title: Refractive index

text: For infrared light refractive indices can be considerably higher. Germanium is transparent in the wavelength region from 2 to 14 µm and has a refractive index of about 4. A type of new materials termed "topological insulators", was recently found which have high refractive index of up to 6 in the near to mid infrared frequency range. Moreover, topological insulators are transparent when they have nanoscale thickness. These properties are potentially important for applications in infrared optics.


title: Refractive index

text: According to the theory of relativity, no information can travel faster than the speed of light in vacuum, but this does not mean that the refractive index cannot be less than 1. The refractive index measures the phase velocity of light, which does not carry information. The phase velocity is the speed at which the crests of the wave move and can be faster than the speed of light in vacuum, and thereby give a refractive index below 1. This can occur close to resonance frequencies, for absorbing media, in plasmas, and for X-rays. In the X-ray regime the refractive indices are lower than but very close to 1 (exceptions close to some resonance frequencies).


title: Refractive index

text: As an example, water has a refractive index of = 1 − for X-ray radiation at a photon energy of (0.04 nm wavelength).


title: Refractive index

text: An example of a plasma with an index of refraction less than unity is Earth's ionosphere. Since the refractive index of the ionosphere (a plasma), is less than unity, electromagnetic waves propagating through the plasma are bent "away from the normal" (see Geometric optics) allowing the radio wave to be refracted back toward earth, thus enabling long-distance radio communications. See also Radio Propagation and Skywave.


title: Refractive index

text: Recent research has also demonstrated the existence of materials with a negative refractive index, which can occur if permittivity and permeability have simultaneous negative values. This can be achieved with periodically constructed metamaterials. The resulting negative refraction (i.e., a reversal of Snell's law) offers the possibility of the superlens and other new phenomena to be actively developed by means of metamaterials.


title: Refractive index

text: At the atomic scale, an electromagnetic wave's phase velocity is slowed in a material because the electric field creates a disturbance in the charges of each atom (primarily the electrons) proportional to the electric susceptibility of the medium. (Similarly, the magnetic field creates a disturbance proportional to the magnetic susceptibility.) As the electromagnetic fields oscillate in the wave, the charges in the material will be "shaken" back and forth at the same frequency. The charges thus radiate their own electromagnetic wave that is at the same frequency, but usually with a phase delay, as the charges may move out of phase with the force driving them (see sinusoidally driven harmonic oscillator). The light wave traveling in the medium is the macroscopic superposition (sum) of all such contributions in the material: the original wave plus the waves radiated by all the moving charges. This wave is typically a wave with the same frequency but shorter wavelength than the original, leading to a slowing of the wave's phase velocity. Most of the radiation from oscillating material charges will modify the incoming wave, changing its velocity. However, some net energy will be radiated in other directions or even at other frequencies (see scattering).


title: Refractive index

text: Depending on the relative phase of the original driving wave and the waves radiated by the charge motion, there are several possibilities:


title: Refractive index

text: For most materials at visible-light frequencies, the phase is somewhere between 90° and 180°, corresponding to a combination of both refraction and absorption.


title: Refractive index

text: The refractive index of materials varies with the wavelength (and frequency) of light. This is called dispersion and causes prisms and rainbows to divide white light into its constituent spectral colors. As the refractive index varies with wavelength, so will the refraction angle as light goes from one material to another. Dispersion also causes the focal length of lenses to be wavelength dependent. This is a type of chromatic aberration, which often needs to be corrected for in imaging systems. In regions of the spectrum where the material does not absorb light, the refractive index tends to "de"crease with increasing wavelength, and thus "in"crease with frequency. This is called "normal dispersion", in contrast to "anomalous dispersion", where the refractive index "in"creases with wavelength. For visible light normal dispersion means that the refractive index is higher for blue light than for red.


title: Refractive index

text: For optics in the visual range, the amount of dispersion of a lens material is often quantified by the Abbe number:


title: Refractive index

text: For a more accurate description of the wavelength dependence of the refractive index, the Sellmeier equation can be used. It is an empirical formula that works well in describing dispersion. "Sellmeier coefficients" are often quoted instead of the refractive index in tables.


title: Refractive index

text: Because of dispersion, it is usually important to specify the vacuum wavelength of light for which a refractive index is measured. Typically, measurements are done at various well-defined spectral emission lines.


title: Refractive index

text: Manufacturers of optical glass in general define principal index of refraction at yellow spectral line of helium (587.56 nm) and alternatively at a green spectral line of mercury (546.07 nm), called "d" and "e" lines respectively. Abbe number is defined for both and denoted "V" and "V". The spectral data provided by glass manufacturers is also often more precise for these 2 wavelengths.


title: Refractive index

text: Both, "d" and "e" spectral lines are singlets and thus are suitable to perform a very precise measurements, such as spectral goniometric method.


title: Refractive index

text: In practical applications, measurements of refractive index are performed on various refractometers, such as Abbe refractometer. Measurement accuracy of such typical commercial devices is in the order of 0.0002. Refractometers usually measure refractive index "n", defined for sodium doublet "D" (589.29 nm), which is actually a midpoint between 2 adjacent yellow spectral lines of sodium. Yellow spectral lines of helium ("d") and sodium ("D") are 1.73 nm apart, which can be considered negligible for typical refractometers, but can cause confusion and lead to errors if accuracy is critical.


title: Refractive index

text: All 3 typical principle refractive indices definitions can be found depending on application and region, so a proper subscript should be used to avoid ambiguity.


title: Refractive index

text: When light passes through a medium, some part of it will always be absorbed. This can be conveniently taken into account by defining a complex refractive index,


title: Refractive index

text: Here, the real part "n" is the refractive index and indicates the phase velocity, while the imaginary part "κ" is called the extinction or absorption coefficient—although "κ" can also refer to the mass attenuation coefficient—and indicates the amount of attenuation when the electromagnetic wave propagates through the material.


title: Refractive index

text: That "κ" corresponds to absorption can be seen by inserting this refractive index into the expression for electric field of a plane electromagnetic wave traveling in the "x"-direction. This can be done by relating the complex wave number to the complex refractive index through , with "λ" being the vacuum wavelength; this can be inserted into the plane wave expression for a wave travelling in the x direction as:


title: Refractive index

text: Here we see that "κ" gives an exponential decay, as expected from the Beer–Lambert law. Since intensity is proportional to the square of the electric field, intensity will depend on the depth into the material as


title: Refractive index

text: and thus the absorption coefficient is , and the penetration depth (the distance after which the intensity is reduced by a factor of 1/"e") is .


title: Refractive index

text: Both "n" and "κ" are dependent on the frequency. In most circumstances (light is absorbed) or (light travels forever without loss). In special situations, especially in the gain medium of lasers, it is also possible that , corresponding to an amplification of the light.


title: Refractive index

text: An alternative convention uses instead of , but where still corresponds to loss. Therefore, these two conventions are inconsistent and should not be confused. The difference is related to defining sinusoidal time dependence as Re[exp(−"iωt")] versus Re[exp(+"iωt")]. See Mathematical descriptions of opacity.


title: Refractive index

text: Dielectric loss and non-zero DC conductivity in materials cause absorption. Good dielectric materials such as glass have extremely low DC conductivity, and at low frequencies the dielectric loss is also negligible, resulting in almost no absorption. However, at higher frequencies (such as visible light), dielectric loss may increase absorption significantly, reducing the material's transparency to these frequencies.


title: Refractive index

text: The real, "n", and imaginary, "κ", parts of the complex refractive index are related through the Kramers–Kronig relations. In 1986 A.R. Forouhi and I. Bloomer deduced an equation describing "κ" as a function of photon energy, "E", applicable to amorphous materials. Forouhi and Bloomer then applied the Kramers–Kronig relation to derive the corresponding equation for "n" as a function of "E". The same formalism was applied to crystalline materials by Forouhi and Bloomer in 1988.


title: Refractive index

text: The refractive index and extinction coefficient, "n" and "κ", are typically measured from quantities that depend on them, such as reflectance, "R", or transmittance, "T", or ellipsometric parameters, "ψ" and "δ". The determination of "n" and "κ" from such measured quantities will involve developing a theoretical expression for "R" or "T", or "ψ" and "δ" in terms of a valid physical model for "n" and "κ". By fitting the theoretical model to the measured "R" or "T", or "ψ" and "δ" using regression analysis, "n" and "κ" can be deduced.


title: Refractive index

text: For X-ray and extreme ultraviolet radiation the complex refractive index deviates only slightly from unity and usually has a real part smaller than 1. It is therefore normally written as (or with the alternative convention mentioned above). Far above the atomic resonance frequency delta can be given by


title: Refractive index

text: where formula_11 is the classical electron radius, formula_12 is the X-ray wavelength, and formula_13 is the electron density. One may assume the electron density is simply the number of electrons per atom Z multiplied by the atomic density, but more accurate calculation of the refractive index requires replacing Z with the complex atomic form factor formula_14. It follows that


title: Refractive index

text: Optical path length (OPL) is the product of the geometric length "d" of the path light follows through a system, and the index of refraction of the medium through which it propagates,


title: Refractive index

text: This is an important concept in optics because it determines the phase of the light and governs interference and diffraction of light as it propagates. According to Fermat's principle, light rays can be characterized as those curves that optimize the optical path length.


title: Refractive index

text: When light moves from one medium to another, it changes direction, i.e. it is refracted. If it moves from a medium with refractive index "n" to one with refractive index "n", with an incidence angle to the surface normal of "θ", the refraction angle "θ" can be calculated from Snell's law:


title: Refractive index

text: When light enters a material with higher refractive index, the angle of refraction will be smaller than the angle of incidence and the light will be refracted towards the normal of the surface. The higher the refractive index, the closer to the normal direction the light will travel. When passing into a medium with lower refractive index, the light will instead be refracted away from the normal, towards the surface.


