O'Neal can be said to be the most dominant center in the NBA. He has shown his strong physical talents since he entered the league. Although he did not dominate the league at the beginning, many centers have eaten on O'Neal. deficit. Even though O'Neal was once zero-blocked in the playoffs, and it can be said that it was the Shark who grew up, in the 1998 Western Conference Finals, the Lakers led by O'Neal were swept out 4-0 by the Jazz. At that time, O'Neal can be said to have been very If you have a dominant power, why is it still blocked by zero?
's last season in 1998 was the first season of Kobe and O'Neal teaming up. The Lakers scored 56 wins and 26 losses in the regular season, ranking fourth in the Western Conference. They met the Utah Jazz in the semifinals and were 4-1 gentlemen. Swept away, and the Utah Jazz at the time also had the black and white doubles of Malone and Stockton. This Jazz was a tough Jordan to lead the Bulls. The regular season achieved a record of 64 wins and 18 losses in the Western Conference, and the Bulls. There were still six battles, which gave Jordan a lot of pressure.
In 1998, the Lakers scored 61 wins and 21 losses in the regular season, second only to the Jazz 62 wins and 20 losses. The two teams also met in the Western Conference Finals without any dispute. Kobe and O’Neal also went through a year of running in. There has been a great improvement in strength and tacit understanding. It can be said that the Lakers have a good opportunity to avenge the Jazz, but why did the Lakers be even worse than the previous year and finally get the Jazz zero title?
First of all is the problem of experience. On the one hand, the Jazz has more experience in the playoffs than the Lakers, and successfully entered the finals to face the Bulls the previous year. Every player has undergone more powerful experience. Although the Lakers are ambitions Revenge, but the Jazz are also aiming for revenge, but they are revenge for the Bulls. The Jazz players share the same hatred and only hope to win the series in a shorter time to prepare for the finals.
On the other hand, the Jazz’s lineup is more complete. In addition to black and white, the Jazz also have Hornacek and Byron Russell. At the time, the Lakers only had O'Neal able to carry the team. Kobe At that time, he was only a second-year student and could not be the backbone of the team.
In the four games of the
series, the two teams averaged among the top five players. The Lakers only have O'Neal and Eddie Jones. The remaining three players are Jazz players. O'Neal averaged 31.8 points per game. First among them, Malone averaged 30 points, Eddie Jones 15 points, Stockton 12 points, Byron Russell 11.3 points. In this comparison, even if O’Neal and Malone are excluded, the Jazz’s lineup depth is still stronger than For the Lakers, the Lakers can only bow down.
After knocking out the Lakers, the Jazz and the Bulls met again in the Finals. Although they lost again, it proved that the Jazz was definitely stronger than the Lakers in those two years and was the strongest team in the West. O'Neal is a strong dominant player, but he can't escape being sealed by the Jazz.
However, as Kobe grew up, the Lakers slowly began to dominate the West, and the Jazz began to decline. After that, even Malone joined the Lakers at the end of his career, but O'Neal had already left the Lakers at the time, so it proved a truth. It’s useless to have too much personal ability, after all, basketball is a team project.
