2003–04 Los Angeles Lakers season

The 2003–04 NBA season was the Lakers' 56th season in the National Basketball Association and 44th in the city of Los Angeles.^[1]

2003–04 Los Angeles Lakers season
Conference champions
Division champions
Head coach	Phil Jackson
General manager	Mitch Kupchak
Owner(s)	Jerry Buss
Arena	Staples Center
Results
Record	56–26 (.683)
Place	Division: 1st (Pacific) Conference: 2nd (Western)
Playoff finish	NBA Finals (lost to Pistons 1–4)
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
Television	Fox Sports Net West, KCAL
Radio	AM 570 KLAC
< 2002–03 2004–05 >

Horace Grant battles for a jump ball versus future Laker Pau Gasol in November 2003.

The Lakers entered the season following a disappointing second-round loss to the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs in the 2003 playoffs. During the offseason, the Lakers signed star free agents Karl Malone and Gary Payton and re-signed free agent power forward Horace Grant.^[2][3] Following these acquisitions, the Lakers became the instant favorites to win the NBA title.^[4][5]

Despite major acquisitions, key moves, and becoming overnight title favorites, the Lakers would run into major setbacks to begin the season. During the 2003 off-season, superstar guard Kobe Bryant had been accused of sexual assault in Colorado. Media attention surrounding the case would prove to be an ongoing distraction for the team, and Bryant missed games during his trial. In addition, Bryant's feud with Shaquille O'Neal reached a peak during the season, as both players criticized each other in the media.^[6] Payton struggled with coach Phil Jackson's triangle offense, and Malone missed significant time due to injuries.^[7][8][9]

Despite the setbacks, the Lakers finished the season with a 56–26 overall record, good enough to clinch the second seed in the Western Conference en route to the playoffs.^[10] In the playoffs, they defeated the Houston Rockets, the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, and the Minnesota Timberwolves to earn the franchise its 28th appearance in the NBA Finals. The Lakers entered the Finals against the Detroit Pistons as favorites.^[11][12] This was the third meeting between the Lakers and the Pistons in the NBA Finals, after both franchises met in 1988 and 1989. However, the underdog Pistons' strong defense and teamwork propelled them to their third championship in franchise history, and the star-studded Lakers would collapse in five games.^[13][14] After the season, Jackson and the team mutually agreed to part ways^[15] and O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat.^[16]

Draft picks

Main article: 2003 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	24	Brian Cook	F	United States	Illinois
2	32	Luke Walton	F	United States	Arizona

Roster

2003–04 Los Angeles Lakers roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From G 8 Kobe Bryant 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1978-08-23 Lower Merion HS (PA) C 7 Brian Cook 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 234 lb (106 kg) 1980-12-04 Illinois G 2 Derek Fisher 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1974-08-09 Little Rock F 17 Rick Fox 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1969-07-24 North Carolina F 3 Devean George 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1977-08-29 Augsburg F 54 Horace Grant 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1965-07-04 Clemson F 11 Karl Malone 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1963-07-24 Louisiana Tech F 14 Slava Medvedenko 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 253 lb (115 kg) 1979-04-04 Ukraine C 34 Shaquille O'Neal 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 325 lb (147 kg) 1972-03-06 LSU G 20 Gary Payton 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1968-07-23 Oregon State G 21 Kareem Rush 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1980-10-30 Missouri F 9 Bryon Russell 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1970-12-31 Long Beach State C 31 Jamal Sampson 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1983-05-13 California F 4 Luke Walton 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1980-03-28 Arizona

Head coach Phil Jackson Assistant(s) Jim Cleamons Frank Hamblen Kurt Rambis Tex Winter Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster Updated: January 30, 2004

Regular season

Season standings

By division

Pacific Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Los Angeles Lakers	56	26	.683	–	34–7	22–19	15–9
x-Sacramento Kings	55	27	.671	1	34–7	21–20	16–8
Portland Trail Blazers	41	41	.500	15	25–16	16–25	13–11
Seattle SuperSonics	37	45	.451	19	21–20	16–25	11–13
Golden State Warriors	37	45	.451	19	27–14	10–31	12–12
Phoenix Suns	29	53	.354	27	18–23	11–30	9–15
Los Angeles Clippers	28	54	.341	28	18–23	10–31	8–16

