Nearly 16 years after they went 15-1 in the playoffs en route to their second consecutive championship, the 2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant have been in the news lately.
With LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers stumbling as they approach the finish line this regular season, and on pace for just 53 wins, those Lakers are the role models for how to flip the switch in the playoffs.
After a subpar 56-win regular season, the Lakers posted perhaps the most dominant postseason run in NBA history. That's the best-case scenario for the Cavs.
But is that kind of defensive leap normal? If we look at the previous champs, we can get a better idea about what to expect from Cleveland.