2003-04: A season unlike any other Purchasing the Los Angeles Lakers franchise in 1979, last season marked the 25th year of Dr. Jerry Buss ownership of the Los Angeles Lakers, a season falling just three wins shy of the perfect anniversary gift. Losing in five games to the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals, the 2003-04 Lakers enjoyed their share of spectacular highlights despite battling both injury and the treacherous Western Conference night in and night out. Teaming future Hall-of-Famers Gary Payton and Karl Malone along with perennial All-Stars Shaquille ONeal and Kobe Bryant gave the Lakers one of the most decorated starting line-ups in league history. Starting the regular season as winners of 20 of their first 25 games, Los Angeles entered a December 21st meeting with the Phoenix Suns as the most dangerous team in basketball. The Lakers defeated the Suns that night but lost Karl Malone to a sprained right knee, an injury that would keep him out of the next 39 games. The Lakers could not rid themselves of the injury bug as players seemed to fall nightly over the next few months of the NBA schedule. Prior to his injury, Karl Malone notched his name in history once again by surpassing Robert Parish for 6th all-time in career rebounds November 19th against the Knicks. In addition, he became the oldest player (only player over the age of 40), to register a triple-double in a regular season game November 28th against the Spurs at STAPLES Center. With Malone sidelined, the Lakers were never quite the same but maintained their course, making easy prey of the Atlanta Hawks by defeating the visitors 116-67 in front of the hometown faithful. The Lakers 46-point victory tied for the fifth largest margin of victory in franchise history as the golden clad Lakers held the Hawks to franchise lows for points in a first quarter (7) and half (28). Entering the All-Star break with a 31-19 record, the Lakers sent two representatives to the midseason classic held at STAPLES Center while the rest of the team finally had a chance to catch its collective breath before embarking on the home stretch of the season. Kobe Bryant, voted as a Western Conference starter for the sixth-consecutive time, represented the Lakers well by scoring 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the floor to lead all starters. Shaquille ONeal, entering the game as a reserve, proved to be the most dominating player, tallying 24 points and 11 rebounds while earning his second All-Star MVP award in front of the hometown crowd at STAPLES Center. Following the All-Star break, the Lakers entered the second half of the season poised to regain their championship luster of prior years, winning seven of their first eight games after the layoff. During that stretch, Kobe Bryant recorded his ninth career triple-double with 25 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in a 122-110 win over the Washington Wizards. The Lakers entered the playoffs as winners in 14 of their final 17 regular season games and with a great deal of momentum thanks in large part to the heroics of Kobe Bryant on April 14th in Portland. Behind a pair of Bryant buzzer-beating three-pointers, the first to send it to overtime and the second for the win in double-overtime, the Lakers clinched their 18th Pacific Division Championship with a 105-104 victory over the Trailblazers, finishing the season with a record of 56-26. After recording their 27th 50-win season in Los Angeles, the Lakers defeated the Houston Rockets (4-1), San Antonio Spurs (4-2), and Minnesota Timberwolves (4-2) before falling to the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals. Although falling three games shy of their ultimate goal, this team for the ages left us with the memory of Karl Malone and a torn jersey in Houston, of Kobe Bryant posting 42 points against San Antonio after arriving at the arena late and of 0.4 seconds and Derek Fisher answering Tim Duncans improbable buzzer beater with one of his own. While the ending was indeed disappointing, the ride was one basketball fans will remember for years to come. Return to top of page 2004-05: Ch…Ch…Ch…Changes With a new coaching staff headed by two-time NBA Champion Rudy Tomjanovich and a starting line-up returning only one player from last seasons Western Conference Championship team, the 2004-05 Lakers figured to be a work in progress. The team had new faces such as Lamar Odom, a starter on the 2004 U.S. Mens Olympic basketball team, and Caron Butler, a 2002-03 All-Rookie First Team selection, mixed with the veteran leadership of Vlade Divac returning home to where he began his career. Early on, however, an ominous tone was set when Divac, penciled in as a starter before training camp, was lost due to a herniated disc in his back that would ultimately keep him out for a majority of the season. Nonetheless, the Lakers opened the year with a convincing 89-78 victory over the upstart Denver Nuggets before a sell-out crowd at STAPLES Center on November 2. While unable to put together a three-game win streak throughout the opening two months, Los Angeles still built a 15-12 record at the turn of the calendar. Of their 12 losses before