The 2003âÂÂ04 Los Angeles Lakers season was the Lakers' 56th season in the National Basketball Association and 44th in the city of Los Angeles.
The Lakers entered the season following a disappointing second-round loss to the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs in the 2003 playoffs. During the offseason, the Lakers signed star free agents Karl Malone and Gary Payton and re-signed free agent power forward Horace Grant. Following these acquisitions, the Lakers became the instant favorites to win the NBA title.
Despite major acquisitions, key moves, and becoming overnight title favorites, the Lakers would run into major setbacks to begin the season. During the 2003 off-season, superstar guard Kobe Bryant had been accused of sexual assault in Colorado. Media attention surrounding the case would prove to be an ongoing distraction for the team, and Bryant missed games during his trial. In addition, Bryant's feud with Shaquille O'Neal reached a peak during the season, as both players criticized each other in the media. Payton struggled with coach Phil Jackson's triangle offense, and Malone missed significant time due to injuries.
Despite the setbacks, the Lakers finished the season with a 56âÂÂ26 overall record, good enough to clinch the second seed in the Western Conference en route to the playoffs. In the playoffs, they defeated the Houston Rockets, the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, and the Minnesota Timberwolves to earn the franchise its 28th appearance in the NBA Finals. The Lakers entered the Finals against the Detroit Pistons as favorites. This was the third meeting between the Lakers and the Pistons in the NBA Finals, after both franchises met in 1988 and 1989. However, the underdog Pistons' strong defense and teamwork propelled them to their third championship in franchise history, and the star-studded Lakers would collapse in five games. After the season, Jackson and the team mutually agreed to part ways and O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat.
|- style="background:#cfc;" | 1 | October 7 | Golden State | W 107-89 | Shaquille O'Neal (16) | Devean George (7) | Gary Payton (7) | Stan Sheriff Center (Honolulu, HI)<br>10,300 | 1âÂÂ0 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 2 | October 8 | Golden State | L 83-99 | Gary Payton (11) | Shaquille O'Neal (8) | Shaquille O'Neal (5) | Stan Sheriff Center (Honolulu, HI)<br>10,300 | 1-1 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 3 | October 14 | Phoenix | L 86-104 | Derek Fisher (14) | 3 players tied (6) | Gary Payton (4) | San Diego Sports Arena (San Diego, CA)<br>13,144 | 1âÂÂ2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 4 | October 16 | Cleveland | W 86-78 | Karl Malone (18) | Karl Malone (13) | Malone & Payton (7) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 2-2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 5 | October 17 | Phoenix | W 91-84 | Derek Fisher (18) | Eric Chenowith (7) | Luke Walton (4) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 3âÂÂ2 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 6 | October 19 | Cleveland | L 87-102 | Shaquille O'Neal (20) | Shaquille O'Neal (6) | Luke Walton (5) | Centennial Garden (Bakersfield, CA)<br>9,772 | 3-3 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 7 | October 23 | L.A. Clippers | L 101-107 | Shaquille O'Neal (18) | Shaquille O'Neal (9) | Gary Payton (7) | Arrowhead Pond (Anaheim, CA)<br>18,298 | 3âÂÂ4 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 8 | October 24 | Sacramento | L 87-93 | Shaquille O'Neal (19) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Malone & O'Neal (5) | Thomas & Mack Center (Las Vegas, NV)<br>18,234 | 3âÂÂ5
|- style="background:#cfc;" | 1 | October 28 | Dallas | W 109âÂÂ93 | Gary Payton (21) | Karl Malone (10) | Malone & Payton (9) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 1âÂÂ0
