Throwback of the Week: Unstoppable

The San Antonio Spurs' 20 game winning streak, which ended last night in a 102-82 loss to the Thunder in Oklahoma City, brought back childhood memories of my L.A. Lakers' 2001 title run. With all due respect to the 1996 Bulls, 1987 Lakers, 1983 76ers, and 1972 Lakers, it is the most dominant single-season playoff run in the history of the NBA. 15-1 overall, 7-1 at home (more on the lone home loss later), and a perfect undefeated 8-0 road record on the road, with an average margin of victory of 13.8 points per game. In other words, the Lakers just straight whooped every opponent they faced. What makes the run so special was the circumstances they endured that season. So, let's take a trip down memory lane. 

The Lakers entered the 2000-01 season the defending NBA champions. Led by a pair of superstars, reigning MVP Shaquille O'Neal, and Kobe Bryant, the Lakers looked set to repeat their magic of the previous year and win another NBA title. But, it would be more difficult than they ever imagined. A feud between Kobe and Shaq, which had been brewing for the past couple of years, exploded, and at mid-season, with the Lakers struggling at 5th in the West, and at 31-16, with one more loss than they had the previous season (67-15), analysts wrote the Lakers off. However, the Lakers steadily began to play better in the second half, and a turning point came in early April, when Kobe missed a couple of weeks due to injury. Up to that point, a major problem for the Lakers was finding the right balance between getting the ball to Shaq and Kobe getting the shots he wanted. During his time on the injured list, Kobe realized his role in the offense, and when he returned to the lineup with four games to go in the season, the Lakers won all in convincing fashion to clinch the Pacific Division for the second straight year, with Shaq and Kobe leading the way, along with contributions from Rick Fox, Derek Fisher, Robert Horry, and Horace Grant.

At the start of the playoffs, the Lakers had already won 8 games in a row, had not lost a game in two and a half weeks, and were rolling. The Lakers entered the playoffs as the 2nd seed, right behind the San Antonio Spurs. However, the first round was no easy task. In the first round, the Lakers faced the Portland Trail Blazers, who had been strong for most of the season but suffered a late-season collapse, and had fallen to the 7th seed. Plus, the Blazers had a chip on their shoulder after their 4th quarter collapse in Game 7 of the previous year's Western Conference Finals. This time, it was a different story, as none of the games were close. With the one-two punch of Shaq and Kobe leading the way, the Lakers swept the Blazers 3-0, winning by 13 in Game 1 (106-93), 18 in Game 2 (106-88), and 13 again in Game 3 (99-86).

Next up were the fast-paced Sacramento Kings. The Kings were led by a core of Chris Webber and Jason Williams, and Peja Stojakovic, with Vlade Divac and Doug Christie also playing major roles. This proved to be a bit tougher for the Lakers, with the Lakers winning close in Games 1 and 2 (108-105, 96-90), with Shaq scoring 87 points in the 2 victories (44 in Gm 1, 43 in Gm 2). The Lakers then traveled up to Sacramento and knocked out the Kings, with a blowout Game 3, 113-81, and the Lakers closed out the game, and the series, late with a 119-113 Game 4 victory, completing another sweep. In Games 3 and 4, Kobe Bryant came up big with 84 points in Games 3 and 4 in Sacramento (36 in Gm 3, 48 in Gm 4).

In the Western Conference Finals, the Lakers had a chance to exorcise their demons against the San Antonio Spurs. The Lakers were embarrassingly swept out of the 1999 playoffs, with Kobe and Shaq being dominated by the Spurs' Twin Towers, Tim Duncan and David Robinson. In Games 1 and 2 in San Antonio, Kobe carried over his hot streak from the last 2 games of the Sacramento series, scoring 45 in Game 1 as the Lakers dominated the Spurs, 104-90. In Game 2, the Lakers rallied past the Spurs, driven partly by coach Phil Jackson's ejection, and also by Kobe leading the way again with 28 points. Games 3 and 4 were no contest, and probably their best team games of the playoffs, winning by 39 in Game 3 (111-72), and by 29 in Game 4 (111-82), with Derek Fisher leading the Lakers with 28 points in Game 4. After the Spurs series, the question became: Could the Lakers go undefeated?

In the NBA Finals, the Lakers would face NBA MVP Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers. Unfortunately, the Lakers' dreams of a perfect playoffs went up in smoke in Game 1, as Allen Iverson put the Sixers on his back and scored 48 points to carry them to a 107-101 overtime victory. Game 2, the two-headed monster of Shaq and Kobe knocked off the Sixers, 98-89, with 59 combined points with 31 for Kobe, 28 for Shaq, along with Derek Fisher's 14. In Game 3 in Philly, the Lakers ground it out and held off the Sixers 96-91, with Shaq and Kobe combining for 62 points, with 32 for Kobe and 30 for Shaq, and Robert Horry, who scored 7 consecutive points in the 4th quarter and saved the game for the Lakers. Games 4 and 5 were blowouts, with the Lakers winning 100-86 in Game 4, and closing out the Sixers with a 108-96 win in Game 5.

What is the legacy of the 2001 Lakers? Dominance. That's it. Even if the Spurs had managed to go undefeated this year, I do not think they would have lasted in a best of 7 against these Lakers. They could steal a game, but Shaq and Kobe would simply be too much for them, and that's not just me as a Laker fan talking. To any of your friends who thinks Kobe only won those first 3 rings because of Shaq, or that he somehow "owes" Shaq those first 3, show them this. This proves Kobe was much more than just Shaq's sidekick.