Jack McCloskey to this day is convinced there was an anti-Pistons sentiment that emanated from basketball circles of power, both official and unofficial. He told me once about attending the NBA league meetings in the aftermath of the ’89 Finals. In the hotel lobby, adorned by signage to acknowledge the season just past, were a couple of life-size cardboard cutouts of NBA players. Those cutouts in the past had always saluted the champions.
This time? siah? Joe D? Dennis Rodman or Bill Laimbeer?
Nope. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, stars of the teams the Pistons had stepped over to win it all after getting robbed of the ’88 title by a phantom foul call on Laimbeer.