Richard Hamilton hoists the Pistons' third championship trophy since 1988-89. AP

DETROIT -- They shot down the Bucks. They survived the Nets. They controlled the Pacers.

Then they defied the skeptics.

In perhaps the biggest NBA Finals upset in 30 years, the Pistons toppled the mighty Lakers, 4-1, to cap off the franchise's first championship in 14 years. It wasn't even close, either. The Pistons shut down L.A.'s offense and consistently got behind L.A.'s defense.

They shadowed Shaq (just enough). They corralled Kobe (nicely done, Tayshaun Prince). They vaporized L.A.'s role players (a full house beats a pair).

These Pistons will be remembered for many things. The biggest Finals upset since the '75 Warriors. Larry Brown's first title. The Rasheed Wallace acquisition. The 70-point streak. Shutting down Kobe Bryant and perhaps laying the wrecking ball to the Lakers dynasty.

For true basketball purists, Detroit also will be remembered for teamwork, hustle and a stifling defense that would have made the old Bad Boys proud. Along the way they defied the old NBA maxim that you need big-name stars to win titles. Not since the '79 Sonics has an NBA champion been so bereft of Q rating.

The Pistons weren't a bunch of high-priced free agents. Richard Hamilton was acquired in a trade for a bigger-name star, Jerry Stackhouse. Finals MVP Chauncey Billups was plucked off the free-agent market. Prince was drafted with the 23rd pick. Ben Wallace, who wasn't drafted at all, was a consolation prize for losing Grant Hill.

Detroit's roster might have looked like a collection of mid-level talents, castoffs and hungry role players. But president Joe Dumars had a vision, and first-year coach Brown provided the final piece. Then they went out and in a final irony used their teamwork and unselfishness to beat the Lakers -- a team with four future Hall of Famers but a history of internecine squabbles.

This Pistons club won't go down among the all-time greats. At least not yet. It will take another title or two, a possibility given that their core players all will be back and that they have talented young prospects Darko Milicic and Carlos Delfino in the pipeline.

The current Pistons, though worthy champions, lack the big-name star that usually cements a team's place in the collective memories of fans. No Magic, Michael, Hakeem or even Tim Duncan here.

Second, they weren't pretty offensively. Fair or not, fans usually identify great hoops teams with the ability to put points on the board.

Finally, the status of the Lakers as an unraveling dynasty with a broken-down Karl Malone will be as big a part of the story as the Pistons' stifling D or Billups' success on the screen-and-roll.

But, make no mistake, Detroit was the NBA's best team this season. They finished 54-28, second in the Central Division. They were 20-6 after acquiring Rasheed Wallace in a midseason trade with the Hawks. Wallace, with his long arms on defense and his ability to provide a needed low-post presence on offense, took them from good to great.

It was after he arrived that Detroit began its streak of holding foes under 70 points. Detroit wound up setting a franchise low for points allowed (84.3), leading the NBA for the second straight year in that category, and were third in field-goal percentage defense (.413). Overall, they set another NBA record by holding 11 teams under 70 points.

In the playoffs, the Pistons had an answer for all comers. They tamed the high-scoring Bucks in five games. They overcame the heartbreak of a memorable triple OT loss in Game 5 to beat the Nets. They survived hostile Conseco Fieldhouse to beat the Pacers in six.

Then, in the biggest surprise of all, they dominated a Lakers team seeking its fourth NBA crown in five years. With Billups orchestrating a precision Detroit attack, and the Pistons' team defense throwing a blanket on Bryant, L.A. never stood a chance.

Many NBA observers (including yours truly) thought the Pistons were a good team that was still a year away from being a serious title contender. We didn't think they could overcome the lack of home-court advantage against the Pacers. We didn't think they could score enough to offset Shaq and Kobe.

The Pistons proved us wrong. But even in the joy of their world championship, Ben Wallace, Billups, Hamilton and most of the rest of the new Bad Boys weren't crowing too much about their triumph.

As players who have had to defy skeptics throughout their careers, it was just par for the course. Besides, it only made the whole thing that much sweeter.

Marty Burns covers pro basketball for SI.com.