CHAPTER ELEVEN 1999-2000
CHAPTER ELEVEN It was obvious to everyone that the Lakers needed to change something if they were ever going to reach their potential. Some observers speculated that either O’Neal or Bryant would be traded. Or perhaps both, players would be shipped off and the Lakers would embark on a total rebuilding program.
But Jerry West still believed the Lakers had all the players in place to win a championship. What they needed was someone to get it all to work together.
As coach of the Chicago Bulls, Phil Jackson had developed a reputation as a man who could get talented players with big egos to play together. For the Bulls, despite the presence of Michael Jordan, hadn’t managed to win a championship until Jackson became coach.
He had installed an offense known as the triangle, a strategy that took advantage of both Jordan’s skills and those of star forward Scottie Pippen. As a result, he had gotten the most from each player.
The triangle was new to pro basketball. Traditionally, most offenses had been designed to isolate a particular player one-on-one. As a team moved the ball across half-court, players set up in specific positions on the court and the point guard, out on top, called out the play and put it in motion, usually by a pass to another player. But if the defense broke up the play or it was disrupted for another reason, the player with the ball usually had few options. The ball was sent back out and another play was called. The role of each player was strictly defined.
But the triangle was different. Simply put, it demanded that the players react to what the defense did, depending on the motion and movement of each player. Each player had to be able to read the defense, learn how to react, and pass to the open man.
Although the offense was demanding, it wasn’t rigid. There was plenty of room for creativity. When it worked, the ball zipped back and forth and players ran and cut all over the floor until someone worked free and finished the play, usually with a wide open jump shot or a layup or dunk from in close. It allowed the individual player to flourish and stay involved.
Jordan and the Bulls had worked the offense to perfection. But that hadn’t been the only key to their success.
Jackson’s personality was much different from that of most NBA coaches. He viewed the game of basketball in human terms and appreciated it for its capacity to bring individuals together in pursuit of a common goal. While many had first scoffed at his approach, his record of success in Chicago was undeniable.
After Michael Jordan had retired, Jackson had resigned and sat out the 1998-99 season. Now he was ready to return to coaching. He let the Lakers know he wanted to come to Los Angeles. In Bryant and O’Neal, he saw two players he believed would thrive in the triangle, for each could both pass the ball and score. West believed that if anyone could get O’Neal and Bryant to work together, it was Jackson, so he named Jackson coach. West believed that if anyone could get O’Neal and Bryant to work together, it was Jackson.
Critics questioned the hiring, saying that the only reason reason Jackson had been so successful in Chicago was because Michael Jordan was a member of the Bulls. Getting the Lakers to play together, they argued, would be an entirely different challenge.
But O’Neal and Bryant, for all their differences, were actually quite similar. Each had been expected to be a star since entering the league, and each had been something of a disappointment. Both players were still referred to in terms of their potential, as if neither had yet reached it.
At the same time, they shared a common goal. Each wanted to win very badly. Their reputations had taken a beating and each player knew that the only way to silence his critics would be to win a championship. It helped immeasurably that Jackson already had the respect of both players. After all, his record spoke for itself. And Bryant and O’Neal had been dissatisfied with Harris and Rambis, neither of whom had been able to enforce any team discipline. This had led each player to feel that he needed to take over on the court, a major cause of the friction between the two. Under Jackson, Bryant and O’Neal hoped things would be different.
During training camp each player deferred to Coach Jackson. When the rest of the Lakers saw how intent Bryant and O’Neal were on giving their new coach some respect, they fell in line. They listened patiently as he explained their roles in the triangle, and they accepted criticism each time he stopped play and explained what someone had done wrong. As Jackson explained to his players, “I have to tell you about a mistake so you know you made a mistake. But it’s not personal criticism.”
Bryant thrived under Jackson’s instruction, saying later that Jackson’s approach had allowed him to realize when he was making mistakes without being told. Now, he said, “I know when I mess up and I say, ’OK, hold on, I’ve got to step back.”
