How the Detroit Pistons Shaped LeBron’s Legacy

Before he battled KG’s Celtics, Duncan’s Spurs, and the Superteam Warriors, LeBron was humbled by the veteran-led Pistons

On May 24, 2007, my dad and I left the Palace of Auburn Hills with a strut in our step. The Pistons led the Eastern Conference Finals two-games-to-none, and more importantly, had LeBron James figured out.

On many of the rides home following Piston playoff wins, my dad would bless me with stories about the ’80s Bad Boys. He’d boast about their unprecedented swagger, how they thrived on being the league villains, and more than anything, how satisfying it was to watch them beat Michael Jordan. Jordan was the golden boy, the Pistons wore the black hat. The team’s masterful ability to humble Jordan, at a time when the rest of the league fell victim to his wrath, filled Piston fans with unbelievable pride.

In 2007, 20 years removed from the heyday of the ‘Jordan Rules’, a new Pistons team was playing spoiler to, fittingly, the very player heralded as the heir to Jordan. Eleven years on, I still remember that car ride following Game 2 being the first time my Dad admitted that the Pistons, my Pistons, were bringing back memories of the Bad Boys with the way they had LeBron solved.