2004 NBA Finals - Detroit vs Los Angeles - Game 1 Best Plays

[@TopTensMedia]

This was probably the best defensive team in nba history. They were literally the cause of the ban in hand checking. That defense was so good the league the league thought it was a “turnoff” because pistons games were very low scoring. This paved the way for what we see today, lack of intense defense and a surplus in offense. This team changed the league forever.

[@razkable]

They literally held 3 playoff teams to 12 games of scoring 80 or less and 6 times under 70....teams score that now in a half

[@Westlyn80]

Hand checking was abolished in the late 90s. Only your forearm can be used. Defense = offense. Today's aau ball is only offense. This Detroit team was nice and played high pick n rolls for a long time . Those plays and Defense remind me of those 97 and 98 Utah jazz teams.

[@916Smoke]

@@razkable they were good but that 96 Bulls and the 15/16 Warriors just better. Only lost 10 or less games and won the finals.

[@greedy313g6]

Nah warriors loss that finals

[@roderickturner4454]

I have to agree youll never see defense played like this ever again in the history of the nba especially today no more defense, especially against prime kobe n shaq

[@shutterbugblues]

2004 Pistons, one of my favorite teams of all time. Their upset beatdown of a star studded Laker team was basketball ecstasy.

[@shutterbugblues]

Franklin Clinton So? What's your beef? That was still a great 7-game series. And why bring that up anyway? I'm talking about 2004 here. So many insecure morons on KZbin.

[@williamharmon6854]

elden camble was very Important because shaq couldn't out muscle him so shaq was out of postion and not directly under the rim

[@franklinclinton3207]

mtrujillo1973 no they did not stop making excuse because your team loss

[@franklinclinton3207]

mtrujillo1973 yes i was bitch now stop making fucking excused because your team loss

[@franklinclinton3207]

mtrujillo1973 i been looking at basketball since 1992

[@thomasknapp6434]

It's actually quite remarkable how the Pistons really didn't do anything special guarding Shaq. They decided he was going to get his points regardless of how many bodies they put on him, so let him do that and make life hell for everyone else on the court (especially Kobe, who it seems Brown correctly identified as a weak link to the Lakers' cohesiveness).

[@coreyortiz9913]

the only way Detroit could've contained shaq was if Ben Wallace was 7'0 or 7'2

[@NiktoonsTV]

The exact same way that Indiana beat Purdue twice this year. Coach Woodson was an assistant for this Pistons team.

[@waltercasas3124]

Lessons from his '01 Finals loss to the Lakers coaching Philly

[@inigobantok1579]

Kobe blames Shaq for being fat and lazy but Shaq was the one who maintained them to be competitive into this series

[@jakerojas4756]

Game 2 Kobe stopped the sweep

[@holzman00]

You gotta love the bewilderment of the crowd. Most people wrote the Pistons off before the series even began. Seeing their stars get shut down like this must’ve been a hard sight to see.

[@razkable]

They had the size of the 00 pacers the inside and outside defense of the 01 76rs an the controlled game managing stud pg of the 02 nets and the coaching of the 03 spurs ..la hadn't faced a complete team like that in the finals before...they realized the pistons like the spurs were not scarred of them as both teams made the 05 finals and went u games for a reason...

[@Adam-vs2in]

They were not intimidated one bit. That pistons team was fun to watch.

[@wailord07]

Getting Rasheed Wallace that year was huge! He brought swagger, an attitude and another scorer that the Pistons could rely on.

[@jakerojas5888]

His size and defense were huge

[@jossiezambrano92]

Yea I’ll never forget Atlanta for basically gift wrapping him to the Pistons... what did they get again? A first round pick and Bob Sura? 🤮

[@mistanderson]

The swagger was already there he just added more

[@lethalus3494]

Wouldn't have won it without him!

[@razkable]

@@jossiezambrano92 hawks also got chris mills cause didn't that trade include a third team I think boston who got chucky atkins plus lindsey hunter who returned to detroit like right after being bought out and the pistons got mike james...wasn't zeljko rebraca also in that trade and he went to the hawks..so the hawks got more than just sura and a pick

[@avilesnba]

Laker fan for life, but there is no saltiness about this finals loss. That Pistons team was nasty and just too savvy all around. High IQ, and they played as a team. They each had their own role, and they all could kill you in different ways.

[@razkable]

no shame in losing to one of the 2 best defenses of this era next to the 98-08 spurs

[@kclark8080]

You nailed it!

