Detroit - History junior Sean McDaniel squinted as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight Thursday morning at Detroit's Hart Plaza.

"Boy, having a reason to wake up early - besides school - was great," he said.

McDaniel and a group of his friends were among the one million people who crowded into downtown Detroit on Thursday for an afternoon of celebration.

The reason? The first Pistons' World Championship in 14 years.

And all of Detroit seemed to join in the merriment - boats honked as they passed on the Detroit River and an office building made advertising use of its windows by hanging letters to spell out "Pistons way to go, L.A. should have feared the 'fro." The Spirit of Detroit even got in on the action, sporting an enormous blue Pistons jersey.

"There's definitely more people out here than there were for the Red Wings (in 2002)," said Eric Williams, 23, of Detroit. "I love it."

The day began with a victory parade down Jefferson Avenue. Corvettes, Aztecs and Avalanches rolled by, carrying a member of the Pistons squad up the historic Detroit street in style. Pistons guard Rip Hamilton tossed T-shirts from his car and Tayshaun Prince waved to enamored fans, while forward Ben Wallace smiled from ear to ear and continually polished the Larry O'Brien trophy - given to the NBA's top team - which sat in his lap.

Street vendors sold everything from newspapers to T-shirts to pennants, to "official Detroit Pistons water."

Various high school bands, the Mid American Pom Pons and a float depicting the city's buildings went by, bringing up the end of the trail that would eventually lead to Hart Plaza. And though streets were overcrowded and prime viewing spots limited, no major disturbances broke out.

"We've changed, we've got peace now," said Karen Littlejohn, a Detroit native. "We've got the Super Bowl coming, we gotta have class."

Hoping to beat the parade traffic to the good seats, fans such as Corey and Brion Dingman opted to watch the parade on a big-screen television in the plaza itself. The brothers, along with Brion's 8-year-old son Tyler Dingman, arrived at the square at 9 a.m., but still couldn't push any closer than 100 feet from the stage.

Blue banners flanked the main stage in Hart Plaza, where a local hip-hop group entertained the masses with new lyrics to popular songs.

"Hard Work Pays Off" was the motto on the banners, as rappers cried out, "Bad boys, bad boys/What you gonna do? Kobe and Shaq no bling-bling for you." In between sets, songs such as "The Boys are Back in Town," "Detroit Rock City" and "We are the Champions" blared from the speakers.

Engulfed in the crowd, 12-year-old Jeremy Johnson peered up from under his enormous red and blue afro wig and flashed a matching-hued set of chompers. In a flurry of Pistons fever, Johnson had made a special visit to his orthodontist to get the rubber bands on his braces changed to red and blue colors.

"I did it just before the Finals, I had to support the team," the Pontiac native said.

Thursday's parade and rally brought new generations together with old, as Rodman, Thomas and Laimbeer jerseys were sprinkled throughout the mass of Ben Wallace-inspired afros.

Detroit police officers Kathy Singleton and Anna Hamilton said though there were an estimated one million people in attendance, they had time to relax and enjoy the festivities.

"We're here just as much as everyone else to help celebrate the series," Singleton said. "It's a big thing, and we're here to have fun too."

Hamilton added the biggest problem she'd faced that day was children getting separated from their parents.

"We're showing people how Detroit can behave," she said.

The crowd was in a near frenzy as master of ceremonies George Blaha stepped to the podium. And when Blaha announced Ben Wallace - the Pistons' captain thrust the Championship trophy skyward - the thunder of a gong and the cheers of one million Pistons fans shook the tiny plaza.

Each of the Pistons' stars had an opportunity to speak at the ceremony, including Pistons owner Bill Davidson, president Joe Dumars and finals MVP Chauncey Billups.

"They boys are back. Detroit is back," Billups said. "I wish the arena could hold a million people, because we know you'd all be there."

Detroit forward Rasheed Wallace added some words of his own.

"You're my boys, blue," Wallace said. "Y'all are the greatest damn fans out there."

The rally concluded with a season highlights video as Queen's "We Will Rock You" and "We are the Champions" blaires from the speakers. And when the day was done, one million Detroit fans returned to their vehicles and peacefully fought traffic to get home.

"All different kinds of people are down here celebrating it's a really positive feeling," said Alexia Sims of Hamtramck. "Everyone's got their kids down here."

"People think Detroit is full of riots and crime, but Detroit is full of cool people who don't need to burn things down to have a good time."