By conference

#	Western Conference v t e
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	c-Minnesota Timberwolves	58	24	.707	–
2	y-Los Angeles Lakers	56	26	.683	2
3	x-San Antonio Spurs	57	25	.695	1
4	x-Sacramento Kings	55	27	.671	3
5	x-Dallas Mavericks	52	30	.634	6
6	x-Memphis Grizzlies	50	32	.610	8
7	x-Houston Rockets	45	37	.549	13
8	x-Denver Nuggets	43	39	.524	15
9	Utah Jazz	42	40	.512	16
10	Portland Trail Blazers	41	41	.500	17
11	Seattle SuperSonics	37	45	.451	21
12	Golden State Warriors	37	45	.451	21
13	Phoenix Suns	29	53	.354	29
14	Los Angeles Clippers	28	54	.341	30

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

Pre-season

2003 preseason game log Total: 3–5
Preseason Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 October 7 Golden State W 107-89 Shaquille O'Neal (16) Devean George (7) Gary Payton (7) Stan Sheriff Center (Honolulu, HI) 10,300 1–0 2 October 8 Golden State L 83-99 Gary Payton (11) Shaquille O'Neal (8) Shaquille O'Neal (5) Stan Sheriff Center (Honolulu, HI) 10,300 1-1 3 October 14 Phoenix L 86-104 Derek Fisher (14) 3 players tied (6) Gary Payton (4) San Diego Sports Arena (San Diego, CA) 13,144 1–2 4 October 16 Cleveland W 86-78 Karl Malone (18) Karl Malone (13) Malone & Payton (7) Staples Center 18,997 2-2 5 October 17 Phoenix W 91-84 Derek Fisher (18) Eric Chenowith (7) Luke Walton (4) Staples Center 18,997 3–2 6 October 19 Cleveland L 87-102 Shaquille O'Neal (20) Shaquille O'Neal (6) Luke Walton (5) Centennial Garden (Bakersfield, CA) 9,772 3-3 7 October 23 L.A. Clippers L 101-107 Shaquille O'Neal (18) Shaquille O'Neal (9) Gary Payton (7) Arrowhead Pond (Anaheim, CA) 18,298 3–4 8 October 24 Sacramento L 87-93 Shaquille O'Neal (19) Shaquille O'Neal (14) Malone & O'Neal (5) Thomas & Mack Center (Las Vegas, NV) 18,234 3–5
2003–04 season schedule

