Detroit Lions Can Beat Seahawks; Other Detroit Teams Have Faced Longer Odds
By Matt Pelc
2004 Detroit Pistons
In 2003, the young Detroit Pistons advanced to their first conference finals since the Bad Boy-era. They were unceremoniously swept by the defending conference champion New Jersey Nets. The Pistons were clearly overmatched in that series, so it stood to reason little liked their chances in a 2004 playoff rematch.
This time, the teams met up in the conference semifinals with the Pistons again holding home court. Detroit defeated New Jersey by double digits in the first two contests, showing they were up for the challenge.
The wheels began to fall off away from the Palace. The Nets returned the favor and won by double digits in both of their home games. A Chauncey Billups half-courter for the ages saved Detroit from losing in regulation back at home, but they ultimately fell in triple-OT.
Much like the Wings-Avalanche two years earlier, this set the scene for an elimination Game 6 on the road. The teams played it close, but the Pistons came out on top on the road, and came home and blew out the Nets in Game 7.
After a back-and-forth six-game series victory over the Indiana Pacers, no one outside of Detroit gave the Detroit Pistons much of a shot of beating Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and the vaunted Los Angeles Lakers, but that’s precisely what they did.