30 for 30: Detroit, Shock City

[kucoach7]

What if I told you there is a city where the impossible isn't just possible, it's probable.

Shot of Tray sitting in a Detroit sports bar
Tray: The city is cursed. I've been saying that since 93 after... well, you know what happened that year. It was only downhill from there.

Clip of Conroy accepting GM of the Year Award
Tray: Eventually it was just too much for me. I had to get out of town. Fled for greener pastures. You know the bit.

Narrator: TrayWithAnA was GM of the Detroit Pistons from the league's inception until he resigned in 2002. His solid 13 year run is remembered for its ups and downs, with the highs nearing the pinnacle of PBSL achievement and the lows inducing nightmares that have haunted Pistons fans these many years.

Interview clip of a group of fans outside of Little Ceasar's Arena
Fan 1: Oh yeah, Tray. That guy was wild. Unstable.
Fan 2: It was a roller coaster ride.
Fan 3: Being a Pistons fan always will be a roller coaster ride.
Fan 2: Nothing comes easy in Detroit. Nothing ever just goes as it should go. You know?

Narrator: These fans are exaggerating. History has shown time and time again that in Detroit, the odds don't matter and anything is possible. A seven seed has swept a two seed three times. Detroit was on the wrong end of two of those. An eight seed has won their opening round series against a one seed four times. Detroit was on the winning side of two of those.

"1995 First Round - Pistons v. Hornets"
Clip of Tom Gugliotta embracing Chris Mullin in their home teal jerseys with Ron Harper jumping in the air in the background
Steve Smith: To this day I'm not even sure what happened. I was at the height of my game. All-league first team. Slam dunk champ. We had a stellar team. It just shouldn't have happened.

Narrator: Steve Smith averaged 22 points a game in 1994-1995. He averaged an incredible 1.5 points per shot. In the playoffs, against a stingy Charlotte defense and a feisty, if not dirty, Chris Mullin, Smith scored only 12.5 points per game in the four game sweep against the Hornets. The two seed Pistons got blitzed at home by a Hornets team that had a strong second half. They lost the first game by 16 and the Hornets stole the second game, fending off a comeback attempt by the Pistons to win by 4.

Larry Johnson: We were down 2-0 but we knew we had the better team. Reggie Miller sat us down before game three, gave us a stirring speech but, well, we all saw what happened.

Narrator: The Hornets, fueled by a ferocious Charlotte crowd and a 33 point effort by Ron Harper eeked out 7 point game three win. The Pistons would put up a respectable last stand in game 4, entering the fourth quarter with a 5 point lead, only to see Charlotte storm back and win the game on a Mookie Blaylock 3 pointer.

Mark Jackson: You know what I say, HAND DOWN, MAN DOWN. My hand was down and momma, there goes that man and there went that season.

"1999 First Round - Pistons v. Nets"
Tray: The first round in 1999 was one of my favorite moments as a GM. The Nets were loaded. They had Gugs and, man, I wanted revenge on that guy. Mark Jackson was playing point for them too and after that guy choked in 94 I wanted to make him hurt again. They had Rider, Walker, old Rony. But, us. We had spirit.

Clip of Steve Smith crying tears of joy, being supported by Bruce Bowen
Bimbo Coles: The Nets killed us in game one in New Jersey. We lost by like 30. Steve played like crap. Everyone said he was just a choker but man, we were in Jersey. The guy was sick as dog. Swamp fever or something like that. Jersey, man.

Narrator: The Nets took a 2-0 lead after a closer game 2 win. The pendulum swung somewhere in the air between New Jersey and Detroit.

Mark Jackson: People are always talking about that series. They're always saying they out played us. That we didn't give it our best effort and you know what? They're right.

Narrator: The final four games of the series were thrilling. The Pistons pulled off an ugly 10 point win in game three. In game four, Bimbo and Steve would put the teams on their packs, combining for 44 of their team's 84 points and win by one to send the series back to New Jersey all tied up.

Steve Smith: No one really batted an eye at game four. The home team had won all four games. So what? The series would still go to the Nets obviously because they had home court advantage.

