The

2003–04 NBA season The 2003–04 NBA season was the 58th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The season ended with the Detroit Pistons defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 4–1 in the 2004 NBA Finals. The 2003–04 NBA season was the culmination of ...

was the 63rd season for the Pistons, the 56th in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

, and the 47th in the

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

area. Despite a solid year the previous season, the Pistons received the second overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft, which they obtained from the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...

. They selected Darko Miličić as their top pick but only used him as a reserve, as he played limited minutes off the bench; he would later be regarded as one of the most suboptimal picks in the history of the

NBA draft The NBA draft is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) annual event, dating back to 1947 BAA draft, 1947, in which the teams in the league can Draft (sports), draft players who declare for the draft and that are Eligibility for the NBA dr ...

. After their first trip to the Conference Finals since

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

, the Pistons hired Larry Brown as head coach. Under Brown, the Pistons were once again a tough defensive team, as they went on a 13-game winning streak between December and January. However, after a solid 33–16 start, they struggled in February, losing six straight games. At midseason, the team acquired All-Star 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 for the North Carolina Tar Heels before declaring for the draft in 1995. ...

from the

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 Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

after playing just one game for them. With the addition of Wallace, the Pistons won 16 of their final 19 games, finishing second in the Central Division with a 54–28 record. Ben Wallace was selected for the

2004 NBA All-Star Game The 2004 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game which was played on February 15, 2004, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, home of the Lakers and Clippers. This game was the 53rd edition of the North American National Basketball ...

. The Pistons went on to win the NBA Championship for the third time in franchise history, with Miličić being the youngest player to win said championship. In the first round of the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

, the Pistons defeated 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 Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

in five games despite losing Game 2 at home. In the semifinals, they faced the

New Jersey Nets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

who swept them in the Eastern Conference Finals in the previous year. The Pistons would win the first two games at home, but the Nets would put up a fight against the Pistons by winning 3 straight games to take a 3–2 series lead, which included a triple overtime win in Game 5 at The Palace. However, with the Pistons facing elimination, the Pistons were digging an early hole in Game 6, but the Pistons were able to erase a 13–2 deficit and never trailed for the remainder of the game as they would refuse to relinquish the lead to the Nets and win Game 6 81–75. In Game 7, the Pistons stingy defense held

Jason Kidd Jason Frederick Kidd (born March 23, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the List of current NBA head coaches, head coach for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regar ...

to 0 points to defeat the Nets 90–69 to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they defeated the top-seeded

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

in a defensive six game series to earn their first appearance in the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

since

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

. In the Finals, the Pistons would pull off one of the greatest upsets in NBA history by defeating the heavily favored

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

four games to one, winning their third overall championship and first since

. Chauncey Billups was named Finals MVP. The 2004 Pistons are one of only three teams in history (the 1951 Rochester Royals and the 1979 Seattle Supersonics being the other) to win an NBA title without a single player named to the

NBA 75th Anniversary Team The NBA 75th Anniversary Team, also referred to as the NBA 75, was chosen in 2021 to honor the 75th anniversary of the founding of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was the fourth and most recent anniversary team in the league. S ...

Draft picks

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

, -style="background:#fcc;" , 1 , October 29 ,

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, , Wallace,

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

(16) , Ben Wallace (17) , Chauncey Billups (7) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 0–1 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 2 , October 31 , @

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, , Chauncey Billups (27) , Ben Wallace (15) , Tayshaun Prince (5) , American Airlines Arena
15,825 , 1–1 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 3 , November 1 , @

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

, , Richard Hamilton (20) , Ben Wallace (17) , Chauncey Billups (4) , TD Waterhouse Centre
14,588 , 2–1 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 4 , November 5 ,

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, , Chauncey Billups (27) , Ben Wallace (13) , Chauncey Billups (6) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
17,376 , 3–1 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 5 , November 7 ,

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, , Chauncey Billups (27) , Ben Wallace (15) , Chauncey Billups (7) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
20,204 , 4–1 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 6 , November 9 ,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, , Richard Hamilton (24) , Ben Wallace (11) , Chauncey Billups (7) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
20,664 , 5–1 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 7 , November 11 , @

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

, , Richard Hamilton (19) ,

Mehmet Okur Mehmet Murat Okur (born 26 May 1979) is a Turkish former professional basketball player. Listed at , he played as a power forward and center. Okur is known for his three-point shooting and ability to space the floor. In his seven seasons with t ...