Regular season

2003–04 game log Total: 56–26 (home: 34–7; road: 22-19)
October: 1–0 (home: 1–0; road: 0–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 October 28 Dallas W 109–93 Gary Payton (21) Karl Malone (10) Malone & Payton (9) Staples Center 18,997 1–0
November: 13–3 (home: 9–0; road: 4–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 2 November 1 @ Phoenix W 103–99 Shaquille O'Neal (24) 3 players tied (12) Gary Payton (9) America West Arena 18,422 2–0 3 November 2 Golden State W 87–72 Kobe Bryant (21) Shaquille O'Neal (14) Gary Payton (11) Staples Center 18,997 3–0 4 November 4 @ Milwaukee W 113–107 Kobe Bryant (31) Shaquille O'Neal (14) Kobe Bryant (8) Bradley Center 18,717 4–0 5 November 6 @ San Antonio W 120–117 (2OT) Kobe Bryant (37) Shaquille O'Neal (20) O'Neal & Payton (6) SBC Center 18,717 5–0 6 November 7 @ New Orleans L 95–114 Shaquille O'Neal (21) Malone & O'Neal (6) Gary Payton (11) New Orleans Arena 18,717 5–1 7 November 10 @ Memphis L 95–105 Shaquille O'Neal (20) Shaquille O'Neal (12) Kobe Bryant (5) Pyramid Arena 19,351 5–2 8 November 12 Toronto W 94–79 Shaquille O'Neal (23) Shaquille O'Neal (14) Gary Payton (6) Staples Center 18,997 6–2 9 November 14 Detroit W 94–89 O'Neal & Payton (21) Shaquille O'Neal (15) Shaquille O'Neal (8) Staples Center 18,997 7–2 10 November 16 Miami W 99–77 Kobe Bryant (27) Karl Malone (10) Gary Payton (8) Staples Center 18,997 8–2 11 November 18 @ Detroit L 96–106 Malone & O'Neal (20) Shaquille O'Neal (10) 3 players tied (5) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 8–3 12 November 19 @ New York W 104–83 Shaquille O'Neal (23) Karl Malone (14) Bryant & Malone (4) Madison Square Garden 19,763 9–3 13 November 21 Chicago W 101–94 Kobe Bryant (28) Karl Malone (18) Bryant & Payton (4) Staples Center 18,997 10–3 14 November 23 Memphis W 121–89 Kobe Bryant (28) Slava Medvedenko (11) Gary Payton (10) Staples Center 18,997 11–3 15 November 26 Washington W 120–99 Kobe Bryant (22) Horace Grant (6) Malone & Payton (5) Staples Center 18,997 12–3 16 November 28 San Antonio W 103–87 Devean George (19) Karl Malone (11) Karl Malone (10) Staples Center 18,997 13–3 17 November 30 Indiana W 99–77 Shaquille O'Neal (23) Karl Malone (15) Kobe Bryant (7) Staples Center 18,997 14–3
December: 7–4 (home: 5–2; road: 2–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 18 December 3 @ San Antonio W 90–86 Kobe Bryant (21) Shaquille O'Neal (16) Gary Payton (6) SBC Center 18,841 15–3 19 December 4 @ Dallas W 114–103 Kobe Bryant (32) Shaquille O'Neal (19) Gary Payton (8) American Airlines Center 20,596 16–3 20 December 7 Utah W 94–92 Bryant & O'Neal (19) Shaquille O'Neal (15) Shaquille O'Neal (8) Staples Center 18,997 17–3 21 December 9 New York W 98–90 Kobe Bryant (21) Shaquille O'Neal (15) Kobe Bryant (9) Staples Center 18,997 18–3 22 December 12 Dallas L 93–110 Shaquille O'Neal (25) Shaquille O'Neal (14) Kobe Bryant (6) Staples Center 18,997 18–4 23 December 13 @ Portland L 108–112 Kobe Bryant (35) Shaquille O'Neal (10) Kobe Bryant (6) Rose Garden 20,630 18–5 24 December 19 Denver W 101–99 Shaquille O'Neal (26) Shaquille O'Neal (11) Gary Payton (11) Staples Center 18,997 19–5 25 December 21 Phoenix W 107–101 George & Payton (19) Shaquille O'Neal (18) Gary Payton (7) Staples Center 18,997 20–5 26 December 23 @ Golden State L 98–107 Kobe Bryant (23) Devean George (9) Gary Payton (13) The Arena in Oakland 20,310 20–6 27 December 25 Houston L 87–99 Kobe Bryant (23) Horace Grant (11) Gary Payton (7) Staples Center 18,997 20–7 28 December 28 Boston W 105–82 Shaquille O'Neal (22) Shaquille O'Neal (16) Bryant & Payton (6) Staples Center 18,997 21–7