January 1, five came by five or fewer points. One of those games included the most anticipated regular season basketball game in recent NBA history, matching the Miami Heat and former Laker Shaquille ONeal against the Lakers and Kobe Bryant on Christmas day. In a game that lived up to its billing, Bryant scored a game-high 42 points while ONeal posted a double-double (24 points, 11 rebounds) in their first ever meeting. Los Angeles, however, couldnt hold a seven-point fourth quarter lead and lost in overtime 102-104. Despite the close losses and losing Bryant for a month to injury after suffering a severely sprained right ankle against Cleveland on January 13, the Lakers continued to improve and moved to six games above .500 (22-16) by January 21. Los Angeles closed out January and opened February with consecutive victories before the season would take a dramatic shift. On February 2, Tomjanovich stepped down from his head coaching post due to health reasons, leaving long-time Lakers assistant coach Frank Hamblen to man the ship as Los Angeles entered the toughest part of their schedule. Exactly one month after injuring his ankle, Bryant returned to the Lakers lineup February 13 at Cleveland. While dropping his first game back to the Cavs, the Lakers rebounded by winning their last game before the All-Star break, to which Bryant was selected a Western Conference starter, and reeled off their first three-game win streak of the season with two wins immediately following the break, improving to 28-24. The team continued to see-saw, however, dropping their next four games following its three-game surge. Fittingly enough, Los Angeles then won four of its next five including back-to-back road victories at Dallas and Charlotte. In the game against Dallas, Bryant saw his franchise record streak of 43 consecutive free throws made come to an end, surpassing the previous mark of 40 held by Hall-of-Famer Gail Goodrich. With four games in the next five nights, Los Angeles dropped each of them, falling below .500 for the first time since they were 1-2 on November 5. In the process, the Lakers lost their leading rebounder and second leading scorer when Lamar Odom suffered a strained left shoulder March 18 against Indiana, an injury that would sideline him for the remainder of the season. The Lakers continued to slide, ultimately dropping eight consecutive games, the second longest streak in franchise history. In the process, Los Angeles dropped nine straight road games, tying the 2003-04 Lakers mark for second longest streak in franchise history. Despite the Lakers struggles down the stretch, third-year forward Caron Butler was a bright spot, averaging 22.8 points for the month of April to go along with 7.6 rebounds and 2.22 steals. In addition, as a team, the Lakers established new franchise records for both three-point field goals made (644) and three-point field goals attempted (1813). Also, entering the year, no Lakers team had shot 100 percent from the foul line since the 1991-92 season when the team converted 27-of-27 from the charity stripe in a January game against Denver. In their March 8, 2005 contest with the Clippers, the Lakers converted 23-of-23 free throws, marking the second time during the season that the Lakers shot 100 percent from the foul line. Earlier in the year, the Lakers converted 20-of-20 free-throws in an 89-87 road victory over the Clippers December 11. Entering the Lakers regular season finale needing just three points to become the 115th player in NBA history to amass 14,000 points, Kobe Bryant scored 37 points against the Portland Trail Blazers to bring his career total to 14,034 at the end of his ninth NBA season. Already the youngest player in league history to reach 10,000 points, Bryant surpassed Michael Jordan as the youngest player to reach the 14,000 point benchmark. While playing just 46 games (23-23) with their opening night starting lineup of Chris Mihm, Odom, Butler, Bryant and Chucky Atkins, the Lakers season culminated in April with the team missing the playoffs for the first time since the 1993-94 season. Return to top of page 2005-06: Jackson and Playoffs Return to Los Angeles while 81 Becomes a Household Number The 2005-06 season saw the return of Phil Jackson - and with him, the return of the Lakers winning tradition. Following six seasons, four NBA Finals appearances and three consecutive championships, Phil Jackson took one year away from the team before signing on once again to coach the leagues most storied franchise. A Jackson return meant a reunion with Kobe Bryant, two of the key components from the Lakers 2000, 2001 and 2002 Championship seasons. And despite the return, as well as significant off-season moves by the franchise, fans and media alike remained skeptical as to whether the Lakers would even challenge for a spot in the postseason. After missing the playoffs in 2004-05, the Lakers used their first lottery pick since 1994 to select high- school center Andrew Bynum, the youngest player ever selected in the history of the draft. In addition, the Lakers brought back a familiar face from the Showtime era in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to mentor the