The Detroit Red Wings are officially out of contention for the Stanley Cup Playoffs and with five games remaining in the regular season, the Detroit Pistons sit 11th place in the Eastern Conference, 2.5 games out of a playoff spot. That's as of this writing, Sunday, April 2.
If both teams miss the playoffs, it would be the first time since 1982-83 where neither the Pistons nor the Red Wings make the playoffs.
That year, the Red Wings, coached by Nick Polano, went 21-44-15 and finished if fifth place in the Norris Division. John Ogrodnick led the team with 85 points.
Coached by Scotty Robertson, the Pistons finished the season 37-45, good enough for third in the NBA Central Division. Isiah Thomas led the team in points, followed by Bill Laimbeer.
In April 1983 when both teams finished their season, the No. 1 song in the nation was "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson.
Ronald Reagan was in his second year as President of the United States and George H. W. Bush was vice president.
CBS dominated the television ratings in 1982-83 with the top four shows. "60 Minutes" was the top with an estimated audience of 21.241 million, followed by "Dallas," "M*A*S*H" and "Magnum, P.I."
"Star Wars: Return of the Jedi" was the top movie of 1983, bringing in $252,583,617, followed by "Terms of Endearment," "Flashdance," "Trading Places" and "WarGames."
