How the Spurs Ended the Kobe-Shaq Laker Dynasty | Bill Simmons's Book of Basketball 2.0 | The Ringer

The 2003 Western Conference semifinals between the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers was a pivotal series for that season but also for the future of the NBA. The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Shea Serrano to discuss Tim Duncan’s dominance and how the Spurs ended the Lakers' Shaq-and-Kobe era.
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[@thatboylije7892]

All I know is the nba definitely ripped off Tim Duncan cuz he definitely recorded a quadruple double in game six of the finals that year

[@jmcook96]

Its not a San Antonio thing. This is well known in NBA circles. TD had 23/23/10/10 but they gave the two blocks to David

[@deanwalker7216]

Who cares?

[@thatboylije7892]

@@deanwalker7216 your whore mother does

[@thelawfus]

@@deanwalker7216you care enough to reply to a 3 yr old comment

[@mikewhite2085]

​@@jmcook96 2:18

[@vannshy]

One thing about the Spurs that I feel is never mentioned: they beat the reigning champs in 2003 along with the previous finalist to win the finals, and in 2005 again beat the reigning champ to win the finals. A really nice accomplishment in my book.

[@bari891]

True champions.

[@Puertoito]

They also ended the super team heat run in 14'. Everyone went their separate ways the following year.

[@jaytf1231]

And won in 1999 between the Lakers 3 peat and 05 and 07 also. And later on in 2014. They were like the Patriots of the NBA. A dynasty spread out.

[@DecemberSkyfire]

@phillyslasher They are the greatest winners in the modern era of the NBA. So yes, definitely a dynasty.

[@Jakem723]

Duncan did that shit almost by himself. Washed up Robinson in his last year, rookie Ginobili, 21 year old inconsistent TP. Stephen Jackson might’ve been the second best player on that team.

[@burymeinakobebryantnumber8598]

He had the same coach for his whole career , he had Tony Parker and Ginobolli in there prime while he was still in his prime , great front office , u underrating what he had

[@Jakem723]

@@burymeinakobebryantnumber8598 Kobe, KG, shaq, lebron could never do what Duncan did in ‘03. Only superstar that has a claim would be Hakeem.

[@Ashish-xm9ol]

@@Jakem723 99-00 Shaq could

[@Jakem723]

@@Ashish-xm9ol 00 shaq almost got beat by the Blazers and he had kobe

[@Ashish-xm9ol]

@@Jakem723 Almost yh, Duncan and Hakeem 'almost' lost too. Kobe was Kobe but not KOBE

[@PeenWienerstien]

In hindsight the lakers losing to the spurs in this series was the beginning of the end, but when they lost to the '04 pistons everyone realized its truly over

[@JDandOL]

Except for the spurs, because the lakers beat them in 2004....

[@nthurman6377]

@@JDandOL then the Spurs beat the Pistons in '05 for the Title.

[@Vudoo13]

@@nthurman6377 What does that have to do with the Spurs losing to the Lakers? I think a lot of people Either way, that '05 series is extremely underrated. Excellent series.

[@nthurman6377]

@@Vudoo13 lakers didn't get a trophy for beating the spurs. They lost to the Pistons. Spurs beat them next year is all I'm saying. Only two teams got rings... Neither were the Lakers.

[@Vudoo13]

Oops, I meant to say what does that have to with the Lakers losing to the Spurs. Either way, I think the Lakers won the rivalry (Duncan / Kobe) era.

[@rickfrye9525]

I was lucky enough to be in the building when Big Shot Bob missed the game-winning 3 in game 5. I swear you could have heard a pin drop when that ball was in flight and that place exploded when it missed. It's one of my favorite memories during that Championship run. I was just a poor kid from Florida who had never been to an NBA game and I ended up living a mile away from their Stadium and realized suddenly I could go to games for $10. I fell in love with that Spurs team and a young Manu Ginobili and I've been a fan ever since.

[@peat381low8]

Manu was coming from an injury at the start of the season. Him and Duncan were amazing in their early years. Imagine if Manu had more playing time like he did in 2005? With a Prime 03' Duncan? We could have won in 2004 too. But Manu was adjusting to the NBA.

[@rickfrye9525]

@@peat381low8 yeah Manu could have been the man on another team but he sacrificed for the team.

[@rickfrye9525]

@@peat381low8 I think you can make the argument that Ginobili was the MVP of the 2005 finals

[@peat381low8]

Rick Frye To me and many other he was the real finals MVP 😉

[@rickfrye9525]

@@peat381low8 me too bro

[@jonnyarnett]

As a Lakers fan.... this one still haunts me

[@GTR24]

The 2004 Western Semi's nearly prolonged the ShaqKobe Dynasty... I still can't believe Fisher hit that 0.4 second shot. Spurs ended their 4peat but De-troit ended that Dynasty.

