2003–04 Detroit Pistons season

The 2003–04 NBA season was the 63rd season for the Pistons, the 56th in the National Basketball Association, and the 47th in the Detroit area.^[1] 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. 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. After their first trip to the Conference Finals since 1991, 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 from the Atlanta Hawks after playing just one game for them.^[2] 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 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.

2003–04 Detroit Pistons season
NBA champions
Conference champions
Head coach	Larry Brown
General manager	Joe Dumars
President	Joe Dumars
Owner(s)	Bill Davidson
Arena	The Palace of Auburn Hills
Results
Record	54–28 (.659)
Place	Division: 2nd (Central) Conference: 3rd (Eastern)
Playoff finish	NBA Champions (Defeated Lakers 4–1)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	Fox Sports Net Detroit WKBD
Radio	WDFN
< 2002–03 2004–05 >

In the first round of the playoffs, the Pistons defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in five games despite losing Game 2 at home. In the semifinals, they faced the New Jersey Nets 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 to 0 points to defeat the Nets 90–69 to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they defeated the top-seeded Indiana Pacers in a defensive six game series to earn their first appearance in the NBA Finals since 1990. In the Finals, the Pistons would pull off one of the greatest upsets in NBA history by defeating the heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers four games to one, winning their third overall championship and first since 1990. Chauncey Billups was named Finals MVP.^[3]

Draft picks

Main article: 2003 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College / Team
1	2	Darko Miličić	Forward/Center	Serbia and Montenegro	Hemofarm Vrsac (Serbia and Montenegro and Adriatic League)
1	25	Carlos Delfino	Guard	Argentina	Unión de Santa Fe (Argentina)
2	58	Andreas Glyniadakis	Center	Greece	AEK Athens (Greece)

Roster

2003–04 Detroit Pistons roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From PG 1 Billups, Chauncey 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 202 lb (92 kg) 1976-09-25 Colorado C 41 Campbell, Elden 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 279 lb (127 kg) 1968-07-23 Clemson SF 24 Fowlkes, Tremaine 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 212 lb (96 kg) 1976-04-11 Fresno State SF 8 Ham, Darvin 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1973-07-23 Texas Tech SG 32 Hamilton, Richard 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 193 lb (88 kg) 1978-02-14 Connecticut SG 10 Hunter, Lindsey 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1970-12-03 Jackson State PG 7 James, Mike 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 1975-06-23 Duquesne C 31 Miličić, Darko 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 275 lb (125 kg) 1985-06-20 Serbia and Montenegro PF 13 Okur, Mehmet 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 290 lb (132 kg) 1979-05-26 Turkey SF 22 Prince, Tayshaun 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1980-02-28 Kentucky C 3 Wallace, Ben 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1974-09-10 Virginia Union PF 30 Wallace, Rasheed 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1974-09-17 North Carolina PF 34 Williamson, Corliss 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1973-12-04 Arkansas

Head coach Larry Brown Assistant coach(es) Herb Brown Dave Hanners Igor Kokoškov John Kuester Mike Woodson Mike Abdenour (trainer) Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster Last transaction: February 26, 2004

Regular season

Season standings

Central Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Indiana Pacers	61	21	.744	–	34–7	27–14	20–8
x-Detroit Pistons	54	28	.659	7	31–10	23–18	17–11
x-New Orleans Hornets	41	41	.500	20	25–16	16–25	14–14
x-Milwaukee Bucks	41	41	.500	20	27–14	14–27	15–13
Cleveland Cavaliers	35	47	.427	26	23–18	12–29	14–14
Toronto Raptors	33	49	.402	28	18–23	15–26	11–17
Atlanta Hawks	28	54	.341	33	18–23	10–31	10–18
Chicago Bulls	23	59	.280	38	14–27	9–32	11–17

#	Eastern Conference v t e
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Indiana Pacers	61	21	.744	–
2	y-New Jersey Nets	47	35	.573	14
3	x-Detroit Pistons	54	28	.659	7
4	x-Miami Heat	42	40	.512	19
5	x-New Orleans Hornets	41	41	.500	20
6	x-Milwaukee Bucks	41	41	.500	20
7	x-New York Knicks	39	43	.476	22
8	x-Boston Celtics	36	46	.439	25
9	Cleveland Cavaliers	35	47	.427	26
10	Toronto Raptors	33	49	.402	28
11	Philadelphia 76ers	33	49	.402	28
12	Atlanta Hawks	28	54	.341	33
13	Washington Wizards	25	57	.305	36
14	Chicago Bulls	23	59	.280	38
15	Orlando Magic	21	61	.256	40

