WEBVTT - The 2009-10 Lakers: Mamba Number Five 0:00:00.840 --> 0:00:04.240 Welcome to Special Teams, a production of I Heart Radio 0:00:20.800 --> 0:00:23.919 Greetings and Welcome Inside Special Teams with Jason Smith and 0:00:23.960 --> 0:00:27.920 Mike Harmon, our weekly podcast that spotlights a big team, 0:00:28.080 --> 0:00:32.040 single season in sports history. Sometimes it's NFL, sometimes it's 0:00:32.120 --> 0:00:36.080 NBA Major League Baseball. This week we are looking back 0:00:36.320 --> 0:00:40.519 at the two thousand nine two thousand ten Los Angeles Lakers. 0:00:41.200 --> 0:00:43.519 In the wake of the tragic and sudden death of 0:00:43.600 --> 0:00:47.600 Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and seven others in helicopter accident, 0:00:47.920 --> 0:00:49.960 we wanted to spend some time looking back at the 0:00:50.040 --> 0:00:53.640 last championship won by Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, because 0:00:53.720 --> 0:00:57.160 this two thousand nine two thousand ten season was incredible. 0:00:57.240 --> 0:01:00.440 It was incredible for Kobe, it was incredible for the Acres. 0:01:00.800 --> 0:01:04.000 They beat the Celtics to win it all, getting revenge 0:01:04.080 --> 0:01:07.160 from losing two years before. It was their second straight 0:01:07.600 --> 0:01:11.240 NBA title. It was a magical time, especially for you 0:01:11.240 --> 0:01:13.800 and I living in Los Angeles. The Lakers beating the 0:01:13.840 --> 0:01:17.000 Celtics was it was sports nirvana. I mean, it's the 0:01:17.040 --> 0:01:19.440 Dodgers beating the Yankees in the World Series. It was 0:01:19.840 --> 0:01:21.679 as good as it got for l A and the 0:01:21.760 --> 0:01:24.920 Lakers of all the championships they had, the first one 0:01:24.959 --> 0:01:27.600 they win, yes, that special with Shack and Kobe, But 0:01:27.800 --> 0:01:30.759 this one, this was beating the Celtics. This was really 0:01:30.760 --> 0:01:35.200 really special Number sixteen. This is the rivalry that we 0:01:35.240 --> 0:01:38.759 grew up with, right, the Magic versus Bird and all 0:01:38.800 --> 0:01:41.959 those great teams and Hall of famers, all the video 0:01:42.000 --> 0:01:45.559 games you played based on them, and the highlight reel 0:01:45.720 --> 0:01:49.720 was always one or the other was in a title contention. 0:01:49.920 --> 0:01:52.360 Right the Lakers for all those years, it seemed like 0:01:52.400 --> 0:01:55.080 every other they were. They were battling for a title 0:01:55.160 --> 0:01:59.560 before the six year drought of playoff problems and and 0:01:59.640 --> 0:02:03.400 everything that we've seen. But you look at Kobe Bryant 0:02:03.840 --> 0:02:07.160 and what he means to the city and obviously exemplified 0:02:07.560 --> 0:02:12.239 in the tragic passing and all the heartfelt sentiments and gatherings. 0:02:12.680 --> 0:02:16.480 The city just got overrun. Everywhere you turn there was 0:02:16.520 --> 0:02:18.720 a Laker logo in your face. You speak of the 0:02:18.760 --> 0:02:20.520 city being overrun? Do I have a story about you? 0:02:20.560 --> 0:02:24.400 The night the Lakers won the title? About me? But no, no, no, yeah, yes, 0:02:24.440 --> 0:02:27.480 it's about you, said, man, I have a story for you. 0:02:27.600 --> 0:02:30.160 I was a little nervous for what do you know 0:02:30.200 --> 0:02:33.120 about a story for you. I'm talking to you. I'm 0:02:33.480 --> 0:02:37.040 here with you. I'm talking to you what you knew 0:02:37.040 --> 0:02:40.320 when I was doing that night. It's the fiftieth season 0:02:40.320 --> 0:02:43.080 in Los Angeles for the Lakers. They're coming off the 0:02:43.240 --> 0:02:47.399 NBA title after beating the Orlando Magic. And for Kobe Bryant, 0:02:47.520 --> 0:02:51.320 it was the cementing of his legacy because for Kobe 0:02:51.400 --> 0:02:55.440 it was him and Shack fighting for control of the Lakers. 0:02:55.639 --> 0:02:59.280 They win three championships. Shack and Kobe couldn't get along. 0:02:59.360 --> 0:03:02.000 Shack wasn't gonna get the maximum contract he wanted from 0:03:02.080 --> 0:03:04.760 Dr Jerry Buss. He said, trade me. They trade him 0:03:04.760 --> 0:03:07.920 away to Miami. The Lakers kind of stumbled around for 0:03:07.960 --> 0:03:10.160 a couple of years. Then they make the big trade 0:03:10.160 --> 0:03:13.799 for pal Gasol, and that's the trade that remade Los Angeles. 0:03:14.160 --> 0:03:15.959 The Lakers go, they go to the Finals and lose 0:03:16.000 --> 0:03:18.560 to the Celtics. They beat the Magic, and that was 0:03:18.960 --> 0:03:22.960 the coronation of Kobe Bryant, who then changed the image 0:03:23.400 --> 0:03:26.800 that he had, not quite overnight, but a very short 0:03:26.800 --> 0:03:29.359 period of time, because in early in his career he 0:03:29.440 --> 0:03:33.200 was the petulant, immature kid. And then Eagle Colorado happened, 0:03:33.200 --> 0:03:34.960 and no one really knew what to make of Kobe 0:03:35.160 --> 0:03:38.320 after the sexual assault allegations, and then after that case 0:03:38.400 --> 0:03:41.920 was settled, he's moved on. This is six years later, 0:03:42.480 --> 0:03:45.720 and the NBA sort of came around to Kobe Bryant, 0:03:45.800 --> 0:03:50.720 and Kobe became much more beloved. Why it wasn't so 0:03:50.840 --> 0:03:52.680 much that Kobe changed on the core, because he was 0:03:52.680 --> 0:03:55.000 still a guy that was gonna make his teammates cry 0:03:55.000 --> 0:03:57.600 and practice the famous story of making Sasha Willach Cryant 0:03:57.640 --> 0:04:00.440 practice for being hard on his teammates. He was still 0:04:00.520 --> 0:04:03.600 the same guy. But when Kobe came up, it was 0:04:03.680 --> 0:04:05.640 Kobe Bryant as a rookie. First couple of years in 0:04:05.640 --> 0:04:08.000 the NBA, you're talking about some of the most loved 0:04:08.000 --> 0:04:09.960 players of all time. But the best images you could 0:04:09.960 --> 0:04:14.040 possibly have Michael Jordan, Karl Alone, Shaquille O'Neil, Clyde Drexler, 0:04:14.160 --> 0:04:16.160 you know, Charles Barkley was, Oh my god, every time 0:04:16.200 --> 0:04:18.440 the guy opens his mouth, it's awesome. He so exciting, 0:04:18.600 --> 0:04:21.560 he says so many great things. So it's hard for Kobe, 0:04:21.560 --> 0:04:23.359 who looks like, oh, here's a young kid coming and 0:04:23.440 --> 0:04:25.720 he wants to be a star right away. But then 0:04:25.760 --> 0:04:28.720 all those guys go, all those guys retire, Gary Payton, 0:04:28.760 --> 0:04:31.720 they all retire, and then who is the NBA left with. 0:04:32.120 --> 0:04:35.680 It's Kobe, It's Lebron James, who hadn't won and it's 0:04:35.760 --> 0:04:39.320 very polarizing. And Tim Duncan, who was really boring. So 0:04:39.440 --> 0:04:41.839 here's Kobe who was as exciting as it is, still 0:04:41.920 --> 0:04:45.440 hitting game winning shots, reinventing himself as the Mamba. And 0:04:45.480 --> 0:04:48.720 suddenly it's okay. You know what, Kobe's basketball faults we 0:04:48.800 --> 0:04:51.320 can forgive now. The Eagle Colorado stuff is separate. But 0:04:51.600 --> 0:04:54.400 the basketball faults, well, maybe it wasn't so bad. Maybe 0:04:54.680 --> 0:04:56.560 we can now see him as a ladder day Jordan, 0:04:56.600 --> 0:04:58.800 where he always wanted to get more out of his 0:04:58.839 --> 0:05:03.200 teammates and co be became someone who was only about winning. 0:05:03.440 --> 0:05:05.120 You know, you can get lip service for that earlier 0:05:05.120 --> 0:05:07.640 in your career, but he was all about winning and 0:05:07.640 --> 0:05:10.000 in the league win. A lot of stars like the 0:05:10.080 --> 0:05:12.760 lifestyle because NBA stars like I like getting paid a 0:05:12.800 --> 0:05:15.200 lot of money. I'd like playing basketball every night and 0:05:15.279 --> 0:05:17.440 if the team is good, we're in the playoffs and winning, Hey, 0:05:17.480 --> 0:05:19.600 that's great, we can win a title. But it's not 0:05:19.720 --> 0:05:22.000 something that drives every player to say I want to 0:05:22.000 --> 0:05:24.279 win and win as much as possible. Kobe was not 0:05:24.320 --> 0:05:26.800 a guy for load maintenance. Kobe went, can met Kobe 0:05:26.800 --> 0:05:28.760 playing now load mainten? No, I'm playing. I'm gonna play 0:05:28.760 --> 0:05:31.920 on the score fifty. He was about winning. And when 0:05:31.920 --> 0:05:35.200 you're about winning, you are going to appeal to all 0:05:35.240 --> 0:05:38.080 of the fans because we don't care as much about 0:05:38.960 --> 0:05:41.640 load maintenance or hey, we have to tank this year 0:05:41.680 --> 0:05:43.440 to get better. Now, we want our teams to win. 0:05:43.720 --> 0:05:46.240 And Kobe, no matter what he did, he was about that, 0:05:46.440 --> 0:05:49.279 hitting free throws with a torn achilles and that's what 0:05:49.440 --> 0:05:51.720 brought fans back to Kobe Bryant well. And there were 0:05:51.720 --> 0:05:53.960 so many stories that came through right he became old 0:05:54.000 --> 0:05:58.120 school without changing, like just by default, as the world 0:05:58.200 --> 0:06:01.800 changed around him, and we we heard all these stories 0:06:02.320 --> 0:06:04.839 being told by the legends of the game, the folks 0:06:04.920 --> 0:06:07.560 around the Lakers, guys like James Worthy saying, hey, you 0:06:07.600 --> 0:06:10.960 know what, before you're seventeen, As his body was starting 0:06:11.000 --> 0:06:13.960 to break down a bit, hey teach me. Can you 0:06:14.000 --> 0:06:15.920 teach me how to work in the post? Better? Can 0:06:15.960 --> 0:06:18.880 you teach me how to douggie? Everybody loved have done 0:06:18.920 --> 0:06:21.040 that too. I didn't needed to learn how to dance. 