The Detroit Pistons that won the 2004 NBA Championship were actually more dominant than many people thought, especially in the Eastern Conference. From 2003 to 2008, the team attended every Conference Finals, despite that, champion coach Larry Brown left in 2005, four-time Defensive Player of the Year Ben Wallace departed in 2006.

So what led to the turning point in 2008?

31-year-old Chauncey Billups was traded to the Denver Nuggets on November 3, 2008. In the following season, the Nuggets were second in the West and challenged the Los Angeles Lakers in the Conference Finals. By contrast, the Pistons only made the Eastern playoffs as No. 8 seed before they were swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In fact, when Billups joined the NBA, it was hard to connect him to the blue-collar Pistons. He was the No. 3 select in the 1997 NBA Draft, right after Tim Duncan and Keith Van Horn. Before that, he was named Denver First Team for four straight times in high school, three-time Mr. Colorado Basketball. As a sophomore point guard, he was able to contribute 19+5+5 per game leading the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Nonetheless, his first six years in the NBA were a disaster. From the Boston Celtics to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Billups changed five teams but did not fit in anywhere. The hardships and tribulations removed the young guard's high-spirit and wildness from him. When Billups joined the Pistons, he already became a solid, cunning, experienced commander who made a perfect match for Detroit.

One little story about the 2004 Finals. The Pistons led 89-86 in Game 2 when there were 11 seconds left. Brown asked his players to commit a foul at the moment the Lakers had the ball, however, Billups, Richard Hamilton, Rasheed and Ben Wallace rejected out of their pride – they believed they could stop the purple and gold.

Lakers' ball. Shaquille O'Neal passed it to Luke Walton who then gave it to Bryant. Brant buried a 3-pointer in front of Billups to tie the game before the Lakers claimed victory in overtime to tie the series 1-1.

"We're crushed. We had a winnable game. And everybody in that locker room's down," furious Brown told reporters after Game 2.

Knowing how improper his remarks were, Brown considered apologizing to his team on their way home. He went to the back of the bus: "I remember in Philly…"

"This ain't Philly," said Ben Wallace.

Brown continued raising his voice, until Billups decided that he heard enough: "Go back to the front of the bus. We're not coming back to L.A."

We all know what happened then. Billups led the Pistons to defeat the Lakers 4-1 to win the title as the Finals MVP. In the next four years, Billups and his teammates continued to be the champions' final test. Finally, after the 2007-08 season, the Pistons sent Billups to his hometown team, where the 31-year-old was about to reach another peak of his career.

Billups' stats were nothing impressive – 18+3+6 in the regular season and 21+4+7 in the playoffs – but he added something more than another four wins to the team. One year ago, they were swept by the Lakers in the first round. In 2009, they took out Chris Paul and his New Orleans Hornets, Dirk Nowitzki and his Dallas Mavericks before battling Kobe Bryant and his Lakers in six games.

Unlike Paul or Steve Nash, Billups could not change the opponents' defense via his individual attack or magically make a play out of nothing. If he decided to penetrate, he was either targeting the rim or aiming for free throws. Billups shared Jason Kidd's habit of launching early offense via deep passing, but in half-court offense, he was not babysitting his teammates. Billups would only make the most proper setup for – it could be a one-on-one opportunity for Carmelo Anthony, an open shot for J.R. Smith or a catch-and-shoot chance for Kenyon Martin.

Of course, when the team needed him to take over, Billups would never back off. For example, on December 7, 2009, Anthony went 5-21 in the game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Billups scored 31 points to help the Nuggets claim a tough win at the Wachovia Center. When Anthony missed the back-to-back games against the Sacramento Kings and the Cleveland Cavaliers in January, 2010, Billups dropped 23 and 27 points respectively.

Meanwhile, Billups was leading his team off the court, probably in a better way. As the only Denver local of the team back then, he taught his teammates how to be a cool adult. He told Anthony to pay more attention to defense; he asked Smith to stay away from night clubs; he gave the team suggestions on how to deal with pre-season games and training camps, as well as how to eat during the offseason and daily time.

It worked.

Before Billups came, the Nuggets were like a crazy band filled with young animals wearing all kinds of strange hairstyles. Anthony and Smith looked more like two street rappers than NBA players. However, before the 2009 playoffs started, the whole team dressed in suits like a team of white collars, sharp, serious and always ready to meet their next rival.

This was how Billups led his team: instead of giving a man fish to feed him for a day, he taught him how to fish so he could feed himself for life. He wanted everyone to think and work like him until his absence or return ceased to make any difference.