Record vs. opponents

2003–04 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	CHI	CLE	DAL	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	LAC	LAL	MEM	MIA	MIL	MIN	NJN	NOH	NYK	ORL	PHI	PHO	POR	SAC	SAS	SEA	TOR	UTA	WAS
Atlanta	—	3–1	3–1	1–3	2–0	2–0	1–3	0–2	0–2	0–4	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	2–2	1–1	1–3	2–2	0–3	1–3	1–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–3	0–2	2–2
Boston	1–3	—	1–2	3–1	1–1	2–0	0–3	2–0	1–1	1–3	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–2	1–3	1–1	2–2	0–4	1–3	3–1	3–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–1	1–1	3–1
Chicago	1–3	2–1	—	2–2	0–2	0–2	0–4	1–1	0–2	1–3	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–4	1–3	0–2	0–3	2–2	2–2	3–1	0–4	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	4–0	1–1	1–3
Cleveland	3–1	1–3	2–2	—	0–2	0–2	2–2	0–2	0–2	1–3	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–2	2–2	0–2	1–2	3–1	4–0	2–1	3–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–3	1–1	2–2
Dallas	0–2	1–1	2–0	2–0	—	2–2	1–1	3–1	3–1	0–2	2–2	2–2	2–2	1–1	1–1	2–2	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	3–1	3–1	3–1	3–1	3–1	1–1	2–2	1–1
Denver	0–2	0–2	2–0	2–0	2–2	—	0–2	3–1	2–2	0–2	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–1	2–0	1–3	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	4–0	4–0	2–2	1–3	2–2	0–2	3–1	2–0
Detroit	3–1	3–0	4–0	2–2	1–1	2–0	—	1–1	1–1	1–3	2–0	1–1	2–0	4–0	3–1	0–2	2–2	1–3	3–1	3–1	2–2	2–0	2–0	0–2	1–1	1–1	3–1	1–1	3–0
Golden State	2–0	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–3	1–3	1–1	—	2–2	0–2	2–2	1–3	1–3	1–1	1–1	2–2	0–2	0–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–1	2–2	1–1
Houston	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–3	2–2	1–1	2–2	—	1–1	4–0	2–2	1–3	1–1	2–0	2–2	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–3	3–1	0–4	0–4	1–3	1–1	2–2	2–0
Indiana	4–0	3–1	3–1	3–1	2–0	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	—	2–0	1–1	1–1	3–0	1–3	1–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	3–1	4–0	2–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	4–0	2–0	2–1
L.A. Clippers	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–2	2–2	0–2	2–2	0–4	0–2	—	1–3	0–4	0–2	2–0	0–4	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–2	0–4	1–3	0–4	1–1	1–3	0–2
L.A. Lakers	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–2	3–1	1–1	3–1	2–2	1–1	3–1	—	2–2	2–0	2–0	1–3	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–2	1–3	3–1	3–1	2–0	3–1	2–0
Memphis	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–2	0–2	3–1	3–1	1–1	4–0	2–2	—	1–1	1–1	1–3	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	2–0	1–3	2–0
Miami	3–1	2–2	4–0	2–2	1–1	1–1	0–4	1–1	1–1	0–3	2–0	0–2	1–1	—	1–2	0–2	3–2	3–1	1–3	4–0	1–3	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–1	1–1	4–0
Milwaukee	2–2	3–1	3–1	2–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	1–1	0–2	3–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–1	—	0–2	3–1	1–3	2–2	3–1	2–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	3–1	1–1	3–1
Minnesota	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–2	3–1	2–0	2–2	2–2	1–1	4–0	3–1	3–1	2–0	2–0	—	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	4–0	1–3	3–1	2–2	3–1	2–0	2–2	2–0
New Jersey	3–1	2–2	3–0	2–1	0–2	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–3	2–0	0–2	0–2	2–3	1–3	1–1	—	2–1	3–1	4–0	3–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–2	1–1	4–0
New Orleans	2–2	4–0	2–2	1–3	0–2	1–1	3–1	2–0	0–2	2–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–3	3–1	0–2	1–2	—	1–2	4–0	2–2	1–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	1–1	3–1
New York	3–0	3–1	2–2	0–4	0–2	1–1	1–3	0–2	0–2	1–3	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–1	2–2	1–1	1–3	2–1	—	3–1	3–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–1	0–2	4–0
Orlando	3–1	1–3	1–3	1–2	0–2	1–1	1–3	1–1	0–2	1–3	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–4	1–3	0–2	0–4	0–4	1–3	—	2–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–2	1–1	4–0
Philadelphia	2–1	1–3	4–0	1–3	1–1	0–2	2–2	1–1	0–2	0–4	1–1	1–1	0–2	3–1	1–2	1–1	1–3	2–2	1–3	2–2	—	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	1–3	0–2	2–2
Phoenix	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–3	0–4	0–2	2–2	3–1	0–2	1–3	1–3	2–2	1–1	1–1	0–4	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	—	2–2	1–3	0–4	2–2	0–2	1–3	1–1
Portland	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–3	0–4	0–2	2–2	1–3	1–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–2	—	3–1	0–4	2–2	1–1	2–2	1–1
Sacramento	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–3	2–2	2–0	2–2	4–0	2–0	4–0	3–1	2–2	1–1	1–1	1–3	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	3–1	1–3	—	2–2	3–1	2–0	3–1	1–1
San Antonio	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–3	3–1	1–1	2–2	4–0	1–1	3–1	1–3	1–3	2–0	1–1	2–2	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	0–2	4–0	4–0	2–2	—	4–0	2–0	4–0	2–0
Seattle	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	1–3	2–2	1–1	1–3	3–1	0–2	4–0	1–3	3–1	0–2	2–0	1–3	0–2	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–2	2–2	1–3	0–4	—	1–1	1–3	1–1
Toronto	3–1	1–3	0–4	3–1	1–1	2–0	1–3	1–1	1–1	0–4	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–2	1–3	0–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	2–1	3–1	2–0	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	—	1–1	1–3
Utah	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–2	1–3	1–1	2–2	2–2	0–2	3–1	1–3	3–1	1–1	1–1	2–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–2	1–3	0–4	3–1	1–1	—	1–1
Washington	2–2	1–3	3–1	2–2	1–1	0–2	0–3	1–1	0–2	1–2	2–0	0–2	0–2	0–4	1–3	0–2	0–4	1–3	0–4	0–4	2–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–1	1–1	—

