2003–04 Los Angeles Lakers season

NBA professional basketball team season March 2026 April 2023 Los Angeles Lakers 2004 yes yes 56 26 Pacific 1 2 Phil Jackson Mitch Kupchak Staples Center Jerry Buss Fox Sports Net West, KCAL AM 570 KLAC NBA Finals(lost to Pistons 1–4) LAL 300px|thumb|Horace Grant battles for a jump ball versus future Laker Pau Gasol in November 2003. The 2003–04 Los Angeles Lakers season was the Lakers' 56th season in the National Basketball Association and 44th in the city of Los Angeles.https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/2004.html 2003-04 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Stats Basketball-Reference.com 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.http://www.nba.com/lakers/news/payton_malone_030716.html Lakers Sign Free Agents Gary Payton and Karl Malone July 16, 2003 April 20, 2011 NBA.com Turner Sports Interactive, IncLazenby Roland Roland Lazenby The Show: The Inside Story of the Spectacular Los Angeles Lakers in the Words of Those Who Lived It 422 2006 McGraw-Hill Professional New York, New York 978-0-07-143034-0 registration https://archive.org/details/showinsidestoryo00laze/page/422 Following these acquisitions, the Lakers became the instant favorites to win the NBA title.https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/04/sports/pro-basketball-with-bryant-absent-lakers-begin-practicing.html Pro Basketball; With Bryant Absent, Lakers Begin Practicing October 4, 2003 April 20, 2011 The New York Times Mike Wisehttp://archive.boston.com/sports/basketball/articles/2003/10/28/lakers_are_a_lock____for_turmoil/ Lakers are a lock -- for turmoil October 28, 2003 April 20, 2011 The Boston Globe Peter May 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.Buerge Daniel A Complete Timeline of the Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant Feud http://www.lakersnation.com/a-complete-timeline-of-the-shaquille-oneal-kobe-bryant-feud/2013/04/02/ Lakers Nation 2 April 2013 Payton struggled with coach Phil Jackson's triangle offense, and Malone missed significant time due to injuries.DuPree David Changing of guard not easy May 4, 2004 USA Today http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/playoffs/2004-05-04-payton-triangle_x.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20140618070416/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/playoffs/2004-05-04-payton-triangle_x.htm June 18, 2014 live Adande J. A. West Side: Mike Brown's O is working November 6, 2012 ESPN.com https://www.espn.com/los-angeles/story/_/id/8599363/west-side-princeton-offense-working-some-los-angeles-lakers-stars https://web.archive.org/web/20121109074847/http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/story/_/id/8599363/west-side-princeton-offense-working-some-los-angeles-lakers-stars November 9, 2012 live Brown Tim Malone Out for a While https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-jan-29-sp-lakerep29-story.html 29 January 2004 Los Angeles Times Despite the setbacks, the Lakers finished the season with a 56–26 overall record, good enough to clinch the second seed in the Western Conference en route to the playoffs.https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-apr-15-sp-lakers15-story.html Bryant, Lakers on the Rise April 15, 2004 Los Angeles Times 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.http://www.nba.com/history/top-moments/2004-pistons-championship Top Moments: Pistons shock NBA world, win championship in 2004 NBA.comhttps://www.espn.com/nba/playoffs2004/news/story?id=1816507 Billups: Pistons 'ready to shock the world' June 5, 2004 ESPN.com 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.https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-jun-17-sp-adande17-story.html Youth and Defense Should Be Lakers' Mantra June 17, 2004 Los Angeles Timeshttps://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2004-06-17-0406170112-story.html PISTONS ARE A REAL CHAMPIONSHIP T-E-A-M Ira Winderman Sun-Sentinel.com June 17, 2004 After the season, Jackson and the team mutually agreed to part waysCoach