title: Refractive index

text: the light cannot be transmitted and will instead undergo total internal reflection. This occurs only when going to a less optically dense material, i.e., one with lower refractive index. To get total internal reflection the angles of incidence "θ" must be larger than the critical angle


title: Refractive index

text: Apart from the transmitted light there is also a reflected part. The reflection angle is equal to the incidence angle, and the amount of light that is reflected is determined by the reflectivity of the surface. The reflectivity can be calculated from the refractive index and the incidence angle with the Fresnel equations, which for normal incidence reduces to


title: Refractive index

text: For common glass in air, "n" = 1 and "n" = 1.5, and thus about 4% of the incident power is reflected. At other incidence angles the reflectivity will also depend on the polarization of the incoming light. At a certain angle called Brewster's angle, p-polarized light (light with the electric field in the plane of incidence) will be totally transmitted. Brewster's angle can be calculated from the two refractive indices of the interface as


title: Refractive index

text: The focal length of a lens is determined by its refractive index "n" and the radii of curvature "R" and "R" of its surfaces. The power of a thin lens in air is given by the Lensmaker's formula:


title: Refractive index

text: The resolution of a good optical microscope is mainly determined by the numerical aperture (NA) of its objective lens. The numerical aperture in turn is determined by the refractive index "n" of the medium filling the space between the sample and the lens and the half collection angle of light "θ" according to


title: Refractive index

text: For this reason oil immersion is commonly used to obtain high resolution in microscopy. In this technique the objective is dipped into a drop of high refractive index immersion oil on the sample under study.


title: Refractive index

text: where "ε" is the material's relative permittivity, and "μ" is its relative permeability. The refractive index is used for optics in Fresnel equations and Snell's law; while the relative permittivity and permeability are used in Maxwell's equations and electronics. Most naturally occurring materials are non-magnetic at optical frequencies, that is "μ" is very close to 1, therefore "n" is approximately . In this particular case, the complex relative permittivity "ε", with real and imaginary parts "ε" and "ɛ̃", and the complex refractive index "n", with real and imaginary parts "n" and "κ" (the latter called the "extinction coefficient"), follow the relation


title: Refractive index

text: where formula_35 is the vacuum wave impedance, "μ" and "ϵ" are the absolute permeability and permittivity of the medium, "ε" is the material's relative permittivity, and "μ" is its relative permeability.


title: Refractive index

text: Thus refractive index in a non-magnetic media is the ratio of the vacuum wave impedance to the wave impedance of the medium.


title: Refractive index

text: The reflectivity formula_39 between two media can thus be expressed both by the wave impedances and the refractive indices as


title: Refractive index

text: In general, the refractive index of a glass increases with its density. However, there does not exist an overall linear relationship between the refractive index and the density for all silicate and borosilicate glasses. A relatively high refractive index and low density can be obtained with glasses containing light metal oxides such as LiO and MgO, while the opposite trend is observed with glasses containing PbO and BaO as seen in the diagram at the right.


title: Refractive index

text: Many oils (such as olive oil) and ethanol are examples of liquids that are more refractive, but less dense, than water, contrary to the general correlation between density and refractive index.


title: Refractive index

text: For air, "n" − 1 is proportional to the density of the gas as long as the chemical composition does not change. This means that it is also proportional to the pressure and inversely proportional to the temperature for ideal gases.


title: Refractive index

text: where "v" is the group velocity. This value should not be confused with "n", which is always defined with respect to the phase velocity. When the dispersion is small, the group velocity can be linked to the phase velocity by the relation


title: Refractive index

text: where "λ" is the wavelength in the medium. In this case the group index can thus be written in terms of the wavelength dependence of the refractive index as


title: Refractive index

text: When the refractive index of a medium is known as a function of the vacuum wavelength (instead of the wavelength in the medium), the corresponding expressions for the group velocity and index are (for all values of dispersion)


title: Refractive index

text: As shown in the Fizeau experiment, when light is transmitted through a moving medium, its speed relative to an observer traveling with speed "v" in the same direction as the light is:


title: Refractive index

text: The refractive index of a substance can be related to its polarizability with the Lorentz–Lorenz equation or to the molar refractivities of its constituents by the Gladstone–Dale relation.


title: Refractive index

text: In atmospheric applications, refractivity is defined as "N" = "n" – 1, often scaled as either "N" = ("n" – 1) or "N" = ("n" – 1); the multiplication factors are used because the refractive index for air, "n" deviates from unity by at most a few parts per ten thousand.


title: Refractive index

text: "Molar refractivity", on the other hand, is a measure of the total polarizability of a mole of a substance and can be calculated from the refractive index as


title: Refractive index

text: So far, we have assumed that refraction is given by linear equations involving a spatially constant, scalar refractive index. These assumptions can break down in different ways, to be described in the following subsections.


title: Refractive index

text: In some materials, the refractive index depends on the polarization and propagation direction of the light. This is called birefringence or optical anisotropy.


title: Refractive index

text: In the simplest form, uniaxial birefringence, there is only one special direction in the material. This axis is known as the optical axis of the material. Light with linear polarization perpendicular to this axis will experience an "ordinary" refractive index "n" while light polarized in parallel will experience an "extraordinary" refractive index "n". The birefringence of the material is the difference between these indices of refraction, Δ"n" = "n" − "n". Light propagating in the direction of the optical axis will not be affected by the birefringence since the refractive index will be "n" independent of polarization. For other propagation directions the light will split into two linearly polarized beams. For light traveling perpendicularly to the optical axis the beams will have the same direction. This can be used to change the polarization direction of linearly polarized light or to convert between linear, circular, and elliptical polarizations with waveplates.


title: Refractive index

text: Many crystals are naturally birefringent, but isotropic materials such as plastics and glass can also often be made birefringent by introducing a preferred direction through, e.g., an external force or electric field. This effect is called photoelasticity, and can be used to reveal stresses in structures. The birefringent material is placed between crossed polarizers. A change in birefringence alters the polarization and thereby the fraction of light that is transmitted through the second polarizer.


title: Refractive index

text: In the more general case of trirefringent materials described by the field of crystal optics, the "dielectric constant" is a rank-2 tensor (a 3 by 3 matrix). In this case the propagation of light cannot simply be described by refractive indices except for polarizations along principal axes.


title: Refractive index

text: The strong electric field of high intensity light (such as the output of a laser) may cause a medium's refractive index to vary as the light passes through it, giving rise to nonlinear optics. If the index varies quadratically with the field (linearly with the intensity), it is called the optical Kerr effect and causes phenomena such as self-focusing and self-phase modulation. If the index varies linearly with the field (a nontrivial linear coefficient is only possible in materials that do not possess inversion symmetry), it is known as the Pockels effect.


title: Refractive index

text: If the refractive index of a medium is not constant but varies gradually with the position, the material is known as a gradient-index or GRIN medium and is described by gradient index optics. Light traveling through such a medium can be bent or focused, and this effect can be exploited to produce lenses, some optical fibers, and other devices. Introducing GRIN elements in the design of an optical system can greatly simplify the system, reducing the number of elements by as much as a third while maintaining overall performance. The crystalline lens of the human eye is an example of a GRIN lens with a refractive index varying from about 1.406 in the inner core to approximately 1.386 at the less dense cortex. Some common mirages are caused by a spatially varying refractive index of air.


title: Refractive index

text: The refractive index of liquids or solids can be measured with refractometers. They typically measure some angle of refraction or the critical angle for total internal reflection. The first laboratory refractometers sold commercially were developed by Ernst Abbe in the late 19th century.


title: Refractive index

text: The same principles are still used today. In this instrument, a thin layer of the liquid to be measured is placed between two prisms. Light is shone through the liquid at incidence angles all the way up to 90°, i.e., light rays parallel to the surface. The second prism should have an index of refraction higher than that of the liquid, so that light only enters the prism at angles smaller than the critical angle for total reflection. This angle can then be measured either by looking through a telescope, or with a digital photodetector placed in the focal plane of a lens. The refractive index "n" of the liquid can then be calculated from the maximum transmission angle "θ" as , where "n" is the refractive index of the prism.


title: Refractive index

text: This type of device is commonly used in chemical laboratories for identification of substances and for quality control. Handheld variants are used in agriculture by, e.g., wine makers to determine sugar content in grape juice, and inline process refractometers are used in, e.g., chemical and pharmaceutical industry for process control.


title: Refractive index

text: In gemology, a different type of refractometer is used to measure the index of refraction and birefringence of gemstones. The gem is placed on a high refractive index prism and illuminated from below. A high refractive index contact liquid is used to achieve optical contact between the gem and the prism. At small incidence angles most of the light will be transmitted into the gem, but at high angles total internal reflection will occur in the prism. The critical angle is normally measured by looking through a telescope.


title: Refractive index

text: Unstained biological structures appear mostly transparent under Bright-field microscopy as most cellular structures do not attenuate appreciable quantities of light. Nevertheless, the variation in the materials that constitute these structures also corresponds to a variation in the refractive index. The following techniques convert such variation into measurable amplitude differences:


title: Refractive index

text: To measure the spatial variation of the refractive index in a sample phase-contrast imaging methods are used. These methods measure the variations in phase of the light wave exiting the sample. The phase is proportional to the optical path length the light ray has traversed, and thus gives a measure of the integral of the refractive index along the ray path. The phase cannot be measured directly at optical or higher frequencies, and therefore needs to be converted into intensity by interference with a reference beam. In the visual spectrum this is done using Zernike phase-contrast microscopy, differential interference contrast microscopy (DIC), or interferometry.


title: Refractive index

text: Zernike phase-contrast microscopy introduces a phase shift to the low spatial frequency components of the image with a phase-shifting annulus in the Fourier plane of the sample, so that high-spatial-frequency parts of the image can interfere with the low-frequency reference beam. In DIC the illumination is split up into two beams that are given different polarizations, are phase shifted differently, and are shifted transversely with slightly different amounts. After the specimen, the two parts are made to interfere, giving an image of the derivative of the optical path length in the direction of the difference in the transverse shift. In interferometry the illumination is split up into two beams by a partially reflective mirror. One of the beams is let through the sample before they are combined to interfere and give a direct image of the phase shifts. If the optical path length variations are more than a wavelength the image will contain fringes.


title: Refractive index

text: There exist several phase-contrast X-ray imaging techniques to determine 2D or 3D spatial distribution of refractive index of samples in the X-ray regime.


title: Refractive index

text: The refractive index is an important property of the components of any optical instrument. It determines the focusing power of lenses, the dispersive power of prisms, the reflectivity of lens coatings, and the light-guiding nature of optical fiber. Since the refractive index is a fundamental physical property of a substance, it is often used to identify a particular substance, confirm its purity, or measure its concentration. The refractive index is used to measure solids, liquids, and gases. Most commonly it is used to measure the concentration of a solute in an aqueous solution. It can also be used as a useful tool to differentiate between different types of gemstone, due to the unique chatoyance each individual stone displays. A refractometer is the instrument used to measure the refractive index. For a solution of sugar, the refractive index can be used to determine the sugar content (see Brix).


