Phil Jackson Says Pistons Used Flopping to Beat Lakers in 2004 NBA Finals

Troll Master Phil Jackson made the claim during a sports radio interview that one of the reasons Detroit was able to pull off a shocking upset of the mighty Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals, is that Pistons head coach Larry Brown taught and encouraged his big men to effectively flop against Shaquille O’Neal. Per the Detroit News: “Phil Jackson was brought in by the Pistons to help consult during their coaching search, but apparently he can’t let his Piston-inflicted wounds heal. Jackson has 11 championship rings as a coach but suffered arguably the most embarrassing loss of his coaching career at the hands of the 2004 Pistons, who defeated the star-studded Lakers in five games. Doing a radio interview with ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt and Ryen Russillo on Thursday, Jackson was asked how Shaquille O’Neal would fare if he were placed in Wilt Chamberlain’s era. […] ‘Larry Brown taught guys to go down (flop) on Shaq and that’s one of the reasons they won in ’04,’ Jackson said. ‘He had the center, (Ben) Wallace as the David in that matchup and those (plays) were called as charges.’ The series wasn’t even as close as the 4-1 ledger indicated, as the Lakers’ only win came courtesy of Kobe Bryant saving them in Game 2 with a 3-pointer that sent the game into overtime. The Pistons blew the Lakers out in two of their four wins, including the clincher, where they led by 27 in the fourth quarter, in big part due to flopping, according to Jackson. ‘Shaq would put a shoulder into you and test how close he could get to the basket,’ said Jackson, who’s on a tour promoting his book ‘Eleven Rings.'”