The Blazers, though combustible, were …

The Blazers, though combustible, were talented and ridiculously deep, with five current or future All-Stars—Scottie Pippen, Rasheed Wallace, Steve Smith, Detlef Schrempf and Jermaine O’Neal—plus potent offensive players like Damon Stoudamire and Bonzi Wells. It was arguably the strongest team the Lakers faced in their three-peat—and one of the best ever to miss the Finals. “It’s probably the best team I’ve ever faced playing basketball, period,” says Robert Horry, who won seven championships in his 16-year career, including three with the Lakers. “They were the toughest team,” Shaq says, “and they were the only team that wasn’t scared of us.”