January: 6–9 (home: 5–2; road: 1–7) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 29 January 2 @ Seattle L 109–111 Kobe Bryant (32) Bryant & Grant (6) Kobe Bryant (6) KeyArena 17,072 21–8 30 January 4 @ L.A. Clippers L 98–101 Kobe Bryant (44) Kobe Bryant (10) Payton & Russell (4) Staples Center 19,653 21–9 31 January 6 @ Minnesota L 90–106 Kobe Bryant (20) Kobe Bryant (10) Derek Fisher (5) Target Center 20,095 21–10 32 January 7 @ Denver L 91–113 Kobe Bryant (27) Brian Cook (8) Kobe Bryant (6) Pepsi Center 19,739 21–11 33 January 9 Atlanta W 113–67 Bryant & Medvedenko (26) Slava Medvedenko (11) Gary Payton (7) Staples Center 18,997 22–11 34 January 12 Cleveland W 89–79 Cook & Payton (13) Devean George (12) Fisher & Payton (4) Staples Center 18,997 23–11 35 January 14 Denver W 97–71 Slava Medvedenko (22) Horace Grant (11) Gary Payton (6) Staples Center 18,997 24–11 36 January 16 @ Sacramento L 83–103 Kareem Rush (30) Medvedenko & Sampson (9) Luke Walton (5) ARCO Arena 17,317 24–12 37 January 17 L.A. Clippers W 91–89 Slava Medvedenko (20) Medvedenko & Sampson (10) Gary Payton (15) Staples Center 18,997 25–12 38 January 19 Phoenix L 85–88 Kareem Rush (18) Payton & Sampson (8) Gary Payton (9) Staples Center 18,997 25–13 39 January 21 @ Memphis L 82–88 Gary Payton (24) Slava Medvedenko (12) Kareem Rush (5) Pyramid Arena 19,351 25–14 40 January 22 @ Dallas L 87–106 Devean George (24) Luke Walton (7) Gary Payton (5) American Airlines Center 20,512 25–15 41 January 24 @ Utah W 93–86 Slava Medvedenko (26) Slava Medvedenko (12) Bryant & Payton (6) Delta Center 19,911 26–15 42 January 28 Seattle W 96–82 Gary Payton (24) Horace Grant (10) Gary Payton (5) Staples Center 18,997 27–15 43 January 30 Minnesota L 84–97 Shaquille O'Neal (22) Shaquille O'Neal (9) Gary Payton (9) Staples Center 18,997 27–16
February: 11–4 (home: 2–1; road: 9–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 44 February 1 @ Toronto W 84–83 Shaquille O'Neal (36) Horace Grant (9) Shaquille O'Neal (5) Air Canada Centre 20,116 28–16 45 February 2 @ Indiana L 72–85 Slava Medvedenko (14) Gary Payton (8) Gary Payton (7) Conseco Fieldhouse 18,345 28–17 46 February 4 @ Cleveland W 111–106 (OT) Shaquille O'Neal (37) Grant & O'Neal (12) O'Neal & Payton (6) Gund Arena 20,562 29–17 47 February 5 @ Philadelphia L 73–96 Shaquille O'Neal (17) Shaquille O'Neal (8) Fisher & Walton (5) Wachovia Center 20,965 29–18 48 February 8 @ Orlando W 98–96 Shaquille O'Neal (20) Shaquille O'Neal (10) Luke Walton (7) TD Waterhouse Centre 17,283 30–18 49 February 10 @ Miami W 98–83 Shaquille O'Neal (25) Devean George (11) Fisher & Payton (6) American Airlines Arena 16,500 31–18 50 February 11 @ Houston L 87–102 Shaquille O'Neal (24) Shaquille O'Neal (9) Shaquille O'Neal (4) Toyota Center 18,218 31–19 All-Star Break 51 February 17 Portland W 89–86 Kobe Bryant (31) Shaquille O'Neal (11) Kobe Bryant (10) Staples Center 18,997 32–19 52 February 18 @ Golden State W 100–99 Kobe Bryant (35) Shaquille O'Neal (16) Kobe Bryant (8) The Arena in Oakland 20,252 33–19 53 February 20 Philadelphia W 116–88 Shaquille O'Neal (29) Shaquille O'Neal (13) Bryant & Fisher (7) Staples Center 18,997 34–19 54 February 22 @ Phoenix W 104–92 Kobe Bryant (40) Bryant & Fox (7) 3 players tied (5) America West Arena 18,422 35–19 55 February 25 @ Denver W 112–111 Kobe Bryant (35) Shaquille O'Neal (8) Kobe Bryant (10) Pepsi Center 19,812 36–19 56 February 26 Sacramento L 101–103 Kobe Bryant (35) Kobe Bryant (11) Bryant & Payton (6) Staples Center 18,997 36–20 57 February 28 @ Washington W 122–110 Shaquille O'Neal (19) Kobe Bryant (14) Kobe Bryant (10) MCI Center 20,173 37–20 58 February 29 @ New Jersey W 100–83 Shaquille O'Neal (19) Shaquille O'Neal (14) Kobe Bryant (10) Continental Airlines Arena 19,968 38–20
