Chauncey Billupss Explains How The Pistons Beat Kobe & Shaq In The 2004 Finals | ALL THE SMOKE
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ต.ค. 2024
- Former Piston's star, Chauncey Billups reflects on Detroits 2004 title and how the team thought Kobe, Shaq and the Laker's had no chance at beating them. He explains the game plan they executed in the series.
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Chauncey the only point guard in the 2000's to take a team to the conference finals 7 times! 6 with Detroit and 1 with Denver (2009) no other marquee point guard (Jason Kidd and Steve Nash) has done that.. 5 × all star 2004 finals mvp! back to back nba finals appearances..chauncey will be in the hall of fame next year for sure 🔥
He’s a HOF’er for sure!!!
FR...he gotta be hof ffs
Mr. Bigshot
He is also the only player that has a winning record vs jordan kobe and lebron in both the regular season and playoffs.
lebron
Chauncey was one of my favorite PGs during the Pistons run. As a Blazer fan, I’m glad he’s our coach.
Their coach
Rockets fan, he was my favorite player when I was younger. He was awesome!
you are NOT a blazers fan if you're happy that he's your coach rn lmaooo
@@TL2354Our coach
We had no murders that whole summer here in Detroit that year.. Best team.. And good year for us.. We should've repeated
@Tony G None..
I'm from the d & idk about that lol. Probably none that were reported you mean
I lived a mile outside Detroit and her gunshots every night
@@nickkoslakiewicz7845 Didn't hear them during the summer of 04
Detroit sad😂
🤯 Mind blowing fun fact 🤯... Chauncey Billups is the ONLY player in NBA history to have a winning record against Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James! 🤯
Question is if they take Melo, do they still trade for Sheed? Taking Darko helped them get Sheed because he didn't work out like they hoped he would have. I think Melo would've made it impossible for them to get Sheed but they'd most likely still win the Championship that year and probably the one they lost to San Antonio.
He also brought up an interesting question: had they taken Melo, would Bron still be Bron?
Ben
Sheed (If they get him midseason)
Melo
Rip
Chauncey
with Tayshawn as the 6th man.
What if Bron then got sheed and sheed shot the shot not Darnell marshall
They did a 3-way deal and gave up guards, a 3rd string big & draft picks for Rasheed. Def could’ve happened taking Melo instead of Milicic. Team still needed another inside presence to tag team w/ Wallace.
@@antihero8265 So you're saying that they still would've gotten Sheed?
Bron probably would've went to Boston 🤣🤣🤣
@@jmcgee39 rabbit hole. Can’t say anything for sure. Just allowing for the “what if” to play out in my head a bit
Bro I straight up used to dislike CB for no good reason.
But to learn this man was a true team player, didn’t give a SHIT about FMVP and led Detroit to six conference finals… and Denver once. Holy shit man
I think I just discovered one of my favorite players ever. I feel like I’ve been hiding under a rock.
Chauncey was the most underrated point guard - and player - in decades
2004 pistons the most underrated championship team ever
Most overrated
@@joshuafult84Nope, that's what a championship team is supposed to look like. They shut down the best team by working together, well deserved.
@@joshuafult84they’d stop your favorite team today
without derrick fisher hitting that ridiculous .4 second buzzer u guys not winning that chip
@joshuafult84 how can you be overrated and be the underdog at the same time?? 🤦🏿♂️🤔
I love this 04 pistons team. Definition of teamwork, no star player or ball hog, i remember their defense the opponents were held atleast 70 points. The lakers were more talented in paper but of course you had the kobe shaq thing, kobes case, malone and payton way past their prime
They the ONLY championship team that doesn't have any nba top 75...if that doesn't tell u how good of teamwork the team was, idk what can
No star player but had 4 or 5 all stars lol
@@kingrell116 hu u
Lakers fan i agree
Plus the Lakers had zero depth that was unreliable. Shaq was the only one that had a good series and he wasn't his dominant self.
