Overview
The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers four games to two in the best-of-seven NBA Finals series to conclude the 1999-2000 NBA season. It was the first of three consecutive titles for the Lakers. This was the first appearance in the NBA Finals for the Pacers, and the first for the Lakers since they lost to the Bulls in 1991.
This was the Lakers' first season under new head coach Phil Jackson. Jackson had previously won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls. The Lakers had a familiar foe on the sideline -- Pacers coach Larry Bird had faced the Lakers in the NBA Finals three times as a player with the Boston Celtics.
Shaquille O'Neal was named Finals MVP, becoming the sixth different Lakers player to win the award (Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy).
The Lakers had home-court advantage for the Finals. The two teams split their regular-season meetings in 1999-2000, with each team winning on its home court.
This was the Lakers' first season under new head coach Phil Jackson. Jackson had previously won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls. The Lakers had a familiar foe on the sideline -- Pacers coach Larry Bird had faced the Lakers in the NBA Finals three times as a player with the Boston Celtics.
Shaquille O'Neal was named Finals MVP, becoming the sixth different Lakers player to win the award (Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy).
The Lakers had home-court advantage for the Finals. The two teams split their regular-season meetings in 1999-2000, with each team winning on its home court.
Road to the Finals
| Team | Pacers | Lakers |
| Regular Season | 56-26, 1st in Central Division | 67-15, 1st in Pacific Division |
| First Round | Def. (8) Milwaukee Bucks, 3-2 | Def. (8) Sacramento Kings, 3-2 |
| Conference Semifinals | Def. (5) Philadelphia 76ers, 4-2 | Def. (5) Phoenix Suns, 4-1 |
| Conference Finals | Def. (3) New York Knicks, 4-2 | Def. (3) Portland Trail Blazers, 4-3 |
Game 1 - Lakers 104, Pacers 87
In the first Finals game played at the new Staples Center, the Lakers took control from the opening tip. L.A. made 15 of its 20 shots in the first quarter, taking a 33-18 lead. The Pacers cut their deficit down to two points in the third quarter but never got any closer, and the Lakers used a 13-2 run to cement the victory.
Shaquille O'Neal, playing in the Finals for the first time since being swept in 1995, led all scorers with 43 points and grabbed a game-high 19 rebounds. Kobe Bryant was the next-highest scorer for the Lakers, with 14 points.
Reggie Miller, the Pacers star making his Finals debut, struggled throughout the game. He didn't make a shot until there were five minutes left in the third quarter, and finished the game with just seven points on 1-of-16 shooting. Mark Jackson led Indiana with 18 points and seven assists.
Shaquille O'Neal, playing in the Finals for the first time since being swept in 1995, led all scorers with 43 points and grabbed a game-high 19 rebounds. Kobe Bryant was the next-highest scorer for the Lakers, with 14 points.
Reggie Miller, the Pacers star making his Finals debut, struggled throughout the game. He didn't make a shot until there were five minutes left in the third quarter, and finished the game with just seven points on 1-of-16 shooting. Mark Jackson led Indiana with 18 points and seven assists.
Game 2 - Lakers 111, Pacers 104
Despite losing Kobe Bryant to a sprained ankle in the second quarter, the Lakers were able to take a 2-0 series lead, thanks to another dominating performance from Shaquille O'Neal. The Pacers resorted to the "Hack-a-Shaq" strategy in the second half, sending O'Neal to the line 39 times in the game. However, it did not pay off, as they could not get the lead, and L.A. won by 7.
O'Neal finished with 40 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the field and 18-of-39 shooting from the line. He became the first player since Jerry West in 1969 to score at least 40 points in Games 1 and 2 of the NBA Finals, and was just the fifth player ever to record back-to-back 40-point Finals games. Glen Rice and Ron Harper each added 21 points for the Lakers, stepping up in Bryant's absence.
Jalen Rose played the entire 48 minutes for the Pacers, leading the way with 30 points to go along with his nine rebounds. Austin Croshere scored 24 points off the bench, while Reggie Miller bounced back from his poor performance in Game 1 to score 21 points.
O'Neal finished with 40 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the field and 18-of-39 shooting from the line. He became the first player since Jerry West in 1969 to score at least 40 points in Games 1 and 2 of the NBA Finals, and was just the fifth player ever to record back-to-back 40-point Finals games. Glen Rice and Ron Harper each added 21 points for the Lakers, stepping up in Bryant's absence.
Jalen Rose played the entire 48 minutes for the Pacers, leading the way with 30 points to go along with his nine rebounds. Austin Croshere scored 24 points off the bench, while Reggie Miller bounced back from his poor performance in Game 1 to score 21 points.
Game 3 - Pacers 100, Lakers 91
With Kobe Bryant sidelined with his ankle injury, the Pacers were able to jump out to an early lead and never looked back. Indiana led by eight after the first quarter and stretched that margin to 11 at halftime. A Lakers fourth-quarter comeback was stunted by Shaquille O'Neal's struggles at the free-throw line. He missed 10 of his 13 attempts for the game and was just 1-of-7 in the fourth quarter.
Reggie Miller had his best game of the series, scoring 33 points on 11-of-22 shooting. While he was just 2-of-7 from 3-point range, Miller did make all nine of his free-throw attempts, including six consecutive in the final 14 seconds to preserve the Pacers victory. Jalen Rose added 21 points for Indiana.
O'Neal finished with 33 points and 13 rebounds, leading the Lakers in both categories. No other Lakers player scored more than 14 points. While O'Neal made 15 of his 24 shots from the field, the rest of the team was just 23-of-52 (44.2 percent).
