2000 NBA Finals: Difference between revisions
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Along with these starters, the Lakers also had a strong bench lineup. [[Robert Horry]] has had championship experience with the [[Houston Rockets]], and was a threat at the perimeter as well as a defensive star. [[Derek Fisher]] was a point-guard defender who had long range shooting. [[Rick Fox]], who was from the [[Boston Celtics]], was the sixth man of the Lakers. With a healthy Shaquille O'Neal, the Lakers dominated the regular season, hitting winning streaks of 11, 16, and 19 en route to a 67-15 record, tying the 1992 Chicago Bulls and 1986 Boston Celtics as the fifth best record in the NBA. |
Along with these starters, the Lakers also had a strong bench lineup. [[Robert Horry]] has had championship experience with the [[Houston Rockets]], and was a threat at the perimeter as well as a defensive star. [[Derek Fisher]] was a point-guard defender who had long range shooting. [[Rick Fox]], who was from the [[Boston Celtics]], was the sixth man of the Lakers. With a healthy Shaquille O'Neal, the Lakers dominated the regular season, hitting winning streaks of 11, 16, and 19 en route to a 67-15 record, tying the 1992 Chicago Bulls and 1986 Boston Celtics as the fifth best record in the NBA. |
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The Lakers were expected to make a trip to the Finals, but the road would be a rocky one. In the first round the Lakers took the first 2 games against the [[Sacramento Kings]], only to drop 2 in [[Sacramento]]. The Lakers then easily dispatched Sacramento in Game 5 to face the [[Phoenix Suns]]. The Lakers clobbered the Suns, winning the series 4-1 with the only defeat by a massive 30 point margin in Game 4, and would face the [[Portland Trail Blazers]]. In Game 1, [[Rasheed Wallace]] was ejected because of 2 technical fouls, and the Lakers took advantage and won. The Trail Blazers stormed back in Game 2, giving the Lakers their worst home loss in the season (106-77). This did not affect the Lakers as they took the next 2 in [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]], gaining a 3-1 series lead. The Lakers, however, then underestimated the Trail Blazers, who took the next 2, forcing a Game 7. |
The Lakers were expected to make a trip to the Finals, but the road would be a rocky one. In the first round the Lakers took the first 2 games against the [[Sacramento Kings]], only to drop 2 in [[Sacramento]]. The Lakers then easily dispatched Sacramento in Game 5 to face the [[Phoenix Suns]]. The Lakers clobbered the Suns, winning the series 4-1 with the only defeat by a massive 30 point margin in Game 4, and would face the [[Portland Trail Blazers]]. In Game 1, [[Rasheed Wallace]] was ejected because of 2 technical fouls, and the Lakers took advantage and won. The Trail Blazers stormed back in Game 2, giving the Lakers their worst home loss in the season (106-77). This did not affect the Lakers as they took the next 2 in [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]], gaining a 3-1 series lead. The Lakers, however, then underestimated the Trail Blazers, who took the next 2, forcing a Game 7. After Dick Bavetta made several questionable calls against Arvydas Sabonis, Portland suffered a meltdown as the Lakers rallied back from a 75-60 4th quarter deficit with a 25-4 run en route to the NBA Finals. |
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===Indiana Pacers=== |
===Indiana Pacers=== |
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Revision as of 21:58, 23 May 2011
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| Dates | June 7–19 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MVP | Shaquille O'Neal (Los Angeles Lakers) | |||||||||
| Hall of Famers | Coaches: Larry Bird (1998, player) Phil Jackson (2007) Tex Winter (2011) | |||||||||
| Eastern finals | Pacers defeat Knicks, 4-2 | |||||||||
| Western finals | Lakers defeat Trail Blazers, 4-3 | |||||||||
 |
The 2000 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1999-2000 National Basketball Association season. The Los Angeles Lakers of the Western Conference took on the Indiana Pacers of the Eastern Conference for the title, with the Lakers holding home court advantage. The series is played under a best-of-seven format, so the first team to collect four game victories wins the series.
The Lakers won the series 4 games to 2. Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal was named the Most Valuable Player of the series. Until 2008, this was the last NBA Finals where both number one seeds from each conference faced off.
