Spurs vs. Lakers best NBA rivalry since '99?

[Killakobe81]

I think these have been the two best franchises of the millenium ...and have had many great playoff battles. More times than not the titles have flowed through the 2 cities I have lived recently. There was no famous game 7's, but plenty hard fought games and dramatic shots. The Timmy fader over Shaq followed by the .03 shot by Fish was two of the most amazing shots in a heated rivalry ...what are YOUR favorite moments? :king

[xtremesteven33]

making kobe and fisher cry in 2003....by far.....

[mexicanjunior]

making kobe and fisher cry in 2003....by far.....

Agreed...Jaren Jackson going off in the 4th quarter of game 4 against the Lakers in '99 and completing the sweep is also a fond memory...

[Budkin]

So many ups and downs. Remember the 2001 WCF being billed as the best series ever? Ugh that shit was not fun to watch. Then we got revenge in 2003, and then .4 happened in 2004. What will the next chapter bring... stay tuned!

[FromWayDowntown]

I think, certainly, that Spurs/Lakers has brought NBA fans the best basketball since 1999. They met for 4 straight playoff years (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004) and for 5 of 6 years with someo of the greatest players in the history of basketball participating in those games. For so many years, as the OP notes, the winner proceeded to win the title. The series started out with a lopsided sweep for the Spurs and a lopsided sweep for LA, only to be followed by the back-and-forth of the next 3 years. It was truly a rivalry because either team could have won -- rivalries aren't often one-sided (SAC v. LA, for instance). It gets diminished over time in the media because there was no bad blood, but I think the degree of respect between the teams was indicative of their understanding that each was the other's primary rival at that time. There were plenty of great games during that time:

* Duncan's late shot to win Game 2 in 1999
* The Lakers overcoming Duncan's 40 and Phil's ejection to win Game 2 in 2001
* The Spurs scrapping to win a close one at Staples in Game 2 in 2002
* Kobe's late put-back to win Game 4 in 2002
* Horry's missed 3 at the end of a furious Lakers' comeback in Game 5 of 2003
* Duncan's sublime Game 6 in 2003
* .4

That doesn't even count the great performances that Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and Tim Duncan have had in those series, or the great games by role players like Fisher's series in 2001, Jaren Jackson's closeout performances in 1999, Bowen's Game 2 in 2003, or Parker's Game 2 in 2004.

I don't think there's another rivalry that comes close, really.

[mexicanjunior]

So many ups and downs. Remember the 2001 WCF being billed as the best series ever? Ugh that shit was not fun to watch. Then

I blame Juwan Howard for that...we REALLY could have used Derek Anderson that series...

[mystargtr34]

Timmy puttin 37-16 in the Game 6 closer in 03 to end the Laker dominance....

i think that will always be my best moment .... even over him holding up the trohpies... everyone knew we had it after that.

I hated that Lakers group so damn much because they were so damn good.

Right at that time... Tim's shot over Shaq.... but then that turned to one of my worst moments...

Shaq vs D-Rob battles... even at that stage of Daves career..

Special stuff.... never be another one like it.... two of top 5 big men to every play the game going at it puttin up monster numbers every game.

[JamStone]

The Timmy fader over Shaq followed by the .03 shot by Fish was two of the most amazing shots in a heated rivalry ...


How do you get .4 wrong?

[bdictjames]

Bah, the Mavs are still better.

[TampaDude]

How do you get .4 wrong?

:lol

[TampaDude]

I think these have been the two best franchises of the millenium ...and have had many great playoff battles. More times than not the titles have flowed through the 2 cities I have lived recently. There was no famous game 7's, but plenty hard fought games and dramatic shots. The Timmy fader over Shaq followed by the .03 shot by Fish was two of the most amazing shots in a heated rivalry ...what are YOUR favorite moments? :king

Yeah...it's always a great series...hopefully we can do it again this year...of course, I want the Spurs to repeat as NBA Champions, but if it ends up being Lakers/Celtics in the Finals, it's Lakers all the way for me...fuck Boston.

