2004 NBA Finals

2004 NBA Finals

Team Coach Wins Detroit Pistons Larry Brown 4 Los Angeles Lakers Phil Jackson 1
Dates	June 6–15
MVP	Chauncey Billups (Detroit Pistons)
Television	ABC (U.S.)
Announcers	Al Michaels and Doc Rivers
Radio network	ESPN
Announcers	Brent Musburger and Jack Ramsay
Referees
Game 1: Joe Crawford, Bob Delaney, Bernie Fryer Game 2: Bennett Salvatore, Steve Javie, Joe DeRosa Game 3: Ron Garretson, Dan Crawford, Mike Callahan Game 4: Jack Nies, Dick Bavetta, Eddie F. Rush Game 5: Joe Crawford, Bernie Fryer, Bennett Salvatore
Hall of Famers	Lakers: Karl Malone (2010) Gary Payton (2013) Coaches: Larry Brown (2002) Phil Jackson (2007) Tex Winter (2011) Officials: Dick Bavetta (2015)
Eastern Finals	Pistons defeated Pacers, 4–2
Western Finals	Lakers defeated Timberwolves, 4–2

The 2004 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2003–04 National Basketball Association season. The Finals were between the Los Angeles Lakers of the Western Conference and the Detroit Pistons of the Eastern Conference; the Lakers held home court advantage. The series was played under a best-of-seven format, so the first team to collect four game victories would win the series.

Although the Lakers were the heavy favorite, the Pistons won the series four games to one to win their first title since 1990 and their fifth overall (three NBA Championships, two NBL Championships). Piston point guard Chauncey Billups was named the Finals MVP of the series. The series was noted for the perceived underdog, the Pistons, dominating a Laker team that had four future Hall of Famers.

Pistons owner William Davidson became the first owner in sports history to win two championships in one year. Eight days earlier, the other team that Davidson owned, the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League had won the Stanley Cup in seven games over the Calgary Flames.

Background

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers had won consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002, but lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference playoffs in 2003 to end their streak at three.

In the 2003 offseason, the Lakers made major changes, with initially varying results. Needing to find a point guard and a power forward to defend against Tim Duncan and the Spurs, the Lakers signed veteran stars Gary Payton and Karl Malone for well below market value; they also hoped to give both veterans their first championship ring. The Lakers were afterwards considered the favorites to win the NBA title.

During the regular season, after starting the season 18–3, the Lakers were afflicted by numerous injuries and stumbled to a 56–26 record to finish the season with the second seed in the Western Conference.

The Lakers breezed past their first-round opponent, the Houston Rockets, headlining a matchup between Shaquille O'Neal and a young Yao Ming, defeating the squad 4-1 but then lost the first two games in their series against the Spurs before a dramatic comeback that saw them win 4–2. Then, they faced the Minnesota Timberwolves and their superstar forward Kevin Garnett. The Lakers won the series 4–2 to advance to the Finals.

Detroit Pistons

The Pistons won two back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990, but with retirements and departures of several stars, they faded from playoff prominence. The team hired former star Joe Dumars as general manager of the team in 2000, and he began stockpiling draft picks and trading players. He landed defensive stalwart Ben Wallace and guard Richard Hamilton by trading established stars in controversial trades, signed Chauncey Billups (considered an underachiever), and drafted Tayshaun Prince with the 23rd pick in the 2002 Draft. He was named the NBA Executive of the Year in 2003 for returning the Pistons to prominence.

The Pistons made a major change as well, but perhaps a riskier change, firing head coach Rick Carlisle, who had led the Pistons to two consecutive Central Division titles and had received the NBA Coach of the Year Award in 2002. In his place, Dumars hired legendary coach Larry Brown, who had most recently led the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals in 2001.

In a three-team trade at the trade deadline, Dumars traded Chucky Atkins, Lindsey Hunter, Bobby Sura, Željko Rebrača and other considerations for guard Mike James and forward Rasheed Wallace, who proved to be the final pieces of the championship team (Hunter would rejoin the Pistons a week later). The Pistons, who were already a good defensive team, became a defensive force to be reckoned with. They became the first team in NBA history to hold five consecutive opponents under 70 points, and finished the season with a 54–28 record and the third seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Pistons easily overcame the Milwaukee Bucks 4–1, but struggled against the New Jersey Nets and narrowly escaped 4–3. In a defensive series with Indiana, the Pistons offense proved more productive and they won 4–2 to advance to the NBA Finals.

