Mountain Peak System: a Path to NBA-Chapter 712 - 247: One Sword Chills 50 States

All these years, every time Kobe faced the Warriors, he felt like he was battling a BOSS with an extensive health bar and multiple phases.

Take this game as an example.

If the Warriors deploying their defensive unit to engage the Lakers in a half-court slugfest in the first quarter was Phase One,

then the Warriors, with Curry and Qin Yue paired together, have evidently entered Phase Two.

The primary feature of the Warriors in this phase is...

If the opponent can't consistently match their offensive level, the Warriors have a high chance of taking the game in a single surge as long as either Curry or Qin Yue erupts.

Kobe knows that to witness the final phase of this boss battle, namely Qin Yue's "Celestial God Form," the Lakers, as challengers, must find a way to endure this phase.

Therefore, Kobe, who had been primarily focused on defending Qin Yue, decided to take action.

On the court, it's the Lakers' offensive possession.

The triple-threat holds the ball, faking a shoulder turn.

Dribbling lightly to the right, Kobe pulls up for a three-point shot from the perimeter.

44 to 45.

Back on the Warriors' side.

Kobe, proactively switching defense with Paul, successfully maneuvered around Qin Yue's massive wall during the Warriors' high pick-and-roll initiation.

Why, at thirty-three, can Kobe still make the All-Defensive Second Team?

This play, Kobe provided his answer.

At TNT TV Station, watching Kobe successfully lock down Curry on the court, O'Neal couldn't help but comment: "No matter how many years pass, his defense remains as tenacious as ever."

In this moment, almost instantly, O'Neal's mind flashed back to the shadow of Kobe in the 2000 Western Conference Finals.

In that year's Game 7, many only remember the Lakers became the ultimate victors.

Few know that in that Game 7 against the Blazers, when the Lakers were once trailing by 15 points in the third quarter, it was Kobe who led the turnaround.

But O'Neal won't forget.

Because on the court then, anxious as an ant on a hot pan, he had mentally prepared for the possibility that this could be the end for the Lakers.

Until Kobe clung to the opponents like a Black Mamba and led the Lakers, relying on successful defensive possessions, to narrow the score gap.

Indeed, on that night when O'Neal, due to the opponent's intense defense, struggled to receive passes and shot only 5 of 9 from the field, scoring 18 points with 9 rebounds and 5 assists through 8 of 12 free throws, it was Kobe's invaluable defense that helped the Lakers narrowly escape.

In that game, Kobe compiled a stat line of 25 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 blocks for the Lakers.

It's arguable that without that game, the subsequent era of the Lakers' dynasty might not have been possible.

As such, despite the hard truth,

could O'Neal really have won those three consecutive championship rings without Kobe?

However, at Oracle Arena, while Kobe locked down Curry, Big Gasol was powerless against Qin Yue.

The triple-threat held the ball in one hand, fainting with a shoulder fake.

Stepping for a drive, Qin Yue's strong attack under the basket connected again, 44 to 47.

"Don't lose heart, he can't make every shot," in the Lakers' restricted area, patting Big Gasol's back, Kobe encouraged him, saying, "As long as we maintain our offensive efficiency, he's bound to miss at times."

Unlike the Kobe who was once strict with himself and others.

Time and age had taught Kobe how to be the leader of a team.

Moreover, they taught Kobe how to continually inspire his teammates' potential.

In a high-intensity basketball game, excessive complaints inevitably only lead to teammates playing more nervously and eventually losing themselves.

On the court, it was the Lakers' turn to attack.

Cutting into the Warrior Forbidden Area from the left high post, holding the ball.

And a sublime bounce pass found Big Gasol.

At this moment, with a perfect assist, Kobe helped Big Gasol regain his confidence against Qin Yue.

"He's also human," Kobe said to Big Gasol as they retreated, "and as long as he's human, he can't be flawless."

The "mortal" Kobe's performance in the second quarter was outstanding.

Although in the statistics, Kobe only scored 8 points in the second quarter,

from a game viewing perspective, every Lakers' offensive in the latter half of the second quarter was practically maneuvered by Kobe himself.

At thirty-three, Kobe knew he couldn't, like the twenty-seven-year-old Kobe, descend as a celestial god in every game and help the team win by scoring high.

Moreover, since the current NBA has entered the Great Qin era,

no one acknowledges Qin Yue's strength more than Kobe, whose goal is to defeat Qin Yue. Naturally, he knows better than anyone where the Lakers' greatest advantage lies to defeat the Warriors.

By halftime, it's 57 to 59.

The Lakers trailed by two points entering the second half.

The Gasol Brothers combined for 26 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks in the first half.

At TNT TV Station, in a rare instance speaking a fair word for Qin Yue, O'Neal commented on the first-half game: "The defending champions are facing an unprecedented challenge tonight.

The strength of their inside depends precisely on the Messiah.

But now, the Lakers can strategically dodge shortcomings and counteract much of the Messiah's offensive impact through the Gasol Brothers' rotational assaults and perimeter shooting.

If in the second half, the Warriors' defense is forced to retract, then the Lakers will have more shooting opportunities from the outside."

Beside him, unexpectedly hearing O'Neal understand the game so well, Barkley said, "If only Kwame Brown possessed half the ability from his autobiography, the Messiah wouldn't be struggling so much on the court."