The 2000 NBA Finals got off to a good start for the Los Angeles Lakers with an easy Game 1 win over the Indiana Pacers, but in Game 2, Kobe Bryant suffered a sprained ankle (caused intentionally by the Pacers’ Jalen Rose).
Bryant missed most of that contest and the following one as a result, and going into Game 4, L.A. only held a 2-1 series lead over a clearly inferior team.
Luckily, Bryant’s injury improved just enough that he was cleared to play in Game 4 in Indiana.
