2005–06 Detroit Pistons season


The 2005–06 Detroit Pistons season was the 65th season of the franchise, the 58th in the National Basketball Association, and the 49th in the Detroit area. The Pistons began the season hoping to improve upon their 54–28 output from the previous season and have another chance of going to the NBA Finals after losing to the San Antonio Spurs in last season's NBA Finals in seven games. 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. The Pistons defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in five games in the first round, and the Cleveland Cavaliers in a tough, hard-fought seven-game series to 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.
For the season, the Pistons had a new logo, and, though they kept the uniforms, the horse logo was replaced by the letter 'P' on the left side of the shorts.
Ben Wallace won his fourth and final Defensive Player of the Year award and he along with Rasheed Wallace, Richard Hamilton, and Chauncey Billups were selected as reserves for the 2006 NBA All-Star Game.

Draft Picks

RoundPickPlayerPositionNationalityCollege
126Jason MaxiellPFCincinnati
256Amir JohnsonPF
260Alex AckerSGPepperdine

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Playoffs

East First Round

Detroit Pistons vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Last Playoffs meeting: 2004 Eastern Conference First Round

East Conference Semifinals

Detroit Pistons vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Last Playoffs meeting: This is the first meeting between the Pistons and Cavaliers.

East Conference Finals

Detroit Pistons vs. Miami Heat
Last Playoffs meeting: 2005 Eastern Conference Finals

Player statistics

Season

Playoffs

Awards and records