How to sum up the emotion of the Detroit Piston's 2003-2004 NBA Championship season?

Ahhhhhhhhh.

Actually, I summed things up much better here. Now's not the time for that.

In mid-June, glory belonged to the Detroit Pistons and the state of Michigan again, as the Pistons won their third NBA Championship in franchise history. A unit not built upon a few stars but upon a full, 12 man effort, the Pistons embodied the team-work and spirit of the working class Motorcity and its vicinity.

Little new or interesting about this event can be said now. The Pistons played gritty ball with a defensive backbone. They took down the mighty Los Angeles Lakers and ceased a dynasty. They are a band of brothers; misfits that no one else wanted. All of this we know as sports fans. Now the only question is: what can I _buy_ from this?!

As sports fans, we love to collect stuff to remember our favorite team's at their best. If I could freeze time when the Pistons led the Lakers 100-87, in game 5 (the clincher), with three seconds left on the clock, right before the Palace was about to erupt, I would. It's hard for non-fans to understand but a lot of emotion gets invested to one's favorite sports team. It's usually irrational emotion without a doubt, but emotion nonetheless. So when the day of glory comes, you don't _ever_ want to forget it. I didn't sit through the agonizing "teal years" not to bask in the resurrection of the greatest basketball franchise on Earth.

And bask I will with the "2003-2004 NBA Champions DVD".

With 88 minutes of total footage, this DVD is essentially a rip-off at the $20 price. So what?! If you consider the chills from seeing Big Ben Wallace bump around during introductions, to the final seconds ticking down to the Pistons' championship, are absolutely priceless, $20 is not asking so much. Again, I told you these emotions were a bit irrational.

The main presentation is your typical NBA Entertainment production. All you ESPN nuts know what I mean. There is only a billion documentaries made on teams that ESPN, ESPN2, and other affiliates, play during the day time hours to fill up time slots. They can seem a bit bland unless your favorite team is in them, but this particular documentary was quite impressive. Its coverage spans from the heartbreaking sweeping in the Eastern Conference Finals, at the hands of New Jersey, in 2003, to the post-championship parade in downtown Detroit. If you consider over half of the DVD focuses on the two most important playoff series, versus Indiana in the Eastern Conference Finals, and versus Los Angeles in the Finals, you know priorities are in the right place. Pistons fans can relive the hiring of Larry Brown, the greatest winning streak in team history (13), holding five straight teams under 70 points (NBA Record), acquiring Rasheed Wallace (not to mention his game 2 guarantee against Indiana), "the block" from Tayshaun Prince, and of course, the NBA Championship. There's even a few clips of the Bad Boys of the late 80s/early 90s!

The bonus features stay in the spirit of the main presentation. Well, except Ahmad Rashad does some narrating which is either passable or really annoying depending on how you feel about him. "A Blue Collar Team" talks about how well the Pistons reflect Detroit and Southeast Michigan in their work ethic. You can see the "Ben Wallace Finals Trophy TV Spot" over and over again which I think is a feature that will be more appreciated in ten years than right now. It features Ben, with his 'fro out, getting a hair cut at a little barber shop as the barbers sit and listen to Ben wallow in his love for "her" (the NBA Trophy - you'd have to see some of these commercials to understand). You can also watch the great (ha!) Fred Carter, a NBA TV analyst, pick the Lakers to sweep the Pistons in 4 games on "Pre-Finals Series Analysis", and then do a grand backtracking on "Post-Finals Series Analysis", which feels like vengeance against the Laker-loving media. And Detroit's favorite son, Joe Dumars, gets his own few minutes to shine on "Joe Dumars Brings Back the Glory Days". Other features are self-explanatory with "The Work Ethic of Ben Wallace", "Behind the Scenes with Richard Hamilton", and "Larry Brown and Rasheed Wallace" (the two new additions to the franchise in 2003-2004 that put the team over the hump).

It's been a little over a month since the Pistons have won the championship and it's still so sweet. The fun of "toppling L.A." and rubbing the whole "glamor versus grit" thing in their faces has gotten a little old. It's just time now for Detroit Pistons fans to enjoy being on top of the league. Of the many ways this can be done, I say doing it with the "2003-2004 NBA Champions" DVD is the best.

A new struggle starts in October (defending what's our's!) but for now, Pistons fans, this one's for you!

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"2003-2004 NBA Champions"
NBA Entertainment
2004

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88 min.

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Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD