I remember when...

Well so we're in our 3rd?...4th?....season of futility. For me at least there's only so much WMCing I can do until I'm just repeating myself. Also it doesn't look like things are gonna get better anytime soon so I figured: you know what? Why don't don't we live in the past for a bit. People always accuse us of living in the past in regards to our championship years. I say, why not? Unlike other teams, we actually have a past to reminisce on. So I say, lets call to mind some great moments we as Laker fans have been privileged to have witnessed. We have some who have been around since Wilt, showtime, Shaq and Kobe, and so on. Favorite Laker moments, favorite videos, stories, whatever. Anything in Laker history that we loved and remember fondly. I'm making this thread specifically to remember the good times while presently enduring the hard times now. (So no WMC here! There's a thread for that. )

I have lots of good memories so I'll start with one. I remember when Phil Jackson was hired as coach how excited I was for that following season. I also remember having no idea just how dominant we would become. As we were accomplishing those 16 and 19 game winning streaks, there literally was not a team I feared. Well except for Portland at the time. But I was just in awe at how much were just destroying the league in route to our first of our three peat. As long as we had Shaq in the middle, we were the Goliath, unstoppable. Good times.

 

My favorites gotta be the 2001 playoffs. Going 15-1 and just CRUSHING everyone in our wake.

It was so much fun to be THAT dominant over everyone.

 

This is mine.

 

Off the top of my head, times I've cried watching the Lakers:
Horry's game winner
Kobe's sending to OT & game winner vs the Suns in 06 Playoffs
G7 2010 finals: when LO tossed the ball in the air as the clock ran out, with Kobe chased the ball down and raising his arms

No tears but favorites:
Fisher's .04
Fisher rising up on Jameer Nelson and hitting a dagger 3 in the 09 finals
Fisher hitting a crunch time floater on Tony Allen, Perkins and Rasheed Wallace?
Artest's 3 in G7 2010 & his post game interview

 

This is it for me. Not the moment in the video, but the event being discussed.

I remember feeling good about Bynum development, after horrible years with Smush, Chucky etc., but it felt "fake".

When I learned that it happened - I jumped around the house for 10 minutes. I knew, somehow, that we are going to be back. It was payback time.

Somehow it topped every other moment in the Lakers history for me. And I've been Lakers fan for a looong time......



Today - it is even more relevant. I am waiting for the same moment now.

 

-The comeback against the Jailblazers in Game 7 started it all
-Queens choking at the line and Peja airball in Game 7 ... rare time I thought the best team didn't win a playoffs series
- Last quarter of Game 7 against the C-bags ( was very nervous during this game)

Personnal favorite moments in Staples ( only attented 15 Lakers games .. you know living in Europe) :

- Kobe banking in the three over D-Whistle at the buzzer
- We destroyed the Jazz by 30+ some days later by playing perfect ball

 

So many great memories and happy times. The one I remember most is the 0.4 game. When duncan hit that shot over Shaq i smashed my fist into the table. I was really into that game, and when Fisher scored that basket... felt like heaven.

 

I was a kid during the Kobe/Shaq era so I don't remember much. The Horry 3pt shot over the Queens for sure though.

I do remember the Kobe prime era vividly, how we wasted his best years yet he still dragged some crappy teams to the playoffs. That Phoenix game, those two buzzer beaters. Then that Pau trade that flipped the NBA world upside down. Kobe's MVP sealing game against the Hornets. The disappointing lost to the C Bags. How the team played hungrier next season and ran over every team in the playoffs. Game 6 and 7 of 2010 Finals, haven't heard Staples get that crazy since. The season Kobe had like 20 game winning shots.

There's so much more that I'm missing. And it's true, we are so spoiled with such great history.

 

2001 Finals, Game 4. Shaq fouls out and Kobe has to shoulder the load in overtime and does so beautiful. Had that incredible putback to seal the win and showed everyone he was no side kick.

2002 West Finals - Sacremento was probably the best team that never won it all. They were stacked from top to bottom. Really felt like we might've met our match, but the Lakers showed their championship resiliency. This was basically Game 7 of the Finals. Defense was pretty bad most of the game, but they turned it on in overtime and really flustered Sacramento. Did a great job on Bibby most of the night. Shaq hit a big shot late in overtime. Horry as usual was clutch. Fox has some nice off ball baskets as well.

2010 Finals, Game 7 - To get humiliated against Boston like we did in 2008 and then got another shot at them was just great. Kobe struggled mightily in this game, but had 15 huge rebounds. Our rebounding their entire front court basically. Defense on Rondo was outstanding as well. Pau hut that clutch double pump shot in the post. Artest kept us in the game with his offense and hit the huge late three and shut down Pierce the entire series save for one game. Defense was suffocating as a whole. I'd never seen us defend like that not that team anyway. To beat the C Bags and to do it like that was just simply as good as it gets as a Lakers fan.

 

^ game 4 you're talking about... Kobe did all that with a sprained ankle .

 

I remember when I moved my social calendar around to make sure I was watching the Lakers games live.....

Up until a couple games ago. BScott, I remember when you spurred positive memories.

 

Most unbelievable 4th quarter ever. The whole family left the room except for me, and I got the experience of a lifetime. Good times indeed, and that was one HELL of a talented Blazers roster too

 

Not the best quality but this comes close to instilling the emotions before and after. I actually had taped this game (on a VCR haha) to watch later in the day since I had to be somewhere that morning. I remember being extremely nervous about this game because a loss means Lakers are down 3-1 and I wasn't confident they could come back from that. When Lakers had gone down I was juust about to turn it off in disgust but decided to keep watching. I too was screaming for a while after.

 

I remember a time when I looked forward to looking at the top 10 league leaders in practically every offensive category. Seemed like always had someone there in multiple categories.

Now nothing.

The thought of Nowitski passing Shaq on the All Time scoring list, as he will soon, seemed pretty far fetched not that long ago.

 

And it's in 2000

 

Buck Foston