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HUBERT DAVIS – Walter Davis’ nephew was already in the late autumn of his career. At the end of January 2004, the Pistons released the 33-year-old, so he was no longer in the playoffs.
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TREMAINE FOWLKES – The winger hardly played a role under coach Larry Brown. After only 36 games in the regular season, he was no longer used in the playoffs.
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DARKO MILICIC – Every NBA fan knows his story. As the No.2 pick between LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, Darko could never meet the high expectations placed on him. He didn’t get more than eight minutes of garbage in the playoffs.
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ZELJKO REBRACA – Fellow countryman Rebraca hardly played a role as a five. After only 21 games, he was traded to the Hawks.
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DARVIN HAM – He has now sold his championship ring. The winger could not contribute much either. Ham posted just 16 points in 108 playoff minutes.
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MIKE JAMES – Came from the Wallace trade in Boston and matched the pistons like a fist. Along with the second backup on Guard, Lindsey Hunter, James was one of the Pistons’ pit bulls through tough defense.
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LINDSEY HUNTER – still drafted by the Pistons in 1993, the playmaker returned to MoTown in 2003. In February he was sent to Boston, where the Celtics released him. The pistons snapped shut immediately.
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BOB SURA – The Shooting Guard was also shipped in the Wallace deal, but Sura had to go to Atlanta. Previously, Sura was mostly in the rotation and averaged 3.5 points in 53 games.
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CHUCKY ATKINS – Another victim of the Wallace trade. The then 29-year-old gave the backups of the Billups and got 6.2 points and 2.4 assists in an average of 18.8 minutes.
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ELDEN CAMPBELL – The aging center was a colossus and weighed a good 130 kilos. Campbell became so important for Detroit in the finals because he relieved Ben Wallace and was able to defend Shaq properly over phases.
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CORLISS WILLIAMSON – The previous year, the scoring forward was chosen as the Sixth Man of the Year, in the master year his role was a little smaller. Big Nasty played even less in the finals.
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MEHMET OKUR – The then young Turk was hardly used by Brown as a stretch five, that only came in Utah. Instead, Okur also made a name for himself with crisp defense.
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RASHEED WALLACE – The final piece of the puzzle? Sheed came over Portland from Atlanta in February and turned the Pistons from a good team to a great team. Mr. “Ball don’t lie” also shone in the playoffs with strong performances as a power forward.
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TAYSHAUN PRINCE – Next to him, a Sophomore started on Small Forward in Prince, who was already an outstanding defender and last but not least drove Kobe crazy.
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RICHARD HAMILTON – The Shooting Guard was the long-running favorite and top scorer of the Pistons in the regular season and in the playoffs. “Rip” broke his nose twice at the beginning of the 03/04 season and from then on always played with a mask.
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BEN WALLACE – “Fear the Fro” was the heart of the Pistons’ tough defense. Wallace became Defensive Player of the Year four times, although not in the championship season. In return, he delivered 14.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks on average in the playoffs!
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CHAUNCEY BILLUPS – Mr. Big Shot, the 2004 Finals MVP. Billups had once “failed” as a lottery pick in Boston, he found his luck in Detroit and made himself immortal in 2004.
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COACHING STAFF: IGOR KOKOSKOV – The former head coach of the Phoenix Suns was on the bench in Detroit as an assistant coach …
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MIKE WOODSON – just like Woody, who is really not that easy to recognize with hair. Woodson has headed the Hawks and Knicks as head coach since then, until 2018 he was Doc Rivers’ assistant at the Clippers.
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LARRY BROWN – The coaching legend won his only NBA title in 2004. Brown’s rage for change subsequently earned him the nickname “Next Town Brown” (cc Jalen Rose).
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