0:06:21.080 --> 0:06:23.599 I mean better for footwork, right, but just the idea 0:06:23.720 --> 0:06:27.000 of all right, there's always something from somebody's game I 0:06:27.040 --> 0:06:29.800 can borrow and make my own and get back in 0:06:29.880 --> 0:06:33.159 the gym and work it out. You know. The final 0:06:33.240 --> 0:06:35.159 year I was frustrated. I had part of a season 0:06:35.200 --> 0:06:37.120 ticket package. You and I have talked about this on 0:06:37.160 --> 0:06:38.920 our show a Fox Sports Radio. You got to see 0:06:38.920 --> 0:06:42.040 Lou Williams a lot. That became my guy, became my guy. 0:06:42.120 --> 0:06:45.120 But at the time, you're frustrated because I'm trying to 0:06:45.160 --> 0:06:47.880 take my daughters and you're trying to teach them about 0:06:47.880 --> 0:06:50.680 work ethic. You're trying to teach them about you know, 0:06:50.680 --> 0:06:52.719 what it takes. And Kobe was the embodiment of that. 0:06:53.160 --> 0:06:55.920 But you knew his body was breaking. So in jest 0:06:56.000 --> 0:06:58.480 I always laughed, Hey, I started to love Lou Williams, 0:06:58.600 --> 0:07:02.279 but you recognize dude just wouldn't go yeah like he 0:07:02.279 --> 0:07:04.919 he would dunk. It was rare, you know, like and 0:07:04.960 --> 0:07:06.960 it wouldn't be a power dunk, it'd be one of those. 0:07:06.960 --> 0:07:10.120 All right. I got up enough and I get back 0:07:10.280 --> 0:07:12.880 on d and and move on. So Kobe who it 0:07:13.000 --> 0:07:14.920 was hard for the Lakers to get free agents to 0:07:14.960 --> 0:07:18.000 come play for for them? What did they want to 0:07:18.000 --> 0:07:21.800 come play with Kobe his very strong personality. It was 0:07:21.960 --> 0:07:24.600 very difficult. Also, he was at odds with the Lakers 0:07:24.640 --> 0:07:27.080 because they wouldn't go out and spend money on free agents. 0:07:27.440 --> 0:07:29.800 That year they spent the most money of any team 0:07:29.800 --> 0:07:32.400 on player salaries, over a hundred and twelve million dollars. 0:07:32.920 --> 0:07:35.000 They go out and they get Ron our tests to 0:07:35.080 --> 0:07:37.720 sign and Ron ar test before he became met a 0:07:37.760 --> 0:07:41.800 world peace picked his spots and he became so huge. 0:07:42.200 --> 0:07:44.280 We're gonna get to him later on in the podcast. 0:07:44.320 --> 0:07:46.840 But just a real quick story on Ron Artest who 0:07:46.840 --> 0:07:50.000 came in. Look, he had the reputation he was. He 0:07:50.080 --> 0:07:52.800 was out there, you know, the malice and the Palace, 0:07:52.880 --> 0:07:55.440 the brawl. What was Ron Artests gonna be Now he's 0:07:55.440 --> 0:07:57.520 in Los Angeles? My goodness, what are you gonna get 0:07:57.560 --> 0:08:01.400 from him? But the day he saw he came to 0:08:01.480 --> 0:08:04.160 do all kinds of interviews. Right, So he comes to 0:08:04.200 --> 0:08:06.000 do interviews to do anyways in all kinds of shows. 0:08:06.000 --> 0:08:07.880 And this is back when I was doing All night 0:08:07.960 --> 0:08:12.600 on ESPN Radio. And so where our radio station is 0:08:12.640 --> 0:08:15.960 located was at Staples Center, right next to where ESPN 0:08:16.000 --> 0:08:18.960 did does the Late Sports Center from so my producer 0:08:19.000 --> 0:08:21.760 because I'm in l A my producers in Connecticut. He says, Jason, 0:08:22.120 --> 0:08:25.560 go downstairs. Ron Artest is gonna meet you downstairs. Go 0:08:25.600 --> 0:08:27.160 get and bring him up. He's gonna you're gonna get 0:08:27.160 --> 0:08:29.360 to interview him for the show. I'm like, awesome, Like 0:08:29.480 --> 0:08:31.120 I shouldn't have to go down and get Ron our Test. 0:08:31.160 --> 0:08:34.920 But I'm by myself. Somebody else this talent. So I 0:08:34.960 --> 0:08:36.880 walk over the TV to I walk over the TV 0:08:37.000 --> 0:08:39.200 building right where where is the production assistant to go 0:08:39.240 --> 0:08:41.600 do this? So I walk over, I walk in and 0:08:41.679 --> 0:08:43.800 I'm gonna meet Ron our Test here. So I walked 0:08:43.800 --> 0:08:45.440 and I tell the security guards, Hey, I'm here to 0:08:45.440 --> 0:08:48.720 meet Ron our Test. I'm Jason Smith from ESPN Radio 0:08:48.880 --> 0:08:50.360 and I got run our Test coming. And they go, 0:08:50.400 --> 0:08:52.960 oh okay. So they call somebody. I'm figuring they're gonna 0:08:52.960 --> 0:08:55.200 bring Run our Test out and suddenly this guy comes out. 0:08:55.240 --> 0:08:56.559 I have no idea who he is. He says his 0:08:56.640 --> 0:08:58.880 name was Steve, and he's like the guy in charge 0:08:58.880 --> 0:09:00.920 of the billy security is I'm sorry, sir, what are 0:09:00.920 --> 0:09:02.840 you here for? You said, I'm here for Ron Artest 0:09:03.200 --> 0:09:05.280 I'm with ESPN. I'm supposed to meet him here to 0:09:05.280 --> 0:09:08.240 do an interview. Do you have any identification? I go, yeah, 0:09:08.240 --> 0:09:09.880 I have my I D so I show him my ID. Goes, 0:09:10.600 --> 0:09:13.599 this is an ABC identification. This is not an ESPN identification. 0:09:13.640 --> 0:09:15.760 I go, yeah, I work in the building here. I 0:09:15.760 --> 0:09:18.600 worked for seven ten We're in the ABC building. I 0:09:18.600 --> 0:09:20.120 don't work in this building. I work in the right 0:09:20.200 --> 0:09:23.640 right here at points it's right across the street. He goes, yeah, no, 0:09:23.800 --> 0:09:27.600 you can't come in here without this I D. I go, uh, okay, 0:09:27.720 --> 0:09:29.680 I'm supposed to be here. You can ask anybody up 0:09:29.720 --> 0:09:32.200 there producing who's there? He goes, well, who's there? Who 0:09:32.280 --> 0:09:34.240 can I call? And I say the name of the 0:09:34.280 --> 0:09:37.400 executive producer up there? Goes Nope, she's not here tonight. 0:09:37.840 --> 0:09:40.360 And I go, obviously I know who she is. If 0:09:40.400 --> 0:09:43.560 you could just call upstairs and tell them I'm here, 0:09:43.880 --> 0:09:45.880 they will bring him down. They know I'm coming. And 0:09:45.920 --> 0:09:48.520 the guy wouldn't do it. And I was so mad 0:09:48.520 --> 0:09:50.560 to get him fired. Well, you know what, I didn't 0:09:50.559 --> 0:09:52.640 get him fired, but he got a lot of trouble 0:09:52.679 --> 0:09:55.280 the next day because I went back and I called, uh, 0:09:55.440 --> 0:09:57.720 my manager, Scott Schapiro, who's now our manager here at 0:09:57.760 --> 0:10:00.160 Fox Sports Radio, and I told her what happened. He 0:10:00.240 --> 0:10:04.080 got right on it, and he apologized and he felt 0:10:04.120 --> 0:10:06.679 bad about it, supposedly, and then he wound up quitting 0:10:06.679 --> 0:10:09.280 Slash getting fired like a few weeks later. Yeah, the 0:10:09.320 --> 0:10:11.400 writing was on the wall. I was. I was so 0:10:11.559 --> 0:10:14.400 mad with a little bit of power. He was, uh, 0:10:14.800 --> 0:10:16.720 you know, a ruler like I was a guy off 0:10:16.720 --> 0:10:18.520 the street. You know, I'm here. I'm here. Bring him 0:10:18.559 --> 0:10:21.800 to call upstairs, Call upstairs to sports Center. Call. Did 0:10:21.800 --> 0:10:24.679 the badge have a picture of you with Mitchell he's 0:10:24.720 --> 0:10:27.199 producing call. I gave him all the names. Nope, not here. 0:10:27.200 --> 0:10:30.000 It's like, nope, she's not here. Okay, you're just on 0:10:30.080 --> 0:10:32.559 a power trip. Man, You are just on a power trip. 0:10:32.679 --> 0:10:37.640 Sometimes you run into those obstacles. Man. Lamar Odom also left. 0:10:37.640 --> 0:10:39.840 He didn't blow me off an interviewer, have did you 0:10:39.880 --> 0:10:42.640 every fine metal world peace? Oh yeah, yeah, Well we've 0:10:42.640 --> 0:10:44.800 had him on the show. But I meant, but I 0:10:44.840 --> 0:10:47.600 meant that now he went up. He left. He thought 0:10:47.600 --> 0:10:49.760 he was doing a radio interview with that left. He 0:10:51.480 --> 0:10:53.719 had a great conversation. He was writing it a when 0:10:53.760 --> 0:10:56.200 we had met a world peace. In a year ago, 0:10:56.320 --> 0:11:00.600 he was writing an erotic novel, right erotic science fiction. 0:11:00.640 --> 0:11:03.160 Erotic science fiction. He was writing. Yes, he gave us 0:11:03.200 --> 0:11:05.960 a little bit of a sketch offer, and we looked 0:11:05.960 --> 0:11:08.160 at each other and said that's a little sketch. But 0:11:08.800 --> 0:11:12.760 he was very excited about. Yeah. We had fun. Uh 0:11:12.800 --> 0:11:15.240 so that was run our Test. Who comes in and 0:11:15.960 --> 0:11:20.400 lamar Odom almost left. Pat Riley brought him in. They 0:11:20.440 --> 0:11:22.200 want him to go sign with the Miami Heat. He 0:11:22.240 --> 0:11:25.400 almost did, but in the very end, cooler heads prevailed. 0:11:25.400 --> 0:11:28.479 He returned to the Lakers for thirty three million dollar contracts. 0:11:28.480 --> 0:11:31.000 So now they go out and they get run our Test. 0:11:31.040 --> 0:11:33.400 In the off season, lamar Odom is back and the 0:11:33.480 --> 0:11:38.280 Lakers are loaded up going for their second straight NBA title. Now, 0:11:38.320 --> 0:11:40.560 since it's the two thousand nine, two thousand ten Los 0:11:40.559 --> 0:11:42.920 Angeles Lakers, let's look it back a little bit at 0:11:42.960 --> 0:11:45.600 what happened in the magical year of two thousand and 0:11:45.600 --> 0:11:52.040 ten as the Lakers got set four back to back championships. 