They brought in veterans Karl Malone, Gary Payton and Horace Grant in the offseason and were the favorites at +140 to win the NBA championship prior to the start of the season.
1 seed Indiana in the Eastern Conference Finals, but lacked a big-name superstar that had been common among past champions.įollowing their three-peat from 2000-02, the Lakers struggled during the 2002-03 season, winning just 50 games and losing to San Antonio in the Western Conference Semifinals. 2 Los Angeles Lakers (56-26)įrom 1999-2003, the Eastern Conference representative won a total of six games in the NBA Finals. Phoenix went on to lose in the conference finals to No. The Suns won both of their home games by double digits and won two games in LA by a combined total of five points.
