My Thoughts on the 2003/2004 Season
Obviously, the 2003/2004 season was not the best time to be a Bulls fan. They finished the year with a worse record than the previous season, and much of the pre-season hopes died out early in the year.
Even though the season was disappointing as far as my favourite team is concerned, I'm still a basketball fan and a fan of the NBA, so I was able to enjoy all the highlights and the twists and turns of season.
I couldn't believe the amount of player movement we saw during the season. Not only did we have the usual 10-day contract players switching teams, undrafted rookies and returning veterans skipping from team to team as we usually see, but plenty of key players also changed address.
I thought the All-Star Weekend was entertaining as usual, though I like many others felt that the dunk contest was anti-climactic and too short. The rookie/sophomore game was, to be honest, insulting to basketball purists, but I have a weakness for highlight reel dunks, so I wasn't too upset. The All-Star game provided a better mix of organised basketball and highlights.
I enjoyed the playoffs, though I would have liked to have seen a Timberwolves/Pacers Finals series. I have to admit once again, I didn't give the Pistons enough credit. It was an outstanding effort to beat a team that seemed to have locked up the trophy before the season began. Even though I don't believe any result in sports is guaranteed, it was hard to pick against the Lakers.
It was great to see LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony post numbers that were comparable to those of established veterans, something that rookies have not done very often the last few years.
I agree with all of the award selections, and even had a few correct predictions this year.
All in all, it was a pretty good season. Lakers fans may disagree (and rightfully so - no one likes to see their favourite team lose) and I would have of course preferred Chicago to do better, but in the era of the post-Jordan Bulls, this would have to be one of my favourite seasons.
Does anyone else have some final thoughts on the 2003/2004 season?
(What follows is a rather lengthy recap. Read at your own risk.)
The Offseason
First of all, let's consider some of the retirements. As expected, Michael Jordan retired (again), followed by fellow class of '84 member John Stockton. MJ's retirement had been confirmed early in the year, but Stock's seemed a little surprising, if only because it seemed he'd be around as long as he had a pulse. Kevin Willis remains as the only class of '84 member still playing in the league, and one of the few remaining familiar names who were more important players during the 90s. David Robinson was able to end his career in style as the Spurs won their second NBA championship.
At the end of June 2003, it was reported that Kobe Bryant had been accused of rape. We soon found out that the matter wouldn't be resolved too quickly. Almost a year later, we're still waiting and wondering what the verdict will be. Opinions are divided in that respect, but one thing's for certain: we haven't been able to escape talk of the accusations and the trial for the last 12 months.
It wasn't all doom and gloom in the Laker camp though. Even though many of us didn't believe it would happen (myself included), veterans and likely future Hall of Famers Karl Malone and Gary Payton took massive paycuts to join the Lakers in the hope that they would finally complete their basketball resumes with the most sought after accomplishment: an NBA championship.
(It's worth noting that this development prompted predictions of an 82-0 season and a guaranteed fourth championship in five years. Fanatical boasting aside, I think many of us favoured LA to win the title and there seemed to be a lot of pressure for them to succeed with such an impressive starting lineup. Whether you loved them, hated them or were fairly indifferent, you took an interest in the Lakers' 2003/2004 season.)
LeBron James was drafted first overall, to the surprise of very few. Detroit picked Darko Milicic over Carmelo Anthony (who was of course picked third by Denver), a move that was criticised at times but ultimately didn't seem to hurt the Pistons all that much. Expectations were pretty high to say the least.
As always, the offseason brought a flurry of player movement. Some of the major moves were as follows:
Alonzo Mourning signed with New Jersey, a move that seemed to persuade Jason Kidd to stick around.
Tim Duncan[b] remained a Spur.
[b]Elton Brand and Corey Maggette signed offer sheets with Miami and Utah respectively, but stayed put when the Clippers matched both offers. The Clippers did let Michael Olowokandi go to Minnesota, while Andre Miller signed with Denver. Lamar Odom also signed an offer sheet with Miami, one that the Clippers didn't match, sending Odom to Florida.
