From 2000 to 2002, the Los Angeles Lakers were the kings of the NBA who had one of the best duos in league history, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. While they were dominant during that stretch, many may have forgotten how they were pushed to their limits by the Sacramento Kings in the 2002 Western Conference Finals.

While the two aforementioned greats received most of the credit for their success, they also had a formidable supporting cast that paved the way for them to be as good as they were that time. One of them was Robert Horry, who was even their hero in Game 4, by knocking down a cold-blooded 3-pointer as time expired to bring home the victory in front of a raucous Staples Center crowd. O'Neal and Bryant recently recalled that shot and gave their perspectives as the play developed.

Kobe Shaq
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The Diesel hilariously said that he immediately shot the ball after getting the offensive rebound as he did not want to to hacked anymore and be forced to shoot two pressure-packed free throws. Bryant, on the other hand, questioned Vlade Divac's decision to tap the ball out and not to the air to waste the time.

“I got the rebound, and I didn't want to get Hack-a-Shaq-ed because I was playing horrible,” admitted Shaq. “I shot it so quick because I didn't want to go to the line and miss. So I miss, I get it back, and Vlade tips it out of my hand. Rob is at the top of they key, it goes in and everybody's going nuts. I go, ‘Oh sh*t, we won the game!'”

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“I never asked Vlade this and I wish I thought to ask him this,” said Bryant, “but I never asked him why he thought to slap the ball away like that. If you're going to slap it, slap it up and out. It was like a bounce pass [for Horry].”

As it turned out, the Western Conference Finals that year was the biggest challenge the Lakers faced as they went on to sweep the Jason Kidd-led New Jersey Nets in the Finals, further cementing their place as one of the best teams ever. O'Neal and Bryant eventually parted ways when the 7-foot-1 center was traded to the Miami Heat two years after and won another title in 2006. The Black Mamba remained with the Lakers until he retired, finishing his illustrious career with five championships and winning almost any awards the league had to offer on the way.