Pistons Troll Kobe Bryant on Birthday with Throwback Photos of '04 Lakers Finals

The historic rivalry between the Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Lakers was taken to a new level on Thursday. 

Since Aug. 23 happens to be Kobe Bryant's 40th birthday, the Pistons chose to celebrate with a collage of images from the 2004 NBA Finals featuring the Lakers legend:

The Pistons effectively ended that era of Lakers basketball with a 4-1 series win. Shaquille O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat in July 2004, leading to Bryant becoming the face of the franchise. 

Even though Bryant has said the series still haunts him thinking back, he was able to carve out one of the great careers in NBA history and captured five championships.

But credit to the Pistons for their savage birthday gesture to Bryant.