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Los Angeles Lakers history: The Alley-Oop heard round the world

By Jamaal Artis

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 24: Former Los Angeles Lakers player Shaquille O'Neal reacts to his former players seated in the audience with Kobe Bryant looking on during unveiling of his statue at Staples Center March 24, 2017, in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 24: Former Los Angeles Lakers player Shaquille O'Neal reacts to his former players seated in the audience with Kobe Bryant looking on during unveiling of his statue at Staples Center March 24, 2017, in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
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The Los Angeles Lakers have more history than any other NBA team not named the Boston Celtics. We take a look back at perhaps the best alley-oop ever.

“Bryant to Shaq! Back from the brink of elimination to the brink of the NBA Finals!” Bob Costas screamed the now infamous line after the Los Angeles Lakers gave us the alley-oop heard round the world.

It might be the height of hyperbole to say that one play defined a dynasty, but you aren’t going to convince me that 18 years ago an alley-oop in the last minutes of game seven of the 2000 Western Conference Finals didn’t do just that.

The Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trailblazers were in a battle for the supremacy of the West and quite possibly the entire NBA. Both teams were trying to get to the NBA Finals after recent playoff failures.

Both were loaded with top NBA talent and each had a small piece of the most recent NBA dynasty the 1990’s Chicago Bulls.

For Lakers fans, the game seven was going to validate the budding new dynasty that had not gotten off the way it was supposed to, as Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant were supposed to in a new era in Lakers history.

Up until the 1999-2000 season though neither Shaq or Kobe had learned to live in harmony long enough to turn the Lakers into winners and they had been swept out of the playoffs the two seasons prior.

Enter Phil Jackson the “Zen Master,” who brought his Triangle Offense to L.A. fresh off of leading the Bulls to six NBA title in eight seasons. Jackson was able to coax his two superstars to get along and form the most dominant duo in the NBA.

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The Trailblazers were a mix of veteran superstars and young players that seemed like the most likely team to test the Lakers in the NBA playoffs. They also had a piece of the Bulls dynasty as they were lead by Scottie Pippen, looking to win his first title away from Jackson and Michael Jordan.

The Lakers looked like they would roll over the Trailblazers as they built a 3-1 series lead, but then some of the problems that plagued them the last two years came back as they lost their lead and faced another disappointing summer if they lost game seven at home.

It got even worse as the Lakers found themselves down 13 points going into the fourth quarter,

their budding dynasty looked to be crumbling before it started. With the Trailblazers clamping down on Shaq, the Lakers role players chipped away at the Trailblazers lead.

The Lakers outscored the Trailblazers 31-13 in the quarter and found themselves up by four points and the ball looking to close out the game. Kobe brought up the ball facing Pippen when he decided to drive to the basket.

Drawing a swarm of Trailblazers Kobe spied Shaq to his right and lobbed the ball up high, Shaq brought down the ball with a thunderous slam setting off the Staples Center crowd essentially ending the game and the series.

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From there, the Los Angeles Lakers would win the first of three consecutive NBA titles, achieving the three-peat that had been denied to the “Showtime” Lakers of the 1980s. Both Shaq and Kobe would find success away from each other, but had it not been for that alley-oop, a new Lakers dynasty may never have been born.

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