could move to another Lakers job https://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=1824658 21 June 2004 ESPN Associated Press and O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat.Kobe remains with Lakers http://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=1840336 16 July 2004 ESPN Associated Press Draft picks 2003 NBA draft Round Pick Player Position Nationality College 1 24 Brian Cook F Illinois 2 32 Luke Walton F Arizona Roster Los Angeles Lakers 2003–04 8 Kobe Bryant G 6 6 205 1978-08-23 Lower Merion HS (PA) 7 Brian Cook C 6 9 234 1980-12-04 Illinois basketball 2 Derek Fisher G 6 1 210 1974-08-09 Arkansas-Little Rock 17 Rick Fox F 6 7 230 1969-07-24 North Carolina 3 Devean George F 6 8 235 1977-08-29 Augsburg 54 Horace Grant F 6 10 245 1965-07-04 Clemson 11 Karl Malone F 6 9 250 1963-07-24 Louisiana Tech 14 Slava Medvedenko F 6 10 253 1979-04-04 Ukraine 34 Shaquille O'Neal C 7 1 325 1972-03-06 LSU 20 Gary Payton G 6 4 180 1968-07-23 Oregon State 21 Kareem Rush G 6 5 200 1980-10-30 Missouri 9 Bryon Russell F 6 7 225 1970-12-31 Long Beach State 31 Jamal Sampson C 6 11 235 1983-05-13 California 4 Luke Walton F 6 8 235 1980-03-28 Arizona Phil Jackson Jim Cleamons Frank Hamblen Kurt Rambis Tex Winter https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/2004.html January 30, 2004 Regular season Season standings By division LAL By conference LAL Game log Pre-season Los Angeles Lakers yes 2004 Total: 3–5 Los Angeles Lakers Preseason yes 3 5 |- 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)10,300 | 1–0 |- 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)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)13,144 | 1–2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 4 | October 16 | Cleveland | W 86-78 | Karl Malone (18) | Karl Malone (13) | Malone & Payton (7) | Staples Center18,997 | 2-2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 5 | October 17 | Phoenix | W 91-84 | Derek Fisher (18) | Eric Chenowith (7) | Luke Walton (4) | Staples Center18,997 | 3–2 |- 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)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)18,298 | 3–4 |- 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)18,234 | 3–5 lal 2004 Regular season Los Angeles Lakers 2004 Total: 56–26 (home: 34–7; road: 22–19) Los Angeles Lakers October yes 1 0 0 0 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 1 | October 28 | Dallas | W 109–93 | Gary Payton (21) | Karl Malone (10) | Malone & Payton (9) | Staples Center18,997 | 1–0 Los Angeles Lakers November no 9 0 4 3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 2 | November 1 | @ Phoenix | W 103–99 | Shaquille O'Neal (24) | 3 players tied (12) | Gary Payton (9) | America West Arena18,422 | 2–0 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 3 | November 2 | Golden State | W 87–72 | Kobe Bryant (21) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Gary Payton (11) | Staples Center18,997 | 3–0 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 4 | November 4 | @ Milwaukee | W 113–107 | Kobe Bryant (31) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Kobe Bryant (8) | Bradley Center18,717 | 4–0 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 5 | November 6 | @ San Antonio | W 120–117 (2OT) | Kobe Bryant (37) | Shaquille O'Neal (20) | O'Neal & Payton (6) | SBC Center18,717 | 5–0 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 6 | November 7 | @ New Orleans | L 95–114 | Shaquille O'Neal (21) | Malone & O'Neal (6) | Gary Payton (11) | New Orleans Arena18,717 | 5–1 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 7 | November 10 | @ Memphis | L 95–105 | Shaquille O'Neal (20) | Shaquille O'Neal (12) | Kobe Bryant (5) | Pyramid Arena19,351 | 5–2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 8 | November 12 | Toronto | W 94–79 | Shaquille O'Neal (23) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Gary Payton (6) | Staples Center18,997 | 6–2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 9 | November 14 | Detroit | W 94–89 | O'Neal & Payton (21) | Shaquille O'Neal (15) | Shaquille O'Neal (8) | Staples Center18,997 | 7–2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 10 | November 16 | Miami | W 99–77 | Kobe Bryant (27) | Karl Malone (10) | Gary Payton (8) | Staples Center18,997 | 8–2 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 11 | November 18 | @ Detroit | L 96–106 | Malone & O'Neal (20) | Shaquille O'Neal (10) | 3 players tied (5) | The Palace of Auburn Hills22,076 | 8–3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 12 | November 19 | @ New York | W 104–83 | Shaquille O'Neal (23) | Karl Malone (14) | Bryant & Malone (4) | Madison Square Garden19,763 | 9–3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 13 | November 21 | Chicago | W 101–94 | Kobe Bryant (28) | Karl Malone (18) | Bryant & Payton (4) | Staples Center18,997 | 10–3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 14 | November 23 | Memphis | W 121–89 | Kobe Bryant (28) | Slava Medvedenko (11) | Gary Payton (10) | Staples Center18,997 | 11–3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 15 | November 26 | Washington | W 120–99 | Kobe Bryant (22) | Horace Grant (6) | Malone & Payton (5) | Staples Center18,997 | 12–3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 16 | November 28 | San Antonio | W 103–87 | Devean George (19) | Karl Malone (11) | Karl Malone (10) | Staples Center18,997 | 13–3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 17 | November 30 | Indiana | W 99–77 | Shaquille O'Neal (23) | Karl Malone (15) | Kobe Bryant (7) | Staples Center18,997 | 14–3 Los Angeles Lakers December no 5 2 2 2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 18 | December 3 | @ San Antonio | W 90–86 | Kobe Bryant (21) | Shaquille O'Neal (16) | Gary Payton (6) | SBC Center18,841 | 15–3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 19 | December 4 | @ Dallas | W 114–103 | Kobe Bryant (32) | Shaquille O'Neal (19) | Gary Payton (8) | American Airlines Center20,596 | 16–3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 20 | December 7 | Utah | W 94–92 | Bryant & O'Neal (19) | Shaquille O'Neal (15) | Shaquille O'Neal (8) | Staples Center18,997 | 17–3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 21 | December 9 | New York | W 98–90 | Kobe Bryant (21) | Shaquille O'Neal (15) | Kobe Bryant (9) | Staples Center18,997 | 18–3 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 22 | December 12 | Dallas | L 93–110 | Shaquille O'Neal (25) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Kobe Bryant (6) | Staples Center18,997 | 18–4 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 23 | December 13 | @ Portland | L 108–112 | Kobe Bryant (35) | Shaquille O'Neal (10) | Kobe Bryant (6) | Rose Garden20,630 | 18–5 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 24 | December 19 | Denver | W 101–99 | Shaquille O'Neal (26) | Shaquille O'Neal (11) | Gary Payton (11) | Staples Center18,997 | 19–5 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 25 | December 21 | Phoenix | W 107–101 | George & Payton (19) | Shaquille O'Neal (18) | Gary Payton (7) | Staples Center18,997 | 20–5 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 26 | December 23 | @ Golden State | L 98–107 | Kobe Bryant (23) | Devean George (9) | Gary Payton (13) | The Arena in Oakland20,310 | 20–6 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 27 | December 25 | Houston | L 87–99 | Kobe Bryant (23) | Horace Grant (11) | Gary Payton (7) | Staples Center18,997 | 20–7 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 28 | December 28 | Boston | W 105–82 | Shaquille O'Neal (22) | Shaquille O'Neal (16) | Bryant & Payton (6) | Staples Center18,997 | 21–7 Los Angeles Lakers January no 5 2 1 7 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 29 | January 2 | @ Seattle | L 109–111 | Kobe Bryant (32) | Bryant & Grant (6) | Kobe Bryant (6) | KeyArena17,072 | 21–8 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 30 | January 4 | @ L.A. Clippers | L 98–101 | Kobe Bryant (44) | Kobe Bryant (10) | Payton & Russell (4) | Staples Center19,653 | 21–9 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 