|- style="background:#cfc;" | 2 | November 1 | @ Phoenix | W 103âÂÂ99 | Shaquille O'Neal (24) | 3 players tied (12) | Gary Payton (9) | America West Arena<br>18,422 | 2âÂÂ0 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 3 | November 2 | Golden State | W 87âÂÂ72 | Kobe Bryant (21) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Gary Payton (11) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 3âÂÂ0 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 4 | November 4 | @ Milwaukee | W 113âÂÂ107 | Kobe Bryant (31) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Kobe Bryant (8) | Bradley Center<br>18,717 | 4âÂÂ0 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 5 | November 6 | @ San Antonio | W 120âÂÂ117 (2OT) | Kobe Bryant (37) | Shaquille O'Neal (20) | O'Neal & Payton (6) | SBC Center<br>18,717 | 5âÂÂ0 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 6 | November 7 | @ New Orleans | L 95âÂÂ114 | Shaquille O'Neal (21) | Malone & O'Neal (6) | Gary Payton (11) | New Orleans Arena<br>18,717 | 5âÂÂ1 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 7 | November 10 | @ Memphis | L 95âÂÂ105 | Shaquille O'Neal (20) | Shaquille O'Neal (12) | Kobe Bryant (5) | Pyramid Arena<br>19,351 | 5âÂÂ2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 8 | November 12 | Toronto | W 94âÂÂ79 | Shaquille O'Neal (23) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Gary Payton (6) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 6âÂÂ2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 9 | November 14 | Detroit | W 94âÂÂ89 | O'Neal & Payton (21) | Shaquille O'Neal (15) | Shaquille O'Neal (8) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 7âÂÂ2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 10 | November 16 | Miami | W 99âÂÂ77 | Kobe Bryant (27) | Karl Malone (10) | Gary Payton (8) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 8âÂÂ2 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 11 | November 18 | @ Detroit | L 96âÂÂ106 | Malone & O'Neal (20) | Shaquille O'Neal (10) | 3 players tied (5) | The Palace of Auburn Hills<br>22,076 | 8âÂÂ3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 12 | November 19 | @ New York | W 104âÂÂ83 | Shaquille O'Neal (23) | Karl Malone (14) | Bryant & Malone (4) | Madison Square Garden<br>19,763 | 9âÂÂ3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 13 | November 21 | Chicago | W 101âÂÂ94 | Kobe Bryant (28) | Karl Malone (18) | Bryant & Payton (4) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 10âÂÂ3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 14 | November 23 | Memphis | W 121âÂÂ89 | Kobe Bryant (28) | Slava Medvedenko (11) | Gary Payton (10) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 11âÂÂ3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 15 | November 26 | Washington | W 120âÂÂ99 | Kobe Bryant (22) | Horace Grant (6) | Malone & Payton (5) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 12âÂÂ3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 16 | November 28 | San Antonio | W 103âÂÂ87 | Devean George (19) | Karl Malone (11) | Karl Malone (10) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 13âÂÂ3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 17 | November 30 | Indiana | W 99âÂÂ77 | Shaquille O'Neal (23) | Karl Malone (15) | Kobe Bryant (7) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 14âÂÂ3
|- style="background:#cfc;" | 18 | December 3 | @ San Antonio | W 90âÂÂ86 | Kobe Bryant (21) | Shaquille O'Neal (16) | Gary Payton (6) | SBC Center<br>18,841 | 15âÂÂ3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 19 | December 4 | @ Dallas | W 114âÂÂ103 | Kobe Bryant (32) | Shaquille O'Neal (19) | Gary Payton (8) | American Airlines Center<br>20,596 | 16âÂÂ3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 20 | December 7 | Utah | W 94âÂÂ92 | Bryant & O'Neal (19) | Shaquille O'Neal (15) | Shaquille O'Neal (8) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 17âÂÂ3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 21 | December 9 | New York | W 98âÂÂ90 | Kobe Bryant (21) | Shaquille O'Neal (15) | Kobe Bryant (9) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 18âÂÂ3 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 22 | December 12 | Dallas | L 93âÂÂ110 | Shaquille O'Neal (25) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Kobe Bryant (6) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 18âÂÂ4 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 23 | December 13 | @ Portland | L 108âÂÂ112 | Kobe