Chapter 603 92: Do You Dare to One-on-One Me?

At this moment, Coach Zhang said, "People can say whatever they want. Shameless people will say anything. When Su Xi wins his fourth straight championship and is named Finals MVP for the fourth time in a row, someone will just say, 'Six is greater than four.' Others will say that if Jordan hadn't retired mid-career, he would have won eight straight championships and gotten eight Finals MVPs."

"But he didn't, did he?" the host said.

"Well, who knows about that stuff? Americans are the original masters of playing dirty."

"I think Su Xi should just win a fourth, a fifth, a sixth, a seventh straight championship... and shut them all up. I believe Su Xi has that kind of ability."

The host said with great conviction.

It was a bold statement.

However, the fans watching on TV didn't think it was an arrogant claim at all.

Because it was feasible.

This wasn't just baseless talk; everyone believed in the strength of the Knicks and Su Xi.

While the two CCTV commentators were talking up a storm, the game continued.

The game between the two teams was incredibly tight.

It was a physical, back-and-forth battle.

At the end of the first quarter, the Knicks were trailing by 2 points.

In that quarter, Kobe and Yao Ming had a strong and outstanding performance.

In the second quarter, Su Xi led the Knicks to catch up and even take a 1-point lead heading into the locker room.

Su Xi, Milicic, Zach Randolph, and Stephen Jackson played with great intensity in the second quarter.

In the third quarter, both teams made adjustments and used their rotation lineups.

The Lakers rested Yao Ming, while the Knicks gave Zach Randolph, Gary Payton, and Stephen Jackson a short break.

The Knicks went on a tear.

They pushed the pace.

Milicic played a crucial role during this period. He served as the link-up man across the court while Su Xi was constantly sprinting, using his off-ball playmaking to drive the whole team.

The Knicks' offensive efficiency was staggering.

The point differential at one point stretched to double digits.

Charles Barkley said on TV, "This is what's terrifying about the New York Knicks. They have several killer lineups at their disposal and can switch between them at any time. Their bench seems to have an endless source of firepower. In contrast, the Lakers are extremely cautious with their rotations, as if they're afraid their tactics won't be executed perfectly."

Everyone understood what Barkley was saying, and they could see it clearly by watching the game.

That was simply the reality of the situation.

The Knicks had a deep roster and their tactics were unpredictable and versatile.

However, as the third quarter was about to end, the Lakers gradually closed the gap.

Because Kobe went on a tear. His shooting touch was incredible tonight, and he maintained a high-scoring output even under Su Xi's intense defense.

By the end of the third quarter, the Lakers were only trailing by 3 points.

Kobe had an astonishing stat line at this point: 37 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block.

Keep in mind, the Lakers' total score was only 75 points.

He alone had scored more than half of their points.

Yao Ming had also scored 17 points.

In other words, besides Kobe and Yao Ming, all the other Lakers players combined had only scored 21 points.

This showed just how concentrated the Lakers' scoring was.

In contrast, the Knicks' scoring was very balanced, with every player contributing effectively.

This was also why, as he was heading to the bench, Kobe deliberately walked up to Su Xi to talk trash: "Jack, you're not the GOAT at all. You can't beat me. When it comes to scoring, I'm forever number one. You surpassed my scoring in the regular season, so people might call you a top scorer. But they will never put you in the same conversation as me."

"I'll always be the best active scorer."

Kobe used these words to provoke Su Xi.

He knew words like these would be effective.

Su Xi just smiled at him and said, "You're so childish. Do you really think words like that will have any effect on me?"

"I don't know about others, but on you, it definitely has an effect!"

Kobe said with absolute certainty.

Su Xi couldn't be bothered to deal with him.

Su Xi returned to the bench. As he sat there, his mind was indeed in turmoil. 'I have to beat Kobe. I have to beat the Lakers. It feels like I have to choose between those two things.'

'My scoring ability is no worse than Kobe's, and my scoring threat is no weaker.'

