A look back at the 2004 NBA Finals Game 3 between the Pistons and Lakers

With the NBA season on hold, we go back in time, game by game, to examine the Detroit Pistons’ surprise 2004 Finals victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Following Kobe Bryant‘s legendary shot in Game 2, it would be reasonable to expect the Detroit Pistons to be deflated as the NBA Finals shifted to Auburn Hills. But the home team responded with resounding resiliency on the strength of their signature defensive intensity.

Defensive effort has been the tale of the tape through three games.

Detroit suffocated the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1. The Lakers responded in kind in the critical second contest. With the series tied, the Pistons dominated from beginning to end.

The disparity in effort was striking.

Basic fundamentals appeared taxing when the road team was forced to execute them.

Watch as Richard Hamilton makes a simple rim run after a Ben Wallace jumper. Detroit’s offense is stagnant and what should be an obvious time to crash the defensive boards turns into a simple offensive rebound and putback:

A minute later, Hamilton grabs a defensive rebound, pushes the tempo the other way, and no Laker makes any real attempt at stopping the ball, the most basic of transition defense fundamentals:

Early easy points for Rip, who struggled in Los Angeles, sparked a strong performance and game-high 31 points.  Taking advantage of poor defense, he feasted in the situations that the Lakers took away in the previous two games.

In the first quarter, Hamilton turned a simple Big Ben screen into an easy two points when the defense made no attempt at a contest:

Attention to detail failed Los Angeles all game long.  When yet another screen for Hamilton drew multiple defenders, the Lakers failed to tag Ben Wallace on the roll resulting in a dunk:

Late in the game, that play paid dividends for Rip. After he executed his patented curl coming from the baseline, the roll defender realized he couldn’t leave Ben alone which created a huge driving lane:

Hamilton’s backcourt partner found more room in the first game back in Auburn Hills than he did in the prior contest.  Every time Gary Payton went under a screen, Chauncey Billups made him pay:

(Wash thoroughly). Rinse. Repeat.

When Payton went over the screen, Mr. Big Shot converted at the rim:

Larry Brown‘s coaching performance was every bit as strong as his team’s. After Luke Walton‘s strong outing evened the NBA Finals at one game each, Brown made the call to match up Corliss Williamson with Walton in the first half.  As Williamson entered the game, color commentator Doc Rivers noted that Brown said his plan regarding Walton was to “make him play defense and get him off the floor.”

The Lakers’ lack of depth prevented them from matching up with Detroit’s big lineup, so Williamson feasted in the post.

With Kobe Bryant drawing the Williamson assignment, Corliss consistently got deep position and easy points on multiple possessions in the second quarter.

At the same time, Luke Walton was forced into defending out of position and committed three quick fouls.  Make him play defense and get him off the floor, indeed.

When Detroit was on defense, their trademark intensity was evident.

For the second straight game, the Pistons were able to limit Shaquille O’Neal, this time to only 14 points on 14 shots.

The game plan was similar to that of the first two games. If Shaq doesn’t get shot attempts, he can’t dominate in the paint. Where Detroit failed to force turnovers previously, their timing was impeccable throughout the first game at the Palace.

Watch as Ben Wallace waits patiently to make his move when O’Neal gets deep position on him. Rather than make a low-percentage attempt at stealing the entry pass, Wallace strips the ball the moment Shaq brings it to waist level:

Contrast that with Elden Campbell tipping the ball away on an entry pass later in the game. While Shaq has both feet in the paint, he’s not squared up to Campbell allowing him to force a turnover before O’Neal gains full possession:

Perhaps the most telling statistic relating to Detroit’s defense of the Lakers’ big man was that he attempted only two free throws the entire game. Both of those occurred in the second half after a foul on a defensive rebound.

The Pistons similarly suffocated the NBA Finals Game 2 hero.

Wherever Bryant went, multiple Pistons followed. The result was only 11 points on 13 shots. Kobe was scoreless in the first quarter. His first bucket came more than four minutes into the second quarter. The budding legend was amazingly a non-factor in a critical Finals game.

The end result, a 20-point blowout, was predictable given the two Lakers stars underwhelming performances. Karl Malone was clearly hobbled and not himself. Chauncey Billups locked Gary Payton down once again. And the rest of the Los Angeles supporting cast just wasn’t strong enough to change the outcome.

Stray Observations:

• Chauncey Billups is the leading NBA Finals MVP candidate at this point. Ben Wallace is a close second given his defensive impact. No one else is remotely close, though Tayshaun Prince has been solid.
• Shaq opening tip violation count: three
• Rasheed Wallace got fed the ball in the post early in the game after silly fouls limited his time on the court in the previous two games. It didn’t work, but it could be a sign of things to come.
• The late Stuart Scott noted how loose Detroit was before the game, a relative surprise given the devastating end to the previous contest.
• Darko Milicic, the Human Victory Cigar, made his NBA Finals debut with 1:48 remaining in the game.