What do you think the top 10 moments or events from November 2004-Now are for the Lakers? I say events, because my list includes not only moments or particular games but progressions over time and series'. In no order, mine would include-Kobe's 81- This is a no brainer. It might be a top 10 moment of all time. In my opinion, this was more impressive than Wilt's 100, because it was in the actual context of a game. The Lakers weren't fouling Toronto trying to get Kobe the ball more. Kobe also wasn't 5 inches taller and 50 pounds heavier than his counterpart. Kobe's 62 in 3- Another no brainer, he could've gotten 80 that night. It was amazing to see the determination of Kobe against the best team in the West, especially after he was flagrant fouled by Josh Howard.Phil Jackson Returning- After writing "The Last Season" that was hugely unexpected. Going from no coach to the greatest coach of all time was amazing. The way he's controlled the team in these two years has been nothing short of brilliant. It's really shown his talents as an evaluator of talent and as a coach in general. Some of the lineups he puts in just makes you scratch your head. But 5 minutes later you look at the score and they've outscored the other team by 10. And his relationship with Kobe has been exceptional. After 5 years of butting heads, they're finally on the same page. And it makes for some great basketball.Kwame Brown Gaining Confidence- In Washington, Kwame was a joke. He was a bad player, and when things went wrong he got worse and worse. When he arrived in LA, it didn't seem much different. But when Chris Mihm went down with a season ending injury in March of last year Kwame started to come into his own. With nobody to take his spot, Kwame thrived for the last few months of the season (including the playoffs). His shoulder surgery slowed him down at the start of this year, but he's getting back to the level he was at at the beginning of last season. And the greatest part of it is that he's not just giving up when things go wrong, he's fighting through them now.Jordan Farmar- Farmar drew a lot of critics in Lakerland when he was drafted last June. People were saying he was too small, he made too many mistakes, he wasn't ready for the bigs, but Jordan proved them wrong fast. He put on a show in the Summer Leagues and showed he was ready in the Preseason. But still, many doubted if he could get it done in real play against real opponents. Well through 27 games, he's show than he can. He's demonstrated crafty moves and leadership far beyond his years. He's been amazing compared to most rookies and young players on the defensive end. He's just been a great pickup for the Lakers.Andrew Bynum's Progression- Bynum was another draft pick that drew a lot of criticism early. But he wasn't expected to do much early. He was a pick for the future. Last year he showed improvement, and glimpses that he could turn out to be a great center in the league. This year he has exceeded most expectations for this year. He's still the youngest player in the league, and he's already become an imposing force in the middle defensively. At 7-2 with long arms, he's a very good shotblocker. He's also developed great footwork and an array of post moves in working with Kareem. I can't wait to see the kind of player this guy is in 5 years.Ronny Turiaf- Ronny's NBA career started off disastrously. It was discovered that he had a heart condition, and his future (not as a player, but as a living person) was uncertain. But he defied the odds to come through, and actually play last season. On the court he's been a hustle player, a guy who just gives his heart to the team. On the bench, he's been a 6-10 249 pound cheerleader. On every Laker highlight of the last year you can see Ronny in the corner dancing of waving a towel. Every time a player goes out he gets up to high five them. Hopefully he can stay in purple and gold for a long time, because not only is he great basketball player, he's one hell of a person.The Series against Phoenix- It's mind boggling that a series in which a team gave up a 3-1 series lead would be a top moment, but there was so much more to this series than the scores would reveal. It was a coming out party for the new Kobe Bryant. In a year in which Kobe put up 35 a game and shot 27 times a night, this was weird to see. He trusted his teammates more than he ever did in his career, and acted as a facilitator for the entire series. It was a preview of things to come, as Kobe has carried that mindset into the new season. This series also featured Lamar Odom being more aggressive than ever before, Kwame Brown able to take over the Suns injury depleted frontline (for most of the series at least), and Sasha Vujacich actually able to contribute to the team. Kobe's 2 clutch shots in Game 4, and his 2 dunks in Games 2 and 5 also made this series incredibly entertaining. If only Deaven George could box out.Both Kobe and Lamar Posterizing Dwight Howard- Dwight Howard is no Shawn Bradley, by any means. He's a 6-11, 265 pound monster. Kobe's cram over him was nothing short of a facial. Lamar's dunk on him wasn't as dramatic, but it was crazy nontheless.The Best Second Unit the Lakers Have Had Since Showtime- The Lakers have had a weak bench to say the least in recent years. Even when they were winning championships with Shaq, the second unit flat out sucked. This year, it looks as though that is changing. The bench is stepping up when the starters go out. Bynum is manning the middle. Farmar is leading the pack. Evans is shutting guys down. Vlad Rad is hitting threes. When Lamar comes back and Cook is put back into the second lineup, it's only going to get better.
I'm not sure this is exclusively a "2004 to now" thing but, Lakers front office deserve huge credit. Kuptchak and Buss once again show why this is the greatest basketball franchise on the planet (don't believe that Celtic bullsh**). After completely dismantling the team in 2004 and finishing 34-48 in 2005, the Lakers have vastly improved and are now two or three years away from serious title contention (if all goes to plan of course). What makes the Lakers front office great is it's patience. Had the Lakers been under different management and/or in the Eastern Conference the team would have gone through unecessary coaching changes and trades. Thank God for Jerry Buss.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Michael Bryant @ Jan 10 2007, 06:25 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I'm not sure this is exclusively a "2004 to now" thing but, Lakers front office deserve huge credit. Kuptchak and Buss once again show why this is the greatest basketball franchise on the planet (don't believe that Celtic bullsh**). After completely dismantling the team in 2004 and finishing 34-48 in 2005, the Lakers have vastly improved and are now two or three years away from serious title contention (if all goes to plan of course). What makes the Lakers front office great is it's patience. Had the Lakers been under different management and/or in the Eastern Conference the team would have gone through unecessary coaching changes and trades. Thank God for Jerry Buss.</div> :yes1:
Very nice list....My only complaint is you spelt Sasha Vujacic's name wrong...But other than that very good list.
I would have to add Bynum's dunk on Shaq somewhere in there. I was at BJ's when that went down, the place went nuts.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (DRob-50-Forever @ Jan 11 2007, 11:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I would have to add Bynum's dunk on Shaq somewhere in there. I was at BJ's when that went down, the place went nuts.</div>Yeah, that moment definetly deserves to be considered. Also, I know what you mean at BJ's...I went to one this season when the Lakers played in Utah and Kobe made that block on Deron Williams the place went crazy.