March: 13–3 (home: 9–0; road: 4–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 59 March 2 @ Atlanta L 93–94 O'Neal & Payton (23) Shaquille O'Neal (14) Gary Payton (10) Philips Arena 19,445 38–21 60 March 3 @ Houston W 96–93 Shaquille O'Neal (28) Kobe Bryant (8) Kobe Bryant (13) Toyota Center 18,172 39–21 61 March 5 Seattle W 99–91 Shaquille O'Neal (32) Luke Walton (9) Fox & Payton (7) Staples Center 18,997 40–21 62 March 7 New Jersey W 94–88 Shaquille O'Neal (32) O'Neal & Payton (9) Rick Fox (5) Staples Center 18,997 41–21 63 March 8 @ Utah L 83–88 Gary Payton (21) Shaquille O'Neal (10) Gary Payton (7) Delta Center 19,911 41–22 64 March 10 @ Boston W 117–109 Shaquille O'Neal (28) Shaquille O'Neal (17) Kobe Bryant (10) FleetCenter 18,624 42–22 65 March 12 @ Minnesota L 86–96 Shaquille O'Neal (24) Shaquille O'Neal (13) Fox & Payton (6) Target Center 20,391 42–23 66 March 13 @ Chicago W 88–81 Kobe Bryant (35) Shaquille O'Neal (15) Karl Malone (7) United Center 23,067 43–23 67 March 15 Orlando W 113–110 (OT) Kobe Bryant (38) Shaquille O'Neal (23) Bryant & Malone (4) Staples Center 18,997 44–23 68 March 17 @ L.A. Clippers W 106–103 Kobe Bryant (27) Shaquille O'Neal (11) Gary Payton (7) Staples Center 19,668 45–23 69 March 19 L.A. Clippers W 106–100 Kobe Bryant (27) Shaquille O'Neal (10) Fox & O'Neal (6) Staples Center 18,997 46–23 70 March 21 Milwaukee W 104–103 (OT) Shaquille O'Neal (31) Shaquille O'Neal (26) Gary Payton (6) Staples Center 18,997 47–23 71 March 24 Sacramento W 115–91 Kobe Bryant (36) Shaquille O'Neal (16) Bryant & O'Neal (6) Staples Center 18,997 48–23 72 March 26 Minnesota W 90–73 Kobe Bryant (35) Shaquille O'Neal (18) Kobe Bryant (5) Staples Center 18,997 49–23 73 March 28 Utah W 91–84 Kobe Bryant (34) Shaquille O'Neal (14) Kobe Bryant (4) Staples Center 18,997 50–23 74 March 30 New Orleans W 107–88 Kobe Bryant (23) Shaquille O'Neal (9) Karl Malone (9) Staples Center 18,997 51–23
April: 5–3 (home: 3–2; road: 2–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 75 April 1 Houston W 93–85 Kobe Bryant (26) Karl Malone (14) Karl Malone (6) Staples Center 18,997 52–23 76 April 2 @ Seattle W 97–86 Kobe Bryant (25) Shaquille O'Neal (14) Rick Fox (6) KeyArena 17,072 53–23 77 April 4 San Antonio L 89–95 Kobe Bryant (28) Malone & O'Neal (9) Malone & O'Neal (4) Staples Center 18,997 53–24 78 April 6 Portland L 80–91 Shaquille O'Neal (17) Shaquille O'Neal (12) Kobe Bryant (8) Staples Center 18,997 53–25 79 April 9 Memphis W 103–95 Kobe Bryant (33) Shaquille O'Neal (12) Bryant & Payton (7) Staples Center 18,997 54–25 80 April 11 @ Sacramento L 85–102 Gary Payton (15) Karl Malone (11) Fisher & George (5) ARCO Arena 17,317 54–26 81 April 13 Golden State W 109–104 Kobe Bryant (45) Shaquille O'Neal (13) Kobe Bryant (8) Staples Center 18,997 55–26 82 April 14 @ Portland W 105–104 (2OT) Kobe Bryant (37) Medvedenko & O'Neal (14) Fisher & Payton (6) Rose Garden 20,609 56–26
2003–04 season schedule

