The atmosphere in the Lakers’ locker room was still fairly relaxed.

With a lovable goofball like O’Neal around, there was never a shortage of fun in the locker room.

Most importantly, the Lakers held a 2-0 lead in the series.

Two clean, decisive victories had led the Lakers to believe the Phoenix Suns weren’t all that special. Winning this series seemed like a sure thing.

As for the East? What was that?

You could say that as long as they got past the Phoenix Suns, the championship was theirs.

A three-peat would mean the Lakers had forged another dynasty.

But amid all the horseplay, the only one who didn’t quite fit in was probably Kobe.

Seeing O’Neal wiggling his butt, about to show off a dance, Kobe couldn’t help but shout, "We’re still trailing."

His words instantly silenced the previously rowdy locker room.

Jackson, who had been standing to the side watching the antics while discussing things with his assistant coach, froze for a moment. He immediately smoothed things over, "That’s right, everyone. We’re leading the series, but we’re trailing in this game. So even if we’re going to celebrate, let’s wait until after we’ve won."

He glanced at Kobe out of the corner of his eye, feeling both impressed and exasperated.

Having a competitive spirit was a good thing; it was something Jackson had always valued in Kobe. In fleeting moments, he could even see the shadow of *that guy* in him.

But Jackson also always felt that Kobe was too self-centered, lacked emotional intelligence, and didn’t have a very harmonious relationship with his teammates.

’Take now, for instance. Why did he have to say that?’

’Does he think no one else knows we’re trailing?’

Jackson’s words made everyone settle down a bit, but O’Neal just curled his lip dismissively. "It’s no big deal, Phil. We’re only down by six. We can come back easily in the second half. Most importantly, they can’t stop me."

O’Neal grinned, flashing his white teeth, and gave everyone a good look at his biceps, drawing a round of laughter.

Kobe frowned slightly, said nothing, and turned his head away.

Jackson took it all in, sighing to himself. Although he looked down on O’Neal’s laziness, he had to admit O’Neal was much more tactful than Kobe. ’Notice how he didn’t say *he* could easily come back, but used "we." The difference in emotional intelligence is clear as day.’

But Jackson was clearly the one with the highest emotional intelligence. He walked over with a smile, clapped O’Neal on the back, and said, "That’s right, they can’t stop *us*. In the second half, we’ll attack not just from the inside, but from the outside too. An inside-outside game—that’s our secret to keep winning!"

O’Neal puffed out his chest and even made a goofy salute, promising he’d get the job done.

Kobe, however, just gave a slight nod.

Jackson kept his smile, but a trace of worry lingered deep in his eyes.

In truth, Jackson had keenly noticed some friction developing between Kobe and O’Neal since the start of the season.

Maybe "friction" wasn’t the right word. It was more like two tigers on one mountain, competing, vying for dominance. This was especially true for Kobe, who was striving to prove himself and refute the media’s claims that he had just ridden O’Neal’s coattails to a championship.

From Jackson’s perspective, having the team’s two core players compete against each other was a good thing. Look how fast Kobe was developing because of it.

But Jackson knew all too well that while competition was one thing, if it became too intense, it would turn into a real conflict.

This was a commercial league, after all, with huge financial interests at stake.

Fortunately, the Lakers currently had a bigger goal: defending their title and achieving the glory of a three-peat.

In the face of this grand objective, all conflicts were hidden beneath the surface, like the bulk of an iceberg.

But what if...

Jackson’s heart skipped a beat.

If they didn’t win the championship this year, what would be left when all the glamour faded? Nothing but a complete mess.

But the thought was fleeting.

With a 2-0 lead, the Lakers clearly had the upper hand no matter how you looked at it.

The halftime break ended quickly.

Jackson didn’t make too many adjustments for the second half.

At the end of the day, the Lakers only had so many tactics. They played the same way against everyone. What other adjustments could he make? Have O’Neal learn from Olajuwon and come out to set a screen for Kobe?

’Dream on.’

However, as soon as the second half started, Jackson immediately noticed that the Phoenix Suns had switched their defensive assignments on the perimeter.

Hardaway was back on Kobe, while J Kidd was tangling with Fisher.

’Are they trying to limit passes to O’Neal?’ A sliver of doubt flashed through Jackson’s mind.

If J Kidd’s one-on-one defense was A-Level, then his help defense awareness was S-Level.

With his quick reactions and excellent coordination, he had a huge defensive range, always managed to plug any holes, and could execute perfectly timed steals.

It was no exaggeration to say he alone could anchor a team’s perimeter defense.

Now the Phoenix Suns had J Kidd defending Fisher, clearly intending to restrict Fisher’s passing and prevent the ball from getting to O’Neal comfortably.

But this was a tactic nearly every team used against the Lakers. The only difference was that the Phoenix Suns had J Kidd, so they could probably do it a little better.

But then there was Kobe. Last season, Kobe averaged five assists per game and could also shoulder some of the pressure of getting the ball to O’Neal.

When the ball reached Kobe’s hands, he stopped, turning sideways, already searching for O’Neal’s position with his peripheral vision.

"Come!"

Just then, Hardaway’s voice suddenly sounded in his ear.

After a moment’s hesitation, Kobe still lobbed the ball into the paint.

O’Neal made his move, pushed past Olajuwon, and laid the ball into the basket.

Kobe turned his head to glance at Hardaway, wondering if he’d misheard. ’Was that Hardaway who just spoke?’

The Phoenix Suns went on offense.

The ball was immediately passed to Hardaway.

