Kobe Bryant: 1999-2000 Season    

The Coach:  Enter Phil Jackson, stage right, on June 16, 1999. Kobe learns to be a player who moved beyond the flash and glitz. Give the credit to Jackson for that? Yes and No. He figured out how to meld the raw talent into the team game. Kobe seemed to learn how to become even better because of it.

The New:  New Coach. New arena (in The Great Western Forum for two games, then on to the Staples Center). New Kobe. New engagement (sorry ladies). New Team. New attitude. New Dynasty? Maybe...

The Improved:  With virtually the same playing time (38.2 vs 37.9 minutes per game in 98-99), Kobe again improved his averages in the major statistical categories, scoring 2.6 more points, snaring 1 more rebound, and distributing 1.1 more assists per game. Kobe played in only 66 games, due primarily to a broken hand at the beginning of the season. Despite that setback, Kobe was named to the All-NBA Second Team and All-Defensive First Team.

The Streaks:  The Lakers rolled to a 25-5 record to begin the season, even without Kobe for half of the games. During the season, the Lakers dominated the league during two awesome winning streaks, one for 16 games and the other for 19.

The Miracle:  Entering the Playoffs with the second best regular season record in franchise history (67-15), surpassed only by the 71-72 record of 69-13, the Lakers were expected to stomp on any team they encountered. However, it took a miraculous comeback against the Portland Trailblazers in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals to propel the Lakers back to the Big Event in professional basketball, The NBA Finals.

After blowing a 3-1 series lead, the Lakers fell behind the Trailblazers 73-58 with just 10:28 to play in the fourth quarter of Game 7. The Lakers seemed to have collapsed in the third quarter, watching Portland go on an 18-2 run. Then, sparked by Shaq, Brian Shaw, and great defense, especially by Kobe, the Lakers made their miraculous run. Kobe redeemed himself for some poor free throw shooting earlier in the game by hitting two free throws to finally put the Lakers in the lead for good, 81-79. He followed that with a great lob pass to Shaq, who shook Staples Center with an awesome slam for a commanding 85-79 lead with just 40 seconds to play. Kobe finished the game with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists. More importantly, Kobe and the Lakers were going to play in the 2000 NBA Finals.

The Finals:  Despite their near collapse in the Western Conference Finals, the Lakers entered the 2000 NBA Finals with home court advantage and as heavy favorites against the Indiana Pacers. Led by Reggie Miller, one of the best streak 3-point shooters in NBA history, the Pacers had defeated the New York Knicks 4-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals to reach the NBA Finals for the first time ever. In Game 6, Miller hit five of seven three-pointers, including four in about 6 1/2 minutes late in the game.

• The Warm Up Game:  At Los Angeles - The Lakers dominated the first quarter and took a 33-18 lead, but the Pacers hung tough through three quarters (77-71). Shaq established deep post position at will, and the offense clearly was run through and focused on him. Kobe managed to score 14 points, second only to Shaq's 43 for the Lakers. At 6-for-13 shooting, Kobe simply didn't need to score. Instead, he contributed 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 blocked shots, and 1 steal, despite being slowed by four personal fouls by the end of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Lakers easily pulled away for a 104-87 victory. Not bad for Indiana, considering Shaq's 21-for-31 performance and Miller's 1-for-16 shooting. Lakers 1 - Pacers 0.

• The Injury Game:  At Los Angeles - The Pacers started the game by getting Miller off to 8 of their first 14 points and were behind by only 1 after the first quarter, 29-28. Despite the lead, the first quarter brought what could have been a disaster. Kobe sprained his ankle after only nine minutes of play and 2 points and would not return in Game 2. In Kobe's absence, Shaq's 40 points and 19 rebounds, along with 21 points each from veterans Glen Rice and Ron Harper, carried the Lakers to another victory, 111-104. Lakers fans could almost smell another banner. Lakers 2 - Pacers 0.