Road to the Finals

Main article: 2004 NBA Playoffs

Los Angeles Lakers (Western Conference Champion)		Detroit Pistons (Eastern Conference Champion)
# Western Conference Team W L PCT GB 1 c-Minnesota Timberwolves 58 24 .707 – 2 y-Los Angeles Lakers 56 26 .683 2 3 x-San Antonio Spurs 57 25 .695 1 4 x-Sacramento Kings 55 27 .671 3 5 x-Dallas Mavericks 52 30 .634 6 6 x-Memphis Grizzlies 50 32 .610 8 7 x-Houston Rockets 45 37 .549 13 8 x-Denver Nuggets 43 39 .524 15 9 Utah Jazz 42 40 .512 16 10 Portland Trail Blazers 41 41 .500 17 11 Seattle SuperSonics 37 45 .451 21 12 Golden State Warriors 37 45 .451 21 13 Phoenix Suns 29 53 .354 29 14 Los Angeles Clippers 28 54 .341 30 2nd seed in the West, 4th best league record	Regular season		# Eastern Conference Team W L PCT GB 1 z-Indiana Pacers 61 21 .744 – 2 y-New Jersey Nets 47 35 .573 14 3 x-Detroit Pistons 54 28 .659 7 4 x-Miami Heat 42 40 .512 19 5 x-New Orleans Hornets 41 41 .500 20 6 x-Milwaukee Bucks 41 41 .500 20 7 x-New York Knicks 39 43 .476 22 8 x-Boston Celtics 36 46 .439 25 9 Cleveland Cavaliers 35 47 .427 26 10 Toronto Raptors 33 49 .402 28 10 Philadelphia 76ers 33 49 .402 28 12 Atlanta Hawks 28 54 .341 33 13 Washington Wizards 25 57 .305 36 14 Chicago Bulls 23 59 .280 37 15 Orlando Magic 21 61 .256 39 3rd seed in the East, 6th best league record
Defeated the (7) Houston Rockets, 4–1	First Round		Defeated the (6) Milwaukee Bucks, 4–1
Defeated the (3) San Antonio Spurs, 4–2	Conference Semifinals		Defeated the (2) New Jersey Nets, 4–3
Defeated the (1) Minnesota Timberwolves, 4–2	Conference Finals		Defeated the (1) Indiana Pacers, 4–2

Regular season series

The teams split the two meetings, each won by the home team:

November 14, 2003

Detroit Pistons 89, Los Angeles Lakers 94

Staples Center, Los Angeles, California

November 18, 2003

Los Angeles Lakers 96, Detroit Pistons 106

The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan

Starting Lineups

Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame ‡

Detroit	Position	Los Angeles
Chauncey Billups	PG	Gary Payton‡
Richard Hamilton	SG	Kobe Bryant
Tayshaun Prince	SF	Devean George
Rasheed Wallace	PF	Karl Malone‡
Ben Wallace	C	Shaquille O'Neal

Roster

Detroit Pistons roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From PG 1 Billups, Chauncey 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 202 lb (92 kg) Colorado C 41 Campbell, Elden 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 279 lb (127 kg) Clemson SF 24 Fowlkes, Tremaine 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 212 lb (96 kg) Fresno State SF 8 Ham, Darvin 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Texas Tech SG 32 Hamilton, Richard 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 193 lb (88 kg) Connecticut PG 10 Hunter, Lindsey 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jackson State PG 7 James, Mike 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 188 lb (85 kg) Duquesne C 31 Miličić, Darko 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 275 lb (125 kg) Serbia PF 13 Okur, Mehmet 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 290 lb (132 kg) Turkey SF 22 Prince, Tayshaun 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Kentucky C 3 Wallace, Ben 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Virginia Union PF 30 Wallace, Rasheed 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) North Carolina SF 34 Williamson, Corliss 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Arkansas	Head coach Larry Brown Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster

