The most unexpected championship team is the Detroit Pistons, led by the "Five Tigers" in the 2003-04 season. They made the concept of "winning championships relying on defense" deeply rooted in the hearts of the people!
Although the Los Angeles Lakers had the best record in the Western Conference in the 19-20 regular season, they were not the most popular team to win the championship (Antetokounmpo + Middleton led the Bucks, The Los Angeles Lakers led by George + Leonard), because the Lakers were not even a playoff team in the 18-19 season, therefore, head coach Walton fired.
Although they acquired Anthony Davis, one of the top five superstars in the league, during the offseason, they also gave away half of the team to the New Orleans Pelicans, as well as the hope for the next few years. Except for James, no player in the Lakers' lineup has a long-term contract (2 years or more). According to statistics, except for James, Davis, Green, and Pope, there is not even a player in the Lakers' lineup whose salary exceeds 5 million US dollars. This can also explain why James + Davis are in a single situation. The winning rate of a team that scores 6 points will be so high. Closer to home, the Lakers’ lineup in the 19-20 season is completely different from the Lakers’ lineup in the 18-19 season (more than half of the changes). In addition, Anthony Davis’s injury history (? Glass Man Attributes? ), Rondo's poor shooting, Kuzma's air-like defense, Green's flickering three-pointers, etc., have all been questioned by the outside world!
Amidst such doubts, the Los Angeles Lakers easily defeated the Portland Trail Blazers led by Lillard + McCollum + Nurkic 4-1 without any blood in the first round ( It was once considered by the outside world to be the most likely to complete the "Black Eight" series), and in the second round, it easily and happily eliminated the "Super Death Five" run-and-gun team with 4-1 (the outside world believed that it would cause certain damage to the Lakers). Impact series), and then when facing the Denver Nuggets, who led Jokic + Murray to create an epic reversal, they also won such an understatement, which did not give this team a magical? 1-3? The team had a chance. On the stage of the Finals, facing the Miami Heat, which was also questioned all the way, the Lakers were really blocked. Although they successfully won the championship with 4-2, everyone knew that the Heat The team injured three major players in the first game. Adebayor missed the G2 and G3 games due to injury. Although Dragic said he played in the G6 game, he was obviously trapped and almost lost the entire round of the finals.
Therefore, it is reasonable for the Los Angeles Lakers to win the championship, but it is also unexpected (the Bucks, the league's number one team, were easily defeated 4-1 by the Miami Heat in the second round) After being eliminated, the Los Angeles Clippers, which had the highest championship aspirations in the league, were defeated by the Nuggets in the second round and completed an epic 1-3 reversal, sending them out of the playoffs).
So, so far in history, which team has won the championship completely unexpectedly? The answer is the Detroit Pistons in the 2003-04 season. Compared with the Los Angeles Lakers who had just won the championship, the Pistons in the 2003-04 season were even more admirable because the Pistons had only one All-Star player in their lineup that season, Ben Wallace, which broke the record to this day. The concept of a championship team with two superstars! The Lakers, who just won the championship, are led by two super giants, James + Davis.
In the 2003-04 season, the starting five of the Pistons were Billups, Hamilton, Prince, Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace, and only Ben Wallace. Shi was selected into the All-Star lineup that year, and he was selected as a "super blue-collar". In the regular season, they had a record of 54 wins and 28 losses (second in the Eastern Conference and sixth in the league). It can be said to be mediocre and difficult to impress the fans. However, in the playoff series, they easily won the first round. Eliminated the Bucks, who also had only one All-Star player (Michael Reed), and faced the Nets led by Kidd + Martin in the second round. They defeated the Nets in three consecutive games to advance to the Eastern Conference finals. Against the Pacers led by O'Neal + Artest, they finally advanced 4-2 (the two teams had the infamous "Auburn Hills Palace Brawl" in the same year).
The "Pistons Five" who have fought all the way to the finals will face the Los Angeles Lakers, led by Kobe, O'Neal, Malone, and Payton "F4". Although Malone and Payton were at the end of their careers at that time, Kobe and O'Neal were the most shocking combination in the league at that time. The outside world once believed that the series would have the least suspenseful ending in history.
Unexpectedly, the "Pistons Five" relied on their tough defense to defeat "F4" and ended the series easily. However, they slapped countless outsiders in the "face". Of course, it is undeniable. At that time, the Lakers were already falling apart (Malone was the culprit, and fans once complained that it was not unfair to have no championship in their life)!
The 2003-04 season? The Pistons’ Five Tigers? made the whole league understand a truth. If you want to win the championship, defense comes first!