2004 NBA Finals
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The 2004 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2003–04
National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
(NBA) season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. This season's NBA Finals was contested between the Western Conference playoff champion Los Angeles Lakers and the Eastern Conference playoff champion
Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...
. The Lakers held
home court advantage In team sports, the term home advantage – also called home ground, home field, home-field advantage, home court, home-court advantage, defender's advantage or home-ice advantage – describes the benefit that the home team is said to ga ...
, and the series was played under a best-of-seven format. 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 which was nearly fifteen years prior. The series ultimately featured the perceived underdog Pistons dominating a Lakers team composed of four future Hall of Famers. Pistons' owner
William Davidson William or Bill Davidson may refer to: Businessmen * Bill Davidson (businessman) (1922–2009), Michigan businessman and sports team owner ** William Davidson Institute, University of Michigan, named in honor of Bill Davidson * William Davidson ...
became the first owner in American sports history to win two championships in one calendar year; eight days earlier, his
Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...
defeated the
Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...
to win the NHL Stanley Cup Finals in seven games.


Background


Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers had won three consecutive championships from
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to 2002 but lost to the eventual champions, the
San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...
, in the Western Conference Semifinals in 2003 to end their streak at three. The Spurs beat the Lakers in 6 games. In the 2003
offseason In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of Se ...
, the Lakers made major changes with initially varying results. Needing to find a point guard and a
power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to centers. When on offense, they typically play with their ba ...
to defend against
Tim Duncan Timothy Theodore Duncan (born April 25, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "the Big Fundamental", he is widely regarded as the greatest power forward of all time and one of the greatest players in NBA histor ...
and the Spurs, the Lakers signed veteran stars
Gary Payton Gary Dwayne Payton Sr. (born July 23, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who played the point guard position. Widely considered one of the greatest point guards of all time, he is best known for his 13-year tenure with ...
and
Karl Malone Karl Anthony Malone (born July 24, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Mailman", he is considered one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history. Malone sp ...
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. Then, they faced the
Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...
and league MVP
Kevin Garnett Kevin Maurice Garnett ( ; born May 19, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player who played for 21 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed KG by his initials, and the "Big Ticket" for his emphatic dunki ...
. The Lakers won the series 4–2 to advance to the Finals.


Detroit Pistons

The Pistons won two back-to-back championships in
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and
1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...
, 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 Tayshaun Durell Prince (born February 28, 1980) is an American professional basketball executive and former player. The small forward graduated from Dominguez High School before playing college basketball for the University of Kentucky. He was ...
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 A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...
Rick Carlisle Richard Preston Carlisle ( ; born October 27, 1959) is an American basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has previously served as head coach of the Detroi ...
, who had led the Pistons to consecutive Central Division titles, 100 regular season wins, and had received the
NBA Coach of the Year Award The National Basketball Association's Coach of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1962–63 NBA season. The winner receives the Red Auerbach Trophy, which is named in honor of the head coach who le ...
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. In a three-team trade involving the Boston Celtics and
Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...
at the trade deadline, Dumars traded
Chucky Atkins Kenneth Lavon "Chucky" Atkins (born August 14, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player who played for nine different NBA teams throughout his career. Basketball career Atkins played college basketball at the University of Sout ...
, Lindsey Hunter, Bobby Sura, Željko Rebrača, and other considerations for guard Mike James and forward
Rasheed Wallace Rasheed Abdul Wallace (born September 17, 1974) is an American basketball coach and former professional player. A native of Philadelphia, Wallace played college basketball at the University of North Carolina before declaring for the draft in 199 ...
, who had been traded from the
Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...
to the Hawks and then to the Pistons at the trade deadline. They proved to be the final pieces of the championship team. Lindsey Hunter would rejoin the Pistons a week later after being waived by the Celtics and be partnered with Mike 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 The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...
4–1 but struggled against the defending conference champion
New Jersey Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...
. 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 Rasheed 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


