Pistons Championship Players 2003-04 Quiz

Answer:

The "Going to Work" Pistons, as they were heralded in Detroit, was a team known for being a group of role players with no true "star" among them. They ranked 24th of 29 teams in scoring offense, yet won 54 games in the regular season. That was due to ranking second it scoring defense, giving up just over 84 points a game.

Post-season, they beat the Bucks in the first round, Nets in the second round and the Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals. In the NBA finals they were matched up with the LA Lakers. The LA lineup included Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Gary Payton and Karl Malone, yet the Pistons won the series 4-1, dropping the opening game before winning four straight to end the series.

Chauncey Billups was the finals MVP. Ben Wallace was the team's only All-Star that season, also winning Defensive Player of the year. Ben Wallace and Tayshaun Prince were both first-team all-defense, and Richard Hamilton was second-team all-defense, showing how stalwart they were defensively.

First round draft pick Darko Milicic (age 18) was, at that time, the youngest player in NAB history to win a championship. He was the second overall pick behind LeBron James and ended up being a draft bust. Fellow first round pick Carlos Delfino stayed overseas and didn't join the Pistons until the 2004-05 season.

Tayshaun Prince played all 82 games, followed by Ben Wallace (81), Vorliss Williamson (79), Richard Hamilton and Chauncey Billups (78), Mehmet Okur (71), Elden Campbell (65), Darvin Ham (54), Bob Sura (53), Chucky Adkins (40), Tremaine Fowlkes (36), Darko Milicic (34), Mike James (26), Rasheed Wallace (22), Zeljko Rebraca (21) and Hubert James (3).