[@rickfrye9525]

I was in the San Antonio when that happened and people forget that Duncan had made the "game winner" right before that and I walked outside and you could hear the entire city screaming from every direction and honking horns and after Fisher hit that shot....it was dead silence other than a few angry screams. After that it was people cranking up their cars and going home lol. I'll never forget that moment where you could actually feel a city full of millions of people say "WHAT!?"😂😂

[@chrischammas1]

Malone’s knee injury did them in ...

[@eboooo]

@@rickfrye9525 when Duncan hit that shot it turned off the TV I was so mad. And I tried to sleep. I should have kept the TV going. Tim was hurt that year in his defense.

[@mickbreeden6516]

Let's be very clear, Kobe and Shaq ended that dynasty. Nothing else.

[@torpedospurs]

@Curly Que Pretty big exceptions. You could say that the difference maker was really Phil Jackson. He was far superior as a coach to Pop at the time.

[@eboooo]

The Lakers by their own hand ended their dynasty. Jerry West's departure was huge because the team just didn't get better after their 2001 championship.

[@Dc-dp6go]

Facts!! Most underrated part of the end of that dynasty. That 2003 team had Shaq and Kobe, an ok to good Derek Fisher, and everyone else was either old, or just wasn’t good at all

[@ronuj]

D c713 so so true the role players with the exception of fish were completely cooked by that point

[@elbowgang9715]

Devean George was cold lol sike

[@razkable]

well west caused that by losing guys for nothing like trading jones for rice then in 2000 losing him for nothing losing guys like ceballos elden and exel for nothing...la paid their starters and did not care about the bench they thought fisher devan pargo kareem slava madsen murray would improve as older guys like harper grant shaw retired and hoped samaki stayed ok and shaw would remain the same as he was even though he was aging cause of his small role ...obviously they had to overpay kobe as a 2nd option so he didn't leave which handicapped them as did fox getting hurt another bigger salary for them and horry never lived up to his 90's stats after la paid him a bit much to keep him and he could not buy a three that playoffs and samaki getting hurt and young guys being thrust into roles they were not comfortable in kinda ruined la in 03 but we knew in 02 they should of lost as their bench was ass and didn't improve...ty lue would of been nice to keep as he was improving but oh well back then they didn't need more no one but the spurs maybe healthy kings could challenge them, they just needed to stay healthy

[@eboooo]

@@razkable West would have been better at retooling the bench. However, Jackson had the owners ear and not Jerry. Also important the Lakers don't go over the cap because they dont have the money. Van Exel was traded for a personal reason apparently.

[@cbrown4424]

I was at game 6 of that series. The entire arena never had a doubt they would ever lose a deciding game at Staples. There was an level of invincibility with Laker fan during the Shaq/Kobe era. That all ended that night. Spurs ripped the Lakers soul out that night. Then had to go race and get old men Malone and Payton to try to get the title back. By 2005 Kobe had Chris Mihm, Kwame and Smush Parker in his starting 5.

[@razkable]

um kwame came in 2005-2006 during the butler atkins trade

[@cbrown4424]

@@razkable um it says 2005? Sorry i didnt add the 06 to be more specific lol

[@ronaldtenayuca4418]

@Chris Brown AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@TruthDissident]

​​@@cbrown4424 It almost worked too. Lakers beat the defending champ Spurs and made it to the Finals. Unfortunately they got smoked by a far superior team.

[@nanasechere2793]

Amazing analysis as usual. That shot was symbolic - any year before that, the shot goes in - but in 2003, the basketball gods were telling the world that the magic was gone. I’ll never forget Kobe after the next game in the post game interview saying “I’m going to come back stronger, and better than ever” and Kenny Smith commenting “that’s a scary thought” .. but unfortunately he had other things to deal with that summer.

[@hardwoodthought1213]

You mean the rape he commited?

[@Reefism]

Luke Walton wasn't on the 2002-2003 Lakers. He was drafted by the Lakers in the 2003 draft!

[@razkable]

he forgot kareem rush and tracy murray and forgot both samaki and fox were hurt..combined they played 16 non garbage time minutes vs the spurs less than 10 in the three close losses/ wins

[@danielkelegian5306]

these guys are clowns.

[@vinu31]

Thank you guys for discussing this game, a kind of forgotten game in the Lakers - Spurs arms race in the early 2000's. I watched in disbelief as Kobe dragged the Lakers back from a 22 point deficit (his back to back 3's cut that lead to 16). The Spurs closed it out by the skin of their teeth, leaving me and my guys with fragmented fingernails. One of the defining Kobe games no one talks about, one that slipped under the radar. His relentlessness and tenacity were on full display, and we thought the Lakers would take game 6, leading to another cliffhanging game 7. The Spurs blew out the Lakers and took the title, but I will always remember No 24, chipping away at that 20 point lead, almost taking his team home.

[@thomascrowniii1693]

Kobe and Shaq ended Kobe and Shaq.

