The enduring legacy of the 2004 Pistons, the NBA’s most unlikely champion: ‘Never gonna happen again’

“The five players on the floor function as one single unit. Team, team, team. Right? No one more important than the other.”
— Gene Hackman as coach Norman Dale, “Hoosiers”

Every theory💙 or even mandate about how an NBA championship team needs to be built is flipped by the one that celebrates its 20th an🐼niversary this summer.

The 2004 Detroit Pistons are the championship excepꦯtions of the last 45 NBA seasons.

 And as the NBA moves forwa💟rd, there might never be another champion like them.