2000–01 Los Angeles Lakers season
Pro basketball team season (won NBA championship)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2000–01 Los Angeles Lakers season was the 53rd season for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association, and their 41st season in Los Angeles, California.[1] The Lakers entered the regular season as the defending NBA champions, having defeated the Indiana Pacers in the 2000 NBA Finals in six games, winning their twelfth NBA championship.
| 2000–01 Los Angeles Lakers season | |
|---|---|
NBA champions | |
Conference champions | |
Division champions | |
| Head coach | Phil Jackson |
| General manager | Mitch Kupchak |
| Owner | Jerry Buss |
| Arena | Staples Center |
| Results | |
| Record | 56–26 (.683) |
| Place | Division: 1st (Pacific) Conference: 2nd (Western) |
| Playoff finish | NBA champions (Defeated 76ers 4–1) |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | Fox Sports Net West, KCAL |
| Radio | AM 570 KLAC |
Season summary
Off-season
During the off-season, the Lakers acquired Horace Grant from the Seattle SuperSonics in a four-team trade;[2][3][4] Grant won three NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls in the early 1990s. The team also signed free agent Isaiah Rider, who was released by the Atlanta Hawks during the previous season due to off-the-court troubles,[5][6][7] and signed Greg Foster, who had two NBA Finals appearances with the Utah Jazz.[8]
Regular season
The Lakers started the regular season without Derek Fisher, who was out due to a stress fracture in his right foot, which forced him to miss the first 62 games of the season.[9][10] With the addition of Grant and Rider, and without Fisher, the Lakers got off to a 3–3 start to the season, but then won eight of their next nine games, and later on held a 31–16 record at the All-Star break.[11] Fisher eventually returned as the team won their final eight games of the season,[12] and won the Pacific Division title by finishing with a 56–26 record, and earning the second seed in the Western Conference.[13] The team qualified for the NBA playoffs for the seventh consecutive year.[1]
Shaquille O'Neal averaged 28.7 points, 12.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, while Kobe Bryant averaged 28.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team. In addition, Fisher provided the team with 11.5 points, 4.4 assists and 2.0 steals per game in only just 20 games, while Rick Fox contributed 9.6 points per game, and led the Lakers with 118 three-point field goals, and Grant provided with 8.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Rider contributed 7.6 points per game, Ron Harper averaged 6.5 points per game, but only played just 47 games due to knee injuries,[14] Brian Shaw contributed 5.3 points per game, and Robert Horry provided with 5.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.[15]
During the NBA All-Star weekend at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C., O'Neal and Bryant were both selected for the 2001 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Western Conference All-Star team,[16][17][18] although O'Neal did not participate due to a foot injury.[19][20][21] Both O'Neal and Bryant were also selected to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. O'Neal finished in third place in Most Valuable Player voting with 7 first-place votes, while Bryant finished in ninth place.[22][23]
The Lakers finished eighth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 776,336 at the Staples Center during the regular season.[15][24]
NBA playoffs
In the Western Conference First Round of the 2001 NBA playoffs, and for the second consecutive year, the Lakers faced off against the 7th–seeded Portland Trail Blazers, a team that featured All-Star forward Rasheed Wallace, Steve Smith and Scottie Pippen. The Lakers won the first two games over the Trail Blazers at home at the Staples Center, before winning Game 3 on the road, 99–86 at the Rose Garden Arena to win the series in a three-game sweep.[25][26][27]
In the Western Conference Semi-finals, and also for the second consecutive year, the team faced off against the 3rd–seeded Sacramento Kings, who were led by All-Star forward Chris Webber, Peja Stojaković, and All-Star and former Lakers center, Vlade Divac. The Lakers won the first two games over the Kings at the Staples Center, and then won the next two games on the road, which included a Game 4 win over the Kings at the ARCO Arena II, 119–113 to win the series in a four-game sweep.[28][29][30]
In the Western Conference Finals, the Lakers then faced off against the top–seeded, and Midwest Division champion San Antonio Spurs, who were led by All-Star forward Tim Duncan, All-Star center David Robinson, and Derek Anderson. Despite the Spurs having home-court advantage in the series, the Lakers won the first two games on the road at the Alamodome, and took a 2–0 series lead. In Game 3, the Lakers defeated the Spurs by a 39-point margin at home, 111–72 at the Staples Center,[31] before winning Game 4 at home, 111–82 to win the series in another four-game sweep, and advance to the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year.[32][33][34]
In the 2001 NBA Finals, the Lakers faced off against the top–seeded Philadelphia 76ers, who were led by All-Star guard, and Most Valuable Player of the Year, Allen Iverson, All-Star center and Defensive Player of the Year, Dikembe Mutombo, and Sixth Man of the Year, Aaron McKie. The Lakers lost Game 1 to the 76ers at home in overtime, 107–101 at the Staples Center, in which Iverson scored 48 points along with 5 steals.[35][36][37] However, the Lakers managed to win Game 2 at home, 98–89 to even the series, before winning the next three games on the road, including a Game 5 win over the 76ers at the First Union Center, 108–96 to win the series in five games. The Lakers won their second consecutive NBA championship, earning the franchise its 13th championship overall, as O'Neal was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player for the second straight year.[38][39][40] It was the second of the Lakers' three-peat championships to begin the millennium.