Game log

2003–04 game log Total: 54–28 (Home: 31–10; Road: 23–18)
October: 1–1 (home: 0–1; road: 1–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 October 29 Indiana L 87–89 Wallace, Prince (16) Ben Wallace (17) Chauncey Billups (7) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 0–1 2 October 31 @ Miami W 93–81 Chauncey Billups (27) Ben Wallace (15) Tayshaun Prince (5) American Airlines Arena 15,825 1–1
November: 11–5 (home: 6–1; road: 5–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 3 November 1 @ Orlando W 96–85 Richard Hamilton (20) Ben Wallace (17) Chauncey Billups (4) TD Waterhouse Centre 14,588 2–1 4 November 5 Boston W 96–88 Chauncey Billups (27) Ben Wallace (13) Chauncey Billups (6) The Palace of Auburn Hills 17,376 3–1 5 November 7 Milwaukee W 105–99 Chauncey Billups (27) Ben Wallace (15) Chauncey Billups (7) The Palace of Auburn Hills 20,204 4–1 6 November 9 New Jersey W 98–84 Richard Hamilton (24) Ben Wallace (11) Chauncey Billups (7) The Palace of Auburn Hills 20,664 5–1 7 November 11 @ Sacramento L 91–97 Richard Hamilton (19) Mehmet Okur (9) Hamilton, Billups (3) ARCO Arena 17,317 5–2 8 November 12 @ Golden State L 85–87 (OT) Chauncey Billups (19) Ben Wallace (11) Chauncey Billups (12) The Arena in Oakland 14,382 5–3 9 November 14 @ L.A. Lakers L 89–94 Chauncey Billups (29) Mehmet Okur (9) Billups, Hamilton (5) Staples Center 18,997 5–4 10 November 15 @ Phoenix W 100–91 Richard Hamilton (27) Ben Wallace (16) Tayshaun Prince (5) America West Arena 15,681 6–4 11 November 18 L.A. Lakers W 106–96 Chauncey Billups (25) Ben Wallace (15) Chauncey Billups (8) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 7–4 12 November 19 @ Memphis W 99–92 Chauncey Billups (33) Mehmet Okur (9) Tayshaun Prince (6) Pyramid Arena 13,340 8–4 13 November 21 New York W 94–85 Chauncey Billups (23) B. Wallace, Okur (9) Chauncey Billups (3) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 9–4 14 November 23 New Orleans L 80–81 Prince, Hamilton (13) Mehmet Okur (18) Chauncey Billups (9) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 9–5 15 November 24 @ Atlanta W 94–89 Chauncey Billups (24) Ben Wallace (15) Billups, Sura (4) Philips Arena 18,255 10–5 16 November 26 @ Philadelphia L 86–90 Richard Hamilton (19) Ben Wallace (8) Richard Hamilton (6) Wachovia Center 20,512 10–6 17 November 28 Cleveland W 92–88 Richard Hamilton (44) Ben Wallace (15) Tayshaun Prince (7) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 11–6 18 November 29 @ Washington W 80–69 Richard Hamilton (25) Ben Wallace (11) Chauncey Billups (6) MCI Center 16,853 12–6
December: 7–7 (home: 5–3; road: 2–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 19 December 1 @ New York W 79–78 (OT) Chauncey Billups (24) Ben Wallace (14) Richard Hamilton (6) Madison Square Garden 17,082 13–6 20 December 3 Miami W 87–73 Richard Hamilton (18) Ben Wallace (21) B. Wallace, Billups, Prince (3) The Palace of Auburn Hills 17,703 14–6 21 December 6 @ Houston L 80–86 Richard Hamilton (17) Ben Wallace (10) Chauncey Billups (4) Toyota Center 18,144 14–7 22 December 9 Philadelphia L 76–78 Chauncey Billups (29) Ben Wallace (9) Richard Hamilton (5) The Palace of Auburn Hills 20,166 14–8 23 December 11 @ Cleveland L 86–95 Richard Hamilton (19) Ben Wallace (9) Richard Hamiton (8) Gund Arena 15,115 14–9 24 December 12 Seattle L 72–93 Ben Wallace (14) Ben Wallace (11) Chauncey Billups (6) The Palace of Auburn Hills 20,244 14–10 25 December 17 Chicago W 77–73 Richaed Hamilton (20) Ben Wallace (15) Prince, Hamilton, Atkins (5) The Palace of Auburn Hills 17,041 15–10 26 December 19 @ Indiana L 75–80 Chauncey Billups (13) Ben Wallace (11) Chauncey Billups (3) Conseco Fieldhouse 16,383 15–11 27 December 21 Utah W 96–75 Chauncey Billups (19) Ben Wallace (13) Chauncey Billups (6) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 16–11 28 December 23 @ Milwaukee L 78–83 Richard Hamilton (17) Ben Wallace (20) Hamilton, Billups (4) Bradley Center 15,081 16–12 29 December 26 New Jersey L 79–82 Richard Hamilton (20) Ben Wallace (18) Ben Wallace (5) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 16–13 30 December 27 @ Atlanta W 87–84 Richard Hamilton (28) Ben Wallace (10) Chauncey Billups (4) Philips Arena 19,445 17–13 31 December 29 New Orleans W 108–99 Chauncey Billups (31) Ben Wallace (18) Richard Hamilton (7) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 18–13 32 December 31 Portland W 78–71 Chauncey Billups (22) Ben Wallace (15) Chauncey Billups (7) The Palace of Auburn Hills 20,458 19–13
January: 13–3 (home: 8–1; road: 5–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 33 January 2 Phoenix W 93–81 Richard Hamilton (26) Ben Wallace (22) Hamilton, Billups (6) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 20–13 34 January 3 Golden State W 99–93 Tayshaun Prince (20) Tayshaun Prince (9) Chauncey Billups (10) The Palace of Auburn Hills 20,719 21–13 35 January 5 @ Boston W 78–68 Richard Hamilton (15) Ben Wallace (16) Ben Wallace (5) FleetCenter 13,015 22–13 36 January 7 Houston W 85–66 Richard Hamilton (16) Ben Wallace (15) Chauncey Billups (5) The Palace of Auburn Hills 19,111 23–13 37 January 11 Dallas W 115–102 Chauncey Billups (27) Ben Wallace (13) Prince, Billups (5) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 24–13 38 January 13 @ Chicago W 105–89 Richard Hamilton (24) Ben Wallace (17) Prince, Billups (7) United Center 17,295 25–13 39 January 14 Toronto W 95–91 Hamilton, Okur (27) Mehmet Okur (14) Chauncey Billups (6) The Palace of Auburn Hills 18,473 26–13 40 January 16 Washington W 98–77 Richard Hamilton (17) Mehmet Okur (9) Chauncey Bullups (10) The Palace of Auburn Hills 20,539 27–13 41 January 17 @ Milwaukee W 99–94 Chauncey Billups (26) Ben Wallace (11) Chaucney Billups (6) Bradley Center 18,717 28–13 42 January 19 San Antonio W 85–77 Chauncey Billups (18) Ben Wallace (16) Richard Hamilton (6) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 29–13 43 January 20 @ Indiana L 69–81 Richard Hamilton (15) Ben Wallace (10) Chucky Atkins (4) Conseco Fieldhouse 15,848 29–14 44 January 23 @ Minnesota L 79–80 Mehmet Okur (21) B. Wallace, Hamilton (10) Chucky Atkins (5) Target Center 19,006 29–15 45 January 25 Atlanta L 82–91 Ben Wallace (14) Ben Wallace (15) Ben Wallace (5) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 29–16 46 January 28 @ Boston W 106–103 Billups, Okur (21) Ben Wallace (15) B. Wallace, Atkins (4) FleetCenter 14,042 30–16 47 January 30 @ Toronto W 90–89 (OT) Richard Hamilton (28) Ben Wallace (18) Chauncey Billups (4) Air Canada Centre 19,555 31–16 48 January 31 Memphis W 80–78 Richard Hamilton (20) Ben Wallace (13) Chauncey Billups (5) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 32–16
February: 6–8 (home: 2–4; road: 4–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 49 February 2 @ Miami W 102–100 (OT) Tayshaun Prince (24) Ben Wallace (12) Richard Hamilton (7) American Airlines Arena 15,438 33–16 50 February 3 Cleveland L 82–85 Chauncey Billups (19) Ben Wallace (17) Chauncey Billups (5) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 33–17 51 February 6 @ New Orleans L 81–92 Ben Wallace (14) Ben Wallace (13) Richard Hamilton (5) New Orleans Arena 14,016 33–18 52 February 7 @ Dallas L 108–111 Chauncey Billups (17) Ben Wallace (8) Richard Hamilton (6) American Airlines Center 20,357 33–19 53 February 10 @ New Jersey L 78–89 Chauncey Billups (23) Ben Wallace (12) Chauncey Billups (5) Continental Airlines Arena 13,781 33–20 54 February 11 Sacramento L 94–96 Richard Hamilton (27) Ben Wallace (19) Chauncey Billups (7) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 33–21 All-Star Break 55 February 17 @ New York L 88–92 Chauncey Billups (26) Ben Wallace (13) Okur, Sura (3) Madison