Bryant (35) | Shaquille O'Neal (10) | Kobe Bryant (6) | Rose Garden<br>20,630 | 18âÂÂ5 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 24 | December 19 | Denver | W 101âÂÂ99 | Shaquille O'Neal (26) | Shaquille O'Neal (11) | Gary Payton (11) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 19âÂÂ5 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 25 | December 21 | Phoenix | W 107âÂÂ101 | George & Payton (19) | Shaquille O'Neal (18) | Gary Payton (7) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 20âÂÂ5 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 26 | December 23 | @ Golden State | L 98âÂÂ107 | Kobe Bryant (23) | Devean George (9) | Gary Payton (13) | The Arena in Oakland<br>20,310 | 20âÂÂ6 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 27 | December 25 | Houston | L 87âÂÂ99 | Kobe Bryant (23) | Horace Grant (11) | Gary Payton (7) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 20âÂÂ7 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 28 | December 28 | Boston | W 105âÂÂ82 | Shaquille O'Neal (22) | Shaquille O'Neal (16) | Bryant & Payton (6) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 21âÂÂ7
|- style="background:#fcc;" | 29 | January 2 | @ Seattle | L 109âÂÂ111 | Kobe Bryant (32) | Bryant & Grant (6) | Kobe Bryant (6) | KeyArena<br>17,072 | 21âÂÂ8 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 30 | January 4 | @ L.A. Clippers | L 98âÂÂ101 | Kobe Bryant (44) | Kobe Bryant (10) | Payton & Russell (4) | Staples Center<br>19,653 | 21âÂÂ9 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 31 | January 6 | @ Minnesota | L 90âÂÂ106 | Kobe Bryant (20) | Kobe Bryant (10) | Derek Fisher (5) | Target Center<br>20,095 | 21âÂÂ10 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 32 | January 7 | @ Denver | L 91âÂÂ113 | Kobe Bryant (27) | Brian Cook (8) | Kobe Bryant (6) | Pepsi Center<br>19,739 | 21âÂÂ11 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 33 | January 9 | Atlanta | W 113âÂÂ67 | Bryant & Medvedenko (26) | Slava Medvedenko (11) | Gary Payton (7) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 22âÂÂ11 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 34 | January 12 | Cleveland | W 89âÂÂ79 | Cook & Payton (13) | Devean George (12) | Fisher & Payton (4) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 23âÂÂ11 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 35 | January 14 | Denver | W 97âÂÂ71 | Slava Medvedenko (22) | Horace Grant (11) | Gary Payton (6) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 24âÂÂ11 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 36 | January 16 | @ Sacramento | L 83âÂÂ103 | Kareem Rush (30) | Medvedenko & Sampson (9) | Luke Walton (5) | ARCO Arena<br>17,317 | 24âÂÂ12 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 37 | January 17 | L.A. Clippers | W 91âÂÂ89 | Slava Medvedenko (20) | Medvedenko & Sampson (10) | Gary Payton (15) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 25âÂÂ12 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 38 | January 19 | Phoenix | L 85âÂÂ88 | Kareem Rush (18) | Payton & Sampson (8) | Gary Payton (9) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 25âÂÂ13 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 39 | January 21 | @ Memphis | L 82âÂÂ88 | Gary Payton (24) | Slava Medvedenko (12) | Kareem Rush (5) | Pyramid Arena<br>19,351 | 25âÂÂ14 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 40 | January 22 | @ Dallas | L 87âÂÂ106 | Devean George (24) | Luke Walton (7) | Gary Payton (5) | American Airlines Center<br>20,512 | 25âÂÂ15 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 41 | January 24 | @ Utah | W 93âÂÂ86 | Slava Medvedenko (26) | Slava Medvedenko (12) | Bryant & Payton (6) | Delta Center<br>19,911 | 26âÂÂ15 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 42 | January 28 | Seattle | W 96âÂÂ82 | Gary Payton (24) | Horace Grant (10) | Gary Payton (5) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 27âÂÂ15 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 43 | January 30 | Minnesota | L 84âÂÂ97 | Shaquille O'Neal (22) | Shaquille O'Neal (9) | Gary Payton (9) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 27âÂÂ16
