2001–02 Detroit Pistons season

The 2001–02 Detroit Pistons season was the 61st season for the Detroit Pistons, their 54th season in the National Basketball Association, and their 45th season in Detroit, Michigan.^[1] After missing the NBA playoffs the previous season, the Pistons received the ninth overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft, and selected small forward Rodney White from the University of Charlotte.^[2][3][4] During the off-season, the team acquired Clifford Robinson from the Phoenix Suns,^[5][6][7] acquired three-point specialist Jon Barry from the Sacramento Kings,^[8][9][10] signed free agent Damon Jones, and hired Rick Carlisle as their new head coach.^[11][12][13]

Under Carlisle, and with the addition of Robinson and Barry, the Pistons won 14 of their first 20 games of the regular season, but then suffered a seven-game losing streak in December as part of a 5–14 stretch to fall to a 19–20 record. Unlike previous seasons during the 1990s, the Pistons recovered from the tough stretch to win 15 of their next 18 games. After holding a 26–21 record at the All-Star break,^[14] the Pistons won 24 of their final 35 games of the season, winning the Central Division title with a 50–32 record, the franchise's first Division title since the 1989–90 season,^[15] thanks to a 123–89 home victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on the final day of the regular season.^[16][17][18] The Pistons earned the second seed in the Eastern Conference, and returned to the NBA playoffs after a one-year absence. Carlisle was named the NBA Coach of the Year, after leading the Pistons to an 18-game improvement over the previous season.^[19][20][21]

Jerry Stackhouse averaged 21.4 points and 5.3 assists per game, while Robinson averaged 14.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, contributed 115 three-point field goals, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, and Corliss Williamson provided the team with 13.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game off the bench, and was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year.^[22][23][24] In addition, Chucky Atkins contributed 12.1 points and 3.3 assists per game, and led the Pistons with 138 three-point field goals, while Ben Wallace averaged 7.6 points, 13.0 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 3.5 blocks per game, and was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year,^[25][26][27] and was also named to the All-NBA Third Team, and to the NBA All-Defensive First Team. Meanwhile, Barry contributed 9.0 points per game and 121 three-point field goals, while rookie center Željko Rebrača provided with 6.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, Dana Barros averaged 6.7 points and 2.7 assists per game, but only played just 29 games due to injury, Jones contributed 5.1 points per game, and starting small forward Michael Curry averaged 4.0 points per game.^[28]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the First Union Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Rebrača was selected for the NBA Rookie Challenge Game, as a member of the Rookies team;^[29][30] despite a stellar season, Stackhouse was not selected for the 2002 NBA All-Star Game.^[31] Wallace finished in tenth place in Most Valuable Player voting, and also finished in second place in Most Improved Player voting, behind Jermaine O'Neal of the Indiana Pacers.^[32][33]

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 2002 NBA playoffs, the Pistons faced off against the 7th–seeded Toronto Raptors, a team that featured All-Star center Antonio Davis, second-year forward Morris Peterson, and Alvin Williams; the Raptors were without All-Star guard Vince Carter, who was out due to a season-ending left knee injury.^[34][35][36] The Pistons won the first two games over the Raptors at home at The Palace of Auburn Hills, but then lost the next two games on the road, which included a Game 4 loss to the Raptors at the Air Canada Centre, 89–83. With the series tied at 2–2, the Pistons won Game 5 over the Raptors at The Palace of Auburn Hills, 85–82 to win in a hard-fought five-game series, and advance to the second round of the NBA playoffs for the first time since the 1990–91 season.^[37][38][39]

In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the 3rd–seeded Boston Celtics, who were led by the trio of All-Star guard Paul Pierce, All-Star forward Antoine Walker, and Kenny Anderson. The Pistons won Game 1 over the Celtics at The Palace of Auburn Hills, 96–84.^[40][41] However, the team lost Game 2 at home, 85–77, and then lost the next two games to the Celtics on the road, including a Game 4 loss at the FleetCenter, 90–79 as the Celtics took a 3–1 series lead. The Pistons lost Game 5 to the Celtics at The Palace of Auburn Hills, 90–81, thus losing the series in five games.^[42][43][44]

The Pistons finished eleventh in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 760,807 at The Palace of Auburn Hills during the regular season.^[28][45] Following the season, Stackhouse was traded to the Washington Wizards after four in a half seasons with the Pistons,^[46][47][48] while White was traded to the Denver Nuggets,^[49] and Barros was released to free agency.

For the season, the Pistons changed the colors of their primary logo of a flaming horse head above the team's name with a basketball underneath, replacing the color teal with the team's traditional color scheme of red, white and blue;^[50] the team also changed their uniforms.^[51][52] The team's new primary logo, and new uniforms would both remain in use until 2005.