Rip Hamilton is a member of one of the most stunning NBA Finals in recent memory. During 2004, the "original" super team Lakers put Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Karl Malone and Gary Patyon on a team together. They made a run to the NBA Finals and were expected to win.
What ended up happening instead is the 2004 Pistons dominated. Their defense was legendary and not did they only shut down the Lakers, but they put an end to the Kobe-Shaq era in Los Angeles. They had no true "superstar" and are considered one of the best come-out-of-nowhere teams in NBA history. Hamilton has a lot of faith in that team. So much that he thinks they could beat the Warriors.
"I think we dominate them. No we don't dominate them. I think we beat'em. In a seven game series. I think it's gonna go seven. At the end of the day we matchup good with'em. But we're also bigger. We could have switched everything 1-5 against them. Just cause we had great defenders Rasheed and Ben Wallace were one of the best perimeter defenders not just on the block but can also guard guys out on the perimeter"
Hamilton makes an interesting case about the Pistons' defense as they were one of the best defensive teams of their era, and he's not wrong about their size. However, these Warriors are no defensive slouches themselves. Could a team from 2004 really be able to outscore a group as good as Golden State?
It's no surprise that Hamilton believes they can beat the 2017 Warriors. All former players believe they can beat the top teams of today. Magic Johnson and Pat Riley believe showtime would sweep the Warriors and Hamilton believes they could beat them in seven. This is less a knock on the Warriors and more about the old guard's confidence in themselves. They may not be playing anymore, but the confidence that got them through the league will never go away.
