| 2003–04 Los Angeles Lakers season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Conference champions | |||
Division champions | |||
| Head coach | Phil Jackson | ||
| General manager | Mitch Kupchak | ||
| Owner | Jerry Buss | ||
| Arena | Staples Center | ||
| Results | |||
| Record | 56–26 (.683) | ||
| Place | Division: 1st (Pacific) Conference: 2nd (Western) | ||
| Playoff finish | NBA Finals (lost toPistons 1–4) | ||
Stats atBasketball Reference | |||
| Local media | |||
| Television | Fox Sports Net West,KCAL | ||
| Radio | AM 570 KLAC | ||
| |||
The2003–04 Los Angeles Lakers season was the Lakers' 56th season in theNational Basketball Association and 44th in the city ofLos Angeles.[1]
The Lakers entered the season following a disappointing second-round loss to the eventual championSan Antonio Spurs in the 2003 playoffs. During the offseason, the Lakers signed star free agentsKarl Malone andGary Payton and re-signed free agent power forwardHorace Grant.[2][3] Following these acquisitions, the Lakers became the instant favorites to win the NBA title.[4][5]
Despite major acquisitions, key moves, and becoming overnight title favorites, the Lakers would run into major setbacks to begin the season. During the 2003 off-season, superstar guardKobe Bryant had been accused ofsexual assault inColorado. Media attention surrounding the case would prove to be an ongoing distraction for the team, and Bryant missed games during his trial. In addition, Bryant'sfeud withShaquille O'Neal reached a peak during the season, as both players criticized each other in the media.[6] Payton struggled with coachPhil Jackson'striangle offense, and Malone missed significant time due to injuries.[7][8][9]
Despite the setbacks, the Lakers finished the season with a 56–26 overall record, good enough to clinch the second seed in the Western Conference en route to theplayoffs.[10] In the playoffs, they defeated theHouston Rockets, the defending championSan Antonio Spurs, and theMinnesota Timberwolves to earn the franchise its 28th appearance in theNBA Finals. The Lakers entered the Finals against theDetroit Pistons as favorites.[11][12] This was the third meeting between the Lakers and the Pistons in the NBA Finals, after both franchises met in1988 and1989. However, theunderdog Pistons' strong defense and teamwork propelled them to their third championship in franchise history, and the star-studded Lakers would collapse in five games.[13][14] After the season, Jackson and the team mutually agreed to part ways[15] and O'Neal was traded to theMiami Heat.[16]
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Brian Cook | F |  United States | Illinois |
| 2 | 32 | Luke Walton | F | United States | Arizona |
| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head coach Assistant(s) Legend
Roster |
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Los Angeles Lakers | 56 | 26 | .683 | – | 34–7 | 22–19 | 15–9 |
| x-Sacramento Kings | 55 | 27 | .671 | 1 | 34–7 | 21–20 | 16–8 |
| e-Portland Trail Blazers | 41 | 41 | .500 | 15 | 25–16 | 16–25 | 13–11 |
| e-Seattle SuperSonics | 37 | 45 | .451 | 19 | 21–20 | 16–25 | 11–13 |
| e-Golden State Warriors | 37 | 45 | .451 | 19 | 27–14 | 10–31 | 12–12 |
| e-Phoenix Suns | 29 | 53 | .354 | 27 | 18–23 | 11–30 | 9–15 |
| e-Los Angeles Clippers | 28 | 54 | .341 | 28 | 18–23 | 10–31 | 8–16 |
| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | c-Minnesota Timberwolves | 58 | 24 | .707 | – |
| 2 | y-Los Angeles Lakers | 56 | 26 | .683 | 2 |
| 3 | x-San Antonio Spurs | 57 | 25 | .695 | 1 |
| 4 | x-Sacramento Kings | 55 | 27 | .671 | 3 |
| 5 | x-Dallas Mavericks | 52 | 30 | .634 | 6 |
| 6 | x-Memphis Grizzlies | 50 | 32 | .610 | 8 |
| 7 | x-Houston Rockets | 45 | 37 | .549 | 13 |
| 8 | x-Denver Nuggets | 43 | 39 | .524 | 15 |
| 9 | e-Utah Jazz | 42 | 40 | .512 | 16 |
| 10 | e-Portland Trail Blazers | 41 | 41 | .500 | 17 |
| 11 | e-Seattle SuperSonics | 37 | 45 | .451 | 21 |
| 12 | e-Golden State Warriors | 37 | 45 | .451 | 21 |
| 13 | e-Phoenix Suns | 29 | 53 | .354 | 29 |
| 14 | e-Los Angeles Clippers | 28 | 54 | .341 | 30 |
| 2003–04 game log Total: 56–26 (home: 34–7; road: 22–19) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
October: 1–0 (home: 1–0; road: 0–0)
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
November: 13–3 (home: 9–0; road: 4–3)
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
December: 7–4 (home: 5–2; road: 2–2)
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
January: 6–9 (home: 5–2; road: 1–7)
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
February: 11–4 (home: 2–1; road: 9–3)
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
March: 13–3 (home: 9–0; road: 4–3)
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
April: 5–3 (home: 3–2; road: 2–1)
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–04 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 playoff game log Total: 13–9 (home: 10–1; road: 3–8) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First round: 4–1 (home: 3–0; road: 1–1)
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Conference Semi-finals: 4–2 (home: 3–0; road: 1–2)
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Conference finals: 4–2 (home: 3–0; road: 1–2)
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NBA Finals: 1–4 (home: 1–1; road: 0–3)
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team/Game | 1 | 2 (OT) | 3 | 4 | 5 | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 75 | 99 | 68 | 80 | 87 | 1 |
| Detroit | 87 | 91 | 88 | 88 | 100 | 4 |
The Finals were played using a 2-3-2 format, where the first two and last two games are held at the venue of the team withhome court advantage. This was only used in the Finals.