Background
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers were one of the most talented teams in the NBA, but despite this, they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the 1999 NBA playoffs. Twenty-four days after being swept by the eventual NBA Champion, the Lakers signed Phil Jackson as head coach. Jackson, who coached the 6-time champion Chicago Bulls would build his triangle offense around Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. General Manager Jerry West surrounded Shaq and Kobe with role players such as Glen Rice; Ron Harper, who had experience with Jackson's triangle offense as part of the '96-'98 Chicago Bulls; and A. C. Green, a member of the last two Laker championship teams.
Along with these starters, the Lakers also had a strong bench lineup. Robert Horry has had championship experience with the Houston Rockets, and was a threat at the perimeter as well as a defensive star. Derek Fisher was a point-guard defender who had long range shooting. Rick Fox, who was from the Boston Celtics, was the sixth man of the Lakers. With a healthy Shaquille O'Neal, the Lakers dominated the regular season, hitting winning streaks of 11, 16, and 19 en route to a 67-15 record, tying the 1992 Chicago Bulls and 1986 Boston Celtics as the fifth best record in the NBA.
The Lakers were expected to make a trip to the Finals, but the road would be a rocky one. In the first round the Lakers took the first 2 games against the Sacramento Kings, only to drop 2 in Sacramento. The Lakers then easily dispatched Sacramento in Game 5 to face the Phoenix Suns. The Lakers clobbered the Suns, winning the series 4-1 with the only defeat by a massive 30 point margin in Game 4, and would face the Portland Trail Blazers. In Game 1, Rasheed Wallace was ejected because of 2 technical fouls, and the Lakers took advantage and won. The Trail Blazers stormed back in Game 2, giving the Lakers their worst home loss in the season (106-77). This did not affect the Lakers as they took the next 2 in Portland, gaining a 3-1 series lead. The Lakers, however, then underestimated the Trail Blazers, who took the next 2, forcing a Game 7. After Dick Bavetta made several questionable calls against Arvydas Sabonis, Portland suffered a meltdown as the Lakers rallied back from a 75-60 4th quarter deficit with a 25-4 run en route to the NBA Finals.
Indiana Pacers
In the 1997-1998 NBA season, Chicago Bulls were nearly defeated by the Indiana Pacers in 7 games in the Eastern Conference Finals, concluding one of the greatest Pacers seasons ever. The 1999 NBA season was a lockout season, where the Pacers would also see their season end at the Eastern Conference Finals, this time to the New York Knicks. The 1999-2000 season would see many changes to the Pacers, including a new arena, the Conseco Fieldhouse. Another change is trading their veteran big man, Antonio Davis for the rights to No. 5 overall pick Jonathan Bender. Jalen Rose would be put into the starting line up, winning the NBA Most Improved Player award, while Austin Croshere replaced him as the sixth man.
The Pacers would start the season 7-7, barely even making a playoff run, but would eventually finish with a 56-26, the best in the east. In the season, the Pacers would win 25 straight in their new arena, a franchise record. The Pacers, like the Lakers, would struggle in the playoffs. They needed a Travis Best three-point clutch play to dispatch the Milwaukee Bucks in 5 games. They faced the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round, dispatching them in six games. The Pacers would face their rival Knicks, but unlike the previous year, they ended up victorious. The Pacers would enter the NBA Finals for the first time, to face the Lakers as well as being the second former ABA team to make the NBA Finals.
2000 NBA Finals Roster
2000 Los Angeles Lakers
2000 Indiana Pacers
Series summary
| Game | Date | Home Team | Result | Road Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | June 7 | Los Angeles Lakers | 104-87 (1-0) | Indiana Pacers |
| Game 2 | June 9 | Los Angeles Lakers | 111-104 (2-0) | Indiana Pacers |
| Game 3 | June 11 | Indiana Pacers | 100-91 (1-2) | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Game 4 | June 14 | Indiana Pacers | 118-120 OT (1-3) | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Game 5 | June 16 | Indiana Pacers | 120-87 (2-3) | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Game 6 | June 19 | Los Angeles Lakers | 116-111 (4-2) | Indiana Pacers |
The Finals were played using a 2-3-2 site format, where the first two and last two games are held at the team with home court advantage. The NBA, after experimenting in the early years, restored this original format for the Finals in 1985. As of yet, the other playoff series are still running on a 2-2-1-1-1 site format.
