The NBA has long been defined by offensive superstars: Magic vs. Bird in the 80s, MJ in the 90s, Kobe and Shaq in the early 2000s, LeBron and Steph after that.

The 2004 "Goin' to Work" Pistons were built differently. Their only Hall of Famer averaged fewer than 6 points a game for his career. They finished 24th in the league in scoring, winning instead with suffocating defense and a grinding, deliberate offense.

Joe Dumars built the roster out of castoffs and role players. Even after whiffing on the second overall pick in the loaded 2003 draft, his teams reached six straight Eastern Conference Finals. Larry Brown molded them in the image of their city: unselfish, hard-working, and tougher than everyone else.

It all came together in the 2004 Finals, where they faced a Lakers superteam with four future Hall of Famers led by Shaq and Kobe. Almost no one gave Detroit a chance, but the Pistons won in dominating fashion.

This is the story of one of the unlikeliest champions in NBA history, and the end of an era. Within a few years, new rules and the analytics revolution would transform the game into the pace-and-space league we know today. So were the Pistons smart to do things differently, or just the right team for a particular moment in time? Join us as we find out.

Our favorite links

• Ben Wallace Went Undrafted and Forged a Hall of Fame Career – Ryne Nelson, SLAM

• What Makes Larry Run? – Neal Gabler, Grantland

• Joe Dumars Interviewed After Winning No. 2 Pick in 2003 NBA Draft – Ryan Van Dusen, YouTube

• In their own words: How the legendary 2003 NBA draft shaped basketball's future – Brian Windhorst, ESPN

• 2003 Redraftables: Lebron Arrives, Darko vs. Melo, Wade The Sleeper + the First “Modern” NBA Draft with Chad Ford – Book of Basketball 2.0 (Bill Simmons), Podcast

• Tayshaun Prince Blocks Reggie Miller | 17th Anniversary – Detroit Pistons, YouTube

• Experts thought the Lakers would crush the Pistons in the 2004 NBA Finals. Not quite… – Alex Putterman, Freezing Cold Takes

• The Malice at the Palace (Oral History) – Jonathan Abrams, Grantland

• DARKO App for NBA Stats

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• Graphic design and logo by Kai Takahashi

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