(9) , Hamilton, Billups (3) , ARCO Arena
17,317 , 5–2 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 8 , November 12 , @ Golden State , , Chauncey Billups (19) , Ben Wallace (11) , Chauncey Billups (12) , The Arena in Oakland
14,382 , 5–3 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 9 , November 14 , @ L.A. Lakers , , Chauncey Billups (29) , Mehmet Okur (9) , Billups, Hamilton (5) ,

Staples Center Crypto.com Arena (originally and colloquially known as Staples Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in downtown Los Angeles. Opened on October 17, 1999, as Staples Center, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along F ...

18,997 , 5–4 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 10 , November 15 , @ Phoenix , , Richard Hamilton (27) , Ben Wallace (16) , Tayshaun Prince (5) , America West Arena
15,681 , 6–4 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 11 , November 18 , L.A. Lakers , , Chauncey Billups (25) , Ben Wallace (15) , Chauncey Billups (8) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 7–4 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 12 , November 19 , @ Memphis , , Chauncey Billups (33) , Mehmet Okur (9) , Tayshaun Prince (6) , Pyramid Arena
13,340 , 8–4 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 13 , November 21 , New York , , Chauncey Billups (23) , B. Wallace, Okur (9) , Chauncey Billups (3) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 9–4 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 14 , November 23 ,

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, , Prince, Hamilton (13) , Mehmet Okur (18) , Chauncey Billups (9) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 9–5 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 15 , November 24 , @

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, , Chauncey Billups (24) , Ben Wallace (15) , Billups,

Sura A ''surah'' (; ; ) is an Arabic word meaning 'chapter' in the Quran. There are 114 ''suwar'' in the Quran, each divided into verses (). The ''suwar'' are of unequal length; the shortest ''surah'' ( al-Kawthar) has only three verses, while the ...

(4) ,

Philips Arena State Farm Arena is a Multi-purpose stadium, multi-purpose arena located in Atlanta, Georgia. The arena serves as the home venue for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It also served as home to the Atlanta Thrasher ...

18,255 , 10–5 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 16 , November 26 , @

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, , Richard Hamilton (19) , Ben Wallace (8) , Richard Hamilton (6) , Wachovia Center
20,512 , 10–6 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 17 , November 28 ,

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, , Richard Hamilton (44) , Ben Wallace (15) , Tayshaun Prince (7) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 11–6 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 18 , November 29 , @ Washington , , Richard Hamilton (25) , Ben Wallace (11) , Chauncey Billups (6) ,

MCI Center Capital One Arena is an indoor arena in Washington, D.C. Located in the Chinatown section of the larger Penn Quarter neighborhood, the arena sits atop the Gallery Place rapid transit station of the Washington Metro. The arena was opened on D ...

16,853 , 12–6 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 19 , December 1 , @ New York , , Chauncey Billups (24) , Ben Wallace (14) , Richard Hamilton (6) ,

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

17,082 , 13–6 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 20 , December 3 ,

, , Richard Hamilton (18) , Ben Wallace (21) , B. Wallace, Billups,

(3) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
17,703 , 14–6 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 21 , December 6 , @

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, , Richard Hamilton (17) , Ben Wallace (10) , Chauncey Billups (4) , Toyota Center
18,144 , 14–7 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 22 , December 9 ,

, , Chauncey Billups (29) , Ben Wallace (9) , Richard Hamilton (5) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
20,166 , 14–8 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 23 , December 11 , @