To everyone’s surprise, by the time the regular season opened the Lakers were running the triangle as if they had been doing so for years. O’Neal had never been more dominant under the basket, as the offense prevented defenses from packing in around him. When he got the ball in the low post the defense was usually still in transition, allowing him an open route to the basket that often resulted in monstrous dunks. At times he was simply unstoppable, scoring at will and ripping down rebound after rebound.
At the same time, Bryant had never played with so much control. His speed, quickness, and ballhandling skills were perfectly suited for the constant motion required by the triangle. It freed him on the outside for jump shots, for drives to the basket, and, significantly, to make crowd-pleasing passes not seen on the Lakers since Magic Johnson had been a star. For the first time, Bryant began to be recognized not just for his scoring ability, but for his ability to create shots for other players.
Yet the offense still allowed him an outlet for his creative urges. He’d often find himself wide open with a clear path to the lane, the perfect situation to throw down one of his spectacular jams. Basketball had become fun again.
Before the season was a month old, it was obvious that the Lakers would be the team to beat for the NBA championship. The controversy and frustrations of theprevious season melted away. O’Neal and Bryant developed a healthy respect for one another and even became friends. On one occasion, when Bryant got involved in a scuffle with New York Knick Chris Childs and elbowed him in the face, O’Neal was outspoken in his defense, saying, “Everyone knows Kobe’s a clean-cut kid. He was protecting himself.”
It was “Showtime” in Los Angeles again. The Lakers romped to the Pacific Division title with the league’s best record, 67-15. O’Neal was named to the All-NBA first team, and Kobe Bryant made the second team, as well as the All-Defensive first team.
The team’s performance earned them home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. They put it to good use as they surged to the Finals, beating the Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns, and Portland Trailblazers in succession to earn the right to play the Indiana Pacers for the NBA championship.
The Pacers were tough, experienced, and talented. Under their coach, former NBA great Larry Bird, they had been knocking on the door of the NBA championship for several seasons, only to fall just short. Led by guard Reggie Miller, they were a rugged defensive team known for their clutch shooting and never-say-die attitude. Although the Lakers were favored to win, some thought the Pacers might just pull off an upset. Bird had announced he would retire after the season, and the Pacers wanted to send their coach out a winner.
But the Lakers sent a message in game one. Working the triangle to perfection, they fed the ball to Shaq over and over again and he came up big, scoring 43 points and pulling down 19 rebounds. “When he gets in that kind of groove,” said Bryant, “you’ve got to get the ball to him.” The Lakers won, 104-87.
In game two, L.A. got off to another quick start, playing great team basketball. Bryant didn’t attempt his first shot, a seventeen-foot jumper, until there were only three minutes left in the first quarter. He went up high as the Pacers’ Jalen Rose jumped up to try to block his shot.
Bryant was too quick and got his shot off clean. But as it soared through the hoop for two points, he came back down to earth and his right foot landed on Rose’s foot. Bryant’s foot turned grotesquely and he fell hard, a wince on his face. He got back up and tried to shake off the injury, but left the game a few moments later with a badly sprained ankle.
Fortunately, Glen Rice took up the scoring slack and Brian Shaw stepped in for Bryant and led L.A. to a 111-104 victory. But with Bryant’s status for game three unclear, Rice spoke for everyone after the game when he said, “When you lose a key player, one of the things you have to do is come together collectively. We may well be short again. Guys have to step up again.”
Bryant was crushed by the injury and did everything he could to prepare for game three, but was unable to play. Without him, the Lakers lost, 100-91. Suddenly, the Pacers seemed poised to take control of the series.
Few people expected Bryant to play in game four. He tried the ankle in practice but found it was still too sore. Many observers expected him to miss the remainder of the Finals.
An hour before game four, Bryant was still receiving treatment from team doctors. Although there was little danger he would hurt his foot more by playing on it, he was still in significant pain.