newly acquired Bynum at center. Los Angeles acquired forward Kwame Brown from the Washington Wizards via trade and signed free-agent Smush Parker to help add depth in both the front court and at guard. Combined with a few new faces and influx of young talent, the franchise was poised for a new start. United once again, Jackson and a rejuvenated Bryant wasted no time in getting the Lakers back to their traditional winning ways. The Lakers emerged victorious in their season opener at Denver with a 99-97 overtime thriller in which Bryant connected on the game-winner with 0.6 seconds remaining in the extra period. Although the teams first extensive road-trip in November proved to be treacherous for the team as they experienced their first three-game losing streak of the season, the Lakers opened eyes around the league by going 5-1 on a six-game trip in early December which included wins at Chicago and Dallas. While the teams youth led to inconsistency early on, it was clear that Bryant would need to shoulder more of a scoring burden in the early going. On December 20th at STAPLES Center, Bryant displayed just how up to the task he was at the expense of the Dallas Mavericks as he single handedly outscored the entire Mavericks squad 62-61 through three quarters. Bryants 30-point third established a new franchise record for points in a quarter while tying for the fourth best period in NBA history as the Lakers went on to lead by as many as 35 in the contest as Bryant sat out the entire fourth period. Despite a four-game losing streak in late December that seeped into early January, the Lakers bounced back January 6 at home against the Philadelphia 76ers when Bryant and Smush Parker combined for 12-of-12 shooting from 3-point territory as Los Angeles won easily 119-93. In the victory, Bryant established a new franchise record for 3-pointers made without a miss, connecting on all seven of his attempts. Parker made all five of his attempts, marking the first time since the introduction of the 3-point shot in 1979 that two teammates have been perfect from behind the arc with a minimum of five attempts each. Scoring 40 of his game-high 50 points in the second half the following night on the road against the Clippers, Bryant helped the Lakers overcome a 13-point third quarter deficit to win 112-109. Two days later, on January 9, Bryant became the first player since Wilt Chamberlain in November of 1964 to record four consecutive games scoring 45-plus points. His 45-point, 10-rebound, five-assist performance propelled the Lakers to a 96-90 win over the visiting Indiana Pacers as they moved two games above .500 at 18-16. Later in the month, the Lakers avenged a disappointing Christmas Day loss to the Miami Heat with a 100-92 victory at STAPLES Center on Martin Luther King Day. Bryant led all scorers with 37 points while Lamar Odom narrowly missed a triple-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists in the victory. Following a disappointing road loss to the Sacramento Kings in which the Lakers surrendered a five-point lead with 35.5 seconds remaining in regulation and a one-sided defeat to the Suns in Phoenix a night later, Los Angeles aimed to end their skid in a January 22 contest against the visiting Toronto Raptors. The Lakers once again opened the game sluggishly, falling behind by as many as 18 points beginning the third. From that point, however, the rest, as they say, is history. In one of the greatest performances in NBA history, Bryant took control of the game, scoring 55 points in the second half alone and amassing a staggering 81 points on the night to carry the Lakers to a 122-104 victory. Bryants totals for points in a half and game became the second highest totals in NBA history, bettered only by Wilt Chamberlains 100-point game (59-point half) back in March of 1962. Bryants milestone season, however, was only beginning to gather steam. Entering the teams March 3 match-up at Golden State, Bryant needed just 10 points to become the youngest player in NBA history to reach 16,000 career points. Bryant more than reached the mark as his 42 points propelled the team to a 106-94 victory over the Warriors. Nearly one month later on April 2, Bryant tied Elgin Baylors Lakers franchise record with his 23rd 40-plus point game of the year – leading his squad to a104-88 victory over Houston. Just four days later at Denver, Bryant surpassed the Baylor mark with his 24th 40-point game of the season, but the Lakers would fall to the Nuggets in a 108-110 overtime thriller. Bryant once again took aim at another Lakers record prior to their April 14 contest versus Portland. Needing 16 points to surpass Baylors franchise record of 2,719 points established more than four decades earlier during the 1962-63 season, Bryant erupted for 50 points en route to a 110-99 victory. To top off a magical regular season highlighted by brilliant individual performances and an end of the season playoff push, Bryant helped lead the Lakers to their fifth straight victory and 11th win in their final 14 games with a 115-95 victory over the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. In the process, Bryant scored 35 points to finish the season