[Killakobe81]

Great points I forgot about Jaren Jackson ...also i remember old guys Wilis and Kersey? giving the Lakers fits. I never hated the Spurs ...but man since moving here hard not to dislike them ...for all the crap i get from Spurs fans. But ill admit it i think Pop is the best coach (your fans that are on him are nuts but i also complain about Phil) and Tim is the best PF ever ..Manu is the best South american/Euro player this side of Dirk (imho)

[Killakobe81]

And if you really look at the the battles you have:
Arguably the best PF ever ...(Tim)
2 HOF centers (O'neal/David)
TOP 10 Most clutch Playoff shooter (Horry on both teams)
best 6th man over that time (Manu)
Future HOF: Kobe/Tim (for sure),
All-stars: Tim, Shaq, Kobe, Manu,
HOF coaches: Pop/PJ

[lefty]

I think, certainly, that Spurs/Lakers has brought NBA fans the best basketball since 1999. They met for 4 straight playoff years (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004) and for 5 of 6 years with someo of the greatest players in the history of basketball participating in those games. For so many years, as the OP notes, the winner proceeded to win the title. The series started out with a lopsided sweep for the Spurs and a lopsided sweep for LA, only to be followed by the back-and-forth of the next 3 years. It was truly a rivalry because either team could have won -- rivalries aren't often one-sided (SAC v. LA, for instance). It gets diminished over time in the media because there was no bad blood, but I think the degree of respect between the teams was indicative of their understanding that each was the other's primary rival at that time. There were plenty of great games during that time:

* Duncan's late shot to win Game 2 in 1999
* The Lakers overcoming Duncan's 40 and Phil's ejection to win Game 2 in 2001
* The Spurs scrapping to win a close one at Staples in Game 2 in 2002
* Kobe's late put-back to win Game 4 in 2002
* Horry's missed 3 at the end of a furious Lakers' comeback in Game 5 of 2003
* Duncan's sublime Game 6 in 2003
* .4

That doesn't even count the great performances that Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and Tim Duncan have had in those series, or the great games by role players like Fisher's series in 2001, Jaren Jackson's closeout performances in 1999, Bowen's Game 2 in 2003, or Parker's Game 2 in 2004.

I don't think there's another rivalry that comes close, really.

Nice list, but you forgot Duncan's perfection in game 6 vs Lakers in 2003

[duncan228]

Nice list, but you forgot Duncan's perfection in game 6 vs Lakers in 2003

? It's there. Second to last, right above .4

[Killakobe81]

Great moments all ...love the posts you guys have brought back both good and painful memories ...

[FromWayDowntown]

Nice list, but you forgot Duncan's perfection in game 6 vs Lakers in 2003

Yeah, I guess "Duncan's sublime Game 6 in 2003" didn't really cover that one.

[lefty]

Yeah, I guess "Duncan's sublime Game 6 in 2003" didn't really cover that one.

It could have been his sublime game 6 vs New Jersey..

How can one guess ? give more details dude

And Duncan228, I'm surprised you didn't click on that one :nope

[duncan228]

It could have been his sublime game 6 vs New Jersey..

How can one guess ? give more details dude

And Duncan228, I'm surprised you didn't click on that one :nope

It's a Spurs/Lakers thread. I assumed FWD's "Duncan's sublime Game 6 in 2003" referred to the Lakers series. :)

[FromWayDowntown]

It could have been his sublime game 6 vs New Jersey..

How can one guess ? give more details dude

And Duncan228, I'm surprised you didn't click on that one :nope

That's a curious way to read my post since most of the other things I refer to don't specifically mention against which team the events happened. But if that was somehow unclear to you in a thread devoted to discussing Spurs/Lakers games, I guess that's your prerogative. Lest anyone else be confused by my list, here's a revision:

* Duncan's late shot to win Game 2 over the Lakers in 1999
* The Lakers overcoming Duncan's 40 and Phil's ejection to win Game 2 over the Spurs in 2001
* The Spurs scrapping to win a close one against the Lakers at Staples in Game 2 in 2002
* Kobe's late put-back to win Game 4 against the Spurs in 2002
* Horry's missed 3 at the end of a furious Lakers' comeback in Game 5 against the Spurs in 2003
* Duncan's sublime Game 6 against the Lakers in 2003
* .4 between the Spurs and Lakers in 2004.

That doesn't even count the great performances that Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and Tim Duncan have had in those series, or the great games by role players like Fisher's series against the Spurs in 2001, Jaren Jackson's closeout performances against the Lakers in 1999, Bowen's Game 2 against the Lakers in 2003, or Parker's Game 2 against the Lakers in 2004.


I hope that helps to clarify any confusion about my recall of events in the Spurs/Lakers rivalry or in games between the Spurs and Lakers, involving players who were part of either the Spurs or the Lakers playing in games against either the Lakers or the Spurs during the time period between 1999 and the present. My list is not intended to include performances by either the Spurs or the Lakers or by any players on the roster of either the Lakers or the Spurs against any team other than the Lakers or Spurs.

