In May of 2000, the Los Angeles Lakers were engaged in a fierce tug of war with the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference finals.
Los Angeles had won Game 1 easily, but the Blazers handed it a stunning 106-77 humiliation in Game 2 at Staples Center.
Heading into Game 3 in Oregon, prospects didn’t look good for the Lakers. A Shaquille O’Neal-led team had never won a road game in the conference finals or NBA Finals to that point.
They promptly fell behind, 15-2, in the early minutes and trailed 47-33 just past the midway point of the second quarter.
If it weren’t for Kobe Bryant’s 14 first-quarter points, this game may have ended before halftime.
Instead, the Lakers pulled within 10 at intermission and tied the score with 2:49 left in the third quarter. In the closing moments, the 21-year-old Bryant started to prove he was made for prime time.
With just over 30 seconds left and the game tied, he set up his team’s offense and drew a double team at the top of the key. Instead of forcing a shot, he calmly fired a pass to Ron Harper, who was wide open in the corner, and he nailed a long 2-pointer.
Portland has one last chance, but Bryant blocked Arvydas Sabonis’ game-tying attempt just before the buzzer to seal a 93-91 Lakers win.
Bryant finished with 25 points on 11-of-18 shooting, seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a blocked shot.
To those who were paying attention, it was becoming clear that the Lakers could win an NBA championship with Bryant playing a leading role.