The pistons strategy was simple. They weren’t going to double Shaq. They wanted the other lakers to get wide eyed and start feeding him down low. Kobe was at his most selfish though and started to get upset that he wasn’t seeing the ball. So he started chucking shit 😂 He also wanted the finals mvp as well. So this finals loss I blame on injuries and Kobe Bryant
Thank you Kobe fanboys always pretend 🙄 he didn't nothing wrong
@@melvynsngltn27 What i have never heard nobody excusing Kobe for this series , he even admitted .
@@juliopoueriet2031 Kobe fanboys make 1,000,000 excuses for everyone except Kobe
U gotta understand to the lakers 2004 team did not work either Karl Malone was to old Kobe Bryant got in trouble in Colorado and Shaq was fueding with dr buss Gary Payton the only player who played 82 games on that squad that year and Gary Payton said the team didn’t work out itself
I’m not saying Karl is too old but Karl was injured most of the season
This is my favorite team of the 2000's. I remember they had a stretch of about 4 games where no team scored up to 70 or 80 on them. I also remember the full court press they used to run with Lindsey Hunter and Mike James who were both fast as hell and had great hands, which is still the most devastating full press I've ever seen. Also remember Mehmet Okur and Corliss Williamson coming off the bench and wrecking havoc on that team. It's crazy how much depth that team had in retrospect.
One thing to mention though is that a big reason the Lakers lost the way they did was because Karl Malone got hurt in game 2 and was never himself afterwards. Malone was the heart of the team that year despite having a ton of beef with Kobe. You could tell he was severely injured in the Pistons series, especially after seeing how impactful he was in the conference finals when they defeated the MVP that year: Kevin Garnett.
My favorite finals EVER ! I was a kid so turnt ! Detroit stand up !
My favorite was the year after. Detroit was MIA
Pistons should've kept that 2004 roster intact. I thought the departure of Corliss Williamson and Mehmet Okur hurt their depth. But man...Pistons not drafting Melo has to rank up there with Portland not drafting Michael, as the biggest draft blunder.
I was in the rec tent directly behind Baghdad International Airport watching this series with a few dozen other folks every morning ( one of the few benefits of working 7pm - 7am )...talk about a LIVE environment, probably one of the better viewing experiences of my Life, we were cutting up the whole time.
There were a handful of Representatives of the Laker Nation jawing back and forth with the rest of the tent.
Obviously we all know how the series went but the joy of camaraderie that was provided by those players truly helped everybody take their minds off of the madness that surrounded us.
RIP KOBE
That was a great underdog team!!
💯💯
Pistons. They only won cuz of Kobe.
The Pistons not drafting Melo is one of the biggest what ifs in NBA history. That team would have competed for titles for many years to come. Wow Detroit fucked up.
Joe D, will go down in infamy with that horrible decision.
Would of been one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history. Even until their last year together in 08 with Larry Brown and Ben Wallace gone for years at that point, they still won 59 games (2nd in the NBA) and lost to the eventual champs in 6 with a hobbled Billups and McDyess.
@@Loganbub they probably would have beat that Boston team in 08 too
The Bears taking Tribusky instead of Watson or Mahomes is.
@@kifley19 how about the Steelers not drafting Dan Marino ???? 😁😁
Joe was the GM, but Larry Brown wanted Darko not Melo, he didn’t like Melo n vice versa after the bronze medal USA team #facts he never gave Melo no clock said he had a bad attitude so Joe didn’t draft him
Can’t do that “What if” cause it’s a butterfly effect.
If they draft Melo who’s to say they would have the need or the mentality to trade for Sheed??
Plus Larry brown didn’t really play young players back then.
melo was different tho
@@landrelljones5708 Larry Brown wasn't a fan of playing younger players. You saw this in the 04 Olympics when he coached. That's part of why they lost. He's really stubborn in regards to that.
@@landrelljones5708 Doesn’t matter. Larry Brown’s gonna Larry Brown.
Wasn’t he giving Tayshaun minutes as a rookie???
This is true about LB but he he also forget more about X and Os then almost any other coach knows about the game
I'm still mad about my Lakers losing that championship.
It birthed an iconic team becoming history though 🤷🏽♂️
Y’all got enough rings for the time period, let someone else get some shine 😂
Same
Agreed.💯%!!
no better team to win this against Lakes, this Pistons team was iconic. Team work at finest
They got embarrassed!!!