[@marcbibanga5601]

Thomas Crown III Facts!

[@peat381low8]

No, the Spurs ended it with only one Superstar and great role players. History will always record this year as the Spurs defeated the Lakers Dynasty. And we beat them fair and square. We made Kobe and Fisher cry like babies.

[@educatehour]

@@peat381low8 Guess you missed the part where the Lakers beat the Spurs the following year and went to the finals. Or the finals appearances and two titles from the 08, 09, 10 seasons, with some big pieces from the original core and same system in Kobe, Fisher and Phil.

[@peat381low8]

G V I guess you missed the point and purpose of my comment. The Spurs ended the Lakers 4-peat Chance in 2003.

[@educatehour]

@@peat381low8 ¡mas toñto! Eres un especial persona en la cabeza

[@harryratnam555]

Shaq leaving in 04 is what killed the Shaq-kobe dynasty , don't act like we didn't come back and beat them 4-2 in 04

[@razkable]

traded for odom

[@THE_BEAR_JEW]

The dynasty ended with that loss in 2003. Sure, they still beat the Spurs in 2004 but the decision for the duo splitting was made well before that.

[@robtaggore9931]

Kobe was 4-2 against the Spurs in the playoffs

[@marcbibanga5601]

Reb M Duncan apologists forget that.

[@robtaggore9931]

Heisenberg-SchrodingerEmc2 brilliant stat

[@dayra6425]

You can’t count the wins he had vs those teams when Shaq was the mvp of those teams

[@robtaggore9931]

@@dayra6425 Of course I can. The only year Shaq was far and ahead the #1 option was their 1st championship year when he won MVP. After that season, they were equals production wise.

[@MarcoBrolo]

And still never surpassed Duncan in rings 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@ja8ames]

As a Spurs fan going back to the 90s with Robinson, in some ways it's even more intense a feeling of doom here than can be attributed just to the Lakers. Barkley 1993 is one of the first "oh no" moments that I recall feeling personally as a sports fan, and with all due respect to that 1999 team and Sean Elliott's amazing tip-toes 3, it seemed like there was always someone on the other team waiting with a dagger at the end.

[@amirnevis]

The Great Bill Simmons, who will never miss a chance to talk shit on the Lakers & give back handed compliments to Kobe

[@joedagg4495]

What backhanded compliments? I didn’t hear any???

[@arpinderjeetsingh380]

@@joedagg4495 “Malik rose knows kobe won’t pass so he follows him but kobe still makes a tough shot”

[@binder0301988]

Jerry West left Lakers in 2000. 2003 was not his fault

[@zuverzagmail]

Im a Laker fan and I agree 100% with Bill about the rest of the Laker squad. It seemed like they surrounded shaq and kobe with the absolute minimal amount of talent to get by and win a championship

[@McCauley824]

West left the team after 2000, but keep pushing that Narrative

[@donaldbrady3850]

McCauley824 these Boston pussies absolutely no nothing about the Lakers.

[@Buttington_Headerson]

Huh

[@thedarkfrost2351]

Donald Brady double negative bud

[@razkable]

bill claims 03 was peak kobe but he played 41.2 minutes a night without a true point guard and was without shaq and some other starters for a lot of games so his stats will look better than they were cause of garbage time and usage and his shooting % proves it as did his turnovers ...he could not quite yet lead that team alone cause his stats are for a 32 loss team mind you and while kobe was in his peak from 01-09 he was not yet in his prime which to me was 05-07 personally in that era he was mj like...he could just do anything he wanted...for kobe peak means mentally and psychically and to me until 04 he was very much a slasher with a come and go outside game semi post game...by 2010 he was all smarts so to me where his power peaked was when sadly he had shit around him so people didn't see how perfect of a player he was by 05 and through 07 where he could do anything and still had the athleticism to match his skill level..that was peak kobe...03 kobe was energy and given the green light ...he was not the best version of kobe...06 kobe played less minutes and scored way more efficiently

[@elbowgang9715]

@@razkable u tripping 2006 Kobe averaged over 40 minutes and 27 shot attempts a game he clearly was more efficient under tougher rules in 2003.

[@ethanennis8]

Jerry West was gone after the 2000 Title

[@brookhurst56]

Ethan Ennis thank you....

[@dayra6425]

Yeah but he built that dynasty

[@brookhurst56]

da ra um, yes, but he didn’t draft Mad dog. He wanted to draft Manu. That’s why he left. Most of that roster was Kupchek picks and signings. Jerry West would not have signed Simaki Walker....

[@pancon5]

@@brookhurst56 Would he have drafted Manu? Imagine that!

[@eboooo]

@@brookhurst56 I'm pretty sure he wanted to draft Marko Jaric instead of Mad Dog. And i think Ginobili was drafted in 1999

[@TheGhpro11yo]

Great stuff, rarely does anyone talk about series like this one, it really had a bigger impact than we remember, but all anyone ever wants to talk about is Finals series. Also Go Spurs Go!!