[@kennethhill613]

Were the spurs scared of the Lakers?

[@ijhdz4973]

The 03-04 Pistons are one of my favorite teams of all time, and I’m not even a Detroit fan. They all really had that blue collar identity to them.

[@dwcdwc8944]

Thanks u for this comment.

[@MisterBinx]

Yeah I'm a Blazer fan but I liked to come back and watch this team in the Finals. They are one of the best teams of the past 20 years.

[@justinterry7853]

I'm a Hornets, Wizards, Pelicans, Jazz fan and i liked the 03-04 pistons and it feels good that they beat a team that had 4 all stars on their team, its actually hilarious

[@gerdmullersgrandson6929]

@@justinterry7853 I don't know if I should call you a bandwagon cause you support 4 teams that aren't doing well

[@justinterry7853]

@@gerdmullersgrandson6929 i mean i would say I'm a loyal bandwagon almost

[@artuurs1]

back in the days when black eyed peas was the next big thing lol

[@MrDewayne]

REAL HIP HOP IS NOT ON A RADIO lol true

[@sabishiihito]

I hate that song with a passion to this day, because of how this series went.

[@MrDewayne]

sabishiihito lol

[@Kingofdukes92]

great times

[@отпирайте]

sabishiihito ninja cutting onions

[@maxgutfreund3650]

Defense, perimeter shooting, and nobody flopping or screaming AND ONE!! Wish we still had this today!

[@larrygonzalez3903]

This Pistons squad is one of the most underrated great teams in NBA history. Glad they won that chip.

[@razkable]

People forget they lost Okur and James and chose to keep the older Hunter and Elden...probably should of kept those 2 cause they were better going forward...Mcdyess for Corliss was an easy upgrade on offense...

[@Bigbaby950]

Best part was they said the pistons had a 13% chance of winning. And almost swept em

[@TheMrKobeBryant2012]

ESPN Analytics are garbage

[@MrIncredibleGuy]

They honestly should have swept them.

[@andresvm6356]

Basketball is about team effort names dont win champs thats what happend here lakers had to many names but nobody delivers,it supposed to be an easy champ for the lakers

[@andrewcrawford4635]

Yes, none of the ESPN Analysts thought the Pistons would win. One thought the Pistons were going to get swept. As a Piston fan, I didn’t care that the Lakers didn’t get swept, I was just glad we won the championship that year.

[@nuckymancini7013]

Shieeet they didnt assume injuries 4 malone & payton

[@Herbieserve]

REST IN PEACE, Kobe Bryant. Legend.

[@luthervaughn1]

Rest in peace, ball hog, and it showed when he went against a great team. No disrespect to a dead man..just sayin', teams like this exposed him for who he was. Not one of the greatest.

[@jesshinojosa9058]

Luther you’re a FOOL

[@FranklinMutibwa]

luthervaughn1 stfu mate there were chemistry issues on that team Kobe is the reason why they are in the finals but anyways we got 16 rings and Kobe contributed to 5 of them how many Detroit have??? 🤔😂.

[@BoatsNhoes824]

Franklin Mutibwa try 17 % shooting in this series lmao- he did get exposed

[@luthervaughn1]

@@FranklinMutibwa Who's "we" got 16 rings? You are an ex-ball player that played on the Lakers all those times? Shows what kind of pussy you are by saying "we". Real men don't count themselves into something they had nothing to do with, pussy.

[@AHMAD-2324]

Excellent strategy by Larry Brown. Let Shaq get off double team/frustrate Kobe and then shut everyone else down#Masterpiece

[@E3litecompany]

That pistons team is so under appreciated

[@homelessinpeckham1094]

They were the definition of an underdog team

[@217champion]

Now the raptors are trying to pull off the upset just like 04 Pistons trying to beat a team with multiple hall of fame players.

[@qwammienewsome1357]

When U look at Pistons players, er' one of the key starters & bench players could hit a wide open mid range & perimeter shot wit high accuracy, which to me was the bigger difference as well as 1-5 defending any of our Laker's players!

[@J-Hue]

@@qwammienewsome1357 That was a huge factor. 4 of the starters were threats to score from anywhere on the court. They could also all post up so they could take advantage of weak links on defense easier than most.

[@qwammienewsome1357]

@@J-Hue U are so absolutely correct!!!👍🏾

[@homelessinpeckham1094]

Detroit's defense was so good

[@razkable]

mike james and lindsey hunter as little threats on offense backup guards don't get enough credit for their defense during the 04 season especially in the playoffs as little men they pressured the ball and really wasted clock making others dribble hard up court and taking seconds away so they had less time to operate or rebound ...billups and sheed don't get enough credit either for the teams defense...ben and prince while deserving of praise didn't play by themselves....