Regular season series

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


Team rosters


Detroit Pistons


Los Angeles Lakers


Series summary

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 In team sports, the term home advantage – also called home ground, home field, home-field advantage, home court, home-court advantage, defender's advantage or home-ice advantage – describes the benefit that the home team is said to ga ...
. 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 two more teams (the 2006 and 2012 Heat, both 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 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...
, the last year
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
had the NBA's national television contract.
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
switched to a Wednesday-Friday-Sunday rotation in
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, which was used through 2003, save for Monday games in
1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
and
2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
(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 Karl Anthony Malone (born July 24, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Mailman", he is considered one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history. Malone sp ...
,
Gary Payton Gary Dwayne Payton Sr. (born July 23, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who played the point guard position. Widely considered one of the greatest point guards of all time, he is best known for his 13-year tenure with ...
, 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 The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...
there in 1996, while Malone had led the
Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...
there in
1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...
and
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
. 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 The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small p ...
( UTC−4). If the venue is located in a different time zone, the local time is also given.''


Game 1

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. 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

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 on a Lindsay Hunter three-pointer, 71–68. However, the Lakers went on a 7-0 run to regain the lead with 7:00 remaining in the fourth 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 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 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 3

In Game 3, the Pistons were on fire to start. They started the game 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

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. Karl Malone would play his last game, as a knee injury would not allow him to dress in Game 5.


Game 5

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 O'Neal, Payton, and Malone's last games in Laker uniforms. This game also marked the end of Karl Malone's third and final attempt at winning an NBA championship. He went 0–3 in the NBA Finals.


