"I had seen Kobe, still green when he entered the league, battle the God of Basketball, Michael Jordan, through seven games in the Finals."
"I had seen the unstoppable Kobe who ruled the twenty-first century with five championships during the OK Dynasty."
"I had seen Kobe in the run-and-gun dynasty era, ruling a new age with Nash's support."
"But if you asked me when Kobe was at his strongest? Then I had to tell you: it was the 2008–09 season."
A passage written by renowned NBA commentator Bill Simmons in his 2009 book The Book of Basketball drew widespread agreement from fans as soon as it was published.
The 2008–09 season!
Without a doubt, that season's Lakers were far inferior to the peak OK Dynasty and the run-and-gun dynasty.
Their elite role players had aged badly.
Even the team's original second option, the Son of the Wind, could only serve as a spot-up playmaking shooter with no defense due to injuries and age.
The team's power forward was Durant, a skinny kid who had struggled with physicality even when playing shooting guard the previous season.
Their small forward was an ordinary white shooter you could find anywhere.
Aside from Kobe, the only two reliable players on the team were Yao Ming and Ginobili.
Yet the Lakers' opponents were greater than those of any previous era.
The Heat, Cavaliers, Celtics, Magic, and Indiana Pacers. These five elite teams had battled year after year in the Eastern Conference.
The Celtics had just won the championship, and their entire title-winning core had remained intact. McGrady, Garnett, and Penny teamed up with Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins, while the bench also featured players like Tony Allen and Rasheed Wallace.
The Heat had three stars still at the height of their powers: Wade, O'Neal, and