2004 NBA Finals

[HighFlyer23]

Lets just say that Kobe simply decides to pass the ball to Shaq .... is it a stretch to say that LA would sweep Detroit?

[Hit_Em]

Kobe wanted to be a the star and he got his wish that finals.He wanted to win as the 1st option and fell flat on his face that year.He redeemed himself 5 years later doe

[HighFlyer23]

Kobe wanted to be a the star and he got his wish that finals.He wanted to win as the 1st option and fell flat on his face that year.He redeemed himself 5 years later doe

Shaq was shooting 63% from the field and put up 26.6/10.8

Kobe attempted 29 more field goals and made 10 fewer than Shaq.

Shaq could have potentially put up 35 ppg if he had gotten the ball like he should have.

Reminds me of this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSe80qSgXVA

[3ball]

Lets just say that Kobe simply decides to pass the ball to Shaq .... is it a stretch to say that LA would sweep Detroit?


Maybe, but the reality is that a Shaq-led team frequently loses with superior talent.. 2004 was just the latest example.. Shaq's team lost with far greater talent in 1995 Finals, 1998 WCF, and of course, 2004.

Lebron is a lot like Shaq - his style is unadjustable, which locks his teams into a certain way of playing.. The resulting brand off basketball is frequently inferior to their opponent, which leads to underperformance despite superior talent (Lebron lost with superior talent in 2009, 2011 and the talent was at least equal in 2014).

[SouBeachTalents]

Maybe, but the reality is that a Shaq-led team frequently loses with superior talent.. 2004 was just the latest example.. Shaq's team lost with far greater talent in 1995 Finals, 1998 WCF, and of course, 2004.

Lebron is a lot like Shaq - his style is unadjustable, which locks his teams into a certain way of playing.. The resulting brand off basketball is frequently inferior to their opponent, which leads to underperformance despite superior talent (Lebron lost with superior talent in 2009, 2011 and the talent was at least equal in 2014).

Not to anyone who actually watched the series. Unless you think Wade's lackadaisical defense and simply atrocious play in Games 4 & 5, Bosh's complete no-show in Games 3-5 and not one Heat player playing well is "equal talent".

Statements like these are why it helps to watch the games

[SamuraiSWISH]

Those Pistons were a great defense but an overrated team. Shaq and Kobe still should've found a way to beat them. The same way the Heat almost did the very next year, Wade being hurt prevented it and the Spurs eventually did do. Kobe just went into a reckless, stubborn selfish style of play that was alienating.

[HOoopCityJones]

Kobe's the sole reason we didn't get swept.

[SouBeachTalents]

http://i.imgur.com/4Z9C9hP.jpg

[KembaWalker]

No, 04 Pistons the GOAT

[T_L_P]

Kobe's the sole reason we didn't get swept.

And the primary reason you got completely decimated.

[24-Inch_Chrome]

And the primary reason you got completely decimated.

:lebronamazed:

[Megabox!]

http://i.imgur.com/4Z9C9hP.jpg
:lol

[dazzer87]

hero ball cause LA to lost the finals..........instead of feeding Shaq the ball

[Vaniiiia]

http://i.imgur.com/4Z9C9hP.jpg
:roll: :roll: :roll:

[DonDadda59]

http://i.imgur.com/4Z9C9hP.jpg


https://33.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m244r1GS3q1rnx2lvo1_400.gif

[riseagainst]

https://33.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m244r1GS3q1rnx2lvo1_400.gif


http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee212/RedSoxPrince/mj-laughing.gif

[Magic 32]

What if Kobe just passed the ball? .....

http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200406100DET.html

[brownmamba00]

Kobe's FG% was horrible but he still put the clamps on rip...he didn't just disappear but the rape case and bad conditioning took his toll that finals series.

It's not like Shaq was dominating either BigBen was having his way with him on the rebounds.

The beef and the ignoring of eachother when they're open didn't help and you had karl malone sneaking up on vanessa...it was a drama filled year simple as that but that didn't hold back kobe flying in from colorado and dropping 40+ on the spurs.

[Stu Jackson]

kobe cheated that franchise out of multiple more rings

dr buss made one bad decision and that was giving the keys to kobe

replace him with tmac and him and shaq challenge the bulls 6

[L.A. Jazz]

Many reasons:
1) sure, the main reason is the beef between Kobe and Shaq.
2) the glue guys were all hurt (Fish, Karl, Fox)
3) Gary didnt adjust well to the triangle and playing of the ball
and more (no scoring outside of Kobe, Shaq and Fish, Karl hitting on Vanessa, Kobes trial and not beeing 100% fit, Shaq not being 100% fit,...)