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: Isaiah Jamar Thomas (born February 7, 1989) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He most notably played with the Boston Celtics from 2015 through 2017, when he was a two-time NBA All-Star and named second-team All-NBA.


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: The point guard played three years of college basketball for the Washington Huskies and was a three-time all-conference selection in the Pac-10. After electing to forgo his senior year of college, Thomas was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the final pick in the 2011 NBA draft. He spent three seasons with the Kings before joining the Phoenix Suns in 2014. Thomas was traded to Boston in February 2015. In the 2016–17 season, he led the Celtics to the first seed of the Eastern Conference and finished fifth in MVP voting.


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: Thomas was traded by Boston to the Cleveland Cavaliers in August 2017 before being dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers at mid-season. In July 2018, Thomas joined the Denver Nuggets. He later signed with the Washington Wizards in July 2019, before again being traded mid-season, this time to the Los Angeles Clippers where he was waived shortly after. In the midst of the 2020–21 season, Thomas signed a 10-day contract with the New Orleans Pelicans and played three games. During the 2021–22 season, Thomas joined the Lakers and Dallas Mavericks on 10-day contracts after playing one game with the Grand Rapids Gold of the NBA G League. Later in the same season, after playing two more games with the Gold, Thomas joined the Charlotte Hornets on a 10-day contract.


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: Born to James Thomas and Tina Baldtrip, Isaiah Thomas was named after former Detroit Pistons Hall of Fame guard Isiah Thomas. A lifelong Lakers fan, James made a bet with a friend that his beloved team would defeat the Pistons in the 1989 Finals or he would name his son after decorated Lakers nemesis Isiah Thomas. The Pistons won in a four-game sweep, but James had already warmed to the name well before then. His mother consented to it on condition that it took the Biblical spelling. He was born and raised in Tacoma, Washington. As a child, he had the nicknames "Bighead" (or Head) from his father and "Zeke" from his mother, after Isiah Thomas's nickname.


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: Thomas attended Curtis Senior High School in University Place, Washington, through 11th grade. As his grades had to improve to earn a scholarship, he repeated his senior year across the country at South Kent School in South Kent, Connecticut. He graduated from the Connecticut prep school in 2008. At Curtis High, playing for the varsity basketball team, Thomas had averaged 31.2 points per game as a junior. He called a news briefing on April 20, 2006, to announce his intention to sign with the University of Washington.


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: Thomas received the blessing of Nate Robinson, the former Washington Huskies star, to wear his No. 2 jersey. In an exhibition game against Western Washington, Thomas scored 27 points on 9-of-12 field goals. He scored a season-high 27 points in an 81–67 home win over Morgan State on December 30, 2008. This surpassed his previous high of 19 points scored in a 74–51 blowout over Florida International on November 20.


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: Thomas averaged 15.5 points, 2.6 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per game as a true freshman. He was named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. As a sophomore, his averages rose to 16.9 points, 3.2 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game. He was selected first team All-Pac-10.


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: Thomas was again named first team All-Pac-10 in his junior year. On March 12, 2011, Thomas scored 28 points and hit a game-winning buzzer beater in overtime to lead the Huskies to victory over Arizona in the championship game of the Pac-10 tournament. He was among the final ten candidates for the Bob Cousy Award in his junior season.


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: On March 31, 2011, Thomas declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final year of college eligibility.


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: Before the 2011 NBA draft, Thomas participated in his own pre-draft documentary entitled "Road to the NBA–The Isaiah Thomas Story". Thomas was selected in the second round of the 2011 NBA draft with the 60th and final pick by the Sacramento Kings. On February 19, 2012, Thomas recorded his first double-double with 23 points and 11 assists against the Cleveland Cavaliers.


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: On March 1, 2012, Thomas was named the February Western Conference NBA Rookie of the Month after averaging 12.2 points and 4.4 assists per contest in February. No player before had gone on to win Rookie of the Month honors after being picked last in the NBA draft. On April 2, 2012, Thomas was once again named Western Conference NBA Rookie of the Month after posting averages of 13.6 points and 4.9 assists per contest in March. Thomas was also named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team and finished seventh in NBA Rookie of the Year voting.


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: On January 19, 2014, Thomas scored a then-career-high of 38 points during a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Five days later, he tied this same total in points against the Indiana Pacers. On March 18, 2014, he recorded his first career triple-double with 24 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds in a 117–111 overtime win over the Washington Wizards; giving him the distinction of being the shortest player to ever record a triple-double in the NBA. During the 2013–14 season, Thomas joined Calvin Murphy (twice), Dana Barros, Damon Stoudamire, and Michael Adams as the only players under tall to average over 20 points and six assists per game in a season.


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: Thomas was immensely popular in his three seasons in Sacramento; his show of solidarity and frequent appearances at City Council meetings during the Kings' relocation saga, in particular, endeared him to many fans.


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: On July 12, 2014, Thomas was acquired by the Phoenix Suns in a sign-and-trade deal that also sent the rights of Alex Oriakhi to the Kings. On August 14, 2014, Thomas underwent a successful arthroscopy of his left wrist, for an injury sustained the previous season. He made his debut for the Suns in their victorious 119–99 season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers, in which he recorded 23 points, 3 assists, and 1 rebound. In the Suns' next game on October 31, Thomas again recorded 23 points in a 94–89 win over the San Antonio Spurs, joining Tom Chambers, A.C. Green, and Tom Gugliotta as the fourth Sun to score at least 23 points in their first two games with the team.


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: After missing eight games with an ankle injury, Thomas returned to action on December 12 as he scored 10 points in the Suns' 103–105 loss to the Detroit Pistons. On January 21, 2015, he recorded a season-high 27 points off the bench in a 118–113 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. On February 5, Thomas was announced as a contestant for the NBA Skills Challenge, making him the shortest contestant to ever participate in the event.


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: On February 19, 2015, Thomas was traded to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Marcus Thornton and a 2016 first-round pick. He made his debut for the Celtics three days later in a 118–111 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, scoring 21 points off the bench. On March 2, 2015, he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, February 23, through Sunday, March 1. He later missed eight games in March with a bruised lower back. On April 8, 2015, he scored a season-high 34 points in a 113–103 win over the Detroit Pistons. He subsequently earned Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors for games played Monday, April 6, through Sunday, April 12. In his first career playoff game on April 19, Thomas recorded 22 points and 10 assists in a first-round Game 1 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Celtics went on to lose to the Cavaliers in a four-game sweep, as Thomas averaged 17.5 points and 7.0 assists over the series. As a result of his sixth-man role with both Phoenix and Boston in 2014–15, Thomas finished second in the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award voting with 324 points, including 33 first-place votes.


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: On December 16, 2015, Thomas tied his then-career high of 38 points in a 119–116 loss to the Detroit Pistons. On January 28, 2016, he was named an Eastern Conference All-Star reserve for the 2016 NBA All-Star Game. Thomas became the lowest draft pick to be named an All-Star since the NBA draft was reduced to two rounds in 1989. He also became only the ninth player under to be named an All-Star, while also tying Calvin Murphy as the shortest player to be selected for the All-Star Game. On February 8, 2016, he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, February 1, through Sunday, February 7. Thomas led the Celtics to a 4–0 week, including a road victory against the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers while averaging 20.3 points (12th in the East), 7.0 assists (tied for fourth in the conference), and 4.5 rebounds. With the Celtics down 2–0 to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the 2016 playoffs, Thomas scored a then-career-high 42 points in Game 3 in Boston to lift the Celtics to a 111–103 win. He became only the ninth Celtic to score 40 points in a playoff game. With 28 points in Game 4, Thomas helped the Celtics even the series at 2–2 with a 104–95 overtime win. However, the Celtics went on to lose the series 4–2.


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: Over the first 21 games of the 2016–17 season, Thomas scored 20 points or more in every contest but one. After returning from a four-game absence in early December with a groin strain, Thomas continued to put up big numbers. On December 20, he scored a then-career-high 44 points, including 36 after halftime, in a 112–109 overtime win over the Memphis Grizzlies. He also matched his career best for three-pointers, going 7-of-10 from outside the arc. He subsequently earned Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors for games played Monday, December 19 through Sunday, December 25. On December 30 against Miami, he scored 29 of his career-high 52 points in the fourth quarter, setting a franchise record for points in a period and leading Boston to a 117–114 victory over the Heat. Thomas hit six of his nine three-pointers in the fourth and broke the franchise record of 24 points in a quarter set by Larry Bird in 1983 and matched by Todd Day in 1995. Thomas's 52 points was the fourth-highest scoring total in Celtics history—Bird holds the record with 60 points in March 1985.


