1999–2000 Los Angeles Lakers season | |
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NBA Champions
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Conference Champions
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Division Champions
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Twelfth NBA Championship Phil Jackson's first season coaching the Lakers Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant's first NBA Championship Glen Rice's final season with the Lakers First season playing in the Staples Center |
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Head coach | Phil Jackson |
General manager | Jerry West |
Owner(s) | Jerry Buss |
Arena | Staples Center |
Results | |
Record | 67–15 (.817) |
Place |
Division: 1st (Pacific) Conference: 1st (Western) |
Playoff finish |
NBA Champions (Defeated Pacers 4-2) |
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com |
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Local media | |
Television | Fox Sports Net West, KCAL |
Radio | AM 570 KLAC |
The 1999–2000 NBA season was the Lakers' 52nd season in the National Basketball Association, and 40th season in Los Angeles. It was also the Lakers first season playing in their new arena, the Staples Center. During the offseason, the team re-acquired former Lakers forward A.C. Green from the Dallas Mavericks, and signed free agent John Salley. Green won championships with the team in the 1980s. The Lakers posted long winning streaks throughout the entire season finishing the regular season with 67 wins, the most wins since the 1971–72 team won a franchise-record 69 games. The Lakers clinched the top seed in the playoffs for the 25th time in franchise history and the first in nine years. Center Shaquille O'Neal was almost unanimously named the Most Valuable Player of the regular season.
The Lakers were then pushed to the limit by the Sacramento Kings whom they defeated in a deciding fifth game, before going on to defeat the Phoenix Suns in five games in the semifinals. In the Western Conference Finals, they defeated a Portland Trail Blazers team featuring Rasheed Wallace, Scottie Pippen and Steve Smith in seven games before going on to win the NBA Finals 4–2 against the Indiana Pacers, earning the franchise its 12th NBA championship. It was the Lakers' first championship since 1988.