31 | January 6 | @ Minnesota | L 90–106 | Kobe Bryant (20) | Kobe Bryant (10) | Derek Fisher (5) | Target Center20,095 | 21–10 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 32 | January 7 | @ Denver | L 91–113 | Kobe Bryant (27) | Brian Cook (8) | Kobe Bryant (6) | Pepsi Center19,739 | 21–11 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 33 | January 9 | Atlanta | W 113–67 | Bryant & Medvedenko (26) | Slava Medvedenko (11) | Gary Payton (7) | Staples Center18,997 | 22–11 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 34 | January 12 | Cleveland | W 89–79 | Cook & Payton (13) | Devean George (12) | Fisher & Payton (4) | Staples Center18,997 | 23–11 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 35 | January 14 | Denver | W 97–71 | Slava Medvedenko (22) | Horace Grant (11) | Gary Payton (6) | Staples Center18,997 | 24–11 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 36 | January 16 | @ Sacramento | L 83–103 | Kareem Rush (30) | Medvedenko & Sampson (9) | Luke Walton (5) | ARCO Arena17,317 | 24–12 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 37 | January 17 | L.A. Clippers | W 91–89 | Slava Medvedenko (20) | Medvedenko & Sampson (10) | Gary Payton (15) | Staples Center18,997 | 25–12 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 38 | January 19 | Phoenix | L 85–88 | Kareem Rush (18) | Payton & Sampson (8) | Gary Payton (9) | Staples Center18,997 | 25–13 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 39 | January 21 | @ Memphis | L 82–88 | Gary Payton (24) | Slava Medvedenko (12) | Kareem Rush (5) | Pyramid Arena19,351 | 25–14 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 40 | January 22 | @ Dallas | L 87–106 | Devean George (24) | Luke Walton (7) | Gary Payton (5) | American Airlines Center20,512 | 25–15 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 41 | January 24 | @ Utah | W 93–86 | Slava Medvedenko (26) | Slava Medvedenko (12) | Bryant & Payton (6) | Delta Center19,911 | 26–15 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 42 | January 28 | Seattle | W 96–82 | Gary Payton (24) | Horace Grant (10) | Gary Payton (5) | Staples Center18,997 | 27–15 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 43 | January 30 | Minnesota | L 84–97 | Shaquille O'Neal (22) | Shaquille O'Neal (9) | Gary Payton (9) | Staples Center18,997 | 27–16 Los Angeles Lakers February no 2 1 9 3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 44 | February 1 | @ Toronto | W 84–83 | Shaquille O'Neal (36) | Horace Grant (9) | Shaquille O'Neal (5) | Air Canada Centre20,116 | 28–16 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 45 | February 2 | @ Indiana | L 72–85 | Slava Medvedenko (14) | Gary Payton (8) | Gary Payton (7) | Conseco Fieldhouse18,345 | 28–17 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 46 | February 4 | @ Cleveland | W 111–106 (OT) | Shaquille O'Neal (37) | Grant & O'Neal (12) | O'Neal & Payton (6) | Gund Arena20,562 | 29–17 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 47 | February 5 | @ Philadelphia | L 73–96 | Shaquille O'Neal (17) | Shaquille O'Neal (8) | Fisher & Walton (5) | Wachovia Center20,965 | 29–18 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 48 | February 8 | @ Orlando | W 98–96 | Shaquille O'Neal (20) | Shaquille O'Neal (10) | Luke Walton (7) | TD Waterhouse Centre17,283 | 30–18 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 49 | February 10 | @ Miami | W 98–83 | Shaquille O'Neal (25) | Devean George (11) | Fisher & Payton (6) | American Airlines Arena16,500 | 31–18 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 50 | February 11 | @ Houston | L 87–102 | Shaquille O'Neal (24) | Shaquille O'Neal (9) | Shaquille O'Neal (4) | Toyota Center18,218 | 31–19 |- style="text-align:center;" | colspan="9" style="background:#bbcaff;"|All-Star Break |- style="background:#cfc;" | 51 | February 17 | Portland | W 89–86 | Kobe Bryant (31) | Shaquille O'Neal (11) | Kobe Bryant (10) | Staples Center18,997 | 32–19 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 52 | February 18 | @ Golden State | W 100–99 | Kobe