Narrator: Game 5 was the same story as game 4, however, with Smith and Coles combining for 48 of their team's 82 points as the Pistons would go on to win the pivotal game 5 by 2 points. The Pistons would go on to become the first 8 seed to defeat a 1 seed in a first round series by winning game 6 in front of a raucous Detroit crowd, with Smith and Bimbo once again combining for 48 points.

"2007 First Round - Pistons v. Celtics"
Narrator: By 2007 Tray was gone but the Detroit drama remained.

Clip of Dwight Howard giving Tony Parker a piggy back ride around the court
Runningback15: In 2007, the future was ours. We were going to be the greatest team the league had ever seen. We had 21 year old Dwight Howard, destroyer of world. We had 24 year old scoring sensation Kevin Martin. Tony Parker was 25 and was just an absolute wizard. Not to mention a very raw 21 year old LaMarcus Aldridge. We weren't supposed to be good yet but we were ahead of schedule.

Conroy: That team was loaded. Steven Hunter, future Hall of Famer in my book. Carlos Boozer in his prime. John Salmons. Elite defender Larr Hughes. What ever was left of Steve Francis. We were the one seed because we were the best team in the league. Simple as that.

Narrator: The Celtics survived a late charge from the Pistons to win game one by 1 point and won game 2 by a comfortable margin. But things got ugly when the series went back to Detroit.

Carlos Boozer: People always forget we hurt. We were playing without Hunter. Without Francis.

Kevin Martin: Booz loves to bring up the injuries. That guy is soft and a whiner. Always has been.

Narrator: The Pistons bounced back with a 20 point win at home in game 3. They would go on to win game four behind a heroic effort from Kevin Martin, who scored 36 points, the final two coming in the closing seconds of overtime to secure a 2 point win. Stop us if you've heard this before.

Tony Parker: The series was headed back to Boston and everyone just thought it was business as usual. The home team's had won every game. Boston had home court advantage. They were getting Steve Francis back in game 5. They would win in 7.

Narrator: In game 5, Magette, Parker, and Martin would combine for 74 points to win by one point in overtime. The Pistons would take care of business in game 6 at home to secure the franchise's second 8-1 upset.

"2020 First Round - Pistons v. Wizards"
Clip of Anthony Davis taking off his jersey as he heads for the locker room
Clip of Pistons fan crying
Anthony Davis declined to be interviewed for this documentary
Lance Stephenson: It's still too soon, bro.
Odis Jackson: It hits too close to home right now.

Narrator: Heading into the postseason this year, the Pistons had high hopes. With Anthony Davis back in prime form, averaging 41 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks a game, the Pistons were primed for success. Rudy Gay had shown he still had something left in the tank but Gravy V was on his last leg and Stephenson had lost a step. Regardless, with AD approaching free agency, they knew they had to win. Sure he had one ring in Detroit, but with talent like that, how many should he have won?

Damian Lillard: We're just the better team. That's all there is to it.
Isaiah Thomas: People are always going to underestimate me because I'm short. People don't like Dame because he's cocky. People say Andre can't shoot. Well this is what I say. We're coming for you. All. All of you. So you better be ready.

Narrator: But things started out rough. Isaiah Thomas put up 48 in the first game to secure a one point victory for the Wizards. Game 2 things got worse. The Pistons couldn't find a way to win despite AD putting up 57! In game 3 AD scored 38 points and nabbed 21 rebounds but the Detroit guards could not stop the relentless Dime and Thomas attack. Game 4 was the same story, with AD scoring 49 but with Lillard and Thomas matching that with 58 of their own. In the end, the Pistons found themselves at the wrong end of a 7-2 upset.

Back to Tray in the bar
Tray: Cursed, man, I tell you, cursed.

[ballsohard]

Larry Johnson wasn’t on the pistons or hornets for 1994??

[kucoach7]

Larry Johnson wasn’t on the pistons or hornets for 1994??

95. All the years were off by one. Fixed now.

[Conroy]

/b] The final four games of the series were thrilling. The Pistons pulled off an ugly 10 point win in game three. In game four, Bimbo and Steve would put the teams on their p

Kevin Martin: Booz loves to bring up the injuries. That guy is soft and a whiner. Always has been.

Preach Kevin Martin, Preach.

[ballsohard]

5 Points Todd!