2004 Detroit Pistons Slighted in Recent NBA All-Time Rankings

'04 Pistons ranked among top championship teams in NBA history.

Jan 16, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; (Left to Right) Larry Brown and William Wesley and Tayshaun Prince and Richard Hamilton and Mehmet Okur and Chauncy Billups and Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace and Lindsey Hunter pose for a photo after the game against the Golden State Warriors at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons won 113-95. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-Imagn Images | Raj Mehta-Imagn Images

During the mid-to-late 2000s, the Detroit Pistons were a perennial title contender in the NBA. Though their path to a championship was unorthodox, they still managed to be the last team standing in 2004. A little over two decades later, their standing in history has been revealed.

To this day, the Pistons pulled off arguably the biggest upset in NBA Finals history. Without any true "star" player, the rag-tag group managed to reach the game's biggest stage in '04. Their final obstacle was an LA Lakers team headlined by the duo of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal.

Anchored by an all-time great defense, Detroit was able to overcome the superstar pairing and deliver the city its third championship in franchise history.

While they might not have had any superstars, the Pistons had a lineup filled with highly skilled players. Chauncey Billups led the charge as the team's floor general, with Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince providing quality two-way play on the perimeter. In the frontcourt, Rasheed and Ben Wallace served as the last line of defense.

Jan 20, 2014; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons shooting guard Chauncey Billups (1) warms up before the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-Imagn Images | Raj Mehta-Imagn Images

With the first quarter of the 2000s in the books, the people of CBS Sports decided to rank the last 25 title teams in the NBA. Although they pulled off a historic upset, the 04 Pistons find themselves in the latter half, slotting in at No. 18.

Just ahead of them is the 2010 Lakers, 2012 Heat, and 2003 Spurs.

"These Pistons are sometimes valorized for what they didn't have. There was no traditional 'superstar,' no one who averaged 18 or more points per game, no one who ever made an All-NBA First Team," wrote James Herbert. "They won the title despite finishing 19th in the league in offensive efficiency, despite having just drafted Darko Miličić (over Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade), and despite their lone All-Star being an undersized, un-drafted center who didn't take jumpers and still shot 42% from the field. All of this makes for a tidy contrast to their Finals opponent, a Shaq- and Kobe-led Lakers team that added Karl Malone and Gary Payton the previous summer. "

The '04 Pistons nearly mirrored the old "Bad Boys" teams by going back-to-back, reaching the finals again in 2005. However, they'd end up falling just short against Tim Duncan and the Spurs.

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