Before the Los Angeles Lakers started their dynasty in the decade of the 2000s, they endured some heart-wrenching playoff losses in the late 1990s.
In 1998, they were swept by the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference finals just when they thought they were becoming the NBA’s next great team. Prior to Game 4, All-Star guard Nick Van Exel chanted the phrase “1, 2, 3 Cancun” during a team practice when they brought their hands in and were expected to give off a pro-Lakers chant.
Many have vilified Van Exel for that ever since. He was quickly jettisoned for marginal players Tony Battie and Tyronn Lue, which was all executive Jerry West could get for him.
But teammate Robert Horry said on an episode of the podcast “All The Smoke” that all Van Exel was trying to do was loosen up his team ahead of a do-or-die game.
“See, people don’t understand where that came from. The 1, 2, 3 Cancun came when we got swept by Utah, and people don’t understand it wasn’t meant to be negative. It was to try to loosen up. Nick was trying to loosen up the team, ’cause we was down 3-0. He said, ‘Man, let’s just go out here and play loose. If we don’t, we going to Cancun. On three, 1, 2, 3 Cancun. And everybody took it as Nick saying, ‘oh (expletive) this, the season’s over, right?’ He was trying to loosen guys up.”
Although Van Exel was an All-Star that season, the Lakers did well without him. When new head coach Phil Jackson arrived for the 1999-2000 season, they ran off three straight NBA championships and established the foundation for a dynasty.