For any team, winning is hard to sustain. However, this could be a sign of things to come. Phil Jackson knew this and was fully aware that teams are built differently.
"The Zen Master" had just come off his second three-peat championship with the Chicago Bulls, and most expected Jackson to do the same with the Los Angeles Lakers. The team had top stars in Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, so achieving something similar was highly probable.
However, the Bulls and the Lakers were built differently. Regardless, this hardly mattered, especially when LA started to dominate the opposition, but it remained that losing was still possible.
Win streaks are not forever
The Lakers were on a 16-game winning streak in the 1999-2000 season but saw that come to a halt following a loss to the Indiana Pacers on January 14, 2000, 111-102. Lakers players took the loss hard, but Jackson would drop a statement to get them back to their senses.
"Hey, pick your head up; we're not going to go 82-0," Jackson said via the New York Times then. "We're going to lose some games. You're not my Chicago team that went 72-10."
Little did the Lakers know then that winning 16 games was just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, that same season, they went on another run that started three weeks later. After defeating the Utah Jazz (113-67), the Purple and Gold would win 19 straight games before losing to the Washington Wizards.
Another streak started for LA on March 17. The Lakers won over the Pistons (82-54) to ignite an 11-game winning streak that ran up to April 5, 2000, against the Golden State Warriors. LA would end the regular season with a 67-15 win-loss mark, the best record for any team that season.
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Jackson started a new dynasty
Although the playoffs weren't easy, the Lakers survived the challenges from the Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, and Indiana Pacers to win the 2000 NBA title. It was the first for O'Neal and Bryant, a dynamic duo that would help the Lakers in the following seasons.
With newfound confidence, the Lakers cruised to the championship in 2001. It was almost the same in 2002, though LA had to overcome the Kings' challenge in the Western Conference Finals before sweeping the New Jersey Nets in the final.
After bagging three straight championships, it was understandable that the Lakers were at a high. No less than Bryant declared that they had the best coach and most dominant player in the world – referring to Jackson and Shaq.
"We have the best coach ever, the most dominant player in the world, and the best team. We'll be back next year. See you next year," Kobe said .
Considering Bryant's issues with O'Neal and Jackson at the time, it was a rare compliment. It would also turn out to be that trio's last championship, as Kobe's rifts with Phil and Shaq got out of control. They shipped Big Diesel to the Heat, and that was the end of the last three-peat team.
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