[@realcreamofwheat7728]

It was so good the NBA outlawed it the following year.

[@TheMrKobeBryant2012]

Stern knew it's bad for ratings. Now we have a three point shooting competition in every game.

[@stevesibaja3123]

RIP The Mamba Kobe Bryant and Gianna😢😢😢😢😢

[@JohnnyTiDo]

Ahhhhh great memories of my Pistons 😁😁🏀🏀

[@arifdemiri9824]

This Pistons team have my respect.They played beatifull deffense.One of the best defensive Team of all time.

[@zhenyucheng1567]

Bring me back to the old day, When i was in my 7th grade, i mean i was a diehard laker fan , its hard to believer this Piston team can beat lakers who got Kobe, Shaq , Karl and Gary. But they did it, Larry Brown is GOAT, he built this team.Respect

[@edwardbliss8931]

This is going to happen again in 2019 when the Raptors will upset the seemingly invincible Golden State Warriors in the finals

[@riverrebel1]

You called it

[@leoadrianplaza]

Damn

[@tslomka6272]

Nice call

[@yungdirk52]

This aged well..........

[@Terror832]

Warriors were injured tho But hey congrats to the Raptors

[@DSrDavis-tq9qp]

Yep Rasheed got his revenge from the 2000 western finals, that team should've won another title.

[@razkable]

coach larry brown got revenge for the 01 finals....ironic that a fellow tar hell helped him win the title in sheed...hunter got revenge after winning with la in 02 and campbell left la in the late 90's before shaq and kobe won together so he got revenge as did ham who wasn't drafted in kobes draft ...ben wallace was their only all star that season as an undrafted player thats crazy and this was before okur rip or billups became all stars and sheed too really wasn't one at that time...

[@93rising51]

@@razkable Rasheed was an All-Star with Portland I think once or twice

[@ampmri2434]

@@razkable Exactly, they need to put Ben in the HOF.

[@GTheGenius]

Nobody gave this Detroit team a chance back in 04 but I knew that the Pistons was going to at least keep it competitive. I didn’t know they would beat the Lakers 4-1.

[@razkable]

I think people need to go back and look at the 04 pistons season....the pistons first off lost 1 home game by double digits the whole season, they lost 1 game by more than 12 and only 4 by double digits all year...next off they had 4 guys who were 3-5 time all stars 3 of whom were top lottery talents in sheed rip billups, rip who led his team to the national title as a back to back 1st team all american and back to back big east player of the year and was the final four most outstanding player, and corliss who also was a multiple time player of his conference all american most outstanding final four player and was a former college player of the year and 6th man of the year not to long ago before the title hunter was a former big time scorer okur eventually became an all star talent and prince was an all defensive team member 4 years in a row.. ..they went on a 13 game winning streak without rasheed and were 17-5 when he played for them and ended the year 20-4 but really 21-3 if you give them the W instead of a fourth L during the last game of the season where rasheed and billups rested 2 of their 3 main scorers and they lost by 9 on the road since their seeding didnt matter...thats a 72 win pace team right there...and one of those 3 legit all road losses was by 1...3 of their 5 losses were by 1 point with sheed so they possibly a 20-2 team when he played before the playoffs and after the first round a 24-3 team...thats how much better he made them...they easily could of been 69-13 if they made a few extra fts or 3's as 15 of their losses came between 1-5 points and obviously they didnt have sheed and his first 2 games they didnt have a healthy bench so he got cheated from having a instant impact winning streak when he arrived...and larry brown was a great coach...they went 33-12 with seed and easily could of been 36-9...they were greater than people expected but we should of seen it coming is my point...gp and fish looked washed that playoffs...billups abused them

[@94fleetwood49]

Nearly swept the Lakers if they should've foul Kobe instead of relying on "Defense." Kobe made 3-pointer and extended the game.

[@jakerojas5888]

@@94fleetwood49 Mad respect to Detroit. They played basketball. And let the man shoot. Fouling is what boys do

[@raideraaron5623]

The boringist nba finals was n history 🤣

[@diegocarvajal6121]

This Pistons team is so underrated. They held down a team with scoring GODS like Shaq, Kobe, and Malone to 75 points! True team defense can slow down any offense with proper strategy and the right set of players. Scoring-heavy teams are not invincible, and this series proved that.

