Rasheed Wallace was the final piece for the 2004 Detroit Pistons, who went on to win a famous NBA Championship after acquiring Wallace in the winter of 2004. That team is remembered as arguably the greatest defensive team in NBA history.
Wallace believes that the team’s defense was so elite that they would beat the 2017 Golden State Warriors if they ever matched up.
“We have an NBA record that won’t ever be broken. We kept six or seven teams under 70 points. In this scoring ever, that would never be broken again. We were defense, We would’ve beat the sh*t out of them. I’m gonna address that because Draymond said this bullsh*t on his and Shaq’s podcast. We would have beat the sh*t out of them simply because of the simple fact that they couldn’t match up with us at any position.”
Wallace broke down why the individual matchups would end up favoring the Pistons.
“Steph is not a defender. He would’ve had to guard Rip. How many screens was Rip coming off? Or whoever they put at point, they would have been too little for Chauncey… I’m saying, back then, (KD couldn’t guard Tayshaun Prince) Tayshaun was an underrated scorer… They’re not used to the physicality. Draymond is too little.”
Wallace concluded by saying that the Warriors wouldn’t be able to handle the Pistons even under the new rules because of the Pistons’ more diverse skill set.
“Under the new rules, they can’t f**k with us either because we’ve got guys with a greater skill set.”
"We would've beat the sh*t out of them because for the simple fact that they couldn't match up with us at any position…Steph [Curry] not a defender. He would've had to guard Rip [Hamilton]…Draymond [Green] is too little…"
Sheed says the '04 Pistons SMOKE the '17 Warriors pic.twitter.com/gGAwn7EaIc
— The Sheed & Tyler Show (@SheedXTylerShow) May 30, 2024
The Pistons made history with their defense in 2004, ending the Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant era on the Lakers as their Finals loss led to Shaq’s exit from the franchise that summer. They stifled teams and made NBA records which will stand the test of time, especially with how the game is far more offensively fluid than before.
Some consider the 2017 Warriors to be the greatest team in NBA history by virtue of their incredible talent. This was the core of a team that went 73-9 in the previous regular season and came back with the addition of a league MVP in his prime, Kevin Durant.
They went 12-0 through the Western Conference before dispatching the LeBron James and Kyrie Irving-led Cavaliers in the Finals, prompting Kyrie’s departure that summer.
These teams have very unique strengths, but it’s hard to say if one style of play would comprehensively be better than the other.
2004 Pistons vs. 2017 Warriors: Who Would Win A 7-Game Series?
2004 Pistons Starting Lineup: Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace
2004 Pistons Key Bench Players: Mehmet Okur, Lindsey Hunter, Corliss Williamson, Mike James, Chucky Atkins, Elden Campbell, Darvin Ham
2017 Warriors Starting Lineup: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Zaza Pachulia
2017 Warriors Key Bench Players: Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, Ian Clark, David West, Patrick McCaw, JaVale McGee
The 2004 Pistons set records that season for the lowest opponent PPG for the regular season (84.26) as well as the playoffs (80.7) in this century. They registered 11 games of holding opponents to under 70 points, which included a run of five straight games. The New Jersey Nets broke that streak and celebrated a loss because they managed to crack 70 points in that win.
The 2017 Warriors could have made NBA history by going 16-0 over a Playoff run, winning their first 15 games without a loss before dropping Game 4 to the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. Team statistical indicators show how elite this team was, as they ranked No. 1 in offense (115.6) and No. 2 in defense (104.0) this season. Their sheer playoff dominance is often considered the closest we have ever seen to a perfect playoff run.
In my opinion, the 2017 Warriors would beat the 2004 Pistons, regardless of the rule-set. It would be a hard-fought series, but over seven games, the incredible talent of the Warriors would likely win out. Rasheed Wallace would do a great job in limiting Kevin Durant, but there’s simply no stopping Durant.
The shooting backcourt of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson proved during their prime that they could shoot over basically any coverage or defense if required. That’s what made these Warriors a virtually unstoppable machine, as Curry and Klay’s offensive talents were used behind Durant.
Draymond Green would be the perfect big man for this series, as he would be versatile enough to take on any defensive matchup based on requirements. The Pistons do not have the same versatility in their roster, and it isn’t close. The Pistons had role players guarding out of their minds at a time when the game favored defenders, but the Warriors have pure offensive talent that can overwhelm any opposition.
Many hardcore fans would love to see a defensive unit like the Pistons be arranged in the modern era. The Timberwolves’ league-changing defense was rated at 109.0 as compared to the ’04 Pistons’ defensive rating of 95.4, showing how different the league is.
Even the Wolves’ defense couldn’t contain a mercurial duo like Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. The Warriors had the greatest offensive one-two punch the NBA has ever seen, and there are no amount of schemes that can keep them contained for a seven-game series.
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