The Los Angeles Lakers are dominating like it’s 1999

As they dominate their opponents, the 2019-20 Los Angeles Lakers team draws comparisons to the 1999-00 championship team

Despite the recent loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, the Los Angeles Lakers have been an absolute force this season.

In his 16th year, LeBron James is playing like a man on a mission while shaking off any mention that he has passed his prime. James’ counterpart, Anthony Davis, is playing the best basketball of his career and the two of them have been a juggernaut of a tandem.

With a smattering of young and veteran players, the Lakers find themselves with a 24-5 record and sit atop the Western Conference.

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Lakers fans have reason to be excited. After years of being cellar dwellers in their division, it seems all but certain that they will make a deep postseason run.

So when have we seen this level of play before?

Well, you could harken back to the 2008-09 Lakers team who, after losing to the Celtics in the NBA Finals the year prior, was able to deliver Kobe Bryant his fourth title. This was significant because, in the five years since Shaquille O’Neal was traded, it was the Kobe Bryant show with a ragtag group of role players.

However, it is best if we go way back in time to the 1999-00 season; the birth of a new generation of Lakers fandom.

After their last NBA Finals appearance in 1991, the Lakers muddled in mediocrity. They relied on young talent in the hopes of developing them to become a playoff team in the years to come.

However, the Los Angeles Lakers as a franchise have been used to winning, so seeing their young talent struggle was a sign to switch things up and land a major free agent or trade piece.

Sound familiar?

Here is where things become more interesting.

In 1996, the Lakers were able to convince O’Neal to come to Los Angeles. In 2018, they were able to convince LeBron James to don the purple and gold.

The balance between both stars across these teams is remarkable. Each in their seventh season, O’Neal and Davis are dominant forces in the league. While a young Kobe Bryant and an old LeBron James differ, both are considered amazing two-way players and able to be the perfect compliment to their counterparts who could be dominant in the paint.

In the 1999-00 season, the Lakers finally began to reach their potential. The same could be said for the 2019-20 Lakers squad.

At this point between these teams’ two seasons, through 29 games, both squads sit at 24-5.

According to Basketball-Reference, both teams ranked in the top 10 in points per game, offensive, and defensive rating. They are also relatively slow teams in terms of pace of play, with each team ranking in the middle of the league.

Both squads are also filled with great veteran talent.

For the 1999-00 team, it was a blended mix of champions such as A.C. Green, Robert Horry, and Ron Harper. The current Lakers possess the veteran leadership of Dwight Howard, JaVale McGee, and Rajon Rondo.

Obviously, there are some differences. For example, Frank Vogel is no Phil Jackson. At the same time, as first-year coaches in Los Angeles, they both had the responsibility to manage egos and playing time for all these personalities.

These new Lakers also run a more fluid motion offense, while the old squad relied almost exclusively on the triangle-offense. The similarities are promising for the Los Angeles Lakers, but fans only want one thing in common between the two teams and that is winning a championship.