[@skegee97edu]

The coverage was so pro Lakers, they missed some good basketball. This Pistons team was really fun to watch.

[@dougclendening5896]

It's the only NBA team I could ever watch consistently. I loved watching Chauncey think and command. The vibe was more strategic and interesting to me.

[@danhantheman]

"Ben Wallace is a Shaq-like free throw shooter" Lols

[@shermanngjazz]

Wallace is actually worse lol he's like 41-42%

[@rodneyjones547]

@@shermanngjazz and still a Hall of famer

[@rodneyjones547]

And still a hall of famer

[@shermanngjazz]

@@rodneyjones547 Is it official yet??

[@ashrampandey2506]

@@shermanngjazz no but big Ben will eventually get it done

[@Heaveaway23]

pistons had 5 blocks in the 1st quarter, man they were a terror in the paint defensively and offensively

[@mandislone5023]

Now that is basketball.

[@amaxlite]

Detriot Basketball

[@maxdurk4624]

Mandi Slone This era of the league sucked lmao

[@jordanjason794]

Max Durk you were probably born yesterday. NBA now a days suck! Everyone wants to be a super team everyone wants to shoot 100yards. Real basketball is moving the ball around breaking the defenders defense and looking for open shots.

[@ChrisHebert00]

Max Durk nah, your knowledge of basketball sucks

[@jaredpurcell3982]

It is terrible. Today's teams would blow these dudes out of the water

[@justinthomas1069]

This is awesome. As a basketball fan I hope I live to see another series where the underdog takes out a super star team. Shaq really did great in the finals!

[@thrashingjustin]

Justin Thomas cleveland took out gs. There you go

[@seanfulgham8070]

I can tell you young and dumb. Y don't you Google the ages of Payton and Malone. And good luck on seeing something similar to this. Nba/Nfl are dominated by young players so you probably won't .

[@thrashingjustin]

Sean Fulgham wasnt aware that lebron, kobe, and jordan were the most dominant when they were only young. Fact is this laker team really underachieved when detroit were the major underdogs.

[@seanfulgham8070]

+thrashingjustin Dominated by young players TODAY!!! And ok, yaw got 1 ring in. Haven't even won the East one time since. Yaw gon win it all this year right???

[@riverrebel1]

Raptors just took out GS, although they were missing 2/3 best players

[@deucewayne449]

My favorite series of all time. I was so happy when we won. The Pistons are my favorite team and I couldn't stand the Lakers. I'm from Detroit and this is my greatest basketball moment.

[@justinterry7853]

Im a Hornets, Wizards, Jazz and Pelicans fan and i take my hat off to the 2004 pistons, it feels super good that the lakers lost, i kind of almost can't stand the lakers too

[@94fleetwood49]

lol It's a bit ironic that the Lakers team today was *originally* a Detroit team, renamed "Lakers" when the team was brought to Milwaukee. They used to play out of my old high school, I was blown away.

[@ampmri2434]

Deuce Wayne Same.

[@FranklinMutibwa]

lol a great moment indeed but this ain’t happen ever again 😂

[@blahblahooooooooblah]

Pistons are my favorite team - I wish they'd get back to this!

[@seanfulgham8070]

They won't. pistons weak today.

[@manuginobilisbaldspot424]

Teamwork over talent. We got our ass kicked and this game set an ominous tone.

[@blackcapone187]

I thought this was a joke at first , and that the Lakers were merely losing for ratings, only to come back in the end ,and win it all. Knocked me off my feet, one of the top 5 greatest upsets in NBA history

[@Apo_Ni_Baby_Kupal]

Frenchy Ball this was not an upset. Despite the Pistons being underdogs coming in, games 1 and 2 showed that they were the better team.

[@swam2922]

Wasn’t really an upset if u ask me lakers had Shaq and Kobe with sum washed up stars and a mediocre bench and a whole lot of chemistry issues and they barely made it there pistons was a defensive juggernaut and moved as a team if lakers keep all there solid role players they had around them they win but if my goat Kobe ego and Shaq ego gets in the way they lose but if Shaq and Kobe have the basketball chemistry they had from 1999-2003 I feel they win

[@candicekalman6552]

Not an upset. When you win a series 4-1, it means the Detroit was the better team.

[@jakerojas4756]

​@@Apo_Ni_Baby_Kupalthey were the better team

[@henryward2092]

MAN I MISS THESE PISTONS SO MUCH!!! Hoping they get it together soon and make a strong playoff run.

