Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, June 18, 1990 TAG: 9006180071
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: DETROIT LENGTH: Medium
Personal grief, a huge organizational question mark, a celebration turned deadly and, lastly, allegations of criminal activity have hung over the Pistons in the days before and after their second consecutive title.
"They're all kind of isolated incidents," said Tom Wilson, the team's chief executive officer, while shepherding local reporters through interviews with Isiah Thomas, who denied allegations of involvement with a multimillion-dollar gambling ring.
"You hope that doesn't take away the luster of the achievement of those 12 guys and their coaches," Wilson said. "You hope people are able to concentrate on the achievement."
But clouds already were on the horizon when Vinnie Johnson sank the winning basket with seven-tenths of a second on the clock Thursday, capping a near-miracle rally in Detroit's 92-90, title-clinching victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Joe Dumars, the most valuable player in the Pistons' 1989 Finals sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers, had been stunned by the June 10 death of his father, Joe Dumars Jr. Dumars decided to stay and play Games 4 and 5 in Portland, Ore., rather than return home immediately to Natchitoches, La.
While a nation applauded Dumars' heart and the Pistons went on to beat Portland in five games, speculation focused immediately on coach Chuck Daly's future with the club. Daly, at 59 the NBA's oldest coach, has one year left on his contract. NBC-TV reportedly has offered him an NBA analyst's job that could pay $1 million. The Philadelphia 76ers might offer Daly their general manager's job.
Daly has been noncommittal, saying he has received no firm offers and that he might return to the Pistons next season. But even Wilson said he had "no idea" whether Daly would be back.
Then came trouble in Detroit. Unlike last year's relatively peaceful celebration of the Pistons' first championship, the victory Thursday sparked mayhem in the city and several suburbs. The deaths of at least seven people, including three children, were linked to postgame "celebrations." Detroit police alone reported 141 arrests, suburban police arrested dozens of others and hospitals treated hundreds of injuries. Then, as the streets of Detroit grew calm Friday, a shadow of suspicion fell that night over the Pistons' captain, franchise player and MVP of the 1990 NBA Finals.
Thomas said Saturday that he arrived home the night before to find his wife weeping in front of the television set, on which a station was carrying a report saying his name had surfaced in a federal gambling investigation. Thomas said he opened his books to FBI and Internal Revenue Service agents and would cooperate fully in their investigation. He went on to express frustration with the reports attributed only to anonymous sources.
"They start talking about your friend's friend's friend, and you have absolutely nothing to do with it," he said.
The Pistons became the two-time NBA champions through an all-for-one, one-for-all ethic forged by Daly and tempered by hostile road crowds. And while they drenched each other in champagne in their Portland dressing room, just two of them consoled each other in their times of trouble Saturday. Thomas, giving yet another interview after speaking with Dumars, said he drew strength from the teammate who had just buried his father in Natchitoches.
"He just said, `You're the last person anyone should be talking to about something like this,' " Thomas said of the gambling allegations.
Keywords:
BASKETBALL
by CNB