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Arrogant Lakers brought themselves down
May 16, 2003
By Mike Kahn
SportsLine.com Executive Editor
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Arrogance ended the dynasty.

Confidence is one thing, and we know the Los Angeles Lakers had plenty of that. But the "Lake Show" was doomed to failure months before the 2002-2003 season even began.

All the foibles came spilling out as the Spurs annihilated the Lakers in the fourth quarter in front of a hushed Staples Center crowd, ending a 110-82 rout to finish the Western Conference semifinals Thursday night.

We saw Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal, his throbbing left knee barely holding up his enormous body as Tim Duncan looked like a younger, newer model, leaving dust in Shaq Diesel's face.

There was his superstar "little brother," Kobe Bryant, with no gas left in his tank, either, as defensive specialist Bruce Bowen and the rest of defense-oriented Spurs cut him off at every turn.

And finally in the face of defeat, there was the ultimate Zen Master looking so calm and forthright -- coach Phil Jackson -- with 25 consecutive playoff series victories, the best winning percentage and most postseason wins in history and nine NBA titles, a record he shares with Red Auerbach. Was it hard to forget that he was less than a week removed from 90 percent heart blockage that required an angioplasty procedure and a stent inserted?

There is a reason why nobody has won more than three titles in a row the past 37 years, and why the Boston Celtics won eight in a row and nine of out 10. Auerbach had that team intact, made improvements along the way and everyone was on the same page or sent packing.

Not these guys, who very well could have pulled it off if they used the same script.

It began immediately after the Lakers swept the New Jersey Nets for their third consecutive title last June. Rather than bring in immediate help for their weak cast of role players -- led by aging Robert Horry, Rick Fox and Brian Shaw -- they re-signed young Devean George to an inflated contract.

They ignored free agent Charles Oakley and all other big men who might have helped O'Neal and depended on a weak group of Samaki Walker, Slava Medvedenko and Mark Madsen. Only point guard Derek Fisher, erratic at best, is still in his prime but has to work with unpolished rookies Kareem Rush and Jannero Pargo.

Owner Jerry Buss and general manager Mitch Kupchak thumbed their noses at everyone else -- heck, with Shaq and Kobe, we don't need much else, they said.

But that was presuming Shaq was all there. Oh, he was there all right, a little too much of him, again. His weight wasn't in the 360-pound range as he had been, but there were other issues. He waited until Sept. 11 to have foot surgery that caused him to miss training camp and the first 12 regular-season games. It also required more time to get in good enough condition to be competitive, and the result was an 11-19 start that left the team's chemistry in shambles. He said all season it was because he wanted three opinions on what to do with his foot.

Since when does it require nearly three months to get three opinions?

He copped out on his teammates.

Yes, they pulled it back together to finish 50-32, but by the time the playoffs rolled around, they were already tempting fate. O'Neal struggled, and with his foot and knee aching, he suddenly realized that at 31 and carrying too much weight, kryptonite wasn't required to break his body down. And despite being just 24, Bryant was clearly weary from carrying the team much of the season. George had been a bust, and nobody was helping O'Neal inside at all.

They looked very beatable before coming together to eliminate Timberwolves in the first round. They lost Fox to a torn tendon in his left foot and George subsequently sprained an ankle. And yet the Lakers still believed they could beat the Spurs.

The bigger question was whether the Spurs actually believed they could beat the Lakers. Yes, the Spurs were fabulous down the stretch of the regular season, finishing 41-9 and even sweeping the Lakers in four regular-season games.

They had added a lot of athleticism in Manu Ginobili and Speedy Claxton, with upgraded roles for Tony Parker and Stephen Jackson to complement Duncan. Malik Rose, in his bull-in-a-china-shop manner, was a terror inside subbing for Duncan and David Robinson, in the final season of his fabulous career.

And yet, the Lakers' arrogance (they had won eight of the past nine playoff games between the teams) still had the Spurs' confidence a little shaky. But by virtue of having the best regular-season record, the series opened in San Antonio, and the Spurs won Games 1 and 2 without much of an issue. The Lakers stung them badly in Game 3 in Los Angeles, but it was Game 4 that raised eyebrows. The Spurs opened up a 16-point lead and looked to be taking control of the series, only to fall apart in the third quarter, miss free throws down the stretch and give the Lakers life.

It was even worse in Game 5, when they blew virtually all of a 25-point lead they held late in the third quarter. But Horry's 3-pointer at the buzzer seemingly had the hand of the "Basketball Gods" push it out of the basket after it was two-thirds of the way down. Shell-shocked but victorious, the Spurs took a 3-2 lead to Los Angeles on Thursday night.

When that shot came out, the dreams of four consecutive titles ended. Even Horry, the quiet assassin with five titles (including two in Houston) who seemingly always hit the game-winning 3-pointer, was foiled. In fact, by the end Thursday night, he had missed 26 in a row and was 2-for-38 in the playoffs.

That was just a small part of the problem. The Lakers couldn't deal with Duncan, a magnificent technician inside. And even Robinson, dealing with back problems and sore knees as he approaches his 38th birthday, still had the savvy and skills to create some problems for O'Neal.

But that's not what caused them to lose when all was said and done. It began with not tweaking the roster up front and O'Neal's delayed surgery. They were just too arrogant to believe anyone was capable of derailing the Shaq Diesel Express on their way to setting new standards for excellence.

In some way, they believed they were taking their best shot at making history.

What they were left with Thursday night was an errant swing and a myth.