Editor’s Note: This week is “What If?” Week at SB Nation, so we’ll be taking a look at various hypothetical scenarios involving the Lakers. Today, we think about what could have happened if Kobe and Shaq had stuck together a little longer.
In 2004, the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals, which marked the end of the Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant era.