Last time on The New Millennium, Kobe Bryant began to establish himself as the best player of this generation, winning the MVP and leading the Lakers to the best record in the league. Who will claim the ultimate prize in the 2004 NBA Playoffs? It's time to find out.
First Round
Out west, the Lakers had no problems, beating Dallas by double digits in all three games of their sweep. Portland shut down the young Suns in another sweep, Utah used their experience to oust the Rockets and Denver narrowly survived in a rematch with Seattle. In the east, the 76ers got the job done, sweeping the Bulls to get their first playoff series win in this alternate reality. Yao Ming give Alonzo Mourning and the Heat plenty of issues, but Miami won in four, whilst former champs Orlando used some playoff magic to overturn a 2-0 deficit to eliminate the Nets in five. Toronto easily took out a lackluster Pacers squad to set up another match-up with the Magic in the second round.
Second Round
The 76ers kept rolling, losing only one game to the Heat. The Raptors and Magic pushed each other to the limit in their rubber match, going all the way to seven games. In Game 7, Vince Carter dropped 44 and Grant Hill missed all seven of his shots to pit the Raptors against the 76ers. Portland gave the Lakers all they could handle, overturning a 3-0 deficit before Shaq took charge in Game 7 to oust the feisty Trail Blazers. Joining LA would be the Jazz, who got a major upset over the Nuggets in yet another seven game battle.
Conference Finals
Toronto's dreams of their first championship were dashed quickly, as Philadelphia took them out in a swift five games. Young Richie Jackson, who had put together a great playoff run already, helped the Jazz push the Lakers all the way to their limit again. But in Game 7, Shaq and Kobe came to play, combining for 46 points and earning another shot at a title.
NBA Finals
In Game 1, Allen Iverson struggled, and the Shaq and Kobe duo were dominant, this time going for 57. Game 2 was a blowout, as Iverson put up 25 but had no help, whilst veteran Kevin Ollie had nice minutes off the bench and the Lakers cruised to a 28 point win.
Game 3 was a very close affair, and it was LA's three point shooting that was the difference, with Kobe nailing the winning three with seconds on the clock. In Game 4, with Kobe fouled out, Ollie couldn't handle AI, who went off for 41 points. But it was all for naught, as Ollie and Derek Fisher got the job done, and the Lakers lifted another world championship.
NBA Finals MVP: Kobe Bryant(24.8 ppg, 5 apg, .565 FG%)
Kobe continues to cement his legacy as one of the best to ever do it, winning both the regular season and Finals MVPs. For Philadelphia, after three years of disappointment and heartbreak, they finally put together a playoff run only to get demolished in the end, another tough end to the year. With Allen Iverson now turning 30 years old, how much more time do the 76ers have? Next time on The New Millennium, big names test the market and new stars enter the league.
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