When Grant Hill announced he probably wouldn't be available this season, the Magic signed Juwan Howard to help out T-Mac. T-Mac might have preferred fellow straight-out-of-high-school star Jermaine O'Neal, but he re-signed with Indiana. The Pacers also re-signed Reggie Miller.
With the departure of Jerry Krause, Chicago welcomed back Scottie Pippen. Though Pip was no longer the player that helped Chicago win six titles during the 90s, the move was classy and it was hoped he'd provide some veteran leadership.
Memphis signed James Posey to an offer sheet, and were able to land his services when the offer was not matched.
TRADE: Atlanta acquires Terrell Brandon from Minnesota and the rights to forward Randy Holcomb and a future-protected first-round pick from Philadelphia; Minnesota acquires Latrell Sprewell from New York; the Knicks acquire Keith Van Horn from Philadelphia; and Philadelphia acquires Marc Jackson from Minnesota and Glenn Robinson from Atlanta.
The trade saw the Knicks bid farewell to their emotional leader, while Van Horn and Robinson were playing for their third team in as many years after being mainstays in New Jersey and Milwaukee respectively.
Robert Horry, at times a hero for the Lakers during their championship runs, took his clutch shooting to San Antonio.
TRADE: Indiana re-signs Brad Miller and trades him to Sacramento while acquiring Scot Pollard from the Kings and Danny Ferry from San Antonio; the Spurs acquire Hedo Turkoglu from Sacramento and Ron Mercer from Indiana.
Many felt that Indiana got the worst end of this deal, while the West just kept getting stronger.
Washington signed Gilbert Arenas, hoping that the trio of Arenas, Jerry Stackhouse and Larry Hughes would make up for the shortcomings of the "Jordan Regime". All three proved to be less than durable and missed several games.
TRADE: Dallas acquires Danny Fortson, Antawn Jamison, Chris Mills and Jiri Welsch from Golden State for Evan Eschmeyer, Nick Van Exel, Avery Johnson, Popeye Jones and Antoine Rigaudeau.
Van Exel seemed unhappy at being traded, and played less than half the season due to injury. Various trade rumours swirled, but none came to fruition. Jamison became the Mavericks' sixth man, while Fortson saw more playing time as he made the move to centre.
Allen Iverson and Kevin Garnett both received contract extensions, locking them up to longer deals before they could enter the 2004 free agent market.
After much speculation, Jason Terry remained a Hawk.
Houston signed Jim Jackson, who revitalised his career starting in every game he played in during the 2003/2004 campaign. Houston also traded Glen Rice to Utah. The former All-Star and one time All-Star MVP was cut by the Jazz and then signed with the Clippers. He was cut before the end of the season.
New Jersey waived Dikembe Mutombo, though he didn't go far. The aging centre signed with the Knicks.
TRADE: Boston acquires Raef LaFrentz, Chris Mills, Jiri Welsch and a 2004 first-round pick from Dallas for Tony Delk and Antoine Walker.
The Celtics sent Walker packing, though it did leave their frontline a little thin, while Walker had a fairly good year for the Mavericks.
And finally, Pat Riley stepped down as head coach of the Miami Heat, having guided them to six playoff appearances in eight seasons.
2003
The first portion of the season saw the Lakers jump out to a strong start. It seemed they had a good shot at beating the 72-10 mark set by the Bulls in 1996, with the four superstars sharing the ball better than most people might have expected.
Though it seemed they had made improvements, Orlando's start was the complete opposite. Not surprisingly, Doc Rivers became the first coaching casualty of the 2004 season. Johnny Davis was named his replacement, but the Magic still took 20 games to get their first win.
LeBron James showed few signs of having made the leap to the NBA directly from high school. James had 25 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists in his NBA debut, a 106-92 loss to Sacramento, and although he had a few forgettable games, he continued to impress by living up to some of the hype.
Alonzo Mourning announced his retirement on November 24th, as his condition worsened and required a transplant. The same day, Bill Cartwright became the second head coach to be sacked.
TRADE: Chicago acquires Antonio Davis, Chris Jefferies and Jerome Williams from Toronto for Lonny Baxter, Donyell Marshall and Jalen Rose.
