The future Tim Duncan was looking forward to shattered before the next season even began.
The NBA finals in the 02-03 season were ultimately played between the Detroit Pistons and the San Antonio Spurs, which was a decent outcome for Shaq.
At least Roger hadn't made it to the finals, nor had Kobe.
Although he only went a round, at least Roger and Kobe hadn't left him behind again.
After leaving Shaq, Kobe also lost to Tim Duncan in the Western Conference Finals; the Lakers' offense was very strong, but their defense was terribly weak, having no one inside capable of curbing Duncan.
The Lakers' interior defense was on par with the Warriors, and Tim Duncan, who doesn't care much about stats, could average 32 points in the Western Conference Finals.
Plus, with the Spurs' already excellent defense throttling the Lakers' offensive lifeline, the Lakers lost 1-4.
