CHAPTER TWELVE 2000-2002
CHAPTER TWELVE Kobe Bryant had proven himself a clutch player during the 2000 NBA Championships. When Shaq was troubled with injuries at the start of the 2000-2001 season, Kobe stepped up his play again. In November, he chalked up five consecutive games of thirty or more points. He earned Player of the Month honors in December thanks to his averages of 32.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.9 assists. A month later he had his first triple-double with 26 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists; he added another later in the season, as well as eight double-doubles.
Overall, the Lakers were having another good run, too. Shaq recovered and returned to the line up, and while there were times that he and Kobe disagreed, for the most part they were in sync—and that partnership helped the team to their second consecutive Playoffs. Los Angeles quickly dispatched the first three teams they faced, sweeping first Portland, thenSacramento, and finally San Antonio, to reach the finals against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Lakers were hungry to repeat their previous year’s victory, but they were dealt a blow in the first game when they lost to the Sixers, 107-101, in overtime. But that loss only served to whet their appetites. They took the next four games away from Philadelphia to win their second title in two years.
“We did it again!” Bryant cried after the fourth victory sealed their championship. Then he added, “We’re going to get another one next year. Back to back to back!”
But the possibility of a three-peat was by no means certain for the 2001-2002 Lakers. While they started the season off strong by winning 16 of their first 17 contests, midway through the schedule they had dropped to second place behind the Sacramento Kings. The two teams raced neck-and-neck throughout the remainder of the season and then met for a final showdown in the semifinals of the playoffs.
The Lakers took the first game, 106 to 99; Kobe accounted for 30 of LA’s points that night. The Kings fought back to win the next two, however, and then the teams traded victories—unbelievably close matches won by a single point each—to put the series at Kings 3, Lakers 2. If Sacramento won the next match, they would be going to the finals. The Lakers, on the other hand, needed two wins to advance.
They got them. In game 6, Shaq and Kobe combined for a total of 72 points to push their team ahead and tie the series. In game 7, the Lakers powered past the Kings in an edge-of-the-seat overtime that ended with Bryant draining two from the line to make the final score a decisive 112 to 106.
The Championship Series wasn’t quite as exciting as the semifinals. But if you were a Laker or a Laker fan, it was plenty satisfying. Los Angeles faced the New Jersey Nets in four times and beat them in each meeting. O’Neal was the star of the series and earned the MVP Award, but Bryant did his part by averaging 26.8 points per game and 5.3 assists. His best performance came in the final minutes of Game 3, when he hit two vital jump shots to preserve his team’s four-point lead.
Los Angeles celebrated their home team’s three-peat with a victory parade. At the parade’s end, Kobe took a turn at the podium in front of Staples Center. “I told you all last year we’re going back to back to back,” he said, his happy voice echoing as confetti flew through the air and cheers rose from the crowd of 150,000 fans. “We’ll be back next year. See you next year!”