10 years ago the Detroit Pistons pulled off one of the greatest upsets in NBA Finals history. Most NBA Championship teams have at least one superstar level player on the roster. The Showtime Lakers, Larry Bird's Celtics, those great Knickerbocker teams of the early 70's, the list goes on.
Detroit defeated the Indiana Pacers 4-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals. The accomplishment was great, but the Los Angeles Lakers were next in line. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal were three-time champions. Karl Malone and Gary Payton joined the Lakers in pursuit of a championship ring.The underdog Pistons battered the Lakers 4-1, including three consecutive blow out victories. Phil Jackson looked mystified after each defeat. After all, Phil had yet to lose an NBA Finals. To this day basketball analyst are still confused about this one.
The 2004 Detroit Pistons were a bunch of castaways that happened to find a home in Detroit. Rasheed Wallace is the only holdout. Wallace is one of the most versatile Power Forwards in NBA history. Most people don't know that because of his unselfishness and an uncanny knack to get under the referees skin. Wallace ' s career was also overshadowed by Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan. While the others get all of the accolades, Wallace didn't have a problem doing the dirty work.
Ben Wallace didn't even attend a Division one school. He attended Virginia Union, the same institution that produced Charles Oakley. Wallace played against inferior competition prior to joining the NBA. He never really learned how to play the game of basketball. This is exactly why his career went to shambles after his athletic ability diminished.
Richard Hamilton was a star at Connecticut. He was a member of Jim Calhoun ' s first NCAA Championship team. Hamilton ' s NBA career got off to a rocky start. He showed flashes as a member of the Wizards, but was shipped to Detroit before things could get rolling in the nation's capital. The knock on Hamilton was that he came into the league too slim. However, what people didn't know was Hamilton was a tireless worker. His training schedule resembles that of a cross country runner.
Chauncey Billups journey is the most unique of this group of unlikely champions. Billups was the second overall selection in the 1997 NBA Draft. Rick Pitino had just left college for another Crack at the NBA. Billups was supposed to be one of the key components that would get the Celtics back to their glory days. Things didn't go as planned for Billups in Boston. Before he knew it, he had become an NBA journeyman. Even his hometown Denver Nuggets had given up hope on Billups. Joe Dumars decided to take a shot on the well traveled guard. That Move turned out to be a great addition. He would go on to make his first All-Star appearance as a member of the Pistons. Billups was one of the best two-way guards in the league during his time in Detroit.
Tayshaun Prince had his share of doubts entering the NBA. He played Center during his time at Kentucky. Scouts questioned whether he could adjust to playing small forward in the NBA. His slender frame was also a red flag. Prince is wiry strong. Similar to the way Scottie Pippen was in the 90's.
The Pistons made a cameo appearance in the finals the following year. The San Antonio Spurs defeated Detroit in seven games. Detroit would go on to make six consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances, the last team to accomplish this feat. Even as the younger teams in the east began to figure out the aging Pistons, they still made it difficult by defending the heck out of you.
This team will not go down as one of the greatest in NBA history. However, they will be remembered for pulling off one of the greatest upsets in finals history, and almost doing it again the following season.
10 years ago seems like yesterday. Never forget about Cinderella. She provides some of the most intriguing stories in sports.
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