The Lakers have many legendary playoff moments throughout their storied history, but very few are as legendary and replayed everywhere as the alley-oop from Kobe to Shaq to cap off their monumental fourth quarter comeback in Game Seven of the Western Conference Finals in 2000.
This was the play that stamped the arrival of the Kobe-Shaq era, and this would be the first of thee consecutive championships for the Lakers, but the Portland Trail Blazers almost stopped it before it ever started.
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The Blazers were an extremely talented and deep team that featured Rasheed Wallace, Scottie Pippen, Damon Stoudemire, Steve Smith and more. After the Lakers took a 3-1 series lead, the Blazers would win the next two games to force this Game 7 where they would take a 15-point fourth quarter lead. But the Lakers refused to lay down and would stage the greatest comeback in the history of Game Sevens.
The Lakers would embark on a 15-0 run, as the Blazers went ice cold from the field, to catch and overtake the Blazers. With a four-point lead and less than a minute remaining, Kobe would make one of the most famous plays of his career:
People always knock the Lakers crowd for arriving late and not being loud, but there is no denying that was one of the loudest reactions any playoff crowd has had to any play in NBA history.
Shaq’s reaction after the play is also one of the legendary moments as his show of exuberance was a sign that there was no doubt the Lakers would be heading to the NBA Finals.
This game also served as a launching pad for Kobe Bryant as, in the biggest game of his young career, he led the Lakers with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists, cementing himself as a bonafide superstar.
The Shaq-Kobe era produced some of the best and most dominant teams the NBA has ever seen and on this throwback Thursday, Lakers Nation salutes Kobe and Shaq for their alley-oop in game seven of the 2000 Western Conference Finals.
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