, , Richard Hamilton (19) , Ben Wallace (9) , Richard Hamiton (8) , Gund Arena
15,115 , 14–9 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 24 , December 12 ,

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, , Ben Wallace (14) , Ben Wallace (11) , Chauncey Billups (6) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
20,244 , 14–10 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 25 , December 17 ,

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, , Richaed Hamilton (20) , Ben Wallace (15) , Prince, Hamilton, Atkins (5) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
17,041 , 15–10 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 26 , December 19 , @

, , Chauncey Billups (13) , Ben Wallace (11) , Chauncey Billups (3) , Conseco Fieldhouse
16,383 , 15–11 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 27 , December 21 ,

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, , Chauncey Billups (19) , Ben Wallace (13) , Chauncey Billups (6) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 16–11 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 28 , December 23 , @

, , Richard Hamilton (17) , Ben Wallace (20) , Hamilton, Billups (4) , Bradley Center
15,081 , 16–12 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 29 , December 26 ,

, , Richard Hamilton (20) , Ben Wallace (18) , Ben Wallace (5) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 16–13 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 30 , December 27 , @

, , Richard Hamilton (28) , Ben Wallace (10) , Chauncey Billups (4) ,

19,445 , 17–13 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 31 , December 29 ,

, , Chauncey Billups (31) , Ben Wallace (18) , Richard Hamilton (7) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 18–13 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 32 , December 31 , Portland , , Chauncey Billups (22) , Ben Wallace (15) , Chauncey Billups (7) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
20,458 , 19–13 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 33 , January 2 , Phoenix , , Richard Hamilton (26) , Ben Wallace (22) , Hamilton, Billups (6) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 20–13 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 34 , January 3 , Golden State , , Tayshaun Prince (20) , Tayshaun Prince (9) , Chauncey Billups (10) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
20,719 , 21–13 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 35 , January 5 , @

, , Richard Hamilton (15) , Ben Wallace (16) , Ben Wallace (5) , FleetCenter
13,015 , 22–13 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 36 , January 7 ,

, , Richard Hamilton (16) , Ben Wallace (15) , Chauncey Billups (5) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
19,111 , 23–13 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 37 , January 11 ,

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, , Chauncey Billups (27) , Ben Wallace (13) , Prince, Billups (5) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 24–13 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 38 , January 13 , @

, , Richard Hamilton (24) , Ben Wallace (17) , Prince, Billups (7) ,

United Center The United Center is an indoor arena on the Near West Side, Chicago, Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is home to the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL) ...

17,295 , 25–13 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 39 , January 14 ,

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, , Hamilton, Okur (27) , Mehmet Okur (14) , Chauncey Billups (6) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
18,473 , 26–13 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 40 , January 16 , Washington , , Richard Hamilton (17) , Mehmet Okur (9) , Chauncey Bullups (10) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
20,539 , 27–13 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 41 , January 17 , @

, , Chauncey Billups (26) , Ben Wallace (11) , Chaucney Billups (6) , Bradley Center
18,717 , 28–13 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 42 , January 19 ,

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

, , Chauncey Billups (18) , Ben Wallace (16) , Richard Hamilton (6) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 29–13 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 43 , January 20 , @

, , Richard Hamilton (15) , Ben Wallace (10) , Chucky Atkins (4) , Conseco Fieldhouse
15,848 , 29–14 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 44 , January 23 , @

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, , Mehmet Okur (21) , B. Wallace, Hamilton (10) , Chucky Atkins (5) ,

Target Center Target Center is a multi-purpose arena located in Minneapolis that opened in 1990. It hosts major family shows, concerts, sporting events, graduations and private events. Target Corporation, founded and headquartered in Minneapolis since 1902, h ...