This was the second time a Finals game was played on a Monday night since the NBA switched to the Wednesday-Friday-Sunday rotation in 1991. In the previous five series ('92-'94, '96, '98) that needed a Game 6, the game was played on a Sunday. In this series, however, the NBA chose to play the game the Monday night after Father's Day. The previous Finals game played on a Monday night was Game 3 of the 1999 NBA Finals.
Game 1
June 7
|
| Indiana Pacers 87, Los Angeles Lakers 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–33, 25–22, 28–22, 16–27 | ||
| Pts: Mark Jackson 18 Rebs: Dale Davis 8 Asts: Mark Jackson 7 |
Pts: Shaquille O'Neal 43 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 19 Asts: Bryant, Harper 5 each | |
| Los Angeles leads the series, 1–0 | ||
Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 18,997 Referees:
|
The Lakers dominated from the start. The Lakers shot 15-20 in the first period while the Pacers shot only 7-20. Reggie Miller would miss all of his shots in the first quarter to give the Lakers a 15 point lead. Austin Croshere came off the bench to keep the Pacers alive in the 2nd quarter, scoring 9 points and grabbing 4 rebounds in the quarter. Although the Pacers attempted a comeback in the 2nd quarter, they were still down by 12. In the 3rd quarter, it would be Mark Jackson who led the Pacers to a comeback, cutting the Lakers lead by 2. Reggie Miller also hit his first field goal in the 3rd quarter, though it would be his last. The Lakers destroyed the Pacers in the final quarter, with a 13-2 run winning by 17 points. Shaquille O'neal scored 43 points and grabbed 19 rebounds.
Game 2
June 9
|
| Indiana Pacers 104, Los Angeles Lakers 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–28, 21–24, 20–21, 31–38 | ||
| Pts: Jalen Rose 30 Rebs: Dale Davis 10 Asts: Mark Jackson 8 |
Pts: Shaquille O'Neal 40 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 24 Asts: Brian Shaw 7 | |
| Los Angeles leads the series, 2–0 | ||
Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 18,997 Referees:
|
Los Angeles and Indiana were evenly matched for the first period, both scoring 28. But Los Angeles suffered a major setback when Kobe Bryant left the game in the 2nd quarter due to a sprained ankle and did not return. Ron Harper went in for Bryant and scored 21 points for the game. Desperate to try to gain the lead, Larry Bird resorted to the "Hack-a-Shaq" strategy. Shaq shot 39 free throws, making only 18, an NBA record for most free throws in a Finals game. Despite this low percentage, Shaq made 9 of 16 in the 4th quarter to keep a Lakers lead. The Pacers cut the lead to 99-96 and were looking to foul Shaq, but when Shaq got the ball he passed to Robert Horry who converted not only the layup, but the foul shot as well giving them a 102-96 lead en route to a 111-104 Laker victory.
Game 3
June 11
|
| Los Angeles Lakers 91, Indiana Pacers 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 15–23, 27–30, 24–26, 25–21 | ||
| Pts: Shaquille O'Neal 33 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 13 Asts: Derek Fisher 10 |
Pts: Reggie Miller 33 Rebs: Dale Davis 12 Asts: Mark Jackson 6 | |
| Los Angeles leads the series, 2–1 | ||
Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Attendance: 18,345 Referees:
|
Due to Kobe Bryant's ankle injury, Indiana was able to get back into the series. Kobe's absence was felt as the Pacers had an 11-2 run in the first quarter to take an 8-point lead. Austin Croshere once again had another huge 2nd quarter, scoring 8 points as the Pacers scored 61%.[clarification needed] The Lakers tried to make a run to get back into the game, but once they did Indiana answered with 12 straight points and led by 17. The Lakers were desperate and attempted another run to get within 3 points but Reggie Miller nailed all his free throws at the end of the game to give Indiana a 9-point win.