|- style="background:#cfc;" | 44 | February 1 | @ Toronto | W 84âÂÂ83 | Shaquille O'Neal (36) | Horace Grant (9) | Shaquille O'Neal (5) | Air Canada Centre<br>20,116 | 28âÂÂ16 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 45 | February 2 | @ Indiana | L 72âÂÂ85 | Slava Medvedenko (14) | Gary Payton (8) | Gary Payton (7) | Conseco Fieldhouse<br>18,345 | 28âÂÂ17 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 46 | February 4 | @ Cleveland | W 111âÂÂ106 (OT) | Shaquille O'Neal (37) | Grant & O'Neal (12) | O'Neal & Payton (6) | Gund Arena<br>20,562 | 29âÂÂ17 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 47 | February 5 | @ Philadelphia | L 73âÂÂ96 | Shaquille O'Neal (17) | Shaquille O'Neal (8) | Fisher & Walton (5) | Wachovia Center<br>20,965 | 29âÂÂ18 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 48 | February 8 | @ Orlando | W 98âÂÂ96 | Shaquille O'Neal (20) | Shaquille O'Neal (10) | Luke Walton (7) | TD Waterhouse Centre<br>17,283 | 30âÂÂ18 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 49 | February 10 | @ Miami | W 98âÂÂ83 | Shaquille O'Neal (25) | Devean George (11) | Fisher & Payton (6) | American Airlines Arena<br>16,500 | 31âÂÂ18 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 50 | February 11 | @ Houston | L 87âÂÂ102 | Shaquille O'Neal (24) | Shaquille O'Neal (9) | Shaquille O'Neal (4) | Toyota Center<br>18,218 | 31âÂÂ19 |- style="text-align:center;" | colspan="9" style="background:#bbcaff;"|All-Star Break |- style="background:#cfc;" | 51 | February 17 | Portland | W 89âÂÂ86 | Kobe Bryant (31) | Shaquille O'Neal (11) | Kobe Bryant (10) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 32âÂÂ19 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 52 | February 18 | @ Golden State | W 100âÂÂ99 | Kobe Bryant (35) | Shaquille O'Neal (16) | Kobe Bryant (8) | The Arena in Oakland<br>20,252 | 33âÂÂ19 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 53 | February 20 | Philadelphia | W 116âÂÂ88 | Shaquille O'Neal (29) | Shaquille O'Neal (13) | Bryant & Fisher (7) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 34âÂÂ19 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 54 | February 22 | @ Phoenix | W 104âÂÂ92 | Kobe Bryant (40) | Bryant & Fox (7) | 3 players tied (5) | America West Arena<br>18,422 | 35âÂÂ19 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 55 | February 25 | @ Denver | W 112âÂÂ111 | Kobe Bryant (35) | Shaquille O'Neal (8) | Kobe Bryant (10) | Pepsi Center<br>19,812 | 36âÂÂ19 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 56 | February 26 | Sacramento | L 101âÂÂ103 | Kobe Bryant (35) | Kobe Bryant (11) | Bryant & Payton (6) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 36âÂÂ20 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 57 | February 28 | @ Washington | W 122âÂÂ110 | Shaquille O'Neal (19) | Kobe Bryant (14) | Kobe Bryant (10) | MCI Center<br>20,173 | 37âÂÂ20 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 58 | February 29 | @ New Jersey | W 100âÂÂ83 | Shaquille O'Neal (19) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Kobe Bryant (10) | Continental Airlines Arena<br>19,968 | 38âÂÂ20
|- style="background:#fcc;" | 59 | March 2 | @ Atlanta | L 93âÂÂ94 | O'Neal & Payton (23) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Gary Payton (10) | Philips Arena<br>19,445 | 38âÂÂ21 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 60 | March 3 | @ Houston | W 96âÂÂ93 | Shaquille O'Neal (28) | Kobe Bryant (8) | Kobe Bryant (13) | Toyota Center<br>18,172 | 39âÂÂ21 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 61 | March 5 | Seattle | W 99âÂÂ91 | Shaquille O'Neal (32) | Luke Walton (9) | Fox & Payton (7) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 40âÂÂ21 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 62 | March 7 | New Jersey | W 94âÂÂ88 | Shaquille O'Neal (32) | O'Neal & Payton (9) | Rick Fox (5) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 41âÂÂ21 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 63 | March 8 | @ Utah | L 83âÂÂ88 | Gary Payton (21) | Shaquille O'Neal (10) | Gary Payton (7) | Delta Center<br>19,911 | 41âÂÂ22 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 64 | March 10 | @ Boston | W 117âÂÂ109 | Shaquille O'Neal (28) | Shaquille O'Neal (17) | Kobe Bryant (10) | FleetCenter<br>18,624 | 42âÂÂ22 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 65 | March 12 | @ Minnesota | L 86âÂÂ96 | Shaquille O'Neal (24) | Shaquille O'Neal (13) | Fox & Payton (6) | Target Center<br>20,391 | 42âÂÂ23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 66 | March 13 | @ Chicago | W 88âÂÂ81 | Kobe Bryant (35) | Shaquille O'Neal (15) | Karl Malone (7) | United Center<br>23,067 | 43âÂÂ23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 67 | March 15 | Orlando | W 113âÂÂ110 (OT) | Kobe Bryant (38) | Shaquille O'Neal (23) | Bryant & Malone (4) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 44âÂÂ23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 68 | March 17 | @ L.A. Clippers | W 106âÂÂ103 | Kobe Bryant (27) | Shaquille O'Neal (11) | Gary Payton (7) | Staples Center<br>19,668 | 45âÂÂ23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 69 | March 19 | L.A. Clippers | W 106âÂÂ100 | Kobe Bryant (27) | Shaquille O'Neal (10) | Fox & O'Neal (6) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 46âÂÂ23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 70 | March 21 | Milwaukee | W 104âÂÂ103 (OT) | Shaquille O'Neal (31) | Shaquille O'Neal (26) | Gary Payton (6) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 47âÂÂ23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 71 | March 24 | Sacramento | W 115âÂÂ91 | Kobe Bryant (36) | Shaquille O'Neal (16) | Bryant & O'Neal (6) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 48âÂÂ23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 72 | March 26 | Minnesota | W 90âÂÂ73 | Kobe Bryant (35) | Shaquille O'Neal (18) | Kobe Bryant (5) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 49âÂÂ23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 73 | March 28 | Utah | W 91âÂÂ84 | Kobe Bryant (34) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Kobe Bryant (4) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 50âÂÂ23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 74 | March 30 | New Orleans | W 107âÂÂ88 | Kobe Bryant (23) | Shaquille O'Neal (9) | Karl Malone (9) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 51âÂÂ23
|- style="background:#cfc;" | 75 | April 1 | Houston | W 93âÂÂ85 | Kobe Bryant (26) | Karl Malone (14) | Karl Malone (6) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 52âÂÂ23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 76 | April 2 | @ Seattle | W 97âÂÂ86 | Kobe Bryant (25) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Rick Fox (6) | KeyArena<br>17,072 | 53âÂÂ23 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 77 | April 4 | San Antonio | L 89âÂÂ95 | Kobe Bryant (28) | Malone & O'Neal (9) | Malone & O'Neal (4) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 53âÂÂ24 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 78 | April 6 | Portland | L 80âÂÂ91 | Shaquille O'Neal (17) | Shaquille O'Neal (12) | Kobe Bryant (8) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 53âÂÂ25 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 79 | April 9 | Memphis | W 103âÂÂ95 | Kobe Bryant (33) | Shaquille O'Neal (12) | Bryant & Payton (7) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 54âÂÂ25 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 80 | April 11 | @ Sacramento | L 85âÂÂ102 | Gary Payton (15) | Karl Malone (11) | Fisher & George (5) | ARCO Arena<br>17,317 | 54âÂÂ26 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 81 | April 13 | Golden State | W 109âÂÂ104 | Kobe Bryant (45) | Shaquille O'Neal (13) | Kobe Bryant (8) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 55âÂÂ26 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 82 | April 14 | @ Portland | W 105âÂÂ104 (2OT) | Kobe Bryant (37) | Medvedenko & O'Neal (14) | Fisher & Payton (6) | Rose Garden<br>20,609 | 56âÂÂ26
