Chuck Daly Weighs in on the 2004 Pistons; Meets with Larry Brown скачать в хорошем качестве

Chuck Daly Weighs in on the 2004 Pistons; Meets with Larry Brown

June 1, 2004 - The greatest coach in Detroit Pistons history, Chuck Daly was in the house to watch the 2004 Pistons team clinch its first Finals berth since Daly last led his charges to the promised last fourteen years prior. A testament to the Pistons' status as underdogs in '04, even Daly himself had his doubts about whether the team would be able to handle a Lakers team led by Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Gary Payton, and Karl Malone. "Truthfully I don't think they're going to beat them because they have too many offensive people," Daly said. "But I do believe it's going to surprise some people. I think with Detroit is they've got about six seven-footers sitting over there, if they can get enough offense. And either one of these teams is going to be relieved into the next series because they're going to get some shots." As observers league-wide wondered whether Detroit's conference-clinching 69-65 win over the Pacers was a matter of bad offensive or good defense, Daly's observations proved astute. The Pistons did indeed throw a handful of seven-footers at Shaquille O'Neal (including the more-effective-than-some-realized Elden Campbell) and the Pistons did indeed benefit from playing a team less locked in on the defensive end than the Pacers. Detroit went on to coast to a five-game win over the Lakers, securing the the third NBA title in franchise history. As a final note, for those wondering about Rick Carlisle's connection to Daly, Carlisle began his NBA coaching career as an assistant for the New Jersey Nets under Bill Fitch. Carlisle was retained on staff when Chuck Daly took over head coaching reigns in New Jersey in 1992. The two worked together for the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons.