Which post-threepeat playoff series loss upset you the most and where does this series rank?
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Which playoff series loss upset you the most?
2002-2003 semifinals vs Spurs
11%
 11%  [ 4 ]
2003-2004 finals vs Pistons
47%
 47%  [ 17 ]
2005-2006 first round vs Suns
0%
 0%  [ 0 ]
2006-2007 first round vs Suns
0%
 0%  [ 0 ]
2007-2008 finals vs Celtics
30%
 30%  [ 11 ]
2010-2011 semifinals vs Mavericks
8%
 8%  [ 3 ]
2011-2012 semifinals vs Thunder
0%
 0%  [ 0 ]
2012-2013 first round vs Spurs
0%
 0%  [ 0 ]
2020-2021 first round vs Suns
2%
 2%  [ 1 ]
Total Votes : 36

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KindCrippler2000
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 05, 2021 8:23 am    Post subject:

Dr. Laker wrote:
2002-03 vs. the Spurs.

The team sleptwalked through the regular season, Shaq malingered while Kobe was on an historic scoring binge, guys (except Kobe) looked fat & happy. The team supposedly was going to shake it up and trade Horry at the deadline, but backed off because he was "Big Shot Rob."

"Big Shot Rob" goes 2-35 from beyond the arc in the playoffs, including the (wide open) potential winner in Game 5 with 2 seconds on the clock.

If he hits that shot, we go up, 3-2, and likely win the series, the WCF and the NBA Finals.

Damn.


That missed shot also exemplifies-
1) why 4 peats are nearly impossible (only one team has done it)
2) the law of diminishing returns when a championship team doesn't add depth to compensate for aging role players. They desperately needed a Sam Cassell or Jason Terry to keep defenses honest when Shaq/Kobe weren't on the floor.

We got incredible lucky the prior year vs the Kings. If Horry doesn't hit that shot in game 4, lakers go down 3-1 and get stuck with a 2-peat.
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Startrout
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 05, 2021 9:17 am    Post subject:

Laker4lifer4real wrote:
1989 Pistons. Undefeated up to that point and never even got to compete.


This one for me - we had the best team, but with Magic and Byron Scott going doing down with hamstring injuries, it was over - so sad. I still remember the pain Magic was in while he hobbled around the court, not wanting to leave the game/series. Like this year, injuries to a superstar are too much to overcome.
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Steve007
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 05, 2021 11:51 am    Post subject:

If the team won in 2008, I don’t assume the team has as much success in 2009 and 2010. That loss in 2008 motivated the team to get better, and it probably gave the team an edge in the 2010 Finals rematch. Imagine if it was Boston seeking revenge in 2010. That might have given them enough of a boost to win in a tight series.
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CandyCanes
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 05, 2021 11:54 am    Post subject:

Steve007 wrote:
If the team won in 2008, I don’t assume the team has as much success in 2009 and 2010. That loss in 2008 motivated the team to get better, and it probably gave the team an edge in the 2010 Finals rematch. Imagine if it was Boston seeking revenge in 2010. That might have given them enough of a boost to win in a tight series.


Do you still think we win in 2009?
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Steve007
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 05, 2021 11:56 am    Post subject:

TheBlackMamba wrote:
The Finals obviously hurt the most because of the stage we were on, plus we were the favorites in 2004 and it's not like we were completely overmatched in 2008. I'll say that the 2011-2012 series probably hurt more than this one, but only because that was a legit end to that core's run, where we were just beat outright by better teams both times.

This one hurts a lot, too, but for a different reason. Basketball gods (with an assist from Adam Silver and the powers that be forcing an accelerated season) just didn't allow this team to ever get off the ground and reach its true potential. It's a different kind of gut punch than seeing the Kobe/Pau era end, because it feels like a missed opportunity, rather than a year where we probably didn't have a chance to win it purely because of insufficient roster talent.

But you can't win it every year, and we'll be right back in the mix next season (health willing), so I think once the initial shock wears off we'll be fine. Those other series I mentioned were way more crushing, you don't get over that (bleep) for a while (2008 didn't feel good until we redeemed ourselves in 2009), and we literally entered the darkest period in Laker history after the 2012 series.


