The First Ever Pistons-Bulls Playoff Series (Brief Overview - 1974)
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The 1973-74 Detroit Pistons turned
The 1973-74 Detroit Pistons turned in the best regular season in franchise history (up to that point), finishing 52-30 and collecting a handful of individual accolades along the way. Dave Bing earned an All-NBA Second Team selection, Ray Scott was named the NBA's Coach of the Year, and Bob Lanier added an All-Star MVP to his trophy case following a 24-point, 10-rebound performance (Lanier also finished third in regular season MVP voting).
The team itself crawled out of the gate, starting the season at just 12-11 before ripping off 28 wins in 36 games. Detroit's drastic turnaround spurred Pistons fever around the city, drawing over 300,000 fans for the first time in team history. The Pistons defended their home turf admirably, finishing 29-12 at Cobo Arena.
Entering the postseason as a No. 3 seed in the Western Conference (Detroit wouldn't move East until 1978), the Pistons matched up with the 54-28 Chicago Bulls. After winning five of their seven matchups with the Pistons in the regular season, the Bulls, led by Bob Love, Norm Van Lier, Jerry Sloan, and Chet Walker, found themselves in a dog fight, splitting the first six games of the series and setting up a do-or-die Game 7 in Chicago.
With a tone that would become all too familiar in the Pistons-Bulls rivalry of the late 80's and early 90's, Pistons head coach Ray Scott didn't let Chicago's troubles slip by without notice. "This series was supposed to be a piece of cake for them," he said. "And now they're choking on it."
After losing Sloan to injury in Game 6, the Bulls had to lean heavily upon Walker and Love in Game 7 and the two responded by combining for 50 points. Still, the series wouldn't be decided until the game's final moments. Tied at 94, Walker connected on a jumper with three seconds left to give Chicago a two-point advantage. Then, after Bob Lanier broke free on the subsequent inbounds play, Dave Bing's pass was deflected by Dennis Awtrey, bringing Detroit's season to an unceremonious end (the play in question can be seen at the 21-second mark above).
Despite the letdown, the Pistons would use 1974 as a stepping block, setting the stage for four consecutive playoff appearances in the Bing-Lanier era, including a run in 1976 that saw them take out the Milwaukee Bucks before pushing the defending champion Golden State Warriors to six games in the conference semi-finals. It'd be their last taste of playoff success until the mid-80's.
For more, check out Steve Addy's "(More Than) Four Decades of Motor City Madness": https://www.amazon.com/Detroit-Piston...
Though it may be obvious, it's worth noting that the first and last clips in the highlights above are not from 1974 (the black-and-white at the start then the piece of the '76 Warriors series at the end). This was a part of a Pistons playoff history segment at halftime of Game 3 of the Pistons' 1991 series against the Atlanta Hawks. Interestingly, the 1991 Hawks were coached by Bob Weiss, who scored 7 points for the Bulls in that 1974 Game 7 win.
The team itself crawled out of the gate, starting the season at just 12-11 before ripping off 28 wins in 36 games. Detroit's drastic turnaround spurred Pistons fever around the city, drawing over 300,000 fans for the first time in team history. The Pistons defended their home turf admirably, finishing 29-12 at Cobo Arena.
Entering the postseason as a No. 3 seed in the Western Conference (Detroit wouldn't move East until 1978), the Pistons matched up with the 54-28 Chicago Bulls. After winning five of their seven matchups with the Pistons in the regular season, the Bulls, led by Bob Love, Norm Van Lier, Jerry Sloan, and Chet Walker, found themselves in a dog fight, splitting the first six games of the series and setting up a do-or-die Game 7 in Chicago.
With a tone that would become all too familiar in the Pistons-Bulls rivalry of the late 80's and early 90's, Pistons head coach Ray Scott didn't let Chicago's troubles slip by without notice. "This series was supposed to be a piece of cake for them," he said. "And now they're choking on it."
After losing Sloan to injury in Game 6, the Bulls had to lean heavily upon Walker and Love in Game 7 and the two responded by combining for 50 points. Still, the series wouldn't be decided until the game's final moments. Tied at 94, Walker connected on a jumper with three seconds left to give Chicago a two-point advantage. Then, after Bob Lanier broke free on the subsequent inbounds play, Dave Bing's pass was deflected by Dennis Awtrey, bringing Detroit's season to an unceremonious end (the play in question can be seen at the 21-second mark above).
Despite the letdown, the Pistons would use 1974 as a stepping block, setting the stage for four consecutive playoff appearances in the Bing-Lanier era, including a run in 1976 that saw them take out the Milwaukee Bucks before pushing the defending champion Golden State Warriors to six games in the conference semi-finals. It'd be their last taste of playoff success until the mid-80's.
For more, check out Steve Addy's "(More Than) Four Decades of Motor City Madness": https://www.amazon.com/Detroit-Piston...
Though it may be obvious, it's worth noting that the first and last clips in the highlights above are not from 1974 (the black-and-white at the start then the piece of the '76 Warriors series at the end). This was a part of a Pistons playoff history segment at halftime of Game 3 of the Pistons' 1991 series against the Atlanta Hawks. Interestingly, the 1991 Hawks were coached by Bob Weiss, who scored 7 points for the Bulls in that 1974 Game 7 win.
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