Q 01/05

The Pistons were founded in 1937 in which city as a company team of a piston foundry?

A) Fort Wayne, Indiana

B) Flint, Michigan

C) Toledo, Ohio

D) Dayton, Ohio

Answer · why

A) Fort Wayne, Indiana

Fred Zollner's workers asked him to sponsor a team; the Zollner Pistons turned pro in 1941 and won NBL titles in 1944 and 1945.

Q 02/05

Where, according to legend, did Fred Zollner broker the 1949 merger that created the NBA?

A) In a Chicago hotel bar

B) At his kitchen table

C) On a train to New York

D) In the Pistons' locker room

Answer · why

B) At his kitchen table

He merged the BAA and NBL; the Pistons are one of the league's 'Original Eight' charter teams.

Q 03/05

Why did Zollner keep the 'Pistons' name after moving the team to Michigan in 1957?

A) Fans voted overwhelmingly to keep it

B) Registering a new trademark was too costly

C) The new city was the centre of the car industry

D) A new name would have broken a sponsorship deal

Answer · why

C) The new city was the centre of the car industry

Detroit had lost the Eagles, Gems, Falcons and Vagabond Kings in the previous decade; the Gems became the Minneapolis Lakers.

Q 04/05

Which Piston was the first NBA player to score 2,000 points in a season, in the team's first Detroit year?

A) Bailey Howell

B) Gene Shue

C) Dave DeBusschere

D) George Yardley

Answer · why

D) George Yardley

He was also involved in the disputed final seconds of the 1955 Finals, which some allege the Pistons threw to Syracuse.

Q 05/05

Which team beat the Pistons in Game 7 of the 1955 NBA Finals amid later allegations of point-shaving?

A) Philadelphia Warriors

B) Syracuse Nationals

C) Minneapolis Lakers

D) Boston Celtics

Answer · why

B) Syracuse Nationals

Detroit led 41–24 early in the second quarter; George King's free throw with 12 seconds left won it for Syracuse.