"We don't fit together as a team quite as well as that Bulls group did" - Phil Jackson claimed his Bulls' teams had a better chemistry than the three-peat Lakers

By the 2002-03 NBA season, cracks were apparent within the Los Angeles Lakers.

The root of the problem was the dynamic between their stars, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.

Kobe was starting to demand a bigger role in the offense while Shaq wanted to remain the Lakers’ top dog. As the leaders of the squad, tension between them trickled over to the other players.

Bulls vs Lakers

Head coach Phil Jackson witnessed all this. The team that he had just guided to three consecutive NBA championships was suddenly rotting from the inside. Spectators were inevitably reminded of Jackson’s former team, the Chicago Bulls, which cruised to six NBA Championships in eight years.

The Michael Jordan-led squad seemingly had no chemistry issues during their dominant campaigns. Jackson bluntly confirmed that those ’90s Bulls squads were way better than the 2000s Lakers.

“I’d like to embellish on it,” Jackson said, via the Los Angeles Times. “But I think it’s kind of a seismograph energy coming from the earth, that’s what I attribute it to.

“Astrologically, we don’t fit together as a team quite as well as that [Bulls] group did. And the conjunctions of certain planets have kept us apart,” The Zen Master stated.

During the Bulls’ epic runs, the only controversy that bothered them was Jordan’s alleged gambling problems.

Critics accused him of being a gambling addict and throwing away his money. However, these controversies never really affected the Bulls’ performance. Night in and night out, Chicago continued charting their path to glory and basketball immortality.

End of a dynasty

Tension within the Lakers became evident in the 2003 NBA Playoffs. All eyes were on the Kobe-Shaq-led squad and their quest for the four-peat. After dispatching the Minnesota Timberwolves in six games, they hit a wall in the form of the San Antonio Spurs in the second round.

The Lakers were eliminated in six games by the Tim Duncan-led basketball club. Jackson claimed the loss to old age, injuries and the team’s failure to stick to the process.

The Zen Master said overall, the team lacked focus and discipline — and they ultimately paid the price.

“It finally caught up to us,” Phil added. “We can get some extra rest now, regroup, get some free agents, get some new guys and get some new blood and hopefully we can start a new run next year.”

Meanwhile, veteran forward Rick Fox offered a different, but equally incisive reading of their loss. In his view, the team’s objective of winning a title suddenly lost priority. From being a solid championship squad, the Lakers devolved into a collection of individuals looking to please themselves.

“For some reason, after three years of success, as a group, we stopped buying into what got us there,” Fox said. “We had our own opinions on why we won three championships, which is sad. That’s just the poison of success, the inability to have it and not let it consume you and turn you into egomaniacs.”

Perhaps the Lakers had it coming. Maybe it was inevitable that the team would fall apart from the inside after experiencing glory for three straight years. Still, many are wondering how many titles they would’ve won if they didn’t let ego consume them.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 12, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

“We don’t fit together as a team quite as well as that Bulls group did” – Phil Jackson claimed his Bulls’ teams had a better chemistry than the three-peat Lakers

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