[@steelwall4396]

Tim Duncan. Top 5 player all time and 1 of 4 you can make an argument for as the GOAT With Kareem, the most underrated tier 1 guy

[@stevemiller747]

Yeah, no you can't.

[@steelwall4396]

@@stevemiller747 if you were drafting a guy and got to have him for his whole career, no one has adapted to different playstyles like Tim Duncan AND he's the greatest culture setter in basketball and maybe the 4 major American sports If you picked a guy based on how he'd set you up for 20 years, Tim Duncan is the guy He could be a high volume post scorer with moves as devastating as Olajuwon He could stretch to the mid-range efficiently He was an underrated passer He didn't need the ball in his hands, happy to let Parker and Manu do their thing Oh and he's also the single greatest defender we've ever seen and still leads the league in WAR value. He leads a team on and off the court in a way we've never seen

[@stevemiller747]

@@steelwall4396 i appreciate your passion you overrate his defense because he couldn't defend multiple positions. Great bit not the greatest. And he couldn't handle the ball so thus he could always be phased out of a game through ball denial, something that would never happen ro Jordan, LeBron or even Kobe. His shot was very good but not unstoppable like Kareem's and they didn't invent rules to stop him like Wilt.

[@steelwall4396]

@@stevemiller747 he played Small Forward? He could defend all but the fastest of 3's and locked out everyone in the post. Ask Shaq and KG what it was like going against him 1 on 1 Also he innovated on how to protect the rim and is still the best to have ever done that (rim protection is literally the greatest predictor of how good a defense will be) Timmy had no problem facing up. His incredible length and his shot making made him a super dangerous face-up scorer Kareem is the only big that competes with Tim. Regardless Tim is the best culture guy we've ever had, building the Spurs dynasty. He's also super adaptable. He thrived in the post dominated 90's style basketball, killed it in the Iso ball era, and then adapted in his late 30's to the 3-point era and was an all-NBA player during it He made the all-star team his rookie year in 1998, and made it his second to last season to in 2015. A literal all-star in the 90's 2000's and 2010's 3 decades of REAL all-star value. Only players to have done that besides him are Lebron, Kobe, and KG (Jordan got an honorary all-star nod in 02' but didn't deserve it) Wilt was a lockeroom cancer, an inefficient scorer, and was clearly surpassed by Bill Russell and Kareem.

[@sanjeevkumar616]

0:38 shaq running the floor 💥💥💥💥💥💥💥

[@sanjeevkumar616]

@@eli-kn3si yessir

[@sergiogarcia5593]

Kobe 2001: Reg. Season - 28/6/5 Playoffs - 29/7/6 “Kobe was feeling himself in 2003” - Bill Simmons

[@Tonyoung55]

He don't fuck with Kobe or Lakers history

[@shanerobinson925]

antonio young feeling himself like he was confident and ready to take over the team in his mind lol has nothing to do with numbers man

[@elbowgang9715]

@@shanerobinson925 exactly which why Kobe and Shaq really fell out in 2001. Shaq missed alot of time that season too

[@ameetlal3313]

Such a great game and fantastic breakdown of how it felt. Game 6 was my all time fav Duncan game

[@kasmeria]

Bill is right about the Lakers not having a third scorer on that team. Robert Horry missing that shot in G6 was not an anomaly as he went 0-for-18 for the series. He averaged 4 pts for god's sake. I actually liked more the 2000 team with Glen Rice. A guy like that (or Rasheed Wallace/Glen Robinson/Antawn Jamison/Corey Maggette etc) would've made all the difference in the world.

[@pancon5]

The BoB 2.0 podcasts are extremely enjoyable.

[@kb4231]

Best podcast out there

[@reneperezjr8383]

I love you bill Simmons for breaking this season aswell as Kobe ! One of my fave Kobe seasons for sure

[@jc2367]

I was stationed in San Antonio and even i forgot they won the title that year. For some reason i remember the lakers winning 3 in a row then losing to the pistons and then the team breaking up.

[@joshspears8507]

This was the season in between the 3rd title and the Lakers-Pistons Finals

[@bobbyw711]

Bill Simmons looks like he’s 6 foot with a 5’2 wingspan.

[@JoeSmithGOAT]

To the people saying the Pistons They weren't a dynasty anymore when the '04 Finals happened, mainly because they lost to the Spurs in '04

[@charltonmccullough4494]

*03

[@williamdauterive8975]

Love the wire reference. Bill Simmons is the Goat

[@MackenzieRiversPodcast]

How did the Spurs end the Kobe-Shaq Lakers when Kobe & Shaq beat them in the last series the play against each other??

[@rosslaverdure]

True!!!

[@mcardy250]

They ended the streak

[@DecemberSkyfire]

Because they never won a title again.

