If there is a Mount Rushmore for NBA teams that feel like symbolic soulmates for their city, then the 2004 Detroit Pistons are on it.

This team represented the Motor City in every sense of the word. Everyone played a part, constantly being calibrated and re-calibrated toward something greater.

They embodied the qualities of a tough team that the fans living in a tough city needed: Nerves as hard as steel and a burning desire to defy expectations.

20 years ago, the Pistons stood at the brink of a bruising but ultimately dominant championship march over the Los Angeles Lakers, a team brimming with Hall of Famers. To this day, the Pistons’ 4-1 is considered one of the greatest upsets in NBA history.

It's tough to picture this special championship run happening anywhere but Detroit. From the underdogs who made up the starting lineup to their surprising victory over a more glamorous, well-known rival, Detroit seems like the only place where our unexpected heroes could have truly emerged.

Today we dive deep into the Miracle at Motown, the story of the 2004 Pistons. And THIS is Once Upon a Dribble.

After back-to-back championships, the Rockets were suddenly trending in the wrong direction after a turbulent 1996 season. Charles Barkley, over in Phoenix, had grown impatient in the Valley of the Sun. The stars aligned for both parties in the summer of 1996 when the Rockets made a blockbuster trade to form one of the "Big 3s" of yesteryear by acquiring Barkley to pair with Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler.

In today's bonus episode Josh details those years in Houston to determine if the Barkley trade was really worth the gamble.

Today we continue in part 6 of a 10-part series at Once Upon a Dribble!

During the 2022 playoffs the NBA began awarding MVP awards to the best performing player of each conference finals: the Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals Most Valuable Player Award and the Magic Johnson Western Conference Finals Most Valuable Player Award, named for the two players credited for building the league up to greater popularity in the 1980s.

This begs the question, with the award just being handed out for the first time last season, who are the deserving winners from the previous 50+ years of NBA history?

Find out today as Josh tackles the Western Conference in the 1990s!

1990: Phoenix Suns vs Portland Trail Blazers - Terry Porter (03:10)

1991: Los Angeles Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers - Magic Johnson (07:14)

1992: Portland Trail Blazers vs Utah Jazz - Terry Porter (10:35)

1993: Phoenix Suns vs Seattle SuperSonics - Charles Barkley (15:13)

1994: Houston Rockets vs Utah Jazz - Hakeem Olajuwon (21:34)

1995: Houston Rockets vs San Antonio Spurs - Hakeem Olajuwon (26:15)

1996: Seattle SuperSonics vs Utah Jazz - Shawn Kemp (31:48)

1997: Houston Rockets vs Utah Jazz - John Stockton (35:52)

1998: Los Angeles Lakers vs Utah Jazz - Karl Malone (41:36)

1999: Portland Trail Blazers vs San Antonio Spurs - David Robinson (44:36)