Hardaway made a gesture, and everyone else cleared out.

He wanted a one-on-one.

The fans in the stands grew excited. More than seeing their team win, most fans would rather watch a spectacular one-on-one duel between stars.

Hardaway looked straight at Kobe, his chin tilted up slightly.

Kobe understood the look in his eyes.

He was sure of it now. Hardaway was the one who had spoken earlier.

In an instant, a rush of warmth seemed to surge through him, making Kobe instantly fired up.

’This man before me... he’s my childhood idol.’

He had watched the peerless Hardaway on TV and made him the target he would chase. But by the time he entered the league and gradually became a core player for the Lakers, a star in his own right, Hardaway had already fallen like a shooting star, ruined by injuries.

But this season, because of Chen Yu, Hardaway was back.

The media had said it more than once: this season, Hardaway was back at his peak!

In Kobe’s eyes, the Hardaway before him now was the real Penny.

If he were to defeat a Hardaway who was still ravaged by injuries, Kobe wouldn’t feel any excitement, only regret.

But to have a showdown with a Hardaway who had returned to his peak? That would be an honor!

’Come on!’

In an instant, Kobe’s gaze became incredibly sharp.

Hardaway noticed the change in Kobe’s eyes and sighed inwardly. ’Skiles really gave me a tough assignment.’

’But this kid sure is easy to provoke.’

As these stray thoughts passed through his mind, Hardaway made his move. He swayed his shoulders left and right in a flash, but his forward momentum didn’t decrease at all.

The exceptionally agile Hardaway had always been skilled at using all sorts of small feints to deceive his opponents.

And now, having returned refined and polished, his moves were as natural as an antelope hanging by its horns—effortless and without a trace of artificiality.

Even Kobe was faked out for a moment, losing the initial advantage.

But he was young, and his excellent defensive instincts allowed him to keep up with Hardaway’s rhythm.

But Hardaway’s move wasn’t over. His driving body came to a sudden halt, he pulled the ball back with a hesitation, and then exploded forward again. In that split second, he had even managed to execute a change of pace.

Even for Kobe, the youngest player ever named to the All-Defensive First Team, it was difficult to keep up in time.

Hardaway, having slipped past Kobe, pulled up and sank the shot, then gave Kobe a smiling nod and ran back on defense. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"Shit."

Kobe cursed under his breath, gritted his teeth, and took off.

’I have to get one back.’

"Ball!"

As soon as he got into position, Kobe immediately put his hand out, demanding the ball.

As expected, Hardaway was already standing in front of him.

Kobe gestured for everyone to clear out. He wanted to go one-on-one, and his eyes could see nothing else.

Hardaway’s expression was serious.

’I provoked Kobe, and it looks like he took the bait.’

’But for this to work, there’s one condition: I have to be able to stop him.’

’If I can’t stop him, and he just keeps scoring on me one-on-one, then this whole tactic is useless.’

Hardaway knew that in the media’s eyes, his defense wasn’t considered great—above average at best. But in his youth, he had once held Jordan to 7-for-23 shooting, hadn’t he?

’I have defensive potential. After all, I have the height.’

’It’s just that after the major injuries all these years, the spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak.’

’But this year is different. Because of Chen Yu, I’m healthy again. At least, when I want to play defense, my body can keep up.’

Near the three-point line, Hardaway gave him a step of space, lowered his stance slightly, and stared intently at Kobe.

Hardaway was no stranger to Kobe. Besides, every team had specialists who constantly analyzed stars like Kobe using data.

For example, Phil Weber had just reminded him to focus on defending Kobe’s drive.

There were two reasons for this.

First, the goal was to make Kobe take the shot, denying O’Neal a chance to attack.

Second, they had to dictate *where* Kobe took the shot from.

According to data analysis from the last two seasons, about 25% of Kobe’s shots were attacks at the rim, where his field goal percentage was as high as 65%. For close-range and mid-range two-pointers, his shooting percentages were 46% and 45% respectively.

But for long-range two-pointers, his percentage dropped to 39.4%.

And then there were three-pointers. This season, Kobe had attempted 70 fewer threes than last season, taking only 132 and making 33 of them, for a paltry 25% shooting.

The data alone showed that Kobe was still a guard who relied on driving to the basket. The farther he was from the rim, the worse his shooting percentage and the fewer shots he took.

This was also the Kobe that Hardaway remembered: quick first step, not a lot of fancy dribble moves, just relying on agility and outstanding body control to force his way to the basket for a score.

’A lot like Tracy McGrady, still playing on raw talent.’

Although you could see Kobe practicing his shot, and the media had reported on it—how he had started practicing his shooting like crazy these past two seasons...

...a good shot wasn’t something you could develop just by practicing.

Therefore, Kobe’s primary scoring ability was still concentrated on attacking the rim.

’So I should give him a step, not let him drive, and force him to shoot from the outside.’

Kobe made his move.

Hardaway shadowed his every move, sliding laterally to keep up. His rich experience and healthy knees allowed him to consistently block Kobe’s drives in time.

And with an arm on his body, completely shaking off the equally agile Hardaway to break through to the basket was no easy task.

Kobe pulled back. He sensed that Hardaway was slow to recover.

’An opening!’

Planting his feet on the three-point line, Kobe unhesitatingly rose up and shot.

CLANK. The ball hit the rim and bounced out.

Kobe’s expression changed slightly.

Hardaway wanted to laugh, but his face remained expressionless. He even gave a slight shake of his head.

Seeing that gesture, Kobe’s eyes started to turn red.