The Lakers had a star-studded lineup that included offseason acquisitionsKarl Malone andGary Payton as well as mainstaysKobe Bryant andShaquille O'Neal. Malone and Payton were perennialAll-Stars; Payton had led theSeattle SuperSonics to the Finals in1996, while Malone'sUtah Jazz reached the Finals in1997 and1998.[17] However, both had been defeated byMichael Jordan'sChicago Bulls. By 2003, Malone and Payton were in the latter stages of their respective careers and were no longer playing on championship-contending teams.[17][18] Both Malone and Payton took pay cuts to sign with the Lakers in an effort to win a championship.[19]
Sunday, June 6, 2004, 14:30 at theStaples Center.
Detroit stunned Los Angeles with imposing defense.[20] They held the Lakers to 39% shooting. Outside of O'Neal and Bryant, the rest of the Lakers only managed to score 16 points.
The Pistons trailed the Lakers 41–40 at halftime, but a 10–4 surge in the third quarter gave them the lead and they never relinquished it. By the fourth quarter, their lead had increased to 13.
| Team | 1st Qt. | 2nd Qt. | 3rd Qt. | 4th Qt. | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit | 22 | 18 | 24 | 23 | 87 |
| Los Angeles | 19 | 22 | 17 | 17 | 75 |
Tuesday, June 8, 2004, 15:04 at the Staples Center.
The Lakers led by eight after the first half. However, Detroit scored 30 points in the third quarter to keep the game close. With 2.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Kobe Bryant hit a three-point shot to tie the score at 89. The game went to overtime and the Lakers outscored the Pistons 10–2 to win their only game of the series.
| Team | 1st Qt. | 2nd Qt. | 3rd Qt. | 4th Qt. | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit | 16 | 20 | 30 | 23 | 2 | 91 |
| Los Angeles | 18 | 26 | 24 | 21 | 10 | 99 |
Thursday, June 10, 2004, 14:31 atThe Palace of Auburn Hills.
The Pistons beat the Lakers by 20 in their first NBA Finals appearance at The Palace of Auburn Hills since 1990[21] to take a 2–1 lead in the series. Karl Malone sprained his knee and was limited to 18 minutes. The 68 points scored by the Lakers set a franchise record for the fewest points scored in a playoff game. The previous night, a group of overzealous Pistons fans made it difficult for the Lakers to get their rest by harassing them until 4am at their hotel in nearby Birmingham. Fans were screaming outside the building until hotel management called the police.[22]
| Team | 1st Qt. | 2nd Qt. | 3rd Qt. | 4th Qt. | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 16 | 16 | 19 | 17 | 68 |
| Detroit | 24 | 15 | 24 | 25 | 88 |
Sunday, June 13, 2004, 14:49 at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
The Pistons defeated the Lakers, this time by eight, to take a 3–1 series advantage. Shaquille O'Neal scored 36 points and grabbed 20 rebounds, but the rest of the Lakers shot 17/57 from the field.[23]
| Team | 1st Qt. | 2nd Qt. | 3rd Qt. | 4th Qt. | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 22 | 17 | 17 | 24 | 80 |
| Detroit | 21 | 20 | 15 | 32 | 88 |
Tuesday, June 15, 2004, 14:32 at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
In Game 5, the Pistons won their first championship since 1990 and Larry Brown won his first title as an NBA coach. The Pistons defense had overcome the high-scoring Lakers offense, winning the game by 13 and the series 4–1. In four of the five games, the Lakers were held to less than 90 points.
