Don't let Rich Paul's verbal diarrhea distract you from the fact that the 2001 Lakers are the Greatest Playoff team of all time:
- 15-1 Record; 8-0 on the road
- 13.7 Net Rating (NBA Record)
- Beat Four 50-win Playoff Teams
- Destroyed the #1 seed Spurs by 29 and 39 points respectively.
Playoff Stats:
Shaq: 30/15/3/2.4 blks/56% FG
Kobe: 29/7/6/1.6 stls/ 56% TS
Clutch Stats:
Shaq: 9 points on 34.4% TS
Kobe: 26 points on 62.7% TS
The 01 Lakers didn't just beat solid competition. They eviscerated them.
“Why isn’t Duncan higher on your list he should be higher than Kobe”
We respect Duncan but we don’t put him near Kobe sorry. Not when we know when it was all on the line who played like the best player on the planet when they faced each other.
2001 w/ Shaq swept Duncan
2002 w/ Shaq Gentlemen swept Duncan
2008 WITHOUT SHAQ, just like old times he Gentlemen swept Tim Duncan.
The common theme between Kobe and Duncan was Kobe hunting Duncan like he was a weak defender and not the all-time defender he is. People never talk about what happened in 2008 but Kobe fans won’t let y’all forget. Footage below 👇🏾
Stephen Curry warms up in the “All-Star” Kobe 11 — the “Northern Lights” themed pair worn by Kobe Bryant at his final All-Star Game in 2016 in Toronto.
📷: @SooWavy11 / https://t.co/elVzIF8xAb
NBA Finals Game 4s:
A potential turning point.
Where series leads get established.
Or series deficits get reset.
Some of history's best pre-2000s Game 4 moments 🔥