Bryant (35) | Shaquille O'Neal (16) | Kobe Bryant (8) | The Arena in Oakland20,252 | 33–19 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 53 | February 20 | Philadelphia | W 116–88 | Shaquille O'Neal (29) | Shaquille O'Neal (13) | Bryant & Fisher (7) | Staples Center18,997 | 34–19 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 54 | February 22 | @ Phoenix | W 104–92 | Kobe Bryant (40) | Bryant & Fox (7) | 3 players tied (5) | America West Arena18,422 | 35–19 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 55 | February 25 | @ Denver | W 112–111 | Kobe Bryant (35) | Shaquille O'Neal (8) | Kobe Bryant (10) | Pepsi Center19,812 | 36–19 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 56 | February 26 | Sacramento | L 101–103 | Kobe Bryant (35) | Kobe Bryant (11) | Bryant & Payton (6) | Staples Center18,997 | 36–20 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 57 | February 28 | @ Washington | W 122–110 | Shaquille O'Neal (19) | Kobe Bryant (14) | Kobe Bryant (10) | MCI Center20,173 | 37–20 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 58 | February 29 | @ New Jersey | W 100–83 | Shaquille O'Neal (19) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Kobe Bryant (10) | Continental Airlines Arena19,968 | 38–20 Los Angeles Lakers March no 9 0 4 3 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 59 | March 2 | @ Atlanta | L 93–94 | O'Neal & Payton (23) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Gary Payton (10) | Philips Arena19,445 | 38–21 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 60 | March 3 | @ Houston | W 96–93 | Shaquille O'Neal (28) | Kobe Bryant (8) | Kobe Bryant (13) | Toyota Center18,172 | 39–21 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 61 | March 5 | Seattle | W 99–91 | Shaquille O'Neal (32) | Luke Walton (9) | Fox & Payton (7) | Staples Center18,997 | 40–21 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 62 | March 7 | New Jersey | W 94–88 | Shaquille O'Neal (32) | O'Neal & Payton (9) | Rick Fox (5) | Staples Center18,997 | 41–21 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 63 | March 8 | @ Utah | L 83–88 | Gary Payton (21) | Shaquille O'Neal (10) | Gary Payton (7) | Delta Center19,911 | 41–22 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 64 | March 10 | @ Boston | W 117–109 | Shaquille O'Neal (28) | Shaquille O'Neal (17) | Kobe Bryant (10) | FleetCenter18,624 | 42–22 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 65 | March 12 | @ Minnesota | L 86–96 | Shaquille O'Neal (24) | Shaquille O'Neal (13) | Fox & Payton (6) | Target Center20,391 | 42–23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 66 | March 13 | @ Chicago | W 88–81 | Kobe Bryant (35) | Shaquille O'Neal (15) | Karl Malone (7) | United Center23,067 | 43–23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 67 | March 15 | Orlando | W 113–110 (OT) | Kobe Bryant (38) | Shaquille O'Neal (23) | Bryant & Malone (4) | Staples Center18,997 | 44–23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 68 | March 17 | @ L.A. Clippers | W 106–103 | Kobe Bryant (27) | Shaquille O'Neal (11) | Gary Payton (7) | Staples Center19,668 | 45–23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 69 | March 19 | L.A. Clippers | W 106–100 | Kobe Bryant (27) | Shaquille O'Neal (10) | Fox & O'Neal (6) | Staples Center18,997 | 46–23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 70 | March 21 | Milwaukee | W 104–103 (OT) | Shaquille O'Neal (31) | Shaquille O'Neal (26) | Gary Payton (6) | Staples Center18,997 | 47–23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 71 | March 24 | Sacramento | W 115–91 | Kobe Bryant (36) | Shaquille O'Neal (16) | Bryant & O'Neal (6) | Staples Center18,997 | 48–23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 72 | March 26 | Minnesota | W 90–73 | Kobe Bryant (35) | Shaquille O'Neal (18) | Kobe Bryant (5) | Staples Center18,997 | 49–23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 73 | March 28 | Utah | W 91–84 | Kobe Bryant (34) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Kobe Bryant (4) | Staples Center18,997 | 50–23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 74 | March 30 | New Orleans | W 107–88 | Kobe Bryant (23) | Shaquille O'Neal (9) | Karl Malone (9) | Staples Center18,997 | 51–23 Los Angeles Lakers April no 3 2 2 1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 75 | April 1 | Houston | W 93–85 | Kobe Bryant (26) | Karl Malone (14) | Karl Malone (6) | Staples Center18,997 | 52–23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 76 | April 2 | @ Seattle | W 97–86 | Kobe Bryant (25) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Rick Fox (6) | KeyArena17,072 | 53–23 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 77 | April 4 | San Antonio | L 89–95 | Kobe Bryant (28) | Malone & O'Neal (9) | Malone & O'Neal (4) | Staples Center18,997 | 53–24 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 78 | April 6 | Portland | L 80–91 | Shaquille O'Neal (17) | Shaquille O'Neal (12) | Kobe Bryant (8) | Staples Center18,997 | 53–25 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 79 | April 9 | Memphis | W 103–95 | Kobe Bryant (33) | Shaquille O'Neal (12) | Bryant & Payton (7) | Staples Center18,997 | 54–25 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 80 | April 11 | @ Sacramento | L 85–102 | Gary Payton (15) | Karl Malone (11) | Fisher & George (5) | ARCO Arena17,317 | 54–26 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 81 | April 13 | Golden State | W 109–104 | Kobe Bryant (45) | Shaquille O'Neal (13) | Kobe Bryant (8) | Staples Center18,997 | 55–26 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 82 | April 14 | @ Portland | W 105–104 (2OT) | Kobe Bryant (37) | Medvedenko & O'Neal (14) | Fisher & Payton (6) | Rose Garden20,609 | 56–26 lal 2004 Playoffs Los Angeles Lakers yes 2004 Total: 13–9 (home: 10–1; road: 3–8) Los Angeles Lakers First round yes yes no 3 0 1 1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 1 | April 17 | Houston | W 72–71 | Shaquille O'Neal (20) | Shaquille O'Neal (17) | Kobe Bryant (6) | Staples Center18,997 | 1–0 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 2 | April 19 | Houston | W 98–84 | Kobe Bryant (36) | Karl Malone (8) | Gary Payton (7) | Staples Center18,997 | 2–0 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 3 | April 23 | @ Houston | L 91–102 | Shaquille O'Neal (25) | Malone & O'Neal (11) | Gary Payton (7) | Toyota Center18,226 | 2–1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 4 | April 25 | @ Houston | W 92–88 (OT) | Karl Malone (30) | Karl Malone (13) | Gary Payton (7) | Toyota Center18,219 | 3–1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 5 | April 28 | Houston | W 97–78 | Kobe Bryant (31) | Malone & O'Neal (9) | Kobe Bryant (10) | Staples Center18,997 | 4–1 |- Los Angeles Lakers Conference Semi-finals yes no 3 0 1 2 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 1 | May 2 | @ San Antonio | L 78–88 | Kobe Bryant (31) | Shaquille O'Neal (13) | Karl Malone (5) | SBC Center18,797 | 0–1 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 2 | May 5 | @ San Antonio | L 85–95 | Shaquille O'Neal (32) | Shaquille O'Neal (15) | Kobe Bryant (8) | SBC Center18,797 | 0–2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 3 | May 9 | San Antonio | W 105–81 | Shaquille O'Neal (28) | Shaquille O'Neal (15) | Gary Payton (7) | Staples Center18,997 | 1–2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 4 | May 11 | San Antonio | W 98–90 | Kobe Bryant (42) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Karl Malone (6) | Staples Center18,997 | 2–2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 5 | May 13 | @ San Antonio | W 74–73 | Kobe Bryant (22) | Karl Malone (12) | Gary Payton (7) | SBC Center18,797 | 3–2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 6 | May 15 | San Antonio | W 88–76 | Kobe Bryant (26) | Shaquille O'Neal (19) | Bryant & Payton (7) | Staples Center18,997 | 4–2 |- Los Angeles Lakers Conference finals yes no 3 0 1 2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 1 | May 21 | @ Minnesota | W 97–88 | Shaquille O'Neal (27) | Shaquille O'Neal (18) | Bryant & Fisher (6) | Target