How dominant was that 04 Pistons team all time?

[BigBoss]

No star. They nearly swept a Shaq/Kobe Lakers.

[imdaman99]

One of the best built teams ever for a single year. They had waves of players that would come in and dominate.

Everyone played their role to perfection. They weren't missing anything, complete team.

Defense + Offense + Big shot maker + perimeter defenders + shooters + low post guys

Of course once they won, they couldn't afford to keep the team intact

[Noyze]

I think they still hold the alltime record for blocks in the playoffs. They were one of the only teams I ever saw where all 5 starters were elite defenders. Rip Hamilton was considered average and he was still solid.

Some of the standout defensive teams that won the chip were either great at position defense (96 Bulls, 08 Celtics, 90 Pistons) or had a system geared around shot blockers (99 Spurs, 10 Lakers)

04 Pistons were one of the few teams elite at both.

[fatboy11]

I don't want to bash them because they were a good team and earned every bit of that title, but it should be noted that the early to mid 2000s was some of the shittiest basketball in NBA history. That was the And-1 era of NBA basketball.

That was also the Lakers squad with 40 year old Karl Malone and Gary Payton.

[JohnnySic]

I don't want to bash them because they were a good team and earned every bit of that title, but it should be noted that the early to mid 2000s was some of the shittiest basketball in NBA history. That was the And-1 era of NBA basketball.

That was also the Lakers squad with 40 year old Karl Malone and Gary Payton.
The west was damn good at that time (as it is now). Lakers, Kings, Spurs, Suns, and Mavericks were all very good teams and fun to watch.

[DCL]

david stern saw how little money could be made off of that team and decided to never let it happen again.:lol

[Tarik One]

The T Wolves could have made it to the finals if Sam Cassell did break down during the playoffs. I was pulling for them. Would have been an interesting matchup vs Detroit.

[inclinerator]

this year spurs are better

[robert_shaww]

this year spurs are better

Pistons pretty much dominated Prime Duncan in 05 finals, if it wasnt for ginobili and big shot rob in game 5, then back to back championship for them.

[Milbuck]

Pistons pretty much dominated Prime Duncan in 05 finals, if it wasnt for ginobili and big shot rob in game 5, then back to back championship for them.
What does it say about Tim Duncan that putting up 21/14/2/2 with elite interior defense is getting "dominated"?

[Rose'sACL]

Pistons pretty much dominated Prime Duncan in 05 finals, if it wasnt for ginobili and big shot rob in game 5, then back to back championship for them.
current Spurs team is more suited to overcome the defense of those pistons. they move the ball better and are deeper.
Current Spurs team is built to win against defensive specialist teams which are not great offensively. I believe that Spurs might sweep the pacers if pacers win against miami. it is all about matchups. Roleplayers hitting their shots keeps the defense honest. Having a deep bench helps when one of your starters goes cold.

[Kiddlovesnets]

They are overrated lol. They were dominant against the Lakers mostly due to the matchup and the fact that Kobe went hard for FMVP. The Nets almost took them out in 2nd round, the series went to game 7 and Jason Kidd was injured in game 6. With a healthy Kidd the Nets would be playing for its third straight NBA finals in June 2004. Also if the Spurs beat the Lakers, the Pistons would not stand a good chance against them either.

[robert_shaww]

What does it say about Tim Duncan that putting up 21/14/2/2 with elite interior defense is getting "dominated"?

:no:

20.6 PPG
14.1 RPG
2.5 TO PER GAME
41% FG


DUNCAN: 54 FROM 130 ATTEMPTS
GINOBILI: 42 FROM 85 ATTEMPTS.

Dont lie to me please...:rolleyes:

[Rake2204]

Also if the Spurs beat the Lakers, the Pistons would not stand a good chance against them either.I may respectfully disagree with that statement. I felt the Pistons were at their best during their 2004 run. Nearly everyone was healthy (save for Rasheed Wallace battling plantar fasciitis throughout the playoffs) and everyone was hungry. Not to mention, I believe it could be argued they were deeper (future all-star Mehmet Okur, Mike James, Corliss Williamson).

As a result, if the 2005 Pistons were able to take a very similar Spurs club to seven games before bowing out in the fourth quarter, I struggle to agree with the notion that the '04 team would not have had a chance.

[bootsy]

LOL at the 04 Pistons being dominant. They were 1 game and one Rip Hamilton turnaround from being eliminated in the conference semis and were one Prince block of being down 0-2 in the conference Finals. People always give too much credit to things and this is one of those examples. The 04 Pistons are what they are champions. Nothing more than that. They weren't dominant, they weren't a dynasty. One time champions. That's it stop giving them more credit than they deserve.

[Rake2204]

LOL at the 04 Pistons being dominant. They were 1 game and one Rip Hamilton turnaround from being eliminated in the conference semis and were one Prince block of being down 0-2 in the conference Finals. People always give too much credit to things and this is one of those examples. The 04 Pistons are what they are champions. Nothing more than that. They weren't dominant, they weren't a dynasty. One time champions. That's it stop giving them more credit than they deserve.I think there's a bit of truth there, though I felt they were good enough to have won more than a single ring.

But as a Pistons fan, you're right, history has been pretty darn kind to that '04 team. They got a very minimal amount of love back then. Their legacy definitely reaped the reward of winning that ring, both as a team and individually. Had New Jersey closed them out in round 2, for instance, I'm not sure there would be as much talk these days about Chauncey and Richard being able to hold their own defensively. And maybe Tayshaun misses a bit of defensive respect as well (since his Reggie block would have never happened).

Basically, it kind of felt like the storylines on many of the Pistons were created after they first won. Suddenly they were loaded with All-Stars (four selections in '06) and everyone was great. Whereas before the victory, there wasn't a lot of respect going around about that team. It was interesting to see history and reputation alter and morph in my own team's favor after their excellent and skilled run that was mixed with a dash of luck and circumstance (as near all championship runs tend to be).

[NumberSix]

They were ok.

[sammichoffate]

They weren't as dominant as say, the 96 Bulls or 01 Lakers. One of the best defensive teams ever though.

[HylianNightmare]

Buddy of mine loved beating me with them on 2k5

[Rake2204]

Buddy of mine loved beating me with them on 2k5I remember Lindsey Hunter getting a mega ratings boost one of those years, either 2K5 or 2K5. I swear he ended up with an overall in the high 70's, just from being a part of the Pistons during their runs. I'll have to check.

[BlackVVaves]

Not sure if dominant is the operative word, but that period of Pistons ball is quite underrated.

Even posters in this thread are illustrating how little they know, watched, or remember that period of Detroit basketball. Implying they were a "one year" team. Do you jackasses realize they were the #1 seed in the East the preceding season :oldlol:

Then they get to Game 7 of the Finals the very next year. And continued making appearances in the Conference Finals until the Boston Big 3 regulated the East.

Yes it was a weak conference, and they lacked superstar talent. But they were one of the all team best defensive teams in NBA history. They won a championship purely on defense. That's not a fluke.

It's fleeting excellence.

[fatboy11]

The west was damn good at that time (as it is now). Lakers, Kings, Spurs, Suns, and Mavericks were all very good teams and fun to watch.

You just named every good team, minus Detroit, in the entire league. The rest was garbage. The early to mid 2000s were a weak point for the NBA. You disagree?

[Big#50]

They were great on defense. Kobe made them seem like juggernauts.