Chauncey Billups Reveals The Secret To The Pistons’ 2004 Championship Over Kobe Bryant And Shaquille O’Neal: “I Told My Wife That, Before The Series, We’d Win. She Laughed At Me.”

Chauncey Billups was confident that the Detroit Pistons will beat the Los Angeles Lakers to the 2004 NBA title despite not being able to stop Shaq and Kobe.

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Chauncey Billups won a Finals MVP that many would have never expected a player of his caliber to win when the Detroit Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals. The 5-game series was a brutal loss for the Lakers, that would end up trading Shaquille O’Neal to the Miami Heat and parting ways with coach Phil Jackson after that season.  

Billups was recently on the All The Smoke podcast hosted by Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes where he revealed that he was always confident in the Pistons’ ability to beat the Lakers. Even though the Pistons couldn’t stop the individual brilliance of Shaq and Kobe Bryant, they knew the Lakers couldn’t stop picking rolls and pin-downs with Chauncey. 

“But we thought they [Los Angeles Lakers] didn’t have a shot. Like, for real, though. That’s not even cocky, though. We felt like the way that they played and the way that we played was different,” Billups said.

“We can’t stop Kobe. We can’t stop Shaq. They the best two players in the whole series. But our game plan was gonna be thorough, and we knew that they couldn’t stop picking rolls with me, and they couldn’t stop ripping pin-downs… I told my wife that, before the series, we’d win. She laughed at me.”


The 2004 Pistons Championship Was Special

The 2004 Pistons win is a story of how substance can always win out over style. They are arguably one of the greatest defensive teams of all time, anchored by 4-time DPOY Ben Wallace. Billups ran the team as their point guard and had specialist wings like Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace around him.

The Lakers had burnt out from their reign of success in the Shaq and Kobe era by 2004. They fell short of the NBA Finals in 2003 and couldn’t be successful when they did make it back in 2004.

The Lakers ended up blowing up their entire squad and had to deal with patiently rebuilding the team over the next 4 years to eventually get back to the Finals in 2008 and then win back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010. 

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Ishaan Bhattacharya is a content manager for Fadeaway World from New Delhi, India. With his expertise in NBA content creation, Ishaan brings a wealth of experience to his role, contributing to the site's authority and reach within the basketball community. Over the last year, Ishaan has interviewed Ray Allen and Mark Tatum, while also covering the 2023 NBA Abu Dhabi Games which saw the Dallas Mavericks take on the Minnesota Timberwolves.Since joining Fadeaway World in March 2022, Ishaan Bhattacharya has become known for his unique perspective on the NBA. He consistently delivers this insight through his daily news coverage and detailed opinion pieces on the most significant topics in the league.Before his tenure at Fadeaway World, Ishaan worked in corporate communications, where he serviced prominent sports brands, including NBA India, Sports18, Amazon Prime Sports, and Royal Challengers Bangalore. This experience in strategic communications for leading sports entities has enhanced his ability to craft impactful narratives and connect with a global audience.A true MFFLer (Mavs Fan for Life, for the uninitiated), Ishaan is a massive fan of the Dallas Mavericks. When he is not upset about Jalen Brunson walking in free agency, you can see Ishaan as an avid gamer and content creator. His passion for basketball extends beyond the Mavericks, as evidenced by his thoughtfully curated NBA Mount Rushmore, featuring LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Bill Russell—each representing distinct eras and bringing their unique qualities to the game.Featured On: ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Bleacher ReportYahoo Sports, NBA, Fox Sports, The Spun
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