The Western Conference was an absolute dogfight between the top teams throughout the 2000s, and no two teams better represented that era of basketball than the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, winning a combined seven titles in the decade.
A video of Kobe Bryant relentlessly attacking Tim Duncan in the 2008 playoffs has gone viral, as their teams had been matched up in the Western Conference Finals that season. This highlight reel is from Kobe’s incredible 39-point closeout performance in Game 5 of the series.
Kobe Bryant relentlessly attacks Tim Duncan and the Spurs to clinch the WCF (2008)
by u/yam_on_em in nba
The Lakers would ultimately win the series 4-1 and enter their first Finals in the Kobe and Pau Gasol era. Unfortunately, that season ended in heartbreak for them as the Celtics beat them in seven games to clinch their first (and only) title of the 2000s. Kobe got his revenge by winning the title in 2009 and winning one more for good measure in 2010 by beating the Orlando Magic.
Kobe Bryant Was Sensational In 2007-08 Season
Kobe Bryant averaged 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists in the regular season as he picked up the only regular season MVP award of his career. He led the Lakers to a 57-25 record and the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
The team went 12-3 through the West, beating the Nuggets, Jazz, and Spurs in three rounds before advancing to face the Boston Celtics in the Finals. Bryant averaged 31.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.3 steals through the first three rounds of the playoffs in a dominant showing over the West.
Instead of having one of the greatest individual seasons of his career end with a title win, Bryant’s Lakers fell short to bitter rivals Boston Celtics in the Finals. Bryant gave it his all and averaged 25.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in the series. The loss unleashed a ruthless side of him, as he led the Lakers to win consecutive titles in 2009 and 2010 to seal his legacy as one of the greatest players of all time.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
