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 Eastern Conference’s Detroit Pistons and the Los Angeles Lakers of the Western Conference; home court edge was held by the Lakers. The series was performed under a best-of-seven arrangement.
Though the Lakers, headed by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, were considered the favorites that were heavy, the Pistons handily won the series in five games. This win marked the Pistons’ fifth triumph as its first title as the 1990-1991 NBA period fifteen decades in addition to a franchise. The series finally featured the perceived underdog Pistons, controlling a Lakers team composed of four Hall of Famers.
Pistons’ owner William Davidson became the first owner in American sport 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 finish their series at three. The Spurs beat the Lakers in 6 games.
From the 2003 offseason, the Lakers made alterations. Hoping 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 under market value; they also hoped 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 starting the year 18–3, the Lakers were afflicted by numerous injuries and stumbled into a 56–26 record to complete the season with the second seed in the Western Convention.
The Lakers breezed beyond their ancestral competition, the Houston Rockets, headlining a matchup between Shaquille O’Neal and a youthful Yao Ming, defeating the squad 4-1 but then lost the first two matches in their series against the Spurs prior to a dramatic comeback which saw them win 4–two. [3] Then, they faced league MVP Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Lakers won the series 4–2. [4]

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