Few expected the 2004 NBA Finals to unfold the way they did, but in hindsight, Kobe Bryant thought the Los Angeles Lakers were missing a key ingredient to get the job done. The Purple and Gold knew what to expect from a Larry Brown-coached team, but this time, something kept them from responding the way they needed to.
"If you go back and look at the Finals when we played Larry Brown's Philly team, the reason that went the way it did is because we were so locked in, so focused, so well prepared," Bryant said , per Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report. "We knew each other's moves inside and out. So when you go against a Larry Brown team, he puts pressure on the triangle and forces you to go deeper into the offense. You have to rely on automatics. You have to know each other's tendencies to react to the other."
"We weren't ready to do that. There was just too much going on. We weren't as sharp as those other teams that had been together forever," added the Black Mamba.
Brown was a defensive-minded coach, and it takes a special type of cohesion to withstand the resistance his teams offered. As Kobe mentioned, they needed to "rely on automatics" from time to time, which meant that their success depended on players instinctively reading and reacting to each other without hesitation.
Unfortunately, the 2003-04 Lakers did not have enough time to build that type of chemistry. Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal missed 32 games between them, while Karl Malone's knee issues sidelined him for nearly half the season. Rick Fox and Horace Grant were also on the shelf with various conditions, so health was a massive issue for them.
In addition to dealing with injuries, Kobe allowed himself to be part of the problem instead of becoming the solution. Bryant dealt with personal issues in Colorado, so he had to miss team activities and practices and came to games late.
KB24's ego also got the best of him on multiple occasions. He wanted to show that the Lakers were not Shaq's team anymore and went back and forth with the Big Diesel in the media. Most critically, however, the Pistons set a trap centered around Bryant's pride, and it worked like a charm in Detroit 's favor.
According to Chauncey Billups , their game plan was to let Ben Wallace handle O'Neal 1-on-1. They knew Shaq had the advantage in that matchup, but they were willing to give him tough, contested shots down low. The idea was to get the Lakers to focus on dumping the ball to the Big Fella, which should cause Kobe to implode.
"What's going to happen is Mr. Bryant is going to get a little discouraged with getting no touches and now the second half comes around…now he's pressing," the 2004 NBA Finals MVP recalled. "He's going to start coming down and just breaking the offense. When you do that, you're done—you're playing right into our hands. Even if you start making those shots, you're finished."
And just as the Pistons predicted, Kobe went rogue. Despite shooting only 38 percent in the series, Bryant attempted 29 more shots than O'Neal over five games! Shaq was dominating inside against Wallace, averaging nearly 27 points and 11 rebounds on a 63.2 percent clip.
In Game 4, the three-time finals MVP collected 36 points and 20 rebounds and hit 16-for-21 from the field. Yet, Bryant somehow found a way to shoot four more attempts (25) than his teammate while missing over a third of these forays.
As Billups noted, the Lakers, particularly Bryant, walked straight into the trap the Pistons had set.
The 2004 Lakers were stacked on paper, but championships aren't won there. Meanwhile, the Pistons had less individual star power, but they played together, with each individual knowing their role and sticking to it.
Bryant may have been the most talented player on the floor, but his inability to fully buy into what they're doing at that moment cost the Lakers dearly. As he would later admit, the Lakers just weren't sharp and cohesive enough, and the Pistons made sure they paid the price.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 15, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
