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)
Hall of Famers:	Pistons: Ben Wallace (2021) Chauncey Billups (2024) Lakers: Karl Malone (2010) Gary Payton (2013) Shaquille O'Neal (2016) Kobe Bryant (2020) Coaches: Larry Brown (2002) Phil Jackson (2007) Officials: Dick Bavetta (2015)
Eastern Finals: Pistons defeated Pacers, 4–2 Western Finals: Lakers defeated Timberwolves, 4–2
NBA Finals
← 2003
2005 →

The 2004 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2003–04 National Basketball Association (NBA) season and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. This season's NBA Finals was contested between the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers and the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons. The Lakers held home-court advantage, and the series was played under a best-of-seven format. It was the third meeting between the two teams in the NBA Finals, having last met in 1989, when the Pistons swept the Lakers in four games.

Although the Lakers, headed by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, were considered the heavy favorites, the Pistons handily won the series in five games. This win marked the Pistons' fifth win overall as a franchise (including two NBL championships: in 1944 and 1945 as the Fort Wayne Pistons) as well as its first NBA title since two 1989-90 NBA championship seasons; nearly fifteen years. The series ultimately featured the perceived underdog Pistons, dominating a Lakers team composed of four future Hall of Famers: Bryant, O'Neal, Karl Malone, and Gary Payton.

Pistons' owner William Davidson became the first owner in American sports history to win two championships in one calendar year; eight days earlier, the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Tampa Bay Lightning had defeated the Calgary Flames to win the Stanley Cup Finals in seven games.

This, along with 2006 and 2008, was one of the only three NBA championships of the 2000s not to be won by either the Los Angeles Lakers or San Antonio Spurs.

Background

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers had won three consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002, but lost to the eventual champion, San Antonio Spurs, in the Western Conference Semifinals in 2003 to end their streak at three. The Spurs beat the Lakers in six games.

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. They defeated 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. They then faced the Minnesota Timberwolves and league MVP 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 relevance. 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 who was 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 another major—perhaps, riskier—coaching change, firing head coach Rick Carlisle, who had led the Pistons to consecutive Central Division titles, 100 regular season wins, 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 against the Lakers, losing in five games.

In a three-team trade involving the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks 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 had been traded from the Portland Trail Blazers to the Hawks and then to the Pistons at the trade deadline. They proved to be the final pieces of the championship team. Hunter would rejoin the Pistons a week later after being waived by the Celtics and be partnered with James to create a formidable guard tandem off the bench dubbed "The Pit Bulls". 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 defending conference champion New Jersey Nets. After splitting the first four games of the series, the Nets won Game 5 in Detroit in triple overtime to take a 3–2 series lead back to New Jersey. After falling behind by 12 early in Game 6, the Pistons stormed back in the second quarter and held on for an 81-75 victory to force a seventh game. The Pistons never trailed after the midway point of the first quarter and cruised to a 90–69 win to take the series.

In the Eastern Conference Finals, a match up with the 61-win, Carlisle-led Indiana Pacers, the Pistons faltered in the final 90 seconds of Game 1, falling 78–74. In Game 2, Rasheed Wallace almost squandered a Detroit lead. With Detroit clinging to a 69–67 lead with under 30 seconds to play, Billups recovered the basketball after a Jermaine O'Neal blocked shot of Wallace. Jamaal Tinsley stripped Billups and found Reggie Miller open down the court for what appeared to be the tying lay-up. As Miller approached the basket, Tayshaun Prince ran in from the left wing and blocked Miller's lay-up as it left his fingertips. Richard Hamilton recovered the loose ball before it went out of bounds and was fouled by Tinsley. Hamilton would make three free throws in the game's final 15 seconds to seal the victory 72–67 and tie the series. The Pistons rode the momentum of Game 2, including dominant wins in Games 3 and 5, to a 4–2 series victory, advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time in 14 years.

Road to the Finals

Main article: 2004 NBA Playoffs

Los Angeles Lakers (Western Conference Champion)			Detroit Pistons (Eastern Conference Champion)
56–26 (.683) 1st Pacific, 2nd West, 4th Overall	Regular season		54–28 (.659) 2nd Central, 3rd East, 6th Overall
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 Attendance: 18,997 Referees: Leon Wood, Scott Wall, Bennett Salvatore
		Scoring by quarter: 20-26, 25-19, 22-22, 22-27
		Pts: Chauncey Billups 29 Rebs: Mehmet Okur 9 Asts: Billups, Hamilton 5 each		Pts: O'Neal, Payton 21 each Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 15 Asts: Shaquille O'Neal 8

November 18, 2003		Los Angeles Lakers 96, Detroit Pistons 106				The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Jess Kersey, Courtney Kirkland, Bill Spooner
		Scoring by quarter: 23-25, 26-29, 25-19, 22-33
		Pts: Malone, O'Neal 20 each Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 10 Asts: O'Neal, Malone, Payton 5 each		Pts: Chauncey Billups 25 Rebs: Ben Wallace 15 Asts: Chauncey Billups 8

Series summary

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

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 format was only used in the Finals; all other playoff series were 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 the first to do so at home; the previous three times this had occurred, it was done by away teams (1990 Pistons, 1991 Chicago Bulls, 2001 Lakers). This feat would later be accomplished by the 2012 Miami Heat (on their home floor) before the Finals reverted to 2-2-1-1-1 format in 2014.

