Detroit Pistons

Basketball Hall of Fame Members:. None (the Raider organization does not retire the jersey numbers of former players). Reserves. They did this by issuing "personal seating licenses", without which fans cannot buy tickets to the games. Starters. In this lawsuit, the Raiders agreed that they would sell out all of their home games, in exchange for the city helping to renovate their stadium. Eastern on ABC. Their most recent legal battle is with the city of Oakland.

Game 5 is scheduled for Sunday, June 19th at The Palace of Auburn Hills at 9 P.M. After moving back to Oakland, they were sued by the NFL for losing the Los Angeles television market, the second largest in the United States. The Spurs have won the first two games, and Detroit the second to, all by margins of 15 to 31 points. The Raiders sued the city of Los Angeles over the fact that the city backed out of a stadium deal for the team. Games 3 and 4 and 5 will be played at The Palace of Auburn Hills, and games 6 and (if necessary) 7 will be in San Antonio. Also, they were the only team that was not a defendant in the USFL's ultimately unsuccessful antitrust suit against the NFL; Davis was a witness for the USFL in that action. The Pistons are currently facing the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals, the first two games of which were played at the SBC Center in San Antonio. They have been involved in several lawsuits, most famously with the cities of Los Angeles and Oakland, as well as the NFL.

Lakers did so at the Sacramento Kings in 2002. The Raiders are the most litigious team in the NFL. In the process, the Pistons became the first team to win a game 7 on the road since the L.A. In the 2004-2005 season, their first season under Turner, the Raiders continued to suffer on the field, posting their second consecutive losing record (5-11), heavy laden with turnovers and injuries. In the conference finals, the Pistons again fell behind, three games to two, but then won the final two games to defeat the Miami Heat and become Eastern Conference Champions. After the end of the 2003 regular season, Callahan was fired, and ultimately replaced by current head coach Norv Turner. Seeded second in the Eastern Conference in the playoffs, they defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 4-1 and then rallied from a 2-1 deficit to finish off the Indiana Pacers 4-2. In fact, in a press conference at the end of one game, then-coach Bill Callahan berated both his players and the media for the team's poor performance that season.

Presently, the Pistons are considered a strong contender to win a second consecutive title in 2005. They finished with a losing record of 4-12, tied with three other teams for the worst record in the NFL, and the worst record ever for a team who were Super Bowl contenders one season previously. See also: The Malice at The Palace. The 2003 season was a 180-degree turnaround for the Raiders. A month later, five Pacers and seven fans were charged after being involved in the "basketbrawl.". Gannon was named MVP of the league, and the Raiders made their fifth Super Bowl appearance following the season, only to lose to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Other Pacers such as Jermaine O'Neal fought with fans who had walked onto the court. The Raiders finished the 2002 season with an 11-5 record and clinched the top seed in the playoffs.

This caused Artest to rush into the stands and attack some fans. They finished 10-6, but lost their divisional playoff game to the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in the controversial "tuck" game, in which an apparent fumble by the Patriots (that was recovered by the Raiders) was reviewed and determined to be an incomplete pass. On November 19, 2004, the Detroit Pistons were involved in a massive brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hills during a losing home game against the Indiana Pacers. After fouling Pistons' Ben Wallace, Pacer Ron Artest was hit by a cup while lying down on the scorer's table. The Raiders acquired all-time leading receiver Jerry Rice prior to the 2001 season. Coached by Hall of Fame inductee Larry Brown, the Pistons returned to prominence, winning the 2004 NBA championship. By 2000, the Raiders began to reclaim their position among the NFL's greatest teams, highlighted by the emergence of veteran quarterback Rich Gannon as one of the best all-around quarterbacks in Raiders history. Under Dumars's leadership, the Pistons have since surrounded Wallace with rising stars Chauncey Billups, Richard "Rip" Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace and Tayshaun Prince. After the following season, the Raiders moved back to Oakland.

