps in 8 in 3 minutes, but it's the Sonics still up 2. Isiah has 3 fouls trying to guard Payton.
3 Sonics 49 Pistons 45
Pistons Edwards, Isiah
Sonics Marciulionis, Detlef, Marciulionis
HScore Sonics 56 Pistons 51
Pistons Laimbeer, Johnson, Aguirre
Sonics Perkins, Cartwright, Detlef(3)
13 first half points for Schrempf. Sonics biggest lead.
3Qtr
9 Sonics 60 Pistons 59
Pistons Laimbeer, mahorn(1) Isiah(3) Mahorn
Sonics Gill, Kemp
6 Sonics 68 Pistons 65
Pistons Rodman, Laimbeer, Isiah
Sonics Kemp, Detlef, Kemp, Houston
Kemp with a half dozen to open the third.
3 Pistons 74 Sonics 73
Pistons Dantley(3) Dumars, Dumars, Johnson
Sonics GP(1) Askew, GP
3Score Sonics 83 Pistons 78
Pistons Johnson, Aguirre
Sonics Kemp, Kemp, Kemp, GP, Marciuionis
12 third qtr points for Kemp and we hit the 4th.
4Qtr
9 Sonics 95 Pistons 81
Pistons Isiah(1) Laimbeer
Sonics Detlef(3) Kemp, GP(3) Detlef, Perkins
6 Sonics 98 Pistons 89
Pistons Aguirre, Dantley, Edwards, Aguirre
Sonics Kemp(1) Detlef
Seattle adds a couple of triples and have a solid lead with 6 to go.
3 Sonics 111 Pistons 95
Pistons Rodman, Edwards, Isiah
Sonics Detlef, McMillan(3) Kemp(3) Houston, Marciulionis(3)
FScore Sonics 121 Pistons 95
Pistons
Sonics Scheffler, Askew, Wingfield, Wingfield, Askew
The Sonics come into Detroit and hang 121 on the Bad Boy Pistons; this isn't an ultramodern team bombing 3s, this is the '95 Sonics who are now a game from the Region 4 Title.
Kemp: 23 pts/15 boards-Player of the Game
Detlef: 24 pts/7 boards
GP: 14 pts/7 assists
Gill: 12 pts/6 boards
Marciulionis: 11 pts
Houston: 10 pts
Isiah: 10 pts8 assists
Laimbeer: 13 pts/10 boards
Mahorn: 12 pts/5 boards
Dantley: 15 pts
Aguirre: 13 pts/5 boards
Gm 2: Seattle: Tacoma Dome: Announcer: Kevin Calabro
1Qtr
9 Pistons 10 Sonics 5
Sonics Perkins, GP(3)
Pistons Mahorn, Laimbeer, Laimbeer, Isiah
6 Sonics 15 Pistons 13
Sonics Kemp, Perkins, Gill(3) Perkins
Pistons Isiah(3)
Seattle no longer has a basketball team - but here, they still do as long as these Sonics live.
3 Sonics 21 Pistons 17
Sonics Kemp, Detlef, GP
Pistons Dumars, Dumars
1Score Sonics 26 Pistons 21
Sonics Kemp, Detlef(3)
Pistons Dumars, Laimbeer
Seattle is rocking - Sonics look to win Region 4 right now.
2Qtr
9 Sonics 36 Pistons 31
Sonics Cartwright, Gill, Askew, GP, Houston
Pistons Edwards, Johnson, Edwards, Johnson, Dantley
6 Sonics 41 Pistons 35
Sonics Perkins(3) Kemp
Pistons Edwards, Rodman
Seattle now up 6 - they're a 90s team, not bombing 3s, but knocking them down here and there and Detroit really isn't
3 Sonics 53 Pistons 39
Sonics Kemp, Gil, Kemp, Kemp, McMillan, Kemp
Pistons Salley, isiah
HScore Sonics 60 Pistons 47
Sonics Detlef(3) Kemp, Kemp
Pistons Salley, Rodman, Mahorn, Laimbeer
Kemp with 14 in the second - the Sonics are threatening to make this a rout.
3Qtr
9 Sonics 62 Pistons 58
Sonics Detlef
Pistons Laimbeer, Aguirre(1) Isiah, Isiah, Aguirre, Mahorn
6 Sonics 70 Pistons 66
Sonics Gill, Askew, Kemp, GP
Pistons Rodman, Edwards, Dantley, Rodman
Detroit wipes out nearly all of the 14 pt deficit.
3 Sonics 76 Pistons 70
Sonics GP, Askew, mcMillan
Pistons Dantley, Dantley
3Score Sonics 83 Pistons 76
Sonics Perkins, Kemp, GP(3)
Pistons Dumars, Isiah, mahorn
A Payton 3 at the buzzer means we head to the 4th with a 7 pt Sonics lead.
4Qtr
9 Sonics 91 Pistons 82
Sonics GP, Detlef, Kemp, Houston
Pistons Laimbeer, Laimbeer, Dumars
6 Sonics 98 Pistons 87
Sonics Perkins(3) GP
Pistons Aguirre(3) Dumars
6 minutes left - Seattle stalking the Region 4 title.
3 Sonics 105 Pistons 94
Sonics Askew91) Kemp, Kemp, GP
Pistons Laimbeer(3) Johnson, Dantley
FScore: Sonics 116 Pistons 106
Sonics Perkins(3) Perkins(3) Kemp(1) Kemp, Gill
Pistons Isiah, Mahorn(3) Mahorn, Isiah, Isiah, Dumars(1)
The first sweep, Seattle takes both and wins the Region 4 title - just as the Spurs won Region 2 after losing the Region 1 Final, the Sonics dropped the Region 3 Final and then win here.
Kemp: 33 pts/16 boards/4 blocks-Player of the Game
GP: 22 pts/6 assists
Detlef: 12 pts/8 boards/5 assists
Perkins 21 pts/7 boards
Gill: 11 pts/6 boards/6 assists
All Region 4 Team
C Robinson ('95 Spurs-3 PotG)
F Durant ('13 Thunder-4 PotG)
F Kemp ('95 Sonics-4 PotG)- Most Valuable Player
G Payton ('95 Sonics-2 PotG)
G Jordan ('92 Bulls-2PotG)