The Lakers also finished with the then-best postseason record in NBA history, posting a 15–1 record, suffering their only loss in Game 1 of the NBA Finals to the 76ers; that record would last for 16 years until the Golden State Warriors went 16–1 during the 2017 NBA playoffs.[41]
Aftermath
Following the season, Grant re-signed as a free agent with his former team, the Orlando Magic,[42][43][44] while Rider signed with the Denver Nuggets.[45][46] Meanwhile, Tyronn Lue signed with the Washington Wizards,[47][48] Foster was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks,[49][50] and Harper retired.[51]
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 | Mark Madsen | PF |  United States |
Stanford |
Roster
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
Roster |
Regular Season
Season standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Los Angeles Lakers | 56 | 26 | .683 | – | 31–10 | 25–16 | 14–10 |
| x-Sacramento Kings | 55 | 27 | .671 | 1 | 33–8 | 22–19 | 16–8 |
| x-Phoenix Suns | 51 | 31 | .622 | 5 | 31–10 | 20–21 | 12–12 |
| x-Portland Trail Blazers | 50 | 32 | .610 | 6 | 28–13 | 22–19 | 12–12 |
| e-Seattle SuperSonics | 44 | 38 | .537 | 12 | 26–15 | 18–23 | 17–7 |
| e-Los Angeles Clippers | 31 | 51 | 378 | 25 | 22–19 | 9–32 | 9–15 |
| e-Golden State Warriors | 17 | 65 | .207 | 39 | 11–30 | 6–35 | 4–20 |
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | z-San Antonio Spurs | 58 | 24 | .707 | – |
| 2 | y-Los Angeles Lakers | 56 | 26 | .683 | 2 |
| 3 | x-Sacramento Kings | 55 | 27 | .671 | 3 |
| 4 | x-Utah Jazz | 53 | 29 | .646 | 5 |
| 5 | x-Dallas Mavericks | 53 | 29 | .646 | 5 |
| 6 | x-Phoenix Suns | 51 | 31 | .622 | 7 |
| 7 | x-Portland Trail Blazers | 50 | 32 | .610 | 8 |
| 8 | x-Minnesota Timberwolves | 47 | 35 | .573 | 11 |
| 9 | e-Houston Rockets | 45 | 37 | .549 | 13 |
| 10 | e-Seattle SuperSonics | 44 | 38 | .537 | 14 |
| 11 | e-Denver Nuggets | 40 | 42 | .488 | 18 |
| 12 | e-Los Angeles Clippers | 31 | 51 | .378 | 27 |
| 13 | e-Vancouver Grizzlies | 23 | 59 | .280 | 35 |
| 14 | e-Golden State Warriors | 17 | 65 | .207 | 41 |
- z – clinched division title
- y – clinched division title
- x – clinched playoff spot
Game log
Pre-season
Regular season
| 2000–01 game log Total: 56–26 (Home: 31–10; Road: 25–16) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 1–0 (home: 0–0; road: 1–0)
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November: 10–5 (home: 7–1; road: 3–4)
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December: 11–5 (home: 5–3; road: 6–2)
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January: 6–6 (home: 5–2; road: 1–4)
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February: 9–3 (home: 5–0; road: 4–3)
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March: 11–6 (home: 5–3; road: 6–3)
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April: 8–1 (home: 4–1; road: 4–0)
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| 2000–01 season schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playoffs
| 2001 playoff game log Total: 15–1 (Home: 7–1; Road: 8–0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First round: 3–0 (home: 2–0; road: 1–0)
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Conference Semi-finals: 4–0 (home: 2–0; road: 2–0)
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Conference Finals: 4–0 (home: 2–0; road: 2–0)
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NBA Finals: 4–1 (home: 1–1; road: 3–0)
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| 2001 schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NBA Finals
- By winning the Finals MVP award, Shaquille O'Neal joined the list of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players to win the award at least twice. Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Kawhi Leonard have since joined the list. Jordan, Olajuwon, O'Neal, Bryant, James, and Durant are the only six to win the award in back-to-back years.
- The Lakers at the time had achieved the best ever NBA postseason record of 15–1, sweeping the Western Conference and then sweeping the 76ers after their Game 1 loss in the Finals. On June 12, 2017, the Golden State Warriors had surpassed this feat, as they would go 16–1, after beating the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2017 NBA Finals. The Lakers' postseason record was made before the first round of playoffs was extended to be the best-of-7 format which was implemented in the 2003 NBA Playoffs.