with 2,832 points – the 7th greatest scoring season of all-time and 8th greatest scoring average (35.4 points) in league history. With the win, the Lakers finished with the sixth best record in the Western Conference and secured a seventh seed in the Western Conference Playoffs. Facing the heavily favored Suns in the First Round, the Lakers dropped Game 1 at Phoenix 102-107 but came away encouraged that they could indeed get a desired split on the road. Los Angeles controlled the tempo from the outset of Game 2 and behind Bryants 29 points, 10 rebounds and five assists and Lamar Odoms 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists, the Lakers evened the series at one game apiece with a 99-93 victory heading back to STAPLES Center. After winning Game 3 99-92 to take a 2-1 series lead, the Lakers looked to take a commanding 3-1 advantage entering Game 4. Despite playing just 10 first-half minutes due to foul trouble, Kobe Bryant came up big late in one of the most memorable playoff games in Lakers history, connecting on a game-tying driving lay-up with 0.7 seconds to force overtime after Smush Parker stole the ball from Steve Nash along the sideline, leading to the break and lay-up. In the overtime period, Luke Walton tied up Nash to force a jump ball with Los Angeles down one with just a few seconds remaining. The tip went in the Lakers direction and into Bryants hands. With the clock winding down, Bryant took the ball up court and fading away from the right elbow, knocked down the jumper to secure a miraculous 99-98 victory, giving the Lakers a 3-1 series lead. After dropping Game 5 in Phoenix, the Lakers returned home looking to close out the series. With Bryant scoring the teams final five points of regulation to put Los Angeles up three with 29.3 seconds remaining, Tim Thomas connected on a game-tying three-pointer off of an offensive rebound with 6.3 seconds, ultimately sending the contest into an overtime in which the Suns scored 21 points to force a Game 7 with a 126-118 victory. Having been just seconds from the Western Conference Semifinals, a seemingly stunned Lakers team succumbed to the Suns momentum in the deciding Game 7 at Phoenix and were eliminated from the postseason with a 90-121 loss at US Airways Center. Despite a disappointing end to the season, the return of Jackson coupled with the historic brilliance of Kobe Bryant and a memorable playoff series against Phoenix made for one of the more memorable Lakers seasons of all-time while providing new-found momentum for future success to come. Return to top of page 2006-07: Another Playoff Loss to Phoenix Only five times in the 62-year history of the Lakers had the team not made the playoffs, with the 2004-05 season – with Phil Jackson taking what he now calls a sabbatical standing out as the only blemish since 1993-94. But Jackson returned the following season, leading the Lakers back to the playoffs in a deep Western Conference despite a roster short on elite players, ultimately losing a tough First Round matchup with the Phoenix Suns. Kobe Bryant put forth one of the greatest scoring seasons in league history, averaging 35.4 points, and returned in 2006-07 no less determined to win despite a team still lacking experienced, talented players. Bryant actually began the season on the bench, taking two games to further recover from an offseason knee injury before returning to steadily get back into form, but then scoring 52 points in the final game of November to help the Lakers open the season at 9-5. Lamar Odom, L.A.s only other elite player, posted 34 points, 13 rebounds and six assists in the season opener and was a consistent producer until he spraining his knee in mid-December. The injury would keep Odom out for 21 games, of which the Lakers would win 12 largely due to Bryant carrying a heavy load, starting alongside an inexperienced group including Luke Walton, Brian Cook, Kwame Brown and Smush Parker. Odom finally returned on Jan. 26, but the Lakers would go only 7-17 in their next 24 games, suffering respective losing streaks of six and seven games as frustrations grew. On the heels of that second losing streak (Mar. 2 – 15), Bryant went on an absurd scoring tear, reeling off consecutive games of 65, 50, 60 and 50 points (becoming the 2nd player in NBA history to do so alongside Wilt Chamberlain) in wins over Portland, Minnesota, Memphis and New Orleans. It was enough to steer the Lakers back on a winning course, allowing for the seven best record in the West and 12th best in the league to pit themselves back into the playoffs, again against the 2nd-seeded Phoenix Suns. Maurice Evans, Andrew Bynum, Ronny Turiaf, Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic and Vladimir Radmanovic found ways to contribute off the bench here and there, but it was Bryant upon whom the burden of winning rested. Kobe did manage to deliver one playoff victory to L.A. with a 45-point performance in Game 3, but Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire and Co. were too much for the Lakers, earning a 4-1 First Round victory to end the purple and gold run. For the season, ultimately impressive considering the lack of talent on Jacksons roster, Bryant