[@jrucci8899]

They was out there HOOPIN that was 🔥🔥 to watch as an adult really understanding the game

[@timebombII]

I love the result, Sheed and Billups were severely underrated.

[@MeitanteiSagata]

As a Lakers fan, NGL I’m happy for the Pistons! Classic team playing D like back in the 90s. Sad that Malone and Payton couldn’t get their ring tho...

[@luisfeijoo1745]

Didnt Payton get a ring with the heat?

[@razkable]

@@luisfeijoo1745 yes

[@razkable]

@@luisfeijoo1745 I think he meant couldn't get the ring that season as planned

[@jumong2007]

Darko made the Pistons champions on his rookie year. what a legend

[@henrikntrl]

Lakers would've been more competitive in this series if Shaq was the focal point of their offense. Shaq was still same old Shaq in 04.

[@razkable]

true...3 things 1. gp and fish got owned by billups….they could not guard him didnt make jump shots or get around him and both looked washed 2. kobe was forcing it vs prince rip and hunter 3 very good defenders 3. shaq could of gotten sheed or ben in foul trouble ...would of changed the whole series...do people honestly believe okur elden or corliss had any chance at guarding shaq for more than a few plays especially if they had to be on the court longer than a few minutes a half like they got to be aka give their all before a rest?..with ben or sheed in foul trouble this series would of flipped cause that means whoever of the 2 wasn't in foul trouble couldn't stay near shaq on post ups in fear of also getting in foul trouble so that means less time on him and trust me when I say if sheed or ben weren't on shaq they would be getting him the ball every time and he would be getting fts dunks or easy kick out 3's or player cuts to the rim layups after hes doubled and easy finishes for his teammates....

[@Thiiink]

@@razkable they had a great gameplan and executed to perfection

[@stevecox7462]

Ben Wallace may not have shut down Shaq,but he made him fight for almost every basket in this finals unlike the pacers, sixers and nets in previous years.

[@razkable]

Having ben sheed elden okur corliss really helped....they had 5 bigs they could throw at him...the way the 03 spurs had duncan rose robinson and willis...

[@sabishiihito]

Shaq's defense versus the pick and roll was HORRIFIC in this series. Tex Winter called him out on it and he got butthurt.

[@DB10887]

@Jon Davis who cares what you think

[@harryarias2476]

Tayshaun prince had Kobe bean on locks damn

[@lupina29]

But they said Kobe is next to mj tho 😂

[@collinrosendall8369]

lupina29 irrelevant comment. No one said anything about mj here besides you. Be on your way.

[@AHMAD-2324]

You mean the Pistons wing defenders had Kobe on locks... One man did not do that job alone. So please stop telling that Dam lie.

[@chuboasshippo2181]

He did the same thing to t Mac to help Detroit come back 3-1 against the magic. Doc rivers’ first 3-1 collapse before 2015 😂

[@Jeremy_theGent]

I'm a Lakers fan, and this was a very humbling experience. We really had no depth, Kobe started forcing the issue too much, and the Pistons were so much more in sync as a team.

[@razkable]

No depth? You had Prime Shaq and Kobe then added 2 time mvp just 5 years prior in Karl Malone who was still playing like an all star in 2002 and solid in 2003 plus Gary Payton who was an all star in 2003 a prime Devean George and Derek fisher still plus guys who stepped up like Luke Walton Kareem Rush Rick or even Slava M....you guys had enough depth...back then nobody had an 11 man squad that deep...the Pistons 11th man was out of prime Darvin Ham for God sake and their bench was awful at scoring outside of Corliss...

[@bigdog1648]

This finals series proves that Kobe is not at the MJ level. Can you imagine MJ, teamed up with Shaq still at the end of his prime, lose to this Pistons team? No, I can't.

[@thenonsens]

Isnt mj loss to isiah piston??

[@louis18th]

That defense was nasty... I remember watching this series and hated the Pistons so much

[@dapoid2962]

Coming from a Pistons fan, I wish our current team were like that

[@prionnimcafee479]

@Jon Davis i hated Horry so fuckin much

[@J-Hue]

@Jon Davis Sheed fudged that play so bad. The call was don't double anybody and he goes to double Ginobli who They was already closing out on and the rest is history. That shot still bugs me from time to time. lol

[@Thiiink]

dude is a lebum fan lol ignore

[@johnnybravo1183]

so many fossils on that laker team Malone, Russell, and Payton? 💀💀💀

[@enocbarraza282]

I absolutely loved this!! The Pistons shocked the world! Go Suns!

