The 2001 Los Angeles Lakers are considered by many to be arguably the greatest team of this era and the epitome of a team that “flipped the switch.” Led by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, the Lakers swept through the entire Western Conference and seemed poised to do the same in the NBA Finals, but Philadelphia 76ers superstar Allen Iverson had other ideas.
In what has gone down as one of the most iconic NBA Finals performances in history, Iverson would score 48 points in Game 1 on the road, including seven points in overtime to lead the 76ers to a 107-101 victory. The MVP would cap his performance with the now infamous stepback baseline jumper, stepping over Lakers guard Tyronn Lue after icing the upset win and giving the 76ers a 1-0 series lead.
The NBA has recently premiered a new documentary about those 2001 76ers and their run to the Finals and when talking about his Game 1 performance, Iverson couldn’t even describe it, simply saying he was in the moment, via NBA TV:
“I can’t tell you what the feeling was like… I was in the moment.”
Allen Iverson on his iconic "step over" & Game 1 performance in the 2001 NBA Finals pic.twitter.com/0o1tQxGgGQ
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 1, 2023
It was extremely frustrating in the moment to witness the Lakers’ postseason run come to an end at the hands of this 76ers team they were expected to roll over. But Iverson was truly a player unlike any other and he was at the top of his game at that time. No one on the Lakers could stop him and that step over Lue has continued to live on in basketball lore.
What’s forgotten about in that contest is the fact that O’Neal was unbelievable as well with 44 points and 20 rebounds, but that has been lost to history because of the unreal Iverson showing.
Of course the Lakers would turn things around, win the next four games and win their second of three consecutive NBA Championships. But that Iverson performance remains one that will last through the history of time.
Robert Horry recalls Phil Jackson getting Lakers to bond
Those Lakers teams were able to win three straight NBA Championships because of their closeness as a group. It simply isn’t possible to achieve an accomplishment like that without cohesion and Robert Horry recalled Phil Jackson forcing the team to bond.
Horry appeared on the All The Smoke podcast and spoke about a particular road trip in which Jackson told the team not to make any plans. They would then all go to a comedy club together and have a great time, after which the team became much closer and began doing a lot more things together.
Many focus on the strategies and Xs and Os when it comes to coaches, but it is situations like these in which they can have just as much impact on the success of the team.
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