'But when it comes to tough shot-making in today's league, no one is better than Kobe.'

'And me... I've only unlocked 97 right now.'

'I know just how powerful Kobe is.'

'But from a strategic standpoint, why should I get into a tough shot-making contest with Kobe?'

'Yeah, why even compete?'

'But still, I can't help but want to compete.'

Kobe knew Su Xi all too well.

He knew how proud Su Xi was, and he was well aware of Su Xi's desire to become the GOAT.

To become the GOAT, repeatedly beating James was useless.

James was just an overhyped "Chosen One."

Kobe Bryant was the real mountain to climb.

Only by conquering this mountain could one even begin to talk about being the GOAT.

Sitting on the bench, the Knicks didn't draw up any new plays, because the strategy was already in their minds.

Isaiah Thomas couldn't help much either. He just stood there quietly, wiping the sweat from Su Xi's brow.

BEEP!

The whistle blew, and the fourth quarter began.

The game resumed.

The Knicks continued their strong offensive push, sticking to their "everyone-contributes" style of play.

It was silky smooth, very fluid.

The Knicks' offense tonight was firing on all cylinders.

When Zach Randolph and Stephen Jackson returned to the court, that fluency deepened even further.

At the same time, Yao Ming, who had rested for most of the quarter, returned fully energized. He brutalized Milicic in the paint. However, he couldn't stop Milicic's activity around the free-throw line either.

But his offensive threat was undoubtedly greater than Milicic's.

After all, he was closer to the basket.

The Lakers still relied on three offensive modes: Kobe in isolation, Yao Ming in isolation, and the Yao-Kobe connection. The other three players were there to support them with their off-ball movement.

This style of play was simple, but very effective in the Finals.

Because both of them were strategic focal points.

At one point, they even took the lead.

But the Knicks would always find a way to tie the score and then pull ahead again.

They went back and forth like this down to the final seconds.

With 47 seconds left.

Kobe Bryant took on Su Xi one-on-one, hitting a turnaround jumper to cut the lead to 2 points.

He looked directly into Su Xi's eyes and said, "Come on, one-on-one!!"

Su Xi smiled, took the ball, and spaced out for an isolation play.

But when Milicic ran into a perfect position, he passed the ball.

Then, he quickly ran to the top of the arc. Milicic passed it back, and Su Xi caught it and immediately shot a three-pointer with Kobe contesting... SWISH!

It was nothing but net.

The Knicks led by 5.

At this, Kobe provoked Su Xi, "Is this all Goat Su Xi dares to do? The work of a spot-up shooter?"

"Can you do the same job?" Su Xi retorted.

Kobe replied matter-of-factly, "I'm not the GOAT!"

Kobe's words stunned Su Xi. He never expected someone as proud as Kobe to say something like that.

'This means Kobe is no longer putting himself above the team; he's becoming a superstar truly focused on winning. Although, saying that also means he can never reach the absolute pinnacle of basketball history.'

'But for him, perhaps there was now something more meaningful.'

'He wants to win the championship, to get the Finals MVP, to become the ultimate guardian of the Lakers.'

"As someone who wants to be the GOAT, you don't even have the courage to take me on one-on-one in the final moments?" Kobe continued to provoke Su Xi.

Back on offense, Kobe continued to isolate against Su Xi.

But the moment he got half a step past Su Xi, he passed the ball to Yao Ming. Yao Ming went for the layup... CLANK!

He missed.

Kwame Brown came up huge, grabbing the rebound.

BEEP!

Then, he called a timeout.

There were 19 seconds left in the game.

His rebound was crucial, but his timeout put the Lakers in a slightly passive position.

Because it was the Lakers' final timeout.

At that moment, Kwame Brown heard the words he most wanted to hear.

Kobe Bryant actually gave him a thumbs-up. "Nice one, Kwame!"

Kwame Brown was dumbfounded.

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