#7 Detroit Pistons VS Los Angeles Lakers (2004)
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The 2003-2004 Los Angeles Lakers are the best example of a super team gone terribly wrong. The Lakers, one year after their famous ‘three-peat’, added future Hall of Famers Karl Malone and Gary Payton to a roster, that already included two of the biggest superstars in the game, in Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant to regain the title.
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From the beginning, however, things didn’t go the way they hoped it would with Shaq pushing for a contract extension, and Kobe standing trial in a sexual assault case in Colorado. But as the Lakers met the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals, all odds were with the Lakers to win the title because of the star-studded roster.
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Although Karl Malone got injured, the Lakers got 26.6 points from Shaq and 22.6 points from Kobe in the series and still should have won behind their two superstars. But despite all the efforts, the Lakers were manhandled by the Pistons. The 21st-century version of the 'Bad Boys' were physically dominating, limiting LA to just 81.8 total points per game. Point guard Chauncey Billups went on to win the Finals MVP, and Detroit would win the series 4-1.
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