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: On January 3, 2017, Thomas recorded 29 points and a career-high 15 assists in a 115–104 win over the Utah Jazz. On January 21, he had a 41-point effort in a 127–123 overtime loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, marking his 14th 30-plus point game of the season. On January 26, he was named an Eastern Conference All-Star reserve for the 2017 NBA All-Star Game. Thomas averaged 32.9 points in January, marking the third-highest monthly average in team history—Paul Pierce averaged 33.5 in February 2006, and Larry Bird averaged 33.1 points in February 1988. On February 2, he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month for January. He led the NBA in scoring (32.9 ppg) and tied for fifth in the East in assists (6.9 apg) for the month as the Celtics went 10–4 to take over first place in the Atlantic Division. On February 15, he scored 33 points in a 116–108 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. It was his 40th straight 20-point game, tying the team record set by John Havlicek during the 1971–72 season. The following day, he had 29 points in a 104–103 loss to the Chicago Bulls, going 8 for 18 from the field in his 41st straight game with at least 20 points, breaking Havlicek's team record. With 19 points against the Atlanta Hawks on February 27, Thomas's franchise-record streak of consecutive 20-point games ended at 43. It was only the second time this season he did not register at least 20 points in a game. On March 12 against Chicago, Thomas hit his 200th three-point shot of the season, becoming the third Celtics player all-time to reach that mark along with Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce. With 32 points against the Milwaukee Bucks on March 29, Thomas became only the sixth Celtic ever to score 2,000 points in a single season. He also extended his streak with at least one three-pointer to a franchise-best 50 straight games.


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: Thomas led the Celtics to a first-round win over the Chicago Bulls after learning the day before the series began that his younger sister, Chyna Thomas, had died in a car accident outside of his native Tacoma, Washington. After the Celtics defeated the Bulls 4–2, he flew cross-country to attend her funeral. He returned to Boston for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals and had 33 points and nine assists in helping the Celtics defeat the Washington Wizards 123–111. In Game 2 against Washington, Thomas scored 53 points—the second-highest total in Celtics playoff history—to help Boston win 129–119 in overtime and take a 2–0 lead in the series. He became only the fifth Celtic to score 50 or more points in a postseason game, missing John Havlicek's team record by one point. In Game 7 against Washington, Thomas scored 29 points and had 12 assists to help the Celtics advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2012 with a 115–105 win and a 4–3 series victory. After the Celtics lost the first two games of the Conference Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Thomas was ruled out for the remainder of the postseason with a hip injury.


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: On August 22, 2017, Thomas was traded, along with Jae Crowder, Ante Žižić, and the Brooklyn Nets' unprotected 2018 first-round draft pick, to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Kyrie Irving. However, during the post-trade physical examination by Cleveland staff, concerns were raised about the health of Thomas's previously injured hip. As a result, eight days after the deal was announced, the Celtics agreed to send the Cavaliers a 2020 second-round draft pick via the Miami Heat to complete the trade. It was later reported that Thomas had been playing with a number of secondary issues in his hip, such as a loss of cartilage and some arthritis, for several seasons. On September 25, 2017, the Cavaliers said that Thomas might play by the end of the year. On December 21, 2017, Thomas scrimmaged with the Canton Charge of the NBA G League and dressed for the first time since joining the Cavaliers, suiting up but not playing against the Chicago Bulls. On January 2, 2018, Thomas made his long-awaited debut for the Cavaliers, scoring 17 points in 19 minutes off the bench in a 127–110 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. A day later, Thomas returned to TD Garden. Although he did not play in the Cavaliers' 102–88 loss to the Celtics, Thomas received a standing ovation from the Celtics' fans. On January 6, he had 19 points and four assists in his second appearance and first start of the season in a 131–127 win over the Orlando Magic. On January 20, he scored a season-high 24 points in a 148–124 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: On February 8, 2018, the Cavaliers traded Thomas, Channing Frye and a 2018 first-round draft pick to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. In his debut for the Lakers two days later, Thomas scored 22 points off the bench in a 130–123 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. On March 1, he scored a season-high 29 points in a 131–113 win over the Miami Heat. On March 29, he was ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery to his right hip.


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: On July 16, 2018, Thomas signed a one-year deal with the Denver Nuggets. He made his debut for the Nuggets on February 13, 2019, scoring all eight of his points in the third quarter of Denver's 120–118 win over the Sacramento Kings. It was his first game since March 22, 2018, when he was with the Lakers.


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: On July 10, 2019, Thomas signed with the Washington Wizards. On December 22, Thomas was suspended for two games without pay for entering the stands during a game.


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: On February 6, 2020, Thomas was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers as a trade deadline acquisition. He was waived one day later.


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: On April 3, 2021, Thomas signed a 10-day contract with the New Orleans Pelicans. In three games, he averaged 7.7 points.


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: On December 13, 2021, Thomas signed with the Grand Rapids Gold of the NBA G League. He made his debut for the team on December 15, scoring 42 points, eight assists, and six rebounds in 42 minutes during a 127–131 loss to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: On December 17, 2021, Thomas signed a 10-day contract with the Los Angeles Lakers to return to the franchise for a second time after the team was granted a hardship exception. In his season debut, he scored 19 points in 22 minutes in a loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves.


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: On March 3, 2022, Thomas signed a 10-day contract with the Charlotte Hornets. On March 12, he signed a second 10-day contract. On March 22, Thomas was signed for the remainder of the season.


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: In April 2018, Thomas was selected to the 35-player 2018–20 USA men's national team roster and attended the team's Las Vegas minicamp in July 2018. In February 2021, he was selected to the 14-player roster for the final round of the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup qualifiers. On February 19, in his first competitive game in over a year, Thomas scored 19 points in a 93–77 victory over Bahamas. He followed it up the day after by scoring 9 points, all in the first quarter, in a 96–75 victory against Mexico.


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: In November 2021, Thomas, along with Justin Anderson, joined the USA men's basketball roster for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Both of the players were injury replacements for Frank Mason III and DaQuan Jeffries.


title: Isaiah Thomas (basketball)

text: Thomas's sister, Chyna, died in a one-car accident on Interstate 5 in Federal Way, Washington, on April 15, 2017.


title: Sturgeon

text: Sturgeon is the common name for the 27 species of fish belonging to the family Acipenseridae. The earliest sturgeon fossils date to the Late Cretaceous, and are descended from other, earlier acipenseriform fish, which date back to the Early Jurassic period, some 174 to 201 million years ago. They are one of two living families of the Acipenseriformes alongside paddlefish (Polyodontidae). The family is grouped into four genera: "Acipenser" (which is paraphyletic, containing many distantly related sturgeon species), "Huso", "Scaphirhynchus," and "Pseudoscaphirhynchus". Two species ("A. naccarii" and "A. dabryanus") may be extinct in the wild, and one ("P. fedtschenkoi") may be entirely extinct. Sturgeons are native to subtropical, temperate and sub-Arctic rivers, lakes and coastlines of Eurasia and North America.


title: Sturgeon

text: Sturgeons are long-lived, late-maturing fishes with distinctive characteristics, such as a heterocercal caudal fin similar to those of sharks, and an elongated, spindle-like body that is smooth-skinned, scaleless, and armored with five lateral rows of bony plates called scutes. Several species can grow quite large, typically ranging in length. The largest sturgeon on record was a beluga female captured in the Volga Delta in 1827, measuring long and weighing . Most sturgeons are anadromous bottom-feeders, which migrate upstream to spawn, but spend most of their lives feeding in river deltas and estuaries. Some species inhabit freshwater environments exclusively, while others primarily inhabit marine environments near coastal areas, and are known to venture into open ocean.


title: Sturgeon

text: Several species of sturgeon are harvested for their roe, which is processed into the luxury food caviar. This has led to serious overexploitation, which combined with other conservation threats, has brought most of the species to critically endangered status, at the edge of extinction.


title: Sturgeon

text: Acipenseriform fishes appeared in the fossil record some 174 to 201 million years ago, during the Early Jurassic, making them some of the earliest extant actinopterygian fishes. True sturgeons appear in the fossil record during the Upper Cretaceous, with amongst the oldest known remains being a partial skull from the Cenomanian (100-94 million years ago) of Alberta, Canada. In that time, sturgeons have undergone remarkably little morphological change, indicating their evolution has been exceptionally slow and earning them informal status as living fossils. This is explained in part by the long generation interval, tolerance for wide ranges of temperature and salinity, lack of predators due to size and bony plated armor, or scutes, and the abundance of prey items in the benthic environment. They do, however, still share several primitive characteristics, such as heterocercal tail, reduced squamation, more fin rays than supporting bony elements, and unique jaw suspension.


title: Sturgeon

text: Despite the existence of a fossil record, full classification and phylogeny of the sturgeon species has been difficult to determine, in part due to the high individual and ontogenic variation, including geographical clines in certain features, such as rostrum shape, number of scutes, and body length. A further confounding factor is the peculiar ability of sturgeons to produce reproductively viable hybrids, even between species assigned to different genera. While ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii) have a long evolutionary history culminating in the most familiar fishes, past adaptive evolutionary radiations have left only a few survivors, such as sturgeons and gars.


title: Sturgeon

text: The wide range of the acipenserids and their endangered status have made collection of systematic materials difficult. The factors have led researchers in the past to identify over 40 additional species that were rejected by later scientists. Whether the species in the "Acipenser" and "Huso" genera are monophyletic (descended from one ancestor) or paraphyletic (descended from many ancestors) is still unclear, though the morphologically motivated division between these two genera clearly is not supported by the genetic evidence. An effort is ongoing to resolve the taxonomic confusion using a continuing synthesis of systematic data and molecular techniques.


title: Sturgeon

text: The phylogeny of Acipenseridae, as in the cladogram, shows that they evolved from the bony fishes. Approximate dates are from Near "et al.", 2012.


