The Most Dominant Playoff Run Ever: Shaq and the 2001 Lakers
January 24, 2026
The Most Dominant Playoff Run Ever: Shaq and the 2001 Lakers
5 comments
That Shaq is the reason I became a basketball fan AND Lakers fan
The 2001 playoffs are when Kobe emerged as a true superstar. He missed nine games with an ankle injury late in the regular season, and the team went 7-2 without him, winning the last four before he returned. He saw what his teammates could do without him, and after he returned, his assists average increased from 4.9 to 6.3, and his FGA decreased from 22.8 to 18.0.
During the postseason he averaged 6.1 assists, and he was just as dominant as Shaq. And Fisher shot .515 from three-point range during the playoffs, including .750 against the Spurs in the WCF.
I love this run, and this was actually the season I got to meet Shaq and became a Lakers fan (I was 3), but I think the Warriors 2017 run was better. They were similarly dominate but against better competition overall
Greatest duo of all time, two of the biggest ego also
I was the biggest iverson fan so trust me I know how good this laker team was
5 comments
That Shaq is the reason I became a basketball fan AND Lakers fan
The 2001 playoffs are when Kobe emerged as a true superstar. He missed nine games with an ankle injury late in the regular season, and the team went 7-2 without him, winning the last four before he returned. He saw what his teammates could do without him, and after he returned, his assists average increased from 4.9 to 6.3, and his FGA decreased from 22.8 to 18.0.
During the postseason he averaged 6.1 assists, and he was just as dominant as Shaq. And Fisher shot .515 from three-point range during the playoffs, including .750 against the Spurs in the WCF.
I love this run, and this was actually the season I got to meet Shaq and became a Lakers fan (I was 3), but I think the Warriors 2017 run was better. They were similarly dominate but against better competition overall
Greatest duo of all time, two of the biggest ego also
I was the biggest iverson fan so trust me I know how good this laker team was