[@joint2joint2k]

Just your standard Bill Simmons revisionist fetish.

[@Nonchalant1996]

That dunk at the 0:46 mark is god tier majestic

[@masonrahal6980]

Dear Bill, you single handily spoiled every book I’ve ever picked up after reading your BOBB over 10 years ago. I hate you. I love you. Best book ever.

[@ericdoug7995]

The End of Russillo and Bill at ESPN.

[@Timstuh]

Well it was a great run! Us San Antonions are sobbing this season for sure

[@nthurman6377]

Wait, then they added Payton and Malone and made all the way to the the finals in 04... But youre saying it was already over the year before?!? I'm sure you thought the same thing in 04... Right.

[@JackMorel]

N Thurman i think he means symbolically, he didnt know the shot was gonna miss either but hes just saying that was the moment the magic was gone. Also malone got injured for the finals and didnt play a game so that helped in killing the magic

[@nthurman6377]

@@JackMorel I got you. It just is weird to categorize a team as 'over' when they end up in finals the following season... what happened to the other 14 teams in the West in '04, that this 'over' team beat them to win the confrence? They had a legit shot to win the trophy, especially if Malone plays, like you mentioned.

[@educatehour]

@@nthurman6377 well said

[@cast1nr]

Malone was practically injured the entire season and Payton didn’t fit well at all in the triangle. It wasn’t much of an upgrade.. believe me

[@cesarquint256]

Timmy need to carry us all game and in the 4th he was gased and dealing with double and triple teams, tony couldnt shoot and David was a ghost, years before the reason for losing was not able to knock open perimeter shots by our guards, this year (03) manu was a rookie avg 8 points or so, so in a way timmy was alone with no clear second choice, back then it felt like we were trowing his prime away, great we end winning 03 05 07 but with better movements in the front office (since Robinson retirment duncan big partner was subpar imo until way later)we could have been better mejor cool vid and yeah timmy did have a cuadruple doble

[@MaybeAnt]

Respect to Shea for sitting in a very low chair to not tower over Bill

[@eddie9244]

It was great seeing derek fisher and others crying on the bench

[@benhaney5843]

Jerry West got them an all star 3rd guy, Glen Rice, and a very good veteran 4th guy Ron Harper. Rice didn't want to play with them after the 1st championship. Don't know why. I just wish they had found a way to keep Nick Van Exel.

[@bobbylyht4123]

Ben Haney Rice didn’t want to be a 3rd option

[@razkable]

Harper played in 00-01

[@avo4154]

Jerry left after the first championship real lakers fans know that

[@NelGill1]

Bill is being disingenuous about Jerry West. He left the Lakers’ front office in 2002, so you can’t put this season’s Lakers’ roster on him. His last three seasons as their GM, they won the title each time. I’d say that’s pretty damn impressive that he accomplished that and walked away instead of trying for a four peat.

[@jaytf1231]

I believe Popovich said the 2004 Spurs may have been their best team. They got beat by a fluke shot by Derek Fisher in game 5 of the 04 Western Conf. Semi- Finals then they lost in LA in game 6. They blew a 2-0 lead, very unusual for a great Spurs team. Thank God the Pistons beat the stinking Lakers in finals. Celtic fan here so when the Lakers lose it's a great day for the U.S.A.

[@DecemberSkyfire]

Popovich knows jack shit, honestly. - signed, Spursfan.

[@torpedospurs]

I can't believe he said that. The 04 team was newly reconstructed because six players from the 03 team left or retired, including two starters. There was a ridiculous situation where Pop asked Manu to come off the bench to give Turkoglu (who wasn't playing well) more reps with the starters. Duncan wasn't quite as sharp as he was the year before. That team was great defensively but had trouble scoring esp. with Nesterovic not being able to buy a shot all season.

[@jaytf1231]

@@torpedospurs I'm almost positive. Or maybe I doubt it but he said it was his biggest disappointment. They were better then the Lakers IMO, and blew a 2 to 0 lead and lost on a fluke shot.

[@torpedospurs]

@@jaytf1231 Since then they've blown another 2-0 lead to a young OKC team in 2012, and took that brutal Game 6 with Ray Allen's 3. Both of those were more disappointing IMO.

[@jaytf1231]

@@torpedospurs That was brutal, leaving the best 3 point shooter in the history of the game open. Bad bounce also. I yelled NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! But the Spurs were a big underdog to the 67 win Heat team that year. Not a Spurs fan, just an admirer.

[@RILDILPODCAST]

Shaq cost the Lakers a 4peat by delaying the toe surgery this forced the Lakers to have to put out way too much energy during the regular season. And by the way Mitch Kupchak put together that roster West was gone in 2000. This is what happens when a Celtic deep dives Laker history smh .