Game 4
June 14
|
| Los Angeles Lakers 120, Indiana Pacers 118 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–33, 28–21, 29–23, 24–27, Overtime: 16–14 | ||
| Pts: Shaquille O'Neal 36 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 21 Asts: Kobe Bryant 5 |
Pts: Reggie Miller 35 Rebs: Dale Davis 8 Asts: Mark Jackson 8 | |
| Los Angeles leads the series, 3–1 | ||
Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Attendance: 18,345 Referees:
|
The Pacers took a quick 9-2 lead due to Rik Smits hitting his first four shots. Kobe Bryant attempted to play with his sore ankle, but only managed to score 6 points in the first half. Even though Bryant and O'Neal were in foul trouble in the first half (each picking up number 3 with 5 minutes remaining in the second quarter), Indiana could not take advantage and did not extend their lead. This would be a problem as Kobe Bryant scored 10 points and the Lakers took a 62-60 lead due to a Glen Rice three-pointer. The game remained close going into the fourth quarter, when O'Neal and Reggie Miller scored 14 and 13 points respectively, sending the game into overtime. Midway through overtime, O'Neal committed his sixth foul but 21-year-old Bryant delivered three clutch shots, as the Lakers were able to overcome back-up center John Salley's inability to effectively defend Smits. Smits and Miller scored all 14 of Indiana's OT points, but it was not enough to overcome as Miller missed a last-second three-pointer, and L.A. was able to pull one out in Indianapolis.
Game 5
June 16
|
| Los Angeles Lakers 87, Indiana Pacers 120 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–39, 17–25, 22–22, 20–34 | ||
| Pts: Shaquille O'Neal 35 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 11 Asts: Ron Harper 5 |
Pts: Jalen Rose 32 Rebs: Austin Croshere 9 Asts: Mark Jackson 7 | |
| Los Angeles leads the series, 3–2 | ||
Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Attendance: 18,345 Referees:
|
Reggie Miller and the Pacers dominated the game from the start in what would be Larry Bird's last game as a coach in Indiana. Reggie Miller came out and made 5 straight shots including a 4-point play. The Pacers would have a 20 point lead in the 2nd quarter, and eventually won by 33 - it was the worst Lakers NBA Finals loss since the 148-114 loss to Boston in the 1985 NBA Finals, known as the "Memorial Day Massacre."
Game 6
June 19
|
| Indiana Pacers 111, Los Angeles Lakers 116 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–24, 30–29, 28–26, 27–37 | ||
| Pts: Jalen Rose 29 Rebs: Dale Davis 14 Asts: Mark Jackson 11 |
Pts: Shaquille O'Neal 41 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 12 Asts: Ron Harper 9 | |
| Los Angeles wins the series, 4–2 | ||
Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 18,997 Referees:
|
The Pacers came into Game 6 having plenty of confidence in their ability to force a Game 7. Indiana held the lead for much of the game as Reggie Miller, Jalen Rose, and Austin Croshere all connected from three-point range and Dale Davis provided 20 points and 14 rebounds. However, in the 4th quarter, things started to fall apart as Robert Horry provided 8 quick points off the bench and the dynamic duo of Shaq and Kobe took over. The Lakers outscored the Pacers 37-27 in the final period and clinched their 12th NBA title. They would go on to win championships in the next two seasons to become just the fourth franchise to pull off a three-peat.
Aftermath
This was the first NBA championship for the Lakers since 1988. It was also the first major professional sports championship for the city of Los Angeles since the Dodgers won that year's World Series.
The Lakers went on to score a 'three-peat' when they won the NBA championship in 2001 and 2002. However, the Lakers were unable to score home-court advantage throughout the playoffs in the latter two, yielding them to the San Antonio Spurs and Sacramento Kings, respectively. However the Lakers were able to beat both of them in the Conference Finals. They won the championship over the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets, respectively.
The series would be the Pacers' last finals appearance to date. The Pacers would rebuild in the subsequent season. Retiring center Rik Smits was replaced by future NBA All-Star Jermaine O'Neal, acquired from Portland in the deal for Dale Davis. Mark Jackson and Chris Mullin both left as free-agents, and Larry Bird resigned as head coach. Bird would resurface as President of Basketball Operations in 2003. The Pacers continued to make the post-season until 2006, the year after Reggie Miller retired.
See also
External links
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