Center19,552 | 1–0 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 2 | May 23 | @ Minnesota | L 71–89 | Kobe Bryant (27) | Shaquille O'Neal (16) | Kobe Bryant (6) | Target Center19,707 | 1–1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 3 | May 25 | Minnesota | W 100–89 | Bryant & O'Neal (22) | Shaquille O'Neal (17) | Gary Payton (9) | Staples Center18,997 | 2–1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 4 | May 27 | Minnesota | W 92–85 | Kobe Bryant (31) | Shaquille O'Neal (19) | Kobe Bryant (8) | Staples Center18,997 | 3–1 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 5 | May 29 | @ Minnesota | L 96–98 | Kobe Bryant (23) | Shaquille O'Neal (13) | Kobe Bryant (7) | Target Center20,109 | 3–2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 6 | May 31 | Minnesota | W 96–90 | Shaquille O'Neal (25) | Shaquille O'Neal (11) | Gary Payton (8) | Staples Center18,997 | 4–2 |- Los Angeles Lakers NBA Finals yes no 1 1 0 3 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 1 | June 6 | Detroit | L 75–87 | Shaquille O'Neal (34) | Malone & O'Neal (11) | Kobe Bryant (4) | Staples Center18,997 | 0–1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 2 | June 8 | Detroit | W 99–91 (OT) | Kobe Bryant (33) | Karl Malone (9) | Luke Walton (8) | Staples Center18,997 | 1–1 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 3 | June 10 | @ Detroit | L 68–88 | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Medvedenko & O'Neal (8) | Gary Payton (7) | The Palace of Auburn Hills22,076 | 1–2 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 4 | June 13 | @ Detroit | L 80–88 | Shaquille O'Neal (36) | Shaquille O'Neal (20) | Rick Fox (6) | The Palace of Auburn Hills22,076 | 1–3 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 5 | June 15 | @ Detroit | L 87–100 | Kobe Bryant (24) | Shaquille O'Neal (8) | Luke Walton (5) | The Palace of Auburn Hills22,076 | 1–4 |- LAL 2004 yes 250px|thumb|right|The Lakers playing against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the 2004 Western Conference Semi-finals at the SBC Center. NBA Finals 2004 NBA Finals Series summary Team/Game12 (OT)3 45WinsLos Angeles75996880871Detroit879188881004 (OT) denotes a game that required overtime. 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. Background 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.http://www.sportsline.com/nba/teams/history/UTA CBS Sports Utah Jazz 2007-09-04 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.http://www.sportsline.com/nba/teams/history/SEA CBS Sports Seattle Supersonics 2007-09-04 https://web.archive.org/web/20070826231320/http://www.sportsline.com/nba/teams/history/SEA 26 August 2007 live Both Malone and Payton took pay cuts to sign with the Lakers in an effort to win a championship.https://www.deseret.com/2004/8/7/19844076/lakers-deal-payton-fox-to-celtics Lakers deal Payton, Fox to Celtics Associated Press August 7, 2004 Deseret News Game One Sunday, June 6, 2004, 14:30 at the Staples Center. Detroit stunned Los Angeles with imposing defense.NBA Billups, Pistons Swipe Home-Court Advantage http://www.nba.com/games/20040606/DETLAL/recap.html Led by their trademark daunting defense 2007-09-04 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 41–40 at halftime, but a 10–4 surge in the third quarter gave them the lead and they never relinquished it. By the fourth quarter, their lead had increased to 13. Box Score Team1st Qt.2nd Qt.3rd Qt.4th Qt.TotalDetroit2218242387Los Angeles1922171775 Game Two 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 10–2 to win their only game of the series. Team1st Qt.2nd Qt.3rd Qt.4th Qt.OTTotalDetroit16203023291Los Angeles182624211099 Game Three 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 1990http://www.tickets-nba-basketball.com/pistons/history.htm DETROIT PISTONS HISTORY Basketball Tickets 2007-09-03 https://web.archive.org/web/20070806215319/http://www.tickets-nba-basketball.com/pistons/history.htm 2007-08-06 dead to take a 2–1 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.https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-jun-13-sp-lakersdog13-story.html