[@uncensored6177]

Didnt the 2004 Pistons do that? Shaq was traded after that L

[@raviolihands5347]

No spurs beat nets 4-2 spurs beat LA conf semi finals

[@uncensored6177]

@@raviolihands5347 you right. But they made the finals after that. I guess they ain't win tho, so understandable.

[@benjaminfo8426]

Lakers rematched the spurs the next year "2004 playoffs" beat them pretty easily then the pistons laid down the hammer . old man Bill is off his rocker

[@uncensored6177]

@@benjaminfo8426 ahhhh see what I mean?? Good shit Ben Fo

[@veerchasm1]

2:50 “Deh-vee-en George” ?!? Is this a Key & Peele skit? 😂

[@razkable]

well bill forgot kareem and samaki but named luke on the lakers in 02-03 which he was not

[@Joe_Comino]

The degree of Schadenfreude esp. from Bill's sidekick at the Laker's missing the mark is off the charts here

[@vnas2012]

Awesome piece

[@paulkim9852]

Kobe hurt his shoulder in the previous series with the Wolves on a dunk attempt on Rasho Nesterovic. He wasn't the same in the playoff games after. He needed surgery in the off season. I'm convinced that if Kobe was healthy the Lakers would have beat the Spurs and 4 peated.

[@KowboyTravels]

Click bait title. Kobe & Shaq ended the Lakers dynasty.

[@DecemberSkyfire]

Tim Duncan ended them. Just like he ended LeBron's Heatles. And the Pistons.

[@atribecalledlen3567]

@@DecemberSkyfire no. Kobe and Shaq beat Duncan in their last year together so that’s false

[@zelicious24]

And still Bill won’t give Kobe credit.

[@brandon1942]

He called him one of the 8 best players of all time

[@nathanielmangione3449]

Clearly, the Pistons, NOT the Spurs, ended the Laker dynasty. The Lakers came back in '04 and knocked off the Spurs and the Timberwolves with MVP Kevin Garnett, Sam Cassel, and Latrell Sprewell. The Lakers only stopped becoming the favorite to win the title after losing in the finals in 5 games to the Pistons. The Lakers came back from this Conference finals loss to the Spurs described here, but they never came back from the beatdown the Pistons gave 'em in '04. Only then was it over...

[@saphirejewelscoward]

Nathaniel Mangione Lakers only got past the Timberwolves because Cassel got hurt. His injury changed the whole series

[@ctwwtc8761]

@@saphirejewelscoward KG never won anything as the focal point of a team. They barely beat the Kings, they weren't beating Shaq n kobe

[@saphirejewelscoward]

@@ctwwtc8761 you just showing your age then cause WOW.!

[@KK-pm7ud]

Come on. Jerry West is the best executive of all time. Lakers championships. Made the Grizzlies watchable. GSW Dynasty. Clippers with Kawhi and PG

[@PowderHeight]

Pistons ended their legacy, NOT the Spurs smh lol

[@brandon1942]

They weren't able to win after the Spurs.

[@benjaminfo8426]

@brandon lakers beat the spurs in the 2004 playoffs then the split happened after the pistons destroyed them .

[@HoTSh0t24]

Kobe and Shaq’s pride ended their legacy NOT the Spurs or the Pistons.

[@benjaminfo8426]

@@HoTSh0t24 the pride came from kobe shooting an absurd amount of shoots proving he was the leader of them team while shooting terrible %s against the pistons with tayshaun guarding him while shaq was doing amazing shooting his exact %s the previous years they won the finals . this was the pistons gameplan . go 1 on 1 with shaq and make kobe an iso chucker with different looks. The pistons ENDED THEIR LEGACY

[@HoTSh0t24]

Benjamin Fo nah man I respectfully disagree. Yes Kobe shot way too much that series because him and Shaq had problems off the court and that translated to the court. But even with all that happening and them losing that series if they could of sallowed their pride during the off season they could of came back strong and beat the spurs and the pistons for the next couple of years. So imo it wasn’t the Spurs or the Pistons it was themselves that ended their legacy.

[@dr.hugostrange9719]

I think there's a few factors here. First the Spurs were a good team on the rise with a lot of hate for the Lakers AND with the desire to send Robinson into the sunset as a champ. If it were another team the Lakers might've squeaked out a fourth consecutive title. Two, Kobe becoming the lead option for the Lakers forever changed the team. Shaq being the main option got the opposition in foul trouble and kept the other players involved in the offense. With Kobe as the go to guy it caused the offense to stagnate and made the other guys watch instead of playing more as a team. Third, the team was getting older and wearing down. Everyone knows multiple championship runs can be very taxing on a team especially the older players. Each prior year the Lakers always did a good job of adding new talent to their core. In 2000 they traded Rice to get Horace Grant, and they signed Isaiah Rider. The JR Rider experiment didn't work out but Grant was a slight upgrade on AC Green, plus Rice being off the team freed up more shots for Kobe. In 2001 they added Mitch Richmond, Lindsey Hunter, and Samaki Walker. Richmond and Hunter barely played in the playoffs but Walker was a good addition, yet another upgrade at PF in a time when the league was loaded with them, plus he had played with Duncan and had some insight there. But in 2002 they made no significant additions. It's my opinion that championship teams NEED significant yet small roster changes to continue winning. The Lakers did nothing while everyone else got better. You can't do that and win. Then the following year they did too much with Payton and Malone, plus Kobe was horrendous that year. Really they were fortunate to have gotten to the finals