0:11:54.040 --> 0:11:56.200 It was the year in which Reggie Bush announced he 0:11:56.240 --> 0:12:01.080 would forfeit the Heisman Trophy, gonna get it back. So 0:12:01.160 --> 0:12:04.800 much lost, so dumb parents got a house. It's just 0:12:04.960 --> 0:12:06.760 it's a trophy that would be in the house. Yeah, 0:12:06.800 --> 0:12:10.360 it's fine, take it. If only there were fewer zeros 0:12:10.400 --> 0:12:12.480 associated with the house, they would have just they wouldn't 0:12:12.480 --> 0:12:13.920 have cared. Do you think he gave back the real 0:12:13.960 --> 0:12:16.559 trophy or do you think that he had a had 0:12:16.600 --> 0:12:18.440 a double made and he switched it. I think it 0:12:18.480 --> 0:12:22.720 was a chocolate repless what are you doing? I'm eating 0:12:22.720 --> 0:12:25.760 Reggie Bush's eyes. When Trophy started knowing at it, they 0:12:25.800 --> 0:12:28.560 said it was Shockley. Hey, why is that guinea pig 0:12:28.559 --> 0:12:32.920 eating that trophy? I don't understand. Brett farve streak of 0:12:33.000 --> 0:12:37.680 two straight games started ended in Minnesota the week after 0:12:37.679 --> 0:12:40.319 the Metrodome collapsed. They had to move and play in 0:12:40.400 --> 0:12:43.120 Ford Field, and Brett Farve did not start that game, 0:12:43.160 --> 0:12:45.920 so his consecutive game streak was over. I remember the 0:12:45.960 --> 0:12:50.320 Metrodome collapsing. That video was so odd. I was here 0:12:50.400 --> 0:12:52.480 to see that. You see the snow and everything comes 0:12:52.520 --> 0:12:55.080 down here in Fox Sports Radio and it's like, wait 0:12:55.080 --> 0:12:59.480 a minute. What The Yukon women had their nine d 0:12:59.679 --> 0:13:03.600 game wind streak and after losing to Stanford, and I 0:13:03.640 --> 0:13:06.400 gotta be honest, if you were on that team, the 0:13:06.400 --> 0:13:08.520 people who came before. You are never gonna let you 0:13:08.559 --> 0:13:11.680 forget that you lave, you broke the ninety game wins. 0:13:11.720 --> 0:13:13.400 You don't get to go to any of the banquets. 0:13:15.440 --> 0:13:18.400 He get nothing. Yeah, but Gino Rim said I could go. No, sorry, 0:13:18.400 --> 0:13:20.400 you can't make it. You can't make it now you're 0:13:20.440 --> 0:13:23.679 out of the club. So that's where things stood for 0:13:23.720 --> 0:13:26.120 the Los Angeles Lakers, who look, this is a team 0:13:26.160 --> 0:13:29.800 that was returning a roster mainly of players who were 0:13:29.880 --> 0:13:34.040 absolute stars. Kobe Bryant was the captain, Derek Fisher was 0:13:34.040 --> 0:13:36.319 was still here, getting a little bit long in the tooth. 0:13:36.520 --> 0:13:40.320 But it was lamar Odom, it was pal Gasol, it 0:13:40.400 --> 0:13:43.839 was the Lakers front court throwing Andrew bind fantastic. He 0:13:43.960 --> 0:13:46.400 also brought in Shannon Brown who played a big role 0:13:46.840 --> 0:13:49.760 playing guard for them a little bit. Remember Adam Morrison 0:13:49.840 --> 0:13:52.439 was on this team. But the Lakers front court and 0:13:52.520 --> 0:13:56.040 Kobe Bryant dominated so many games. We look, there's a 0:13:56.080 --> 0:13:59.400 reason they're the defending champs, and and they brought back 0:13:59.440 --> 0:14:02.120 all of their strength and this season went on, it 0:14:02.160 --> 0:14:04.720 was the front court that really started to get things done. 0:14:04.920 --> 0:14:07.000 And it was okay that lamar Odom wasn't every other 0:14:07.040 --> 0:14:09.520 game guy because you had players who could fill in, 0:14:09.559 --> 0:14:13.120 and certainly Ron art Test was one of those players where, hey, 0:14:13.280 --> 0:14:15.240 if you're an every other game guy, lamar odom I 0:14:15.240 --> 0:14:17.640 could be in every other game guy. Together every night, 0:14:17.679 --> 0:14:20.520 we're great. It worked out pretty well in that regard. 0:14:20.600 --> 0:14:24.200 You forgot one huge loss as Kurt Rambis took his 0:14:24.280 --> 0:14:27.840 goggles to Minnesota. He did he did well, Kurt kept 0:14:27.880 --> 0:14:32.400 coming back Kurian. Kurt Rambis had his chance to coach 0:14:32.400 --> 0:14:34.320 the team, and then he came back under Phil Jackson 0:14:34.360 --> 0:14:37.160 and Phil Jackson one and when things worked out and 0:14:37.160 --> 0:14:40.200 forth exactly so. Coming up next, it was the regular 0:14:40.240 --> 0:14:43.360 season for the two thousand nine two thousand ten Los 0:14:43.360 --> 0:14:47.360 Angeles Lakers. As we celebrate Kobe Bryant's final championship with 0:14:47.400 --> 0:14:50.960 the Lakers all the drama of the NBA Finals still 0:14:51.000 --> 0:14:53.480 to come here Special Teams with Jason Smith and Mike 0:14:53.520 --> 0:15:12.280 Harmon Perfect Special Teams with Jason Smith and Mike Harmon 0:15:12.640 --> 0:15:15.960 our podcast this week looking back at the final championship 0:15:16.040 --> 0:15:19.120 of the career of Kobe Bryant as the Lakers win 0:15:19.160 --> 0:15:22.000 the NBA title in two thousand ten, defeating the Celtics 0:15:22.320 --> 0:15:26.360 in seven games. And one of the things the Lakers 0:15:26.360 --> 0:15:29.320 and Kobe dealt with this season were a lot of injuries. 0:15:29.600 --> 0:15:31.440 You know, right off the bat of this season, Pal 0:15:31.480 --> 0:15:34.040 Gasol gets hurt, lamar Odom has to come into the 0:15:34.040 --> 0:15:36.560 starting lineup, Gasol comes back, and the Lakers go on 0:15:36.560 --> 0:15:38.040 a big run. We'll have more in Gasol in the 0:15:38.120 --> 0:15:40.640 second but throughout the second half of the season, because 0:15:40.640 --> 0:15:42.880 the Lakers got out to a big start the first 0:15:42.920 --> 0:15:45.360 few months, they had to deal with injuries to Kobe, 0:15:45.400 --> 0:15:48.040 Bryant and lamar Odom and Andrew buying him and buying 0:15:48.080 --> 0:15:52.560 them even throughout the playoffs, Sashavulia, chich Bill Walton, They 0:15:52.560 --> 0:15:54.520 had to deal with that the second half, and they 0:15:54.520 --> 0:15:56.880 were in a great team. They still ended up with 0:15:56.920 --> 0:16:00.480 the top seed overall in the playoffs in the Western Conference. 0:16:00.520 --> 0:16:02.600 But this wasn't easy by any means. I mean, they 0:16:02.600 --> 0:16:04.200 had to have they had to patch work their team 0:16:04.240 --> 0:16:07.000 together all year. No, and that's that's what mulds you 0:16:07.000 --> 0:16:09.320 into a champion eventually, because you're gonna have to steal minutes. 0:16:09.360 --> 0:16:11.440 You and I talked about it all the time. When 0:16:11.440 --> 0:16:14.600 you look at NBA titles and the number of games 0:16:14.600 --> 0:16:16.480 and minutes that have to be played that you've got 0:16:16.480 --> 0:16:19.000 to find those one game, one or two games in 0:16:19.040 --> 0:16:23.320 each series where that third score, fourth score, whoever ever 0:16:23.400 --> 0:16:26.320 it is, comes off the bench, gives you some decent minutes. 0:16:26.720 --> 0:16:28.880 We talked about it in college buckets with the n 0:16:28.880 --> 0:16:31.040 C double a turn and look, you gotta win six times. 0:16:31.240 --> 0:16:33.720 Not often do you have one or two superstars carrying 0:16:33.720 --> 0:16:37.240 you through. And for this Lakers team, between the largest 0:16:37.520 --> 0:16:42.080 of the coaching staff and their histories and and pageantry 0:16:42.120 --> 0:16:44.480 of what they'd had, they knew what to do right 0:16:44.480 --> 0:16:47.760 because they've been through some of the grinds before, very 0:16:47.920 --> 0:16:51.400 long tenured trainer, all of those trying to figure out 0:16:51.480 --> 0:16:53.280 how to cobble together a team. And when you got 0:16:53.320 --> 0:16:55.280 a guy like Kobe, like you said, a guy that 0:16:55.320 --> 0:16:58.640 wouldn't sit down even with an injury, and how many 0:16:58.640 --> 0:17:01.720 guys outside of him or what are they missed in 0:17:01.760 --> 0:17:05.520 three weeks a month taking a nice ski vacation. Now 0:17:05.640 --> 0:17:10.160 he plays every down. Kobe actually did get hurt this year. Now, 0:17:10.200 --> 0:17:12.800 First he fractured his right index finger in December and 0:17:12.800 --> 0:17:14.760 didn't miss the game. First couple of months he hit 0:17:14.840 --> 0:17:18.320 three buzzer beaters, uh that won games for the Lakers. 0:17:18.760 --> 0:17:22.280 Finally he does succumb to an injury and sat out 0:17:22.280 --> 0:17:25.560 a game on February six for the first time since 0:17:25.600 --> 0:17:28.439 two thousand and seven. Right, and then the days of 0:17:28.520 --> 0:17:30.919 load maintenance. And that's one thing that you know, Kobe 0:17:30.920 --> 0:17:33.640 Bryant playing, You know, if he was playing now when 0:17:33.720 --> 0:17:36.199 load maintenance has never been any more important than it 0:17:36.240 --> 0:17:38.960 is now with Kawhi Leonard sitting out every other game 0:17:38.960 --> 0:17:42.760 in Lebron and business decisions. Kobe wasn't a load maintenance guy. 0:17:42.800 --> 0:17:44.439 If he could play, he was gonna play, and he 0:17:44.480 --> 0:17:47.920 played until physically he couldn't play anymore. I mean, would 0:17:47.920 --> 0:17:50.080 there be nights the Lakers say, hey, take tonight off, 0:17:50.440 --> 0:17:52.520 all right, but they'd be once in a while, once 0:17:52.560 --> 0:17:55.040 in a great while. We saw that in his final year. 0:17:55.320 --> 0:17:57.760 That's the only time you really physically but that was 0:17:57.840 --> 0:18:00.880 basically done. But in his prime, there's no way he'd 0:18:00.880 --> 0:18:03.240 be sitting out games. He might sit out. You know what, Kobe, 0:18:03.280 --> 0:18:05.600 you've played in the first twenty five games. We have 0:18:06.040 --> 0:18:08.359 three games and five nights. We're gonna sit you out 0:18:08.400 --> 0:18:10.520 the second the back to back here and then