Rip Hamilton was one of the key players on the Detroit Pistons squad that upset the star-studded Los Angeles Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals. From an average fan’s standpoint, the Lakers gave the impression they were going to dominate the ‘04 Pistons. However, according to Rip, they never once viewed themselves as underdogs that season. If anything, Hamilton was even confident that they could win the title.
“Before the series even started,” Hamilton replied to Rappler Talk Sports. “Because we feel as though we were a really good team, especially early in the season. Me and Chauncey felt that we were the best backcourt in the league, but we were missing a piece, and once we added Rasheed Wallace to our group, then we knew it was game over. Because we knew we needed another guy there, especially in the post that could demand a double team, and Rasheed was that guy for us.”
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“So coming into that series, we just felt that even though they had a great team and again, four Hall of Famers on that team, we just felt as though we were the better team,” he continued. “We were locked in, we knew that if we can go to LA and get one game… it’s no way that they were going to beat us especially on our home court in Detroit.”
Kobe on why the Lakers lost in ‘04
There were no lies detected in Hamilton’s comments. Taking a quick trip down memory lane, the Lakers only won one game in that series, and just barely. If it hadn’t been for Kobe Bryant’s clutch 3-pointer in the final seconds of the game, the Pistons would’ve swept the Purple and Gold.
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In his reflection, the late, great Bryant also discussed why the Pistons upset the Lakers that year. However, unlike Rip, Black Mamba didn’t recognize Rasheed Wallace as the difference maker. Instead, Kobe attributed his team’s loss to a lack of preparation and internal conflict.
“When you go against a Larry Brown team, he puts pressure on the triangle and forces you to go deeper into the offense,” Bryant said, per Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report. “You have to rely on automatics. You have to know each other’s tendencies to react to the other.”
“We weren’t ready to do that [against the Pistons],” Kobe admitted. “There was just too much going on. We weren’t as sharp as those other teams that had been together forever.”
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The ‘04 Pistons made history
Hamilton and the Detroit Pistons made history by not just upsetting the heavily favored Lakers super team but also by defying the common belief in the NBA that superstars win championships. Heading into the ‘04 Finals, only Rasheed and Ben Wallace were the multi-time All-Stars on the Pistons squad.
Moreover, the ‘04 Pistons proved that team basketball and chemistry will beat individual talent any day. It’s also worth noting that before Big Ben and Billups were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2021 and 2024, the ‘04 Pistons were the only championship team in NBA history with zero Hall of Famers.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Feb 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.