Los Angeles — A late alley-oop from Kobe Bryant to Shaquille O’Neal capped a stunning fourth-quarter rally that lifted the Los Angeles Lakers to an 89-84 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals at Staples Center.
The decisive play, delivered with just over 40 seconds remaining, pushed the Lakers ahead by six points and secured a berth in the NBA Finals. The moment is widely regarded as the spark that ignited the franchise’s dominance in the early 2000s.
Los Angeles entered the series finale after squandering a 3-1 lead, as Portland forced a seventh game with consecutive wins in Games 5 and 6. The Blazers controlled much of the contest and carried a 71-58 advantage into the fourth quarter. O’Neal, normally the Lakers’ focal point, had only nine points on 2-for-6 shooting through three periods.
Portland stretched its lead to 75-60 with a little more than 10 minutes left. Over the next seven minutes, however, the Lakers mounted a 15-0 run to knot the score at 75-all and eventually moved in front, 79-77. The Bryant-to-O’Neal connection effectively sealed the game, completing a 29-9 closing stretch for Los Angeles.
The win advanced the Lakers to the 2000 NBA Finals, where they defeated the Indiana Pacers to capture the first of three consecutive championships. The title marked the beginning of a span in which the club claimed five championships in 11 seasons.
Source: Lakers Nation
