Two professional basketball teams that many loved or hated in the 1980s were the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. Both teams had their share of winning during the 1980s, with the Lakers winning five titles and the Celtics winning three titles. But towards the end of the decade, another team emerged to battle both: the Detroit Pistons.

The Pistons, led by point guard Isiah Thomas, was a scrappy team that played a very
physical brand of basketball. Eventually, their brand of basketball enabled them to reach
the 1988 NBA Finals, where they took on the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Pistons were playing their games at the former Pontiac Silverdome, which allowed them to have a crowd of 41,732 in Game 5 on June 16, 1988. The Pistons would win the
game 104-94 over the Lakers, and the crowd was the largest crowd ever to attend an
NBA playoff game. Unfortunately, the Pistons would lose Games 6 and 7 to the Lakers
and ultimately lose the NBA Finals.