[@ralphgreen8424]

2004 Pistons. I love it. #DETROITBASKETBALL

[@ampmri2434]

2004, they couldn't get passed the Laker's lol.

[@nuckymancini7013]

Then won the title in 05 & the Lakers didnt make the playoffs San Antonio had 99/03/05/07/14

[@kolthaqi7963]

04 pistons better then 05 our bench was also good spurs got smoked by lakers and look what we did to them

[@Thiiink]

@@kolthaqi7963 robert horry bro game 7

[@DragonDyce]

best finals i've seen loved every minute of it.

[@187Kdogg]

10:57 Kobe "Come on Shaq!!!!" Lol

[@abualzuaree]

lol gotta love Kobe's competitiveness

[@187Kdogg]

Yep..if he talked to Shaq that way..you can imagine how he was with Pau

[@danhantheman]

what a great leader yelling at his teammates esp shaq who is better than him

[@farhatkabir3191]

Dan Han so you're basically saying he shouldn't be calling out his teammates on their bullshit?

[@farhatkabir3191]

Robert Phillips kobe's a two way player so it's normal for him to miss more as long as he's shooting over 40%. Kobe was all defensive 1st that season and was helping them on d but shaq was strugling on easy offensive chances occasionally

[@brysonlozano7]

crazy that we didn’t have HD yet

[@ljpalorcruz1147]

This era of NBA, that final score is just a 3rd quarter score. 😂 that is why D is not much existent in today's NBA! WHAT A FINALS GAME 2004!

[@chrisnaylor013]

Daniel Barwatt Nah today game be unbearable to watch sometimes . Who wanna see a score of 150 to 153 ?

[@JayInHisPrime]

@@chrisnaylor013 that part

[@pisceandreams5893]

That piston team was the best ever!!! No one was more of a star then another and they all stayed humble and played their part in being the greatest!!! This is when basketball was special to me!! BEST TEAM EVER!!

[@dennismedina1629]

The NBA in the early 00s was the west always had the more talented teams. N the east always had the better defensive teams the nets, the pistons, the Pacers, were really great defensive teams.

[@razkable]

76ers heat celtics as well

[@rossejera1661]

Larry brown, what a coach

[@VonnieTreonday24]

Back when it wasn't that easy 2 score 100 points

[@hahahaha-ih4md]

more fun to watch than today's NBA tbh.

[@maxwellcooper2]

Detroit's underrated bench played well early in this game -- one never thinks about guys like Elden Campbell and Corlliss Williamson but they were solid here too.

[@maxwellcooper2]

Also Shaq is a straight-up beast on the offensive end here. But Detroit's defense stifles the Lakers' ball movement.

[@razkable]

teams win titles...elden and corliss didnt do much but they did enough

[@josiahcrew375]

The pistons had a really good run for about 4 or 5 years where they were prolly if not the best 2nd or 3rd best team in the nba. They also gotta gem in tayshawn prince

[@MrEazyze]

Much respect and RIP to Kobe, but he was really awful this series. Rip ran circles around him and Tayshaun put the clamps on him. Absolutely loved and had tremendous respect for this pistons squad

[@tylerdurden4]

These were the days, this was my team when I was a kid, billups, Hamilton, wallace

[@ice_man81]

Wow imagine if pistons had dwade or Carmelo instead of darko.

[@jaybird4571]

Nah.... we didn't need them.... our team was perfect.

[@osazuwaogbeide1540]

carmelo guarding horry in 2005

[@NOT_Brian]

I really miss this Pistons team. These were the glory years, at least for my generation. Cool to see Kobe in action too.. rip.

[@thebatman4484]

6:23 Phil Jackson's quick stare for some reason scared me. Damn.

[@tkinsey3]

21-19 at the end of the 1st Quarter?! Sheesh. We've come a long way in 15 years.

[@ahmediqbalelhuda3035]

One of the greatest team in nba, and ben wallace is one of the best DOY in nba history, look that draymond green hahahaha

[@walterlv01]

I know Game 1 doesn't always reflect how the series will go, but the Pistons had such an easy time with the Lakers in this one that it really did have a different feel to it. Instead of an underdog asserting themselves it seemed like maybe Detroit should have been the favorite. And as it turned out the Lakers were lucky to even win a game in this series.