title: Sturgeon

text: In currently accepted taxonomy, the class Actinopterygii and the order Acipenseriformes are both clades. The family Acipenseridae is subdivided into 2 subfamilies; Acipenserinae, including the genera "Acipenser" and "Huso", and Scaphirhynchinae, including the genera "Scaphirhynchus" and "Pseudoscaphirhynchus". However, multiple recent studies have recovered this arrangement as paraphyletic, instead finding "A. oxyrhinchus" and "A. sturio" to form the most basal clade among sturgeons, and all other species being in a separate clade, with the various other species of "Acipenser", "Scaphirhynchus", "Pseudoscaphirhynchus", and "Huso" to have varying levels of relationship with one another.


title: Sturgeon

text: A potential taxonomy of Acipenseridae is shown here, based on Luo "et al". 2019, Nedoluzhko "et al". 2020, and Shen "et al." 2020. Note the paraphyletic relationships among genera:


title: Sturgeon

text: The exact placement of "Scaphirhynchus" varies depending on the study and the methods used, with some placing it within the second-most basal clade comprising primarily Pacific species (shown above), whereas others place it in its own clade that is more derived than the secondmost basal clade but less derived than the most derived Atlantic and Central Asian clade. No studies have yet delineated a relationship between it and "Pseudoscaphirhynchus". In addition, the exact relationships of the members of the most derived, primarily Atlantic clade vary, although most analyses at least find all the species in it to form a monophyletic clade. The placement of "A. sinensis" also varies by the study, with some placing it as the only Pacific member of the otherwise Atlantic-based most-derived clade, whereas others place it with the rest of the Pacific sturgeons as a sister to "A. dabryanus".


title: Sturgeon

text: The family contains 8 extinct fossil species and 28 extant species/subspecies (include 1 species of "Sterlet" and 2 species of living fossils), in 4 genera. This list uses the original classification scheme:


title: Sturgeon

text: Sturgeon range from subtropical to subarctic waters in North America and Eurasia. In North America, they range along the Atlantic Coast from the Gulf of Mexico to Newfoundland, including the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence, Missouri, and Mississippi Rivers, as well as along the West Coast in major rivers from California and Idaho to British Columbia. They occur along the European Atlantic coast, including the Mediterranean basin, especially in the Adriatic Sea and the rivers of North Italy; in the rivers that flow into the Black, Azov, and Caspian Seas (Danube, Dnepr, Volga, Ural and Don); the north-flowing rivers of Russia that feed the Arctic Ocean (Ob, Yenisei, Lena, Kolyma); in the rivers of Central Asia (Amu Darya and Syr Darya) and Lake Baikal. In the Pacific Ocean, they are found in the Amur River along the Russian-Chinese border, on Sakhalin Island, and some rivers in northeast China.


title: Sturgeon

text: Throughout this extensive range, almost all species are highly threatened or vulnerable to extinction due to a combination of habitat destruction, overfishing, and pollution.


title: Sturgeon

text: No species is known to naturally occur south of the equator, though attempts at sturgeon aquaculture are being made in Uruguay, South Africa, and other places.


title: Sturgeon

text: Most species are at least partially anadromous, spawning in fresh water and feeding in nutrient-rich, brackish waters of estuaries or undergoing significant migrations along coastlines. However, some species have evolved purely freshwater existences, such as the lake sturgeon ("Acipenser fulvescens") and the Baikal sturgeon ("A. baerii baicalensis"), or have been forced into them by human or natural impoundment of their native rivers, as in the case of some subpopulations of white sturgeon ("A. transmontanus") in the Columbia River and Siberian sturgeon ("A. baerii") in the Ob basin.


title: Sturgeon

text: Sturgeons retain several primitive characteristics from the bony fishes. Along with other members of the subclass Chondrostei, they are unique among bony fishes because their skeletons are almost entirely cartilaginous. To maintain structure, sturgeons are one of few organisms to retain a post-embryonic notochord that acts like a soft spine running through the body. Notably, however, the cartilagineous skeleton is not a primitive character, but a derived one; sturgeon ancestors had bony skeletons. They also lack vertebral centra, and are partially covered with five lateral rows of scutes rather than scales. They also have four barbels—sensory organs that precede their wide, toothless mouths. They navigate their riverine habitats traveling just off the bottom with their barbels dragging along gravel, or murky substrate. Sturgeon are recognizable for their elongated bodies, flattened rostra, distinctive scutes and barbels, and elongated upper tail lobes. The skeletal support for the paired fins of ray-finned fish is inside the body wall, although the ray-like structures in the webbing of the fins can be seen externally.


title: Sturgeon

text: Sturgeons are among the largest fish: some beluga ("Huso huso") in the Caspian Sea reportedly attain over and while for kaluga ("H. dauricus") in the Amur River, similar lengths and over weights have been reported. They are also among the longest-lived of the fishes, some living well over 100 years and attaining sexual maturity at 20 years or more. The combination of slow growth and reproductive rates and the extremely high value placed on mature, egg-bearing females make sturgeon particularly vulnerable to overfishing.


title: Sturgeon

text: Sturgeons are long-lived, late maturing fishes. Their average lifespan is 50 to 60 years, and their first spawn does not occur until they are around 15 to 20 years old. Sturgeons are broadcast spawners, and do not spawn every year because they require specific conditions. Those requirements may or may not be met every year due to varying environmental conditions, such as the proper photoperiod in spring, clear water with shallow rock or gravel substrate, where the eggs can adhere, and proper water temperature and flow for oxygenation of the eggs. A single female may release 100,000 to 3 million eggs, but not all will be fertilized. The fertilized eggs become sticky and adhere to the bottom substrate upon contact. Eight to 15 days are needed for the embryos to mature into larval fish. During that time, they are dependent on their yolk sacs for nourishment. River currents carry the larvae downstream into backwater areas, such as oxbows and sloughs, where the free-swimming fry spend their first year feeding on insect larvae and crustacea. During their first year of growth, they reach in length and migrate back into the swift-flowing currents in the main stem river.


title: Sturgeon

text: Sturgeons are primarily benthic feeders, with a diet of shellfish, crustaceans, and small fish. Exceptionally, both "Huso" species, the white sturgeon and the pallid sturgeon feed primarily on other fish as adults. They feed by extending their syphon-like mouths to suck food from the benthos. Having no teeth, they are unable to seize prey, though larger individuals and more predatory species can swallow very large prey items, including whole salmon. Sturgeons feed non-visually. They are believed to use a combination of sensors, including olfactory, tactile, and chemosensory cues detected by the four barbels, and electroreception using their ampullae of Lorenzini.


title: Sturgeon

text: The sturgeons' electroreceptors are located on the head and are sensitive to weak electric fields generated by other animals or geoelectric sources. The electroreceptors are thought to be used in various behaviors such as feeding, mating and migration.


title: Sturgeon

text: Many sturgeons leap completely out of the water, usually making a loud splash which can be heard half a mile away on the surface and probably further under water. Why they do this is not known, but suggested functions include group communication to maintain group cohesion, catching airborne prey, courtship display, or to help shed eggs during spawning. Other plausible explanations include escape from predators, shedding parasites, or to gulp or expel air. Another explanation is that it "simply feels good". There have been some incidents of leaping sturgeon landing in boats, and causing injuries to humans; in 2015, a 5-year-old girl was fatally injured after a sturgeon leapt from the Suwannee River and struck her.


title: Sturgeon

text: Globally, sturgeon fisheries are of great value, primarily as a source for caviar, but also for flesh. Several species of sturgeon are harvested for their roe which is processed into caviar—a delicacy, and the reason why caviar-producing sturgeons are among the most valuable and endangered of all wildlife resources.


title: Sturgeon

text: During the 19th century, the US was the global leader in caviar production, having cornered 90% of the world's caviar trade. Atlantic sturgeon once thrived along the east coast from Canada down to Florida. They were in such abundance in the Hudson River that they were called "Albany beef" and sturgeon eggs were given away at local bars as an accompaniment to 5¢ beer. White sturgeon populations along the US west coast declined simultaneously under the pressure of commercial fishing and human encroachment. Within the course of a century, the once abundant sturgeon fisheries in the US and Canada had drastically declined, and in some areas had been extirpated under the pressure of commercial overharvesting, pollution, human encroachment, habitat loss, and the damming of rivers that blocked their ancestral migration to spawning grounds.


title: Sturgeon

text: By the turn of the century, commercial production of sturgeon caviar in the US and Canada had come to an end. Regulatory protections and conservation efforts were put in place by state and federal resource agencies in the US and Canada, such as the 1998 US federal moratorium that closed all commercial fishing for Atlantic sturgeon. It was during the 20th century that Russia grew to become the global leader as the largest producer and exporter of caviar. As with the decline in sturgeon populations in the US and Canada, the same occurred with sturgeon populations in the Caspian Sea.


title: Sturgeon

text: Beginning with the 1979 US embargo on Iran, poaching and smuggling sturgeon caviar was big business but an illegal and dangerous one. Officers with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) busted a poaching ring that was based in Vancouver, Washington. The poachers had harvested 1.65 tons of caviar from nearly 2,000 white sturgeon that were poached from the Columbia River. The caviar was estimated to be worth around $2 million. WDFW busted another ring in 2003, and conducted an undercover sting operation in 2006-2007 that resulted in 17 successful attempts out of a total of 19.


title: Sturgeon

text: In response to concerns over the future of sturgeons and associated commercial products, international trade for all species of sturgeons has been regulated under CITES since 1998.


title: Sturgeon

text: Sturgeons are threatened by the negative impacts of overfishing, poaching, habitat destruction, and the construction of dams that have altered or blocked their annual migration to ancestral spawning grounds. Some species of sturgeon are extinct, and several are on the verge of extinction, including the Chinese sturgeon, the highly prized beluga sturgeon, and the Alabama sturgeon. Many species are classified as threatened or endangered, with noticeable declines in sturgeon populations as the demand for caviar increases. IUCN data indicates that over 85% of sturgeon species are at risk of extinction, making them more critically endangered than any other group of animal species.


