One of the most memorable moments of the 2001 NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Philadelphia 76ers was Allen Iverson stepping over a hapless Tyronn Lue after making a jumper. In spite of this rather forgettable moment from Lue's end, however, it appears that even the late, great Kobe Bryant knew just how much Lue's relentless defense on Iverson all series long proved to be a key piece to L.A.'s championship.
Speaking to ESPN's Ohm Younmisuk, Lue, now the head coach for the Los Angeles Clippers, shared a memorable exchange he had with Kobe, as the Black Mamba admitted just how difficult it was for him to guard Iverson:
“Kobe said, ‘You know, I don't know if we would have been able to win that series without you,'” Lue recalled. “He said, ‘because I was getting worn out having to guard [Allen] Iverson, and the job you did on him really took a lot of pressure off me. So man, you just meant so much to this championship.'”
At that time, Lue was just in his third year in the NBA and was, at best, a role player for the Lakers' star-studded squad. However, coach Phil Jackson thrust him into the unenviable role of having to guard Iverson in the Finals, who himself bagged the MVP award after leading the Sixers to the best record in the East.
The Lakers ended up losing Game 1 of that Finals series — the only game they lost throughout the playoffs — but thanks to Lue's leech-like defense on Iverson, Kobe was able to focus much of his energy on the offensive end. This resulted in the Lakers winning the next four games of the series, en route to title No. 2 of their historic three-peat.
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