The 2004 Pistons are one of the best teams in history: they notably upset the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals, despite having no superstar-caliber players on their team. Any team that can beat Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal in their prime is clearly one of the best ever.
During their peak, those Detroit Pistons were well known for their hard-nosed defense and physicality. They were definitely capable of slowing the game down and bothering opposing stars at that end of the floor. Many were impressed by what the 2004 Pistons were able to do. In fact, Kendrick Perkins has recently claimed that the 2004 Pistons would be able to beat any team in any era in a playoff series, claiming that they are arguably the greatest defensive team in NBA history.
I strongly believe the 2004 Detroit Pistons would have beat ANY team in any ERA in a 7 game series! That is arguably the greatest defensive team in NBA History! Don’t mind me tho and Carry on…
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) July 25, 2022
I strongly believe the 2004 Detroit Pistons would have beat ANY team in any ERA in a 7 game series! That is arguably the greatest defensive team in NBA History! Don’t mind me tho and Carry on…
There is no doubt that the Detroit Pistons were a fantastic team that worked very well as a unit. In fact, Rasheed Wallace boldly claimed that his 2004 Pistons would be able to beat the 2017 Warriors, who are considered one of the greatest teams in NBA history.
“I interviewed Rasheed in 2017, asked about the ’17 Warriors. He said his Pistons would “run through them. Not even close” & would beat them in a 7 game series. His team might have done a good job defensively BUT this idea that the old era is forever paramount has to end.”
Unfortunately, we won’t be able to watch historic teams face off against one another unless that is done in video games. It would definitely be interesting to see if the 2004 Pistons would be able to back up Kendrick Perkins’ claim.
With that being said, the Detroit Pistons have clearly earned their respect among players and fans alike. They were the true definition of a team being greater than the sum of its parts, and perhaps we’ll see another team that wins using teamwork, defense, and balanced offense in the future.