title: Sturgeon

text: In addition to global restocking efforts, the monitoring of populations and habitat, and various other conservation efforts by national and state resource agencies as applicable to their respective countries, several conservation organizations have been formed to assist in the preservation of sturgeons around the world. On a global scale, one such organization is the World Sturgeon Conservation Society (WSCS) whose primary objectives include fostering the "conservation of sturgeon species and restoration of sturgeon stocks world-wide”, and supporting the "information exchange among all persons interested in sturgeons." The North American Sturgeon and Paddlefish Society (NASPS) and Gesellschaft zur Rettung des Störs e.V. are WSCS affiliates. WSCS has been instrumental in organizing global conferences where scientists and researchers can exchange information and address the various conservation challenges that threaten the future of sturgeons. Conservation efforts at the grass roots level are also instrumental in helping to preserve sturgeon populations, such as Sturgeon For Tomorrow which was founded in 1977, consists of volunteers and a sturgeon guarding program to monitor known spawning sites. The organization has grown exponentially over the years and has become "the largest citizen advocacy group for sturgeon in the world", and has expanded with affiliate chapters in other states that have sturgeon populations. Other projects focus on specific local issues, such as the We Pass project, seeking a solution to the migratory impasse represented by the Iron Gates in the Danube River Basin. For example, currently all anadromous Danube sturgeon (all species except the predominantly freshwater sterlet) are now classed as Critically Endangered or extirpated from the upper and middle reaches of the Danube River above the dams.


title: Sturgeon

text: Before 1800, swim bladders of sturgeon (primarily Beluga sturgeon from Russia) were used as a source of isinglass, a form of collagen used historically for the clarification of wine and beer, as a predecessor for gelatin, and to preserve parchments.


title: Sturgeon

text: The Jewish law of kashrut, which only permits the consumption of fish with scales, forbids sturgeon, as they have ganoid scales instead of the permitted ctenoid and cycloid scales. While all Orthodox groups forbid the consumption of sturgeon, some conservative groups do allow it. The theological debate over its kosher status can be traced back to such 19th-century reformers as Aron Chorin, though its consumption was already common in European Jewish communities.


title: Sturgeon

text: Sturgeons were declared to be a royal fish under a statute dating back to 1324 by King Edward II of England. Technically, the British monarchy still owns all sturgeons, whales, and dolphins that inhabit the waters around England and Wales. Under the law of the United Kingdom, any sturgeons captured within the realm are personal property of the monarch.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Little Caesars Arena, located in Midtown. Founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as a semi-professional company basketball team called the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons in 1937, they would turn pro in 1941 as a member of the National Basketball League (NBL), where they won two NBL championships: in 1944 and 1945. The Pistons later joined the Basketball Association of America (BAA) in 1948. The NBL and BAA merged to become the NBA in 1949, and the Pistons became part of the merged league. In 1957, the franchise moved to Detroit. The Pistons have won three NBA championships: in 1989, 1990 and 2004.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: Fred Zollner owned the Zollner Corporation, a foundry that manufactured pistons, primarily for car, truck, and locomotive engines in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In 1937, Zollner sponsored a semi-professional company basketball team called the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons after he received a request from his workers. In 1941, the Zollner Pistons shed their works team roots and joined the National Basketball League (NBL). The Zollner Pistons were NBL champions in 1944 and 1945. They also won the World Professional Basketball Tournament in 1944, 1945 and 1946.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: In 1948, the team became the Fort Wayne Pistons and jumped to the Basketball Association of America (BAA). In 1949, Fred Zollner brokered the formation of the National Basketball Association from the BAA and the NBL at his kitchen table.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: There are suggestions that Pistons players conspired with gamblers to shave points and throw various games during the 1953–54 and 1954–55 seasons. In particular, there are accusations that the team may have intentionally lost the 1955 NBA Finals to the Syracuse Nationals. In the decisive Game 7, the Pistons led 41–24 early in the second quarter before the Nationals rallied to win the game. The Nationals won on a free throw by George King with 12 seconds left in the game. The closing moments included a palming turnover by the Pistons' George Yardley with 18 seconds left, a foul by Frank Brian with 12 seconds left that enabled King's winning free throw, and a turnover by the Pistons' Andy Phillip in the final seconds which cost them a chance to attempt the game winning shot. In the following season, the Pistons made it back to the NBA Finals. However, they were defeated by the Philadelphia Warriors in five games.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: Though the Pistons enjoyed a solid local following, Fort Wayne's small size made it difficult for them to be profitable, especially as other early NBA teams based in smaller cities started folding or relocating to larger markets. After the 1956–57 season, Fred Zollner decided that Fort Wayne was too small to support an NBA team and announced the team would be playing elsewhere in the coming season. He ultimately settled on Detroit. Although it was the fifth largest city in the United States at the time, Detroit had not seen professional basketball in a decade. They lost the Detroit Eagles due to World War II, both the Detroit Gems of the NBL (whose remnants became the Minneapolis Lakers) and the Detroit Falcons of the BAA in 1947, and the Detroit Vagabond Kings in 1949. Zollner decided to keep the Pistons name, believing it made sense given Detroit's status as the center of the automobile industry. George Yardley set the NBA single-season scoring record in the Pistons' first season in Detroit, becoming the first player to score 2,000 points in a season.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: The Pistons played in Olympia Stadium (home of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL) at the time) for their first four seasons, then moved to Cobo Arena beginning in the 1961–62 season.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: During the 1960s and 1970s, the Pistons were characterized by talented players including George Yardley, Bailey Howell, Dave Debusschere, Dave Bing, and Bob Lanier, questionable trades, and frequent coaching changes. At one point, DeBusschere was the youngest player-coach in the history of the NBA. Then a trade during the 1968–69 season sent DeBusschere to the New York Knicks for Howard Komives and Walt Bellamy, both of whom had their best seasons behind them. DeBusschere became a key player in leading the Knicks to two NBA titles. Howell had previously been dealt to the Baltimore Bullets in 1964 and former Pistons guard Gene Shue, who was the head coach of the Bullets at the time, assessed the Pistons thusly: "Detroit has the worst management in the league." Howell would go to win two championships as a member of the Boston Celtics. Yardley, Lanier, and Bing all ended their Pistons tenure being traded away, frustrated with the direction and opportunities with Detroit.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: In 1974, Zollner sold the team to glass magnate Bill Davidson, who remained the team's principal owner until his death in 2009.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: The team had a winning season in 1971, having spent the 1960s below .500, and then had a brief period of sustained success in the mid-1970s, qualifying for the playoffs in four straight seasons (1974, 1975, 1976 and 1977). Hope was then placed in Dick Vitale in 1978, the former head coach at the University of Detroit, but he was fired the following season, and the team limped into the 1980s with a 16–66 record in 1979–80. The 1979–80 team lost its last 14 games of the season which, when coupled with the seven losses at the start of the 1980–81 season, constituted a then-NBA record losing streak of 21 games.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: Over time, Davidson became displeased with Cobo Arena, but opted not to follow the Red Wings to the under-construction Joe Louis Arena next door. Instead, in 1978, he moved the team to the suburb of Pontiac, where they played in the 82,000 capacity Silverdome, a structure built for professional football (and the home of the Detroit Lions at the time).


title: Detroit Pistons

text: The franchise's fortunes finally began to turn in 1981, when they drafted point guard Isiah Thomas from Indiana University. In November 1981, the Pistons acquired Vinnie Johnson in a trade with the Seattle SuperSonics. They later acquired center Bill Laimbeer in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers in February 1982. Another key move by the Pistons was the hiring of head coach Chuck Daly in 1983.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: Initially, the Pistons had difficulty moving up the NBA ladder. In 1984, the Pistons lost a tough five-game series to the underdog New York Knicks, 3–2. In the 1985 playoffs, Detroit won its first-round series and faced the defending champion Boston Celtics in the conference semifinals. Though Boston prevailed in six games, Detroit's surprise performance promised that a rivalry had begun. In the 1985 NBA draft, the team selected Joe Dumars 18th overall, a selection that proved to be very wise. They also acquired Rick Mahorn in a trade with the Washington Bullets. However, the team took a step backwards, losing in the first round of the 1986 playoffs to the more athletic Atlanta Hawks. After the series, changes were made in order to make the team more defensive-minded.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: Prior to the 1986–87 season, the Pistons acquired more key players: John Salley (drafted 11th overall), Dennis Rodman (drafted 27th) and Adrian Dantley (acquired in a trade with the Utah Jazz). The team adopted a physical, defense-oriented style of play, which eventually earned them the nickname "Bad Boys".


