2006 Los Angeles Lakers: Phil’s Return Starts A Climb Back To Greatness

The 2006 Los Angeles Lakers were in rebuilding mode. After an epic run from 2000-04 where the franchise made four NBA Finals and won three championships, Shaquille O’Neal left for Miami and Phil Jackson retired. In 2005, the Lakers made the playoffs. It was enough to get Phil out of retirement. With Kobe Bryant still in the fold, Los Angeles returned to the postseason in 2006 and began a climb back towards greatness.

Kobe led the NBA in scoring, dropping 35 points per game. Lamar Odom was the prime supporting piece, and the forward averaged 15 points/9 rebounds/6 assists per game. Smush Parker and Chris Mihm were each double-digit scorers. Kwame Brown averaged seven rebounds a night. With Kobe leading the way, the Lakers were a solid seventh in the league for offensive efficiency, enough to overcome defensive play that was more middling.

The early schedule was difficult and included games at San Antonio, where the Spurs were the defending champ, as well as home dates with a good teams in the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers. The Lakers lost those games and began 7-9. But when the schedule softened, L.A. rattled off four straight wins. They also knocked off the Dallas Mavericks, who would ultimately win the Western Conference, twice.

On Christmas Day afternoon, Los Angeles was in the NBA’s showcase, going to Miami for a battle between Kobe and Shaq. Kobe scored 37, but at the cost of 12-for-30 shooting. The Heat—the team that would end up winning it all in June—were more balanced and L.A. took a 97-92 loss.

The Lakers were 15-12 and in a competitive Western Conference, that was outside the playoff structure. What’s more, they dropped four in a row after Christmas on South Beach. The calendar flipped to a new year with L.A. needing to find their form.

January brought better days. Los Angeles won their home rematch with Miami, part of a 6-1 stretch. On the 22nd, the lowly Toronto Raptors came to town. On the surface, it was just a casual Sunday night game against a bad team. It turned out to be historic. Kobe took 46 shots from the floor. He made 28. That included 7-of-13 from behind the arc. He got to the foul line 20 times and made 18. If you’re doing your math, that adds up to 81 points, the second-highest single-game explosion in NBA history, trailing only Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game.

By the end of the month, the record was up to 24-20 and they were sixth in the West. But February is the dog days on the NBA—deep into the year, yet too early to think about the playoffs. More than a few teams have slipped during this period, and the ’06 Laker edition was one example. Their record fell to 29-28, they were down to eighth in the West and only one game ahead of the Utah Jazz for that final playoff spot.

A difficult schedule in March could have been big trouble. But Los Angeles knocked off Detroit, who was headed for the 1-seed in the East. And the Lakers split a pair with the Spurs. This was combined with winning the games they were supposed to, and Los Angeles chipped away to get their record to 39-35 going into April. They were now in seventh in the West and had a two-game cushion on getting into the playoffs.

After losing two of three, L.A. came down the stretch in a dogfight with the Sacramento Kings and the New Orleans Hornets (later renamed the Pelicans). In a big crosstown battle, the Lakers beat the Clippers 100-83, then took care of bad teams from Golden State and Portland. A decisive 109-89 win over the Suns all but put it to bed. The Lakers finished the season 45-37 and got to the 7-seed for the playoffs.

Phoenix, led by league MVP Steve Nash in the backcourt, and the league’s most prolific offense was the first round opponent. Los Angeles went on the road and hit the boards, to the tune of a 47-36 advantage. Odom went for 21 points/14 rebounds and Luke Walton—a future coach of this franchise—hit for 19 points. But Kobe only shot 7-for-21, the Suns were more efficient, and L.A. lost 107-102. But they bounced back in Game 2. With Kobe delivering 29 points/10 rebounds, and Odom posting a 21/7/5 line, the Lakers took a 15-point lead in the first half, won 99-93 and stole homecourt advantage.

Bryant struggled at home in Game 3. But a good defensive game was tight throughout. Walton, Odom, and Brown all scored and rebounded—collectively, they produced 45 points/38 rebounds. Los Angeles won 99-92.

Sunday afternoon’s Game 4 was another tight game marked by good defense both ways. It was marked by another strong game from Odom, who went for 25/8/5. And with Kobe hitting 24, the Lakers pulled out a 99-98 win. Quite improbably, they had a 3-1 series lead and were on the verge of advancing.

Kobe and Odom both played well in Game 5, combining for a 47//22/11 line. But Los Angeles was sloppy with the basketball, turning it over twenty times and losing 114-97. Even so, they were coming back home for Game 6 and a chance to close the upset.

It would be a classic game. The Lakers took a seven-point lead after the first quarter. The Suns nudged in front by halftime. Both teams shot in the high 50s percentage-wise. Los Angeles won the rebounding battle, but Phoenix took better care of the basketball. It was all even. And Kobe was firing—he would score 50 points on 20-for-35 shooting. Odom posted a 22/11 line and Brown went for 17/9

But Phoenix had answers. Nash had a huge game himself, as did several members of his supporting cast. This one went to overtime, but the Lakers finally fell 126-118.

After the gut wrenching Game 6 loss, Game 7 on the road also seemed like a fait accompli. Kobe scored 24, but Phoenix was able to limit him to 16 shots from the floor. Odom was held to 12 points and no one else stepped up. The Lakers trailed by 17 after the first quarter, never got going and lost decisively, 121-90.

Blowing a 3-1 series lead leaves a bad aftertaste, but it couldn’t be denied that the Lakers were starting to come back. They returned to the playoffs in 2007. In 2008, they swung a trade to get Pau Gasol from Memphis and that put them back among the league’s elite. From 2008-10, Los Angeles made three more Finals trips and won a pair of championships. It was the culmination of an upswing that began in 2006.