[@DanielGarcia-qm7vv]

For those in Kobe vs. Jordan debate I present to you Kobe's finest foul-up. No excuse to shore up like he did in this series here. Small but notable mental separation.

[@castlewoods4753]

Jordan said Kobe will beat his ass so that itself tells you who was the real better player

[@jasonmoukala8909]

@@castlewoods4753 not at all

[@HelzHeli313]

One of the under rated best finals ever..Strait Dominated that Laker team that year hands down.. And Doc Rivers kept talking shit til the Pistons won The championship series.. 😂 Real facts thanks for uploading and reminding people..

[@mikewilliams8832]

3:17 shows how amazing shaq was physically if he got the ball more lakers would've won

[@chrisck5218]

He was fat as hell and slow in this serie, wouldn’t have changed anything

[@kennyhill9238]

The Detroit Piston have told the country hey by the way..were here too. Love that line.

[@ModernTheKing]

Detroit exposes lakers defense and notice lakers basic triangle offense due to Karl and Gary playing isolation to much

[@SoleStash87TV]

I miss this kind of rivalry 😥

[@ir10031981]

Pistons repeat 1989 in 2004, they beat the Lakers, again!

[@quinntonexecute]

One of the great teams in history. They only managed one title.. but we’re a true powerhouse to anybody who grew up in the 2000s and knew what it felt like watching those guys. You had the sense that they couldn’t lose... or that they could beat anyone. Before this series they were no names.. went on to be a power house in the nba for the next 3-5 years. Really good team.

[@razkable]

Ben rip billups corliss and sheed were not no names...

[@quinntonexecute]

@@razkable Ben was a dpoy but a non factor. Sheeed was good.. rip was a literal nobody in Washington.

[@KalingaNations]

Boy!!! look at that pistons' D, and look at shaq!!!

[@Doatello1991]

Actually Shaq played very well offensively. The Pistons shut everyone else down and Shaq eventually wore down throughout the series. Ben Wallace played great defense on Shaq and made him work for his points, but Shaq's size made him unstoppable down low.

[@KalingaNations]

+DonKrieg95 "Actually?" hhhhmmm no prob. exactly, that's what i'm implying.

[@Doatello1991]

+Ems I must have misread your comment. Sorry about that.

[@epicsauce2647]

+DonKrieg95 It was just Shaq's sheer power

[@sabishiihito]

Tex Winter called Shaq out for being lazy on D, especially on pick and rolls.

[@tonyjames1953]

Great Detroit Piston Defense! Gee, I think I've heard that before!!

[@boogiecity5411]

OMG the love of defense

[@razkable]

ben james ham were undrafted prince okur elden were late first round or 2nd round picks...of course they were a defensive team..they didnt have superstars...

[@Matthew-qx3dh]

9:25 Banger at the time… this songs still legendary

[@muhammedalbooboo9222]

Kobe's first 3 rings were against 1man teams, and when he actually played a good team like the Pistons they got EXPOSED. I love it

[@MrDweeny]

#LBJ3FinalsMVPs #FuckStephCurryAndKD Kobe also played in the west and still managed to get to the finals 3 times in a row with shaq so stop

[@MrDweeny]

Slave Of Christ 3 actually 2000 they beat the pacers 2001 they beat the sixers 2002 they beat he nets I know my basketball sir

[@MrDweeny]

Slave Of Christ he still went 3 times in a row without him in 08 against the celtics 09 against the magic and 10 against the celtics bro and he only won 2/3

[@DJETtheQuietStorm]

Slave Of Christ where did you get yours? Kobe went to the finals in 08 and there was no lockout that was in 2011

[@MrDweeny]

ET3032 right fuck is dude talking about

[@akattom]

It's crazy when I was watching this live, Lakers as talented as they were with Kobe and Shaq, they had to work really hard for those points. Like every field goal was like a god damn achievement against the Pistons defense.

[@jaheimRakim]

Shaq was WAAAAAY over weight in this finals

[@danhantheman]

and still better than Kobe brick ass

[@jrthegoatsmith712]

Dan Han Shaq was also responsible for this loss. In a defensive series like this, every bucket becomes important. While Ben Wallace’s mid range jumper wasn’t spectacular, he made enough of them this series because Shaq didn’t contest them. Shaq was a powerhouse on offense, but he was absolutely lazy on defense this entire series.

[@jrthegoatsmith712]

Robert Phillips He was about 340 lbs at this point. That’s overweight for an NBA player. And even though Shaq was able to use his size to bully defenders down low, his defense became absolute trash. Shaq was a better overall player before he gained all that weight on the LA team, he was quicker on offense and better at defense.