I thought our team was overmatched in 2008. The team looked soft without Bynum in there. That series was when people started complaining about how soft Gasol was. I think that’s why the team seemed to quit in game 6.

One of the fun things about 2010 is our team looked more physical than them.
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Steve007
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 05, 2021 11:58 am    Post subject:

CandyCanes wrote:
Steve007 wrote:
If the team won in 2008, I don’t assume the team has as much success in 2009 and 2010. That loss in 2008 motivated the team to get better, and it probably gave the team an edge in the 2010 Finals rematch. Imagine if it was Boston seeking revenge in 2010. That might have given them enough of a boost to win in a tight series.


Do you still think we win in 2009?


Yes I think so, although we did barely get by Denver. I’m not sure the team win 65 games though. But all this is just speculation.
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Steve007
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 05, 2021 12:02 pm    Post subject:

Dr. Laker wrote:
2002-03 vs. the Spurs.

The team sleptwalked through the regular season, Shaq malingered while Kobe was on an historic scoring binge, guys (except Kobe) looked fat & happy. The team supposedly was going to shake it up and trade Horry at the deadline, but backed off because he was "Big Shot Rob."

"Big Shot Rob" goes 2-35 from beyond the arc in the playoffs, including the (wide open) potential winner in Game 5 with 2 seconds on the clock.

If he hits that shot, we go up, 3-2, and likely win the series, the WCF and the NBA Finals.


Damn.


I felt like I wanted to throw up after he missed that shot. It really looked like it was going in. That would have completed a huge comeback too.

If the team made the Finals the opponent would have been a weak Nets team they swept the year before.

That missed shot probably was the most upsetting moment to me.
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 05, 2021 12:24 pm    Post subject:

I vote for that Pistons series and the injuries to the team were incredibly frustrating because i was so confident that series would be an easy win. When Kobe and Shaq talked about it a few years ago, they both thought they should have won that series.

Looking back on it now, I think Detroit was tougher than I realized, but it’s still frustrating not knowing how the series goes with a healthier Malone.

My second vote would go to 2006, blowing a 3-1 series lead against the Suns. People called Kobe a quitter after that which was ridiculous. And it was the one year Kobe had a chance to go deep in the playoffs carrying a team with limited talented. The matchups in the future rounds looked interesting. The Clippers, Dallas and then Miami didn’t even look as scary to me as facing them Suns. Kobe torched the Clippers and Mavericks during the season.
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panamaniac
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 06, 2021 2:09 am    Post subject:

03 vs San Antonio. Horry’s in and out still stings. He made those shots for breakfast. I do take solace in the fact that 03 was easily San Antonios’s strongest team, and the Lakers’ weakest from the Kobe-Shaq-Phil years. The Spurs were melting down in game 5 and the Lakers for a moment looked like they had regained their swagger. It took a miracle miss for San Antonio to dispose of an uncharacteristically weak Kobe-Shaq squad. The following season D-Fish made them pay.

This years was whatever. If league MVP Solomon Hill doesn’t crash into LeBron and AD stays healthy we earn HC advantage and make yet another finals. CP3, Jokic and Kawhi got lucky. But injuries happen. We bounce back and make another run next season.
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 07, 2021 11:02 pm    Post subject:

Definitely a combination of 2003 and 2004. With the injuries/dysfunction and lack of chemistry/short turn-around seemed like the perfect combination of both.

Had we pulled out the series against SA in 2003, we'd won it all most likely and our legacy would have been made as the only 4-peat time outside of the '60s. Even 2004 would have been 4 titles in 5 years which is still the most since the '60s I believe.

Seeing the all-time Warriors great teams fall short of the three-peat (or the 4 out of 5) just makes you appreciate what this organization has done all that much more. Granted Dubs were injured, but those Shaq-Kobe Laker teams were special.
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 07, 2021 11:15 pm    Post subject:

Shalashaska wrote:
Definitely a combination of 2003 and 2004. With the injuries/dysfunction and lack of chemistry/short turn-around seemed like the perfect combination of both.