you're 0:18:10.520 --> 0:18:12.440 not gonna sit from the twenty five games. I mean 0:18:12.480 --> 0:18:15.080 That's something I could see him doing. But the blatant 0:18:15.440 --> 0:18:18.040 you know, hey, we're sitting out one game every couple 0:18:18.119 --> 0:18:20.480 of weeks like Hypa Zambia. Now, he would never do it. No, 0:18:20.600 --> 0:18:24.000 there would have to be some major considerations to allow 0:18:24.200 --> 0:18:26.240 for that, right, I mean in terms of looking at 0:18:26.240 --> 0:18:30.439 how the roster's constructed. Maybe in the gravest of circumstances, 0:18:30.480 --> 0:18:33.159 but just not the way he was dialed in. Now, 0:18:33.160 --> 0:18:35.240 while the bulk of this podcast, we're gonna talk about 0:18:35.320 --> 0:18:38.160 Kobe Bryant, Like I said, it was his last championship, 0:18:38.240 --> 0:18:40.800 and you know it's his second straight NBA Finals m 0:18:40.880 --> 0:18:45.199 v P. With time to look back at the greatness 0:18:45.320 --> 0:18:48.400 of the Lakers and this second coming of the Lakers, 0:18:48.400 --> 0:18:51.440 which was built around Kobe, whereas the first time when 0:18:51.440 --> 0:18:53.720 they won three championships in a row, was built around 0:18:53.760 --> 0:18:57.840 Shack and Kobe. Is that the acquisition of Pau Gasol 0:18:58.240 --> 0:19:02.200 immediately turned the Lakers into a championship caliber team. Immediately 0:19:02.240 --> 0:19:04.520 after getting Pau Gasol on a trade, they went on 0:19:04.560 --> 0:19:06.959 a big run and it was a different team. The 0:19:07.000 --> 0:19:11.240 contributions of Gasol and lamar Odom are not given enough 0:19:11.280 --> 0:19:14.360 credit because even though lamar Odom was an every other 0:19:14.400 --> 0:19:17.439 game guy for most of his career and the talent 0:19:17.520 --> 0:19:19.200 level head he was always one of the top three 0:19:19.240 --> 0:19:22.159 most talented players in the NBA because of what he 0:19:22.200 --> 0:19:24.959 could do his length. But every other game he was 0:19:25.040 --> 0:19:27.159 he you know, he was every other game guy. But 0:19:27.240 --> 0:19:30.320 as every other game was fantastic. It would be nights 0:19:30.359 --> 0:19:32.919 with fourteen assists for Lamar Odom. Here's a night with 0:19:32.960 --> 0:19:35.240 thirty five points. Here's a night where Lamar had ten 0:19:35.240 --> 0:19:39.080 points and twenty one rebounds. His every other game was amazing. 0:19:39.119 --> 0:19:41.120 And when you can build the depth from the front 0:19:41.119 --> 0:19:43.640 court the Lakers had, you can afford to have Lamar 0:19:43.680 --> 0:19:46.880 Odom play good every other game, especially this year, because 0:19:46.880 --> 0:19:49.320 you had run our Test. Who would be able to 0:19:49.359 --> 0:19:51.440 take up the slack. So this Lakers team, this front 0:19:51.480 --> 0:19:54.000 court was so deep, and it's not like you had 0:19:54.040 --> 0:19:56.600 to get it from one guy every night. You had 0:19:56.680 --> 0:19:59.880 the consistency of Kobe, the consistency of Pau Gasol buying 0:20:00.040 --> 0:20:01.639 him when he was in the lineup. You know, our 0:20:01.720 --> 0:20:04.439 test every other night owed him every other night. You 0:20:04.520 --> 0:20:06.199 had that and it worked well. It's funny because you 0:20:06.200 --> 0:20:09.760 mentioned those two guys in terms of Odom and run 0:20:09.840 --> 0:20:13.919 Our Test, Slash Metal World, Peace, slash Panda is your friend, 0:20:14.280 --> 0:20:17.080 all whatever, whatever you want to go by a guy 0:20:17.160 --> 0:20:20.320 who you know, as the tributes float out for Kobe 0:20:20.320 --> 0:20:23.080 Bryant was was prominent and just saying, hey, raise a 0:20:23.119 --> 0:20:26.879 glass and celebrate the greatness. But Andrew Binham is a 0:20:26.920 --> 0:20:30.960 guy that I think his career because of what it became, right, 0:20:31.160 --> 0:20:35.760 very short lived in terms of success and prominence. People 0:20:35.800 --> 0:20:39.280 forget him also as to exactly how important that was, 0:20:39.280 --> 0:20:41.080 because that was that was a career year. I mean 0:20:41.160 --> 0:20:44.240 fifteen and eight. Odom was at ten point eight, nine 0:20:44.280 --> 0:20:47.720 point eight, giving you three assists a game, good balance, 0:20:48.240 --> 0:20:51.280 and one of those guys watching games as we do 0:20:51.400 --> 0:20:54.119 and doing our show on five Sports Radio, it drove 0:20:54.119 --> 0:20:57.480 your nuts. And I think if he were, and he's 0:20:57.520 --> 0:21:00.359 been very honest in interviews that he's done. But there 0:21:00.520 --> 0:21:03.400 there was just wasted time, an awful lot of wasted 0:21:03.480 --> 0:21:06.960 time and opportunity along the way. But here he got 0:21:06.960 --> 0:21:10.320 five guys have finished in double digits averaging you know, 0:21:10.359 --> 0:21:13.840 at least ten point eight points per game, led by Bryant, 0:21:14.160 --> 0:21:16.520 So you always had someone to step up, and there 0:21:16.560 --> 0:21:20.120 were enough veteran voices in the room to make sure 0:21:20.200 --> 0:21:24.040 that you never got into a lull. So for the Lakers. 0:21:24.080 --> 0:21:28.040 The big highlight for Kobe this year was in Memphis, 0:21:28.440 --> 0:21:31.359 he passed Jerry West to become the Lakers all time 0:21:31.440 --> 0:21:34.040 leading score. A very big moment for him is now 0:21:34.240 --> 0:21:37.000 he's starting to hit the big milestone part of his career. 0:21:37.320 --> 0:21:40.280 With the Los Angeles Lakers, they finished with a fifty 0:21:40.320 --> 0:21:42.439 seven and twenty five record. They are first in the 0:21:42.480 --> 0:21:46.400 Pacific again. They kind of meander through the stretch run, 0:21:46.400 --> 0:21:48.359 but they just started out so hot and they won 0:21:48.480 --> 0:21:51.320 so many games that they kind of coasted in. They 0:21:51.400 --> 0:21:54.080 going to lose six of the their final nine, right, 0:21:54.119 --> 0:21:58.280 so at least raises an eyebrow of did they gas? Right? 0:21:58.280 --> 0:22:01.760 Are they done? They go into the playoffs and their 0:22:01.760 --> 0:22:04.000 first round was against the Oklahoma City Thunder. And this 0:22:04.040 --> 0:22:07.119 is Oklahoma who was becoming, Hey, we're gonna hit our 0:22:07.200 --> 0:22:10.600 peak very soon with Kde and Russell Westbrook and James Harden. 0:22:10.920 --> 0:22:13.720 But here they beat them in the first round. Oklahoma 0:22:13.760 --> 0:22:17.000 City's athleticism kept him in it. But the big game, 0:22:17.080 --> 0:22:20.280 pal Gasol hits a layup with one second left to 0:22:20.440 --> 0:22:24.200 win Game six and the series. This wasn't a Kobe series. 0:22:24.480 --> 0:22:27.520 This was a gasol Odom bind him series because what 0:22:27.560 --> 0:22:29.320 the Lakers front court was able to do, what these 0:22:29.320 --> 0:22:32.159 guys are able to do in beating Oklahoma City, it 0:22:32.320 --> 0:22:34.320 was their series. A. Kobe still had a good series, 0:22:34.480 --> 0:22:36.960 but this wasn't one where boy Kobe at five games 0:22:36.960 --> 0:22:39.560 of thirty or more points. It was those three guys 0:22:39.600 --> 0:22:41.680 getting it done. And they move on to the second round. 0:22:41.760 --> 0:22:44.040 Needed to be well rounded. I mean, and again goes 0:22:44.080 --> 0:22:46.199 back to the the veterans stepping up because you know 0:22:46.280 --> 0:22:50.840 the defense and as much as we much maligned defense 0:22:50.920 --> 0:22:53.600 of some of those young guys from Oklahoma City, let's 0:22:53.600 --> 0:22:55.520 face it, those are things that will they'll carry for 0:22:55.520 --> 0:22:58.920 their career. I mean, still collapsing on Kobe. Bryant finished 0:22:58.920 --> 0:23:02.000 with thirty two and that clincher, but you needed others 0:23:02.000 --> 0:23:05.240 to step in. Second round, they get the Utah Jazz 0:23:05.400 --> 0:23:09.240 and the Lakers front court was dominant. But as Utah adjusted, 0:23:09.920 --> 0:23:12.720 l A started hitting threes and it was a very 0:23:12.800 --> 0:23:16.159 quick series, and this was a Kobe series thirty points 0:23:16.160 --> 0:23:19.040 at least in all four games, and it was easy 0:23:19.119 --> 0:23:22.080 dispatching of the Jazz, moving on to the Western Conference 0:23:22.119 --> 0:23:25.919 Finals where they would meet the Phoenix Suns. Kobe scores 0:23:26.000 --> 0:23:30.000 forty in game one. He has thirteen assistant Game two, 0:23:30.520 --> 0:23:33.360 and this series is known for a very big play 0:23:33.480 --> 0:23:36.280 not involved in Kobe Bryant. It was a Kobe air 0:23:36.320 --> 0:23:40.000 ball in Game five, Ron our Test rebounds it puts 0:23:40.040 --> 0:23:43.160 in the game winner. And our Test had a great series. 