Lakers News: Reporter Revisits Shortcomings Of 2008 Finals Squad
Many Los Angeles Lakers fans remember the 2007-2008 NBA season quite fondly. It started off as a typical year for LA but ended with them feeling great about the future.
This version of the Lakers came in ranked at the number five spot on the top 10 greatest Laker teams to not win the NBA championship. Robert Marvi of USA Today put the list together.
LA had the late Kobe Bryant in his prime, and alongside him was a cast of players who made the Lakers good, but not great.
“Los Angeles won seven of its first 10 games and 26 of its first 37. Although this start brought fans a bit of optimism, something was missing. The Lakers were good, but not a true contender.”
But when former Lakers center Andrew Bynum went down in January of 2008, something needed to be done.
“Then came Feb. 1, the day everything turned around. That afternoon, the Lakers announced they had obtained Hall of Fame big man Pau Gasol. Even better, they didn’t surrender any of their key players to get him, other than Brown, whom no one missed for a microsecond.”
The team ended up bringing in Memphis Grizzlies All-Star center Pau Gasol at the February trade deadline, and the rest was history. LA went on a massive run that saw them get all the way to the NBA Finals. Bryant also won his only NBA MVP award during that season, a culmination of his greatness.
In the NBA Finals, they matched up with the rival Boston Celtics and ultimately lost in six games. LA wasn’t able to match up with Boston completely, and it cost them. The Celtics were tougher than they were on defense, and it allowed them to control the games.
Without Bynum, the Lakers relied upon Gasol to guard a more athletic Kevin Garnett, and Garnett made it look easy. This forced LA to build up their frontcourt and bring in tougher defenders.
They did just that in the offseason, and it resulted them in winning two consecutive titles. But the 2007-2008 team does deserve credit for setting up the championship window.
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