The Associated Press

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Joe Dumars was sporting an NBA championship hat and T-shirt while chewing on an unlit cigar.

Almost two hours after Detroit beat the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, the Pistons' president of basketball operations was still smiling.

"I don't even smoke," Dumars said. "But I just felt like Red Auerbach, so I grabbed a cigar and I threw it in my mouth."

There could be more championship cigars in Dumars' near future.

"Maybe we don't have two superstars like the Lakers, but we've got five stars in their own way in the starting lineup and a lot of other solid players," Dumars said.

With a starting lineup of players 29 or younger, salary cap space and a Hall of Fame coach, the Pistons seem like a team built to last.

Before thinking about the championship possibilities of the future, however, the Pistons and their fans plan to celebrate today with a parade in downtown Detroit and a rally at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

Detroit stunned the Lakers - led by superstars Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant - with a group of unselfish castoffs.

The MVP of the NBA Finals was Chauncey Billups, who was on five teams in his first four seasons before finding a good fit in Detroit two years ago.

Ben Wallace, the team's only All-Star, wasn't even drafted out of college.

Even the volatile Rasheed Wallace fit in and helped turn a contender into a champion.

Re-signing Rasheed Wallace is Detroit's No. 1 priority this offseason.

Just three years ago, the Pistons were 32-50.

"This is an unreal feeling," Dumars said, shaking his head from side to side. "This is the most satisfying feeling I've ever had in basketball."