0:23:43.200 --> 0:23:45.679 Here just for a second, on Ron our Test is 0:23:45.720 --> 0:23:48.000 that this air ball was Oh my god, the Lakers 0:23:48.040 --> 0:23:50.880 could be given away this series, but Ron Artest gets 0:23:50.880 --> 0:23:54.920 the rebound, hits a shot, and it's arguably his first 0:23:55.000 --> 0:23:57.359 or second best Laker moment. He had a big moment 0:23:57.359 --> 0:23:58.879 in the NBA Finals. We're gonna get to in a 0:23:58.880 --> 0:24:01.359 few minutes, but up in until this point, this was 0:24:01.440 --> 0:24:04.200 his signature moment. Here's run our Test hitting a shot 0:24:04.240 --> 0:24:07.360 where hey, Kobe air balded and now the Lakers looked 0:24:07.359 --> 0:24:09.680 like they're gonna move on because of him. Well that's 0:24:10.040 --> 0:24:13.040 for run our Test, right place, right time. And you 0:24:13.080 --> 0:24:15.320 always held your breath when he did shoot. Yes, it 0:24:15.400 --> 0:24:17.960 was no, no, no, no, no, oh good shot, good shot. Good. 0:24:18.119 --> 0:24:20.640 Even if he was early in the game, it would 0:24:20.640 --> 0:24:22.520 be like, all right, just stop because it's gonna the 0:24:22.720 --> 0:24:25.200 buckets are gonna run out. Start start, working the ball, 0:24:25.880 --> 0:24:28.800 and this was an opportunity of you know, Johnny on 0:24:28.800 --> 0:24:31.240 the spot. Lakers were the three games to to lead. 0:24:31.320 --> 0:24:34.159 They win Game six. Kobe Bryant leads the way thirty 0:24:34.240 --> 0:24:37.080 seven points. Roun Our Test had twenty five. So the 0:24:37.160 --> 0:24:40.360 Lakers get to the NBA Finals. Were awaiting them a 0:24:40.400 --> 0:24:43.000 rematch with the Boston Celtics, who had knocked them out 0:24:43.000 --> 0:24:46.520 and won the title two years before Kevin Garnett's big 0:24:46.920 --> 0:24:50.160 anything is possible? Or was I supposed to say nothing 0:24:50.280 --> 0:24:52.840 is impossible? What was the slogan I was supposed to 0:24:52.840 --> 0:24:55.480 say on national television to make money? I forget what? 0:24:55.520 --> 0:25:01.040 What did we trademark? This was such a big moment 0:25:01.200 --> 0:25:04.919 for Kobe in his NBA career because as much as 0:25:04.960 --> 0:25:07.919 he had won, he won three championships with Shack as 0:25:07.920 --> 0:25:10.000 a one A, and now he had won one as 0:25:10.000 --> 0:25:13.600 a one beating the Magic losing to the Celtics. If 0:25:13.640 --> 0:25:16.920 he lost to the Celtics again, that would really damage 0:25:16.960 --> 0:25:19.720 his legacy because hey, hey, Kobe was great, but you 0:25:19.760 --> 0:25:22.960 know what, Magic got the better the Celtics. Kareem got 0:25:22.960 --> 0:25:25.560 the better the Celtics. Worthy got the better. Celtics don't 0:25:25.600 --> 0:25:28.320 get the better of us. And so even though Kobe 0:25:28.480 --> 0:25:30.440 look right now, you could look back at him as 0:25:30.440 --> 0:25:33.320 the greatest Laker. I mean it's really he and Magic Johnson, 0:25:33.640 --> 0:25:40.879 and he won Magic and the the largesse of the tragedy. 0:25:41.000 --> 0:25:45.040 But also I would make that argument, yeah, look and 0:25:45.080 --> 0:25:49.840 Magic always one with Kareem you know, you know, Michael 0:25:49.840 --> 0:25:52.600 Cooper and go on down the list of Hall of famers, 0:25:52.800 --> 0:25:55.880 not to denigrate the career Magic Johnson, which was great. 0:25:56.240 --> 0:25:58.560 So we play that game of who did you play 0:25:58.560 --> 0:26:05.159 with to make you eight? Wakay, alright, but it's always 0:26:05.160 --> 0:26:07.639 he had shocks like well, I mean, go look at 0:26:07.640 --> 0:26:11.200 the laundry list of guys I had wrought our test. 0:26:11.320 --> 0:26:14.679 Oh alright, alright, alright, I mean really, because this is 0:26:14.720 --> 0:26:16.600 a moment where you think of him now, is the 0:26:16.640 --> 0:26:21.040 greatest Laker? Had he lost this second series to the Celtics, 0:26:21.840 --> 0:26:24.760 He's not the greatest Lakers. Boy, I love Kobe. Man, 0:26:24.840 --> 0:26:26.760 we lost to the Celtics twice. I mean that's what 0:26:26.800 --> 0:26:29.280 it would be. Man, We lost the Celtics twice well 0:26:29.320 --> 0:26:31.640 and at the time, and it still has its resonance, 0:26:31.720 --> 0:26:34.600 right because they don't get to get together very often. 0:26:34.680 --> 0:26:37.080 The way the schedules are worked. Eventually, the NBA will 0:26:37.119 --> 0:26:40.800 probably make some change to that and startain mixing it 0:26:40.920 --> 0:26:44.560 up more like Major League Baseball has. But you look 0:26:44.600 --> 0:26:49.720 at the Lakers and Celtics. I mean, that's our childhood, right, 0:26:49.800 --> 0:26:52.920 all those great teams and all of those Juggernauts and 0:26:53.280 --> 0:26:56.199 Hall of famers, And this was the last act of that, 0:26:56.480 --> 0:26:59.800 at least, as you and I sit together talking on 0:26:59.800 --> 0:27:02.840 this podcast. So the Lakers are set to meet the 0:27:02.840 --> 0:27:05.800 Celtics in the finals. It's seven games of blood on 0:27:05.840 --> 0:27:09.000 the floor and hair on the walls, heroics from Kobe, 0:27:09.000 --> 0:27:14.159 heroics from surprising places. As we continue here special teams 0:27:14.320 --> 0:27:32.800 with Jason Smith and Mike Harmon. So here we are 0:27:33.119 --> 0:27:38.399 Lakers Celtics, second final in three years. Kobe Bryant's career, 0:27:38.480 --> 0:27:42.680 defining legacy with the Lakers is up in this series. 0:27:43.520 --> 0:27:45.920 We all look forward to it again. It was all 0:27:46.080 --> 0:27:48.560 video of the series two years ago. But then they 0:27:48.600 --> 0:27:51.200 show you know, you've got magic and you have Larry 0:27:51.200 --> 0:27:53.879 and all the great video from the eighties and millennials 0:27:53.880 --> 0:27:55.719 are going. Who are these guys. I don't know who 0:27:55.680 --> 0:27:58.720 any of these players are. It begins in game one, 0:27:58.800 --> 0:28:01.479 goes to the Lakers co he scores thirty points and 0:28:01.560 --> 0:28:05.280 Boston never threatens. They looked horrendous in Game one and 0:28:05.320 --> 0:28:08.199 it was boy, the Lakers just that much better. Are 0:28:08.200 --> 0:28:10.320 they just gonna boat race the Celtics all the way through? 0:28:10.320 --> 0:28:13.760 I mean, they never threaten in Game one, and you're thinking, 0:28:14.040 --> 0:28:16.000 oh boy, this is just gonna be a Laker route. 0:28:16.480 --> 0:28:19.200 Game two was a different story. Boston is more aggressive. 0:28:19.560 --> 0:28:22.919 Ray Allen hits eight three pointers, region Rondo with a 0:28:22.960 --> 0:28:25.879 triple double. He scored ten points in the fourth quarter 0:28:26.160 --> 0:28:29.480 as the Celtics win Game two. I mean, Rajon Rondo 0:28:29.640 --> 0:28:31.440 not just a triple double, but back when he could 0:28:31.480 --> 0:28:35.440 score ten points in a quarter, You're like, come on, man, 0:28:34.720 --> 0:28:38.240 that's the way. That's what he could never score. You also, 0:28:38.320 --> 0:28:41.400 remember this is a decade ago. I mean, that's that's 0:28:41.440 --> 0:28:43.120 the other part of it. Even when he was at 0:28:43.160 --> 0:28:45.920 his best, he never was a big score ten points 0:28:45.920 --> 0:28:48.440 in the fourth quarter. Everybody's got one or two barages 0:28:48.480 --> 0:28:51.680 in them. Uh. On the NBA level, right, we see 0:28:51.680 --> 0:28:55.040 it every night as we broadcast on Fox Sports radis 0:28:55.080 --> 0:28:58.240 like that guy did what seven including how many in 0:28:58.280 --> 0:29:01.280 the fourth like his career high twelve? You know, those 0:29:01.360 --> 0:29:03.760 kind of things. And for Rondo. He did come up 0:29:03.760 --> 0:29:07.280 big and big games. After the one oh win, the 0:29:07.320 --> 0:29:10.080 series shifts back to Boston for three games and the 0:29:10.200 --> 0:29:15.840 Lakers go out and they take Game three four. Derek 0:29:15.960 --> 0:29:19.680 Fisher played many more minutes than expected. Pal Gasol was 0:29:19.720 --> 0:29:23.240 not playing well. Fisher hits four straight shots. He scores 0:29:23.280 --> 0:29:27.080 eleven points in the fourth quarter. Kobe scores once in 0:29:27.160 --> 0:29:30.240 the fourth quarter, but it's enough. He had twenty nine 0:29:30.280 --> 0:29:34.040 total for the game, and it was a night for him, 0:29:34.120 --> 0:29:35.920 and it was one. It was one of those games that, look, 0:29:35.920 --> 0:29:39.080 we're fond of saying this. Anytime you see a team 0:29:39.080 --> 0:29:41.840 winning a championship, there's always one or two games where 0:29:41.840 --> 0:29:44.680 the best player doesn't play at his best and the 0:29:44.760 --> 0:29:48.560 supporting cast carries him and it's unexpected. Sources, no one 0:29:48.600 --> 0:29:50.840 expected Derek Fisher to be a guy to go for 0:29:50.920 --> 0:29:54.400 sixteen points in this game. And yeah, I mean no 0:29:54.400 --> 0:29:58.680 one expected that, but it's the unexpected contribution. Derek Fisher 0:29:59.000 --> 0:30:00.800 won this game for the Acres. They take a two 0:30:00.800 --> 0:30:03.680 games to one lead. Yeah, just a tremendous game. Six 0:30:03.760 --> 0:30:06.800 or twelve from the field. For his sixteen points. You 0:30:06.880 --> 0:30:11.160 look at Gassol and buying them while they weren't huge offensively, 0:30:11.160 --> 0:30:14.480 they only combined for twenty two points. They they talied 0:30:14.520 --> 0:30:18.480 twenty rebounds, so helping push things get those extra opportunities. 0:30:19.280 --> 0:30:22.200 Game four, the Boston Celtics come back and they even 0:30:22.200 --> 0:30:25.480 the series of two games apiece. The Boston bench is fantastic, 0:30:25.800 --> 0:30:28.720 Andrew buying him misses the second half with a knee injury. 