Playoffs

2004 playoff game log Total: 13–9 (home: 10–1; road: 3–8)
First round: 4–1 (home: 3–0; road: 1–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 17 Houston W 72–71 Shaquille O'Neal (20) Shaquille O'Neal (17) Kobe Bryant (6) Staples Center 18,997 1–0 2 April 19 Houston W 98–84 Kobe Bryant (36) Karl Malone (8) Gary Payton (7) Staples Center 18,997 2–0 3 April 23 @ Houston L 91–102 Shaquille O'Neal (25) Malone & O'Neal (11) Gary Payton (7) Toyota Center 18,226 2–1 4 April 25 @ Houston W 92–88 (OT) Karl Malone (30) Karl Malone (13) Gary Payton (7) Toyota Center 18,219 3–1 5 April 28 Houston W 97–78 Kobe Bryant (31) Malone & O'Neal (9) Kobe Bryant (10) Staples Center 18,997 4–1
Conference Semi-finals: 4–2 (home: 3–0; road: 1–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 2 @ San Antonio L 78–88 Kobe Bryant (31) Shaquille O'Neal (13) Karl Malone (5) SBC Center 18,797 0–1 2 May 5 @ San Antonio L 85–95 Shaquille O'Neal (32) Shaquille O'Neal (15) Kobe Bryant (8) SBC Center 18,797 0–2 3 May 9 San Antonio W 105–81 Shaquille O'Neal (28) Shaquille O'Neal (15) Gary Payton (7) Staples Center 18,997 1–2 4 May 11 San Antonio W 98–90 Kobe Bryant (42) Shaquille O'Neal (14) Karl Malone (6) Staples Center 18,997 2–2 5 May 13 @ San Antonio W 74–73 Kobe Bryant (22) Karl Malone (12) Gary Payton (7) SBC Center 18,797 3–2 6 May 15 San Antonio W 88–76 Kobe Bryant (26) Shaquille O'Neal (19) Bryant & Payton (7) Staples Center 18,997 4–2
Conference finals: 4–2 (home: 3–0; road: 1–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 21 @ Minnesota W 97–88 Shaquille O'Neal (27) Shaquille O'Neal (18) Bryant & Fisher (6) Target Center 19,552 1–0 2 May 23 @ Minnesota L 71–89 Kobe Bryant (27) Shaquille O'Neal (16) Kobe Bryant (6) Target Center 19,707 1–1 3 May 25 Minnesota W 100–89 Bryant & O'Neal (22) Shaquille O'Neal (17) Gary Payton (9) Staples Center 18,997 2–1 4 May 27 Minnesota W 92–85 Kobe Bryant (31) Shaquille O'Neal (19) Kobe Bryant (8) Staples Center 18,997 3–1 5 May 29 @ Minnesota L 96–98 Kobe Bryant (23) Shaquille O'Neal (13) Kobe Bryant (7) Target Center 20,109 3–2 6 May 31 Minnesota W 96–90 Shaquille O'Neal (25) Shaquille O'Neal (11) Gary Payton (8) Staples Center 18,997 4–2
NBA Finals: 1–4 (home: 1–1; road: 0–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 June 6 Detroit L 75–87 Shaquille O'Neal (34) Malone & O'Neal (11) Kobe Bryant (4) Staples Center 18,997 0–1 2 June 8 Detroit W 99–91 (OT) Kobe Bryant (33) Karl Malone (9) Luke Walton (8) Staples Center 18,997 1–1 3 June 10 @ Detroit L 68–88 Shaquille O'Neal (14) Medvedenko & O'Neal (8) Gary Payton (7) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 1–2 4 June 13 @ Detroit L 80–88 Shaquille O'Neal (36) Shaquille O'Neal (20) Rick Fox (6) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 1–3 5 June 15 @ Detroit L 87–100 Kobe Bryant (24) Shaquille O'Neal (8) Luke Walton (5) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 1–4
2004 schedule

The Lakers playing against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the 2004 Western Conference Semi-finals at the SBC Center.

NBA Finals

See also: 2004 NBA Finals

Series summary

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

• (OT) denotes a game that required overtime.

The Finals were played using a 2-3-2 format, where the first two and last two games are held at the venue of the team with home court advantage. This was only used in the Finals.

Background

The Lakers had a star-studded lineup that included offseason acquisitions Karl Malone and Gary Payton as well as mainstays Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. Malone and Payton were perennial All-Stars; Payton had led the Seattle SuperSonics to the Finals in 1996, while Malone's Utah Jazz reached the Finals in 1997 and 1998.^[17] However, both had been defeated by Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls. By 2003, Malone and Payton were in the latter stages of their respective careers and were no longer playing on championship-contending teams.^[17][18] Both Malone and Payton took pay cuts to sign with the Lakers in an effort to win a championship.^[19]

Game One

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

Detroit stunned Los Angeles with imposing defense.^[20] They held the Lakers to 39% shooting. Outside of O'Neal and Bryant, the rest of the Lakers only managed to score 16 points.

The Pistons trailed the Lakers 41–40 at halftime, but a 10–4 surge in the third quarter gave them the lead and they never relinquished it. By the fourth quarter, their lead had increased to 13.

Box Score

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 Lakers led by eight after the first half. However, Detroit scored 30 points in the third quarter to keep the game close. With 2.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Kobe Bryant hit a three-point shot to tie the score at 89. The game went to overtime and the Lakers outscored the Pistons 10–2 to win their only game of the series.

