Tayshaun Prince played a significant role for the Detroit Pistons as the primary defender on Kobe Bryant. However, heading into the 2004 NBA finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, few believed Prince and the Pistons had a real shot, not even the kids in his hometown.
“Right before Game 1, they threw something for me at my high school,” Prince said, per Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report. “While I was speaking to the kids, one of the first questions they had was, ‘How you going to feel when you losing?’ Because they were all Lakers fans. I’m in Compton. Everybody in L.A. is a big Lakers fan.”
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“And as much as they were appreciating me for what I did coming from that school and everything, the first question out of their mouth was, ‘How you going to feel when you lose this series?’ The only thing I could do is laugh it off,” he added.
Heavy underdogs
Saying the Pistons were “overlooked” going into the 2004 Finals is an understatement. They were massive underdogs, and literally nobody gave them a chance.
According to Evan Abrams of Action Sports, the Pistons were the biggest underdogs to win an NBA title since 1985. Las Vegas had the Lakers as -700 favorites. Detroit, on the other hand, came in at +500.
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Long-time sportswriter Chris Sheridan, then of the Associated Press, echoed the pervading belief that Detroit simply didn’t have the firepower to hang with Los Angeles. He and many other analysts expected a quick series, with Sheridan predicting a Lakers sweep.
Doing a positional matchup breakdown, Sheridan only gave the Pistons the edge at the point guard matchup primarily because of Gary Payton’s age. Somehow, he thought Karl Malone would get the better of Rasheed Wallace, but the former eventually broke down and missed Game 5. His presence was hardly felt.
Even though no one would blame him for taking Bryant over Rip Hamilton, that matchup turned out to be a virtual deadlock in terms of production. Bryant averaged 22.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.8 steals but shot only 38.1 percent from the floor.
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He took more shots than anyone else in the series (113), more than the combined total of Wallace and Chauncey Billups, who had 110 between them.
Meanwhile, Hamilton averaged 21.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists on a 40.2 percent clip. More importantly, his shot attempts came within the flow of the offense and reflected the Pistons’ unselfish, team-first identity.
No laughing matter
The 2004 finals series was less about the Lakers falling short and more about the Pistons being the better team. Detroit was made to last, enduring a tougher series in the Eastern Conference finals against the Indiana Pacers.
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In Game 2, Prince played the hero role, saving the Pistons from the jaws of defeat by swatting Reggie Miller’s shot to preserve a 69-67 lead.
Lakers head coach Phil Jackson watched too much basketball to ignore the momentum the Pistons carried after surviving that Indiana series.
“When I was sitting down with the players, I said, ‘You just don’t understand this. You don’t have a chance in hell against Detroit.’ All the emotional momentum is for Detroit. The Comeback Team. The underdogs. They had the shot block at the end of the Indiana game — Prince blocked Reggie Miller’s shot and saved the ballgame… So it’s gonna be a huge emotional thing,” remembered Jackson.
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Although the kids at Dominguez High School laughed at Prince and the Pistons’ chances like everyone else, the series quickly turned into a one-sided affair. Detroit’s defense and discipline overwhelmed L.A., bringing the Shaquille O’Neal-Kobe partnership to a halt.
It turns out the joke was on everyone who counted them out.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 21, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.