[duncan228]

I hope that helps to clarify any confusion about my recall of events in the Spurs/Lakers rivalry or in games between the Spurs and Lakers, involving players who were part of either the Spurs or the Lakers playing in games against either the Lakers or the Spurs during the time period between 1999 and the present. My list is not intended to include performances by either the Spurs or the Lakers or by any players on the roster of either the Lakers or the Spurs against any team other than the Lakers or Spurs.

:lmao

Brilliant. Perfect, funny, and brilliant.

For some reason I read it the way commercials throw in the fine print disclaimers at the ends of ads. Fast, no breath in between.

Thanks for the laugh FWD.

[lefty]

Damn, I need more caffeine :wakeup :wakeup

Sorry guys, I've been partying too much :wakeup

[BiZNicK]

It almost seems like everyone's rival are the Lakers...

[Dex]

* Kobe's late put-back to win Game 4 against the Spurs in 2002

Wow. Haven't thought about that play in a long time.

That was a hell of a way to lose that game. That was one of the few games that I ever got really, genuinely pissed off about.

.4 and Manu's foul on Dirk being the others.

[Strike]

making kobe and fisher cry in 2003....by far.....

Agreed. After the arrogance and blowhardyness of the 3-peat, seeing D-Fish and Kobe in tears was so, so satisfying.

[Killakobe81]

You know it's funny i know there was great joy in that moment for Laker-haters and even embarassment on SOME Laker fans ...but it never bothered me i was PROUD my 2 favorite Lakers CARED that much and you could see that same fire in last sunday's game. I dont know if we WILL beat the Spurs in the playoffs ...but I do KNOW it will be a great series they always are ...and that DFish & Kobe will will play their hearts out ...that i can be proud of. Shaq did NOT ALWAYS play hard

[ambchang]

I never saw Kobe and Fisher breaking down as an embarrassment, Larry Bird broke down after losing to Magic and Michigan State, it only shows how much the players cared.

But as a Spurs fans, it was great to see how the Spurs broke them.

[DazedAndConfused]

As far as I'm concerned the Spurs only get the best of the Lakers once during that time in '03. The '99 * season doesn't count in my mind since Phil Jackson was not the head coach :).

Hell the Lakers had a more talented team that year IMHO with NVE and Eddie Jones.

[timvp]

Where the Lakers in the NBA in the last few years? I only noticed them again when Jerry West gifted them Gasol.

[1Parker1]

:lol Not only that, who's to say they're going to meet again this postseason to renew their rivalry? It's not a forgone conclusion that both of them will meet in the Conference Finals...

[FromWayDowntown]

As far as I'm concerned the Spurs only get the best of the Lakers once during that time in '03. The '99 * season doesn't count in my mind since Phil Jackson was not the head coach :).

Hell the Lakers had a more talented team that year IMHO with NVE and Eddie Jones.

This is fairly typical Laker fan palaver.

What makes it classic is that LakerFan doesn't even know who was on his team that year. Nick Van Exel didn't play a game for the Lakers in 1999 -- he was with the Nuggets for the entirety of that season. And Eddie Jones played in only 20 games for the Lakers in 1999 before being traded to Charlotte for Glen Rice.

[ambchang]

As far as I'm concerned the Spurs only get the best of the Lakers once during that time in '03. The '99 * season doesn't count in my mind since Phil Jackson was not the head coach :).

Hell the Lakers had a more talented team that year IMHO with NVE and Eddie Jones.

Of course it didn't count, the Lakers were swept.

[DazedAndConfused]

This is fairly typical Laker fan palaver.

What makes it classic is that LakerFan doesn't even know who was on his team that year. Nick Van Exel didn't play a game for the Lakers in 1999 -- he was with the Nuggets for the entirety of that season. And Eddie Jones played in only 20 games for the Lakers in 1999 before being traded to Charlotte for Glen Rice.

Shit my bad, you guys are right. All I'm saying is the rivalry didn't start until Phil Jackson came over, I think we all know that.

[FromWayDowntown]

Shit my bad, you guys are right. All I'm saying is the rivalry didn't start until Phil Jackson came over, I think we all know that.

That's as much a load of crap as the insistence that the '99 title is somehow tainted. Had the Lakers won that 1999 series, you would no doubt be insisting that the rivalry had begun right then and there. All of the major players were in place in 1999 and they went head to head in that series, again in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004. It's absurd to say that the addition of a coach created the rivalry -- the teams and players were clearly rivals before that (hell, LA had reached the conference finals the year prior; it's not like they were some unaccomplished squad). Phil may have tilted the rivalry in the Lakers' favor, but he doesn't define the existence of the rivalry.

[Killakobe81]

I agree it did start BEFORE Phil ....but he escalated things with the * remark ...