738: 253: Let’s focus on reclaiming the throne and winning the first championship!
(Looking for monthly votes!) 738: 253: Let’s focus on reclaiming the throne and winning the first championship!
(Looking for monthly votes!) Phil Jackson truly believed the Lakers could end up as the final winners, even though almost everyone else was convinced that the invincible Atlanta Hawks would be the ultimate victors.
He had absolute confidence in Kobe.
Kobe Bryant, he had put so much thought into arranging this dinner, warmly inviting him and Shaq over to his house, just to tell everyone that he could now play team basketball.
Before this, Phil Jackson thought there was a nickname more suitable for Kobe than “The Black Mamba” — Werewolf.
What are werewolves like in magical stories?
They might be competent husbands, gentle fathers, or even honest and simple farmers during normal times.
But when transformed on a full moon night, they lose all reason, completely unleash their bestial nature, and hurt everyone, even those closest to them on regular days.
Kobe was such a werewolf; when his normal personality controlled him, he was a fairly outstanding super sidekick.
But once Kobe transformed into a werewolf, someone was bound to suffer.
It might be the opponents who suffered, or it might be the Lakers themselves.
In any case, just like a werewolf, he was sure to hurt one of the two.
Even though the Lakers tied the franchise record with 69 wins this season, Kobe actually transformed into a werewolf in a considerable number of games.
Sometimes, Lakers fans would lament in the stands, “This guy is definitely the closest genius to Jordan and Roger!”
But other times, the fans would wail, “Damn it, don’t let Kobe Bryant get the ball again!”
He would become paranoid at times and start shooting irrationally as if he wanted to win the game through one-on-one play.
And when this happened, his stubborn forcing of plays would often end up costing them the game.
Sometimes Kobe was a diligent helper, and sometimes he wanted to prove he could take over everything.
He was always wavering between man and wolf.
In fact, this is a common problem among young geniuses.
Before winning a championship, Michael Jordan would also transform into a wolf at times, but the difference was Jordan could make those shots while Kobe couldn’t.
The Zen Master took some time after taking over the Bulls to get Michael Jordan to accept the triangle offense and tried hard to kill the wolfish part of Jordan’s personality.
Then, Jordan started to mature, began winning championships, and established a dynasty with Pippen.
Don’t forget how the Bulls won the most critical game of their first championship: Michael Jordan completely discarded his werewolf persona in the fourth quarter, gave up inefficient one-on-one plays, and after attracting the defense, he continuously passed the ball to a wide-open John Paxson, letting a role player finish the game.
And what happened to Kobe yesterday made Phil Jackson believe that Kobe, like Jordan in the 1991 playoffs, had completely eliminated his werewolf side!
Of course, Phil knew what would happen once such a talent was “de-werewolfed.”
So he was truly confident, thinking the team would undergo a dramatic change.
The Atlanta Hawks, with all their dazzling accomplishments, would become mere foils for the Los Angeles people!
Enough said, tonight Jeanie Buss could start cheering for the championship in advance!
Kobe was also contemplating the issue; as the most successful basketball player of this era, Roger certainly knew the “secret” to success like the back of his hand.
So why was he willing to play like he did in the last game?
As the strongest member of the team, he kept his shots restrained throughout the game, and most of the time, he was setting up plays for his teammates.
The Roger of G1 who exploded for 62 points and the Roger of G2 with 23 points and 12 assists, which one truly held the “secret”?
For Western Conference Finals G2, Kobe decided to first emulate the Roger of 23+12.
Kobe still operated within the triangle offense system as he usually did, moving actively without the ball, passing actively, and only taking shots when it was the right time to do so.
Then he efficiently scored 18 points, along with 6 assists and 5 rebounds, leading the Lakers to a crushing 105-96 victory over the Jazz, making the total score 2-0!
At the end of the game, Shaq excitedly hugged Kobe.
“Kid, we can conquer the whole world!
Phil Jackson also walked onto the court, touched Kobe’s head, displaying an unprecedented level of intimacy, “You’re now a true championship player.”
Kobe was slightly dazed; so, this is the ultimate secret of basketball?
Kobe didn’t continue to ponder it much, after all, he liked winning.
Well, provided that victory was possible.
Otherwise, the viper might just bite back fiercely, leaving you clueless about your demise.
With the Lakers leading 2-0 over the Jazz, the era belonging to Karl Malone and John Stockton really seemed to be over.
In fact, had it not been for Duncan’s injury, the Salt Lake City duo might not have even made it to the Western Conference Finals.
Although the Lakers still needed to win two more games to advance, these two games had already explained a lot.
It was utterly impossible for the Jazz to win against the Lakers.
Watching Kobe’s performance, the Logo was certain that the moment he had been waiting for since the formation of OK is set to become reality in the splendor of the new millennium.
It’s an era brimming with opportunities, and the glory of the OK duo is bound to shine in this brand-new era.
Phil was right, after all, we have the best Kobe Bryant!
On the other side, the series between the Hawks and the Heat moved to Miami.
But Miami fans just couldn’t get excited.
Whether it was G1 or G2, the Heat seemed completely powerless to fight back.
G2 did break the Hawks’ streak of consecutive double-digit wins, but the very fact itself was quite despairing.