- This Laker team still holds the title of best road record in a single postseason, at 8–0.
Summary
The following scoring summary is written in a line score format, except that the quarter numbers are replaced by game numbers.
| Team | Game 1* | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles (West) | 101 | 98 | 96 | 100 | 108 | 4 |
| Philadelphia (East) | 107 | 89 | 91 | 86 | 96 | 1 |
∗ denotes a game that required overtime.
Player statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
Regular season
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kobe Bryant | 68 | 68 | 40.9 | .464 | .305 | .853 | 5.9 | 5.0 | 1.68 | .63 | 28.5 |
| Derek Fisher | 20 | 20 | 35.5 | .412 | .397 | .806 | 3.0 | 4.4 | 1.95 | .10 | 11.5 |
| Greg Foster | 62 | 8 | 7.3 | .421 | .333 | .714 | 1.8 | .5 | .15 | .19 | 2.0 |
| Rick Fox | 82 | 77 | 27.9 | .444 | .393 | .779 | 4.0 | 3.2 | .85 | .35 | 9.6 |
| Devean George | 59 | 1 | 10.1 | .309 | .221 | .709 | 1.9 | .3 | .25 | .25 | 3.1 |
| Horace Grant | 77 | 77 | 31.0 | .462 | .000 | .775 | 7.1 | 1.6 | .66 | .79 | 8.5 |
| Ron Harper | 47 | 46 | 24.2 | .469 | .264 | .708 | 3.5 | 2.4 | .83 | .53 | 6.5 |
| Robert Horry | 79 | 1 | 20.1 | .387 | .346 | .711 | 3.7 | 1.6 | .68 | .68 | 5.2 |
| Tyronn Lue | 38 | 1 | 12.3 | .427 | .324 | .792 | .8 | 1.2 | .50 | .00 | 3.4 |
| Mark Madsen | 70 | 3 | 9.2 | .487 | 1.000 | .703 | 2.2 | .3 | .11 | .11 | 2.0 |
| Slava Medvedenko | 7 | 0 | 5.6 | .480 | 1.000 | .583 | 1.3 | .3 | .14 | .14 | 4.6 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 74 | 74 | 39.5 | .572 | .000 | .513 | 12.7 | 3.7 | .64 | 2.76 | 28.7 |
| Mike Penberthy | 53 | 0 | 16.1 | .414 | .396 | .903 | 1.2 | 1.3 | .42 | .04 | 5.0 |
| Isaiah Rider | 67 | 6 | 18.0 | .426 | .370 | .855 | 2.3 | 1.7 | .40 | .10 | 7.6 |
| Brian Shaw | 80 | 28 | 22.9 | .399 | .311 | .797 | 3.8 | 3.2 | .61 | .34 | 5.3 |
Playoffs
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kobe Bryant | 16 | 16 | 43.4 | .469 | .324 | .821 | 7.3 | 6.1 | 1.56 | .75 | 29.4 |
| Derek Fisher | 16 | 16 | 36.0 | .484 | .515 | .765 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 1.31 | .06 | 13.4 |
| Greg Foster | 1 | 0 | 3.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 1.0 | .0 | .00 | .00 | .0 |
| Rick Fox | 16 | 16 | 35.8 | .450 | .316 | .867 | 4.9 | 3.6 | 1.94 | .44 | 10.0 |
| Devean George | 7 | 0 | 3.9 | .500 | .500 | .500 | .7 | .1 | .00 | .00 | 2.0 |
| Horace Grant | 16 | 16 | 26.4 | .385 | .000 | .733 | 6.0 | 1.2 | .94 | .81 | 6.0 |
| Ron Harper | 6 | 0 | 7.0 | .500 | .250 | .667 | 1.3 | .7 | .67 | .17 | 2.2 |
| Robert Horry | 16 | 0 | 23.9 | .368 | .362 | .591 | 5.2 | 1.9 | 1.38 | 1.00 | 5.9 |
| Tyronn Lue | 15 | 0 | 8.7 | .345 | .385 | .800 | .7 | .7 | .80 | .07 | 1.9 |
| Mark Madsen | 13 | 0 | 3.7 | .077 | .000 | .600 | .8 | .3 | .00 | .15 | .4 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 16 | 16 | 42.3 | .555 | .000 | .525 | 15.4 | 3.2 | .44 | 2.38 | 30.4 |
| Brian Shaw | 16 | 0 | 18.1 | .375 | .345 | .667 | 3.4 | 2.7 | .63 | .06 | 4.4 |
Player statistics citation:[15]
Award winners
- Kobe Bryant, All-NBA Second Team
- Kobe Bryant, All-NBA Defensive Second Team
- Shaquille O'Neal, Center, NBA Finals Most Valuable Player
- Shaquille O'Neal, League Leader, FG%, 57.2
- Shaquille O'Neal, All-NBA First Team
- Shaquille O'Neal, All-NBA Defensive Second Team