Coming off of the thrilling conquest of the 2001-02 NBA Finals victory over the New Jersey Nets, the Los Angeles Lakers entered the season with back-to-back-to-back championships. With Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal leading the charge, Phil Jackson and the Lakers had cemented themselves as a dynasty, atop the NBA.
However, the Lakers perhaps got a little too confident entering the 2002-03 season, unprepared and perhaps caught off guard by the response from the other NBA teams. They began the season with a 5-11 record, coming out of the Thanksgiving break with a showdown on the road against the Memphis Grizzlies on Nov.