[@NoName-cn3cp]

Why didn't they mention the shots of Kobe and Derrick Fisher crying on the bench? Lol

[@jackdanielss]

The only reason why Lakers 3-peated was because it was clear Shaq was the top dog. When it became evident in 2003 that Kobe was a bona fide superstar in his own right, they couldn't co-exist

[@atribecalledlen3567]

2001

[@WhelmedButReady]

How you gonna have a title like this and not mention the Pistons?

[@TheMysticPeak]

As a 7 or 8 year old, Horry missing that shot fucking broke me.

[@jvincc7297]

Love the Marlo vs Stringer Bell reference. The Wire as a show is as great as Kobe is to basketball.

[@therealbs2000]

Nobody ever brings up the fact that big shot missed that 3 at the end of game 5. Every lakers fan somehow expected that shot to go in. Like check tony parker on that shot...he was like OH PITA....

[@Privateryannnn]

Just conveniently left out that the Lakers beat them the next year & went to the finals in 04

[@TXlove]

Spurs and Lakers post Jordan had some BATTLES

[@ewing4237]

Why does footage from the 2000's look so awful? Not a criticism of this video, it's the same on the NBAs official channel. I don't get it. The broadcasts didn't look like this so why can't they clean it up?

[@bryndenrivers1697]

One of the blocks was given to David Robinson and the other one was not counted as a block but as a deflection.

[@JohnDoe-fq2yd]

I like how this is peak Ringer material. A hardcore Spurs fan and a diehard Celtic fan talking about how the Spurs (yes, because the Celtics have only won once in the past 30 years) dismantled the Lakers dynasty. Let’s just act like they didn’t go to the finals the next year and lost because Kobe wanted to play hero ball (dumb decision by him) and the whole team hated each other. No one dismantled the Laker team but themselves. I get it though, you got to hate the rivals, even if it means riding other teams success to do it!

[@mrhick01]

Buss refused to pay luxury tax and that did violence to the depth.

[@tonymontana4143]

This is such a reach.

[@sirdopeness3602]

The Spurs don’t end the dynasty They broke up after a finals appearance playing the pistons They just 3 peat and and went to the finals a 4th time Then shaq was traded Wtf y’all talking about Kobe 4-2 vs Spurs in the playoffs So once again wtf y’all talkin about Spurs had their run after the break up Then after Kobe got a team the lakers went 3 more times and the Spurs was never a threat So once again Wtf y’all talkin about?!

[@kerbappeal4910]

Im a lifelong spurs fan so you could tell what side of the argument I'm on. I hated Kobe and the Lakers. Looking back at these videos and seeing and remembering watching these games, damn was it fun. I miss it, two teams with so completely different styles. R.I.P. Kobe, it was fun thank you for the memories you will be missed

[@Skegfromcraigslist]

Shoutout to Haralobob and his advanced analytics that no one knows about.

[@JDandOL]

Bill Simmons always has to try to find a way to knock the lakers. How did the spurs end the kobe/shaq dynasty when the lakers beat the spurs the last time both teams played in the playoffs??? The last year shaq and kobe played together they beat the spurs in 6 games in 2004. Shaq and kobe ended that dynasty themselves

[@Laurent_08]

JD and OL The fact they beat the Spurs in 2004 is irrelevant. The Spurs stopped Lakers success, that's a fact.

[@educatehour]

@@Laurent_08 they went to the finals the very next year against the Pistons. Also the Lakers went on to win 2 more titles in that decade and went to three more finals (08,09,10) that decade. Hardly ended anything

[@JDandOL]

@@Laurent_08 it's only irrelevant because it proves u wrong lol and what u stated is not a fact that's ur opinion. What is a fact is that the shaq and kobe lakers beat the spurs in the playoffs the last time they played. That is a fact. How can u stop someone's success when they stopped yours. Remember the lakers played the spurs again in 2008 and beat them again in the playoffs in just 5 games. So how did the spurs stop the lakers success??? 😂 The spurs didn't stop anything with the lakers.

[@Laurent_08]

@@educatehour lol...The titles of 09 and 10 are 7 and 8 years after the last one. And it's not the same team, it's not Shaq/Kobe, it's not the same dynasty at all.

[@Laurent_08]

@@JDandOL The Spurs stopped the Lakers success. They had won 3 titles in a row, then Spurs beat the Lakers. They stopped their success, it's a fact, and you saying the opposite of a fact, shows how biased you are.

