“It was a tough two years in between,” Bryant told reporters.
In a recent interview with CBS Sports’ James Herbert, he spilled the beans (no pun intended) on how he coped with losing: Like most stars, Bryant could only take the loss in stride with plenty of work to do over the summer.Ĭonfetti fell to the new parquet and the Celtics’ stereo blasted Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing.” Recently, Bryant shared the pain and misery of defeat he experienced while exiting the Celtics’ home-court amidst their win. The Celtics secured the largest margin of victory in Finals history in a 131-92 throttling. Not even Bryant’s heroic antics could save the series. The team’s 17th title was in their grasp, and only Bryant and his Lakers teammates stood in between it. The team rallied the next game, but the Celtics were on a mission headed home. The Lakers were on the brink of elimination. Bryant made only six baskets good for 19 points. The Lakers were up by as many as 24 points before losing 97-91. One of the most devastating things included the team blowing a huge lead at home in Game 4.
2008 WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS SERIES
Things were rough throughout the entire series for Bryant and the Lakers. This marked Bryant’s fifth trip to the NBA Finals, and his first without Shaquille O’Neal. Despite the league’s best record and combination of All-Stars, the Lakers were still favored going into the game. The Celtics were fresh of a 66-win season after a summer of adding Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to form “The Big Three” with Paul Pierce. Bryant was on a collision course with history. The team was able to defeat the Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, and San Antonio Spurs, who had all won 50 or more games on the year. Surprising Austin Reaves contract detail confirms Lakers got him for a stealĭespite injuries to Andrew Bynum and a late returning Trevor Ariza, the Lakers fared well throughout the playoffs.A surprise LeBron ranking should raise alarm bells for the Lakers.NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers.Lakers rotation comes into focus after a major signing.How LeBron can follow in Kobe’s footsteps and bolster his legacy in 2024.It is debatable whether a few terrific seasons qualifies O’Neal as a player who gets his number retired there is no denying his key role in the team’s early 2000s relative success. He would go on to play for the Heat, the Celtics, the Suns, and the Golden State Warriors. The rest if his time at the Pacers was hampered by injuries and while he never recaptured his top form, before being traded to the Raptors in 2008. In the play-offs they beat the Celtics, then the Heat before losing the Eastern Conference finals to the eventual champions, the Detroit Pistons. The league-best performance by the Indiana team was enough to see O’Neal finish third in the NBA MVP rankings that season. It was in the 2003/4 season where the Pacers really enjoyed their best regular season, winning 61 games, with O’Neal averaging 20.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. He helped the Pacers to 42 wins and a playoff spot, before losing to a red-hot Brooklyn Nets team in five match series, despite going into overtime twice. In his first season at the Pacers O’Neal won the Most Improved Player of the Year and the All-NBA Third team, the 2 nd pacer to hold this honor after Reggie Muller. The sixth overall pick in the 2016 draft, Hield played for the Pelicans and the Kings, before joining the Indiana team last year. My statement has nothing to do with him,” he added. Hield is a former Pelicans and Sacramento Kings player. This after watching the Pacers hand Buddy Hield his number. “It’s been confusing and disappointing to say the least!” “It is disappointing to watch teams every year recognize and celebrate the players who have been the franchise’s very best players on and off the court but yet the Pacers don’t,” he said on social media recently. O’Neal was picked as the 17 th overall pick in 1996 by the Portland team, and enjoyed four seasons at the ‘Blazers, before moving to the Indiana Pacers. He was at that stage the youngest ever player, but was surpassed by LA Lakers’ Andrew Bynhum, who was 18 years and six days old. He also holds the distinction of being the second youngest player in history to make his NFL debut, for the Trailblazers aged 18 years and 53 days. He was twice named as an NBA-All-Star in that period (20) and was the winner of the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 2002. Former Paces centre Jermaine O’Neal is disappointed the Indiana team has not retired his number after spending eight seasons with the team, from 2000-2008.
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