• The DNP Game:  At Indiana - Kobe was unable to return to the lineup for Game 3, and the Lakers could not make the right adjustments. The Pacers managed to increase the tempo of the game and get Reggie Miller more involved, a bad combination for the set offense-minded Lakers. Leading after every quarter break by at least eight points, the Pacers took Game 3, 100-91. Lakers 2 - Pacers 1.

• The Comeback Game:  At Indiana - Kobe came back for Game 4. Lakers fans can be thankful. Hobbling on his injured ankle early in the game, Kobe tallied 28 points on 14-for-27 shooting in 47 minutes of play in what would be the most exciting game of the series. Also contributing 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 blocked shots and 1 steal, Kobe picked up foul number four in third quarter. Coach Phil Jackson left him in the game, and Kobe responded by scoring 10 more points in the quarter. With the lead changing hands several times down the stretch, neither team could finish off the other, and the game went into overtime at 104-104.

  The Lakers got off to a five point lead in overtime, but Shaq fouled out of the game with 2:33 to play. With Pacers fans drooling at the their prospects, Kobe simply took over, hitting several big shots down the stretch, including two long jumpers and a put-back of a Brian Shaw miss. Kobe and the Lakers held on to win 120-118, as Miller's last second shot bounced off the rim and over the backboard. Many Lakers fans point to this game as Kobe's emergence to NBA Superstardom. Lakers 3 - Pacers 1.

• The Oops Game:  At Indiana - Game 5, for the Lakers, could best be described as their "oops" game, as in, "Oops, we forgot that we still have to win another game to be NBA Champions." Give the Pacers credit, they came out running, firing and connecting on shots they'd been missing in the first four games. Jalen Rose hit for 32 and Miller hit for 25 on combined 19-for-30 shooting. For the Lakers, Shaq still got his points, 35 of them on 17-for-27 shooting, but the rest of the team was shut down - Glen Rice was the next highest scorer with only 11. Ron Harper and Kobe were next with only 8 each. If Lakers fans were saying Kobe had begun to show NBA Superstar status in Game 4, his critics and naysayers were pointing to Game 5 to disprove their claim. Shooting only 4-for-20 shooting, Kobe did manage to contribute 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Lakers 3 - Pacers 2.

• The Title Game:  At Los Angeles - Carrying their momentum from a near-victory in Game 4 and a solid blowout of the Lakers in Game 5, the Pacers established early that Game 6 back in Los Angeles was not going to simply be handed to the Lakers. In fact, Indiana led at the end of three out of the four quarters. Fortunately (for Lakers and Kobe fans), those quarters were the first three, and the Lakers decided to play like Champions in the fourth.

  Published reports had Reggie Miller saying, "We won the first three rounds, but lost the most important one, and that was the fourth round."

  In the fourth quarter, the Lakers used an 18-8 run and 37 total points to overcome the determined Indiana Pacers and win the NBA Championship. Shaq took over the game in the quarter, scoring 13 points on 6-for-6 shooting, despite only hitting 1 of 7 free throws. Kobe was almost the perfect complement to Shaq, hitting only 1 of 7 shots, but nailing down 6 of 6 free throws to go with 4 rebounds and 2 assists (both on feeds to Shaq). Kobe finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocked shots, and 1 steal. If Game 4 was his coming-out game, Game 6 was probably his best all-around game, despite his somewhat erratic shooting (8-for-27). Game 6 also showed that Kobe was ready to step up in the clutch. Four of his six made free throws in the fourth quarter - in the last 13 seconds.

  7 and 12 were the numbers of the day: The seventh Championship for the Los Angeles Lakers - Phil Jackson's seventh Championship as a Coach (six with the Chicago Bulls) - 12 Championships for the Franchise (five as the Minneapolis Lakers) - The first Lakers Championship in 12 seasons.

  Lakers 4 - Pacers 2. 1999-2000 NBA Champions: Los Angeles Lakers

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Kobe Bryant - Los Angeles Lakers

  Practice Tips by Kobe Bryant on MCSports

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