[@Dollar-zb2ik]

Only time big shot bob missed a clutch shot

[@mrmacross]

To be fair to Jerry West, most teams are of the mindset of if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The Lakers won the 2002 title (sorry Kings fans, I was rooting for you...) and most teams don't do a big overhaul when trying to defend their title. If West completely retooled the team and they lost, everyone would be angry at him. Would be funny if Robert Horry's one notable clutch miss completely changed Kobe's outlook on what to do in late-game situations. Horry let him down one time and never again would Kobe pass off in that situation.

[@nikosvault]

Except he did it with Derek Fisher plenty of times from 2008-2012. He just refused to do it with Atkins, Kwame and Smush. The black hole label on Kobe only apply to 2005-2007.

[@eboooo]

West was gone by this point and Phil had won the trust of ownership. West wanted Marko Jaric and Phil wanted Mark Madsen.

[@johndanielhdz]

But Shaq and Kobe beat them the previous years and the next year. Did they really end it?

[@MrBungle222]

Why are the full Book of basketball eps not being uploaded to youtube if they're being filmed already?

[@PhilBurr100]

2:30 Jerry West did not put together that 03' Laker team,Mitch Kupchak was their GM at the time

[@omacktube]

A spurs fan and celtics fan talking lakers basketball. No thanks

[@philnash222]

The Pistons ended it actually

[@razkable]

Devean George and Rick Fox missed time in the 2003 semis and by then Jerry wasn't the gm anymore

[@jeffreyroedel9804]

I think we all know what really broke up Shaq & Kobe.

[@thefreakyrobber0]

This is why I don't like Bill Simmons, he tries to change the narrative and history knowing that ain't right🤦🏿‍♂️

[@paulkim9852]

Jerry West left in 2000 because Phil Jackson was growing in power and influence. Also, Buss wouldn't go through with verbal promise of re-signing Glen Rice to a new deal. Mitch was the GM. And to his credit he signed Karl Malone and Gary Payton a couple fo years later.

[@tylerinnes3178]

A third guy this year sure. But in 2000 they had that third guy with glen rice and the 2001 team was better. Also in 90s they had nick and Eddie jones and were worse. Sometimes less is more

[@deandrepage1048]

Kobe Bryant said he had to win a Championship Ring WITHOUT SHAQ so that narrative would not define his career = can't win a Championship Ring WITHOUT SHAQ.

[@emiliohidalgo]

Hey NBA nerds....you're welcome

[@jonjohnson1978.]

Wonder if it would've been different kobe came along first an shaq followed

[@johnnybeatmaker330]

The 4 peat would have solidified kobe top 3 😢

[@hardwoodthought1213]

What would it have made Shaq then, when he was the best player on all 4 title teams?

[@samcreer4089]

If Horry hits that shot, the Lakers go on to win 4 straight championships. They would have had so much momentum going into Game 6. ...Still bothers me to this day

[@ctwwtc8761]

They got humiliated in 2004 by Detroit

[@NomadAAli]

2 laker haters bonding over their hatred ya gotta love it

[@klauskirschner8883]

Devean George was a great player idk wtf you throwing him in with those other dudes

[@TheElmatador32]

*The Pistons. Fixed your nonsensical headline/take.

[@riddickflowe]

I tell everybody this was Kobe’s best individual year. If he didn’t catch the rape charge that summer and get setback with that he would’ve been at Goat levels that 2004 season

[@wes2262]

Tim Duncan put that dynasty to sleep

[@educatehour]

Guess you missed the part where the Lakers beat the Spurs the following year and went to the finals. Or the finals appearances and two titles from the 08, 09, 10 seasons, with some big pieces from the original core and same system in Kobe, Fisher and Phil. I guess it only counts when the Spurs rebuild around TD though. Excellent logic

[@atribecalledlen3567]

How when Kobe and Shaq beat him in their last year?

[@charltonmccullough4494]

You spelled the Pistons wrong.

[@kevinmarsh8922]

The Pistons have the creds of ending the Kobe Shaq era, you guys always dis Detroit.

[@baldheadkid]

What people don't realize is this: In the 2003 playoffs Robert Horry shot 5% from three. Please think about this. Kobe shot 40% from three. Fisher shot 61% from three. Horry shot 5%. He made 2/38 in the twelve total playoff games. That shot was never going in. The Lakers were never gonna win with him that year.

[@MarcoBrolo]

You making excuses after all these years

[@baldheadkid]

Nah - I'm just a stathead. 5% is a very interesting number because it's very very low. John Starks had a famously bad shooting NBA Finals in 1994 - but he shot 32%. If you google 'worst three point shooting percentage playoffs' Jason Kidd comes up with 18.9% in 2002. 5% shooting would not mean much to you if you're not a numbers geek.

[@vanslang5385]

I thought the Pistons did🤔🤔