Player statistics

;Detroit Pistons , -! style="background:#FDE910;" , style="text-align:left;", , , 5 , , 5 , , 38.4 , , .509 , , .471 , , .929 , , 3.2 , , 5.2 , , 1.2 , , 0.0 , , 21.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , , 5 , , 0 , , 13.6 , , .375 , , .000 , , .500 , , 2.6 , , 1.6 , , 1.0 , , 0.6 , , 3.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , , 4 , , 0 , , 2.5 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , , 5 , , 5 , , 44.4 , , .402 , , .400 , , .853 , , 5.2 , , 4.0 , , 0.8 , , 0.0 , , 21.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , , 5 , , 0 , , 13.0 , , .294 , , .250 , , 1.000 , , 1.4 , , 0.8 , , 0.6 , , 0.4 , , 3.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , , 5 , , 0 , , 4.4 , , .500 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.8 , , 0.8 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , , 3 , , 0 , , 1.7 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.7 , , 0.0 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , , 4 , , 0 , , 9.8 , , .444 , , 1.000 , , .500 , , 1.5 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , , 5 , , 5 , , 39.2 , , .389 , , .188 , , .455 , , 6.8 , , 2.0 , , 1.8 , , 0.4 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , , 5 , , 5 , , 40.6 , , .478 , , .000 , , .294 , , 13.6 , , 1.4 , , 1.8 , , 1.0 , , 10.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , , 5 , , 5 , , 30.2 , , .453 , , .250 , , .778 , , 7.8 , , 1.4 , , 0.4 , , 1.6 , , 13.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , , 5 , , 0 , , 10.4 , , .400 , , .000 , , .900 , , 2.4 , , 0.2 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 4.2 ;Los Angeles Lakers , - , style="text-align:left;", , , 5 , , 5 , , 46.2 , , .381 , , .174 , , .920 , , 2.8 , , 4.4 , , 1.8 , , 0.6 , , 22.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , , 3 , , 0 , , 7.0 , , .167 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 2.7 , , 0.0 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 1.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , , 5 , , 0 , , 20.2 , , .306 , , .375 , , .571 , , 3.0 , , 1.8 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 6.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , , 3 , , 0 , , 10.0 , , .571 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.0 , , 2.3 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , , 5 , , 5 , , 20.8 , , .393 , , .333 , , 0.5 , , 2.8 , , 0.6 , , 1.0 , , 0.4 , , 5.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , , 4 , , 4 , , 30.5 , , .333 , , .000 , , .667 , , 7.3 , , 2.3 , , 0.3 , , 0.3 , , 5.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , , 5 , , 1 , , 14.4 , , .353 , , .000 , , .750 , , 3.6 , , 0.6 , , 0.0 , , 0.2 , , 3.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , , 5 , , 5 , , 42.6 , , .631 , , .000 , , .491 , , 10.8 , , 1.6 , , 0.4 , , 0.6 , , 26.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , , 5 , , 5 , , 33.6 , , .321 , , .200 , , .500 , , 3.0 , , 4.4 , , 1.2 , , 0.4 , , 4.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , , 5 , , 0 , , 15.6 , , .318 , , .250 , , .000 , , 1.0 , , 0.4 , , 0.2 , , 0.0 , , 3.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , , 3 , , 0 , , 2.7 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , , 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 Alan Richard Michaels (born November 12, 1944) is an American television sportscaster currently working as the play-by-play announcer for '' Thursday Night Football'' on Prime Video and in an emeritus role for NBC Sports. He has worked on n ...
and
Doc Rivers Glenn Anton "Doc" Rivers (born October 13, 1961) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After playing for Marquette Universit ...
. This was the first of two NBA Finals assignments for Michaels, better known as the voice of ''
Monday Night Football ''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, A ...
'' 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 Hubert Jude Brown (born September 25, 1933) is an American retired basketball coach and player and a current television analyst. Brown is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, the honors being separated by 26 years. Brown was inducted into the Naism ...
the following season. Brent Musburger and Jack Ramsay broadcast the Finals nationally on ESPN Radio. The finals were shown on
Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...
in the UK and Ireland. In Canada, Leafs TV and RDS (in French) simulcast ABC, and Azteca 13 broadcast the Finals in
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. To promote the series, the NBA used
The Black Eyed Peas Black Eyed Peas (also known as The Black Eyed Peas) is an American musical group consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo. The group's line-up during the height of their popularity in the 2000s featured Fergie, who replaced Kim Hi ...
' 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 heavily contested seven-game series. The 2004-2005 Pistons won 54 games and defeated the Philadelphia 76ers (5 games), Indiana Pacers (6 games) and
Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...
(7 games) on their way back to the finals. However the Spurs, who played a defensive style similar to the Pistons' would defeat the incumbent 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 Philip Douglas Jackson (born September 17, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive. A power forward, Jackson played 12 seasons in the NBA, winning NBA championships with the New York Knicks in 1970 and ...
abruptly resigned, Shaquille O'Neal was traded to the
Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...
;
Gary Payton Gary Dwayne Payton Sr. (born July 23, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who played the point guard position. Widely considered one of the greatest point guards of all time, he is best known for his 13-year tenure with ...
was dealt to the Celtics, and
Karl Malone Karl Anthony Malone (born July 24, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Mailman", he is considered one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history. Malone sp ...
was left unsigned, which subsequently resulted in Malone's retirement following the start of
2005–06 NBA season The 2005–06 NBA season was the 60th season of the National Basketball Association. The Miami Heat defeated the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals, four games to two to win their first NBA championship. Notable occurrences * A new league dres ...
. 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' 2004-2005 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. The Pistons' win was the 21st championship between the four professional sports teams in
Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
( NFL's
Lions The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus '' Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult ...
,
MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
's
Tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...
and NHL's Red Wings). Upon winning the
2008 Stanley Cup Finals The 2008 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2007–08 season, and the culmination of the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings a ...
, the Red Wings of the NHL increased this total to 22. The Pistons started the next season 4–3 before a brawl with the Indiana Pacers forced suspensions of many players on both teams.


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External links

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2004 NBA Finals Pistons vs. Lakers
at Basketball-Reference.com {{DEFAULTSORT:2004 Nba Finals National Basketball Association Finals
Finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
NBA NBA 2004 in sports in California 2004 in sports in Michigan 2004 in Detroit 2004 in Los Angeles Sports competitions in Detroit Sports competitions in Los Angeles June 2004 sports events in the United States