was named First Team All-NBA, to the NBA All-Defensive First Team and MVP of the All-Star game, while Bynum became the youngest Laker to record a double-double a season before hed begin to make a much larger impact. Bryant and Odom were about to receive quite a bit more help. Return to top of page 2007-08: The Addition of a Spaniard Sends Lakers Back to Finals A fascinating year in Los Angeles began in the offseason, when Kobe Bryant, pining for more talent on the roster, went as far as to request that he be traded before returning his focus to the Lakers and opening the season with a 45-point performance in a last-second loss to Houston. Derek Fisher had come back to the Lakers after two years in Golden State and one in Utah, joining Bryant, Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, Vladimir Radmanovic, Luke Walton, Jordan Farmar and Ronny Turiaf in L.A.s rotation … at least to start the season. After an average November (9-7) impacted by Lamar Odoms comeback from offseason shoulder surgery, the Lakers went 10-4 in December before reeling off six straight victories in January to bring their record to 25-11. Bynum, whod entered the starting line-up after 10 games and announced himself nationally with a 28-point, 12-rebound performance in a Christmas day win over Phoenix, averaged 19 points and 12.8 rebounds in January before suffering what turned out to be a season-ending knee injury against Memphis on Jan. 13. The Lakers had amassed the leagues best record at that point, but had also suffered a significant injury to Trevor Ariza, whom theyd acquired in late November from Orlando. Stung by the injury bug, L.A. finished the month at 3-5 before GM Mitch Kupchak pulled off a masterful move in acquiring 7-foot center Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies, a trade that immediately changed the fortunes of both the Lakers and the NBA. Gasols skill set couldnt have fit better into Phil Jacksons triangle offense, and he proved himself capable playing slightly out of position on defense at center as well as L.A. finished the season 22-5 when the Spaniard played (going 5-4 when he sat with an ankle injury). Included in that stretch was an 11-game winning streak just after Gasol joined the team, and a 7-1 spurt to finish the season that vaulted L.A. into the top spot in the Western Conference. The wave of good play continued into the playoffs as L.A. swept Denver 4-0 in Round 1 and outlasted a tough Utah team 4-2 in Round 2. Then came the defending champion San Antonio Spurs in the Western Finals, whom the Lakers handled in five games thanks in part to Bryants 39-point performance in the clincher and fantastic play up front from both Gasol and Odom. But the dream finally ended in the NBA Finals against the hated Boston Celtics, who won Games 1 and 2 and rallied from a 24-point deficit in Game 4 to put L.A. in a 3-1 hole, ultimately winning Game 6 back in Beantown in blowout fashion to secure the title. Bryant averaged 30.1 points, 5.7 assists and 5.6 rebounds in the playoffs, Gasol was good for 16.9 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.9 blocks while Odom averaged 14.3 points and 10.0 rebounds. As disappointing as the end result was, 2007-08 was a terrific if unexpected year for the Lakers, who would enter 2008-09 full of expectation, optimism and revenge on the mind, armed with Bryant, Gasol, Odom and Fisher, not to mention the return of a healthy Andrew Bynum and Trevor Ariza. Return to top of page 2008-09: The Larry OBrien Trophy Returns to Los Angeles In Los Angeles, winning championships is always the goal. Period. But for the first time since 2003-04, the Lakers entered the season with a team that knew it was more than capable of winning the whole thing. With the combination of elite talent featuring Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum and the mental motivation circulating amongst the team from L.A.s 131-92 Game 6 loss to Boston in the previous seasons Finals, the Lakers were a team operating with a single goal. The season opened with that premise in mind, as the team won its first seven games, went 14-1 in November, beat Boston by nine on Christmas Day and carried a 42-10 record into the All-Star break, establishing a wide lead in the Western Conference. Yet for the second straight January, L.A. got some bad news when Andrew Bynum went down with another knee injury, once again against Memphis, though the 7-footer did return with four games left in the regular season and played throughout the playoff run. Bryant had scored 48 points in the game after Bynum went down in the previous season, and this time went off for 61 points in a remarkable performance at Madison Square Garden on Feb 2. Then – with some notable help from Gasol and Odom – Bryant led the Lakers to key wins at Boston and Cleveland as L.A. established its supremacy on the road. The Lakers concluded the season by going 7-1 in April to run away with the top seed, rolling into the playoffs for a First Round matchup with Utah. The Jazz managed to win only Game 3 as L.A. advanced with a 4-1 series win, but the plucky Ron-Artest-led Houston Rockets forced the Lakers to seven games, L.A. winning Game 