I remembered back then an analyst who I can't remember said that even Shaq and Kobe would both score 30 plus a game during that series, there's no way they were going to beat the Pistons if the other players doesn't contribute because the Pistons defense was so good they love limiting teams to under 80 pts when beating them.
people hated that era due to low scoring tbh i loved lower scoring games, it makes scoring more valuable.
Man, Yawncy.. that was a GREAT time for Detroit. I was livin' in LA and STILL rooting for the home team. Loved them years...
Heavy Gratitude for sharing.
Ps Cedric Maxwell and Chauncey Billups are the only Finals MVP winners eligible for the Hall of Fame who have not been voted in.
Pps Love when the underdog wins.
Ppps Let them in the Hall of Fame. They earned it.
Woulda changed the trajectory of Both their careers.. Melo would have more Championships
One of my favorite PG'S ever! His ability to was a team, get shots for himself and others is underrated!
This Pistons team is one of my favorite teams of all time.
The way Jack kept saying “it did not work” 😂😂😂😂. Maaaaan the whole city was like “whhhhhhat?!”
"Let's get it started" that song by Black Eyed Peas was what I remember during this, and how I was rooting for them to upset the Lakers. What a great team effort.
Whats crazy is these piston teams actually underachieved. They shoulda nabbed AT LEAST 2 chips
damn. have mercy, if detroit drafted carmelo anthony that year. pistons defense plus carmelo anthony's young and very explosive offensive game.
If the Pistons picked up Carmelo, they would never have traded for Sheed. The team wouldn't be anywhere near the same team and instead of a defense-first, team-first team it would be basically the same team as the Denver Nuggets but in Detroit. No championship, no legacy. Just another team that focuses entirely on one superstar.
I know hindsight is 20/20 but I really don't see them winning the 04 championship if they had drafted Melo and Melo started over Prince. Prince was so integral to their defensive scheme. Rookie Melo could not guard Kobe the way Prince guarded him in the finals.
I love Chauncey but, I’m very skeptical about the stuff he was saying about Melo. Maybe the players on the team preferred him, but darko was the CLEAR consensus number 2 choice, and that’s among every team. He had CRAZY hype coming in that year, and there wasn’t any doubt about what the first 3 picks were gonna be, it was always lebron, darko, and then melo. There was always a rule about not passing up on size, and for a guy that could be a dominant versatile center like that, any other year he would have provably gone #1 but obviously with lebron in the same class, he went first, but people really forget how much hype darko had and that also for Detroit, they really didn’t have a traditional center so that choice made even more sense at the time.
Tayshaun prince blocked Reggie Millers layup, if you had melo you would have lost.
Pistons dont win a championship if Prince doesnt make that block in 04 vs the Pacers. He would not have been on the court if Carmelo was on the team. Everything obviously is hypothetical, but Tays block got us past Indiana. That game was crutial.
I don't know they trade for Sheed with Melo, and I don't think Melo would have flourished with DET. To answer Chauncey's question about when Bron would have taken over? The same time he "took over" in the real timeline, when he went to MIA.
That’s how you know even the draft is RIGGED! aint no way you skip Melo That stuff was rigged
I agree if Melo goes to them his career is way better because of the players he’s being groomed by
Pistons won for 2 words only, BEN WALLACE
Difference between the 2004 Lakers and Pistons was that the Pistons *built* their team while the Lakers *bought* their team(that only lasted a season btw). Don’t matter how much talent you throw together, at the end of the day all that matters is team chemistry. The Pistons proved that, that season.
And Shaq was overweight, Kobe was in and out of court and Malone got injured. The Pistons got a perfect storm. Reason the only have 1 ring.
@@chadf1368 Detroit got 3 rings 5th most in NBA history dam alot of team really always been trash
@@daniellecarruth6443 the Chauncey billups team has 1
@@chadf1368 none of that stopped them from getting to the finals beating the Spurs and MVP KG with his top seed Wolves that year. They only got 1 ring (with no superstars) but came really closer to knocking off back to back dynasties with no superstars.
Detroit bought and traded for their talent just like the Lakers, if anything Lakers had more homegrown talent. Fisher, Kobe, Luke Walton, Devean George, and Kareem Rush were all drafted. Shaq and Karl Malone were the only bought stars but Malone and Payton were washed by that point.
