I still get chills thinking about that legendary 2000 NBA Finals between the Lakers and Pacers. Having watched basketball for over two decades now, I can confidently say this series marked the beginning of the Shaq-Kobe dynasty that would dominate the early 2000s. What many forget is how close Indiana came to disrupting that narrative - they pushed us to six grueling games, with Shaq's absolute dominance ultimately proving too much to handle.
I vividly remember Game 1 where Shaq put up 43 points and 19 rebounds, just completely overwhelming Rik Smits and the Pacers' interior defense. The way he moved at that size was something we hadn't seen since Wilt Chamberlain. But what impressed me most was how Phil Jackson and his coaching staff adjusted throughout the series. It reminds me of what Tenorio said about coaching staffs doing their best to form the most competitive team possible - Jackson's strategic moves, like having Kobe guard Reggie Miller in crucial moments, showed brilliant tactical awareness.
Game 4 stands out in my memory as perhaps the most dramatic. With Shaq fouling out late in the game, a young Kobe Bryant took over and scored 8 points in overtime to secure the victory. That was the moment I realized we were witnessing something special - not just a dominant big man, but the emergence of a future superstar. The Lakers' supporting cast, often overlooked, contributed significantly too. Robert Horry's clutch shooting and Rick Fox's defensive versatility gave them that championship-caliber depth.
When the final buzzer sounded in Game 6, with the Lakers winning 116-111, Shaq finished with 41 points and 12 rebounds, capping off one of the most dominant Finals performances in history. He averaged 38 points and 16.7 rebounds for the series, numbers that still astound me when I look them up. The confetti raining down as he embraced the championship trophy felt like the culmination of everything the Lakers had been building toward since his arrival in 1996.
Looking back, what made this series so memorable wasn't just the basketball excellence but the narrative it created. You had the veteran Pacers led by Reggie Miller making what would be his only Finals appearance, against the emerging Lakers dynasty. The contrast in styles, the coaching chess match between Larry Bird and Phil Jackson, and the individual brilliance on display made it must-watch television. Even today, when I revisit those highlights, I'm struck by how physical the games were compared to modern basketball - the Pacers committed 23 personal fouls in Game 2 alone, with the Lakers shooting 37 free throws.
That championship set the tone for the Lakers' three-peat and established Shaq as the most dominant force in basketball. While I've enjoyed many Finals since then, there's something about that 2000 series that feels particularly special - maybe it's nostalgia, or perhaps it's recognizing that we were witnessing the start of something legendary. The way that team was constructed and coached serves as a blueprint for building around superstar talent, something organizations still study today when trying to form their own competitive rosters.