Recap
The Pistons moved on to the 1944 World Pro Tournament in Chicago as heavy favorites to win it all. Their main roadblock appeared to be the New York Rens, who had won the championship in 1943 playing under the banner of the Washington Bears. Meeting in the semifinals, the Pistons jumped off to a 19-7 first quarter lead, and then hung on to withstand a furious comeback by the Rens before winning 42-38. In the finals, Fort Wayne faced the surprising Brooklyn Eagles, a team composed of American League stars. On route to the championship game, the Eagles had ousted the Sheboygan Redskins and the Harlem Globetrotters. The championship game was a contest for only one quarter, however, as it quickly became apparent that the Pistons were too tall and too strong for the upset-minded Brooklyn team. Fort Wayne took a 28-11 halftime lead and eventually ran up the score to 40-15 before coasting home to a 50-33 victory.