title: Detroit Pistons

text: In 1987, the team reached the Eastern Conference Finals against the Celtics. After pushing the defending champions to a 2–2 tie, the Pistons were on the verge of winning Game 5 at the Boston Garden with seconds remaining. After a Celtics turnover, Isiah Thomas attempted to quickly inbound the ball and missed Chuck Daly's timeout signal from the bench. Larry Bird stole the inbound pass and passed it to Dennis Johnson for the game-winning layup. While the Pistons did win Game 6 in Detroit, they lost the series in a tough Game 7 back in Boston.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: Motivated by their loss to the Celtics, the Pistons, aided by midseason acquisition James Edwards, improved to a then-franchise-record 54 victories and the franchise's first division title in 32 years. In the postseason, the Pistons avenged their two previous playoff losses to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, defeating them in six games and advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time since the franchise moved to Detroit.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: The Pistons' first trip to the Finals in 32 years saw them face the Los Angeles Lakers, who were led by Magic Johnson, James Worthy, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. After taking a 3–2 series lead back to Los Angeles, Detroit appeared poised to win their first NBA title in Game 6. In that game, Isiah Thomas scored an NBA Finals record 25 points in the third quarter while playing on a severely sprained ankle. However, the Lakers won the game, 103–102, on a pair of last-second free throws by Abdul-Jabbar following a controversial foul called on Bill Laimbeer, referred to by many as a "phantom foul". With Thomas unable to compete at full strength, the Pistons narrowly fell in Game 7, 108–105, as the Lakers became the first back-to-back NBA Champions since the 1969 Boston Celtics.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: Prior to the 1988–89 season, the Pistons moved to Auburn Hills to play at The Palace of Auburn Hills, the first NBA arena financed entirely with private funds. The 1989 Pistons completed the building of their roster by trading Adrian Dantley for Mark Aguirre, a trade that Pistons fans criticized heavily initially, but later praised. The team won 63 games, shattering their one-year-old franchise record, and steamrolled through the playoffs and into an NBA Finals rematch with the Lakers. This time, the Pistons came out victorious in a four-game sweep to win their first NBA championship. Joe Dumars was named NBA Finals MVP.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: The Pistons successfully defended their title in 1990, despite losing Rick Mahorn to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the expansion draft. After winning 59 games and a third straight division title, the Pistons cruised through the first two rounds of the playoffs before playing a tough Eastern Conference Finals series against Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and the Chicago Bulls. Facing each other for the third straight season, the Pistons and Bulls split the first six games before the Pistons finished the series with a decisive 93–74 victory in Game 7. Advancing to their third consecutive NBA Finals, the Pistons faced the Portland Trail Blazers. After splitting the first two games at The Palace, the Pistons went to Portland, where they had not won a game since 1974, to play Games 3, 4 and 5. The Pistons won all three games in Portland, becoming the first NBA team to sweep the middle three games on the road. The decisive game came down to the final second. Trailing 90–83 with two minutes remaining, the Pistons rallied to tie the game, then took a 92–90 lead when Vinnie Johnson sank a 15-foot jumper with 00.7 seconds left in the game; this shot earned Johnson a new nickname in Detroit, "007", to go with his original, "The Microwave". Isiah Thomas was named NBA Finals MVP.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: The Pistons' championship run came to an end in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals, as they were swept by the eventual NBA champion Chicago Bulls in four games. The most critical injury during this time belonged to Isiah Thomas, who had suffered a wrist injury a few months prior to the NBA playoffs. The Conference Finals is best remembered for the Pistons walking off the court in the last game just before it ended, willingly letting the final seconds tick away, unwilling to shake hands with the Bulls. After the series, Michael Jordan said, "You see two different styles with us and them. The dirty play and the flagrant fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct. Hopefully, that will be eliminated from the game. I think we play clean basketball. We don't go out and try to hurt people and dirty up the game. You never lose respect for the champions. But I haven't agreed with the methods they used. I think people are happy the game will get back to a clean game [with a Bulls triumph] and away from the 'Bad Boy' image."


title: Detroit Pistons

text: After getting swept by the Bulls, the Pistons traded James Edwards and waived Vinnie Johnson during the off-season. In the 1991–92 season, the Pistons finished with a 48–34 record. In the first round of the 1992 NBA playoffs, the Pistons were defeated by the New York Knicks in five games. Chuck Daly resigned as head coach after the season. Following Daly's departure, the Pistons went through a transitional period, as key players were either traded (Salley and Rodman) or retired (Laimbeer in 1993 and Thomas in 1994). They bottomed out in the 1993–94 season, finishing with a 20–62 record.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: Following the 1993–94 season, they were able to draft Grant Hill, a promising small forward, with the third overall pick. However, this period also saw the team make numerous questionable personnel decisions, such as the loss of free agent Allan Houston to the New York Knicks, the signing of free agent washouts Loy Vaught and Bison Dele; and head coaching changes from Ron Rothstein to Don Chaney to Doug Collins to Alvin Gentry to George Irvine in an eight-year span. Of these coaches, only Collins had any sort of success with the Pistons, winning 54 games in the 1996–97 season. The franchise even changed its team colors in 1996 from its traditional red and blue to teal, burgundy, gold and black in what proved to be a highly unpopular move with fans. The only color that did not change was white. This period has become known, often derisively, as the "teal era".


