While Michael Jordan and the Bulls soared through the air and ran around opponents, flaunting their finesse, the Pistons didn't hesitate to knock foes on their rears or run right through them.

There was the feisty Isiah Thomas running the point, the tenacious defender Joe Dumars, the just plain-mean Bill Laimbeer, the eccentric Dennis Rodman, the versatile John "Spider" Salley. And Mark Aguirre and Rick Mahorn -- featuring two of the bigger posteriors in the league, which they used to their advantage under the boards.

It all added up to two NBA titles -- the second one coming in the first year of the decade.

But the Bad Boys' time at the pinnacle didn't last long because MJ and the Bulls broke through in the 1990-91 season to win their first NBA title and there was no stopping them. The Pistons, meanwhile, suddenly got old and after they lost the battle in the East Finals to the Bulls in '91, they did not advance past the first round of the playoffs the rest of the decade.

Memorable moment
Isiah Thomas, one of only four players to dish out 9,000 assists (Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson, John Stockton), retired on April 19, 1994. …

The Pistons drafted Grant Hill with the No. 3 pick in the '94 draft. Though many dubbed him the "next Michael Jordan," Hill was not able to deliver like his Airness did. Detroit didn't make the playoffs in two of his five years of play, and they never made it past the opening round with Hill running the show.

Best year: 1989-90
The "Bad Boys" started the decade by winning their second consecutive NBA title with their trademark tough-guy defense once again being the key. For the season the Pistons held opponents to a league-low 98.3 ppg.

It was the Eastern Conference Finals that ended up being the toughest matchup for Detroit, but they moved into the Finals with a hard-fought seven-game series victory over Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, who would go on to dominate the rest of the decade.

The Pistons took care of Portland in the Finals, 4-1, with Isiah Thomas leading the way and winning the Finals' MVP.

Worst year: 1993-94
In their worst showing since the 1979-80 season when they went 16-66, the Pistons began to show their age. It would be Thomas' last season. Bill Laimbeer didn't wait for the season to end, in fact it was just 11 games into the season when he called it quits.

And a disgruntled Dennis Rodman was shipped off in a trade with San Antonio before the season began. Only Joe Dumars (20.4 ppg) of the title-winning Pistons was still going strong.