Lakers Facing Uphill Battle Associated Press 2004-06-13 Los Angeles Times 2017-02-13 en-US 0458-3035 Team1st Qt.2nd Qt.3rd Qt.4th Qt.TotalLos Angeles1616191768Detroit2415242588 Game Four Sunday, June 13, 2004, 14:49 at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons defeated the Lakers, this time by eight, to take a 3–1 series advantage. Shaquille O'Neal scored 36 points and grabbed 20 rebounds, but the rest of the Lakers shot 17/57 from the field.https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200406130DET.html 2004 NBA Finals Game 4: Lakers vs Pistons, June 13, 2004 Basketball-Reference.com 9 April 2023 Team1st Qt.2nd Qt.3rd Qt.4th Qt.TotalLos Angeles2217172480Detroit2120153288 Game Five 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 4–1. 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 2005–06 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. Team1st Qt.2nd Qt.3rd Qt.4th Qt.TotalLos Angeles2421142887Detroit25302718100 Player stats Regular season Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG Bryant, Kobe Kobe Bryant 65 64 37.6 .438 .327 .852 5.5 5.1 1.7 .4 24.0 Carter, Maurice Maurice Carter 4 0 12.5 .357 .333 .917 .8 .5 .0 .0 5.5 Cook, Brian Brian Cook 35 2 12.6 .475 .000 .750 2.9 .6 .5 .5 4.4 Fisher, Derek Derek Fisher 82 3 21.6 .352 .291 .797 1.9 2.3 1.3 .0 7.1 Fox, Rick Rick Fox 38 34 22.3 .392 .246 .733 2.7 2.6 .8 .1 4.8 George, Devean Devean George 82 48 23.8 .408 .349 .760 4.0 1.4 1.0 .5 7.4 Grant, Horace Horace Grant 55 10 20.1 .411 .000 .722 4.2 1.3 .4 .4 4.1 Malone, Karl Karl Malone 42 42 32.7 .483 .000 .747 8.7 3.9 1.2 .5 13.2 Medvedenko, Stanislav Stanislav Medvedenko 68 38 21.2 .441 .000 .767 5.0 .8 .6 .3 8.3 O'Neal, Shaquille Shaquille O'Neal 67 67 36.8 .584 . .490 11.5 2.9 .5 2.5 21.5 Pargo, Jannero Jannero Pargo 13 0 4.8 .375 .500 . .5 .8 .2 .0 1.1 Payton, Gary Gary Payton 82 82 34.5 .471 .333 .714 4.2 5.5 1.2 .2 14.6 Rush, Kareem Kareem Rush 72 15 17.3 .440 .348 .596 1.3 .8 .5 .3 6.4 Russell, Bryon Bryon Russell 72 1 13.1 .402 .384 .769 2.0 1.0 .4 .2 4.0 Sampson, Jamal Jamal Sampson 10 2 13.0 .478 . .583 5.2 .7 .2 .4 2.9 Udoka, Ime Ime Udoka 4 0 7.0 .333 .000 .500 1.3 .5 .5 .3 2.0 Walton, Luke Luke Walton 72 2 10.1 .425 .333 .705 1.8 1.6 .4 .1 2.4 Playoffs Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG Bryant, Kobe Kobe Bryant 22 22 44.2 .413 .247 .813 4.7 5.5 1.9 .3 24.5 Cook, Brian Brian Cook 13 0 3.5 .333 . 1.000 .9 .1 .1 .0 .9 Fisher, Derek Derek Fisher 22 0 23.0 .405 .418 .657 2.5 2.2 .8 .0 7.5 Fox, Rick Rick Fox 16 3 9.1 .400 .143 .500 1.4 1.1 .2 .1 1.1 George, Devean Devean George 22 19 21.4 .430 .373 .650 2.3 .5 1.0 .4 5.5 Malone, Karl Karl Malone 21 21 38.0 .450 .000 .630 8.8 3.4 1.1 .1 11.5 Medvedenko, Stanislav Stanislav Medvedenko 21 1 11.3 .440 . .810 2.5 .5 .2 .2 4.0 O'Neal, Shaquille Shaquille O'Neal 22 22 41.7 .593 . .429 13.2 2.5 .3 2.8 21.5 Payton, Gary Gary Payton 22 22 35.1 .366 .250 .750 3.3 5.3 1.0 .2 7.8 Rush, Kareem Kareem Rush 22 0 14.3 .385 .400 .667 .7 .8 .5 .1 3.7 Russell, Bryon Bryon Russell 6 0 2.7 .000 .000 . .2 .3 .2 .0 .0 Walton, Luke Luke Walton 17 0 7.9 .345 .385 .700 1.3 1.5 .4 .1 1.9 Award winners Shaquille O'Neal, All-NBA First Team Kobe Bryant, All-NBA First Team Kobe Bryant, NBA All-Defensive First Team Shaquille O'Neal, NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award Transactions During the offseason in July, the Lakers decided to trade their star center Shaquille O’Neal. 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.read Peter Sunjic·3 min 2025-08-27 "I said I was gonna just take my stuff, but I was gonna fu-k Mitch Kupchak up" - Shaquille O'Neal reveals how he found out about his Lakers trade while eating cereal https://sports.yahoo.com/article/said-gonna-just-stuff-gonna-155700092.html 2025-10-07 Yahoo Sports en-US References External links Lakers on Database Basketball Lakers on Basketball Reference Category:Los Angeles Lakers seasons Category:Western Conference (NBA) championship seasons Los Angeles Lakers Los Angeles Lakers Los Angeles Lakers