0:30:28.960 --> 0:30:31.080 So now we have a brand new series headed to 0:30:31.120 --> 0:30:33.520 Game five, and this injury would kind of dog buying 0:30:33.560 --> 0:30:34.840 him the rest of the series. He'd be in and 0:30:34.880 --> 0:30:36.680 out of the lineup. Well, I'd be remiss if I 0:30:36.680 --> 0:30:38.600 didn't talk about the eight team points off the bench 0:30:38.600 --> 0:30:42.880 in twenty three minutes from Glen Big Baby Davis. I mean, 0:30:42.880 --> 0:30:45.360 you know, that's when I think back to those Celtics teams, 0:30:45.760 --> 0:30:47.920 that one that beat the Lakers and and the one 0:30:47.960 --> 0:30:50.320 that sent them to seven games, is I don't think 0:30:50.320 --> 0:30:53.680 of Pearson, Garnett, Ray Allen. I think of James Posey 0:30:53.880 --> 0:30:57.080 raining down threes, you know, two years before to win this, 0:30:57.160 --> 0:30:59.880 and I think of players like Glenn Davis and and 0:31:00.200 --> 0:31:03.520 Leon Leon Poe having big games. You know, for the Celtics, 0:31:03.520 --> 0:31:06.200 it was their supporting cast that really kept them afloat 0:31:06.200 --> 0:31:08.120 in a lot of games, one of the championship and 0:31:08.200 --> 0:31:09.680 nearly one of the second one. But look at this 0:31:09.720 --> 0:31:13.520 game four, right, Allan with twelve, Pierce leads them with nineteen, 0:31:13.600 --> 0:31:15.520 but then you have Davis with eighteen off the bench, 0:31:15.760 --> 0:31:18.520 and Nate Robinson one of the great stories of the 0:31:18.600 --> 0:31:21.840 last decade plus in the NBA. But you know he's 0:31:21.880 --> 0:31:24.840 got twelve points on four of eight shooting two or 0:31:24.880 --> 0:31:27.520 four from three point range and a plus eight, so 0:31:28.000 --> 0:31:31.640 valuable minutes off the benches. This series got extended. Game 0:31:31.760 --> 0:31:37.080 five goes to the Celtics as well, eighties six. Kobe 0:31:37.080 --> 0:31:40.160 scores thirty eight, but he was the only Laker with 0:31:40.280 --> 0:31:44.840 a big game. Boston's big three was Garnette Pierson, Rajean 0:31:45.040 --> 0:31:49.400 Rondo eighteen eight and five rebounds. Another big game from Rondo, 0:31:49.480 --> 0:31:52.760 and now the Celtics are one game away from the 0:31:52.840 --> 0:31:55.760 NBA title. But in the end, the Lakers did what 0:31:55.800 --> 0:31:58.120 they had to do. They went into Boston, they won 0:31:58.160 --> 0:32:00.600 one game and that was gonna send back to l 0:32:00.600 --> 0:32:02.800 A and the Lakers now have two chances. You gotta 0:32:02.800 --> 0:32:05.080 win both games to win the NBA type. Yeah, this 0:32:05.080 --> 0:32:08.480 game just a game of starters. The benches combined to 0:32:08.520 --> 0:32:12.680 score twenty seven points fourteen thirteen Lakers edge. Olthowise just 0:32:12.680 --> 0:32:15.480 starting five might as well have just sent everybody else home, 0:32:16.240 --> 0:32:18.959 uh and rolled it out. We can go back and 0:32:18.960 --> 0:32:21.120 watch some of the tapes of this and again it's 0:32:21.240 --> 0:32:24.400 Rondo eighteen and eight showing again on a big stage 0:32:24.400 --> 0:32:28.640 because ray Allen wasn't shooting particularly well, uh and and 0:32:28.680 --> 0:32:31.520 he wasn't taking a ton of shots, so someone else 0:32:31.600 --> 0:32:34.040 needed to step up. You know, this series now, when 0:32:34.040 --> 0:32:35.680 it gets back to l A, you could tell that 0:32:35.800 --> 0:32:39.040 both teams started to run out of gas because baskets 0:32:39.040 --> 0:32:40.800 were hard to come by, and these were two great 0:32:40.840 --> 0:32:43.240 offensive teams. When you look at the final scores in 0:32:43.280 --> 0:32:46.880 this series, you add the Lakers break a hundred points 0:32:46.880 --> 0:32:48.920 in game one, the Celtics break a hundred points in 0:32:48.960 --> 0:32:50.800 game two, and that's it, right, you know, that was 0:32:50.840 --> 0:32:53.600 it the end of the series. Even Kobe Bryant said 0:32:53.920 --> 0:32:56.560 following Game seven, I had nothing left because he had 0:32:56.600 --> 0:32:58.600 he didn't have a great shooting night in Game seven. 0:32:58.760 --> 0:33:00.760 And I remember when they asked him after the game, Kobe, 0:33:00.800 --> 0:33:03.440 you seem to struggle tonight. He said, I had nothing left. 0:33:03.480 --> 0:33:06.280 You I was going on guts and stamina and and 0:33:06.440 --> 0:33:08.360 I really have anything left. And you go to Game 0:33:08.400 --> 0:33:12.560 six and the Celtics clearly are deflated even further because 0:33:12.600 --> 0:33:16.240 this was Kendrick Perkins getting hurt early, suffering a torn 0:33:16.320 --> 0:33:19.160 PCL and m c L in the first quarter. Left 0:33:19.200 --> 0:33:21.760 a huge hole on defense, a huge hole on the boards, 0:33:22.040 --> 0:33:24.360 and the Lakers just blow the doors off of the 0:33:24.360 --> 0:33:30.600 Celtics seven their bench outscores the Celtics zero. Alright, Celtics 0:33:30.600 --> 0:33:33.160 did not get a point off the bench tonight again, 0:33:33.240 --> 0:33:36.600 buying him left with knee swelling. I mean, Boston's forever 0:33:36.640 --> 0:33:38.560 gonna say, if Perkins didn't get hurt, we would have 0:33:38.560 --> 0:33:41.560 won the NBA title. Doc Rivers has even said that 0:33:41.680 --> 0:33:43.320 many times the past couple of years. Well you know 0:33:43.360 --> 0:33:47.880 we're undefeated with Perkins running. Well, okay, well you still lost. 0:33:48.120 --> 0:33:49.760 You're not getting a title for that. But here's the thing. 0:33:50.120 --> 0:33:53.200 Perks more than capable of speaking up for himself and 0:33:53.240 --> 0:33:55.520 telling you how great. Yes he is, Yes he is, 0:33:55.600 --> 0:33:58.120 And I appreciate the hell out of him. Every time 0:33:58.200 --> 0:34:01.280 he opens his mouth. I lean forward in my chair 0:34:01.280 --> 0:34:02.959 because I don't know where the story is gonna go. 0:34:03.200 --> 0:34:05.600 And yeah, maybe that's true, it doesn't matter. We say 0:34:05.640 --> 0:34:07.520 that all the time. You can't take away the title 0:34:07.800 --> 0:34:11.279 and just caveat and out. If this guy got hurt, look, 0:34:11.320 --> 0:34:13.840 buying him missed the equivalent of a game and a half. 0:34:14.320 --> 0:34:17.280 You know, he look, you miss Kendrick Perkins. They're missing 0:34:17.280 --> 0:34:19.480 Andrew buying him, and he missed a lot of time 0:34:19.520 --> 0:34:21.200 to look. Like I said, this was a war of 0:34:21.239 --> 0:34:23.920 attrition these last couple of games of this series. You're 0:34:23.920 --> 0:34:27.200 talking about final scores of sixty seven in game six 0:34:27.239 --> 0:34:29.719 and eight three seventy nine in game seven. This is 0:34:29.760 --> 0:34:31.440 not gonna set the world on fire. Yeah, but I mean, 0:34:31.520 --> 0:34:34.920 just look at little contribution you're and what you're looking 0:34:34.960 --> 0:34:36.880 for from your benches. You're trying to eat some minutes, 0:34:36.960 --> 0:34:40.440 but they're not shooting the ball. It's just who's got 0:34:40.480 --> 0:34:43.560 a warm body that can steal three or four minutes 0:34:43.600 --> 0:34:47.279 to get your star, some gatorade, some whatever nutrients you 0:34:47.360 --> 0:34:50.359 need back in and get and roll them back out there. So, 0:34:50.680 --> 0:34:53.120 you know, leaving everything on the court for those forty 0:34:53.160 --> 0:34:56.200 eight there's nothing else but nothing left by time you 0:34:56.239 --> 0:34:58.400 get to the end of the series. So the Lakers 0:34:58.400 --> 0:35:00.759 had to Game seven tied with the Celtics, and it 0:35:00.800 --> 0:35:03.239 looked like the Celtics, we're gonna run them out of 0:35:03.280 --> 0:35:05.800 the gym. In the second half, they had a forty 0:35:05.880 --> 0:35:08.520 nine thirty six lead, and it was wow. The Celtics. 0:35:08.760 --> 0:35:11.640 Perkins is out there reeling. They're gonna find a way 0:35:11.680 --> 0:35:14.640 to beat the Lakers at Staples Center and win Game seven. 0:35:15.280 --> 0:35:17.480 Lakers call it twenty second time out. That was it, 0:35:17.800 --> 0:35:21.439 twenty second time out. Different team. When they got back 0:35:21.480 --> 0:35:24.280 on the floor, they started cutting into the lead. Derek 0:35:24.320 --> 0:35:27.280 Fisher hit some threes, Pal Gasol made some clutch plays. 0:35:27.520 --> 0:35:29.439 They come all the way back. They take the lead 0:35:29.800 --> 0:35:32.759 deep into the fourth quarter, and when it looks like 0:35:32.800 --> 0:35:34.359 the Lakers were at the point where they could salt 0:35:34.400 --> 0:35:38.040 the game away, Boston keeps chipping away. Now the Lakers lead, 0:35:38.200 --> 0:35:40.640 it's six, it's down to three, it's seven, it's down 0:35:40.640 --> 0:35:43.239 to four, it's six, it's down to three. There came 0:35:43.280 --> 0:35:45.160 to a point at the end of this game where 0:35:45.160 --> 0:35:47.479 it looked like the Lakers were gonna put the Celtics away, 0:35:47.520 --> 0:35:51.440 but the Celtics didn't go gentle into that good night. 0:35:51.480 --> 0:35:54.040 The Lakers would be up six, the Celtics would hit 0:35:54.040 --> 0:35:56.399 a three, they'd be up five. The Celtics would get 0:35:56.400 --> 0:35:58.400 a bucket. And it came to the point where the 0:35:58.480 --> 0:36:01.879 Lakers were protecting a three point lead with not much 0:36:01.920 --> 0:36:05.200 time left, and every point now it's this has gotta 0:36:05.200 --> 0:36:07.280 be Kobe, This has gotta be Kobe. Gotta be Kobe, 0:36:07.800 --> 0:36:11.480 and ron our Test hits the three to give the 0:36:11.560 --> 0:36:15.719 Lakers a six point lead, when every single Laker fan 0:36:16.280 --> 0:36:19.080 is going no, no, no, no, no again, ron Artest, 0:36:19.400 --> 0:36:22.400 no no, no, no, no oh, what a great shot. 0:36:22.480 --> 0:36:24.440 And you and I have talked to him before, and 0:36:24.480 --> 0:36:27.600 we've gone through these moments, and you when he tells 0:36:27.640 --> 0:36:29.960 stories of these games and I got the ball from 0:36:30.040 --> 0:36:34.239 Kobe and whatever else, his eyes get wide light saucers. 0:36:34.680 --> 0:36:37.720 They needed every bit of ron our Test in this game. 0:36:37.800 --> 0:36:40.080 I mean, who knew you need every bit of ron 0:36:40.160 --> 0:36:45.600 our Test that game? Right, It's it's just an insane 0:36:45.960 --> 0:36:48.839 box score. When you go through and watching the sequences. 