This was the first Finals series to be played on a Sunday–Tuesday–Thursday rotation since 1990, the last year CBS had the NBA's national television contract. NBC switched to a Wednesday-Friday-Sunday rotation in 1991, which was used through 2003, save for Monday games in 1999 and 2000 (and a potential Tuesday game in 1999, had that Finals reached 7 games). It is also the last series to have Game 1 be played on a Sunday. Since 2005, Game 1 has been played on a Thursday each year, with the exceptions of 2011 and 2012, when it was played on a Tuesday.

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, the Michael Jordan-led Chicago 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). If the venue is located in a different time zone, the local time is also given.

Game 1

Game 1	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Total
Pistons	22	18	24	23	87
Lakers	19	22	17	17	75

June 6 9:00 pm	Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived March 21, 2010)	Detroit Pistons 87, Los Angeles Lakers 75				Staples Center, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 18,997 Referees: No. 17 Joe Crawford No. 26 Bob Delaney No. 7 Bernie Fryer	ABC
		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 leads series, 1–0

Considered to be a stunning upset by most of the NBA world, the Pistons managed to defeat the Lakers with imposing defense. Defensively clamping down on everyone, but Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, the Pistons managed to hold everyone else to a total of 16 points. O'Neal recorded 34 points and 11 rebounds for the Lakers.

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. The Pistons outscored the Lakers 47 to 34 in the 2nd half as they got the road win in Los Angeles. Chauncey Billups recorded 22 points, 4 assists and 3 steals to fuel his team towards the win.

Game 2

Game 1	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	OT	Total
Pistons	16	20	30	23	2	91
Lakers	18	26	24	21	10	99

June 8 9:00 pm	Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived March 21, 2010)	Detroit Pistons 91, Los Angeles Lakers 99 (OT)				Staples Center, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 18,997 Referees: No. 15 Bennett Salvatore No. 14 Joe DeRosa No. 29 Steve Javie	ABC
		Scoring by quarter: 16–18, 20-26, 30–24, 23–21, OT: 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

In Game 2, the Lakers had an 8-point lead at halftime, 44-36. However, in the third quarter, the Pistons scored 30 points, cutting the deficit to 68–66. Detroit took the lead via Lindsay Hunter's 3-pointer, 71-68. However, the Lakers used a 7-0 run to regain the lead with 7:00 remaining in the 4th quarter. With 47 seconds remaining, Ben Wallace made a putback to give the Pistons a 6-point advantage. The next play, Kobe Bryant missed a 3-pointer, but Shaquille O'Neal was there to grab the offensive board and made an and-1 to cut the deficit to 3. The Pistons led by three points with 10.9 seconds remaining in the final period. Coach Larry 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'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, Chauncey Billups told the Pistons' players and coaches, "We're not coming back to L.A."

Game 3

Game 1	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Total
Lakers	16	16	19	17	66
Pistons	24	15	24	25	88

June 10 9:00 pm	Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived March 21, 2010)	Los Angeles Lakers 68, Detroit Pistons 88				The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Referees: No. 10 Ron Garretson No. 43 Dan Crawford No. 24 Mike Callahan	ABC
		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 leads series, 2–1

In Game 3, the Pistons were on fire to start. They started the 1st quarter on a 10-2 run. At halftime, The Pistons led by seven, 39-32. The Pistons beat Los Angeles by 20 in their first NBA Finals appearance together at The Palace of Auburn Hills since 1990 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. Tayshaun Prince and the Pistons' defense were able to hold Kobe Bryant to 11 points on 4/13 (.308%) shooting, with Bryant going scoreless in the first half.

Game 4

Game 1	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Total
Lakers	22	17	17	24	80
Pistons	21	20	15	32	88

June 13 9:00 pm	Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived March 21, 2010)	Los Angeles Lakers 80, Detroit Pistons 88				The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Referees: No. 35 Jack Nies No. 27 Dick Bavetta No. 32 Eddie F. Rush	ABC
		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 leads series, 3–1

Again, the Pistons defeated the Lakers, although this time by eight, to take a 3–1 series advantage. Shaquille O'Neal scored 36 for the Lakers and Kobe Bryant scored 20, but shot 32 percent from the field. Karl Malone would play his last game, as a knee injury would not allow him to dress in Game 5.

Game 5

Game 1	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Total
Lakers	24	21	14	28	87
Pistons	25	30	27	18	100

June 15 9:00 pm	Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived March 21, 2010)	Los Angeles Lakers 87, Detroit Pistons 100				The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Referees: No. 17 Joe Crawford No. 7 Bernie Fryer No. 15 Bennett Salvatore	ABC
		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

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 Pistons' 100 points was the first (and only) time either team scored triple digits in the series. The game saw the end of Phil Jackson's first run as the coach—he returned in the 2005–06 season—and saw Shaquille O'Neal, Gary Payton, and Karl Malone's last games in Laker uniforms.