After the series, Phil Jackson stepped down as coach (he would return for the 2005–06 season). Shaquille O'Neal was traded to Miami. Gary Payton and Rick Fox were traded to Boston. Karl Malone, who did not dress for Game 5, would have surgery on his knee and eventually retired the following February.
| Team | 1st Qt. | 2nd Qt. | 3rd Qt. | 4th Qt. | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 24 | 21 | 14 | 28 | 87 |
| Detroit | 25 | 30 | 27 | 18 | 100 |
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kobe Bryant | 65 | 64 | 37.6 | .438 | .327 | .852 | 5.5 | 5.1 | 1.7 | .4 | 24.0 |
| Maurice Carter | 4 | 0 | 12.5 | .357 | .333 | .917 | .8 | .5 | .0 | .0 | 5.5 |
| Brian Cook | 35 | 2 | 12.6 | .475 | .000 | .750 | 2.9 | .6 | .5 | .5 | 4.4 |
| Derek Fisher | 82 | 3 | 21.6 | .352 | .291 | .797 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 1.3 | .0 | 7.1 |
| Rick Fox | 38 | 34 | 22.3 | .392 | .246 | .733 | 2.7 | 2.6 | .8 | .1 | 4.8 |
| Devean George | 82 | 48 | 23.8 | .408 | .349 | .760 | 4.0 | 1.4 | 1.0 | .5 | 7.4 |
| Horace Grant | 55 | 10 | 20.1 | .411 | .000 | .722 | 4.2 | 1.3 | .4 | .4 | 4.1 |
| Karl Malone | 42 | 42 | 32.7 | .483 | .000 | .747 | 8.7 | 3.9 | 1.2 | .5 | 13.2 |
| Stanislav Medvedenko | 68 | 38 | 21.2 | .441 | .000 | .767 | 5.0 | .8 | .6 | .3 | 8.3 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 67 | 67 | 36.8 | .584 | . | .490 | 11.5 | 2.9 | .5 | 2.5 | 21.5 |
| Jannero Pargo | 13 | 0 | 4.8 | .375 | .500 | . | .5 | .8 | .2 | .0 | 1.1 |
| Gary Payton | 82 | 82 | 34.5 | .471 | .333 | .714 | 4.2 | 5.5 | 1.2 | .2 | 14.6 |
| Kareem Rush | 72 | 15 | 17.3 | .440 | .348 | .596 | 1.3 | .8 | .5 | .3 | 6.4 |
| Bryon Russell | 72 | 1 | 13.1 | .402 | .384 | .769 | 2.0 | 1.0 | .4 | .2 | 4.0 |
| Jamal Sampson | 10 | 2 | 13.0 | .478 | . | .583 | 5.2 | .7 | .2 | .4 | 2.9 |
| Ime Udoka | 4 | 0 | 7.0 | .333 | .000 | .500 | 1.3 | .5 | .5 | .3 | 2.0 |
| Luke Walton | 72 | 2 | 10.1 | .425 | .333 | .705 | 1.8 | 1.6 | .4 | .1 | 2.4 |
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kobe Bryant | 22 | 22 | 44.2 | .413 | .247 | .813 | 4.7 | 5.5 | 1.9 | .3 | 24.5 |
| Brian Cook | 13 | 0 | 3.5 | .333 | . | 1.000 | .9 | .1 | .1 | .0 | .9 |
| Derek Fisher | 22 | 0 | 23.0 | .405 | .418 | .657 | 2.5 | 2.2 | .8 | .0 | 7.5 |
| Rick Fox | 16 | 3 | 9.1 | .400 | .143 | .500 | 1.4 | 1.1 | .2 | .1 | 1.1 |
| Devean George | 22 | 19 | 21.4 | .430 | .373 | .650 | 2.3 | .5 | 1.0 | .4 | 5.5 |
| Karl Malone | 21 | 21 | 38.0 | .450 | .000 | .630 | 8.8 | 3.4 | 1.1 | .1 | 11.5 |
| Stanislav Medvedenko | 21 | 1 | 11.3 | .440 | . | .810 | 2.5 | .5 | .2 | .2 | 4.0 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 22 | 22 | 41.7 | .593 | . | .429 | 13.2 | 2.5 | .3 | 2.8 | 21.5 |
| Gary Payton | 22 | 22 | 35.1 | .366 | .250 | .750 | 3.3 | 5.3 | 1.0 | .2 | 7.8 |
| Kareem Rush | 22 | 0 | 14.3 | .385 | .400 | .667 | .7 | .8 | .5 | .1 | 3.7 |
| Bryon Russell | 6 | 0 | 2.7 | .000 | .000 | . | .2 | .3 | .2 | .0 | .0 |
| Luke Walton | 17 | 0 | 7.9 | .345 | .385 | .700 | 1.3 | 1.5 | .4 | .1 | 1.9 |
During the offseason in July, the Lakers decided to trade their star center Shaquille O’Neal. The superstar big man was caught off guard by the news as he merely received a phone call during breakfast informing him of the move.[24]
Led by their trademark daunting defense
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
| |
| Franchise | |
| Arenas | |
| Personnel |
|
| G League affiliate | |
| Retired numbers | |
| NBA championships | |
| NBA Cup championships | |
| Rivalries | |
| Culture and lore |
|