0:36:49.280 --> 0:36:53.239 The benches have really no impact from a scoring perspective. 0:36:53.480 --> 0:36:57.239 It's nine six Odom and Vulla Chich total of nine 0:36:57.280 --> 0:37:01.360 against six for Big Baby Davis. The ben for the Celtics. 0:37:01.600 --> 0:37:04.560 Davis plays about twenty one minutes and that's it. Tony 0:37:04.640 --> 0:37:08.320 Allen five minutes, twenty seconds Nate Robinson three and a 0:37:08.400 --> 0:37:11.840 half minutes and Scalambreedy got in for fifty one seconds. 0:37:11.960 --> 0:37:14.520 That's it. But that's it. That's all you got from 0:37:14.520 --> 0:37:17.160 the bench. It's basically, hey guys, this is how far 0:37:17.280 --> 0:37:20.080 we got this game seven, you got it. Take care 0:37:20.160 --> 0:37:22.120 of it. Our test three comes with about a minute 0:37:22.200 --> 0:37:24.960 left to go, and okay, that turned out to be 0:37:25.000 --> 0:37:28.080 the big backbreaker, but the Celtics still hit a shot 0:37:28.360 --> 0:37:32.239 and they still cut the lead, and Kobe misses, but 0:37:32.880 --> 0:37:35.800 Pau Gasol gets the rebound, gets the ball back to Kobe. 0:37:35.800 --> 0:37:38.200 The Celtics have no choice but the foul Kobe Bryant. 0:37:38.480 --> 0:37:42.680 Kobe hits both free throws after Gasol rebounds Kobe's missed three, 0:37:42.719 --> 0:37:45.279 which is a really big deal because still even with 0:37:45.400 --> 0:37:49.000 that three from Ron Artest, the Celtics still had a chance. 0:37:49.640 --> 0:37:52.200 Boston then gets another bucket and it's like, oh my god, 0:37:52.239 --> 0:37:55.719 it's Boston ever gonna go away? What's gonna happen? And 0:37:55.760 --> 0:37:58.560 then Sasha willia Chich, who we talked about the very 0:37:58.600 --> 0:38:01.600 beginning of the podcast. It made a very quick reference 0:38:01.640 --> 0:38:03.759 to him. He was one player that Kobe Bryant made 0:38:03.800 --> 0:38:06.359 cry at practice because he was so tough on him, 0:38:06.400 --> 0:38:09.360 want him to tough enough. Volia Chich hits two big 0:38:09.400 --> 0:38:12.800 free throws with eleven seconds left to give the Lakers 0:38:12.800 --> 0:38:15.920 a four point lead. Rondo mss A three, Lakers get 0:38:15.960 --> 0:38:19.200 the rebound, they win eighty three seventy nine, and the 0:38:19.280 --> 0:38:22.840 Lakers are NBA champions. They withstand all the way to 0:38:22.920 --> 0:38:25.160 the buzzer. This was one of those where you want 0:38:25.160 --> 0:38:27.120 to stand up and applaud both teams after because you 0:38:27.160 --> 0:38:29.759 could tell none of them had anything left and it 0:38:29.800 --> 0:38:32.759 was just throwing. It's like the end of our You're 0:38:32.920 --> 0:38:35.839 throwing punches. It's like the second Rocky Apollo fight. They're 0:38:35.880 --> 0:38:38.960 just circling each other and throwing. Rocky's bleeding from his 0:38:39.040 --> 0:38:42.839 eye and Apollo you can't even see his eyes. They're 0:38:42.840 --> 0:38:45.400 just throwing punches and in back and punches. That's what 0:38:45.480 --> 0:38:48.840 the end of this was like three seventy nine. You 0:38:48.840 --> 0:38:50.920 know what the poison pens would be out for a 0:38:51.080 --> 0:38:56.080 finals game that ends Because if you told me that 0:38:56.120 --> 0:39:00.479 scoring game seven, what's your first thought, which which pistons tea? Yeah, 0:39:00.600 --> 0:39:02.320 it was that was that? Oh that was when the 0:39:02.480 --> 0:39:06.080 first one, first time or when they were back, was 0:39:06.080 --> 0:39:09.759 that when they lost to the Spurs. It was seventy nine. Um, 0:39:10.080 --> 0:39:12.520 Kobe still wound up with a game high twenty three 0:39:12.560 --> 0:39:15.399 and still had ten in the fourth quarter, proving that 0:39:15.440 --> 0:39:17.840 even when Kobe would have moments like this, like you know, 0:39:17.880 --> 0:39:20.320 he misses the big three but Palgasol gets the rebound, 0:39:20.960 --> 0:39:23.000 he still was great. I mean, this is the game 0:39:23.040 --> 0:39:25.200 where if you said, hey, Kobe had ten in the 0:39:25.200 --> 0:39:28.240 fourth quarter, but because you expected him to make every 0:39:28.239 --> 0:39:31.359 big clutch shot, it would seem like, uh, Kobe didn't 0:39:31.360 --> 0:39:32.800 have a great game, no shooting, he didn't have a 0:39:32.840 --> 0:39:35.560 great game. But still he had high point total and 0:39:35.600 --> 0:39:37.719 he scored ten in the fourth quarter. When you know 0:39:37.760 --> 0:39:39.840 you're not scoring a lot of points there, three points 0:39:39.840 --> 0:39:42.160 won this game. That's a really big deal. Twenty three 0:39:42.200 --> 0:39:45.400 and fifteen on the night he was eleven and fifteen 0:39:45.480 --> 0:39:49.120 from the file line for the night six of twenty four. 0:39:49.400 --> 0:39:51.640 Pretty much anybody else, you'd take the ball from them 0:39:51.680 --> 0:39:53.759 after a while, But who else are you gonna get it? 0:39:53.800 --> 0:39:56.799 Like Kobe. Eventually you're gonna find your shot. No, no, 0:39:57.080 --> 0:40:02.480 the the legs were gone afterwards. I'll always remember ron 0:40:02.560 --> 0:40:05.319 our test and his and his press conference because this 0:40:05.400 --> 0:40:08.360 was when he brought his entire family to the press conference, 0:40:08.480 --> 0:40:10.839 and it was everybody had his kids, his wife, and 0:40:10.840 --> 0:40:13.480 he introducing everybody and he goes, hi, all right, this 0:40:13.560 --> 0:40:15.480 is my wife, and this is this and I'm ron 0:40:15.920 --> 0:40:17.600 and and he goes all the way through. He has 0:40:17.640 --> 0:40:20.560 his whole family up there. Phil Jackson talked about the 0:40:20.640 --> 0:40:22.520 role that ron Our Test played in winning the game. 0:40:22.560 --> 0:40:25.080 He called him like the most valuable player of the game, 0:40:25.320 --> 0:40:28.160 even though Kobe won his second straight NBA Finals m 0:40:28.239 --> 0:40:30.600 v P. But this goes to show you that as 0:40:30.680 --> 0:40:33.239 great a player as Kobe was, look, you need help 0:40:33.280 --> 0:40:35.480 to win, and he got to help the first time 0:40:35.520 --> 0:40:38.120 around with Pau Gasol. And it wasn't a great Magic 0:40:38.200 --> 0:40:40.480 team that they beat in the finals. This was a 0:40:40.520 --> 0:40:43.040 really great Celtics team, and he had all the help 0:40:43.080 --> 0:40:45.440 he needed with our Test and Odomankase. I mean, this 0:40:45.560 --> 0:40:48.200 was probably the best of all of those Laker teams, 0:40:48.320 --> 0:40:50.120 even though it was only together for a very short 0:40:50.120 --> 0:40:53.040 period of time. Because eventually Lamar Odom he gets sick 0:40:53.040 --> 0:40:54.839 and tired of his act and they move on and 0:40:54.960 --> 0:40:57.479 Palgosol gets older and ron our Tests, you know, only 0:40:57.520 --> 0:41:00.839 has so much time before he turns into some Okay, 0:41:00.840 --> 0:41:02.759 he's not quite the player he used to be, but 0:41:02.920 --> 0:41:05.839 this moment in time, this was that best Laker team. Right, 0:41:05.880 --> 0:41:09.160 Derek Fisher was getting older, and you look at just 0:41:09.320 --> 0:41:12.600 on down the line, right Andrew by Him had his flash. 0:41:12.880 --> 0:41:16.000 Jordan's farm are guys that you had some quality minutes 0:41:16.040 --> 0:41:19.799 from through the regular season. They weren't long for being 0:41:19.840 --> 0:41:22.800 with the team. And just for the Ron artests that 0:41:23.120 --> 0:41:25.960 he he averaged eleven points per game during the regular 0:41:25.960 --> 0:41:30.400 season clincher, he's the guy making the difference scoring twenty. 0:41:30.600 --> 0:41:32.600 So I mean it's just a strange game and an 0:41:32.600 --> 0:41:36.680 EBB and flow, but also a testament to the way 0:41:36.719 --> 0:41:40.480 those teams both were constructed. Yeah, Kobe was the only 0:41:40.520 --> 0:41:42.719 player to average more than twenty points a game in 0:41:42.760 --> 0:41:46.879 the series. He averaged a game high point high man 0:41:46.920 --> 0:41:49.160 for the Celtics, and in that series was Paul Pierce 0:41:49.200 --> 0:41:51.080 with eight. Team. I mean, look look at what the 0:41:51.160 --> 0:41:53.480 Lakers did. You had Kobe with twenty eight. Then it 0:41:53.560 --> 0:41:56.200 was Pal Gasol who was eighteen and eleven. Then you 0:41:56.239 --> 0:41:59.120 had our test with ten, Andrew by Him had seven, 0:41:59.160 --> 0:42:02.080 Derek Fisher was eight. Lamar Odom only average seven points 0:42:02.080 --> 0:42:04.160 a game in this series. You know he he had 0:42:04.200 --> 0:42:07.480 a rougher NBA Finals than anybody else did, but look, 0:42:07.520 --> 0:42:10.799 it's that was it across the board. This this was hey, 0:42:10.880 --> 0:42:13.000 we are we are throwing all kinds of haymakers at 0:42:13.000 --> 0:42:15.920 each other, and clearly Kobe Bryant stood head and shoulders 0:42:15.960 --> 0:42:19.000 above everybody else because without Kobe's ability to put the 0:42:19.040 --> 0:42:21.600 ball in the basket when points were at a premium, 0:42:21.840 --> 0:42:24.960 this is the Celtics winning another title. Instead, it cements 0:42:25.040 --> 0:42:27.640 the legend you put the five up, five greater than 0:42:27.680 --> 0:42:32.919 Shaquille's four. And you know, even you heard Shack say 0:42:32.920 --> 0:42:36.200 that after uh Kobe passed. He was very emotional on 0:42:36.280 --> 0:42:39.520 T and T in the in the nights following the 0:42:39.560 --> 0:42:42.880 fatal h helicopter accident, where Shack was saying, you know, 0:42:43.000 --> 0:42:44.759 we're not gonna be able to joke around that his 0:42:44.800 --> 0:42:46.640 Hall of Fame induction where he would say five is 0:42:46.680 --> 0:42:49.279 greater than four because Shaq would always say I won 0:42:49.320 --> 0:42:51.440 the battle with Kobe because I won the first title. 