People were doubting if Kobe could win without Shaq. But in 2000 and especially before 2000, the media was questioning if Shaq could ever win a title at all. There were so many other stars that never won a ring at the time. It had already been 12 years since the last championship and if Shaq didn’t win, I was concerned it would be a while before we saw another ring. I missed Showtime and had no idea at the time that Kobe would win 5, or even 1.
Good point. You didn't even know in 2000 if they were gonna win all the way up to the end of the 7th gm of the conf finals. If Porty weren't that mental and weak emotionally, they actually would've beaten us in 2000. On 2/1/08, you had much more confidence that they would win a title in 09 if not 08. _________________ GOAT MAGIC REEL SEDALE TRIBUTE EDDIE DONX!
Joined: 19 Apr 2003 Posts: 22734 Location: La Jolla, San Diego
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2020 6:23 pm Post subject:
Roger O. Thornhill wrote:
I agree with the person above me who said 00-02 felt more epic. To me and my high school friends, those Lakers felt destined to win every game they played. It was never a question of "if", but "by how much" and "which opponents would Shaq and Kobe thoroughly humiliate in the process". No cable TV at home meant I was only able to catch a couple regular season games, so that scarcity made the entire experience of the playoffs and finals much more special to me.
Still, I prefer the 09 &10 title runs. I'd watched pretty much every game since the 05-06 season, so by the time they became contenders I felt like a part of the team, and not just a fan along for the ride like the threepeat.
Hmm... 2001 was the only year the Lakers humiliated people. 2000 and 2002, they avoided humiliation.
I'd say the 09 & 10 titles more imo as I felt the team played more team basketball and was more of a balanced team, while the 3-peat was primarily based on the insane talent levels of Shaq & Kobe.
Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 35750 Location: Santa Clarita, CA (Hell) ->>>>>Ithaca, NY -≥≥≥≥≥Berkeley, CA
Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2020 10:03 am Post subject:
Runway8 wrote:
Roger O. Thornhill wrote:
I agree with the person above me who said 00-02 felt more epic. To me and my high school friends, those Lakers felt destined to win every game they played. It was never a question of "if", but "by how much" and "which opponents would Shaq and Kobe thoroughly humiliate in the process". No cable TV at home meant I was only able to catch a couple regular season games, so that scarcity made the entire experience of the playoffs and finals much more special to me.
Still, I prefer the 09 &10 title runs. I'd watched pretty much every game since the 05-06 season, so by the time they became contenders I felt like a part of the team, and not just a fan along for the ride like the threepeat.
Hmm... 2001 was the only year the Lakers humiliated people. 2000 and 2002, they avoided humiliation.
Crazy to think that if not for the Blazers' meltdown and Horry's three against the Kings, it could have just as easily been one ring instead of three. _________________ Damian Lillard shatters Dwight Coward's championship dreams:
Joined: 09 Aug 2004 Posts: 1377 Location: Santa Monica
Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2020 1:03 pm Post subject:
Threepeat Lakers will always have a special place in my heart.
That run was legendary and special because we watched that core grow into champions.
Years of getting swept and coming up short. To go from that to back to back to back champions was special _________________ Everyting negative - pressure, challenges - is all an opportunity for me to rise.
-Kobe Bryant
2000-2002 was kind of a blur plus I was so young, but eveyone was talking as if it was certain that Lakers would win and we all kind of were there for the ride. It was us against everyone else and when the dynasty ended everyone except laker fans rejoiced about the split up. They all hated kobe more than shaq cause he was the one we ended up keeping. Shaq was loved in Miami mainly cause he was no longer on the Lakers.
2005-2008 is when I really got attached to the Team. No longer were we the super team everyone had a target on. We saw Kobe's struggles as we all knew he wanted it badly, but didn't have the piece's around him. I cried after Kobe made the buzzer beater against the Suns in 2006 cause I knew that against all odds we were up 3-1 when everyone thought it would be an easy sweep for the suns.
Was very disappointed when we eventually lost, all while the media pumped their chests in sigh of the suns victory. At that point I knew we were still hated from the previous years of victories and championships.