One of them, Ben Wallace, would prove to be a cornerstone for the franchise's revamped roster. This period was marked by the career-ending injury of Bo Jackson in 1990, the failure of troubled quarterback Todd Marinovich, and the departure of Marcus Allen in 1993. In the summer of 2000, Hill indicated his intentions to leave to Orlando, and Dumars – appointed the franchise's president of basketball operations that year – dealt Hill to the Magic in return for a pair of largely unheralded players. This also marked a somewhat down period in Raider franchise history, both on the field and, more importantly, off the field. Though Grant Hill emerged as a gifted player, the team was unable to win a playoff series, losing to the Orlando Magic in 1996, the Atlanta Hawks in 1997 and 1999, and the Miami Heat in 2000. Al Davis's perceived infatuation with Jackson caused a major rift between Davis and star running back Marcus Allen, who eventually left to play for the Kansas City Chiefs. The franchise went through a lengthy transitional period as its key players either retired or left. In 1987, the Raiders drafted dual-sport athlete Bo Jackson after he originally decided to not play professional football in 1986 (when drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round).

The team moved into the lavish Palace of Auburn Hills in 1988 and remains there today. This was momentous as it made Shell the first ever African American Head Coach in the history of the NFL. With their physical style of play, and intensity with opponents, the Pistons gained the nickname "Bad Boys." Coach Chuck Daly took the team to the NBA Finals three consecutive years (1988-90) and won NBA championships in 1989 and 1990. Shell held that position until 1988 when he was made the team's Head Coach. The three, along with later aquisitions Joe Dumars, Rick Mahorn, and Dennis Rodman, formed the core of a team that would rise to the top of the league. Also that year Al Davis hired future hall of famer Art Shell to coach the Offensive Line. In early 1982, it acquired center Bill Laimbeer and guard Vinnie Johnson. In 1982, the Oakland Raiders moved to Los Angeles, California to play their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum; they won the championship the following year.

The franchise's fortunes finally began to turn in 1981, when it drafted point guard Isiah Thomas out of Indiana University. In spite of his success, Madden left coaching in 1979 to pursue a career as a television football commentator. (The Silverdome was the home of the NFL's Detroit Lions at the time.). In 1969, John Madden became the team's head coach, and during the 1970s he helped start the Raiders' ascent towards their current status as one of the most successful franchises in NFL history, starting with their 1977 Super Bowl XI win over the Minnesota Vikings. Displeased with the team's location in downtown Detroit, Davidson moved it to the suburb of Pontiac in 1978, where it played in the mammoth Silverdome, a structure built for professional football. In 1970, the AFL-NFL merger took place, and the Raiders joined the West Division of the American Football Conference in the newly merged National Football League. In 1974, Zollner sold the team to Bill Davidson, who remains the team's owner. The Raiders appeared in Super Bowl II (the first of five Super Bowls) in 1968 but lost to the NFL champion Green Bay Packers.

The franchise was a consistent disappointment, struggling on both the court and the box office. In 1966, Davis became Commissioner of the AFL and is considered a driving force in raising the AFL to competitive levels that forced the NFL to merge with the younger league. The new Detroit Pistons played in Olympia Stadium for their first four seasons, then moved to Cobo Arena. Clem Daniels, Billy Cannon, Hoot Gibson, Art Powell and Daryle Lamonica were among many great players to wear the "silver and black", to be joined in 1967 by AFL legend George Blanda at the start of his nine-year career with the Raiders. In 1957, Zollner moved the team to Detroit, a much larger city that did not have an NBA franchise; the Detroit Gems had folded after one season of existence. Four years later, the club captured the 1967 AFL Championship. Led by star forward George Yardley, the Fort Wayne Pistons were a popular franchise and appeared in the NBA Finals in 1954 and 1955, losing both times. He reorganized the Raiders, and the team improved to a 10-4 won-loss record.

