Chapter 814 - 732: Kobe Is Still Not Good Enough

Chapter 814: Chapter 732: Kobe Is Still Not Good Enough

The final score was 101 to 95. The Phoenix Suns secured a six-point victory in a game where both teams delivered elite performances. Yao Ming dominated with 32 points, 14 rebounds, and three blocks, while Kobe Bryant dropped 29 points, grabbed six boards, and dished out seven assists. The two Lakers stars combined for a staggering 61 points. For the Phoenix Suns, Nowitzki officially ascended to basketball immortality. He shot 18 of 27 from the field, incredibly dropping a massive 46 points. Beyond his scoring, he was spectacular on both ends of the floor, pulling down 11 rebounds and handing out five assists with only three turnovers. It was a true two-way masterclass. In the final minutes, he simply could not miss, playing like an absolute basketball god. It was no exaggeration to say that he single-handedly defeated the Lakers. Such a performance forced even the harshest Los Angeles fans to give him a round of applause.

During the post-game press conference, Jackson heaped praise on Nowitzki. He offered no complaints. Having weathered countless storms over his long NBA career, he would not lose his grace over a single defeat. Besides, he knew perfectly well that he had no grounds to complain. If the referees had not stepped in to help earlier in the series, the Lakers would never have even forced a Game Seven. Tonight, the officials had done everything in their power to tilt the scales, yet Los Angeles still lost. They could not blame anyone but themselves; their roster simply was not strong enough.

"Yao was fantastic. He is our absolute core, and we need his interior dominance," Jackson said, equally generous with his praise for his own players. "Kobe is also maturing. In the toughest moments of the game, he remains our most trustworthy player. This season is over, but we will be back next year. We are still a championship-caliber team."

Despite his confident words, a heavy burden weighed on Jackson’s mind. Yao Ming was due for a contract extension. Without a doubt, they had to keep him on a max deal. However, once Yao signed that max contract, the Lakers’ four-year championship window would effectively slam shut. From then on, managing the roster and navigating the salary cap would only become more difficult.

Adding to Jackson’s frustration was the fact that the Phoenix Suns had risen to power once again. Their first ascent had hinged on trading for O’Neal, who became the franchise cornerstone. Years had passed since that trade, and Jackson had no regrets about it. He was just annoyed. The Phoenix Suns had just shipped out O’Neal, only to immediately develop Nowitzki into their new foundation. Nowitzki was still young and on a relatively affordable contract, meaning Phoenix would not have to worry about their franchise centerpiece for years to come. They might even usher in another era of league domination. If that happened, winning a title next year would be even harder for the Lakers.

Walking into the backstage area, Jackson spotted Lambis approaching and suddenly asked, "By the way, has Chen left yet?"

Lambis paused, his guard instantly going up. "Phil, what are you planning?"

Seeing Lambis’s expression, Jackson knew his assistant coach had gotten the wrong idea. He let out a wry laugh. "What kind of nonsense are you imagining? I just need to talk to Chen about something." He hurried toward the visiting team’s locker room, with Lambis quickly trailing behind. "Kurt, how much money do you think the Phoenix Suns spent to have Chen train Dirk?"

There was no doubt that Nowitzki’s refined skill set was the direct result of Chen Yu and his team’s training. Lambis hesitated for a moment. "Who knows? But I imagine it wasn’t cheap." Business was business. Even though Chen Yu was a minority owner of the Phoenix Suns, he still charged for his services, and his team’s fees were notoriously high. Training a player for an entire season required a massive investment of time and energy. Lambis guessed it had to cost several million US dollars.

"Phil, what are you getting at?"

"I want to properly train Kobe next season. No, starting this offseason. We need to elevate his game. Kobe still isn’t good enough," Jackson said in a low, serious tone.

Kobe had won the scoring title, but this playoff series had exposed some of his flaws. Technically, his ability to break double-teams still needed improvement. Furthermore, during games, he still struggled to find the balance between going on wild individual scoring binges and getting his teammates involved. He could not harmonize those two aspects of his game. Jackson also felt that Kobe’s technique lacked purity. Nowitzki had truly honed his shooting to the absolute limit, reaching a state of pure perfection. Jackson believed that this year’s Nowitzki had hit his absolute peak as an individual player. His offense was unguardable. His defense and other skills had also hit their ceiling, limited only by his natural athleticism. But Kobe was different. Jackson believed he could be even better. His technique still needed polishing—for instance, fewer complicated drives to the basket and more jump shots. The essence of basketball was scoring, and shooting was the most efficient way to score. That was why, even in the bitter aftermath of a playoff elimination, Jackson’s first thought was to ask Chen Yu to train Kobe, even if it cost millions. How much did it cost to sign a random role player anyway? Wouldn’t it be better to spend that money elevating Kobe’s game? Plus, it wouldn’t count against the salary cap.

Lambis understood the logic. "What about Yao?"

"Yao is already fantastic. He has maximized his potential," Jackson replied. "But the one who truly determines our ceiling is Kobe."

When Chen Yu met with Jackson and heard his proposal, he was somewhat surprised. The Lakers had literally just been eliminated, yet here was their head coach, shamelessly asking him to train his franchise player. He could have at least picked a better time.

"We will provide you with a quote," Chen Yu said, not agreeing to the request outright. Jackson’s vision involved training Kobe in Los Angeles so it wouldn’t interfere with the regular season. Chen Yu needed to figure out the logistics of such an arrangement. High-level training required specialized equipment. He had spent a fortune building his state-of-the-art training center; he couldn’t just pack it all up and move it to Los Angeles for one player. It was completely unrealistic. This made him realize that Nowitzki had truly benefited from a geographical advantage, which allowed him to master the Golden Chicken Standalone in just one season.

The series was over. The outcome was not what many had hoped for, especially the fans in China. A massive number of Chinese fans had been eagerly waiting to see Yao Ming win a championship as a franchise centerpiece. Instead, he had lost. Although the Phoenix Suns had Mo Ke on their roster, he was merely a role player who had logged a grand total of three minutes throughout the entire playoffs. Even if Phoenix won the title, his ring would not carry nearly the same weight as one won by Yao.

But no matter how disappointed the fans were, the game was done. By the next day, the media narrative had done a complete one-eighty. Every news outlet began frantically hyping up the Phoenix Suns and showering Nowitzki with praise. Some even started chanting slogans declaring Phoenix the inevitable champions. Every year, the playoffs needed fresh storylines and gimmicks. The Lakers’ elimination was an unchangeable fact, so all the league could do was search for the next big explosive narrative. If they could no longer promote Kobe, they would promote Nowitzki—even if he was an international player. They had no other choice, so they hyped him up anyway. The media even introduced a new narrative: if the Phoenix Suns won the championship this year, Nowitzki would become the first international player in NBA history to lead a team to a title as its undisputed core.

What did this prove? It proved that the NBA was an open and inclusive league where international players could succeed and carry a franchise on their shoulders. When Chen Yu saw this official NBA report, he was genuinely dumbfounded. These guys were far too good at manufacturing hype. He really needed to take some notes.