The signs were ominous. The Lakers took the Pacific Division title in a crowded race that was settled only on the last day of the regular season after an overtime win over Portland. Then, they beat Houston in extension in Game 4 of their first round playoff series on the road and ousted the Rockets in five. In the second round, Derek Fisher’s improbable jumper with 0.4 of a second left lifted the Lakers to a one-point squeaker over San Antonio in Game 5 on the Spurs’ homecourt and paved the way for the clincher at the Staples Center. And in the third round, the Lakers got the jump on Minnesota in Game 1 and cruised to seal in six as the Timberwolves couldn’t fill the vacuum of Sam Cassell’s absence.
San Antonio and Minnesota enjoyed the homecourt advantage over Los Angeles but couldn’t survive the Lakers.
The arrival of Karl Malone and Gary Payton to combine forces with Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant was the intriguing twist in the Lakers’ dream-like quest for the crown. Malone and Payton had never played on a title squad and in the twilight of their long careers, agreed to severe paycuts for the chance to wear a ring. Then there was coach Phil Jackson’s own pursuit of glory. He was a championship short of breaking out of a tie with Red Auerbach to become the NBA’s winningest coach ever in terms of Finals triumphs.
So when the Lakers advanced to the Finals against the Detroit Pistons, oddsmakers installed Los Angeles as the 6-1 choice to go all the way. They surely thought that fate had something to do with the way the pieces fell into place–Cassell’s injury, Fisher’s miracle shot, the overtime win over Houston and the late surge that brought another Pacific Division trophy to Jerry Buss’ collection. But the Pistons refused to be swayed by the talk of fate and destiny.
Jackson called it a Cinderella story. "We overcame a lot of adversity during the course of the year," said the Zen Master, "but Detroit proved to be a little better than we were in the Finals."
Defense was the primary key to the Pistons’ 4-1 victory. The Lakers were held to only an average of 77.5 points in their four losses. In the regular season, L.A.ranked third in offense with a 98.2 clip behind only Dallasand Sacramento.
Coach Larry Brown’s strategy of covering O’Neal one-on-one using a rotating army of defenders eventually wore out the Diesel and also disrupted the flow of the Lakers offense. Tayshaun Prince’s length left Bryant bleeding for his points. In the first four games, no Laker–other than O’Neal and Bryant–scored in double figures, a testament to the Pistons’ unforgiving defense.
Another key was Detroit’s domination of the boards. The Pistons outrebounded the Lakers by 12 in Game 3, seven in Game 4 and 14 in Game 5. That allowed Detroit to dictate the tempo, run the Lakers to the ground in transition (the Pistons had more fastbreak points, 21-15, in Game 4 and 23-15 in Game 5) and score second chance points (16-3 in Game 3).
More than the stats, here are 10 reasons why the Lakers lost.
• Distractions. Jackson and O’Neal attempted to renegotiate their contracts during the campaign. They were both unsuccessful, leaving a lot of questions unanswered as the Finals unfolded. There are nine Laker potential free agents next season.
• Internal dissension. Finger-pointing became a habit among the Lakers when things go wrong. O’Neal slammed Bryant for his selfishness. Bryant criticized O’Neal for his ballooning weight. Payton pouted because of Jackson’s lack of confidence in his fourth quarter play.
• Injuries. Malone sat out Game 5. Fisher and George played hurt. O’Neal wasn’t 100 percent. Even Jackson, who underwent an angioplasty last year, was in pain because of battered hips that are aching to be replaced.
• Mismatch problems. Detroit had the advantage in most mismatches, if not in size then in speed. No Laker could keep pace with Rip Hamilton. Rasheed Wallace ate up Luke Walton’s defense. Payton couldn’t hold his own against any guard in the Pistons roster.
• Exhaustion. The Lakers looked like a tired team starting Game 3. They went the extra mile to pull off the win in Game 2. The torturous route to the Finals took a heavy toll on the Lakers, five of whom are over 30–Malone, 40, Payton, 35, Rick Fox, 34, Bryon Russell, 33 and O’Neal, 32.
• Inconsistent bench. Lack of support was evident as the Pistons made it obvious the Lakers couldn’t win with only O’Neal and Bryant scoring big numbers. Walton erupted in Game 2 which the Lakers won but was quiet in the other outings. Kareem Rush never exploded like he did in Game 6 of the Minnesota series.
• Lack of desire. The Lakers gave up fighting early. They were blown out by 20 in Game 3 and by 13 in Game 5. L. A. had a winnable situation in Game 4 as the score was tied starting the fourth period but ran out of gas down the stretch. It was like the Lakers couldn’t muster the extra ounce of energy for the big push with the game on the line.
• Attitude. The Lakers were overconfident and too cocky before the start of the Finals. They didn’t think the Pistons had it in them to pull an upset.
• Too many egos. The clash of egos was inevitable because there are just too many stars in the Lakers cast. Chemistry suffered as a result. Players had their own individual agendas and teamwork was sacrificed.
•Not meant to be. It was Detroit’s time to ascend the throne. The Lakers must learn from the bitter lesson of defeat and bounce back with a vengeance. Advancing to the Finals was a feat for the Lakers who weren’t even picked to beat San Antonio and Minnesota. Despite the loss in the Finals, the Lakers must be commended for rising above adversity to almost make it to the top.
• Too many egos. The clash of egos was inevitable because there are just too many stars in the Lakers cast. Chemistry suffered as a result. Players had their own individual agendas and teamwork was sacrificed.
•Not meant to be. It was Detroit’s time to ascend the throne. The Lakers must learn from the bitter lesson of defeat and bounce back with a vengeance. Advancing to the Finals was a feat for the Lakers who weren’t even picked to beat San Antonio and Minnesota. Despite the loss in the Finals, the Lakers must be commended for rising above adversity to almost make it to the top.