19,006 , 29–15 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 45 , January 25 ,

, , Ben Wallace (14) , Ben Wallace (15) , Ben Wallace (5) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 29–16 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 46 , January 28 , @ Boston , , Billups, Okur (21) , Ben Wallace (15) , B. Wallace, Atkins (4) , FleetCenter
14,042 , 30–16 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 47 , January 30 , @ Toronto , , Richard Hamilton (28) , Ben Wallace (18) , Chauncey Billups (4) , Air Canada Centre
19,555 , 31–16 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 48 , January 31 , Memphis , , Richard Hamilton (20) , Ben Wallace (13) , Chauncey Billups (5) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 32–16 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 49 , February 2 , @

, , Tayshaun Prince (24) , Ben Wallace (12) , Richard Hamilton (7) , American Airlines Arena
15,438 , 33–16 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 50 , February 3 ,

, , Chauncey Billups (19) , Ben Wallace (17) , Chauncey Billups (5) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 33–17 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 51 , February 6 , @

, , Ben Wallace (14) , Ben Wallace (13) , Richard Hamilton (5) , New Orleans Arena
14,016 , 33–18 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 52 , February 7 , @

, , Chauncey Billups (17) , Ben Wallace (8) , Richard Hamilton (6) ,

American Airlines Center The American Airlines Center (AAC) is a multi-purpose List of indoor arenas, indoor arena located in the Victory Park, Dallas, Victory Park neighborhood in downtown Dallas, Texas. The arena serves as the home of the Dallas Stars of the National ...

20,357 , 33–19 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 53 , February 10 , @

, , Chauncey Billups (23) , Ben Wallace (12) , Chauncey Billups (5) ,

Continental Airlines Arena Meadowlands Arena (formerly Brendan Byrne Arena, Continental Airlines Arena and Izod Center) is a closed indoor sports and concert venue located in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. Since closing, ...

13,781 , 33–20 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 54 , February 11 ,

, , Richard Hamilton (27) , Ben Wallace (19) , Chauncey Billups (7) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 33–21 , - align="center" , colspan="9" bgcolor="#bbcaff", All-Star Break , -style="background:#fcc;" , 55 , February 17 , @ New York , , Chauncey Billups (26) , Ben Wallace (13) , Okur,

(3) ,

19,763 , 33–22 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 56 , February 18 ,

, , Richard Hamilton (23) , Ben Wallace (15) , Chauncey Billups (7) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 34–22 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 57 , February 20 ,

, , Richard Hamilton (24) , Ben Wallace (12) , Chauncey Billups (11) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 34–23 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 58 , February 22 ,

, , Richard Hamilton (23) , Ben Wallace (13) , Chauncey Billups (8) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 34–24 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 59 , February 23 , @

, , Richard Hamilton (15) , Ben Wallace (13) , Chauncey Billups (4) , Wachovia Center
19,972 , 35–24 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 60 , February 25 , @

, , Richard Hamilton (21) , Ben Wallace (8) , Billips, Hamilton (6) ,

19,814 , 36–24 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 61 , February 27 ,

, , Billups, Hamilton (20) , Ben Wallace (15) , Chauncey Billups (8) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 37–24 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 62 , February 29 , @ L.A. Clippers , , Chauncey Billups (28) , Ben Wallace (13) , Chauncey Billups (7) ,

18,775 , 38–24 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 63 , March 1 , @

, ,

(27) , Ben Wallace (16) , Billups,

(3) , Delta Center
19,911 , 38–25 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 64 , March 4 , @ Portland , , Chauncey Billups (16) , Ben Wallace (19) , Tayshaun Prince (6) ,

Rose Garden A rose garden or rosarium is a garden or park, often open to the public, used to present and grow various types of garden roses, and sometimes rose species. Designs vary tremendously and roses may be displayed alongside other plants or grouped ...

20,243 , 39–25 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 65 , March 6 , @

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, , Rasheed Wallace (20) , Rasheed Wallace (10) , Chauncey Billups (13) ,

Pepsi Center Ball Arena (formerly known as the Pepsi Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Denver, Colorado, United States. It is situated at Speer Boulevard, a main thoroughfare in downtown Denver, and is served by two nearby exits off Int ...