[@94fleetwood49]

Shaq was overweight for *most of his career.* He didn't need speed anyways. As long as he was near the basket, his size is the only thing that mattered.

[@CustomFitted]

Yea he was very clearly out of shape in this Finals... Even then he was still unstoppable

[@Westlyn80]

This Detroit team was very good. The team ran pick n rolls all throughout that series. Billups even mentioned it, and they remind me of those back to back 97 n 98 finals Utah teams and the 98 pacers. If u don't believe me... look up the series vs. the bulls. Same medicine. Detroit shocked the world.

[@MisterBinx]

Rasheed got his revenge for 2000. Destroyed the Lakers.

[@razkable]

larry brown got revenge for 01 with philly...peja got revenge for 2002 in 2011 with the mavs sweeping la and the spurs got revenge for 01 02 by winning in 03 and ending the lakers aura of invincibility

[@Lakerschamps-yi2em]

And then Kobe got his revenge again on Resheed in 2010

[@aaronflowers8881]

2004 Pistons my favorite basketball team of all time.

[@jeffsmith6083]

GO PISTONS!

[@GloopSerious-nt9dv]

Sheed got Malone locked... Every single battle won in this game

[@Jonaske99]

Black Eyed Peas 'Let's Get it started' and the Detroit Pistons' championship: SO 2004. Best days of the 2000's! Hands down!

[@robstory173]

I still can't believe we beat them. Wallace & Phillips went to work

[@jaybrick8973]

Billups

[@DAxB35TxTh3r3xI5]

Pistons with the Gentleman’s Sweep... dominated the Lakers literally embarrassed them. Shaq was a beast tho. I always rooted for Big Ben to block Shaq so bad nd he did 😎

[@qwammienewsome1357]

Shaq had his way in game 1.

[@priyankgoswami27]

@@qwammienewsome1357 shaq literally scored 35% of lakers points all series, esp game 4 where he had 36 of their 80 points, only if they passed him the ball more

[@hamitsense2744]

87 75 the final score,thats a halftime score nowdays in nba

[@liangyuanbeats]

Dat hoop sound....can they bring it back?

[@NobodyTouchesJordan]

In the 2006 Playoffs, Chauncey Billups said the Pistons couldn't play defense like they used to because of the 2004/05 rule changes, and it did have a significant impact. In the shot-clock era, 11 of the 13 teams that have allowed under 86 PPG in a post-1st Round Playoff run came from 1997-2004. *Sub-86 PPG Allowed in Post-1st Round Playoff Runs* (1955-Present, Shot-Clock Era) 80.7 - 2004 Pistons (23 games) 80.7 - 2000 Heat (10 games) 81.1 - 2004 Pacers (16 games) 81.2 - 1999 Spurs (17 games) 82.4 - 1999 Hawks (9 games) 83.0 - 1999 Knicks (20 games) 83.4 - 2002 Pistons (10 games) 83.9 - 2004 Heat (13 games) 85.5 - 2000 Knicks (16 games) 85.6 - 2005 Pistons (25 games) 85.7 - 2004 Nets (11 games) 85.7 - 1997 Heat (17 games) 85.9 - 2013 Knicks (12 games) Post-2004/05 rule changes, only the 2005 Pistons and 2013 Knicks have allowed under 86 PPG in a Playoff run of any length, even if including 1st Round exit teams.

[@bam81380]

Held 4 h.o.f players to 75 points

[@ian.piepenbrock]

Shaq was crazy out of shape that year!

[@levibrown1240]

You had to feel for Kobe and Shaq. No one else literally didn't nothing at all. Was basically 5 games with those two vs the 04 Pistons haha

[@franknice187]

You had to feel for the rest of the team besides kobrick......he lost the series for LA

[@jmenesesneto]

Como era bom ver esse Pistons jogar

[@fishseafood8663]

After this finals everything changed Scores were low, Ratings were dropping and the league encouraged a less contact game after this finals The next year all the teams averaged like 8+ points per game, the star players averaged also something like 4+ point per game and more free throws also majority Increased field goal percentage

[@stephenvassello3793]

Weak ass era

[@metrot-mobile5480]

One of the greatest teams

[@penarudy66]

"" lets get it started """ ....Lakers never did

[@nuckymancini7013]

Looked staged off the RIP like last years Raptors win & Durants slip & fall etc

[@themichaelcycle9084]

Great quality thanks