Chapter 40
With 58 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Kobe drove to the inside from the right wing, successfully breaking through the Eastern team’s defense, and scored a thunderous dunk that earned loud applause from the crowd. This dunk helped the Western All-Stars narrow the score to 2 points (118-120). Just 32 seconds before the end, Kobe once again stepped in as a savior, hitting a signature backboard jumper from the right wing. As the ball swished through the net, the score tied at 120.
Unfortunately, Dwyane Wade scored a jumper with 16 seconds left, helping the Eastern All-Stars defeat the Western All-Stars by 2 points, rendering Kobe’s efforts throughout the game in vain.
Another typical example is Kobe’s sex scandal. Of course, Kobe eventually got out of that legal trouble. Due to the impact of the scandal, Kobe was in a terrible mood at the time. The scandal also plunged him into emotional turmoil. It was then that Tracy McGrady appeared by his side, constantly comforting him, cheering him on, and playing 1VS1 games with him to help him relax and relieve stress. With McGrady’s constant support, Kobe’s mood improved significantly, and he gradually emerged from that shadow. Moreover, McGrady helped Kobe persuade his wife, Vanessa. Eventually, with McGrady’s and others’ help, Vanessa forgave Kobe and reconciled with him. It must be admitted that McGrady played a crucial role here.
From this, we can see how deep and genuine the brotherly bond between Kobe and McGrady was.
Chapter 156: This Is the Difference!
Watching Kobe and McGrady’s affectionate interaction, Zhou Yi was deeply moved. Beyond his emotion, he thought, “How great it would be if I had such brothers!” But when he turned around and saw Qin Tian and the other two sitting on the Pistons’ bench, a bright smile appeared on his face, because he knew he already had such brothers. Besides them, weren’t McGrady and Bynum his brothers too? So, Zhou Yi’s mood improved greatly.
The referee checked on McGrady’s condition, and after being told he was fine, the game resumed. However, out of concern for McGrady’s health, Kuster still substituted him out with Will Bynum. McGrady wasn’t upset at all. After waving at Kobe, he slowly walked toward the Pistons’ bench.
After the game restarted, since McGrady threw his hat out of bounds, the Lakers gained possession of the ball.
Kobe dribbled with his left hand, looking at Zhou Yi, his opponent, and couldn’t help but smile. But this smile wasn’t one of contempt—it was one of admiration. The other Lakers players deliberately spread out so that Kobe could face Zhou Yi alone.
Facing Zhou Yi, Kobe continued with consecutive crossover dribbles, prompting Zhou Yi to tighten his defense even more. Seeing Kobe’s exceptionally skilled dribbling, Zhou Yi couldn’t help but admire Kobe’s solid fundamentals and felt envious.
Suddenly, Kobe made a lightning-fast crossover step, shaking Zhou Yi off and charging toward the paint. Zhou Yi reacted quickly and followed closely. But Kobe was far too strong—someone like Zhou Yi, a rookie just entering the league, had no chance to stop him. With a simple pull-up shot, Kobe scored right through the net.
In the rest of the game, Kobe took control. Under his flawless performance, the score gap between the two teams widened to 15 points again. The Pistons didn’t want to hand over the victory right at home, so they launched a fierce comeback attempt. But with Kobe leading the way, the Lakers’ offense was equally intense.
As a result, by the end of the third quarter, the Pistons were still 13 points behind the Lakers.
“Tired? Here, have some!” Mo Keer’s drink was originally cold, but because she was so nervous watching the game, her palms were sweaty, making the drink less cold.
“Hehe, thanks!” Zhou Yi said with a smile.
“Do you really need to say thank you to me?” Mo Keer teased slightly.
“Uh…”
“Zhou, you’re really lucky! I wonder when I’ll get to enjoy such treatment?” Bynum spoke up at just the right time, breaking the slightly awkward silence.
Hearing Bynum’s words, Zhou Yi rolled his eyes at him and joked, “If you really wanted it, lots of women would offer you drinks in every game.”
Everyone burst into laughter, even Mo Keer smiled.
This joke also relaxed the tense nerves of the Pistons players. Koost stepped forward and discussed the key points for the fourth quarter. By the time he finished speaking, the final quarter was about to begin!