Lakers Beat Pacers for NBA Title
A promise delivered, a moment to savor, a time to celebrate.
An NBA championship in hand.
Twelve years after they captured the last title of the Showtime era, a very different group defeated the stubborn Indiana Pacers, 116-111, on Monday night to bring the Lakers their seventh title in the L.A. franchise history.
One-year after the gray-haired Phil Jackson — the Zen-speaking mystic of bottomless calm — was hired to lead the Lakers back from a season of turmoil to the pinnacle of the NBA, the Lakers ended the best-of-seven series in six games.
“The first of many — just like it was before,” said Lakers owner Jerry Buss.
The title follows an empty decade for L.A. professional championships and a troubled era for the city as well.
It is the first pro title for the City of Angels since the Lakers and Dodgers both captured championships in 1988.
This one was marked by the flash and dare of guard Kobe Bryant and the power and thunder of Most Valuable Player Shaquille O’Neal, a combination of style and substance that other teams challenged, but ultimately no one could match.
When the tense game, led by the Pacers most of the way, finally ended, O’Neal could not hold his emotions in check. Tears streamed down his cheeks.
Then, Bryant leaped into his arms; O’Neal next searched out his mother, embracing her with his giant arms.
“I’ve held my emotions for almost 11 years,” O’Neal said.
“Three years in college, eight years in the pros. I always wanted to win. It just came out. I’m happy for L.A. It’s a great moment.”
The Lakers were this man-child throughout the postseason, a young but talented team with its core of O’Neal and Bryant straining mightily to take the crown.
They would look dynamic one night, a maturing team reaching for the basketball heavens. And then they would come back to disappoint, the sheepish child knowing it had failed to live up to expectations, if even its own.
Kobe Bryant celebrates the first of five titles with the Lakers from a double-decker open top bus during the 2000 championship parade. (L.A. Daily News: Charlotte Schmid-Maybach)
Six times, an NBA postseason record, they failed to close out a series. They seemed determined to find the difficult path, to tantalize their fans before reaching their greatness.
In the end, no amount of growing pains would stop their ascent to the NBA summit.
“This is the best feeling in the world,” said Lakers forward Glen Rice.
The Pacers made the Lakers earn their title Monday, pushing them hard and forcing them to dig deep to pull out the title game.
The Pacers led throughout most of the contest, still firing away from beyond the 3-point line and threatening to force a decisive Game 7.
O’Neal, who duplicated his regular-season and All-Star MVP triumphs, took command in the fourth quarter, scoring 13 of his game-high 41 points.
With the score tied at 103 with 5:04 to play after a seven-point Pacers run, the Lakers connected on consecutive baskets by Robert Horry, O’Neal and Bryant.
They had a lead they would cling to until the final buzzer sounded.
Gold and purple streamers and confetti fell from the ceiling, “I Love L.A.” blared and the celebration began.
The championship validated the coaching greatness of Jackson, who after winning six titles with the Chicago Bulls, captured a championship in his first season with the Lakers. He and Alex Hannum are the only coaches in the NBA’s 52-year history to win titles with two different teams.
It was a grand confirmation for team Executive Vice President Jerry West, who nine years after the Lakers last made it to the NBA Finals, pieced together an entirely new team to earn his sixth title as a Lakers executive.
Kobe defends Indiana Pacers guard Mark Jackson during Game 1 of the 2000 NBA Finals. He averaged 15.6 points per game in the Lakers 4-2 series win. (L.A. Daily News: Gus Ruelas)
It was another reason to party for Buss; for veterans Rice, Ron Harper, A.C. Green, Brian Shaw and John Salley to feel young; for the 21-year-old Bryant to feel his star rise; and for O’Neal to establish himself as the most imposing force in the NBA.
It was even partial redemption for the brand new Staples Center, maligned for its sterile and subdued environment.
The Lakers clinched each of their four playoff series at home, and Monday it rocked like never before.
“What a start for the Staples Center,” Jackson said. “What a start for the new millennium.”
The Lakers first exerted their dominance in the regular season, rolling to a league-best 67-15 mark. The playoffs offered a wild ride.
Most people are still trying to figure out how they won Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, a game that saw them overcome a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit.
“They had a miracle game, seventh game against Portland,” Jackson said.
In the closing moments of Monday’s game, as Bryant walked to the bench, he held up his left hand to the crowd and pointed to its ring finger.
“That’s one ring,” Bryant said. “We did it for ourselves. We did it for Los Angeles, because they deserved it. It’s been a long drought.”