All in all its a teamsports and the Pistons were the better team with lots of big bodys to play against Shaq and force Kobe into shooting to much because there were no other perimeter options for the Lakers.

I dont think it would change the winner, but the Lakers would win 1 more game with feeding Shaq.

[plowking]

Maybe, but the reality is that a Shaq-led team frequently loses with superior talent.. 2004 was just the latest example.. Shaq's team lost with far greater talent in 1995 Finals, 1998 WCF, and of course, 2004.

Lebron is a lot like Shaq - his style is unadjustable, which locks his teams into a certain way of playing.. The resulting brand off basketball is frequently inferior to their opponent, which leads to underperformance despite superior talent (Lebron lost with superior talent in 2009, 2011 and the talent was at least equal in 2014).

You have no idea what you're talking about when it comes to Shaq. Blaming the 95 and 98 series' on him is laughable. You are f*cking clueless.

Someone needs to beat your ass, so you stop talking so much clueless shit.

[plowking]

Kobe's FG% was horrible but he still put the clamps on rip...he didn't just disappear but the rape case and bad conditioning took his toll that finals series.

It's not like Shaq was dominating either BigBen was having his way with him on the rebounds.

The beef and the ignoring of eachother when they're open didn't help and you had karl malone sneaking up on vanessa...it was a drama filled year simple as that but that didn't hold back kobe flying in from colorado and dropping 40+ on the spurs.

Slurp Kobe some more while you're at it. Give us some more excuses as to why he played poorly too. We never get sick of them.

[Smoke117]

Those Pistons were a great defense but an overrated team. Shaq and Kobe still should've found a way to beat them. The same way the Heat almost did the very next year, Wade being hurt prevented it and the Spurs eventually did do. Kobe just went into a reckless, stubborn selfish style of play that was alienating.


That idiotic moronic fanboy Jordan thinking...that two players can make a difference when everything is stacked against you. You're an idiot.

[sportjames23]

Why they kill Tupac n' Chris
Why at the bar you ain't take straight shots instead of poppin Crist'
Why them bullets have to hit that door
Why did Kobe have to hit that raw
Why he kiss that whore
Why

[Dr Hawk]

Shaq was shooting 63% from the field and put up 26.6/10.8

Kobe attempted 29 more field goals and made 10 fewer than Shaq.

Shaq could have potentially put up 35 ppg if he had gotten the ball like he should have.

Reminds me of this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSe80qSgXVA

4 airballs


:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

[ArbitraryWater]

Kobe's FG% was horrible but he still put the clamps on rip...he didn't just disappear but the rape case and bad conditioning took his toll that finals series.

It's not like Shaq was dominating either BigBen was having his way with him on the rebounds.

The beef and the ignoring of eachother when they're open didn't help and you had karl malone sneaking up on vanessa...it was a drama filled year simple as that but that didn't hold back kobe flying in from colorado and dropping 40+ on the spurs.

:roll: :roll:

Moron

[NBAplayoffs2001]

They still lose but maybe in 6 games instead. That Pistons team was just way too good defensively and the Lakers team were just too old and worn out from 3 final in the past 4 years with a pretty mediocre supporting cast. Replacing them with a bunch of near 40 year old Hall of Famers just made the team much more prone to being exhausted by the end of the playoffs. That team on paper for the first 20 games of the season looked great and possibly had the chance to be the best Laker team to win a championship in the early 2000s if they won in 2004.

[Magic 32]

Kobe took 0.9 more shots per game in the finals than he did in the WCSF against the Spurs.

Kobe "allowed" Shaq 2.5 more shots against the Pistons than he did against the Spurs.

So I guess what Kobe was really doing was trying to steal the WCSF MVP from Shaq.

[ImKobe]

Shaq got more touches in the Finals than he did all year..it wasn't enough because even though Shaq's numbers were good, the rest of the team struggled due to injuries and poor chemistry. Pistons nearly swept the Lakers. Kobe passing the ball a little more wouldn't have won them the series.

Shaq averaged 13 FGA and 12 FTA the first 3 rounds of the Playoffs.
He got 4 more shots per game on average in the Finals.
Lakers were 1 - 3 in the Playoffs with Shaq getting 20 or more FGAs, that one win was thanks to Kobe hitting the game-tying 3 and taking over OT in the Finals.