A controversial deal that seemed to favour either team depending on how it was viewed. Chicago seemed to strengthen its defense and managed to get rid of Rose, but in doing so sacrificed their scoring. Toronto managed to pick up some help on offense, but brought in a sometimes selfish player and lost a little depth up front. In terms of talent and production, Toronto probably get the best of the deal, though Chicago would win in subsequent meetings.
Frank Johnson was sacked on December 10th, and Mike D'Antoni became the new head coach of the Phoenix Suns.
TRADE: Boston acquires Ricky Davis, Chris Mihm, Michael Stewart and a second-round pick from Cleveland for Tony Battie, Kedrick Brown and Eric Williams.
Davis had been disgruntled, having been made the second option behind LeBron James. Most people felt that the trade was pretty fair for both teams.
Eddie Griffin was released by the Rockets after an offseason of legal problems and conflicts with the team. He would be signed by New Jersey but never played a game for the Nets.
New York hired Isiah Thomas as president of basketball operations on December 22nd, a move that pleased many Knick fans who blamed Scott Layden for the team's decline and absence from the playoffs the last two seasons. It didn't take long for Thomas to shake up the roster, trading Clarence Weatherspoon to Houston for John Amaechi and Moochie Norris.
Karl Malone suffered a knee injury after colliding with Scott Williams, and was forced out of the lineup. Shaq and Kobe would also miss time due to injury, leaving the Lakers floundering a little but far from dead in the water.
Early 2004
The Mailman would be placed on the injured list for the first time in his career, as his knee injury proved to be worse than expected.
TRADE: New York acquires Stephon Marbury, Anfernee Hardaway and Cezary Trybanski from Phoenix for Howard Eisley, Maciej Lampe, Antonio McDyess, Charlie Ward, the draft rights to Milos Vujanic, an unconditional 2004 first-round draft pick and a conditional future first-round pick.
This blockbuster deal brought Starbury home, gave an aging Penny a little more PT, and sent fragile forward Antonio McDyess to Phoenix, where he spent the 1997/98 season. It became clear that the Knicks were interested in getting better immediately, while Phoenix had definitely gone into rebuilding mode.
Thomas also brought in Lenny Wilkens to replace Don Chaney January 14th.
TRADE: Portland acquires Darius Miles from Cleveland for Jeff McInnis and Ruben Boumtje Boumtje.
Though unmotivated at times, Jeff McInnis proved to be a good addition for the Cavaliers, allowing LeBron to slide over to shooting guard. After showing limited overall improvement playing for the Clippers and Cavaliers, Miles captured the starting spot in Portland and started putting up decent numbers on a regular basis.
Before January was through, Lawrence Frank replaced Byron Scott as head coach of the Nets and John Carroll replaced Jim O'Brien as head coach of the Celtics. Frank set a new record by beginning his coaching career 13-0.
2004 All-Star Weekend
Voshon Lenard became the new three point shootout champion as reigning king Peja Stojakovic faltered in the final round.
Though Jason Richardson's between-the-legs-off-the-backboard dunk earned a perfect score and became a new candidate for "best dunk we've ever seen", Fred Jones prevented J-Rich from becoming the first three-time slam dunk champion in history.
Elsewhere, Amare Stoudemire led the Sophomores to victory over the Rookies in the got Milk? Rookie Challenge, Baron Davis won the 989 Sports Skills Challenge and the Los Angeles team consisting of Magic Johnson, Derek Fisher and Lisa Leslie won the Radioshack Shooting Stars event.
The Western All-Stars once again reigned supreme, defeating the Eastern All-Stars 136-132. Shaq was named the MVP after posting 24 points and 11 rebounds in front of his home crowd. He also threw down a dunk that threatened to bring the backboard crashing to the floor. Meanwhile, Kobe was booed by some as he choose to attempt a layup rather than a dunk in the open floor.
Back to Business
The NBA season resumed with only a few days left until the trade deadline.
TRADE: Atlanta acquires Rasheed Wallace and Wesley Person from Portland for Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Theo Ratliff and Dan Dickau.