Los Angeles Lakers roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From SG 8 Bryant, Kobe 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Lower Merion HS (PA) PF 7 Cook, Brian 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 234 lb (106 kg) Illinois PG 2 Fisher, Derek 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Arkansas-Little Rock SF 17 Fox, Rick 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) North Carolina SF 3 George, Devean 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Augsburg PF 54 Grant, Horace 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Clemson PF 11 Malone, Karl 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Louisiana Tech PF 14 Medvedenko, Slava 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 253 lb (115 kg) Ukraine C 34 O'Neal, Shaquille 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 325 lb (147 kg) LSU PG 20 Payton, Gary 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Oregon State SG 21 Rush, Kareem 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Missouri SF 9 Russell, Bryon 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Long Beach State C 31 Sampson, Jamal 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) California SF 4 Walton, Luke 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Arizona	Head coach Phil Jackson Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster

Series summary

Game	Date	Home Team	Result	Road Team
Game 1	Sunday, June 6	Los Angeles Lakers	75–87(1–0)	Detroit Pistons
Game 2	Tuesday, June 8	Los Angeles Lakers	99–91 OT (1–1)	Detroit Pistons
Game 3	Thursday, June 10	Detroit Pistons	88–68(2–1)	Los Angeles Lakers
Game 4	Sunday, June 13	Detroit Pistons	88–80(3–1)	Los Angeles Lakers
Game 5	Tuesday, June 15	Detroit Pistons	100–87(4–1)	Los Angeles Lakers

The Finals were played using a 2–3–2 site format, where the first two and last two games are held at the team with home court advantage. This is only used in the Finals; all other playoff games are held in a 2–2–1–1–1 format (the team with home court advantage starts).

The Pistons became the fourth team to sweep the middle three games since the NBA started using the 2-3-2 format in 1985. But they became the first to do so at home; the previous three times this had occurred it was done by road teams (1990 Pistons, 1991 Chicago Bulls, 2001 Lakers). With this, Detroit became the only team to have both swept the middle three games at home and on the road.

This was the first Finals series to be played on the current Sunday–Tuesday–Thursday rotation since 1990, the last year CBS had the NBA's national television contract. NBA on NBC switched to a Wednesday-Friday-Sunday rotation in 1991, which was used through 2003, save for Monday games in 1999 and 2000. It is also the last series to have Game 1 be played on a Sunday. From 2005 to 2010, the championship series started on either the first or second Thursday in June.

Features

The NBA heavily publicized the series as it has done with all other NBA Finals series. There was a sentiment among fans that the Pistons were the clear underdogs, and many described the series as a David vs. Goliath match-up. The Lakers had a lineup of Stars such as Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O'Neal—their offensive capability was expected to overpower Detroit's defensive-based game plan.

Payton and Malone also added to the publicity of the Finals. Perennial All-Stars who had both previously reached the Finals, Payton had led the Seattle SuperSonics there in 1996, while Malone had led the Utah Jazz there in 1997 and 1998. However, Michael Jordan and the Bulls denied them championship rings a total of three times. By the time of Jordan's second retirement in 1998, the two veterans were aged and failed to lead their teams deep into the playoffs. It would be Malone's final chance to win a championship, as he would retire before the subsequent season.

Game Summaries

All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4)

Game One

ABC

June 6 9:00 pm ET

Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived March 21, 2010)

Detroit Pistons 87, Los Angeles Lakers 75
Scoring by quarter: 22–19, 18–22, 24–17, 23–17
Pts: Chauncey Billups 22 Rebs: B. Wallace, R. Wallace 8 each Asts: Richard Hamilton 5		Pts: Shaquille O'Neal 34 Rebs: Malone, O'Neal 11 each Asts: Kobe Bryant 4
Detroit lead series, 1–0

Staples Center, Los Angeles, California Referees: No. 17 Joe Crawford No. 26 Bob Delaney No. 7 Bernie Fryer

Considered to be a stunning upset by most of the NBA world, the Detroit Pistons managed to defeat the Lakers with imposing defense. Defensively clamping down on everyone but Bryant and O'Neal, the Pistons managed to hold everyone else to a total of 16 points.

The Pistons trailed the Lakers 41–40 at halftime, but by the fourth quarter the Pistons had opened up a 13-point lead; they would not trail for the rest of the game.