That Lakers squad was in turmoil. As a Laker fan we all knew it. Even tho I still hate that series loss til this day, it was necessary. That ushered in The Black Mamba era.
Those teams were so shit tho, Kobe literally had to carry so much of the damn load night in and night out, who da fuq was Chris Mihm, Chucky Atkinson, Smush Parker
Always a excuse for kobe when he lose omg,when he got swept by the suns he was tired,when the Cavs swept him he hurt his little toe haha
@@nectarpeach2853 kobe got handled period
No it didn't cuz kobe got swept by the mavs and beat by the suns,facts hurt
@@shakimx6918 when did Kobe get swept by the Cavs??? Bruh Bruh. You're reaching and obviously know nothing about basketball. Do some research before sprewing your nonesense.
You'll still hear laker fans cry about this series to this day acting as if they should have had it in the bag. But that's all it is, a bunch of if scenarios. At the end of the day, the pistons beat them and they are still salty about it. Get over it already.You win some, you lose some. Just give credit to the pistons already.
It's funny cause the Lakers side to this is that Karl Malone was injured and Kobe had a bad series, their chemistry was off all year, etc. while the Pistons side to it was always their lockdown defense and teamwork. I remember a story that Isiah Thomas told the team before the series started that it might be the Pistons that swept the Lakers. Not too far off...my favorite team ever
Malone & Horace Grant were injured. Slava Medvedenko was starting at PF against Rasheed Wallace... The 04 Lakers chemistry was good enough to beat the same San Antonio team that beat the Pistons in 05... So yeah
Karl Malone disrespected Kobe's wife . I don't think that helped the chemistry.
@@kincamell2 They still had enough chemistry to win a title if Malone was healthy.
@@melvinhhcp3615 so yeah? show us where Horace played in those 2004 Playoffs. talking about excuses
@@kincamell2 that was months after the finals
Captain Jack and Mr.Big Shot still got tension
Chauncey a Real OG
If Melo went to the 04 Pistons, he would've already had two rings by now.
detroit was more of a family a brotherhood. That is why they won.
Melo should've been should've been on the pistons. That was just stupid to not to pick Melo.
Nobody ever talks about the fact that if they had Melo, they may not have made the trade for Rasheed. Without him, they don’t win.
4:40 this is why i love chauncey. His mentality was never about how huge his points/assists numbers were or his fg%. It was always about whether he got the W.
Players can learn a lot from him...he wasn't as talented as a kidd parker or nash...he just worked harder than most pgs and cared about the win...
The 04 Pistons wasn’t the mark-key teams fans wanted to see. But they had one of the more excited runs of the NBA seasons backed up by a solid role players, deep bench & A closer in Mr Big Shot Chauncey billups to put teams away.
Marquee********
With Melo the Pistons run would’ve been extended maybe another four years. But there core guys would’ve aged the same way. Lebron was inevitable, he prove that by going to Miami. Nothing was gonna stop him from competing for rings
I love this dudes attitude. All these players forcing numbers to gain MVP, dude was just playing to win. Thats what matters.
Detroit loves Mr. Big Shot!!! Thanks for the memories. That Darko pick, hurts but we try not to think about it. If Dario becomes Dirk 2.0 its the greatest pick ever, they tried to throw him right into the paint, not sure that's where Dark excelled
Pistons Fan here and I'm happy we didn't get Melo... If we get Melo, Tayshaun might not develope into the Thee 2-way that he became and who's to say the Rasheed Wallace trade even happens... Everything worked out perfect if you ask me.