Square Garden 19,763 33–22 56 February 18 Milwaukee W 102–98 Richard Hamilton (23) Ben Wallace (15) Chauncey Billups (7) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 34–22 57 February 20 Minnesota L 87–88 Richard Hamilton (24) Ben Wallace (12) Chauncey Billups (11) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 34–23 58 February 22 Orlando L 86–87 Richard Hamilton (23) Ben Wallace (13) Chauncey Billups (8) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 34–24 59 February 23 @ Philadelphia W 76–66 Richard Hamilton (15) Ben Wallace (13) Chauncey Billups (4) Wachovia Center 19,972 35–24 60 February 25 @ Chicago W 107–88 Richard Hamilton (21) Ben Wallace (8) Billips, Hamilton (6) United Center 19,814 36–24 61 February 27 Atlanta W 105–83 Billups, Hamilton (20) Ben Wallace (15) Chauncey Billups (8) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 37–24 62 February 29 @ L.A. Clippers W 100–88 Chauncey Billups (28) Ben Wallace (13) Chauncey Billups (7) Staples Center 18,775 38–24
March: 10–3 (home: 5–0; road: 5–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 63 March 1 @ Utah L 86–94 Rasheed Wallace (27) Ben Wallace (16) Billups, Prince (3) Delta Center 19,911 38–25 64 March 4 @ Portland W 83–68 Chauncey Billups (16) Ben Wallace (19) Tayshaun Prince (6) Rose Garden 20,243 39–25 65 March 6 @ Denver W 97–66 Rasheed Wallace (20) Rasheed Wallace (10) Chauncey Billups (13) Pepsi Center 19,681 40–25 66 March 7 @ Seattle W 86–65 Rasheed Wallace (18) Ben Wallace (13) Mike James (6) KeyArena 14,739 41–25 67 March 10 Chicago W 98–65 Chauncey Billups (19) Ben Wallace (9) Hamilton, Billups, James (6) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 42–25 68 March 14 Philadelphia W 85–69 Rasheed Wallace (14) Rasheed Wallace (8) Chauncey Billups (9) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 43–25 69 March 18 @ New Jersey W 89–71 Chauncey Billups (20) Richard Hamilton (9) Chauncey Billups (8) Continental Airlines Arena 14,799 44–25 70 March 19 Denver W 94–75 R. Wallace, Hamilton (20) Ben Wallace (9) Chauncey Billups (12) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 45–25 71 March 21 @ Cleveland W 96–76 Chauncey Billups (18) Ben Wallace (10) Chauncey Billups (6) Gund Arena 20,562 46–25 72 March 23 @ New Orleans L 81–82 Richard Hamilton (17) Ben Wallace (15) Chauncey Billups (7) New Orleans Arena 14,377 46–26 73 March 25 @ San Antonio L 75–84 Rasheed Wallace (17) Rasheed Wallace (14) Hamilton, Hunter (5) SBC Center 17,695 46–27 74 March 27 New York W 100–85 Tayshaun Prince (20) Ben Wallace (12) Chauncey Billups (13) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 47–27 75 March 31 L.A. Clippers W 108–99 Richard Hamilton (28) Ben Wallace (8) Mike James (8) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 48–27
April: 6–1 (home: 5–0; road: 1–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 76 April 2 Miami W 92–84 Chauncey Billups (31) Ben Wallace (8) Chauncey Billups (7) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 49–27 77 April 4 Indiana W 79–61 Richard Hamilton (24) Ben Wallace (11) Chauncey Billups (7) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 50–27 78 April 6 Orlando W 102–86 Rasheed Wallace (17) Rasheed Wallace (11) Mike James (9) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 51–27 79 April 9 Toronto W 74–66 Richard Hamilton (20) Ben Wallace (16) Lindsey Hunter (6) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 52–27 80 April 10 @ Orlando W 101–89 Tayshaun Prince (25) Williamson, Miličić (6) Mike James (8) TD Waterhouse Centre 15,571 53–27 81 April 12 Washington W 101–79 Richard Hamilton (24) Ben Wallace (12) Richard Hamilton (12) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 54–27 82 April 13 @ Toronto L 78–87 Tayshaun Prince (21) Ben Wallace (7) Richard Hamilton (10) Air Canada Centre 18,273 54–28
2003–04 schedule