Reggie Miller had his best game of the series, scoring 33 points on 11-of-22 shooting. While he was just 2-of-7 from 3-point range, Miller did make all nine of his free-throw attempts, including six consecutive in the final 14 seconds to preserve the Pacers victory. Jalen Rose added 21 points for Indiana.
O'Neal finished with 33 points and 13 rebounds, leading the Lakers in both categories. No other Lakers player scored more than 14 points. While O'Neal made 15 of his 24 shots from the field, the rest of the team was just 23-of-52 (44.2 percent).
Game 4 - Lakers 120, Pacers 118
Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal took their turns dominating as the Lakers took a 3-1 series lead. With Bryant still hobbled by his ankle injury, O'Neal took charge early until foul trouble put both him and Bryant on the bench late in the first half. The game remained close until the fourth quarter, when O'Neal and Reggie Miller each willed their teams into overtime. In the extra session, Bryant took over, scoring six of the Lakers' last eight points to lead them to victory.
O'Neal finished with 36 points and 21 rebounds before fouling out with 2:33 left in the overtime period. Bryant had 28 points, 22 of which came after halftime. Robert Horry added 17 points off the bench for the Lakers, including the first four of overtime.
Miller scored 35 points for the game, including 13 in the fourth quarter. Miller made all three of his 3-point attempts in the fourth quarter. Rik Smits added 24 points in just 22 minutes of action, and combined with Miller to account for all of the Pacers' points in overtime.
When the NBA ranked the 60 Greatest Playoff Moments in conjunction with the league's 60th anniversary, Bryant's performance ranked No. 58 on the list.
O'Neal finished with 36 points and 21 rebounds before fouling out with 2:33 left in the overtime period. Bryant had 28 points, 22 of which came after halftime. Robert Horry added 17 points off the bench for the Lakers, including the first four of overtime.
Miller scored 35 points for the game, including 13 in the fourth quarter. Miller made all three of his 3-point attempts in the fourth quarter. Rik Smits added 24 points in just 22 minutes of action, and combined with Miller to account for all of the Pacers' points in overtime.
When the NBA ranked the 60 Greatest Playoff Moments in conjunction with the league's 60th anniversary, Bryant's performance ranked No. 58 on the list.
Game 5 - Pacers 120, Lakers 87
The Pacers shot 61 percent in the first half and never looked back in a blowout victory that sent the series back to Los Angeles. The 33-point margin of defeat was at the time the second-worst in the Finals in Lakers history, behind only a 148-114 loss to Boston in 1985 (a series the Lakers went on to win).
Five different Pacers players scored in double figures, led by Jalen Rose, who scored 32 points on 12-of-18 shooting. Reggie Miller added 25 points. Rose and Miller combined to make eight 3-pointersa while missing just three.
Shaquille O'Neal had 35 points for the Lakers, but was one of just two Lakers in double figures (Glen Rice, 11 points). O'Neal was 17-of-27 from the field, but the rest of the team was just 19-of-63 (30.1 percent).
Five different Pacers players scored in double figures, led by Jalen Rose, who scored 32 points on 12-of-18 shooting. Reggie Miller added 25 points. Rose and Miller combined to make eight 3-pointersa while missing just three.
Shaquille O'Neal had 35 points for the Lakers, but was one of just two Lakers in double figures (Glen Rice, 11 points). O'Neal was 17-of-27 from the field, but the rest of the team was just 19-of-63 (30.1 percent).
Game 6 - Lakers 116, Pacers 111
Robert Horry enhanced his reputation as a big-game player, scoring all eight of his points in the final quarter to help the Lakers overcome a five-point deficit and win their first championship since 1988. This ended up being the final NBA game for Rik Smits, and the final game in the coaching career of Larry Bird.
Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers with 41 points, becoming just the fifth player in NBA history to score at least 30 points in each game of the Finals. The previous player to do it was Hakeem Olajuwon, who had done it against O'Neal in 1995. O'Neal also earned Finals MVP honors, becoming just the third player in NBA history to win the All-Star Game MVP, regular-season MVP and Finals MVP in the same season, joining Michael Jordan (who did it twice) and Willis Reed. Kobe Bryant added 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, his only double-double of the series.
Jalen Rose had 29 points to lead the Pacers, while Reggie Miller added 25. Miller was 8-of-19 from the field, but just 2-of-10 from 3-point range. In his final NBA game, Smits was held to 2 points on 1-of-8 shooting.
The Lakers earned their 12th NBA Championship and their first at the Staples Center. A.C. Green, who averaged 5.0 ppg during the series, earned his first championship since 1988. The 12-year span between titles was the longest for a single player in NBA history.
Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers with 41 points, becoming just the fifth player in NBA history to score at least 30 points in each game of the Finals. The previous player to do it was Hakeem Olajuwon, who had done it against O'Neal in 1995. O'Neal also earned Finals MVP honors, becoming just the third player in NBA history to win the All-Star Game MVP, regular-season MVP and Finals MVP in the same season, joining Michael Jordan (who did it twice) and Willis Reed. Kobe Bryant added 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, his only double-double of the series.
Jalen Rose had 29 points to lead the Pacers, while Reggie Miller added 25. Miller was 8-of-19 from the field, but just 2-of-10 from 3-point range. In his final NBA game, Smits was held to 2 points on 1-of-8 shooting.
The Lakers earned their 12th NBA Championship and their first at the Staples Center. A.C. Green, who averaged 5.0 ppg during the series, earned his first championship since 1988. The 12-year span between titles was the longest for a single player in NBA history.