Mar 24, 2015; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers NBA championship trophies at the Toyota Sports Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
As the NBA Finals are about to start, it’s difficult not to reminisce about all the times the Lakers were deep in the playoffs chasing an NBA title. Founded in 1947, the Lakers have accumulated 16 NBA Championships and countless playoff runs. With so much success, it was always a shock to see the Lakers miss the post season. After two years of constant losing and several injuries, all we can do is remember the good times.
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Luckily, the Lakers are a storied franchise and have some of the best playoff moments the NBA has ever seen. From George Mikan to Showtime to Kobe there are countless memories. Let’s remember some of the better playoff moments in Lakers history.
Here are the top 5 Laker playoff memories:
5. Lakers vs Spurs – Game 5 – 2004 Western Conference Semi-Finals: 0.4
As far as game winning shots are concerned, Derek Fisher’s shot with 0.4 seconds left is probably one of the greatest buzzer beaters of all time. The series was tied at two games a piece and the crucial Game 5 was in San Antonio.
The Spurs had eliminated the Lakers the previous year, so this game was extremely important. The Lakers were looking to win their fourth championship in five years and they brought in Gary Payton and Karl Malone as reinforcements.
The game was close and the Lakers led 72-71 with about five seconds left in the game. Manu Ginobili inbounded the ball to Tim Duncan and he had nowhere to go. Duncan went to his left and threw up a bad shot, but it went in and there was only 0.4 left on the clock.
The Lakers called timeout and Payton was inbounding the ball. The Spurs double teamed Kobe and Payton passed the ball to Fisher and he hit the miraculous jumper as he was fading away. One of the greatest moments in Laker history.
Why is it number five on this list? Well, while the Lakers would reach the NBA Finals that year, they would eventually lose to the Detroit Pistons in five games.
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