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 the Lakers by 20 in their first NBA Finals appearance at The Palace of Auburn Hills since 1990^[21] to take a 2–1 lead in the series. Karl Malone sprained his knee and was limited to 18 minutes. The 68 points scored by the Lakers set a franchise record for the fewest points scored in a playoff game. The previous night, a group of overzealous Pistons fans made it difficult for the Lakers to get their rest by harassing them until 4am at their hotel in nearby Birmingham. Fans were screaming outside the building until hotel management called the police.^[22]

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.

The Pistons defeated the Lakers, this time by eight, to take a 3–1 series advantage. Shaquille O'Neal scored 36 points and grabbed 20 rebounds, but the rest of the Lakers shot 17/57 from the field.^[23]

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 won his first title as an NBA coach. The Pistons defense had overcome the high-scoring Lakers offense, winning the game by 13 and the series 4–1. In four of the five games, the Lakers were held to less than 90 points.

After the series, Phil Jackson stepped down as coach (he would return for the 2005–06 season). Shaquille O'Neal was traded to Miami. Gary Payton and Rick Fox were traded to Boston. Karl Malone, who did not dress for Game 5, would have surgery on his knee and eventually retired the following February.

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

Player stats

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

Regular season

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Kobe Bryant	65	64	37.6	.438	.327	.852	5.5	5.1	1.7	.4	24.0
Maurice Carter	4	0	12.5	.357	.333	.917	.8	.5	.0	.0	5.5
Brian Cook	35	2	12.6	.475	.000	.750	2.9	.6	.5	.5	4.4
Derek Fisher	82	3	21.6	.352	.291	.797	1.9	2.3	1.3	.0	7.1
Rick Fox	38	34	22.3	.392	.246	.733	2.7	2.6	.8	.1	4.8
Devean George	82	48	23.8	.408	.349	.760	4.0	1.4	1.0	.5	7.4
Horace Grant	55	10	20.1	.411	.000	.722	4.2	1.3	.4	.4	4.1
Karl Malone	42	42	32.7	.483	.000	.747	8.7	3.9	1.2	.5	13.2
Stanislav Medvedenko	68	38	21.2	.441	.000	.767	5.0	.8	.6	.3	8.3
Shaquille O'Neal	67	67	36.8	.584	.	.490	11.5	2.9	.5	2.5	21.5
Jannero Pargo	13	0	4.8	.375	.500	.	.5	.8	.2	.0	1.1
Gary Payton	82	82	34.5	.471	.333	.714	4.2	5.5	1.2	.2	14.6
Kareem Rush	72	15	17.3	.440	.348	.596	1.3	.8	.5	.3	6.4
Bryon Russell	72	1	13.1	.402	.384	.769	2.0	1.0	.4	.2	4.0
Jamal Sampson	10	2	13.0	.478	.	.583	5.2	.7	.2	.4	2.9
Ime Udoka	4	0	7.0	.333	.000	.500	1.3	.5	.5	.3	2.0
Luke Walton	72	2	10.1	.425	.333	.705	1.8	1.6	.4	.1	2.4

Playoffs

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Kobe Bryant	22	22	44.2	.413	.247	.813	4.7	5.5	1.9	.3	24.5
Brian Cook	13	0	3.5	.333	.	1.000	.9	.1	.1	.0	.9
Derek Fisher	22	0	23.0	.405	.418	.657	2.5	2.2	.8	.0	7.5
Rick Fox	16	3	9.1	.400	.143	.500	1.4	1.1	.2	.1	1.1
Devean George	22	19	21.4	.430	.373	.650	2.3	.5	1.0	.4	5.5
Karl Malone	21	21	38.0	.450	.000	.630	8.8	3.4	1.1	.1	11.5
Stanislav Medvedenko	21	1	11.3	.440	.	.810	2.5	.5	.2	.2	4.0
Shaquille O'Neal	22	22	41.7	.593	.	.429	13.2	2.5	.3	2.8	21.5
Gary Payton	22	22	35.1	.366	.250	.750	3.3	5.3	1.0	.2	7.8
Kareem Rush	22	0	14.3	.385	.400	.667	.7	.8	.5	.1	3.7
Bryon Russell	6	0	2.7	.000	.000	.	.2	.3	.2	.0	.0
Luke Walton	17	0	7.9	.345	.385	.700	1.3	1.5	.4	.1	1.9

Award winners

• Shaquille O'Neal, All-NBA First Team
• Kobe Bryant, All-NBA First Team
• Kobe Bryant, NBA All-Defensive First Team
• Shaquille O'Neal, NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award

Transactions