2005–06 Detroit Pistons season
| 2005–06 Detroit Pistons season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Flip Saunders |
| General manager | Joe Dumars |
| Owners | William Davidson |
| Arena | The Palace of Auburn Hills |
| Results | |
| Record | 64–18 (.780) |
| Place | Division: 1st Conference: 1st |
| Playoff finish | Lost in Eastern Conference Finals to Miami (2–4) |
| Local media | |
| Television | FSN Detroit, WMYD |
| Radio | WDFN |
The 2005–06 Detroit Pistons season was the 65th season of the franchise, the 58th in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the 49th in the Detroit area. They Pistons began the season hoping to improve upon their 54–28 output from the previous season. They bested it by ten games, finishing 64–18—their best record in franchise history—and qualifying for the playoffs for the fifth straight season.[1] The Pistons reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the fourth consecutive year before losing to the eventual NBA champions Miami Heat, whom they had beaten in a seven game playoff series the year before. Detroit's offseason was soon marked by the departure of star defensive player Ben Wallace, who signed a free-agent deal with the Chicago Bulls.
Draft Picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 | Jason Maxiell | PF |  United States |
Cincinnati |
| 2 | 56 | Amir Johnson | PF | United States |
|
| 2 | 60 | Alex Acker | SG | United States |
Pepperdine |
Roster
| No. | Player | Pos | Height | Weight | Date of Birth | Experience | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Alex Acker | SG | 6-5 | 185 | January 21, 1983 | R | Pepperdine University |
| 30 | Carlos Arroyo | PG | 6-2 | 202 | July 30, 1979 | 4 | Florida International University |
| 1 | Chauncey Billups | PG | 6-3 | 202 | September 25, 1976 | 8 | University of Colorado |
| 13 | Kelvin Cato | C | 6-11 | 255 | August 26, 1974 | 8 | Iowa State University |
| 34 | Dale Davis | C | 6-11 | 230 | March 25, 1969 | 14 | Clemson University |
| 20 | Carlos Delfino | SG | 6-6 | 230 | August 29, 1982 | 1 | |
| 00 | Tony Delk | PG | 6-1 | 189 | January 28, 1974 | 9 | University of Kentucky |
| 5 | Maurice Evans | SG | 6-5 | 220 | November 8, 1978 | 2 | University of Texas at Austin |
| 32 | Richard Hamilton | SG | 6-6 | 185 | February 14, 1978 | 6 | University of Connecticut |
| 10 | Lindsey Hunter | PG | 6-2 | 170 | December 3, 1970 | 12 | Jackson State University |
| 25 | Amir Johnson | SF | 6-9 | 210 | May 1, 1987 | R | |
| 54 | Jason Maxiell | PF | 6-7 | 260 | February 18, 1983 | R | University of Cincinnati |
| 24 | Antonio McDyess | PF | 6-9 | 220 | September 7, 1974 | 9 | University of Alabama |
| 31 | Darko Milicic | C | 7-0 | 250 | June 20, 1985 | 2 | |
| 22 | Tayshaun Prince | SF | 6-9 | 215 | February 28, 1980 | 3 | University of Kentucky |
| 3 | Ben Wallace | C | 6-9 | 240 | September 10, 1974 | 9 | Virginia Union University |
| 36 | Rasheed Wallace | PF | 6-10 | 225 | September 17, 1974 | 10 | University of North Carolina |
Regular season
Standings
| Team | W | L | Home | Road | PCT. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Pistons* | 64 | 18 | 37–4 | 27–14 | .780 | - |
| Cleveland Cavaliers* | 50 | 32 | 31–10 | 19–22 | .610 | 14 |
| Indiana Pacers* | 41 | 41 | 27–14 | 14–27 | .500 | 23 |
| Chicago Bulls* | 41 | 41 | 21–20 | 20–21 | .500 | 23 |
| Milwaukee Bucks* | 40 | 42 | 25–16 | 15–26 | .488 | 24 |
Game log
Playoffs
East First Round
(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (8) Milwaukee Bucks
April 23
5:30 pm |
| Milwaukee Bucks 74, Detroit Pistons 92 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–19, 18–24, 19–25, 18–24 | ||
| Pts: Charlie Bell 13 Rebs: Jamaal Magloire 9 Asts: Ford, Bogut 3 each |
Pts: Rasheed Wallace 22 Rebs: Ben Wallace 17 Asts: Chauncey Billups 7 | |
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Eddie Rush, David Jones, Bill Spooner, Bennie Adams |
April 26
7:30 pm |
| Milwaukee Bucks 98, Detroit Pistons 109 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–32, 25–29, 27–31, 23–17 | ||
| Pts: Michael Redd 29 Rebs: Andrew Bogut 13 Asts: Andrew Bogut 4 |
Pts: Tayshaun Prince 22 Rebs: Ben Wallace 11 Asts: Richard Hamilton 8 | |
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Tony Brothers, Don Garretson, Derrick Stafford |
April 29
8:00 pm |
| Detroit Pistons 104, Milwaukee Bucks 124 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–30, 27–31, 20–29, 30–34 | ||
