The Los Angeles Lakers are arguably the NBA’s most storied franchise by virtue of their 17 world championships. They’ve been so successful over the decades that even when they haven’t won it all, they have had some impressive squads that were memorable, not to mention talented, star-studded and very competitive.
Heading into the 2007-08 season, the Lakers were stuck in mediocrity, and it looked like there was no way out for them. But general manager Mitch Kupchak waved his magic wand and made them into title contenders once again, and his moves were enough to get them back into the upper echelon of the NBA right away.
From Kobe Bryant's tirade to an early yet false success
After getting run out of the gym in five games in the first round of the 2007 NBA playoffs by the Phoenix Suns, the Lakers were clearly stuck in mud three years after the departure of Shaquille O’Neal.
They had Kobe Bryant, the best player in the world, but little in the way of support. With limited trade assets, it looked as if Bryant and the team would remain mediocre for years to come.
Realizing that was going to be his plight, Bryant infamously demanded a trade that summer. While he had no leverage, he would be able to opt out of his contract in two years, which meant L.A. would eventually have to either trade him or lose him for nothing.
It looked like the beginning of the end of the Lakers as millions had come to know them for nearly 30 years.
But against all odds, they became a good team in the early weeks of the 2007-08 season. Their young players, including Jordan Farmar, Andrew Bynum and new addition Trevor Ariza, who was acquired in a late November trade, were the impetus behind their fast start.
Los Angeles won seven of its first 10 games and 26 of its first 37. Although this start brought fans a bit of optimism, something was missing. The Lakers were good, but not a true contender.
Bynum, who was starting to play at almost an All-Star level, went down with a kneecap subluxation and bone bruise on Jan. 13. He was expected to miss at least eight weeks, and just like that, the team’s chances of making the playoffs were in jeopardy.
The miracle on Figueroa Street
Without Bynum, the Lakers regressed to mediocrity. The burden of manning their frontcourt once again fell on the shoulders of Kwame Brown, arguably the biggest draft bust in league history. Fans were reminded of Brown’s numerous weaknesses and inadequacies, and everyone was left holding their breath and hoping the team would hold up until Bynum could return.
Then came Feb. 1, the day everything turned around.
That afternoon, the Lakers announced they had obtained Hall of Fame big man Pau Gasol. Even better, they didn’t surrender any of their key players to get him, other than Brown, whom no one missed for a microsecond.
All of a sudden, the Lakers were a juggernaut, especially on the offensive end. They had struggled mightily to manufacture points after Bynum’s injury, but with Gasol in the lineup, they averaged roughly 110 points a game. Los Angeles zoomed to a 57-25 finish, which was the best record in the Western Conference, and happy days had returned.
Bryant won his first and only regular-season MVP, and the Lakers dumped the defending champion San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals to advance to the NBA Finals, where they met Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics.
It was a sudden and invigorating resurrection of basketball’s greatest rivalry after two decades of dormancy. But while the Lakers gradually gained momentum and confidence throughout the season, Boston had reported to training camp with its roster set, thinking world championship from Day 1.
Without Bynum to neutralize the Celtics’ fearsome frontline, a world championship is what they earned. They pulverized the Lakers in six games. Game 6 was a disastrous 39-point beat down, yet once the shock of the loss wore off, the Lakers realized they were in awesome shape moving forward.
All they had to do was get tougher, both mentally and on the defensive end, and they would soon fulfill their destiny.