This game also marked the end of Malone's third and final attempt at winning an NBA championship. He went 0–3 in the NBA Finals.

Rosters

Template:Detroit Pistons 2003–04 season roster Template:Los Angeles Lakers 2003–04 season roster

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 statistics

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Billups, ChaunceyChauncey Billups	5	5	38.4	.509	.471	.929	3.2	5.2	1.2	0.0	21.0
Campbell, EldenElden Campbell	5	0	13.6	.375	.000	.500	2.6	1.6	1.0	0.6	3.4
Ham, DarvinDarvin Ham	4	0	2.5	1.000	.000	.000	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5
Hamilton, RichardRichard Hamilton	5	5	44.4	.402	.400	.853	5.2	4.0	0.8	0.0	21.4
Hunter, LindseyLindsey Hunter	5	0	13.0	.294	.250	1.000	1.4	0.8	0.6	0.4	3.6
James, MikeMike James	5	0	4.4	.500	.000	.000	0.8	0.8	0.0	0.0	0.8
Miličić, DarkoDarko Miličić	3	0	1.7	.000	.000	.000	0.7	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0
Okur, MehmetMehmet Okur	4	0	9.8	.444	1.000	.500	1.5	0.5	0.0	0.0	2.8
Prince, TayshaunTayshaun Prince	5	5	39.2	.389	.188	.455	6.8	2.0	1.8	0.4	10.0
Wallace, BenBen Wallace	5	5	40.6	.478	.000	.294	13.6	1.4	1.8	1.0	10.8
Wallace, RasheedRasheed Wallace	5	5	30.2	.453	.250	.778	7.8	1.4	0.4	1.6	13.0
Williamson, CorlissCorliss Williamson	5	0	10.4	.400	.000	.900	2.4	0.2	0.0	0.0	4.2

Los Angeles Lakers statistics

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Bryant, KobeKobe Bryant	5	5	46.2	.381	.174	.920	2.8	4.4	1.8	0.6	22.6
Cook, BrianBrian Cook	3	0	7.0	.167	.000	1.000	2.7	0.0	0.3	0.0	1.3
Fisher, DerekDerek Fisher	5	0	20.2	.306	.375	.571	3.0	1.8	1.0	0.0	6.4
Fox, RickRick Fox	3	0	10.0	.571	.000	.000	1.0	2.3	0.0	0.0	2.7
George, DeveanDevean George	5	5	20.8	.393	.333	0.5	2.8	0.6	1.0	0.4	5.8
Malone, KarlKarl Malone	4	4	30.5	.333	.000	.667	7.3	2.3	0.3	0.3	5.0
Medvedenko, SlavaSlava Medvedenko	5	1	14.4	.353	.000	.750	3.6	0.6	0.0	0.2	3.6
O'Neal, ShaquilleShaquille O'Neal	5	5	42.6	.631	.000	.491	10.8	1.6	0.4	0.6	26.6
Payton, GaryGary Payton	5	5	33.6	.321	.200	.500	3.0	4.4	1.2	0.4	4.2
Rush, KareemKareem Rush	5	0	15.6	.318	.250	.000	1.0	0.4	0.2	0.0	3.6
Russell, BryonBryon Russell	3	0	2.7	.000	.000	.000	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Walton, LukeLuke 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. This was the first of two NBA Finals assignments for Michaels, better known as the voice of Monday Night Football at the time, while Rivers departed the booth after the series to become head coach of the Boston Celtics. Rivers was replaced by Hubie Brown the following season.

Brent Musburger and 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 San Antonio Spurs in a heavily contested seven-game series. The 2004–05 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 played a defensive style similar to the Pistons' would defeat the defending champions in a tough fought Game 7. The Pistons would continue their run of Eastern Conference superiority in the ensuing three years; losing in the Conference Finals each time. After a particularly painful loss to the eventual champion Boston Celtics in the 2007–08 season, management would finally break up the core of the team and enter a period of losing seasons.

The Lakers' collapse became apparent in the days following the Finals. Head coach Phil Jackson abruptly resigned, Shaquille O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat; Gary Payton was dealt to the Celtics, and Karl Malone was left unsigned, which subsequently resulted in Malone's retirement following the start of 2005–06 NBA season. The following 2004–05 NBA season was a tough one for the Lakers. Winning a mere 34 games and missing the playoffs for only the fifth time in the team's history, the Lakers' 2004–05 season was wholly forgettable. Jackson returned to the Lakers in the following offseason; despite penning a book dubiously entitled: The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul, in which he voiced disdain for Kobe Bryant; calling him 'uncoachable'. Jackson and Bryant would quickly bury the hatchet once the season began; the duo, in the ensuing years would appear in three more NBA Finals; claiming two victories during those appearances.

Preceded by 2003

NBA Finals 2004

Succeeded by 2005