Members of our #NBArank panel are recounting the greatest NBA Finals games. First we asked five NBA writers to share their favorites. Then, Kevin Pelton started ranking his top 25 Finals games of all time, unveiling five per day.
Kobe takes over: 2000 NBA Finals, Game 4, Lakers vs. Pacers
Israel Gutierrez: The story of Kobe Bryant's performance in Game 4 of the 2000 NBA Finals against the Pacers -- the night many of us realized the second coming of Michael Jordan might be on its way a lot quicker than anyone expected -- actually begins in Game 2.
It was then that Jalen Rose, who has since said his play came with poor intentions, slid a sneaky left foot in Bryant's landing space.
The result was a sprained ankle that forced Bryant to miss most of Game 2 and all of Game 3, keeping the Pacers in the series with a 2-1 deficit but with two consecutive upcoming games at home and the prospect of facing a gimpy Bryant for the remainder of the series.
Of course, Shaquille O'Neal was his usual dominant self in this, his lone MVP season, finishing with 36 points and 21 rebounds in Game 4 (on his way to Finals MVP honors). But his Game 4 also ended early on a sixth personal foul, with 2:33 left in overtime of a one-possession game.
Bryant had been in foul trouble himself, picking up his third in the middle of the second quarter and a fourth early in the third period. But it wasn't until Shaq got in late foul trouble, and eventually fouled out, that the real pressure was on Bryant.
Until then, he'd been a luxury to the team -- a rising, 21-year-old scorer on a bad ankle who would love to provide O'Neal with just enough relief to sneak out a win in Indianapolis.
It was in that moment I realized I was cheering against the Lakers. Not sure why, but the idea of the underdog Pacers evening the series and adding drama to (or maybe even winning?) what was expected to be a Shaq-and-Kobe coronation was instinctively appealing.
Doug Collins' "What a big play!" call after Shaq's sixth foul probably still echoes in the ears of Pacers fans who thought, "This is our chance!"
Let's be honest here: It was a terrible call against Shaq. But Kobe might as well have blown that whistle himself.
Because that's when Bryant truly announced himself. This wasn't pressure. This was a dream come true.
With the Pacers twice taking advantage of a Shaq-free lane, Kobe twice answered with buckets that extended the Lakers' lead to three. Both of those buckets, by the way, were on horrible shot selections -- long 2-pointers with a hand in his face. He'd be shamed today by fans of advanced analytics.
And then there was the dagger, the where-did-he-come-from reverse putback with 5.9 seconds left that sealed it for Los Angeles. It was the kind of moment when, if you're openly (or sneakily) rooting for the Pacers, you curse Kobe's name.
His performance doesn't instantly scream breathtaking, reading 28 points, four rebounds and five assists in 47 minutes on a stat sheet -- even knowing it came on a bum ankle.
But it was awe-inspiring in its timeliness -- a seizing of the moment that helps define careers. Oh, and win championships.
His first, Shaq's first.
"After that game, I said, 'This guy is the best player in the world,'" O'Neal said about Bryant's performance in an episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq last year.
He wasn't alone.
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