Top Five Friday: The Second Season Begins

Oh yeah, baby!

Starting tomorrow, the NBA Playoffs are underway and for a basketball fan [a _true_ basketball fan, not this NCAA nonsense,] it's one of the most exciting times of the year.

And for a Laker fan, such as myself, it's DEFINITELY an exciting time of year as the Lakers look to be one of the top teams in the playoffs this year and absolutely have a chance of going the distance. But you gotta play 'em one game at a time, give it a hundred and ten percent, and the good Lord willing... things will work out. Thanks, Crash.

I was lucky enough to score a pair of tickets to Game 1 on Sunday against Denver so I will likely attempt some moderate form of liveblogging [similar to the Dodger game from last week] during the game. Look for that!

But for today, it's time for a Top Five Friday and with the buzz of NBA playoff action in the air, what better topic than...

TOP FIVE LAKER PLAYOFF MOMENTS

NOTE: Please be aware that I really didn't start watch the Lakers regularly til the mid-90s which'll eliminate a lot of the postseason moments you would ordinarily see on this kind of list as I really only want to list stuff that I actually saw as it happened.

5. Eternal Hangtime
This one probably only makes the list because I was actually at the game. In typical Laker fashion, they had managed to work themselves [either up or down] into a close finish in Game 2 of the 2000 Western Conference Semifinals. The timeout right before the end had everyone on their feet, going nutty at the possibility of a game-winner. Kobe had the ball at the top of the arc, slowly, slowly, then moving in. Near the corner at the top of the key, he elevated with Jason Kidd in his face, hung in the air for what seemed like an eternity, and double-pumped his way to a 97-96 win and a 2-0 lead in the series. It was the loudest I've ever heard the Staples Center crowd when I was in the building.


4. I Got This One
Game 4 of the 2000 NBA Finals saw the Lakers and Pacers heading to Overtime. The Lakers were up 2-1 in the series and a win by the Pacers would have put the Purple And Gold on their heels with Game 5 in Indiana as well. Things looked dire for the Los Angeles Five that day as Shaq managed to foul out shortly into the overtime period and Kobe was playing on a sprained ankle. What followed was nothing short of a masterful performance by Kobe flying solo capped off by this:


3. .4 seconds
Like this one really needs explained. Game 5 of the 2004 Playoffs had the Lakers and the defending champion San Antonio Spurs meeting in the Western Conference Semifinals. The series was even with the winner of this game gaining a huge edge. The Spurs got a big basket with Tim Duncan making an incredible fadeaway jumper over Shaq leaving just .4 seconds on the clock and giving the Spurs a 73-72 lead. No one thought it could be done. Everyone knew that the entire Spurs team would blanket Kobe to prevent him from getting the ball. The Spurs got a big shot... the Lakers got a bigger one.



2. The Unbelievable Game 7
The 2000 Western Conference Finals saw Portland versus the Lakers in a breathtaking showdown. When all the dust had settled, it came down to a huge Game 7 in Los Angeles that I think every person in Southern California was watching. It was an epic struggle and somehow the Lakers found themselves down going into the fourth quarter... down big. Down 15 points against a team who had taken them to the limit, it had poor Laker fans like my beloved wife [future wife at that point] muttering to herself, "I'll be okay if they lose. It's going to be alright if they lose." But fortunately, we never had to find that out as the Lakers erased the 15 point lead and went beyond to take the victory. This insane fourth quarter also features one of the greatest baskets in Laker history... one of the most iconic moments in Los Angeles sports history with the Kobe to Shaq ally-oop dunk.



And the undisputed #1...

1. BIG...SHOT...BOB!
I... I just can't do it justice. Just watch.



Thank you, Vlade Divac, for the greatest assist of your career.