Winning an NBA championship will always cement your legacy as an NBA player, but winning it by beating the odds and grounding your way to victory will always have a special place in the fans' hearts.

Here are five NBA titles that proved to be the toughest ones stars have won since the year 2000.

5. Detroit Pistons (2004)

This scrappy Detroit Pistons squad were among the best defensive teams in league history. They fought their way up to the title as they went against Ray Allen and the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. Detroit went toe-to-toe in a seven-game thriller against Jason Kidd's New Jersey Nets who were the defending Eastern Conference champions.

The third seed Pistons also eliminated the top-seeded Indiana Pacers who had Ron Artest, Jermaine O'Neal, and Reggie Miller in six games.

Then their final test came when they faced the star-studded Los Angeles Lakers. this Lakers squad were among the most famous in league history, they certainly had big names. The Purple and Gold had Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Gary Payton, and Karl Malone.

On paper, the Lakers were a mismatch for the Pistons but Detroit proved everyone wrong and shocked the whole world as they eliminated the Lakers in five games.

The Pistons proved team-ball still dominates star-power. They really played a swarming and pestering defense against Los Angeles led by Ben Wallace and Tayshaun Prince.

As the Detroit Pistons raised their championship trophy, Chauncey Billups was named Finals MVP after averaging 21.0 points, 5.2 assists, and 3.2 rebounds in 5 games.

4. Los Angeles Lakers (2020)

With a lot of happenings on the outside world, the Los Angeles Lakers faced every adversity and overcame them. The 2019-2020 season was suspended due to the Corona Virus outbreak and because of this, the league set up an NBA Bubble in Orlando. They spent more than three months there.

NBA players were constantly getting tested to ensure safety for everyone. The mental toll of not seeing your family or not knowing what's happening outside of the bubble proved to be the biggest challenge for teams inside the bubble.

Then came the social issue about the George Floyd Shooting. the NBA was in jeopardy of getting suspended again as players and teams were planning to boycott games because of the said issue. There was certainly a lot of stress for teams during that unique postseason.

For the Los Angeles Lakers, they had to face the red-hot Damian Lillard in the first round. They then proceeded to eliminate James Harden and Russell Westbrook's Houston Rockets in the second round.

The Lakers also dismantled Nikola Jokic and Jamaal Murray's Denver Nuggets, who were fresh off eliminating one of the favorites to win the championship in the Los Angeles Clippers.

Finally, they defeated the Miami Heat, who were 12-2 coming into the finals, in six games.

The Lakers won a unique championship in one of the hardest seasons in NBA history.

3. San Antonio Spurs (2003)

The Spurs with Tim Duncan and David Robinson put the Lakers' dreams of winning four straight NBA titles to an end as they eliminated Shaq and Kobe's Los Angeles in six games.

The Spurs then proceeded to eliminate the 60-win Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals. The Mavericks had two future Hall-of-Famers in Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash all in their primes playing at a high level during that series.

To cap off the magical Playoff run, the Spurs abolished the Nets to win the team's second NBA title.

Tim Duncan won his second Finals MVP for the Spurs after averaging 24.2 points, 17.0 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in 6 games against Jason Kidd's Nets.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers (2016)

Coming back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals will always be historical, iconic, and amazing for LeBron James and the rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers squad.

The Cavaliers ended the city of Cleveland's 53-year title drought when they defeated the mighty Golden State Warriors who also had a historical season as they ignited the league with a 73-9 record.

Stephen Curry became the first unanimous MVP during this season, and the Warriors seemed to be capping off their historic season with a title, but the Cavaliers had other things in mind.

The Cavs were not expected to dethrone the  Warriors as they entered the finals as the underdogs.

However, despite being the underdogs, the Cavaliers fought back and eliminated Golden State in seven games as LeBron James homecoming and promise to Cleveland was finally fulfilled.

James won the Finals MVP as his stat line showed the following averages: 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 2.6 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game.

1. Dallas Mavericks (2011)

In the 2006 NBA Finals, the Mavericks were up 2-0 against the Heat but ultimately blew it when they lost four straight games. However, Dirk got his revenge as he eliminated LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh's superteam in six games.

LeBron, Wade, and Bosh were all in their primes when the sweet-shooting Mavericks team proved too much for them.

In this underdog story, Dirk and the Mavs faced a lot of tough competition as they faced Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge's Portland Trail Blazers.

The red-hot Mavericks also swept Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and the back-to-back champions Lakers before dismantling Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook in the Western Conference Finals.

Dirk Nowitzki brought home the Mavericks' first NBA title as he averaged 26.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 6 games in the 2011 NBA Finals.