A miracle. In history, and after a dantesque meeting, this date will remain engraved as the one that allowed the Lakers to return to the Finals, nine years after their last participation. A performance to highlight because, at that time, the franchise with 16 champion banners had never taken “so” long before reaching this stage of the competition once again. But it was hard against these talented Blazers.
However, many of them did not give much of the skin to Portland, trailing 3-1 at the end of Game 4. Just as many of them did not give much of the skin to Los Angeles, led 75-60 at 10 minutes and 28 seconds from the end of Game 7. In the end, one way or the other, a memorable comeback was going to be accomplished that evening, at the Staples Center. And it is the locals, back from hell, who will have had the last word.
Outrageous domination then full-blown collapse
In a match where defenses generally took precedence over attacks, the players of “Rip City” mastered the debates for three full quarters, before collapsing against their Californian counterparts, certainly transcended by the fact of find themselves ten short minutes from elimination, in front of their audience.
One thing is certain, Scottie Pippen, Rasheed Wallace, Steve Smith and their teammates can (and still must) regret their 13 missed shots in a row in the space of eight minutes (from 10 minutes 58 to 2 minutes 58). They will also have completed this final quarter with a very bad address of 5/23. A real implosion which allowed the Angelenos to nibble their delay under the impulse of Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal or Brian Shaw (24 points between them over the period).
And what better to illustrate this domination than this mythical alley-oop between the “Black Mamba” and the freshly elected MVP, 41 seconds from the final buzzer… “ I thought I had thrown the ball too high. But Shaq got up and grabbed her, I was like, ‘Damn it!’ », even said the full-back after the game.
Kobe Bryant, precisely, is undoubtedly the one who tipped the game in favor of the “Purple & Gold” with his asphyxiating defense and his offensive bursts, embellished with actions more decisive than each other in hot moments. . Top scorer of his training with 25 points (not to mention 11 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 blocks), he was able to fill the shy performance of Shaq, constantly taken by two defenders and author of 18 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists.
This famous fourth quarter of Game 7, finally won 31-13 by the Lakers, was obviously entitled to its share of controversy. Several Blazers players of that time will also say that the referees had their share of responsibility in this defeat, with their contentious whistles and granting a plethora of free throws to Phil Jackson’s men (37, against 16 for their opponents ).
A match heavy with consequences
Years later, it’s an understatement to say that the pill is still hard to swallow on the Oregon side, and more particularly for the actors of the time. In 2016, Damon Stoudamire declared for example that this episode was still painful for him. ” We were really so close to reaching the Finals. But things happened. We couldn’t get a single shot in. At the same time, we couldn’t make the slightest stop in defense. And in basketball, it’s the worst possible combination. »
As for his teammate Steve Smith, he still did not take off the arbitration decisions in 2018. ” I want to see all the fouls that haven’t been called. Below. All. These. Whore. Angles. […] Rasheed [Wallace] had been kicked out for a look in this series. I’m still bitter about it. And as I tell Shaq, he fouls me (with 30 seconds remaining). But they didn’t whistle anything! Write this: I want to rewatch the action where Shaq fouls me in virtual reality. It was a Game 7! »
Worse still, this setback of June 4, 2000 sounded the death knell of the “Jail Blazers”, who never managed to find such a level of play thereafter and to go so far in the playoffs. Nicknamed ironically by Phil Jackson “the best team money can buy” (“the best team that money can buy”, the salaries of the group bursting the ceiling), this group quite simply lost the match of its life. And a period of bad luck and scarcity has begun to settle in Oregon since it will be necessary to wait until 2014 to see Portland pass a round of the playoffs and even 2019 to see the franchise play again in a conference final.
Conversely, it is typically the kind of events that allow a team to build its future success. Because, in the wake of this conference final won, the Lakers will actually glean the first of their three titles won consecutively against the Pacers. The click happened, the failures of the 1997, 1998 and 1999 playoffs could be erased and a real dynasty was born from June 4, 2000. ” This is the defining moment of our dominance », as Shaquille O’Neal aptly likes to call it.
