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 Convention and the Detroit Pistons of the Eastern Conference; home court advantage was held by the Lakers. The show was played under a best-of-seven format.
Though 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 games. This win marked the Pistons‘ fifth triumph as its first name since the 1990-1991 NBA season; almost fifteen years as well as a franchise. The series featured the perceived underdog Pistons, dominating a Lakers team composed of four future 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 before, 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 finish their streak at three. The Spurs beat the Lakers in 6 matches.
From the 2003 offseason, the Lakers made changes, with originally consequences. Hoping to discover a point guard and a power forwards 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 expected to give both veterans their first tournament ring. The Lakers were considered the favorites to win the NBA title.
Throughout the regular season, after beginning the season 18–3, the Lakers were suffering from numerous traumas and stumbled to some 56–26 record to complete the season with the second seed in the Western Conference.
The Lakers breezed past their first-round competition, the Houston Rockets, headlining a matchup between Shaquille O’Neal and a young Yao Ming, defeating the group 4-1 but then lost the first two matches in their series against the Spurs prior to a dramatic comeback that saw them triumph 4–2. [3] Subsequently they faced league MVP Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Lakers won the series 4–two to advance to the Finals. [4]
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