1991–92 Detroit Pistons season

The 1991–92 Detroit Pistons season was the 44th season for the Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball Association, and their 35th season in Detroit, Michigan.^[1] During the off-season, the Pistons acquired Orlando Woolridge from the Denver Nuggets,^[2][3] and acquired Darrell Walker from the Washington Bullets.^[4][5]

With the addition of Woolridge and Walker, the Pistons struggled with a 10–14 start to the regular season, but then won 12 of their next 14 games, and later on held a 28–20 record at the All-Star break.^[6] The team posted a seven-game winning streak in March, and then posted a six-game winning streak in April. The Pistons finished in third place in the Central Division with a 48–34 record, and earned the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference.^[7]

Joe Dumars averaged 19.9 points and 4.6 assists per game, while Isiah Thomas averaged 18.5 points, 7.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game, and Woolridge provided the team with 14.0 points per game. In addition, sixth man Mark Aguirre contributed 11.3 points per game off the bench, while Bill Laimbeer provided with 9.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, and Dennis Rodman averaged 9.8 points, and led the league with 18.7 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, off the bench, John Salley provided with 9.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, and Walker contributed 5.2 points and 2.8 assists per game.^[8]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Orlando Arena in Orlando, Florida, Dumars, Thomas and Rodman were all selected for the 1992 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Eastern Conference All-Star team; it was Rodman's second and final All-Star appearance.^[9][10][11] Dumars and Rodman were both named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team, while Rodman was named to the All-NBA Third Team. Rodman finished in second place in Defensive Player of the Year voting, behind David Robinson of the San Antonio Spurs, while Dumars finished in fifth place;^[12][13] Rodman also finished in tenth place in Most Valuable Player voting,^[13] and head coach Chuck Daly finished tied in ninth place in Coach of the Year voting.^[13]

Throughout the regular season, speculation that it was Daly's last season as head coach of the Pistons lingered in the media, intensifying as the season went out and well into the NBA playoffs.^[14][15][16] In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1992 NBA playoffs, the Pistons faced off against the 4th–seeded New York Knicks, who were led by All-Star center Patrick Ewing, Xavier McDaniel, and sixth man John Starks. The Knicks took a 2–1 series lead before the Pistons won Game 4 at home, 86–82 at The Palace of Auburn Hills to even the series.^[17][18][19] However, the Pistons lost Game 5 to the Knicks on the road, 94–87 at Madison Square Garden, thus losing in a hard-fought five-game series, as the "Bad Boys" era was fading.^[20][21][22] The Pistons would not return to the NBA playoffs again until the 1995–96 season.

The Pistons finished second in the NBA in home-game attendance behind the Charlotte Hornets, with an attendance of 879,614 at The Palace of Auburn Hills during the regular season.^[8][23] Following the season, Daly resigned and left to coach the New Jersey Nets,^[24][25][26] and Salley was traded to the Miami Heat.^[27][28][29]

One notable incident of the regular season occurred on December 14, 1991, during a road game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center. Early in the first quarter, All-Star forward Karl Malone committed a flagrant foul on Thomas, in which Malone hit Thomas's forehead with his elbow; Thomas had to receive 40 stitches, while Malone was suspended for one game.^[30][31][32] The Pistons lost to the Jazz by a score of 102–100.^[33] Meanwhile, the Bulls-Pistons rivalry took another ugly turn, as Thomas was left off the Dream Team for the 1992 Summer Olympics coached by Daly, reportedly at the request of All-Star guard Michael Jordan.^[34][35][36]