[DMV2]

Kobe's the sole reason we didn't get swept.
Nope. Luke Walton was the unsung hero of Game 2's win.

[KembaWalker]

Nope. Luke Walton was the unsung hero of Game 2's win.

http://i.imgur.com/aTh6gs2.png

[J Shuttlesworth]

http://i.imgur.com/4Z9C9hP.jpg
That is a pretty damn cool pic. Especially considering Kobe would go on to get 2 of his own

Reminds me of the pic of Westbrook eyeing KD's MVP trophy

[Clifton]

You have to remember how low-scoring these games were.

If you've got a guy shooting 60% from the floor, against a Pistons defense that is holding everyone else under 40%... what if Kobe has 2 fewer misses per game and Shaq has 2 more makes? 4 point swing means more in that era than in the current one. Shaq's dunks also had more of an effect on momentum than Kobe's teammate-alienating fadeaways did. What was the iconic moment in the Lakers' 2000 comeback against the Blazers? Was it Kobe's clutch jumpers in the middle of the run? No, it was a Shaq dunk. Not a coincidence.

Also more touches for Shaq means more foul trouble for Big Ben. Ben didn't shut down Shaq but he was still the cornerstone of the Pistons' defensive attack. Everyone would have had an easier job with him sitting or afraid to foul.

Now, the fact is Shaq did get touches, and the Pistons made it fairly difficult for him... but when you've got Shaq and the other team has no 7 footers, and the best perimeter defense since MJ's bulls, you find a way to get him the ball in scoring position as much as you can. Nothing else was working.

[aj1987]

Shaq got more touches in the Finals than he did all year..it wasn't enough because even though Shaq's numbers were good, the rest of the team struggled due to injuries and poor chemistry. Pistons nearly swept the Lakers. Kobe passing the ball a little more wouldn't have won them the series.

Shaq averaged 13 FGA and 12 FTA the first 3 rounds of the Playoffs.
He got 4 more shots per game on average in the Finals.
Lakers were 1 - 3 in the Playoffs with Shaq getting 20 or more FGAs, that one win was thanks to Kobe hitting the game-tying 3 and taking over OT in the Finals.
Shaq scored 6 points in the OT on 3-3 shooting. Kobe scored 4 on 4 shots and had a TOV.

[ImKobe]

Shaq scored 6 points in the OT on 3-3 shooting. Kobe scored 4 on 4 shots and had a TOV.

he missed two shots in the last minute of OT with the Lakers up 8 points...2 of Shaq's baskets were set up by Kobe, Lakers only needed 3 points to win OT as Pistons only scored 2 points

footage doesn't lie, Kobe took over OT

https://youtu.be/2ivTetD1oNY?t=642

all of Shaq's baskets were assisted, first one Kobe draws the defense and all Shaq does is stand under the rim, catch the ball and put the ball in, 2nd one was set up by Kobe, a contested shot, 3rd basket a wide open alley oop from Walton...

Kobe was 2 out of 3 with 2 assists

on the other end, Kobe was defending Rip Hamilton, who missed 3 out of 4 shots

[HOoopCityJones]

Again, Kobe doesn't hit a clutch 3 , Lakers get swept.

[Magic 32]

The cast of veterans that Phil Jackson brought in to surround Kobe and Shaq in 2000 was either gone, injured or too old in 2004 (if not 2003).

Instead of dependable guys like Shaw, Fox and Horry, the Lakers had to rely on young "talent" like Walton, Rush, Medvedenko and George.

You add an injury to Karl Malone and a distracted Kobe, and you have the near sweep in the making.

[HighFlyer23]

Kobe shot 38% and he was only averaging 5 FTA per game ... he didn't even grab 3 boards a game for this series

If he had stepped up or dumped the ball to Shaq more, they would've won

More defensive attention geared toward Shaq would open up the floor for the rest of the team, including Kobe

Kobe wanted to be the man and failed ... yeah the Lakers were banged up but they still should've beaten Detroit ... Shaq was shooting 63% against the best defensive front court in the league ... Kobe lost the 2004 Finals for LA.

[JellyBean]

Lets just say that Kobe simply decides to pass the ball to Shaq .... is it a stretch to say that LA would sweep Detroit?

Even if Kobe passed the ball to Shaq more, the Lakers were not sweeping the Pistons. The Lakers might have won the series if they were playing more as a team rather than as individuals. But I gotta give the Pistons credit. They were hungry. Played great team basketball. And they out played my Lakers.