When ish No. 75 dropped in February 2004 nobody had a clue what was about to happen in just a few months, but the writing was on the wall. Peep the cover and you’ll know.
The “Bad Boys 2,” as labeled by SLAM at the start of the ‘04 calendar year (the printed magazine went to press even earlier in the year than its actual release, mind you, so the Pistons had yet to trade for ultimate-chip-key Rasheed Wallace), were coming off a season in 2003 in which they reached the ECF but stroke out 0-4 against the New Jersey Nets.