19,681 , 40–25 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 66 , March 7 , @

, , Rasheed Wallace (18) , Ben Wallace (13) , Mike James (6) , KeyArena
14,739 , 41–25 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 67 , March 10 ,

, , Chauncey Billups (19) , Ben Wallace (9) , Hamilton, Billups, James (6) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 42–25 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 68 , March 14 ,

, , Rasheed Wallace (14) , Rasheed Wallace (8) , Chauncey Billups (9) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 43–25 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 69 , March 18 , @

, , Chauncey Billups (20) , Richard Hamilton (9) , Chauncey Billups (8) ,

14,799 , 44–25 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 70 , March 19 , Denver , , R. Wallace, Hamilton (20) , Ben Wallace (9) , Chauncey Billups (12) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 45–25 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 71 , March 21 , @

, , Chauncey Billups (18) , Ben Wallace (10) , Chauncey Billups (6) , Gund Arena
20,562 , 46–25 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 72 , March 23 , @

, , Richard Hamilton (17) , Ben Wallace (15) , Chauncey Billups (7) , New Orleans Arena
14,377 , 46–26 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 73 , March 25 , @

, , Rasheed Wallace (17) , Rasheed Wallace (14) , Hamilton,

Hunter Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, ...

(5) , SBC Center
17,695 , 46–27 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 74 , March 27 , New York , , Tayshaun Prince (20) , Ben Wallace (12) , Chauncey Billups (13) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 47–27 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 75 , March 31 , L.A. Clippers , , Richard Hamilton (28) , Ben Wallace (8) , Mike James (8) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 48–27 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 76 , April 2 ,

, , Chauncey Billups (31) , Ben Wallace (8) , Chauncey Billups (7) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 49–27 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 77 , April 4 ,

, , Richard Hamilton (24) , Ben Wallace (11) , Chauncey Billups (7) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 50–27 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 78 , April 6 ,

, ,

(17) , Rasheed Wallace (11) , Mike James (9) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 51–27 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 79 , April 9 ,

, , Richard Hamilton (20) , Ben Wallace (16) , Lindsey Hunter (6) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 52–27 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 80 , April 10 , @ Orlando , , Tayshaun Prince (25) , Williamson, Miličić (6) , Mike James (8) , TD Waterhouse Centre
15,571 , 53–27 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 81 , April 12 , Washington , , Richard Hamilton (24) , Ben Wallace (12) , Richard Hamilton (12) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 54–27 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 82 , April 13 , @ Toronto , , Tayshaun Prince (21) , Ben Wallace (7) , Richard Hamilton (10) , Air Canada Centre
18,273 , 54–28

Playoffs

, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , April 18 ,

W 108–82
, Richard Hamilton (21) , Ben Wallace (14) , Richard Hamilton (8) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 2 , April 21 ,

L 88–92
, Chauncey Billups (20) , Ben Wallace (12) , Chauncey Billups (8) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 1–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , April 24 , @

W 95–85
, Chauncey Billups (21) , Ben Wallace (21) , Chauncey Billups (7) , Bradley Center
18,717 , 2–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 4 , April 26 , @

W 109–92
, Richard Hamilton (27) , B. Wallace, R. Wallace (9) , Chauncey Billups (9) , Bradley Center
17,316 , 3–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , April 29 ,

W 91–77
, Tayshaun Prince (24) , Ben Wallace (12) , Tayshaun Prince (8) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 4–1 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , May 3 ,

W 78–56
,

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

(15) , Ben Wallace (11) , Richard Hamilton (7) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , May 7 ,

W 95–80
, Billups,

(28) , Ben Wallace (11) , Chauncey Billups (13) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 2–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 3 , May 9 , @