It is the oldest existing franchise in the NBA. Al Davis, a former assistant coach for the San Diego Chargers, was hired as head coach and general manager in 1963. The franchise was founded in 1941 in Fort Wayne, Indiana by Fred Zollner, owner of a General Motors subsidiary that manufactored pistons. The team spent its first three seasons changing stadiums and losing more games than it won.
. The franchise is tied with the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs for the most post-season games played as an AFL team, six. The Detroit Pistons are a National Basketball Association team based in the Detroit, Michigan metropolitan area. Starting out as a poor franchise with a weak team playing in Frank Youell Field, towards the end of the 1960s it became an AFL powerhouse and one of professional football's most consistent teams.

Gregory Johnson. The Raiders' image was synonymous with the AFL's: brash and bold. Earl Lloyd (inducted as a contributor, not as a player or coach). The Oakland Raiders were a charter member of the American Football League in 1960. Chuck Daly. Football, Inc. Larry Brown. Legally, the team is a limited partnership operated by Al Davis, who serves as President of the team's general partner, A.D.

40 Bill Laimbeer. The Oakland Raiders are a National Football League team based in Oakland, California. 21 Dave Bing. Rod Woodson. 16 Bob Lanier. Jack Tatum. 15 Vinnie Johnson. Ken Stabler.

11 Isiah Thomas. Otis Sistrunk. 4 Joe Dumars. Jerry Rice. 2 Chuck Daly (never played in the NBA; represents the two NBA championship teams he coached). Jim Plunkett. Jerry Stackhouse. Art Powell.

John Salley. Babe Parilli. Dennis Rodman. John Matuszak. Rick Mahorn. Daryle Lamonica. Grant Hill. Sean Jones.

Adrian Dantley. Bo Jackson (also played Major League Baseball). Chuck Daly (Inducted as Coach). Lester Hayes. Isiah Thomas. Wayne Hawkins. Earl Lloyd (inducted as a contributor, not as a player or coach). Ray Guy.

Bob Lanier. Dave Grayson. Dave Bing. Hoot Gibson. C - #31 Darko Miličić (Serbia). Tom Flores. F-C - #24 Antonio McDyess (Alabama). Clem Daniels.

G - #5 Horace Jenkins (William Paterson) - restricted free agent. Todd Christensen. G - #10 Lindsey Hunter (Jackson State). Billy Cannon (born 1937, made All-League as a halfback in 1961 and as a tight end in 1969). F - #8 Darvin Ham (Texas Tech) - free agent. Tim Brown. F - #12 Ronald Dupree (LSU). Cliff Branch.

G-F - #20 Carlos Delfino (Argentina). Lyle Alzado. C - #41 Elden Campbell (Clemson) - free agent. Marcus Allen. G - #30 Carlos Arroyo (Florida Int'l). Jerry Porter. PG - #1 Chauncey Billups (Colorado). Ted Washington.

SG - #32 Richard "Rip" Hamilton (UConn). Charles Woodson. C - #3 Ben Wallace (Virginia Union). Warren Sapp. PF - #36 Rasheed Wallace (North Carolina). Randy Moss. SF - #22 Tayshaun Prince (Kentucky). LaMont Jordan.

Rich Gannon. Robert Gallery. Kerry Collins. Gene Upshaw (1987) - 1967-1981.

Art Shell (1989) - 1968-1982. Jim Otto (1980) - 1960-1974. Ron Mix (1979) - 1971. Ronnie Lott (2000) - 1991-1992.

Howie Long (2000) - 1981-1993. James Lofton (2003) - 1987-1988. Ted Hendricks (1990) - 1975-1983. Mike Haynes (1997) - 1983-1989.

Eric Dickerson (1999) - 1992. Al Davis (1992) - 1963-1965, 1966-Present. Dave Casper (2002) - 1974-1980, 1984. Willie Brown (1984) - 1967-1978.

Bob Brown (2004) - 1971-1973. George Blanda (1981) - 1967-1975. Fred Biletnikoff (1988) - 1965-1978. Marcus Allen (2003) - 1982-1992.