DETROIT — It's a sign of spring almost as dependable as dandelions: the Red Wings and Pistons advancing in the postseason. This year, they're also taking the edge off rough economic times in Michigan.

The Red Wings are one win from their fourth Stanley Cup finals appearance in 11 seasons.

The Pistons are in the Eastern Conference finals for a sixth consecutive season after downing Orlando 91-86 to eliminate the Magic in five games in their second-round series. They've reached the finals twice in that span, beating the Los Angeles Lakers to claim the 2004 title and losing to San Antonio in seven games the following year.

And although the Tigers are off to a sluggish start, the momentum that began with their 2006 American League pennant has carried into this season — at least at the box office.

"Detroit is a sports town. It's always been a sports town," said James Canning, a spokesman for Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. "People love 'em, no matter how good or bad they're doing. And in the past five or six years, you've seen a lot more people, if they can't make it to a game, they're occupying a bar or restaurant in the downtown area.

"Those are all Detroit teams no matter where they're located, and people want to be a part of that."

Detroit fans also could witness history this year.

The same metropolitan area has never won NHL and NBA titles in the same season, although two have come close: New Jersey, where the Devils won the 2003 Stanley Cup but the Nets lost the NBA finals to San Antonio; and New York, where the Rangers won the 1994 NHL title but the Knicks fell to Houston in the finals.

The Red Wings and Pistons' successes have come against a backdrop of chronic high unemployment and the continued loss of manufacturing, construction and retail jobs in Michigan.

Frank Aoun of Walled Lake, Mich., a United Auto Workers member picketing outside the American Axle and Manufacturing Holdings Inc. plant in Detroit earlier this week, was among those taking solace in the pros' exploits.

"Win or lose, they're doing very well — owners and players," said the 48-year-old Aoun, whose union went on strike Feb. 26 after contract talks with the auto supplier broke down. "I'd be happy to be an usher at the game.

"We cheer them boys, but the reality is ... we are happy for any positive news out of Detroit, but right now there's other things to worry about."

Michigan's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined to 6.9 percent in April from 7.2 percent in March, mainly because the civilian labor force shrank by 15,000 people overall, the state reported Wednesday. The national unemployment rate for April was 5 percent.

The nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency has estimated the unemployment rate could rise to about 7.6 percent overall this year and could reach 8.4 percent in 2009.

The Pistons nevertheless have managed to sell out 232 consecutive games dating back to Jan. 19, 2004. All of this season's Red Wings' postseason games were, and will be, sellouts, spokesman John Hahn said, but he acknowledges that Cup fever has been slow to develop.

"By far I think the biggest factor in Detroit right now is the economy," he said. "Everybody has to look at how they're spending their dollars. I think that's the most dominant factor."

The Red Wings also are working to rekindle fan interest dampened by the 2005 NHL lockout and the retirements or departures of longtime stars including Steve Yzerman, Brendan Shanahan and Brett Hull, Hahn said. The club is rebuilding the brand by blending talented newcomers such as Johan Franzen and Niklas Kronwall with veterans such as Nicklas Lidstrom, he said.

"We went through a little bit of a transition phase there where people didn't know who some of these new players were. ... our players are making that connection again," Hahn said.

The Tigers have stumbled out of the gate, playing sub-.500 ball all season, but attendance has averaged 37,726 through the first 20 games at Comerica Park, spokesman Rob Matwick said. The club has sold more than 2.8 million tickets, compared with 2.1 million at this point a year ago, he said.

Rather than competing for scarce entertainment dollars, the Pistons and Red Wings are helping the Tigers by going deep in the playoffs, Matwick said.

"It raises awareness of all the teams," he said. "It makes people feel good about the organizations, about the city ... we just need to get the boys going — a couple more runs, a couple more quality starts."

Dan Gilbert has seen sports teams lift the spirits of two beleaguered Rust Belt cities.

The founder of Quicken Loans Inc. is majority owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who advanced to last year's NBA finals after ousting the Pistons — whose home games have been sponsored by Quicken subsidiary Rock Financial for the past five years.

Cleveland, like Detroit, is among the nation's poorest big cities. But the Cavaliers are rising to the NBA's upper echelon and the Indians have been one of the AL's better teams for years.

"A city's professional sports teams can be not just a source of pride, but also a source of self-esteem, for a city and entire region," Gilbert, who is relocating Quicken headquarters from Livonia to downtown Detroit, wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

"People tend to associate a city's successful sports teams with a successful city in general," he said. "The opposite also happens. Anything negative about a city can be compounded by the failure of their sports teams. It can pile on and contribute to an overall negative reputation."