Schedule and 2004 Results
Regular Season Records: Detroit 54-28, Milwaukee 41-41
Game 1 on Sunday, 18 Apr: Milwaukee loses at Detroit, 108-pts-82
Game 2 on Wednesday, 21 Apr: Milwaukee wins at Detroit, 92-pts-88
Game 3 on Saturday, 24 Apr: Detroit wins at Milwaukee, 95-pts-85
Game 4 on Monday, 26 Apr: Detroit wins at Milwaukee, 109-pts-92
Game 5 on Thursday, 29 Apr: Milwaukee loses at Detroit, 91-pts-77

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 5: Hosting and defeating the Milwaukee Bucks 91-pts-77 in Game 5, the Detroit Pistons won best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 923, 4-games-1. The Detroit Pistons thus improve their best-of-7 NBA playoff series records to 13-11 (all rounds) and 2-0 (Preliminary round); the Milwaukee Bucks see their best-of-7 NBA playoff series records fall to 11-17 (all rounds) and 0-2 (Preliminary round). The win order for the victorious team in series 923 was WLWWW: Series 923 thus becomes the first series in the best-of-7 NBA Preliminary round, the 21st in best-of-7 NBA playoffs (all rounds), and the 60th in best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoffs (all rounds) to achieve this win order.

After Game 4: Becoming the first NBA team to win two road 2004 NBA Preliminary-round playoff games, the Detroit Pistons visited and defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 109-pts-92 in Game 4 of best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL series 923. Detroit thus takes a 3-games-1 lead in series 923. When win order and site order are considered, a loss in seven games by the Detroit Pistons in series 923 would be without precedent in NBA history. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-1, the Detroit Pistons take care of business, having an overall series record of 4-0 and a Game 5 record of 4-0; when trailing 3-games-1, the Milwaukee Bucks have an overall series record of 0-6 and a Game 5 record of 3-3. A series comeback - or even a Game 5 victory - by Milwaukee would thus be without precedent, considering the best-of-7 histories of the two organizations in series 923.

After Game 3: With MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 series 923 now in Wisconsin for Games 3-4, the Detroit Pistons returned to their winning ways with a Game 3 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks (95-pts-85). Detroit now leads 2-games-1 in series 923. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-1, the Detroit Pistons have a 7-1 overall series record (with an active seven-series winning streak) and a 4-4 Game 4 record; when trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-1, the Milwaukee Bucks have a 1-8 overall series record and a 5-4 Game 4 record.

After Game 2: Of the sixteen Game 1s and Game 2s in the 2004 NBA Preliminary round, only one resulted in a road-team victory: Best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 923 Game 2, in which the Milwaukee Bucks visited and defeated the Detroit Pistons, 92-pts-88. Series 923 is now tied 1-game-all. When the Detroit Pistons are tied 1-game-all in a best-of-7 NBA playoff series, their series record is 7-5 and its Game 3 record is 5-7. When the Milwaukee Bucks are tied 1-game-all in a best-of-7 series, their series record is 4-7 and its Game 3 record is 6-5.

After Game 1: The Detroit Pistons hosted and defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 108-pts-82 to take a 1-game-nil lead in best-of-7 playoff series 923. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 1-game-nil, the Detroit Pistons have a 10-3 overall series record and a 5-8 Game 2 record; when down 1-game-nil, the Milwaukee Bucks have a 3-14 overall series record and a 8-9 Game 2 record.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2003-04 regular season, Detroit finished 13 games ahead of Milwaukee. From 1947 through 2003, when NBA teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by 13 regular-season games, they have posted a 6-2 (.750) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents, with an active four-series winning streak. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 series 923 is the 28th best-of-7 playoff series for Milwaukee and the 24th for Detroit. In best-of-7 playoff series, Milwaukee has an 11-16 series record, a 0-1 Prelim-round series record, and a 10-17 Game 1 record, while Detroit has a 12-11 record, a 1-0 Prelim-round record, and a 13-10 Game 1 record. Series 923 is the second best-of-7 meeting between Milwaukee and Detroit; the first was series 542, a 1989 NBA Quarterfinals series swept by Detroit.