title: Detroit Pistons

text: After being swept by the Miami Heat in the 2000 playoffs, Joe Dumars, who had retired following the 1998–99 season, was hired as the team's president of basketball operations. He quickly faced what appeared to be a setback for the franchise, as Grant Hill elected to leave for the Orlando Magic. However, Dumars worked a sign and trade with Orlando that brought the Pistons Ben Wallace and Chucky Atkins in exchange for Hill. Both quickly entered the Pistons' starting lineup. Wallace in particular developed into a defensive stalwart in the coming years. However, Hill played only 47 games in the following three seasons due to a recurring ankle injury.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: The Pistons suffered through another tough season in 2000–01, going 32–50 despite Jerry Stackhouse averaging 29.8 points a game. After the season, the Pistons fired George Irvine as head coach and hired Rick Carlisle, a widely respected assistant coach who had been a contributor for the Celtics during the mid-1980s. The franchise also returned to its traditional red, white, and blue colors.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: Carlisle helped lead the Pistons to their first 50-win season since 1997, and their first playoff series victory since 1991 by defeating the Toronto Raptors in five games. They lost, however, to the Boston Celtics in five games.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: In the 2002 off-season, Joe Dumars revamped the roster by signing free agent Chauncey Billups, acquiring Richard "Rip" Hamilton from the Washington Wizards, and drafting Tayshaun Prince from Kentucky. The Pistons posted consecutive 50-win seasons and advanced to the 2003 Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1991. There, however, they were swept in four games by the New Jersey Nets.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: Despite the team's improvement, Rick Carlisle was fired in the 2003 off-season. There were believed to be five reasons for the firing: first, that Carlisle had appeared reluctant to play some of the team's younger players, such as Prince and Mehmet Okur, during the regular season; second, that some of the players had not gotten along with Carlisle; third, that Carlisle's offense was thought to be conservative; fourth, that Hall of Famer Larry Brown had become available; and fifth, that Carlisle was rumored to have alienated owner Bill Davidson with his personality. Brown accepted the job that summer.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: The Pistons' transformation into a championship team was completed with the February 2004 acquisition of Rasheed Wallace. The Pistons now had another big man to pose a threat from all parts of the court. The Pistons finished the season 54–28, recording their best record since 1997. In the 2004 playoffs, after defeating the Milwaukee Bucks in five games, they defeated the defending Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Nets in seven games after coming back from a 3–2 deficit. The Pistons then defeated the Pacers, coached by Rick Carlisle, in six tough games to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1990. Many analysts gave the Pistons little chance to win against their opponent, the Los Angeles Lakers, who had won three out of the previous four NBA championships and who fielded a star-studded lineup that included Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Gary Payton, and Karl Malone. However, the Pistons won the series in dominating fashion, defeating Los Angeles in five games for the team's third NBA championship. The Pistons posted double-digit wins in three of their four victories and held the Lakers to a franchise-low 68 points in Game 3. Chauncey Billups was named NBA Finals MVP. With the win, Bill Davidson became the first owner to win both an NBA and NHL championship in the same calendar year, as he had also won the Stanley Cup as owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: Despite losing key members of their bench during the off-season (including Okur, Mike James and Corliss Williamson), the Pistons were considered a strong contender to win a second consecutive title in 2005. They won 54 games during the regular season, their fourth consecutive season of 50 or more wins. During the 2005 playoffs, they easily defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 4–1 and then rallied from a 2–1 deficit to finish off the Indiana Pacers, 4–2. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pistons faced the Miami Heat. Once again, the Pistons fell behind. However, they ultimately won the series in seven games. In the NBA Finals, the Pistons faced the San Antonio Spurs. After the teams split the first four games of the series, the turning point came at the end of Game 5 in Detroit, which went into overtime. The Pistons were ahead 95–93 when Robert Horry sank the game-winning three-point basket for the Spurs with 5.8 seconds left in the extra session. The Pistons fought back to win Game 6 in San Antonio, setting up the first NBA Finals Game 7 since 1994. The Pistons then lost a hard-fought, low-scoring game to the Spurs, who won their third NBA championship since 1999.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: The Pistons' 2004–05 season was marked by a major controversy, as well as distracting issues involving Larry Brown. In the first month of the season, a brawl between the Indiana Pacers and the Pistons erupted, one of the largest fan-player incidents in the history of American sports. It resulted in heavy fines and suspensions for several players and a great deal of NBA and media scrutiny. Meanwhile, Brown was forced to leave the team on two occasions due to health concerns. During this time, he was the subject of a series of rumors linking him to other job openings. Concerned about Brown's health and angered over his alleged pursuit of other jobs during the season, the Pistons bought out his contract soon after the 2005 NBA Finals. Brown was promptly named head coach of the New York Knicks, while the Pistons hired Flip Saunders, formerly of the Minnesota Timberwolves.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: During the 2005–06 season, the Pistons recorded the NBA's best overall record. Their 37–5 start exceeded the best start for any Detroit sports franchise in history and tied for the fourth-best start through 42 games in NBA history. Four of the five Pistons starters (Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, and Ben Wallace) were named to the All-Star team, and Flip Saunders served as the Eastern Conference All-Star team coach. The Pistons finished the regular season with a record of 64–18, setting new franchise records for both overall and road victories (27). In addition, the team set an NBA record by starting the same lineup in 73 consecutive games from the start of the season.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: The top-seeded Pistons defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 4–1 in the first round of the 2006 NBA playoffs, but struggled in the second round against the Cleveland Cavaliers, falling behind 3–2 before winning in seven games. Things did not improve against the second-seeded Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. Miami defeated the Pistons in six games en route to the 2006 NBA championship.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: During the off-season, the Pistons offered Ben Wallace a four-year, $48 million contract, which would have made him the highest-paid player in franchise history at the time. However, Wallace agreed to a 4-year, $60 million contract with the Chicago Bulls.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: To replace Ben Wallace, the Pistons signed Nazr Mohammed. He struggled to fill the team's void at center, however, and the team began looking for additional help. On January 16, 2007, the Pistons signed free agent Chris Webber. The Pistons quickly began playing better basketball. They were only 21–15 before Webber was acquired; with him, the team went 32–14. On April 11, the Pistons clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference, which guaranteed them home-court advantage for first three rounds of the playoffs.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: The Pistons opened the 2007 NBA playoffs with a 4–0 victory over the Orlando Magic, their first playoff series sweep since 1990. The team advanced to face the Chicago Bulls, marking the first time that the Central Division rivals had met in the postseason since 1991. After winning the first two games by 26 and 21 points, the Pistons overcame a 19-point deficit to win Game 3, 81–74. The Bulls avoided elimination by winning Games 4 and 5, but the Pistons closed out the series, 95–85, in Game 6 to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the fifth consecutive season. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pistons faced the Cleveland Cavaliers. After both teams split the first four games of the series, the turning point happened in Game 5. The game is best remembered for LeBron James' performance where he scored the Cavaliers' final 29 of 30 points, including the team's final 25 points, to help defeat the Pistons 109–107 in double overtime. The Pistons never recovered as they were eliminated in Game 6, 98–82.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: In the 2007 NBA draft, the Pistons selected Rodney Stuckey with the 15th overall pick and Arron Afflalo with the 27th overall pick. They also re-signed Chauncey Billups to a long-term contract, as well as top prospect Amir Johnson and key reserve Antonio McDyess. This season marked the 50th anniversary of the franchise in Detroit.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: At the start of the 2007–08 season, Rasheed Wallace became the Pistons' new center. Upon entering his third season, Saunders became the longest-tenured Pistons coach since Chuck Daly. Detroit finished the season with the second-best record in the league at 59–23. The Boston Celtics held the first seed, and many speculated that Boston was their main competition in the Eastern Conference. In the 2008 NBA playoffs, Detroit started out poorly with a Game 1 loss to the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers and found themselves in a 2–1 deficit. However, the Pistons rallied to defeat the Sixers in six games.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: In the semifinals, the Pistons faced the Orlando Magic. The Pistons rolled out to a Game 1 romp, and won a tight Game 2 amid mild controversy. At the very end of the third quarter, Chauncey Billups hit a three-point field goal that gave the Pistons a three-point lead. However, the clock had stopped shortly into the play. League rules currently prohibit officials from using both instant replay and a timing device to measure how much time has elapsed when a clock malfunctions, nor is a replay from the time of the malfunction onward allowed. The officials estimated that the play took 4.6 seconds, and since there were 5.1 seconds remaining when it began, the field goal was counted. The NBA later admitted that the play actually took 5.7 seconds and the basket should not have counted.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: In addition to losing Game 3 badly, 111–86, the Pistons also lost all-star point guard and team leader Chauncey Billups to a hamstring injury. Despite his absence, the Pistons rallied from 15 down in the third quarter to win Game 4 90–89 on a field goal by Tayshaun Prince with just 8.9 seconds to play, taking a 3–1 series lead. Again with Billups sitting on the sideline, they then proceeded to win Game 5 in Detroit, winning the series 4–1.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: Detroit advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the sixth straight season, squaring off against the Celtics. This put the Pistons second on the all-time list of most consecutive conference finals appearances, behind only the Los Angeles Lakers, who appeared in eight straight conference finals from the 1981–82 to 1988–89 seasons. They lost Game 1 88–79, but won in Game 2 on the road, 103–97, marking the Celtics' first home court loss in the postseason. Immediately following that, the Celtics won their first road game of the postseason, 94–80, in Game 3. Game 4 saw the Pistons win 94–75. In the pivotal Game 5 they lost 106–102, despite rallying from 17 points down late in the game. In Game 6, the Pistons entered the fourth quarter leading 70–60, but a lack of focus, a poor game from Rasheed Wallace, and a rally-killing turnover by Tayshaun Prince ultimately led to their demise; the Pistons ended their season with an 89–81 loss. In what would ultimately be a bellwether moment in the franchise's history, Wallace refused to take any post-game questions, simply walking back to the locker room after, aware that Joe Dumars would likely start dismantling the team, saying only "It's over, man." After that, the Celtics went on to win the 2008 NBA Finals. On June 3, 2008, the Pistons announced that Flip Saunders would not return as head coach.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: On June 10, 2008, the Pistons hired Michael Curry to be their new head coach. On November 3, 2008, the Pistons traded key members Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess to the Denver Nuggets for Allen Iverson. McDyess was later waived on November 10 and rejoined the Pistons on December 9. The trade was marked as the start of a new rebuilding process due to Iverson's free agent status at the end of the season. Indeed, Joe Dumars previously made it clear that no player on the team was guaranteed a position, bluntly saying they lost their sacred cow status.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: The season was marked with many controversies and injuries. As a result of this and poor play, the Pistons dropped down the standings, only clinching a playoff berth on April 10, 2009. The Pistons finished the season at 39–43, their first losing season in eight years. The Pistons were then swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in four games in the first round of the 2009 NBA playoffs. On June 30, 2009, Michael Curry was fired as head coach. Iverson signed with the Memphis Grizzlies during the off-season.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: In the off-season, the Pistons reached an agreement with former Chicago Bulls guard Ben Gordon on a five-year/$55 million contract, as well as an agreement with former Milwaukee Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva on a five-year contract worth $35 million. That same month, the Pistons lost their two key members during the last few years, veterans Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess. On July 8, 2009, the Pistons hired former Cavaliers assistant coach John Kuester to be the new head coach. The Pistons later re-signed Ben Wallace on August 12, 2009.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: Despite these changes, the team regressed even further, as they were hampered by setbacks and injuries. On March 23, 2010, the Pistons were eliminated from playoff contention with a loss to the Indiana Pacers. The Pistons finished with a 27–55 record, their worst since 1994. Another 50-loss season, this time finishing at 30–52, led to the firing of Kuester at the end of the 2010–11 season.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: On April 7, 2011, Karen Davidson, the widow of the late Bill Davidson, reached a long-awaited agreement to sell the franchise to billionaire Tom Gores, which was approved by the NBA Board of Governors in May. The deal also included The Palace of Auburn Hills and DTE Energy Music Theatre. According to "Crain's Detroit Business", the final sale price was $325 million, far lower than expected. In the 2011 NBA draft, the Pistons selected Brandon Knight, Kyle Singler and Vernon Macklin.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: Prior to the start of the 2011–12 season, the Pistons made several leadership changes, including appointing Dennis Mannion as president of the franchise and Palace Sports & Entertainment. The team decided to hire Lawrence Frank as the head coach. The 2011–12 season was an improvement from previous years for the Pistons, although they still posted a losing record. While they started the season 4–20, they won half their remaining games to finish a lockout-shortened season with a record of 25–41. The team continued to build its young core with the drafting of the talented center Andre Drummond.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: Following the 2012–13 season, Frank was fired as head coach on April 18, 2013, after two losing seasons, and on June 10, 2013, the Pistons hired former player and coach Maurice Cheeks. His tenure lasted for just a bit more than half a season, as he was replaced by interim coach John Loyer. In April, the Pistons announced that Joe Dumars would step down as president of basketball operations but remain as an advisor to the organization and its ownership team. On May 14, 2014, Stan Van Gundy was hired. Van Gundy signed a 5-year, $35 million contract to become the head coach and president of basketball operations for the team.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: After starting the 2014–15 season with a 5–23 record, the Pistons waived Josh Smith, who was acquired in the summer of 2013. The team went on a lengthy winning streak, but finished the season with a record of only 32–50 after Brandon Jennings' Achilles injury.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: In the 2015 off-season, Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy began to change the roster by making such acquisitions as Ersan İlyasova, Marcus Morris, Aron Baynes, and Steve Blake. They also drafted rookie Stanley Johnson with the eighth pick in the 2015 NBA draft and re-signed point guard Reggie Jackson. The Pistons entered the 2015–16 season with a stronger roster than the previous season, although they lost starter Greg Monroe to the Milwaukee Bucks in free agency. Andre Drummond started the season strong, earning consecutive Eastern Conference Player of the Week awards for the weeks of November 1 and 8.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: The Pistons entered the All-Star break at 27–27. The Pistons surpassed their win totals from the 2009–10 season to the 2014–15 season on March 9, 2016, when they defeated the Dallas Mavericks 102–96. On April 6, 2016, following a 108–104 win over the Orlando Magic, the Pistons reached 42 wins and were assured their first winning season since the 2007–08 season. On April 8, 2016, the Pistons defeated the Washington Wizards 112–99 and clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2009. The eighth-seeded Pistons faced the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the 2016 NBA playoffs. They were swept in four games in a highly competitive series.


title: Detroit Pistons

text: Beginning with the 1978–79 season, the Pistons played their home games in suburban Oakland County, directly north of Detroit/Wayne County, first playing ten seasons at the Pontiac Silverdome and then playing at The Palace of Auburn Hills starting in the 1988–89 season. Pistons owner Tom Gores, Palace Sports & Entertainment vice chairman Arn Tellum, and Olympia Entertainment, the Ilitch family's holding company that controls the Red Wings and Tigers, had been in negotiations over a partnership since the summer of 2015, with the Pistons possibly relocating to the new Little Caesars Arena as soon as the 2017–18 season. Talks intensified just as the Pistons were set to open their 2016–17 season, and as part of the terms of the agreement, there was discussion of a possible merger between Olympia and PS&E. Also contingent on a finalized agreement, the Pistons were looking for a parcel of land in the arena's vicinity to build a new practice facility and team headquarters. The leasing agreement/partnership needed both city and league approval to be finalized.