In the 2002-03 season, the Los Angeles Lakers were the three-time defending NBA champions, but their dynasty was starting to go stale.
After Shaquille O’Neal missed the first few weeks of the schedule following surgery to fix an arthritic big toe, the team sputtered, losing many games to teams it should’ve beaten.
After losing to the rival Sacramento Kings on Christmas Day, the Lakers were 11-19 and in danger of missing the playoffs.
Kobe Bryant responded by going on a scoring rampage, putting up nine consecutive 40-point games to help right the ship.
By the time the season ended, the Lakers had momentum on their side. They had finished with just 50 wins, but they were the proverbial “Team No One Wanted To Face In The First Round of the Playoffs.”
In their playoff opener versus Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves, L.A.’s dynamic duo showed why.
O’Neal had 32 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots, and he even made 10-of-13 from the free throw line, while Bryant burned the Timberwolves with 39 points and eight assists.
The Lakers put together a dominant performance with a 117-98 win, and it seemed like their championship hopes had been fully resurrected.
Unfortunately, they seemed to run out of gas and fell behind 2-1 in the series before prevailing in six. L.A. then fell to the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs in the second round, 4-2.
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