L 64–82
,

, B. Wallace (15) , Ben Wallace (24) , Ben Wallace (4) ,

19,000 , 2–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 4 , May 11 , @

L 79–94
, Richard Hamilton (30) , Ben Wallace (15) , Chauncey Billups (5) ,

19,860 , 2–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 5 , May 14 ,

L 120–127 (3OT)
, Chauncey Billups (31) , Ben Wallace (11) , Richard Hamilton (11) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 2–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 6 , May 16 , @

W 81–75
, Richard Hamilton (24) , Ben Wallace (20) , Richard Hamilton (4) ,

19,968 , 3–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 7 , May 20 ,

W 90–69
, Chauncey Billups (22) , Ben Wallace (8) , Chauncey Billups (7) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 4–3 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 1 , May 22 , @

L 74–78
, Richard Hamilton (23) , Ben Wallace (22) , Ben Wallace (5) , Conseco Fieldhouse
18,345 , 0–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , May 24 , @

W 72–67
, Richard Hamilton (23) , three players tied (8) , Chauncey Billups (6) , Conseco Fieldhouse
18,345 , 1–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , May 26 ,

W 85–78
,

, R. Wallace (20) , Ben Wallace (16) , Chauncey Billups (8) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 2–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 4 , May 28 ,

L 68–83
, Richard Hamilton (22) , Ben Wallace (19) , Chauncey Billups (5) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 2–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , May 30 , @

W 83–65
, Richard Hamilton (33) , Ben Wallace (12) , Chauncey Billups (7) , Conseco Fieldhouse
18,345 , 3–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 6 , June 1 ,

W 69–65
, Richard Hamilton (21) , Ben Wallace (16) , Richard Hamilton (5) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 4–2 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , June 6 , @ L.A. Lakers
W 87–75
, Chauncey Billups (22) , B. Wallace, R. Wallace (8) , Richard Hamilton (5) ,

18,997 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 2 , June 8 , @ L.A. Lakers
L 91–99 (OT)
, Chauncey Billups (27) , Ben Wallace (14) , Chauncey Billups (9) ,

18,997 , 1–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , June 10 , L.A. Lakers
W 88–68
, Richard Hamilton (31) , Ben Wallace (11) , three players tied (3) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 2–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 4 , June 13 , L.A. Lakers
W 88–80
,

(26) , B. Wallace, R. Wallace (13) , Richard Hamilton (6) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 3–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , June 15 , L.A. Lakers
W 100–87
, Richard Hamilton (21) , Ben Wallace (22) , Chauncey Billups (6) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 4–1 , -

NBA Finals

Series summary

(OT) denotes a game that required

overtime Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society) ...

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. This was only used in the Finals, all other playoff series are held in a 2–2–1–1–1 format (the team with home court advantage starts).

Aspects

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 spen ...

Gary Payton Gary Dwayne Payton Sr. (born July 23, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who was a point guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely considered one of the greatest point guards of all time, he is best know ...

, Derek Fisher,

Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, spent his entire 20-year career with t ...

, and

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), commonly known as Shaq ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. He is a and Center (basketball), center ...

– their offensive capability was expected to overpower Detroit's defensive-based gameplan. 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 there in

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

, 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 Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

there in

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

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 Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

. However,

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

and the Bulls denied their championship rings a total of three times. By the time of Jordan's retirement in 2003, the two veterans were aged and failed to lead their teams deep into the playoffs. Thus, this Finals series was seen as the last chance for two of the greatest players in NBA history to finally become NBA champions (Later on, Malone retired while Payton became a champion as a key bench player for 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 Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

Game One

''Sunday, June 6, 2004, 14:30 at the

.'' 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. The Pistons trailed the Lakers 41–40 at halftime, but a 10–4 surge capped by Billups's 3-pointer gave the Pistons the lead. O'Neal's foul trouble furthered the scoring gap, with the Pistons leading by 13 points early in the fourth quarter.

