After going 11-0 in the first three rounds of the 2001 NBA Playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers entered the NBA Finals versus the Philadelphia 76ers widely expected to run the table and become the first team to win the NBA championship while going undefeated through the postseason.
The Sixers possessed league MVP Allen Iverson and Defensive Player of the Year Dikembe Mutombo, but no one else on their roster would’ve cracked the rotation of most other good or great teams.
Still, Philly shocked L.A. by defeating it in Game 1. It was the first time the Lakers had lost a game in over two calendar months. In Game 2, the Lakers returned to basics, and their two superstars set the tone.
Kobe Bryant bounced back after a lousy Game 1 with 31 points, eight rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocked shots. Meanwhile, Shaquille O’Neal had a huge outing: 28 points, 20 rebounds, nine assists and eight blocked shots.
After a tight first half, the Lakers pulled away from the stubborn Sixers for a 98-89 win, as their defense ignited a fair number of fast-break scores.
By the end of the contest, everything in the world seemed right again. Even though, at the time, it looked as if the teams were in for a dogfight the rest of the way, O’Neal’s brute force and Bryant’s skill and will proved way too much for the undermanned Sixers.
