2000-01 NBA Finals
June 6, 2001 – June 15, 2001
2000-01 NBA Finals result: LALLos Angeles Lakers def. P7Philadelphia 76ers, 4-1, June 6, 2001 – June 15, 2001.
Result
| Team | Series | |
|---|---|---|
| Champion | LALLos Angeles Lakers | 4-1 |
| Runner-up | P7Philadelphia 76ers |
Games
| Game | Date | Result | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | June 6, 2001 | P7Philadelphia 76ers 107–101 Los Angeles Lakers | Staples Center, Los Angeles, California |
| Game 2 | June 8, 2001 | LALLos Angeles Lakers 98–89 Philadelphia 76ers | Staples Center, Los Angeles, California |
| Game 3 | June 10, 2001 | LALLos Angeles Lakers 96–91 Philadelphia 76ers | First Union Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Game 4 | June 13, 2001 | LALLos Angeles Lakers 100–86 Philadelphia 76ers | First Union Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Game 5 | June 15, 2001 | LALLos Angeles Lakers 108–96 Philadelphia 76ers | First Union Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
Finals MVP
Shaquille O'Neal. O'Neal won his second consecutive Finals MVP award, averaging 33.0 points, 15.8 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks per game.
Series context
The 2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers entered the season as defending champions but endured a season of internal tension, reportedly including friction between co-stars Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, along with injuries that caused the team to finish 56-26, the second seed in the Western Conference, a step down from their historic 67-win campaign the year before. Once the playoffs began, however, Los Angeles turned in one of the most dominant postseason runs in league history, sweeping the Portland Trail Blazers, the Sacramento Kings, and the San Antonio Spurs in the first three rounds, arriving at the Finals with an 11-0 postseason record. Their opponent, the Philadelphia 76ers, were led by league MVP Allan Iverson, the electric, undersized guard who had willed Philadelphia to the best record in the Eastern Conference under coach Larry Brown, following back-to-back seven-game series victories over Toronto and Milwaukee in the earlier playoff rounds. Philadelphia delivered a stunning upset in Game 1, played in Los Angeles, with Iverson scoring 48 points and famously stepping over Lakers guard Tyronn Lue after hitting a late, dagger jumper, giving the 76ers a 107-101 overtime win and denying the Lakers a perfect postseason. It proved to be Philadelphia's only win of the series. Los Angeles responded by winning Game 2, 98-89, behind a near quadruple-double from O'Neal. The series shifted to Philadelphia, where the Lakers took Game 3, 96-91, on a Robert Horry three-pointer late in the fourth quarter, followed by a comfortable 100-86 win in Game 4. Los Angeles closed out the championship on the road with a 108-96 win in Game 5, clinching back-to-back titles. The Lakers finished the 2001 postseason with a 15-1 overall record, the best postseason winning percentage in NBA history at the time (later surpassed by the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors' 16-1 mark). The championship was the second of what became a three-peat for the Shaq-and-Kobe Lakers, running through the 2002 season. In sweeping their first three playoff rounds, the Lakers became only the second team in NBA history to run the table through the conference finals at 11-0, following the 1988-89 Lakers. Iverson's 48-point outburst in Game 1 included 30 points in the first half alone, and his step-back jumper over Tyronn Lue, followed by his step over the fallen defender, became one of the most replayed individual highlights in Finals history even in a losing effort. Because of the hostile atmosphere expected in Philadelphia, the Lakers were presented the Larry O'Brien Trophy in their locker room rather than on the court after clinching Game 5 on the road. Shaquille O'Neal won his second consecutive Finals MVP award, averaging 33.0 points, 15.8 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game across the five games, while Robert Horry's go-ahead three-pointer late in Game 3 proved to be one of several late-game heroics that defined his reputation as a clutch postseason performer throughout his career.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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