“We Couldn’t Stop Kobe Bryant or Shaquille O’Neal But Our Plan Was Thorough”: Chauncey Billups’ Pistons Were Confident About Beating The Lakers in 04

The Pistons own one of the biggest upsets in NBA history when they defeated the Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal-led Lakers in the 2004 Finals.

For all the differences between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, the Los Angeles Lakers came in as Western Conference champions in the 2004 Playoffs and were the favorites to win their fourth title in five years.

Arguably the greatest superstar duo of all time, they may have been breathing fire at each other off the court, but on it they were determined to win and prove they were superior to each other.

On top of that, they also had the chip on their shoulders of making a statement after losing in the second round in the previous season’s Playoffs after making a hat-trick earlier.

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But, the Eastern Conference champions had a chip of their own: being the underdog in the Finals. Although, if their Finals MVP is to be believed, they had no doubt they could win the championship.

Chauncey Billups did not see defeating the Lakers led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal as an upset

The current head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers was a good point guard in his day. Not as sensational as his Portland superstar, Damian Lillard, but Billups was the leader of one of the toughest teams in NBA history.

With the help of solid players Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace in the starting lineup, and no other stars per se, the Pistons, against all odds, really believed they could beat the Lakers.

In his recent appearance in all the smoke podcast, the main protagonist of that team spoke about it in vivid detail.

They couldn’t and didn’t try to stop the Purple and Gold duo, they just played at their own strength and stopped every other player with some of the most stifling defenses of all time.

The fight for supremacy between Kobe and Shaq surely helped Billups and company seize the opportunity and stun their opponents. But, as the man says, his pick and roles and a few other set plays were enough to beat those Lakers.

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