0:42:51.520 --> 0:42:53.800 But then Kobe could say, yeah, but I won two 0:42:54.000 --> 0:42:56.200 and I stayed and so now my five is greater 0:42:56.239 --> 0:42:58.919 than your four. And you know that's that's been That's 0:42:58.920 --> 0:43:01.680 a big debate to this Shack Kobe debate, that's always 0:43:01.680 --> 0:43:05.040 gonna live. Look, that's part of the emotions that come 0:43:05.040 --> 0:43:08.279 out of Shaquille O'Neal to of what his career became. Right, 0:43:08.320 --> 0:43:11.239 he got that title and he's revered, and he's gone 0:43:11.239 --> 0:43:13.920 on to great success as a commentator. I don't know 0:43:13.960 --> 0:43:17.600 that there's anything more entertaining on television. You got Fox 0:43:17.719 --> 0:43:20.400 NFL Sunday and you got Inside the NBA. Those are 0:43:20.400 --> 0:43:23.080 the two. Those are the two hallmarks to everything. But 0:43:23.239 --> 0:43:26.439 with Shaquille O'Neal, there's gotta there's gonna be regret. Whether 0:43:26.480 --> 0:43:29.120 he's he's really expressed it yet, I've heard it in 0:43:29.280 --> 0:43:32.480 bits and pieces. Right when you start talking about what 0:43:32.760 --> 0:43:35.480 the end of his career became, leaves Los Angeles, goes 0:43:35.520 --> 0:43:39.520 to Miami, great, but then you have stops in Cleveland 0:43:40.280 --> 0:43:43.800 and Boston and all these other things. You know, dancing 0:43:43.800 --> 0:43:48.280 with the Jabberwocky's is great, But you talk about Kobe 0:43:48.320 --> 0:43:51.960 being able to finish twenty years in the Laker uniform 0:43:52.200 --> 0:43:55.480 versus moving and bouncing around and trying to find fits, 0:43:56.000 --> 0:43:58.880 fighting health issues, some of which was caused by not 0:43:58.960 --> 0:44:01.799 taking care of your body early. For Shaquille O'Neill, So 0:44:01.880 --> 0:44:04.799 I mean there's beyond the personal rift, there also had 0:44:04.840 --> 0:44:08.000 to be some personal jealousy of how he was able 0:44:08.040 --> 0:44:10.879 to stay on a straight path instead of the hop 0:44:10.920 --> 0:44:14.400 scotch that Shaquille O'Neil played. And this was the title 0:44:14.440 --> 0:44:16.279 that cemented all of that well, and that's the thing 0:44:16.360 --> 0:44:18.440 for Kobe. And you know, let's let's let's end here 0:44:18.480 --> 0:44:20.879 with this with Kobe because the one thing about him 0:44:21.000 --> 0:44:24.719 that endeared him defans through everything throughout his life. And 0:44:24.719 --> 0:44:27.120 you've heard so many different tributes to Kobe over the 0:44:27.120 --> 0:44:30.040 course of the past a few days, and you're gonna 0:44:30.040 --> 0:44:33.160 continue to hear of the coming weeks and months, is that. 0:44:33.440 --> 0:44:35.840 You know, Shaq was always about fun. He knew he 0:44:35.880 --> 0:44:38.880 needed to win any one. Did Shaq really try to 0:44:38.880 --> 0:44:42.200 get better every day? No, because he would have developed 0:44:42.239 --> 0:44:44.399 more than one post movie, would have developed a way 0:44:44.440 --> 0:44:46.440 to dominate the games as he got older, would have 0:44:46.480 --> 0:44:48.920 taken care of his body a little bit more. Kobe 0:44:48.960 --> 0:44:52.040 always wanted to get better. He was always about winning. 0:44:52.040 --> 0:44:54.840 He was always about the edge over my opponent. In 0:44:55.000 --> 0:44:57.040 that way, he was the most like Michael Jordan that 0:44:57.120 --> 0:44:59.799 we had seen, because that's what he wanted and that's 0:44:59.800 --> 0:45:04.200 what fans come to games for. Because while fans understand 0:45:04.480 --> 0:45:06.799 we have to tank to get better, they understand we 0:45:06.840 --> 0:45:08.680 have to trade this player because he makes too much money. 0:45:08.719 --> 0:45:11.120 We gotta get into the salary cap. Whatever sport we're 0:45:11.120 --> 0:45:13.919 talking about, the one thing that always brings you back 0:45:14.040 --> 0:45:17.000 is I want my team to win. And Kobe wanted 0:45:17.000 --> 0:45:19.839 to win. Body be damned, everything else be damned. I 0:45:19.920 --> 0:45:22.320 want to win. That's why I'm shooting free throws with 0:45:22.360 --> 0:45:24.680 a torn achilles. That's why I'm I'm trying to score 0:45:24.719 --> 0:45:27.319 sixty and win my final game in the NBA. He 0:45:27.400 --> 0:45:30.480 was always about winning and there was nothing else about it. 0:45:30.520 --> 0:45:33.520 And in a league where a lot of players enjoy 0:45:33.600 --> 0:45:36.719 the lifestyle of the NBA and look, not that they 0:45:36.719 --> 0:45:39.360 don't want to win, but how many players are obsessed 0:45:39.400 --> 0:45:41.640 with winning like Kobe Bryant, Lebron James for a long 0:45:41.680 --> 0:45:44.800 time in his career, it's making business decision after business decision. 0:45:44.960 --> 0:45:47.040 Kobe just wanted to go out and win. There are 0:45:47.080 --> 0:45:50.000 a few players like that, but no one like him. 0:45:50.120 --> 0:45:52.960 And while players enjoy the lifestyle, they enjoy being stars, 0:45:52.960 --> 0:45:55.040 they enjoy playing. They get to the playoffs. Now we're 0:45:55.040 --> 0:45:58.160 trying to win. Kobe was obsessed with that every single day, 0:45:58.200 --> 0:45:59.880 well all the way through the twenty years, and he 0:46:00.000 --> 0:46:02.200 into when the body was starting to betray him. It 0:46:02.239 --> 0:46:04.200 became all right, how do I become a more affected 0:46:04.239 --> 0:46:08.920 player in my final years? Right? More jump shots, the 0:46:09.000 --> 0:46:11.920 fade away, the footwork on the post. We talked a 0:46:11.960 --> 0:46:15.799 little bit earlier about the James Worthy conversation, you know 0:46:15.840 --> 0:46:18.719 that he called him, going, hey, help me work work 0:46:18.800 --> 0:46:20.640 down on the knock. It was like, what do you 0:46:20.640 --> 0:46:23.759 mean You're you're going into your seventeen What am I 0:46:23.760 --> 0:46:26.120 going to teach you? I? Yeah, It's like you're Kobe Bryant, 0:46:26.160 --> 0:46:28.000 what do you what do you want? But still trying 0:46:28.000 --> 0:46:31.240 to pick people's brains, And it's it's as a fan 0:46:31.400 --> 0:46:34.160 of sport, and that's what gets us all behind the microphone, 0:46:34.239 --> 0:46:38.560 keeps us paying for different packages, whether it's the ticket 0:46:38.719 --> 0:46:42.799 or whatever else and going through if you buy jerseys 0:46:42.840 --> 0:46:45.960 and everything else is you're you're a fan of the 0:46:46.080 --> 0:46:49.640 sport and you appreciate greatness. And even if you were 0:46:49.640 --> 0:46:52.880 in a Laker fan, you appreciated Kobe Bryant. Right. I 0:46:52.880 --> 0:46:56.920 grew up in Chicago Bears fan, Bulls fan, everything but 0:46:57.000 --> 0:47:00.600 the Cubs and Southside, what do you want? But it 0:47:00.719 --> 0:47:03.560 was you still appreciated the guys that gutted you. You 0:47:03.600 --> 0:47:07.160 hated to play brat Farve, but every time you just went, 0:47:07.320 --> 0:47:09.600 oh man, and you shake your head and you'd watch 0:47:09.719 --> 0:47:11.799 him do something crazy in the final minutes of a 0:47:11.840 --> 0:47:13.239 game to beat you, and it's like, all right, here 0:47:13.239 --> 0:47:15.960 we go again. Same thing later on with Aaron Rodgers 0:47:16.560 --> 0:47:20.400 for Laker. You know, detractors, they still had to just 0:47:20.600 --> 0:47:23.680 shake their head and go, yep, we got Kobe again. Right. 0:47:23.719 --> 0:47:25.839 He had another one of those signature nights and made 0:47:25.920 --> 0:47:28.440 us all look silly and we couldn't defend him, or 0:47:28.480 --> 0:47:31.960 we kept single guarding him when obviously we shouldn't have. 0:47:32.200 --> 0:47:37.280 Schell Michell, I led you to the water and you drank. 0:47:37.600 --> 0:47:40.560 But just that idea of and that was the appreciation 0:47:40.640 --> 0:47:43.600 of him. And I think you see that across all sports, 0:47:44.239 --> 0:47:47.399 and we've seen that, and that will just continue to flow. 0:47:48.040 --> 0:47:49.920 So that's how I look back at the final NBA 0:47:50.040 --> 0:47:53.319 Championship for Kobe Bryant. Here on Special Teams You want 0:47:53.360 --> 0:47:57.560 more Kobe content, check out Special Teams Are podcast. We 0:47:57.640 --> 0:48:01.160 look back at the first NBA title for Kobe Bryant 0:48:01.200 --> 0:48:04.200 and the Lakers as the Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers 0:48:04.400 --> 0:48:07.399 to win the NBA title. Check that out as well. 0:48:08.000 --> 0:48:10.600 From Mike, I'm Jason. You have an idea of who 0:48:10.640 --> 0:48:12.279 you want to see or hear us talk about on 0:48:12.400 --> 0:48:15.799 future episodes and podcasts of Special Teams. Twitter at how 0:48:15.840 --> 0:48:19.440 about a fresca? Mike is at Swollen Dome. We'll talk 0:48:19.480 --> 0:48:31.640 to you next week. Before you go, rate and review 0:48:31.680 --> 0:48:34.080 the show. Whether you're listening on I heart Radio, I 0:48:34.239 --> 0:48:37.600 heart radio apps, Apple, whatever it is, give us a rate, 0:48:37.640 --> 0:48:39.640 tell us you like it. We will love you forever 0:48:39.760 --> 0:48:55.320 and ever and ever. Special Teams is a production of 0:48:55.400 --> 0:48:58.240 I Heart Radio. 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