2001
Los Angeles Lakers
Series Flow
4
Wins
1
Losses
Regular Season
56–26
Win–Loss
Playoff Record
15–1
Win–Loss
Finals
4–1
vs Philadelphia 76ers
Finals MVP
O'Neal
Shaquille
Los Angeles Lakers
56–26Philadelphia 76ers
56–26Allen Iverson carried the Sixers to the Finals on sheer force of will — one of the great individual playoff performances in league history. Without a frontcourt remotely capable of matching Shaq, they had no structural answer for the Lakers' dominance inside.
Finals MVP
Shaquille O'Neal
#34 · Center
33.0
PPG
15.8
RPG
3.4
BPG
57.2%
FG%
Won his second consecutive Finals MVP. His 15.8 rebounds per game remains one of the great Finals rebounding performances ever.
2nd consecutive Finals MVP — the first player since Michael Jordan to accomplish that
15.8 RPG in the Finals remains one of the highest in modern NBA history
How the Series Unfolded
G1 · L
0–1
G2 · W
1–1
G3 · W
2–1
G4 · W
3–1
G5 · W
4–1
101
LAL
107
PHI
Allen Iverson's legendary 48-point performance — and his iconic step-over of Tyronn Lue — gave the Sixers a stunning Game 1 road win. Lue had fouled Iverson on a crossover drive; Iverson hit the free throws, then stepped over the fallen Lue while pointing at him. The image became one of the most iconic in NBA history.
Los Angeles Lakers
Shaquille O'Neal
44 pts · 20 reb44 points and 20 rebounds in a loss — only Shaq could put up those numbers and still lose.
PHI
Allen Iverson
48 pts · 6 ast · 5 rebOne of the greatest individual Finals performances ever — and the step-over over Tyronn Lue became immortal.
98
LAL
89
PHI
Shaq reasserted dominance and the Lakers' size advantage proved too much for a Sixers team that had no frontcourt answer.
Los Angeles Lakers
Shaquille O'Neal
28 pts · 20 reb · 4 blkDominant on both ends — corrected whatever went wrong in Game 1.
Kobe Bryant
31 pts · 8 rebMatched Iverson's intensity and elevated his game.
96
LAL
91
PHI
Shaq (30 pts, 12 reb) and Kobe (32 pts) overwhelmed the Sixers in their own building, giving LA a 2-1 series lead.
Los Angeles Lakers
Kobe Bryant
32 pts · 4 astAttacked the Sixers' perimeter defense relentlessly in hostile territory.
PHI
Allen Iverson
35 ptsNever stopped competing but the Sixers' supporting cast was overmatched.
100
LAL
86
PHI
Shaq's size differential was simply too great. Iverson's scoring alone couldn't compensate for what the Sixers lacked up front.
Los Angeles Lakers
Shaquille O'Neal
34 pts · 14 rebRan through the Sixers' defense with efficiency and power.
PHI
Allen Iverson
28 ptsNever gave up — the definition of competitive fire on a losing team.
108
LAL
96
PHI
The Lakers closed out the championship at home. Shaq's 29 points and the team's dominant second half sealed a 15-1 playoff record — one of the most dominant playoff runs in NBA history.
Los Angeles Lakers
Shaquille O'Neal
29 pts · 13 reb · 4 blkClosed out the championship with the quiet authority of a dynasty at its peak.
Kobe Bryant
26 pts · 7 reb · 4 astThe ideal finishing performance from the ideal co-star.
The Champions
They Pushed Us to the Limit
Allen Iverson carried the Sixers to the Finals on sheer force of will — one of the great individual playoff performances in league history. Without a frontcourt remotely capable of matching Shaq, they had no structural answer for the Lakers' dominance inside.
35.6
PPG
5.4
APG
2.0
SPG
The most electric individual performance of any Finals loser in modern NBA history. The step-over. The 48 points in Game 1. His series was legendary.
History Written in 2001
Los Angeles Lakers
13th NBA Championship — second consecutive title
Los Angeles Lakers
15-1 playoff record — the best single playoff record in NBA history at the time
Shaquille O'Neal
2nd consecutive Finals MVP
Allen Iverson
Became the first player in Finals history to score 48+ points in a losing Game 1 effort — the step-over is one of sport's most iconic moments
Beyond the Box Score
The 2000-01 Lakers went 15-1 in the playoffs — the most dominant single playoff run in NBA history at the time. They swept the Blazers, Jazz, and Spurs before facing the Sixers. Only Iverson's Game 1 masterpiece interrupted a clean sweep.
Allen Iverson's step-over of Tyronn Lue after a clutch free throw became one of the most replayed moments in NBA Finals history — a symbol of competitive defiance from a player who refused to accept defeat, even when his team was outmatched.
The Full Story
The 2001 Lakers were as close to unstoppable as any team in the modern NBA era. They went 15-1 through the playoffs, a record that still stands. The only team that gave them trouble was Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers — but even Iverson's heroics could only delay the inevitable.
Game 1 belongs to basketball's cultural memory forever. Iverson's 48 points. The crossover on Tyronn Lue. The step-over. A player who was half Shaq's size going out there and winning a Finals game against the most dominant team of his era. It was the most defiant single performance in Finals history.
After that, the Lakers won four straight. Shaq was simply too big, too skilled, too dominant. 15-1. The number that defines this era.