The 2001 NBA Finals: A Look Back

The 2001 NBA Finals were one of the most exciting and memorable in history. Let’s take a look back at that classic series between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Philadelphia 76ers.

The 2001 NBA Finals

The 2001 NBA Finals was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s 2000–01 season. The Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers took on the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers for the championship, with the Lakers holding home-court advantage in a 2–3–2 format.

The Lakers won the series 4 games to 1, clinching their ninth NBA Championship in franchise history. Shaquille O’Neal was named Finals MVP becoming the first player in NBA history to be named MVP of the regular season All-Star game and Finals in the same year.

The Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers have a long and storied history in the NBA, and they added to that legacy in 2001 when they won the NBA Finals Led by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant the Lakers won their second consecutive championship and fourth in five years. They also became the first team to win three straight titles since the Boston Celtics did it in the 1960s. The Lakers were a dominant force in the NBA during this time, and their victory in the 2001 Finals was a fitting end to their dynasty.

The Philadelphia 76ers

In 2001, the Philadelphia 76ers met the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals The Sixers were led by Allen Iverson who was in his fifth season in the NBA. Iverson had won the MVP Award that year, and was looking to lead his team to an NBA Championship The Lakers were led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, who were in their third season together. The Lakers had won the championship in 2000, and were looking to repeat in 2001.

The Sixers and Lakers split the first two games of the series, with each team winning on their home court In Game 3, the Sixers took a commanding 3-1 lead with a win in Los Angeles But the Lakers would not go down without a fight. They won Game 4 at home, and then won Game 5 in Philadelphia. This evened the series at three games apiece.

In Game 6, back in Los Angeles it looked like the Lakers were going to take control of the series. They took a 3-2 lead with a six-point win. But Iverson and the Sixers would not give up. They fought back and won Game 7 on their home court claimed their first NBA Championship since 1983.

The Matchup

The 2001 NBA Finals was a best-of-seven basketball series that took place between the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers and the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers. The Lakers were heavy favorites to win the series, having won 58 of their 82 regular season games and boasting a roster that included All-Stars Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant The Sixers, on the other hand, had limped into the playoffs with a losing record before winning ten straight games to close out the postseason.

The Games

The 2001 NBA Finals were played between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Philadelphia 76ers, with the Lakers winning in five games. The series was highly anticipated, as it featured a matchup between two of the best teams in the league. The Lakers were led by Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and Robert Horry, while the 76ers were led by Allen Iverson and Dikembe Mutombo

The series was very close, with each team winning two games apiece. However, in Game 5, the Lakers emerged victorious, thanks to a strong performance from Bryant. He scored 28 points in the game, including a clutch three-pointer in the final minutes that helped seal the victory for his team.

The Legacy

As the NBA Finals return to Los Angeles this year, it’s worth looking back at one of the most memorable finals in recent history: The 2001 matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Philadelphia ers. This was a battle of two titans, as the Lakers were led by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant while the ers had Allen Iverson at the helm.

The series went to a full seven games, with each team winning on their home court The deciding game was close throughout, but in the end, it was the Lakers who emerged victorious, winning by a score of 111-104. This was a defining moment for both franchises, as the Lakers went on to win three more championships in the next four years, cementing themselves as one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history On the other hand, the ers have not made it back to the Finals since then, making this series all the more significant.

While neither team is where they were 15 years ago, that doesn’t take away from what an incredible series this was. It featured some of the greatest players of all time and will be remembered as one of the classic Finals matchups.

The 2001 NBA Finals A Look Back

The 2001 NBA Finals was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s 2000–01 season, and the conclusion of the season’s playoffs. The Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers four games to one. Lakers forward Shaquille O’Neal was named Most Valuable Player of the series, became the first player in Finals history to be unanimously selected as such.

This was the 76ers’ seventh appearance in the NBA Finals they had a perfect 6–0 record in their previous six appearances, winning championships in 1955, 1967, and 1983. However, this would be their first trip to the Finals since their last championship season of 1966–67. The Lakers were making their NBA Finals debut and became just the fifth franchise (and last until 2008) to appear in no more than five prior NBA Finals series during their entire history. They were only two years removed from winning their most recent championship against Indiana in 2000; thus becoming only one of four teams along with Boston (in 1986), Miami (in 2006) and Detroit (in 2004) that won an NBA title less than three years prior to making another appearance in an NBA Finals series.

The 1996–97 Chicago Bulls were also three years removed from winning their fourth title when they met Utah for what would be Michael Jordan’s final comeback appearance in 1998; but that was considered a “rebuilding year” for Chicago following Jordan’s initial retirement after winning three straight titles from 1991 through 1993. Although Los Angeles had appeared in three previous NBA Finals between 1980 and 1988, none of those teams was led by Kobe Bryant or Shaquille O’Neal as this team was; making this only the second appearance by a “true dynasty team” representing Los Angeles following Magic Johnson’s 1987 defeat at the hands of Larry Bird and his Boston Celtics teammates two weeks shy of his 30th birthday.

This marked just the second time that two former ABA teams faced each other for an NBA championship with Indiana having joined Milwaukee and San Antonio as ABA teams that won an NBA title This also marked only the third meeting between two former ABA franchises for any playoff series since 1976 when both leagues merged This was also just Philadelphia’s second playoff meeting against a team from California; with their only other meeting being against Oakland during an ill-fated trip out west en route to losing Game 7 of 1977 Eastern Conference Semifinals at Oracle Arena to a Warriors team led by Rick Barry which prevented them from going to franchise’s second straight NBA Finals appearance..