| Pts: Chauncey Billups 26 Rebs: Antonio McDyess 8 Asts: Chauncey Billups 6 |
Pts: Michael Redd 40 Rebs: Ford, Magloire, Smith 7 each Asts: T. J. Ford 15 | |
May 1
7:30 pm |
| Detroit Pistons 109, Milwaukee Bucks 99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–20, 24–25, 23–31, 35–23 | ||
| Pts: Chauncey Billups 34 Rebs: Antonio McDyess 11 Asts: Tayshaun Prince 7 |
Pts: Michael Redd 33 Rebs: Jamaal Magloire 12 Asts: Andrew Bogut 6 | |
Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Attendance: 16,296 Referees: Bernie Fryer, Tom Washington, Mark Wunderlich |
May 3
6:00 pm |
| Milwaukee Bucks 93, Detroit Pistons 122 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–39, 26–23, 17–35, 27–25 | ||
| Pts: Michael Redd 23 Rebs: Michael Redd 9 Asts: T. J. Ford 6 |
Pts: Richard Hamilton 40 Rebs: Ben Wallace 14 Asts: Chauncey Billups 8 | |
| Detroit wins series, 4–1 | ||
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Sean Corbin, Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore |
Last Playoffs meeting: 2004 Eastern Conference First Round (Detroit won 4–1)
East Conference Semifinals
(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (4) Cleveland Cavaliers
May 7
3:30 pm |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 86, Detroit Pistons 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–26, 32–43, 15–25, 23–19 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 22 Rebs: Anderson Varejão 8 Asts: James, Murray 4 each |
Pts: Tayshaun Prince 24 Rebs: Ben Wallace 11 Asts: Chauncey Billups 10 | |
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Attendance: 22,076 Referees: James Capers, Joe Crawford, Bill Spooner |
May 9
7:00 pm |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 91, Detroit Pistons 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–23, 20–29, 24–26, 31–19 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 30 Rebs: LeBron James 14 Asts: LeBron James 7 |
Pts: Rasheed Wallace 29 Rebs: Ben Wallace 15 Asts: Chauncey Billups 7 | |
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Derrick Stafford, Jess Kersey |
May 13
5:00 pm |
| Detroit Pistons 77, Cleveland Cavaliers 86 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–18, 25–18, 14–17, 21–33 | ||
| Pts: Richard Hamilton 22 Rebs: Ben Wallace 13 Asts: Billups, Hamilton 5 each |
Pts: LeBron James 21 Rebs: LeBron James 10 Asts: LeBron James 10 | |
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 20,562 Referees: Bob Delaney, Steve Javie, Tom Washington |
May 15
7:00 pm |
| Detroit Pistons 72, Cleveland Cavaliers 74 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–16, 19–20, 21–17, 13–21 | ||
| Pts: Richard Hamilton 30 Rebs: Ben Wallace 10 Asts: Chauncey Billups 7 |
Pts: LeBron James 22 Rebs: LeBron James 8 Asts: LeBron James 9 | |
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 20,562 Referees: Monty McCutchen, Eddie F. Rush, Bennett Salvatore |
May 17
7:00 pm |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 86, Detroit Pistons 84 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–20, 30–25, 18–21, 18–18 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 32 Rebs: Donyell Marshall 13 Asts: Eric Snow 7 |
Pts: Tayshaun Prince 21 Rebs: Ben Wallace 13 Asts: Chauncey Billups 5 | |
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Jimmy Clark, Dan Crawford, Ken Mauer |
May 19
7:00 pm |
| Detroit Pistons 84, Cleveland Cavaliers 82 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–19, 18–18, 25–24, 21–21 | ||
| Pts: Rasheed Wallace 24 Rebs: Ben Wallace 10 Asts: Billups, Wallace 4 each |
Pts: LeBron James 32 Rebs: LeBron James 11 Asts: Eric Snow 7 | |
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 20,562 Referees: Joe Forte, Bernie Fryer, Ron Garretson |
May 21
3:30 pm |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 61, Detroit Pistons 79 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 15–21, 23–19, 10–18, 13–21 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 27 Rebs: LeBron James 8 Asts: Larry Hughes 5 |
Pts: Tayshaun Prince 20 Rebs: Ben Wallace 9 Asts: Billups, Prince 3 each | |
| Detroit wins the series, 4–3 | ||
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Mike Callahan, Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa |
Last Playoffs meeting: This is the first meeting between the Pistons and Cavaliers.
