2004 NBA Finals
The 2004 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2003–04 National Basketball Association season.
This Finals was contested between the Los Angeles Lakers of the Conference and the Eastern Conference’s Detroit Pistons; the Lakers held home court edge. The series was played under a best-of-seven arrangement.
Although the Lakers, led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, were considered the favorites that were heavy, the Pistons conveniently won the series in five matches. This win marked the Pistons‘ fifth win as a franchise as well as its first title as the 1990-1991 NBA period; almost fifteen years. The show ultimately featured the perceived underdog Pistons, dominating a Lakers team composed of four potential Hall of Famers.
Pistons‘ owner William Davidson became the first owner in American sports history to win two championships in 1 calendar year; eight days earlier, the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League had won the Stanley Cup Finals in seven games over the Calgary Flames.
The Lakers had won three consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002, but lost to the eventual champions, the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Semifinals at 2003 to end their series at three. The Spurs beat the Lakers.
The Lakers made major alterations. Needing to find a point guard and a power forwards to shield against Tim Duncan and the Spurs, the Lakers signed veteran stars Gary Payton and Karl Malone for well below market value; they also expected to provide both veterans their first tournament ring. The Lakers were later considered the favorites to win the NBA title.
Throughout the regular season, after beginning the season 18–3, the Lakers were suffering from numerous injuries and stumbled to a 56–26 record to finish the season with the next 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 youthful Yao Ming, defeating the group 4-1 but then dropped the first two games in their series against the Spurs before a dramatic comeback which saw them win 4–2. [3] Subsequently , they confronted the Minnesota Timberwolves and league MVP Kevin Garnett. The Lakers won the series 4–2 to progress to the Finals. [4]
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