Mar. 17, 2005-- After last year's collapse in The Finals, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant went their separate ways and as the 2004-05 season got underway, it appeared their respective teams had too. The Heat, led by the big man holding down the middle, jumped out to four straight wins and rolled to a 21-7 record by the time the much anticipated Christmas Day matchup rolled around. Kobe's Lakers on the other hand, struggled to stay above .500 and failed to win more than two games in a row in 2004.
Now, as Kobe and Shaq prepare to clash again tonight on TNT (8:00 p.m. ET), the teams appear to be headed to the same place: the NBA Playoffs. Miami became the first team in the league to clinch a playoff berth with its win at New York on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Lakers sit one game behind Denver for the eighth and final playoff spot out west.
Below is a look back at Shaq and Kobe through the years:
In The Beginning: After trading Vlade Divac to the Hornets for the draft rights to a high schooler named Kobe Bryant in 1996, the Lakers signed Shaquille O'Neal as a free agent that summer, laying the foundation for the team that would go on to win three straight championships.
(David Taylor/Getty Images)
Happy Days: Shaq and Kobe led the Lakers to a 67-15 regular season record in 1999-2000 before defeating the Indiana Pacers in six games to take the 2000 NBA Championship.
(Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images)
One Down: The duo claimed its first title as O'Neal was named NBA Finals Most Valuable Player after already capturing the NBA Most Valubale Player award.
(Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images)
Take Two: Tinseltown witnessed the making of a sequel as Shaq, Kobe and Co. barnstormed through the 2001 NBA Playoffs with a 15-1 record. The team's only setback came at the hands of the Sixers in The Finals.
(Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)
A Sweeping Statement: The Lakers dispensed with the Nets in four straight games in 2002 to capture their third consecutive NBA title. In addition to a third ring, O'Neal collected his third straight NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award.
(Fernando Medina/NBAE/Getty Images)
All-Star Teammates: Kobe and Shaq played in four NBA All-Star Games together as members of the Lakers. O'Neal was selected but unable to play due to injury in 2001 and again in 2002 when Bryant was named MVP of the midseason classic.
(Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images)
The End of the Road: As the drama unfolded between two of Hollywood's biggest stars, the Detroit Pistons were there to prevent the Lakers from capturing a fourth title in five years. Following their NBA Finals defeat, the Lakers shipped O'Neal to Miami, ending the teammates' turbulent eight-year relationship.
(Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images)
Familiar Foes: Some sports fans had an altogether different reason to look forward to Christmas Day 2004: Shaq was going home to L.A. with his new team. Kobe racked up 42 points in the contest, but Shaq and the Heat got the two-point overtime victory.
(Noah Graham/NBAE/Getty Images)
Strained Relations: Sharing the same stage in Denver for NBA All-Star 2005, the teammates-turned-adversaries had very little interaction and even less conversation.
(Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images)