Playoffs

2004 playoff game log
First Round: 4–1 (home: 2–1; road: 2–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 18 Milwaukee W 108–82 Richard Hamilton (21) Ben Wallace (14) Richard Hamilton (8) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 1–0 2 April 21 Milwaukee L 88–92 Chauncey Billups (20) Ben Wallace (12) Chauncey Billups (8) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 1–1 3 April 24 @ Milwaukee W 95–85 Chauncey Billups (21) Ben Wallace (21) Chauncey Billups (7) Bradley Center 18,717 2–1 4 April 26 @ Milwaukee W 109–92 Richard Hamilton (27) B. Wallace, R. Wallace (9) Chauncey Billups (9) Bradley Center 17,316 3–1 5 April 29 Milwaukee W 91–77 Tayshaun Prince (24) Ben Wallace (12) Tayshaun Prince (8) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 4–1
Conference Semifinals: 4–3 (home: 3–1; road: 1–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 3 New Jersey W 78–56 Hamilton, Prince (15) Ben Wallace (11) Richard Hamilton (7) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 1–0 2 May 7 New Jersey W 95–80 Billups, Hamilton (28) Ben Wallace (11) Chauncey Billups (13) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 2–0 3 May 9 @ New Jersey L 64–82 Hamilton, B. Wallace (15) Ben Wallace (24) Ben Wallace (4) Continental Airlines Arena 19,000 2–1 4 May 11 @ New Jersey L 79–94 Richard Hamilton (30) Ben Wallace (15) Chauncey Billups (5) Continental Airlines Arena 19,860 2–2 5 May 14 New Jersey L 120–127 (3OT) Chauncey Billups (31) Ben Wallace (11) Richard Hamilton (11) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 2–3 6 May 16 @ New Jersey W 81–75 Richard Hamilton (24) Ben Wallace (20) Richard Hamilton (4) Continental Airlines Arena 19,968 3–3 7 May 20 New Jersey W 90–69 Chauncey Billups (22) Ben Wallace (8) Chauncey Billups (7) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 4–3
Conference Finals: 4–2 (home: 2–1; road: 2–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 22 @ Indiana L 74–78 Richard Hamilton (23) Ben Wallace (22) Ben Wallace (5) Conseco Fieldhouse 18,345 0–1 2 May 24 @ Indiana W 72–67 Richard Hamilton (23) three players tied (8) Chauncey Billups (6) Conseco Fieldhouse 18,345 1–1 3 May 26 Indiana W 85–78 Hamilton, R. Wallace (20) Ben Wallace (16) Chauncey Billups (8) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 2–1 4 May 28 Indiana L 68–83 Richard Hamilton (22) Ben Wallace (19) Chauncey Billups (5) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 2–2 5 May 30 @ Indiana W 83–65 Richard Hamilton (33) Ben Wallace (12) Chauncey Billups (7) Conseco Fieldhouse 18,345 3–2 6 June 1 Indiana W 69–65 Richard Hamilton (21) Ben Wallace (16) Richard Hamilton (5) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 4–2
NBA Finals: 4–1 (home: 3–0; road: 1–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 June 6 @ L.A. Lakers W 87–75 Chauncey Billups (22) B. Wallace, R. Wallace (8) Richard Hamilton (5) Staples Center 18,997 1–0 2 June 8 @ L.A. Lakers L 91–99 (OT) Chauncey Billups (27) Ben Wallace (14) Chauncey Billups (9) Staples Center 18,997 1–1 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 4 June 13 L.A. Lakers W 88–80 Rasheed Wallace (26) B. Wallace, R. Wallace (13) Richard Hamilton (6) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 3–1 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
2004 schedule

NBA Finals

Series summary

Team/Game	1	2 (OT)	3	4	5	Wins
Los Angeles (West)	75	99	68	80	87	1
Detroit (East)	87	91	88	88	100	4

(OT) denotes a game that required overtime.

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).^[4]

Aspects

The Lakers had a lineup of stars such as Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O'Neal – 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, while Malone had led the Utah Jazz there in 1997 and 1998.^[5] However, Michael Jordan 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.^[5][6] 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).

Game One

Sunday, June 6, 2004, 14:30 at the Staples Center.

Considered to be a stunning upset by most of the NBA world, the Detroit Pistons managed to defeat the Lakers with imposing defense.^[7] 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.

Team	1st Qt.	2nd Qt.	3rd Qt.	4th Qt.	Total
Detroit	22	18	24	23	87
Los Angeles	19	22	17	17	75

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.

Team	1st Qt.	2nd Qt.	3rd Qt.	4th Qt.	OT	Total
Detroit	16	20	30	23	2	91
Los Angeles	18	26	24	21	10	99

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^[8] to take a 2–1 lead in the series. The 68 points scored by the Lakers set a (post-shot clock) franchise record for the fewest points scored in a Finals game. (Even Jay Leno was upset, saying in his Tonight Show monologue: "68 points? 68 is a great score...if you're playing golf!")

