Who can beat the 00-01 Lakers in a 7 game series

[clutchinho]

The 00-01 Lakers are one of the great teams in history, going 15-1 in the playoffs. The team was top-heavy on talent, but when you have 2 top 10 all time talents in their primes on the same team, playing in a system that accommodated both their strengths that is enough to overcome any lack of depth. The team won 56 games and their division despite not giving a shit about the regular season, a season long power struggle between 2 best players, Shaq and Kobe both missing 10+ games, Fisher missing almost the entire season due to a foot injury and starting a 35 year old Horace Grant and Brian Shaw for much of the season.

Once they got going, it was all over, the team swept the entire western conference(just as strong as the west of today), including the stacked Blazers, the Webber Kings and the Duncan Spurs behind an absurd 30-15 from Shaq, 30-7-6 from Kobe, lights out shooting from Derek Fisher and a steady veteran crew that provided steady heads and leadership.

With that combination of elite inside-outside game and coaching, cant see any team in the modern post-expansion era that can beat these guys in a 7 game series.

[SpanishACB]

you hack shaq

[SouBeachTalents]

Since 2000, the best challengers would be

2000 Trail Blazers
2002 Kings
2004 Pistons
2008 Celtics
2014 Spurs

[clutchinho]

you hack shaq

Not a viable strategy in any playoff series unless if the guy is a historically bad free throw shooter which Shaq isnt.

Scoring goes down in the playoffs so all hack a Shaq will achieve is guarantee at least 1 point per possession (which is worth more than on a regular season possession) and get your bigs in foul trouble.

[ImKobe]

Didn't that team go nearly undefeated in the playoffs? If it wasn't for them letting their guard down in the first game of the finals and losing in overtime, they surely would have swept the playoffs. Arguably the GOAT team with two top 8 players in their primes and GOAT caoch.. I don't see anyone beating them if the role players show up.

2014 Spurs are a great team, but even they're no match IMO. Lets not forget they struggled with the Mavs in the 1st round.

2008 Celtics would do better, but Perkins and Garnett would get bullied badly in the paint.

2004 Pistons have good enough interior and perimeter guys to slow down the Lakers in 04.. but I don't see them having that same level of success vs a healthy 2001 Lakers squad.

IMO.. they are the greatest team in NBA history for a single season.

2001 Lakers are miles ahead of the 04 Lakers, that team had shit chemistry, an out of shape Shaq and a Kobe that was not 100% due to multiple injuries/surgeries & court stuff...

No team in NBA history could beat the 01 Lakers.

[clutchinho]

No team in NBA history could beat the 01 Lakers.

Wouldnt quite go that far, they were extremely dependent on Shaq/Kobe, the 3rd best player on the team wouldn't even be close to a top 50 player in the NBA that season. Any sort of injury or trigger to the already volatile relationship between Shaq/Kobe would completely derail this team.


Agree that the 00-01 Lakers at the peak of their powers (like they played in the playoff run) would be almost impossible to beat.

[ImKobe]

Wouldnt quite go that far, they were extremely dependent on Shaq/Kobe, the 3rd best player on the team wouldn't even be close to a top 50 player in the NBA that season. Any sort of injury or trigger to the already volatile relationship between Shaq/Kobe would completely derail this team.


Agree that the 00-01 Lakers at the peak of their powers (like they played in the playoff run) would be almost impossible to beat.

Come to think of it, 80s Lakers/Celtics would give them a tough series. Magic/Kareem/Cooper/Worthy/Scott would be tough to contain.

[Jlamb47]

I would have to agree, GOAT team.
Shaq is too big inside and Kobe was str8 beast putting up crazy numbers and clutch

[SouBeachTalents]

2001 Lakers are miles ahead of the 04 Lakers, that team had shit chemistry, an out of shape Shaq and a Kobe that was not 100% due to multiple injuries/surgeries & court stuff...

No team in NBA history could beat the 01 Lakers.

Teams like the '96 Bulls, '86 Celtics, and '87 Magic could definitely beat the '01 Lakers

[HOoopCityJones]

Teams like the '96 Bulls, '86 Celtics, and '87 Magic could definitely beat the '01 Lakers

Who guards Shaq?

Who guards Kobe?

[T_L_P]

It depends. Are we transporting all of the players' production in these hypothetical matchups? If so, no.

But if Fisher isn't so hot in the series -- as he was the 01 Playoffs -- then yes, there are teams that could beat them. 02 Kings would have a good shot. 96 Bulls too.

[ArbitraryWater]

Who guards Shaq?

Who guards Kobe?

Who guards Bird? Who guards McHale? Who guards Magic?



And btw, obviously MJ guards Kobe, and there are several great perimeter defenders on those 80's Celtics and Lakers teams... Who, I'm sure you've never heard about.

[AboutBuckets]

'86 Celtics would have been able to keep up offensively, but there's no way Parish or Walton (at that stage of his career) would have been able to check Shaq defensively. Boston would have had to double team, and Shaq's passing from the post is a highly underrated aspect of his game, the Lakers would have exploited the double.

The '96 bulls would have been able to contain Kobe pretty easily and Longley (7'2, 270) would have been able to bang with Shaq a bit, but Shaq still would by the end of the game wear out the Bulls frontcourt either energy-wise or via foul trouble. Would have been sweet to see near-prime Rodman on prime Shaq though

[T_L_P]

89 Pistons too.

Laimbeer and Rodman could play Shaq like the Wallace's played Duncan in 05 (the C guarding him and the PF doubling with frequent movement to stop the pass to the open man). Dumars defended Jordan very well. I suspect he'd give Kobe trouble. Isiah would need to score big time though and so would the Microwave. Laimbeer had range; run PnR and exploit the shit out of Shaq.

[deja vu]

Who guards Shaq?

Who guards Kobe?

You can't guard Shaq but everyone else can be defended pretty well.