5 by 40 and Game 7 by 19 to set up a Western Finals matchup with Denver. The Nuggets stole Game 2 with a 106-103 win at STAPLES Center, but Bryant scored 41 points to help L.A. regain home court advantage with a 103-97 Game 3 win. The Lakers dropped Game 4, but won Game 5 by nine at home before closing the series out with a dominant 119-92 Game 6 win in Denver, highlighted by Bryants 35-point, 10-assist gem. Awaiting the Lakers in the NBA Finals were the Orlando Magic, whom L.A. disposed of in Games 1 and 2 before the Magic struck back in Game 3 with a 108-104 victory. Then came the tipping point of the series, when Orlando held a five-point lead in the final minute of Game 4, but fell victim to a huge crunch-time performance from Derek Fisher that featured two dagger three-pointers, the first tying the game to force OT and the second putting the game away. Then came L.A.s championship-winning Game 5 performance, a 99-86 victory that produced the 15th title in franchise history. Bryant took home Finals MVP honors for the first time, on the strength of 32.4 points, 7.4 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game, while Gasol, Odom, Fisher, Bynum as well as Trevor Ariza, Jordan Farmar, Shannon Brown and Luke Walton all offered a hand in a true team effort. With that, the goal was achieved: the Lakers were champions again. Return to top of page 2009-10: Back-to-Back As had already happened 15 times in franchise history, the Lakers entered an NBA season as the champions of basketball, returning all but one player from the 2008-09 title-winning squad with the solitary goal of defending their throne. The lone roster move saw Trevor Ariza go to Houston and Ron Artest – still arguably the leagues top on-ball defender – join Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum in the starting line up. Riding their superior size and Kobe Bryants superior skill, the Lakers overcame an early hamstring injury to Gasol to open the season 23-4, 11 of those wins coming in consecutive fashion when the Spaniard returned. The Lakers headed into the All-Star break at 41-13, comfortably atop the Western Conference, with Bryant and Gasol representing the team in Dallas. It wasnt all rosy as the regular season continued, however. Bryant was still battling an avulsion fracture to the index finger of his shooting hand that hed suffered in December, in addition to tweaks to his ankle and knee, while Bynum suffered a late season Achilles strain, injuries which kept the two out for a combined 25 games (17 for Bynum). That contributed to the team winning just four of its final 11 games to finish at 57-25, a mark still good for the No. 1 seed in the West and No. 3 overall behind Cleveland and Orlando. But thanks in no small part to the experience of Phil Jackson, the Lakers never lost their confidence, which was soon exhibited in the postseason. Two straight road losses allowed Oklahoma City to tie L.A.s first round series at two, but the defeats seemed to wake up the Purple and Gold, who promptly ran off 10 straight postseason wins to beat the Thunder 4-2 (winning the series on Gasols last-second put-back layup), sweep the Jazz 4-0 and go up 2-0 on the Suns in the Western Finals. While Phoenix battled back to win two games at home, Artest tipped in Bryants last-second miss to give L.A. a Game 5 victory, and Kobe offered up a motley crew of deadly shots in Game 6 to send the Lakers to the Finals for the third straight season. With their return to the big stage came a chance to avenge the teams painful 2008 Finals loss to the Boston Celtics, and thought it took seven hard fought games, L.A. ultimately emerged with an 83-79 Game 7 victory that saw purple and gold streamers rain down from the STAPLES Center rooftop. The Lakers opened the Finals with an impressive 102-89 Game 1 win, but fell 103-94 in Game 2 when Bostons Ray Allen hit seven first half three-pointers. Home court advantage was quickly regained, however, with a critical 91-84 victory in Game 3 at Boston thanks largely to Fishers 11-point fourth quarter. Boston battled back to narrowly win Games 4 and 5 in Boston, before the Lakers pounded the Celtics with a terrific 89-67 Game 6 effort, until finally overcoming a 13-point third quarter deficit in Game 7, capped by late three-pointers from Fisher and Artest and the all-around play of Gasol and Bryant. Bryant concluded the playoffs with averages of 29.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists, while Gasol added 19.6 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.09 blocks of his own, while the contributions of Artest, Fisher and Bynum – who gamely played through a meniscus tear that would need postseason surgery – plus Lamar Odom, Jordan Farmar, Shannon Brown and Sasha Vujacic off the bench all proved critical at various points of the playoffs. Finals MVP for the second straight season, Bryant had scored at least 30 points 12 times throughout the playoff run, while Phil Jackson had won his 11th championship as a coach and the Lakers were champions of basketball for the 16th time.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Jan 2014 08:05:04 +0000
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