The Detroit Pistons' 2004 NBA Finals win over a powerhouse Los Angeles Lakers squad still remains to be one of the most memorable upsets in the history of the league. Newly-named Lakers head coach Darvin Ham was actually part of that nitty-gritty, title-winning Pistons side, and the 48-year-old has some fond memories from that unforgettable championship run.
One thing Ham remembers well too is how the Lakers superstar duo of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal feuded throughout their Finals matchup. According to Ham, it wasn't very difficult to determine that there was a problem within that unit — one that the Pistons were more than happy to exploit (via ClutchPoints on Twitter):
“They was beefing, that's what I remember. Not on a personal [level] per se. I wasn't there every day with them, but you can see on the court the energy wasn't right,” Ham said on a recent podvast appearance. ” … I just remember that team, the energy around that team, in particular being between Shaq and Kobe on the court, it just didn't seem right. Something just seemed a little bit off.”
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2wsaZIZrrM0YHuxwMRJN2Z?si=891136084af34d8e
The Lakers were the heavy favorites to come away with the title that year, particularly after then-future Hall of Famers Karl Malone and Gary Payton joined Kobe and Shaq in LA. Unfortunately, things just didn't pan out the way they had planned. In his mind, Ham believes that the beef between Bryant and O'Neal had a lot to do with the Lakers' botched season.
Right now, Darvin Ham is in a position to bring the glory back to LA. It's not going to be easy, but so long as his team is in sync, the Lakers are always going to have a shot at the title. Plus, they have LeBron James.
Follow Us
Subscribe