Detroit Pistons to Honor 2004 Championship Team in Coming Weeks

Originally posted on Detroit Pistons on SI
By Kevin McCormick | Last updated Feb 20, 2024 8:19 AM ET

While this season might not have gone how the Detroit Pistons would have hoped, It is still a big anniversary for the franchise. It marks 20 years since the organization won its last NBA championship.

On Monday morning, the Pistons announced how they plan on honoring the 2004 squad that delivered a championship. They will be having a special game-day recognition for the squad on March 17th. The Pistons take on the Miami Heat that day in an afternoon matchup. Tip-off is slated for 3:00 pm.

As expected, members of the 2004 squad will be in attendance for this 20-year anniversary celebration. Before the game, they will go on a "Walk of champions" around the concourse at Little Cesar's Arena. There will also be a celebration at halftime featuring a series of video tributes. The Pistons announced that the first 5,000 fans in attendance on March 17th will receive a commemorative poster for the celebration.

The champs are coming back...

Join us in recognizing the 20th Anniversary of our 2004 Championship happening during our March 17 matchup at @LCArena_Detroit
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) February 19, 2024

In 2004, the Pistons finished the regular season with the second-most wins in the Eastern Conference with 58. Their core consisted of Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Price, along with Ben and Rasheed Wallace. Another notable member of the roster was current LA Lakers head coach Darvin Ham.

The Pistons faced the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the postseason that year, knocking them off in five games. Their semifinal matchup with the New Jersey Nets went seven games, but Detroit managed to advance. The Pistons then went on to take down the Indiana Pacers to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals.

Upon reaching the finals, the Pistons faced off against a Lakers team that just completed a three-peat. Despite this, they managed to take down Kobe Bryant and company in just five games.

Billups was later named Finals MVP after posting averages of 21.0 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 5.2 APG. The Pistons managed to get back to the finals in 2005, but were unsuccessful in going back-to-back.

This article first appeared on Detroit Pistons on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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