Not perfect u do know how sheed got traded to Detroit right? He was apart of the jailblazers he kept getting in trouble blazers wanted that image gone so they proposed sheed guess what ? Nobody wanted him bcuz his attitude so Detroit grabbed him I say that to say sheed was gonna go to Detroit regardless of the draft results and if u watched Melos rookie year he is what Detroit was missing a pure scorer melo at the 3 with billups/RIP backcourt lol dude that’s a 3 peat with sheed and Ben setting screens lol that’s a nightmare THEY WERE HOLDING TEAMS TO UNDER 70 POINTS!!!! Melo would’ve did watever he wanted lol not to mention there bench depth melo would’ve been the cherry on top but unfortunately JOED is dumb lol 2007 is a prime example y melo should’ve been drafted to Detroit lebron James made the pistons look like shit lol 2007 is one of Melos best years if he was in Detroit he could’ve answered lebron offense he gave prime Kobe a hard time for 6 games str8 y’all really sleep on how great melo is man it’s sad
Bro everyone talks about what if Carmelo like what if Dwade!!! Rip could have came off the bench. Wade is a way better team player and better defense than Carmelo
They'd have 3 or more with Mello.
Big Ben was awesome in this series!!!
and also Big Ben and Chansey was a reason for beating the Nets!!!
Chansey shot and Big Ben almost perfect game. - Big Ben making shot after shot...
Check this...
Those HL are from semis
BB game
th-cam.com/video/YAKuYSIe834/w-d-xo.html
Billups shot vs Nets in PO semis, Pistons tie but in overtime beat the Nets!!!
th-cam.com/video/tjCLPn_heHc/w-d-xo.html
all Detroit squad can't score bec of Nets D and BB3 give his team energy...
That Pistons team was the grestest chemistry team ever in my opinion and best D team ever.
Chansey don't get respect what deserver!!!
For my he was best PG in 2000 +
The Pistons were real smart mofos and a hell of defense, so beautiful to watch. They did it, they beat LA fair and square. I was rooting for the Lakers at the time but at the same time i hated how Kobe and Shaq were alone and left by most of their teammates (because they weren't ready for the Pistons plans and intensity). It was obvious Lakers players were waiting on Kobe and Shaq to score 40 pts each every game but it didn't happen, they were not in sink at all, too proud (especially Kobe) but what a shock it was though. It was also during these Finals i finally accepted Kobe wasn't really like MJ, he was already the closest ever but he just couldn't get to that same type of scoring frenzy MJ could by averaging 35-40ppg.during the Finals (wich are the most important games of the season).
Larry Brown would not have Melo playing like that.
no d melo
Chauncey talking about if they took Melo things would be different. Look at sjax, he won with the spurs and still went elsewhere. Melo would have been melo and still threw up 25 shots regardless of which team drafted him.
Damn dumest pick ever
KOBE beat the lakers, kobe was chucking trying to play hero ball shooting 38%, if the lakers feed Shaq who was shooting 62% and making big Ben look tiny, KOBE and his EGO lost this series
But that’s why they did it…
The NBA was notorious for meddling for their stars…
That’s why the Kobe/CP3 didn’t happen…
The Lakers were gifted those chips with the Blazers & Kings not fitting the mold of what the league wanted…
MJ and the friendly whistles…there’s a lot people overlook
it's the same shit as HARDEN as a rookie with russ and KD. Melo WOULD HAVE been raised right as a rookie HOWEVER he would not be the 30 shots per night Melo. therefore he's not dominating the ball. therefore u can't pencil him in for 25ppg. He would have lightened the load for everyone else but u can't say he would have immediately blossomed into a superstar bc his role would have been much smaller - esp if they still got Sheed - OR if is was large than RIP's and CB's roles go down. It would have been an excellent matchup with Bron but u can't automatically say yea Bron would have no chance.
There’s an alternate universe where we got melo and kept this team together I believe it in my heart
IMO Chauncey will always be the epitome of a point guard - less talk, more action, fundamentally sound, ice running through his veins during the biggest moments. The guys followed him bc THEY wanted to, not bc they were told to get in line.
That being said...Carmelo would NOT have fit into that Pistons team, and would've probably prevented the team from enjoying the number of consistent eastern conference finals appearances that they had.
Remember, this was CARMELO when he first got into the league! Even George Karl couldn't deal with Melo's ego during those early years. That would never have worked with Larry Brown. Flip Saunders was always known as a players' coach - Carmelo would have gotten his way to become the focal point of the team, leading to a one-dimensional offense, with potentially less success than if he were to try and fit into a team system.
I think everything worked out for the best. My only regret is Darko being caught in situation where he couldnt be properly developed.