Team	1st Qt.	2nd Qt.	3rd Qt.	4th Qt.	Total
Los Angeles	16	16	19	17	68
Detroit	24	15	24	25	88

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.

Team	1st Qt.	2nd Qt.	3rd Qt.	4th Qt.	Total
Los Angeles	22	17	17	24	80
Detroit	21	20	15	32	88

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 Miami Heat and Malone retired).

Team	1st Qt.	2nd Qt.	3rd Qt.	4th Qt.	Total
Los Angeles	24	21	14	28	87
Detroit	25	30	27	18	100

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.^[9]
• Allowed under 85 points in sixteen playoff games.^[10]
• Allowed under 80 points in eleven playoff games.^[11]
• Allowed under 75 points in six playoff games.^[12]
• Allowed under 70 points in six playoff games.^[13]
• Allowed 65 or less points in three playoff games.^[14]
• One of two teams (1998 Bulls) to allow under 60 points in a playoff game.^[15]
• Allowed under 40% FG in twelve playoff games.^[16]
• Allowed under 35% FG in five playoff games (tied with 1999 Knicks).^[17]
• Allowed under 30% FG in two playoff games (tied with 1999 Knicks).^[18]

Least Points Per Game (PPG) allowed in a shot-clock era playoff run of any length:

• The 2004 Pistons allowed 80.696 PPG,^[19] slightly lower than the 2000 Heat at 80.700 PPG allowed.^[20] 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.^[21] 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.^[22]

Player statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game

Season

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Chauncey Billups	78	78	35.4	.394	.388	.878	3.5	5.7	1.08	0.10	16.9
Elden Campbell	65	27	13.7	.439	–	.685	3.2	0.7	0.32	0.77	5.6
Tremaine Fowlkes	36	0	7.3	.313	.125	.722	1.5	0.4	0.25	0.08	1.2
Darvin Ham	54	2	9.0	.493	.500	.600	1.7	0.3	0.24	0.15	1.8
Richard Hamilton	78	78	35.5	.455	.265	.868	3.6	4.0	1.32	0.22	17.6
Lindsey Hunter	33	8	20.0	.343	.280	.625	2.0	2.6	1.18	0.18	3.5
Mike James*	26	0	19.7	.405	.364	.844	2.2	3.7	1.00	0.04	6.3
Darko Miličić	34	0	4.7	.262	.000	.583	1.3	0.2	0.21	0.44	1.4
Mehmet Okur	71	33	22.3	.463	.375	.775	5.9	1.0	0.51	0.89	9.6
Tayshaun Prince	82	80	32.9	.467	.363	.766	4.8	2.3	0.77	0.84	10.3
Ben Wallace	81	81	37.7	.421	.125	.490	12.4	1.7	1.77	3.04	9.5
Rasheed Wallace*	22	21	30.6	.431	.319	.704	7.0	1.8	1.09	2.05	13.7
Corliss Williamson	79	0	19.9	.505	–	.731	3.2	0.7	0.38	0.25	9.5

* Statistics include only games with the Pistons

Playoffs

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Chauncey Billups	23	23	38.3	.385	.346	.890	3.0	5.9	1.35	0.09	16.4
Elden Campbell	14	0	8.9	.286	–	.556	1.8	0.7	0.43	0.64	2.1
Darvin Ham	22	0	4.9	.500	.000	–	0.6	0.0	0.14	0.18	0.7
Richard Hamilton	23	23	40.2	.447	.385	.848	4.6	4.2	1.17	0.04	21.5
Lindsey Hunter	23	0	11.9	.292	.233	.917	1.4	0.9	0.78	0.17	2.4
Mike James	22	0	8.9	.396	.429	.563	1.2	1.1	0.23	0.00	2.6
Darko Miličić	8	0	1.8	.000	–	.250	0.4	0.1	0.13	0.00	0.1
Mehmet Okur	22	0	11.5	.470	.400	.692	2.8	0.4	0.23	0.41	3.7
Tayshaun Prince	23	23	34.6	.410	.265	.745	6.0	2.3	1.09	1.35	9.9
Ben Wallace	23	23	40.2	.454	.000	.427	14.3	1.9	1.91	2.43	10.3
Rasheed Wallace	23	23	34.9	.413	.243	.767	7.8	1.6	0.57	1.96	13.0
Corliss Williamson	22	0	14.9	.364	.000	.809	2.2	0.7	0.27	0.14	5.7

Award winners

• Chauncey Billups, NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award
• Ben Wallace, All-NBA Second Team
• Ben Wallace, NBA All-Defensive First Team

Transactions

Main article: List of 2003–04 NBA season transactions

Overview

Players Added Via draft Darko Miličić Via trade Mike James Rasheed Wallace Via free agency Elden Campbell Tremaine Fowlkes Darvin Ham Lindsey Hunter

