The 2003-04 NBA season is not remembered fondly by Los Angeles Lakers fans. The Lakers opened that year having acquired two future Hall-of-Famers in Gary Payton and Karl Malone to pair with incumbent stars Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.
That made them the favorites to win their fourth NBA title in five seasons. The team also featured a deep bench including Derek Fisher, Kareem Rush, and a rookie forward named Luke Walton.
The pieces never quite came together, however, and lost the NBA Finals in five games to a scrappy Detroit Pistons team. Before reaching the Finals, the Lakers had to make it through the Western Conference playoffs.