Shareef found himself coming off the bench behind Zach Randolph, who had a breakout season in 2003/2004. Sheed only played one game for the Hawks before...
TRADE: In a three-team trade, Detroit acquires Rasheed Wallace and Mike James; Boston acquires Chucky Atkins, Lindsey Hunter and Detroit's 2004 first-round pick; and Atlanta acquires Zeljko Rebraca, Bob Sura, Chris Mills and a future Detroit first-round pick (via Milwaukee).
Hunter would return to Detroit after being waived by Boston, Sheed would form a powerful frontcourt with Ben Wallace, and Sura had back to back triple-doubles towards the end of the season (with a third disallowed by the league after one of his offensive boards was taken away).
TRADE: In a three-team trade, New York acquires Nazr Mohammed and Tim Thomas; Milwaukee acquires Keith Van Horn; and Atlanta acquires Michael Doleac, Joel Przybilla and a 2005 second-round pick (from New York).
Van Horn found himself on the move again. New York appeared to get the best of the deal, though Tim Thomas would go down with injury during the playoffs.
The Playoffs
The Memphis Grizzlies made their first playoff appearance, but were swept by San Antonio in the first round. Houston, Denver, Miami and New York also made the playoffs, all having been absent from the postseason for at least two seasons.
The Lakers, finally with all their superstars back in action, finished second in the West and advanced to the second round after defeating the Rockets in five games. They would once again face San Antonio in the second round, and once again the Spurs would win the first two games. However, the Lakers would not falter, evening the series before taking the advantage behind Derek Fisher's last season shot in Game 5, and wrapping up the series in Game 6.
The Minnesota Timberwolves ventured out of the first round for the first time in franchise history, defeating Denver 4-1. The T'Wolves then battled the Kings for a 3-3 series tie before MVP Kevin Garnett's Game 7 heroics sent Minnesota to the Western Conference Finals.
Out East, the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons appeared to be headed for a showdown in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Pistons prevailed in a seven game duel with the Nets, while the Pacers overcame the Heat in six. The Pacers/Pistons series was a slow, defensive-minded matchup with scores in the 60s, including a 69-65 Pistons' victory in game six that sent Detroit to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1990.
The Lakers/Timberwolves series seemed destined to end in a seventh game, but Sam Cassell's injury left the Timberwolves shorthanded at point guard, while the Lakers were gearing up for the Finals. Minnesota managed to strike back and win game five after the Lakers held a 3-1 series lead after the first four games. Los Angeles won game six to advance to the NBA Finals.
The NBA Finals
Los Angeles remained the favourites to win the series, with many people counting the Pistons out before the series began. At the most, Detroit was expected to extend the series to six games or seven games, with the Lakers ultimately becoming the 2004 champions.
Game 1 - Detroit 87, Los Angeles 75
Recap | Boxscore
Detroit proved they were not simply showing up so that the Lakers could make their championship official. Despite the efforts of Shaq and Kobe, the Pistons took the first game.
Game 2 - Los Angeles 99, Detroit 91
Recap | Boxscore
Kobe's heroics sent the game into overtime, where the Pistons managed only one basket, several misses and a 24 second violation. The Lakers on the other hand reeled off 10 points in the extra period, knotting the series at a game apiece. However, Karl Malone reinjured his knee and would be hindered for the rest of the series.
Game 3 - Detroit 88, Los Angeles 68
Recap | Boxscore
After Game 2, many expected Los Angeles to win three straight or three of the next four to capture the title, but Detroit had other plans. The Pistons held Shaq and Kobe to a combined 25 points and went up 2-1.
Game 4 - Detroit 86, Los Angeles 80
Recap | Boxscore
This was supposed to be the game that setup a best-of-three finale, but the Pistons once again came out on top, taking a 3-1 lead into game six.
Game 5 - Detroit 100, Los Angeles 87
Recap | Boxscore
With the Mailman sitting out game five, the Pistons blew the game open during the second quarter and never seemed to look back. The season that was seemingly supposed to belong to the Lakers ended in the Pistons taking their first title in fourteen years.
2003/2004 Award Winners
To be honest, I can't be bothered typing them up
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