In the 2000 Western Conference Finals, the Portland Trail Blazers faced off against a Los Angeles Lakers squad featuring Kobe Bryant alongside Shaquille O’Neal, and despite an initial loss to the Lakers, the series ended up going to a Game 7 due to the depth of the Trail Blazers. Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report suggests that this series is the most compelling playoff series for the Trail Blazers because of the way they held off the Lakers.
The Shaquille O’Neal-Kobe Bryant combo was cheat-code dominant. Whenever the Lakers went into a series with those two, it felt like they had a free pass to the next round.