Los Angeles  - Chuck Daly, a Hall of Fame coach who guided the Detroit Pistons to consecutive NBA championships and the original Dream Team to an Olympic gold medal, died Saturday morning in Jupiter, Florida. He was 78.

A release from the Pistons disclosed that Daly, who had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in February, died with his family at his side.

"Chuck did much more than coach basketball games," NBA commissioner David Stern said in a statement. "He positively impacted everyone he met, both personally and professionally, and his love of people and the game of basketball helped develop the next generation of coaches. The void left by his death will never be filled."

During this postseason, all NBA coaches and most broadcasters have been wearing a commemorative pin with the initials "CD" to honor Daly, a tribute developed by Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle.

"Chuck left a lasting impression with everyone he met both personally and professionally and his spirit will live with all of us forever," family spokesman and Pistons vice president of public relations Matt Dobek said in a statement.

Daly is best known for his leadership of the Pistons, who ended the decade-long stranglehold on the NBA title held by the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics by beating both teams for the franchise's first NBA championship in 1989.

The squad included All-Star point guard Isiah Thomas and the outsized personalities of Bill Laimbeer, Dennis Rodman and John Salley. But Daly effectively managed minutes and egos to get them to play as an unselfish unit.

Daly and his staff developed the "Jordan Rules," a strategy that tried to prevent Chicago Bulls superstar Michael Jordan from getting easy baskets and often involved rough, physical play. The Pistons developed a reputation as a tough team and became known as the "Bad Boys."

In 1990, the Pistons repeated as champions, defeating the Portland Trail Blazers in the Finals. They were unseated the following year by Jordan and the Bulls in the Eastern Conference finals.

Daly's success with the Pistons led to his appointment as coach of Team USA for the 1992 Olympics, when the United States used NBA stars for the first time. With a star-studded roster that included Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Charles Barkley, the American team stormed to the gold medal and is widely acknowledged as the greatest team in basketball history.

In nine seasons with Detroit, the dapper Daly compiled a record of 467-271 and a 71-42 mark in the postseason. He also coached Cleveland, New Jersey and Orlando and has an overall ledger of 638- 437.

Daly was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994. He was named as one of the NBA's 10 Greatest Coaches in 1997. The Pistons retired the No. 2 in his honor later that year.

Prior to becoming an NBA head coach, Daly coached Boston College from 1969-71 and the University of Pennsylvania from 1971-77. He was an assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers from 1977-81. (dpa)