You should cross the mountains like a brave man

Chapter 304 Maybe It's Time
The Lakers are roaring.

It's what they do when they witness greatness, it's the sound they make when they witness legend.Such a roar awakened the gatekeepers to the gate of legend, making this moment in the history books.

Their excited roar lasted for a long time in Los Angeles, 5 minutes and 10 minutes may have been 15 minutes.It was a Sunday night in late April, and the crowd of 4 at the Staples Center thundered, perhaps including a few Lakers legends.

"Magic" Johnson in the TNT studio said excitedly: "A flying save, a key steal, and Kobe's two key shots, Wish and Kobe, they saved the game at the same time, allowing the Lakers to lead the Suns 3-1! There will never be a better result than this!"

Old Thompson exclaimed excitedly: "The Lakers can prepare for the next round!"

Unlike the Celtics, the Lakers have had a long trough, but since O'Neal returned to the East, the Zijin Army has been sinking for a year. The failure of the halberd seems to be yesterday, but today it has achieved decisive success.

No one believed them, except the players themselves, and some fans.

That's why the Lakers roared when Kobe hit a catch-and-shoot jumper at the buzzer to steal the Suns serve.

Such a roar has never been seen before, and given that the buzzer-beater could have killed off the Suns for a year and sent the Lakers into the next round for a series win, the audience had reason to cheer.

Their roar is even more because, in the eyes of everyone, this season of the Lakers should have been another "unlucky" season, and there is every reason to become a new grave in the cemetery of the Lakers' past failures. In their eyes, this round of the playoffs is just lingering.Because Kobe was never really a leader, he was a scorer, that's all.Can he score 81 points in a single game?But can he lead the Lakers back to championship contention?O'Neal said that he cast a curse on the Lakers before he left. He cursed that the team would never have a chance to turn around until he retired. He vowed that his curse would be as long and terrible as "Holy Baby" Babe Ruth⑴.

O'Neal's curse appears to have come true.

Last summer, the Lakers traded Butler in exchange for Weixia's signing rights. Jackson, who was given the right to sign in, made several signings that even Isiah Thomas couldn't make.A lot of money was spent on players who didn't do much.The Lakers lacked a point guard, lacked an inside line, and then missed a season.Before the end of the regular season, the starting center Chris Mihm was reimbursed for the season, which simply re-fulfilled the curse of the Sharks.

The Lakers have enough elements to be defeated by the Suns, and Kobe will also lose to Nash in a head-to-head duel.

This is the script that was supposed to appear.

Let the lightning flash and thunder, the Lakers are unmoved.

The cheers roared like thunder, and the wind swept through the clouds.The man who hit the three-pointer was swept away by the tide of cheers.

Kobe clenched his fist and threw a powerful fist at the audience.

Kobe became the hero who was presented with flowers, and Wei Xia, who gave a key defense, did not want to be seen with bruises on his arms from saving the ball.

The reporter asked him what he was thinking when he flew to save the ball.

"I didn't think about it too much," he replied. "I was thinking about something, and I was full of...anger at the time, not an angry kind of anger, but a sort of agitated kind of anger."

"I know, that moment belongs to me." Wei Xia said
No one can deny this.

That was his moment.

Without him flying to save the ball, without him destroying the sideline play of the Suns, Kobe would not be able to make the key three-pointer, and he would not be able to hit the game-winning mid-range shot at the buzzer.

Kobe in the distance was also surrounded by the media.

Bryant's thoughts drifted back to last April, and the ensuing summer of painful memories;In the first season that the Sharks left, they led the team not to the playoffs. The outside world ridiculed him, and O'Neal, who sprinkled salt on his wounds, said that he could not become a leader.

Everyone knows what happened next, Los Angeles boiled, historic moments were created again, and Kobe announced in a legendary way that he had stepped into the threshold of legend.

"Well, what are you going to say this time? Am I a leader?" Bryant told reporters, thinking about it at the moment he hit the game-winning shot.

To understand his rage, and his jubilant celebration after the game, it's important to understand what he's been through.

"The story really started when we missed the playoffs last season," Bryant told reporters.

All achievements are accumulated over a long period of time, and every success is accompanied by the foreshadowing of failure experience.

Behind his previous series of amazing lore and tonight's lore, there are countless losses, such as the three-year-old Jazz in his rookie year and a series of poor performances against the Pistons in the 2004 Finals.

It was these moments of failure that nurtured his growth and allowed him to become what he is today.He is not perfect just like other ordinary people; but he is different from most people, he refuses to make excuses for these failures, and finds more reasons from himself.

He began to work hard in places other than offense. He constantly looked at the tape, looking for solutions when facing double-teams and blocks.And most importantly, he took in everything—criticism, accusations, and that anger.

He took the blame, internalized it as motivation, and when he reported to training camp, he began to sow the seeds of anger.

In the press conference, Bryant said: "When we have an injury, we have to be on the same page, have someone else come forward, so we trust each other more, rely on each other more. In the long run, we are better because of it. We didn't say, 'Since we don't have a complete lineup, Kobe you score 35 points a game and do other things by the way.' . Instead of just giving me the ball or giving someone else a shot, we became a better team. Instead of just thinking about 'what do I need to do,' we were more focused on 'what's better for our team.'"

Wei Xia, who had 19 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals, was also brought to the press conference by Phil Jackson.

The reporter wanted to hear what he thought of those few steals.

"I just want to win." Wei Xia said briefly.

He didn't talk much, and his face was still rosy, as if he hadn't left the game.

Jackson has heard the old, annoying question for a long time, which makes him want to throw the questioner out of the media interview room: "Wish's performance is getting better and better. Will he be put in the starting list for the next game?"

Kobe watched.

Wei Xia looked indifferent.

Jackson's answer: "Anything is possible."

Judging from the game process, Wei Xia was the one who saved the game, but Jackson did not reuse him because of this.

He didn't forget what the opponent said when he replaced Wei Xia again in the second half.

The disrespect in the tone, the contempt in the eyes, and the words deliberately mocking him all told him that Wish's patience with him had reached its limit.

Jackson, who has liked to control people's hearts since the Bulls, especially the players' minds, feels that the situation in the team is getting out of control.

After the press conference, they walked into the tunnel together.

He took the initiative to say to Wei Xia: "Wish, you played well."

Under normal circumstances, Wei Xia would respond modestly.

Now, he's not in the mood: "No, I'm not playing well enough."

Kobe stood between the two. He was the most awkward. He should have been happy on the night of the big victory when he got the match point, but Wei Xia had an awkward fight with Jackson.

But he doesn't think Wei Xia did anything wrong, he just can't tolerate Jackson's intrigue during the playoffs.

In this game, Wei Xia's performance is crucial.

Bryant's last-minute 5-pointer will add an important amount to his resume, but if there is no Wechat's flying save, without his sideline kick to destroy the Suns, the result will be reversed.

Kobe didn't forget what he said, if Wei Xia did everything he could, Jackson wouldn't let him start.He will go to Jackson's office with his jersey just like the plot in "Rudy", then put the jersey on Jackson's desk, and ask Wei Xia to replace him in the starting position.

Is it time?Maybe, it's time.

(End of this chapter)