<Tr> <Th> Western Finals </Th> <Td> Lakers defeat Trail Blazers, 4--3 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> <1999 NBA Finals 2001> </Td> </Tr> <P> The 2000 NBA Finals was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1999--2000 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs . The Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers 4 games to 2 . Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the series, his first of three consecutive honors . The series was played under a best - of - seven format, with the Lakers holding home court advantage . Until 2008, this was the most recent NBA Finals where both number one seeds from both conferences faced off in the final . </P> <P> Although the Lakers were one of the more talented teams in the NBA the previous year, they failed to win a single game against the San Antonio Spurs in the 1999 NBA playoffs . Twenty - four days after being swept by the eventual league champion, the Lakers signed Phil Jackson as head coach . Jackson, famous for coaching Michael Jordan and the six - time champion Chicago Bulls, would build his triangle offense around Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant . General Manager Jerry West surrounded O'Neal and Bryant with effective role players such as Glen Rice, Ron Harper (who had experience with Jackson's triangle offense as part of the 1996--1998 Bulls), and A.C. Green (member of the last two Lakers championship teams). </P>

Who did the los angeles lakers defeat in the 2000 nba finals