Los Angeles Lakers History

The 2005–06 would see the Los Angeles Lakers reunite with Phil Jackson. Jackson 's year off, including vacationing in Australia , left him rejuvenated, whereas the Los Angeles Lakers' struggle in 2004–2005 caused Jerry Buss to reconsider his willingness to meet Jackson 's salary demands. Although many have felt Kobe Bryant desired Jackson 's departure in the first place, and though Jackson was subsequently critical of Bryant publicly, Bryant indicated that he welcomed Jackson 's return, and the move left fans very optimistic about the Los Angeles Lakers season. Indeed, no public disagreement between the two surfaced throughout their first season reunited, and the player-coach relationship appeared to remain solid.

In the off-season, the Los Angeles Lakers' most significant player personnel moves had been the acquisition of Kwame Brown from Washington in exchange for Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins, and the drafting of Andrew Bynum straight from high school.

After last seasons's poor showing, most felt that simply making the playoffs would be an accomplishment. The new LA Lakers team is, in many observer's eyes, somewhat modeled after the Jackson 's 1990's Chicago Bulls dynasty which had garnered 6 championships. Lamar Odom, a gifted facilitator forward, is also seen by some to be a "Scottie Pippen" type of player to complement Kobe Bryant's talents.

After a shaky start, the team's chemistry appeared to get better radically during the latter half of the season. The Los Angeles Lakers managed to put forth more reliable efforts as the regular season drew to a shut. The team's late season surge was sufficient to secure a playoff berth and allay some of their fans' instant concerns about the team. They played the second seeded Phoenix Suns, and after Bryant hit two grasp shots to win Game 4 at Los Angeles , they appeared to be en route to an upset with a 3-1 series lead, which would set up a "Hallway Series" in the second round against the Los Angeles Clippers, who had already advanced by ousting the Denver Nuggets. Though, Phoenix , led by 2006 MVP Steve Nash, was able to rally, winning at Los Angeles 126-118 in overtime of Game 6, and routing the Los Angeles Lakers 121-90 in Game 7 at Phoenix .

The Los Angeles Lakers trailed 60-45 at halftime of Game 7. Bryant had 23 points at halftime but would score only one point on three shots in the second half. A number of critics, such as Bill Simmons suggested that Bryant, with his team trailing by so much, should have attempted more shots in the second half; some, such as Charles Barkley even suggested that Bryant refused to shoot to "prove a point" about the inferior scoring ability of his teammates. Bryant and coach Phil Jackson denied this, with both stating that Kobe was following the halftime game plan by getting others involved.

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