The Pistons were in a brutal stretch during the 
1985-86 season, having dropped 13 of their previous 19 games. And Isiah Thomas, Detroit's franchise player, asked Chuck Daly to meet him at a McDonald's in suburban Detroit so they could set a few things straight. Thomas knew Daly was on the verge of getting fired. He supported Daly, despite the Pistons' struggles, but the star point guard needed to know if Daly was as desperate to win as he was.
"Is this what you still want to do?" Thomas asked him. Daly didn't flinch. As usual, he was cool. "Let's just gut our way through it and figure out how to get it right," he said.
It was a turning point for the franchise, and for the relationship between coach and star player. Thomas went to owner Bill Davidson and asked him to stick with Daly a little longer. And Daly held up his end, guiding the Pistons to NBA championships in 1989 and 1990.
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