Players Lost Via trade Chucky Atkins Michael Curry Željko Rebrača Clifford Robinson Pepe Sánchez Bob Sura Via retirement Danny Manning Waived Hubert Davis Ronald Dupree Justin Hamilton Derrick Zimmerman

Trades

August 21, 2003[23]	To Detroit Pistons Bob Sura	To Golden State Warriors Clifford Robinson Pepe Sánchez
August 28, 2003[24]	To Detroit Pistons Lindsey Hunter	To Toronto Raptors Michael Curry
February 19, 2004[25]	Three-team trade
	To Atlanta Hawks Chris Mills (from Boston) Bob Sura (from Detroit) Željko Rebrača (from Detroit) 2004 first-round pick (from Milwaukee via Denver and Detroit)	To Boston Celtics Chucky Atkins (from Detroit) Lindsey Hunter (from Detroit) 2004 first-round pick (from Detroit) Cash considerations
	To Detroit Pistons Mike James (from Boston) Rasheed Wallace (from Atlanta)

Free agency

Additions

Date	Player	Former team	Ref.
July 26	Elden Campbell	Seattle SuperSonics	[26][27]
September 23	Darvin Ham	Atlanta Hawks	[28]
October 28	Tremaine Fowlkes	Los Angeles Clippers	[29]
February 26	Lindsey Hunter	Boston Celtics	[30]

Subtractions

Date	Player	Reason	New team	Ref.
September 13	Danny Manning	Retired	—	[31]
October 22	Justin Hamilton	Waived	Ionikos	[32][33][34]
	Derrick Zimmerman	Waived	Columbus Riverdragons
October 23	Ronald Dupree	Waived	Chicago Bulls	[35][36]
January 20	Hubert Davis	Waived	New Jersey Nets	[37]

References

1. 2003–04 Detroit Pistons
2. "PRO BASKETBALL; Giving Up Little, Pistons Pull Off Deal for Wallace". The New York Times. February 20, 2004. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
3. "PRO BASKETBALL; Teamwork Thumps Star Power". New York Times. June 16, 2004. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
4. "Basketball: NBA Playoffs 2007 preview". betinf.com. Retrieved September 3, 2007.
5. "Utah Jazz". CBS Sports. Retrieved September 4, 2007.
6. "Seattle Supersonics". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on August 26, 2007. Retrieved September 4, 2007.
7. "Billups, Pistons Swipe Home-Court Advantage". NBA. Retrieved September 4, 2007. Led by their trademark daunting defense
8. "DETROIT PISTONS HISTORY". Basketball Tickets. Archived from the original on August 6, 2007. Retrieved September 3, 2007.
9. "Team Game Finder".
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13. "Team Game Finder".
14. "Team Game Finder".
15. "Team Game Finder".
16. "Team Game Finder".
17. "Team Game Finder".
18. "Team Game Finder".
19. "2004 NBA Playoffs Summary".
20. "2000 NBA Playoffs Summary".
21. "2004 NBA Playoffs Summary".
22. "2004 NBA Playoffs Summary".
23. "Robinson should be help to Dunleavy in frontcourt". ESPN.com. ESPN.com news services. August 21, 2003. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
24. "Pistons trade Curry for Hunter". ESPN.com. Associated Press. August 28, 2003. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
25. "Pistons Acquire Forward/Center Rasheed Wallace From Hawks And Guard Mike James From Boston In Three-Way Deal". Pistons.com. February 19, 2004. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
26. "Pistons Sign Free-Agent Center Elden Campbell". Pistons.com. July 26, 2003. Archived from the original on December 3, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
27. "Campbell signs with the Pistons". Deseret News. Associated Press. July 27, 2003. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
28. "Pistons sign free agent F Darvin Ham". ESPN.com. September 23, 2003. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
29. "Pistons sign free-agent Tremaine Fowlkes". ESPN.com. October 28, 2003. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
30. "Pistons Sign Lindsey Hunter". Pistons.com. February 26, 2004. Archived from the original on December 3, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
31. "Manning Retires After 15 Seasons in NBA". NBA.com. September 13, 2003. Archived from the original on June 8, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
32. "Pistons Waive Guards Derrick Zimmerman and Justin Hamilton". Pistons.com. October 22, 2003. Archived from the original on December 3, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
33. "HAMILTON, JUSTIN". Euroleague.net. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
34. "Brose Baskets signs Zimmerman at point". Euroleague.net. November 8, 2006. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
35. "Pistons Waive Forward Ronald Dupree". Pistons.com. October 23, 2003. Archived from the original on December 3, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
36. "Transactions". Deseret News. January 8, 2004. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
37. Kerber, Fred (February 22, 2004). "HUBERT'S GOT STREAK OF HIS OWN". New York Post. Retrieved June 8, 2019.

External links

• Detroit Pistons on Database Basketball
• Detroit Pistons on Basketball Reference