|- style="background:#cfc;" | 1 | April 17 | Houston | W 72âÂÂ71 | Shaquille O'Neal (20) | Shaquille O'Neal (17) | Kobe Bryant (6) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 1âÂÂ0 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 2 | April 19 | Houston | W 98âÂÂ84 | Kobe Bryant (36) | Karl Malone (8) | Gary Payton (7) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 2âÂÂ0 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 3 | April 23 | @ Houston | L 91âÂÂ102 | Shaquille O'Neal (25) | Malone & O'Neal (11) | Gary Payton (7) | Toyota Center<br>18,226 | 2âÂÂ1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 4 | April 25 | @ Houston | W 92âÂÂ88 (OT) | Karl Malone (30) | Karl Malone (13) | Gary Payton (7) | Toyota Center<br>18,219 | 3âÂÂ1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 5 | April 28 | Houston | W 97âÂÂ78 | Kobe Bryant (31) | Malone & O'Neal (9) | Kobe Bryant (10) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 4âÂÂ1 |-
|- style="background:#fcc;" | 1 | May 2 | @ San Antonio | L 78âÂÂ88 | Kobe Bryant (31) | Shaquille O'Neal (13) | Karl Malone (5) | SBC Center<br>18,797 | 0âÂÂ1 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 2 | May 5 | @ San Antonio | L 85âÂÂ95 | Shaquille O'Neal (32) | Shaquille O'Neal (15) | Kobe Bryant (8) | SBC Center<br>18,797 | 0âÂÂ2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 3 | May 9 | San Antonio | W 105âÂÂ81 | Shaquille O'Neal (28) | Shaquille O'Neal (15) | Gary Payton (7) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 1âÂÂ2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 4 | May 11 | San Antonio | W 98âÂÂ90 | Kobe Bryant (42) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Karl Malone (6) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 2âÂÂ2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 5 | May 13 | @ San Antonio | W 74âÂÂ73 | Kobe Bryant (22) | Karl Malone (12) | Gary Payton (7) | SBC Center<br>18,797 | 3âÂÂ2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 6 | May 15 | San Antonio | W 88âÂÂ76 | Kobe Bryant (26) | Shaquille O'Neal (19) | Bryant & Payton (7) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 4âÂÂ2 |-
|- style="background:#cfc;" | 1 | May 21 | @ Minnesota | W 97âÂÂ88 | Shaquille O'Neal (27) | Shaquille O'Neal (18) | Bryant & Fisher (6) | Target Center<br>19,552 | 1âÂÂ0 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 2 | May 23 | @ Minnesota | L 71âÂÂ89 | Kobe Bryant (27) | Shaquille O'Neal (16) | Kobe Bryant (6) | Target Center<br>19,707 | 1âÂÂ1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 3 | May 25 | Minnesota | W 100âÂÂ89 | Bryant & O'Neal (22) | Shaquille O'Neal (17) | Gary Payton (9) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 2âÂÂ1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 4 | May 27 | Minnesota | W 92âÂÂ85 | Kobe Bryant (31) | Shaquille O'Neal (19) | Kobe Bryant (8) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 3âÂÂ1 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 5 | May 29 | @ Minnesota | L 96âÂÂ98 | Kobe Bryant (23) | Shaquille O'Neal (13) | Kobe Bryant (7) | Target Center<br>20,109 | 3âÂÂ2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 6 | May 31 | Minnesota | W 96âÂÂ90 | Shaquille O'Neal (25) | Shaquille O'Neal (11) | Gary Payton (8) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 4âÂÂ2 |-
|- style="background:#fcc;" | 1 | June 6 | Detroit | L 75âÂÂ87 | Shaquille O'Neal (34) | Malone & O'Neal (11) | Kobe Bryant (4) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 0âÂÂ1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 2 | June 8 | Detroit | W 99âÂÂ91 (OT) | Kobe Bryant (33) | Karl Malone (9) | Luke Walton (8) | Staples Center<br>18,997 | 1âÂÂ1 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 3 | June 10 | @ Detroit | L 68âÂÂ88 | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Medvedenko & O'Neal (8) | Gary Payton (7) | The Palace of Auburn Hills<br>22,076 | 1âÂÂ2 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 4 | June 13 | @ Detroit | L 80âÂÂ88 | Shaquille O'Neal (36) | Shaquille O'Neal (20) | Rick Fox (6) | The Palace of Auburn Hills<br>22,076 | 1âÂÂ3 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 5 | June 15 | @ Detroit | L 87âÂÂ100 | Kobe Bryant (24) | Shaquille O'Neal (8) | Luke Walton (5) | The Palace of Auburn Hills<br>22,076 | 1âÂÂ4 |-
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The Finals were played using a 2-3-2 format, where the first two and last two games are held at the venue of the team with home court advantage. This was only used in the Finals.