Game Two

''Tuesday, June 8, 2004, 15:04 at the Staples Center.'' The second game was close throughout the first half, but in the third quarter Detroit would score 30 points, cutting the deficit 68–66. However, at the end of the fourth quarter, Kobe Bryant's 3-point shot at 2.1 seconds to go would tie the game at 89–89. The Lakers and Pistons would then go to overtime, with the Lakers outscoring the Pistons 10–2.

Game Three

''Thursday, June 10, 2004, 14:31 at The Palace of Auburn Hills.'' The Pistons beat Los Angeles by 20 in their first NBA Finals appearance together at The Palace of Auburn Hills since 1989 to take a 2–1 lead in the series. The 68 points scored by the Lakers set a (post-

shot clock A shot clock is a countdown timer used in a variety of games and sports, indicating a set amount of time that a team may possess the object of play before attempting to score a goal. Shot clocks are used in several sports including basketball, w ...

) franchise record for the fewest points scored in a Finals game. (Even

Jay Leno James Douglas Muir Leno ( ; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, and writer. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Tonight Show'' from 1992 until 200 ...

was upset, saying in his ''

Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show A late-night talk show is a genre of talk show, originating in the American Media, United States. It is generally structured around humorous monologues about the day's news, guest inte ...

'' monologue: "68 points? 68 is a great score...if you're playing ''

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

''!")

Game Four

''Sunday, June 13, 2004, 14:49 at The Palace of Auburn Hills.'' Again, the Pistons defeated the Lakers, although this time by eight, to take a 3–1 series advantage.

Game Five

''Tuesday, June 15, 2004, 14:32 at The Palace of Auburn Hills.'' In Game 5, the Pistons won their first championship since 1990, and Larry Brown finally won a title as an NBA head coach. 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 game saw the end of Phil Jackson's first run as the coach (he returned for the 2005–06 season), and saw O'Neal, Payton, and Malone's last games in Laker uniforms (O'Neal and Payton were both acquired by the soon-to-be NBA Champions

and Malone retired).

Playoff defensive records

As a result of their incredible defensive dominance, the 2004 Pistons set a number of notable shot-clock era (1955–present) defensive playoff records: * Allowed under 90 points in eighteen playoff games. * Allowed under 85 points in sixteen playoff games. * Allowed under 80 points in eleven playoff games. * Allowed under 75 points in six playoff games. * Allowed under 70 points in six playoff games. * Allowed 65 or less points in three playoff games. * One of two teams ( 1998 Bulls) to allow under 60 points in a playoff game. * Allowed under 40% FG in twelve playoff games. * Allowed under 35% FG in five playoff games (tied with 1999 Knicks). * Allowed under 30% FG in two playoff games (tied with 1999 Knicks). Least Points Per Game (PPG) allowed in a shot-clock era playoff run of any length: * The 2004 Pistons allowed 80.696 PPG, slightly lower than the 2000 Heat at 80.700 PPG allowed. Excluding overtime periods, the 2004 Pistons allowed 78.6 PPG during the playoffs in regulation compared to 79.9 PPG allowed for the 2000 Heat. The 2004 Pistons had a Defensive Rating of 92.0 in the playoffs. This is the lowest Defensive Rating any team has had in a post-1st round playoff run in the 3-point era (1980–present). The 2000 Spurs had a 91.4 Defensive Rating, but this was in a 1st round loss of only four games.

Player statistics

Season

* Statistics include only games with the Pistons

Playoffs

Award winners

* Chauncey Billups,

NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award The Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (formerly known as the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1969 NBA Finals. The award is decided by a panel of eleven media ...

* Ben Wallace,

All-NBA Second Team The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sel ...

* Ben Wallace,

NBA All-Defensive First Team The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of ten players in tw ...

Transactions

Overview

Trades

Free agency

Additions

Subtractions

References

External links

*
Detroit Pistons on Basketball Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:2003-04 Detroit Pistons Season Det Detroit Pistons seasons Eastern Conference (NBA) championship seasons NBA championship seasons