With Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal leading the Los Angeles Lakers, the team had one of the most dominant runs in NBA history. They won three straight NBA Championships, but everything ended terribly with their 2004 NBA Finals loss to the Detroit Pistons.
The additions of Hall-of-Famers Gary Payton and Karl Malone were supposed to guarantee a championship, but Payton never quite fit with the triangle offense, and Malone’s injury hurt the chemistry of the team. The Pistons, all on the same page, took advantage of the fractured Lakers for one of the most shocking NBA Finals upsets ever.