Forget the Finals for a second — the East back then wasn’t the real test. The wars were in the West: Kings, Spurs, Blazers. That’s where dynasties were either made or broken. Shaq was the unstoppable force inside, but Kobe was the one bailing them out with daggers, defense, and those killer fourth quarters. Without him, does the 3-peat even happen? In those brutal West battles, who was really the engine of the Lakers’ run? #NBAHistory #KobeBryant #Shaq #LakersDynasty #NBAPlayoffs #NBADebate #NBALegends #NBAWhatIf #BasketballDebate