The Lakers had a star-studded lineup that included offseason acquisitions Karl Malone and Gary Payton as well as mainstays Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. Malone and Payton were perennial All-Stars; Payton had led the Seattle SuperSonics to the Finals in 1996, while Malone's Utah Jazz reached the Finals in 1997 and 1998. However, both had been defeated by Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls. By 2003, Malone and Payton were in the latter stages of their respective careers and were no longer playing on championship-contending teams. Both Malone and Payton took pay cuts to sign with the Lakers in an effort to win a championship.
Sunday, June 6, 2004, 14:30 at the Staples Center.
Detroit stunned Los Angeles with imposing defense. They held the Lakers to 39% shooting. Outside of O'Neal and Bryant, the rest of the Lakers only managed to score 16 points.
The Pistons trailed the Lakers 41âÂÂ40 at halftime, but a 10âÂÂ4 surge in the third quarter gave them the lead and they never relinquished it. By the fourth quarter, their lead had increased to 13.
Tuesday, June 8, 2004, 15:04 at the Staples Center.
The Lakers led by eight after the first half. However, Detroit scored 30 points in the third quarter to keep the game close. With 2.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Kobe Bryant hit a three-point shot to tie the score at 89. The game went to overtime and the Lakers outscored the Pistons 10âÂÂ2 to win their only game of the series.
Thursday, June 10, 2004, 14:31 at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
The Pistons beat the Lakers by 20 in their first NBA Finals appearance at The Palace of Auburn Hills since 1990 to take a 2âÂÂ1 lead in the series. Karl Malone sprained his knee and was limited to 18 minutes. The 68 points scored by the Lakers set a franchise record for the fewest points scored in a playoff game. The previous night, a group of overzealous Pistons fans made it difficult for the Lakers to get their rest by harassing them until 4am at their hotel in nearby Birmingham. Fans were screaming outside the building until hotel management called the police.
Sunday, June 13, 2004, 14:49 at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
The Pistons defeated the Lakers, this time by eight, to take a 3âÂÂ1 series advantage. Shaquille O'Neal scored 36 points and grabbed 20 rebounds, but the rest of the Lakers shot 17/57 from the field.
Tuesday, June 15, 2004, 14:32 at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
In Game 5, the Pistons won their first championship since 1990 and Larry Brown won his first title as an NBA coach. The Pistons defense had overcome the high-scoring Lakers offense, winning the game by 13 and the series 4âÂÂ1. In four of the five games, the Lakers were held to less than 90 points.
After the series, Phil Jackson stepped down as coach (he would return for the 2005âÂÂ06 season). Shaquille O'Neal was traded to Miami. Gary Payton and Rick Fox were traded to Boston. Karl Malone, who did not dress for Game 5, would have surgery on his knee and eventually retired the following February.
During the offseason in July, the Lakers decided to trade their star center Shaquille OâÂÂNeal. The superstar big man was caught off guard by the news as he merely received a phone call during breakfast informing him of the move.