Game Two

ABC

June 8 9:00 pm ET

Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived March 21, 2010)

Detroit Pistons 91, Los Angeles Lakers 99 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 16–18, 20–26, 30–24, 23–21, Overtime: 2–10
Pts: Chauncey Billups 27 Rebs: Ben Wallace 14 Asts: Chauncey Billups 9		Pts: Kobe Bryant 33 Rebs: Karl Malone 9 Asts: Luke Walton 8
Series tied, 1–1

Staples Center, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 18,997 Referees: No. 15 Bennett Salvatore No. 14 Joe DeRosa No. 29 Steve Javie

The second game wasn't close throughout the first half, but in the third quarter the Pistons scored 30 points, cutting the deficit 68–66. Detroit led by three points with 10.9 seconds remaining in the final period. Coach Brown wanted to foul a Lakers player where they could get only 2 points rather than 3. However, the Pistons' veterans only wanted to intentionally foul O'Neal. Kobe Bryant's 3-point shot with 2.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter would force overtime, where the Pistons would make only one two-point field goal (compared to Los Angeles scoring ten points). Afterwards, on the team bus back to the airport, Billups told the Pistons' players and coaches, "We're not coming back to L.A."

Game Three

ABC

June 10 9:00 pm ET

Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived March 21, 2010)

Los Angeles Lakers 68, Detroit Pistons 88
Scoring by quarter: 16–24, 16–15, 19–24, 17–25
Pts: Shaquille O'Neal 14 Rebs: Medvedenko, O'Neal 8 each Asts: Gary Payton 7		Pts: Richard Hamilton 31 Rebs: Ben Wallace 11 Asts: Billups, Hamilton, B. Wallace 3 each
Detroit lead series, 2–1

The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Referees: No. 10 Ron Garretson No. 43 Dan Crawford No. 24 Mike Callahan

The Pistons beat Los Angeles by 20 in their first NBA Finals appearance together at The Palace of Auburn Hills since 1989 to take a 2–1 lead in the series. The 68 points scored by the Lakers set a franchise record for the lowest number of points scored in a playoff game.

Game Four

ABC

June 13 9:00 pm ET

Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived March 21, 2010)

Los Angeles Lakers 80, Detroit Pistons 88
Scoring by quarter: 22–21, 17–20, 17–15, 24–32
Pts: Shaquille O'Neal 36 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 20 Asts: Rick Fox 6		Pts: Rasheed Wallace 26 Rebs: B. Wallace, R. Wallace 13 each Asts: Richard Hamilton 6
Detroit lead series, 3–1

The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Referees: No. 35 Jack Nies No. 27 Dick Bavetta No. 32 Eddie F. Rush

Again, the Pistons defeated the Lakers, although this time by eight, to take a 3–1 series advantage.

O'Neal scored 36 for the Lakers and Bryant scored 20 but shot 32 percent from the field.

Malone would play his last game, as a knee injury would not allow him to dress in Game Five.

Game Five

ABC

June 15 9:00 pm ET

Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived March 21, 2010)

Los Angeles Lakers 87, Detroit Pistons 100
Scoring by quarter: 24–25, 21–30, 14–27, 28–18
Pts: Kobe Bryant 24 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 8 Asts: Luke Walton 5		Pts: Richard Hamilton 21 Rebs: Ben Wallace 22 Asts: Chauncey Billups 6
Detroit wins series, 4–1

The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Referees: No. 17 Joe Crawford No. 7 Bernie Fryer No. 15 Bennett Salvatore

In Game 5, the Pistons won their first championship since 1990, and Larry Brown finally won a professional title. The Pistons defense had overcome the high-scoring Laker offense, winning the game by 13, winning the series 4-1, and also ending a long Laker dynasty that lasted for many years. The game saw the end of Phil Jackson's first run as the coach (he returned in the 2005-06 season), and saw O'Neal, Payton, and Malone's last games in Laker uniforms.