East Conference Finals
(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (2) Miami Heat
May 23
8:00 pm |
| Miami Heat 91, Detroit Pistons 86 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 33–25, 15–19, 18–17, 25–25 | ||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 25 Rebs: Udonis Haslem 9 Asts: Dwyane Wade 5 |
Pts: Richard Hamilton 22 Rebs: Ben Wallace 14 Asts: Chauncey Billups 7 | |
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore, Bill Spooner |
May 25
8:00 pm |
| Miami Heat 88, Detroit Pistons 92 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 12–25, 25–23, 19–22, 32–22 | ||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 32 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 12 Asts: Payton, Wade 5 each |
Pts: Tayshaun Prince 24 Rebs: Ben Wallace 12 Asts: Chauncey Billups 8 | |
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Ron Garretson, Jack Nies |
May 27
8:00 pm |
| Detroit Pistons 83, Miami Heat 98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–26, 14–23, 24–25, 21–24 | ||
| Pts: Chauncey Billups 31 Rebs: Rasheed Wallace 10 Asts: Tayshaun Prince 4 |
Pts: Dwyane Wade 35 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 12 Asts: Antoine Walker 4 | |
American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 20,245 Referees: Dan Crawford, Tom Washington, Mark Wunderlich |
May 29
8:00 pm |
| Detroit Pistons 78, Miami Heat 89 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–23, 21–21, 22–18, 18–27 | ||
| Pts: Tayshaun Prince 15 Rebs: Ben Wallace 11 Asts: Chauncey Billups 7 |
Pts: Dwyane Wade 31 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 9 Asts: Antoine Walker 5 | |
American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 20,248 Referees: Bob Delaney, Bernie Fryer, Greg Willard |
May 31
8:00 pm |
| Miami Heat 78, Detroit Pistons 91 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–25, 23–22, 22–26, 13–18 | ||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 23 Rebs: Udonis Haslem 10 Asts: Jason Williams 6 |
Pts: Tayshaun Prince 29 Rebs: Richard Hamilton 10 Asts: Chauncey Billups 10 | |
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Joe Forte |
June 2
8:00 pm |
| Detroit Pistons 78, Miami Heat 95 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–25, 16–22, 17–25, 25–23 | ||
| Pts: Richard Hamilton 33 Rebs: Rasheed Wallace 8 Asts: Chauncey Billups 8 |
Pts: Shaquille O'Neal 28 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 16 Asts: Dwyane Wade 10 | |
| Miami wins the series, 4–2 | ||
American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 20,258 Referees: Mike Callahan, Steve Javie, Eddie F. Rush |
Last Playoffs meeting: 2005 Eastern Conference Finals (Detroit won 4–3)
Player statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
Season
Playoffs
Awards and records
- Ben Wallace, NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award
- Ben Wallace, All-NBA Second Team
- Chauncey Billups, All-NBA Second Team
- Ben Wallace, NBA All-Defensive First Team
- Chauncey Billups, NBA All-Defensive Second Team
- Tayshaun Prince, NBA All-Defensive Second Team
Transactions
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