Mvp is the Mann c.B
Pistons wouldn't have won in 04 if they got Mellow. He didn't play defense, and probably wouldn't have got Rasheed later.
I watched this finals in 2004. And I felt Pistons should win.
Was rooting for them too ( underdog stuff )
Assuming they would have still traded for sheed
Ppl always blame Kobe for that loss
But billups just told y’all what it is and Laker fans know it’s SHAQ fault
He wanted Karl malome and Payton and Kobe didn’t want them old bums
Then he told u game plan
We doubling Kobe all game all series
BUT SHAQ CAN GO STR8 up
Ppl don’t realize Big Ben shut SHAQ down on all stats previous to what he avg in the other three chips
Big Ben won that cotdamn series them Wallace brothers with prince gave fits. Larry brown had them boys on a string frfr
This Championship should have been for KG With the Minnesota Timberwolves getting their first Championship win. But they didn't overcome the bad things including injuries but they are uncontrollable. Lakers vs Timberwolves in WCF and I don't remember the ECF. It would have been a battle between Kevin Garnett and Ben Wallace.
There’s a moment in the 2004 finals on a fast break when Chauncey SHATTERED Gary Peyton’s ankles. It’s a great moment if you can go find it on TH-cam
Chauncey speaking FACTS. Let's be clear during that time NBA still was about RIVALRIES. They already invested in everyone's mind Lebron the token black whose from the hood but went to a private school idea against Carmelo the hood rat from the projects. Then Melo was involved in a video with the Bloods from Baltimore. Which only ADDED fuel to the fire
They could NOT allow Detroit to get Melo cause it would have ruined their pitch for the KING. that simple. they did everything to make Melo the bad guy. only issue was they became friends 🤣 and the rivalry didn't work. They then quickly made Kevin Durant the new rival and it worked. cause Kevin is the token black from the hood that's insecure as fuck. so it worked. Why KD was DESTINED to go to golden state.
NBA is about narratives
Well it was time to depart, trading Shaq turned out to be the best decision and building around Kobe was the best decision possible, he needed to showcase that he can lead a team to a championship and he did twice without Shaq, but Kobe paid Chauncey back 5 yrs later, when Chauncey was traded to the Nuggets for Iverson, Kobe Lakers beat Chauncey-Melo-Kenyon Martin Nuggets in 6 in the 09 Western Conference Finals, and went on to win it all, Kobe winning his first without Shaq.
People still keep tripping about "What if Melo was drafted by the Pistons". Have you all forgotten that the Pistons coach was Larry Brown? If Melo got drafted by the Pistons, he would've ended up like Milicic - a bust!! Larry Brown has always hated young players. He barely even played Lebron, Melo and DWade in the 2004 Olympics simply because they were young, regardless they had already proven themselves to be the future of the NBA in their rookie year. As a Piston, Melo would've won a ring, just like Milicic, playing nothing but garbage time.
Chauncey is my guy. It's a scrimmage. We ain't comyback to LA.... Cold
Ben Wallace out ran Shaq in the full court. Mehmet Okur and Rasheed took Shaq out to the 3 point line, he never contested. Kobe hit a huge game winner in game one, but I knew the Lakers had no answers for the problems the Pistons were posing. I hit my local court and said, "Pistons in 6" The Lakers didn't win another game.
04 Pistons underrated team. Spurs fan here. Rooted for Detroit against the Lakers. Lakers got what they deserved. Also for that .4 bullshit. 05 Spurs vs Pistons was a tough series
They handled Shaq well because they had quality bigs, not scrub bigs - Ben, Sheed, Okur, Campbell, etc. I think they had Corliss too at that time.
Wait. Chauncy just mentioned how Melo would have been if he came to them and was "Raised right!".
What no one ever mentions is that lebron was never brought to good veterans who would "Raise him right". Instead he came to a bunch of haters and a bum coach and a bum gm.
I love how all these conversations talk about what if we Melo and other players who didn't reach their potential. Imagine what if LeBron had the triangle, and came in the era of no free agency and had a great coach and played in an era of no childish teammates like the era he grew up in. And came in an era with no scrutiny like the 80s and 90s. He would be so much better off. But illiterate 5th grade level fans can't be objective
While Big Ben didn't shut down Shaq, he made him work for every shot. Against any other center thats not physically strong enough to body with him, he would have averaged 30+ and 16 in the '04 finals.