Player statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game

Detroit Pistons

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Chauncey Billups	5	5	38.4	.509	.471	.929	3.2	5.2	1.2	0.0	21.0
Elden Campbell	5	0	13.6	.375	.000	.500	2.6	1.6	1.0	0.6	3.4
Darvin Ham	4	0	2.5	1.000	.000	.000	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5
Richard Hamilton	5	5	44.4	.402	.400	.853	5.2	4.0	0.8	0.0	21.4
Lindsey Hunter	5	0	13.0	.294	.250	1.000	1.4	0.8	0.6	0.4	3.6
Mike James	5	0	4.4	.500	.000	.000	0.8	0.8	0.0	0.0	0.8
Darko Miličić	3	0	1.7	.000	.000	.000	0.7	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0
Mehmet Okur	4	0	9.8	.444	1.000	.500	1.5	0.5	0.0	0.0	2.8
Tayshaun Prince	5	5	39.2	.389	.188	.455	6.8	2.0	1.8	0.4	10.0
Ben Wallace	5	5	40.6	.478	.000	.294	13.6	1.4	1.8	1.0	10.8
Rasheed Wallace	5	5	30.2	.453	.250	.778	7.8	1.4	0.4	1.6	13.0
Corliss Williamson	5	0	10.4	.400	.000	.900	2.4	0.2	0.0	0.0	4.2

Los Angeles Lakers

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Kobe Bryant	5	5	46.2	.381	.174	.920	2.8	4.4	1.8	0.6	22.6
Brian Cook	3	0	7.0	.167	.000	1.000	2.7	0.0	0.3	0.0	1.3
Derek Fisher	5	0	20.2	.306	.375	.571	3.0	1.8	1.0	0.0	6.4
Rick Fox	3	0	10.0	.571	.000	.000	1.0	2.3	0.0	0.0	2.7
Devean George	5	5	20.8	.393	.333	0.5	2.8	0.6	1.0	0.4	5.8
Karl Malone	4	4	30.5	.333	.000	.667	7.3	2.3	0.3	0.3	5.0
Slava Medvedenko	5	1	14.4	.353	.000	.750	3.6	0.6	0.0	0.2	3.6
Shaquille O'Neal	5	5	42.6	.631	.000	.491	10.8	1.6	0.4	0.6	26.6
Gary Payton	5	5	33.6	.321	.200	.500	3.0	4.4	1.2	0.4	4.2
Kareem Rush	5	0	15.6	.318	.250	.000	1.0	0.4	0.2	0.0	3.6
Bryon Russell	3	0	2.7	.000	.000	.000	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Luke Walton	4	0	19.3	.385	.167	1.000	3.0	4.5	1.5	0.5	3.3

Broadcast notes

The games were broadcast on ABC by Al Michaels and Doc Rivers. Brent Musburger and Dr. Jack Ramsay broadcast the Finals nationally on ESPN Radio. The finals were shown on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland. In Canada, Leafs TV and RDS (in French) simulcast ABC, and Azteca 13 broadcast the Finals in Mexico.

To promote the series, the NBA used The Black Eyed Peas' song "Let's Get It Started", which it had also used throughout the 2004 NBA Playoffs.

Aftermath

The Pistons made the Finals again in 2005, losing to the Spurs in a tough seven-game series. That season, the Pistons won 54 games and defeated the Philadelphia 76ers (5 games), Indiana Pacers (6 games) and Miami Heat (7 games) on their way back to the finals. However the Spurs, who likewise play a defensive style, would defeat them in a tough Game 7. The Pistons would continue their run of Eastern Conference superiority for 3 more years, losing in the Conference Finals each time. After a loss to the Boston Celtics in the 2007-08 season, management would finally break up the core of the team and enter a period of dormancy.

The Lakers' collapse became apparent in the days following the Finals. Head coach Phil Jackson abruptly resigned as head coach. Shaquille O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat, then Gary Payton was also traded and Karl Malone was left unsigned, then retired. The 2004-05 NBA season was a tough one for the Lakers, winning only 34 games and missed the playoffs for only the fifth time in the team's history. Jackson returned to the Lakers in the offseason; despite writing a book called The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul, in which he voiced disdain for Kobe Bryant by calling him 'uncoachable', he and Bryant would bury the hatchet once the season began. Jackson and Bryant would later produce three more NBA Finals appearances and two more NBA championships in six seasons before Jackson retired at the conclusion of the 2011 NBA Playoffs. Meanwhile, O'Neal, along with Payton and Dwyane Wade of the Heat, won the 2006 championship.

The Pistons' win was the 21st championship among the four professional sports teams in Detroit (NFL's Lions, MLB's Tigers and NHL's Red Wings). The Red Wings made it 22 upon winning the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals.

External links

• Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived December 1, 2010)