Had we pulled out the series against SA in 2003, we'd won it all most likely and our legacy would have been made as the only 4-peat time outside of the '60s. Even 2004 would have been 4 titles in 5 years which is still the most since the '60s I believe.

Seeing the all-time Warriors great teams fall short of the three-peat (or the 4 out of 5) just makes you appreciate what this organization has done all that much more. Granted Dubs were injured, but those Shaq-Kobe Laker teams were special.
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 08, 2021 10:40 am    Post subject:

Celtics. Indescribable how much I hated them as that series unfolded. So glad we got revenge and the last laugh.

Although the Pistons '04 loss was an extremely close second.

This year's loss - nowhere close.
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loslakersss
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 08, 2021 11:51 am    Post subject:

Steve007 wrote:
CandyCanes wrote:
Steve007 wrote:
If the team won in 2008, I don’t assume the team has as much success in 2009 and 2010. That loss in 2008 motivated the team to get better, and it probably gave the team an edge in the 2010 Finals rematch. Imagine if it was Boston seeking revenge in 2010. That might have given them enough of a boost to win in a tight series.


Do you still think we win in 2009?


Yes I think so, although we did barely get by Denver. I’m not sure the team win 65 games though. But all this is just speculation.


I agree about 2010 being different had we won in 2008, giving the Celtics revenge motivation. But you also have to factor in that we would have tied them at 16 championships so not only are the Lakers going for a 3peat, not only are they going for the league lead in titles at 17, not only would it be against our rival who is also trying to break the tie, but this is Kobe going for his 6 championship and second 3peat to tie MJ. I think that all is enough motivation to combat the Celtics. That’s a series I would love to have seen.
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 08, 2021 12:04 pm    Post subject:

loslakersss wrote:
Steve007 wrote:
CandyCanes wrote:
Steve007 wrote:
If the team won in 2008, I don’t assume the team has as much success in 2009 and 2010. That loss in 2008 motivated the team to get better, and it probably gave the team an edge in the 2010 Finals rematch. Imagine if it was Boston seeking revenge in 2010. That might have given them enough of a boost to win in a tight series.


Do you still think we win in 2009?


Yes I think so, although we did barely get by Denver. I’m not sure the team win 65 games though. But all this is just speculation.


I agree about 2010 being different had we won in 2008, giving the Celtics revenge motivation. But you also have to factor in that we would have tied them at 16 championships so not only are the Lakers going for a 3peat, not only are they going for the league lead in titles at 17, not only would it be against our rival who is also trying to break the tie, but this is Kobe going for his 6 championship and second 3peat to tie MJ. I think that all is enough motivation to combat the Celtics. That’s a series I would love to have seen.


What do you think would have happened in 2009 if KG had not gotten injured?
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loslakersss
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 08, 2021 5:32 pm    Post subject:

CandyCanes wrote:
loslakersss wrote:
Steve007 wrote:
CandyCanes wrote:
Steve007 wrote:
If the team won in 2008, I don’t assume the team has as much success in 2009 and 2010. That loss in 2008 motivated the team to get better, and it probably gave the team an edge in the 2010 Finals rematch. Imagine if it was Boston seeking revenge in 2010. That might have given them enough of a boost to win in a tight series.


Do you still think we win in 2009?


Yes I think so, although we did barely get by Denver. I’m not sure the team win 65 games though. But all this is just speculation.


I agree about 2010 being different had we won in 2008, giving the Celtics revenge motivation. But you also have to factor in that we would have tied them at 16 championships so not only are the Lakers going for a 3peat, not only are they going for the league lead in titles at 17, not only would it be against our rival who is also trying to break the tie, but this is Kobe going for his 6 championship and second 3peat to tie MJ. I think that all is enough motivation to combat the Celtics. That’s a series I would love to have seen.


What do you think would have happened in 2009 if KG had not gotten injured?


They definitely would’ve made the finals, imo. Gasol and Odom’s improved game and drive (mental) along with the return of Ariza would have probably been enough for us to beat them. I believe that’s the same year Kobe broke his finger/played through it which made it worse. If that can be erased that makes a difference too.
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