Arena Plus: The 2001 NBA Champions Were the Los Angeles Lakers

By huanggs

The 2001 NBA champions were the Los Angeles Lakers. The official Lakers season-by-season record lists the 2000-01 team at 56-26, first in its division, with Phil Jackson as coach and a Finals win. The NBA’s 2000-01 season review describes Los Angeles as a team led by the Shaquille O’Neal-Kobe Bryant guard-center core that got healthy at the right time and then controlled the Western Conference playoffs.

The 2000-01 Lakers in one snapshot

The Lakers’ official season records give the basic frame: 56 wins, 26 losses, first-place division finish and “Won Finals.” The NBA season review for 2000-01 adds the playoff context: Los Angeles overcame injuries to Derek Fisher, Bryant and O’Neal, won the Pacific Division late, then went 11-0 through the West.

  • Team: Los Angeles Lakers.
  • Coach: Phil Jackson.
  • Regular season: 56-26, first in the division.
  • Core: Shaquille O’Neal inside, Kobe Bryant on the perimeter, with Derek Fisher, Rick Fox, Horace Grant, Robert Horry, Brian Shaw and Tyronn Lue in important supporting roles.

Why the playoff math is 15 wins

The 2001 postseason still used a best-of-five first round. That means the Lakers needed 3 wins in round one, then 4, 4 and 4 in the next three rounds. Their title path was Portland 3-0, Sacramento 4-0, San Antonio 4-0 and Philadelphia 4-1, so the win total was 3 + 4 + 4 + 4 = 15.

A perfect 2001 run would therefore have been 15-0. The actual run was 15-1 because Philadelphia won Finals Game 1 in overtime, 107-101. The NBA game page lists the overtime period as 13-7 for Philadelphia, which turned the Lakers’ 11-0 playoff start into 11-1 before Los Angeles won the next four games.

The Finals finish

After the Game 1 loss, Los Angeles won 98-89, 96-91, 100-86 and 108-96 to close the series. NBA’s season review says O’Neal dominated Dikembe Mutombo and the paint, averaged 33.0 points and 15.8 rebounds against Philadelphia, and claimed a second straight Finals MVP trophy.

The Lakers repeated as champions in 2001. Their 15-1 playoff record remains the defining result of that title run, with Philadelphia’s overtime win as the lone exception. For more basketball notes and fan-focused coverage, visit arena plus.