L.A.’s Road to The Finals: Playoffs 2004 in Photos

June 5, 20045:01 PM PDT

As the Lakers match up against the Detroit Pistons in The Finals, Lakers.com takes a look back at the path Los Angeles has traveled through the 2004 NBA Playoffs to reach the ultimate stage.

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First Round, Game 1:

April 17 -- The Lakers won Game 1 against Houston on a Shaquille O'Neal follow-up dunk and went on to win the series 4-1.

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First Round, Game 4:

April 25 -- Kobe Bryant shoots around Kelvin Cato in Game 4 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals, as the Lakers rallied to win in OT. Bryant led the Lakers in scoring for the series with 24.4 points per game.

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Conference Semifinals, Game 4:

May 11 -- Shaquille O'Neal boxes out Tim Duncan during Game 4. O'Neal led the Lakers in rebounding for the series with 14.5 rebounds per game, while Duncan paced the Spurs with 12.2.

Lisa BlumenfeldNBAE/Getty Images
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Conference Semifinals, Game 4:

May 11 -- Kobe Bryant drives to the basket between San Antonio's Bruce Bowen and Robert Horry in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals. The Lakers won 98-90 as Bryant scored 42 points on the night.

Andrew D. BernsteinNBAE/Getty Images
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Conference Semifinals, Game 5:

May 13 -- Derek Fisher shoots and makes the game-winning shot over Manu Ginobili at the buzzer in the decisive Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals. The Lakers went on to win the series 4-2.

Andrew D. BernsteinNBAE/Getty Images
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Conference Finals, Game 3:

May 25 -- Gary Payton drives on Latrell Sprewell in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. Payton led the Lakers in assists for the series with 5.8 assists per game, while Sprewell led the Timberwolves with 5.0.

Noah GrahamNBAE/Getty Images
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Conference Finals, Game 6:

May 31-- Kevin Garnett tries to get to the basket past Shaquille O'Neal in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals. The Lakers defeated the Timberwolves 96-90 to take the series 4-2.

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