We’re still waiting for the resumption of the NBA season – IF it ever happens – but there’s still plenty to enjoy chatting about from seasons gone by. Today Shaq and a former Lakers teammate talk about the tough teams they faced over the years.
Recently, Shaquille O’Neal and Robert Horry appeared on a Bleacher Report podcast, talking about those strong teams and the games they played during the Lakers three-peat run in 2000, 2001 and 2002. Shaq, Horry, Kobe and coach Phil Jackson made it an incredible run in those years, but not without some major battles.
On the podcast with Howard Beck of Bleacher Report, both Shaq and Horry said it was the Portland Trail Blazers that gave L.A. the toughest time in the playoffs. At the end of the 2000 season, the Lakers took the full series of seven games to best the Blazers… with L.A. winning Game Seven at home by a final score of 89-84.
Shaq and Robert Horry agreed about the toughness of the Blazers: “It’s probably the best team I’ve ever faced playing basketball, period,” said Horry, who won seven championships in his 16-year career, including three with the Lakers.
Shaq agreed: “They were the toughest team… and they were the only team that wasn’t scared of us.”
If you don’t remember the 2000 Blazers, you’re not alone. Playing way up in the Northwest, the team didn’t get a lot of national attention. Still, the team had a great lineup of stars, including Rasheed Wallace, Steve Smith and Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen, who was nearing the end of his Hall of Fame career. Under the leadership of head coach Mike Dunleavy, Portland won 59 games during the 1999-00 regular season.
As the Western Conference series played out, Shaq, Horry and of course Kobe all did their thing. O’Neal averaged 25.9 points and 12.4 rebounds for the Lakers, while Bryant put up 20.4 points, 4.9 boards and 5.9 assists in the seven-game series.
After the series with the Blazers, the finals was a bit easier. The Lakers defeated the Pacers in six games in the NBA Finals to cap off their magical campaign and put the first of their three Championships in the books. After the hard-fought battle with the Blazers, Shaq took it out on the Pacers. The Big Man averaged 38.0 points and 16.7 rebounds en route to winning his first Finals MVP Award with the Lakers.