The Lakers tires was about to pop in 04 with the long playoff runs the role players wasn’t as good in 04 than 00-02 D fish wasn’t healthy Rick Fox was getting old.
04 detroit would win low scoring blowouts 85 to 64 and shit. They'll blowout another team while the highest scorer only went 7 for 15 from the field and 6 ftom the stripe and no 3s. That's how good their defense was.
Denver performed better when Billups and melo played together than Iverson and melo together. Knicks were also solid when Billups and melo played together if it wasn't for Billups always injured who knows they might went deep in the playoffs. So, melo going to pistons was one of the greatest what if in NBA history.
That Lakers team had Kobe, Shaq, GP, Karl Malone, and Kareem...yet that Pistons team was simply better
Kareem Rush that is.. 😆 lol
Melo got paid and was skilled at iso from the 3 possession but he wasn't effient enough and it caused his teams to be cold or not involved in the game. It simply wasn't winning basketball. Melo imo wasted his true gift of being an undersized bull pf. He was increably strong, had great foot work, amazing scoring ability in the post, and was one of the best post offensive rebounders that would convert for a basket out powering the packed paint. He could play stretch four and iso wing when needed. If he got in shape, learned defense, and when to iso....he'd have a ring and be higher on the all time list. If melo went to detriot, lebron and the cavs are going way over cap to compete with them and boston or lebron, bosh, wade, dwight team up. I think melo on detriot would have lead to the quicker shift from iso basketball to team basketball like we have now. Shaq would stay in LA. Iverson would be a laker. Yoa ming and tim duncan join forces. Dirk joins boston with KG, Ray, Truth.
wait... The 04 Pistons is the only yeam besides the warriors to build an organic world champion team. without superstars being farmed from other teams. Boston is kinda doing it if they win. but in the lebron wra Detroit and Golden State took nobodies and won!!! and made them Legends!
Melo would have messed up the whole equilibrium of that team, with NO defense whatsoever, LBJ would have definitely continued his ascension as a player.
I think Bron would have still dominated. There is something about innate motivation. Carmelo was an unbelievable talent, but he was just not motivated internally. No matter how well the Pistons would have supported Melo it wouldn’t have mattered as much as people think. The Pistons may have won 1 more Chip potentially though.
If they lose Sheed, doesn’t matter if they get Melo. Anyways, Dumars was being heralded as a GM before that infamous draft pick.
If Fisher wasn't injured he would of locked down Chancy, I love GP but he was too old... Not saying Lakers would of won but it may have been a better series, now if the Pistons would of gotten Melo they would have went back to back and maybe even a 3peat....
Tashawn did a hell of a job guarding Kobe amd Billips killed Fisher every single time he went under that screen. I'm still mad Lakers lost that.
If the Pistons drafted Melo, they would have never got Sheed. It would have changed the mindset with the management. Sheed was an integral part of that championship team. No guarantees Melo would have brought any titles. Be happy that you won one, cant live in a "what if" world because everything sounds great in theory.
Mr Big shot HAS TURNED THE LIGHTS OUT ON THE FAKERS!!! 313!!!
That's one of those What-If draft mistakes that would've changed the whole league. On par with the Bowie-Jordan pick.
Joe D got Darko. Fair enough... but he also got Billups. Big Ben. Tayshaun. Rip. Sheed.
2004 Pistons are the anomaly Champions of NBA history. The only team ever win a title without 1 player who ever made a 1st Team All-NBA in their entire career , no superstars. And they showed it was no fluke by going right back to the Finals the next year and taking the Spurs 7games.
Can we get a super dope studio to do NBA: What If? To cover these kind of stories? There’s hundreds of these easily. Animate it or documentary style I don’t care.
I think they woulda had to add peince in that trade for rasheed wallace. If they had melo. I dont think melo woulda worked out tho. His attitude is terrible
Kobe jagged that series off trying to play hero ball and shooting fade away bricks over long ass Tayshawn Prince🤦🏽♂️