But when Bryant took the court before the game, his adrenaline started pumping and the ankle, heavily taped, began to feel better. He told Jackson he could play, and the coach put him in the starting lineup. The Lakers knew they couldn’t let the Pacers tie the series.
The two teams played each other even, neither giving in. When Shaq missed a short jump hook at the buzzer, the game was tied, 104-104; it was going to overtime.
Bryant’s ankle hadn’t been much of a factor thus far. He’d played well, but during time-outs could be seen noticeably limping. Now he had to play extra time.
Just a few minutes into overtime, the Lakers received a severe blow. Battling for a rebound, O’Neal was called for his sixth foul and had to leave the game.
Lakers fans groaned. O’Neal had been playing a great game and his loss gave the Pacers a huge advantage.
But as O’Neal trudged to the bench, Kobe Bryant approached him, winked, and whispered something. As Bryant said later, “This is the game you dream about as you’re growing up. You lose yourself in the moment. You’re consumed by the game.”
Coach Jackson sensed the time for L.A. to win was now. He later said, “I broke down our offense and went to an open-floor game for Kobe.”
Indiana immediately went on the attack. Their center, Rik Smits, hit a jump hook to draw the Pacers to within one of L.A., 112-111. Then Bryant got the ball.
He never thought about his late misses in the playoffs in the past. He drove down the court, stopped, stutter-stepped, and faked a drive. Then, as the defense reacted, he stepped back to give himself some room and calmly took a jump shot.
Swish! Nothing but net! The Lakers led, 114-111.
But Smits responded with another jump hook. Once again, the Lakers gave the ball to Bryant.
The Pacers must not have believed his earlier basket, because they gave Bryant some room to shoot again. Once more he stutter-stepped, faked, stepped back, and…
Swish! Nothing but net again. Lakers 116, Pacers 113. “I just relaxed like I was in my backyard,” Bryant said later.
The Pacers then answered with two free throws by Miller. But as the Pacer defense blanketed Bryant, Brian Shaw put back a miss by Rice to make the score 118-115. Then Smits hit two free throws to bring the Pacers back to within one at 118-117.
The Lakers had the ball with 28 seconds left. They tried to work down the clock. Forced to act before the 24-second clock ran out, Brian Shaw put up a shot.
It bounced off the rim.
Out of nowhere, Bryant flashed in, grabbed the rebound, and put it back to give the Lakers a 120-117 lead. The Pacers managed to sink a free throw in the final seconds, but Bryant and the Lakers came out on top, 120-118.
After the game, everyone wanted to talk about Kobe Bryant. “Kobe smelled it at the end of the game,” said Coach Jackson, “and he lifted us.”
“That was big-time tonight,” added Glen Rice. “He stepped up like a veteran. That just goes to show how much he’s matured.” A reporter then asked Shaq what Bryant had said when he had approached him after he’d fouled out in overtime. The big center smiled. “He said, ‘Don’t worry about it, I got it.’” That he certainly did. “That’s what a one-two punch can do for you,” he added. “When you injure your left hand, the right will step up and knock out the opponent.”
Bryant even impressed Pacer coach Larry Bird, who had been one of the greatest clutch players in NBA history during his career with the Boston Celtics. “It was awesome,” said Bird of Bryant’s performance. “Every shot was all net,” he said of Bryant’s 28 points on 14 of 27 shooting from the field. “We knew Kobe was going to take over. It’s just that we couldn’t stop him.”
Down three games to one, the Pacers didn’t fold, winning game five in a rout, 120-87. But in game six, the Lakers wouldn’t be denied.
Behind O’Neal and Bryant, they won, 116-111, to capture the NBA championship.
Bryant scored 26 points in the finale, including four critical free throws in the final 13 seconds. At the final buzzer, he and O’Neal embraced. The victory answered forever the question of whether the two stars could learn to play together.