Leave it to the owner of a football team to help brand a basketball team as a bunch of thugs.
Actions like that were second nature for Al Davis, the owner of the Oakland Raiders and a self-described “maverick.” But the story of how the Detroit Pistons became known as the “Bad Boys” and cloaked themselves in the dark garb of villains, starts before Davis sent a crate of Raiders gear to Detroit head coach Chuck Daly.
The story of the Bad Boys also includes a Detroit native who scratched out the Bad Boys logo for his silkscreen t-shirt company and saw it explode in popularity, so much so that Nelson Mandela once wore a cap with the logo on it.
After the 1988 NBA Finals, in which the Pistons lost narrowly to the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games, the NBA entertainment department edited and produced their annual video for each team. These tapes were sold mostly at retailers and were available in VHS (yes, that’s what we watched back then). Some bright copy editor decided to call the Pistons’ 1987-88 season video “Bad Boys.” The rest was history
But wait, not so fast. How did they arrive at the name “Bad Boys” and why did it take off? Why did thousands and thousands of fans in Detroit and around the country start wearing “Bad Boys” merchandise?
The answer goes to the heart of who the Detroit basketball team was in that era. It goes to the heart of their floor leader, a Chicago kid who had a serious case of “little man syndrome.”
Why the Pistons were considered “Bad Boys”
Isiah Thomas was more than just a point guard, he was the life blood of the Detroit Pistons from the first time he stepped onto the hardwood as a rookie in 1981. Thomas was a marvel with a basketball in his hands: he might pass it, he might shoot it, he might dribble it like he was a member of the Harlem Globetrotters. Most importantly for the success of the Pistons, Isiah was a floor leader. He had that leadership thing inside him and it wouldn’t turn off.
Growing up in a large family in the worst neighborhoods of Chicago in the 1970s, Thomas developed a tough outer shell, a biting tongue, and a furious competitive nature. He wasn’t content with just winning, he wanted to destroy the competition. As a little guy on the courts in the Windy City he had to learn how to go into the land of giants under the basket and score his points. By the time he got to the NBA as a 20-year old, he was tough enough to manage the bumps and bruises that came with competing in “The Association.” In some ways, the NBA was tamer than what Isiah was used to.
Through his Hall of Fame basketball skill and drive, Isiah pushed the Pistons up the NBA ladder. So that, by the time of the 1987-88 season, with an excellent cast built around him, Detroit was one of the best teams in the game. But as anyone who knows Detroit knows, the city doesn’t come by respect easily. Detroit really has to earn its respect. There’s always someone who wants to ridicule and diminish the city. But Isiah’s toughness wasn’t going to let that happen.
Guided by coach Chuck Daly, a cool customer whose “Daddy Rich” appearance and well-coiffed hair concealed a fierce determination, and under the floor management of the point guard they called “Zeke,” the Pistons assumed the personality of their leadership. It extended to the front office too: general manager Jack McCloskey, the hoops genius who assembled the team, was a confident man who burned to compete and win on the biggest sports stage. McCloskey had commanded landing ships for the U.S. Marines in World War II. He was a tough man.
Under Daly’s direction, the Pistons adopted a philosophy of “94 feet defense.” The idea was that the team would defend everywhere on the court. They wanted to make it difficult for opponents to set up their offense. Up until that time, most NBA teams ran back on defense and allowed the offensive team to set up and run plays. It was basically a gentleman’s agreement: there were certain things that a team didn’t do, and one of them was to disrupt the flow of the game. But the Pistons didn’t care. They pressured, bumped, and agitated unlike any other team ever had. As a result, they earned a reputation for being “dirty.” While they never led the league in personal fouls or technical fouls in that era, they did lead the league in the unofficial categories of “hip checks,” “forearms,” and “icy stares.” Soon, Isiah and his teammates were the most hated team in the game.
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