2007-2008 was so special for me. It was the moment of internal development and was very fond of the "bench mob" of Farmar, Vujacic, evans, Turiaf, and Bynum. There were games when they would lead us to victory with Bynum leading the charge and eventually becoming a starter and key piece to our success. Then He got Injured and I thought our chances were over. But Mitch pulled a "rabbit out of his hat" and got Pau and our chances were restored.
The playoffs were so magical that year beating everyone up in the west. I remember waking up for those sunday/saturday morning games with sheer joy. Then we made the finals and i was just thinking only if we had Bynum we could beat these guys, the hated ones, the celtics. We had our chances that series, but deep down I knew we werent gonna beat them without Bynum. We lost as I sat there watching their celebrations KG screaming on the Mic, Kobe with his head down walking out of the gym it was more fuel to the fire but I knew we were going to be back next year even stronger and now we have a chip on our shoulders to beat those guys.
The 2008-2009 season was kind of a blur but that christmas game will always be remembered. Lakers now at full strength with Bynum and Ariza, come out with a huge chip on their shoulders and shut up those green scumbags and all the doubters that had written us out especially Ariza with the steal and dunk to close out the game. It was special cause Ariza and Bynum showed up that game and I shut up all the doubters I knew personally saying if we had these 2 we would have beat The Celtics in the finals and they had nothing to say about that. Then the championship Run happened and we won, but the doubters said that KG wasn't at full strength and the Celtics would have made it to the finals and beaten us if he were. At that point I knew we had to beat the Celtics just to finally shut everyone up and get our dues.
The 2009-2010 season was about "we want the celtics in the finals". We need them at their best vs us at our best and end this all, bury the hatchet.
And we got our wish and the Finals was set to be the final nail in the coffin either for us or for all the doubters that always had us written off. The Finals started in LA with a 1-1 split and Paul Pierce screaming "we aint coming back to LA" after winning game 2 implying it would be a backdoor sweep and no more wins for the Lakers. Then fisher came up big in game 3 with the steal and layup over the big 3. That single play defined what we were, a group of tough sons of ****** that even when you form your big 3 and have us written off we will still come back and the most unlikely guy on our team will go strong into your paint and make a clutch layup against your team of allstars. Then they interviewed Fisher after that game and he was getting emotional and the interviewer said 'do you have any comments about what paul pierce said about not coming back to LA' and fisher, now pissed, just shook his head. Next 2 games we fell flat on our faces maybe cause of the emotional roller coaster of game 3. I felt that Game 6 we had to blow them out especially cause now 'we are back in LA' and we have to send them a message. They came out and did exactly that with everything now being set for game 7 to end it all.
I remember before that game all the laker haters and Celtic fans were rejoicing that "No Kendrick Perkins means SHeed gets more minutes he is a Laker Killer. Remember 2004" and he was killing us in the beginning of that game. Then half time happened and all the haters were calling me to talk (bleep). Then we got this magical surge to end the 3rd and it continued to the 4th. Then finally it was Kobe 1 on 1 against the hated Ray Allen and I knew he was gonna take him left, then right, then swish!! Then Artest vs a late close out by Pierce 3 pointer Good!! Game Over and the haters will be quiet for a long time.
Alot of people were blaming Perkins for not being good enough but as the outcome unfolded they kept that in their back pocket as the only excuse they could hold onto. I was calling all the people at the end of the game who were calling me at half time only to be sent to voicemails, but that was the moment for me that will be with me for the rest of my life.
2010, and equally importantly, Meta's post game 7 press conference! _________________ Starting Lakers Dynasty6.0! NOW!!
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....." each year in Lakerland is marked by four seasons: Kobe’s Mad at His Teammates; Kobe’s Shooting Too Much; Kobe Leads the Victory Parade; Kobe Receives His Championship Ring."
Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 291 Location: Arlington, VA
Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2020 5:22 pm Post subject:
IMO, 2000-02 was up there with the 80s Showtime Lakers in terms of how enjoyable the run was (not saying the Kobe/Shaq teams were as good as Showtime just that the run was about as enjoyable on many levels)...
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