No one could guess the success Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neil would have together when they paired up in 1996 when Shaq came to Los Angeles in free agency and a rookie Kobe was traded for on draft night. They led LA to the playoffs between ’96 and ’99 but never broke out of the Western Conference. Their fortunes changed in 1999-2000 during Shaq’s first and only MVP season. One year after an NBA lockout and two years following Michael Jordan’s final championship, the new millennium marked the start of an era in the NBA. A Game 7 duel between the Lakers and Trail Blazers would determine how a dynasty began.
KOBE AND SHAQ STAGED THE LARGEST 4TH QTR GAME 7 COMEBACK IN NBA HISTORY
The Lakers defeated teams that would soon become powerhouses in the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns on their way to the Western Conference Finals. Their opponent, the Portland Trailblazers featuring Rasheed Wallace, Scottie Pippen, and Steve Smith, had developed a reputation that earned them the nickname the Portland “Jail-Blazers.” Their play was hard-nosed, their personality abrasive. This contrasted the affable Shaq and flashy Kobe. The series went seven games and would be decided at home for the Lakers. Los Angeles built a 3-1 lead over Portland and were on the brink of it all crashing down.
Shaq and Kobe found themselves in a 13-point hole going into the 4th quarter that would extend to as much as 15. A furious comeback began with 10:30 remaining in the game powered by a combination of lockdown defense and the awakening of their stars that would give LA the lead with two minutes remaining. Down the stretch, it was all Kobe, capping off his resurgence with a spectacular alley-oop to Shaq. Questionable calls were subject to scrutiny with some suggesting the NBA preferred LA to go on. Either way, the Lakers would beat Portland and win the Finals over Reggie Miller’s Pacers for the first championship of a 3-peat.
June 4, 2000: #Lakers staged a 15-PT 4th Qtr comeback in the final 10:30 of WCF Game 7, capped off by an iconic alley-oop from Kobe to Shaq to defeat POR & reach their 1st NBA Finals in a decade. It's the largest 4th Qtr comeback victory in Game 7 history
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) June 4, 2021
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