Dawn broke over Los Angeles, piercing through the clouds over the West Coast.
Bright sunlight blanketed the entire city, dispersing the gloom of recent days.
After their transoceanic flight, the entire Lakers team landed at Los Angeles International Airport.
As the cabin door opened, the familiar atmosphere unique to home washed over them.
The suffocating pressure of New York, the frustration of defeat, and the rift within the team all seemed to fade by more than half in an instant.
But everyone knew that the crack between the OK Duo had never disappeared.
With two days to rest and regroup, the Los Angeles Lakers entered closed-door preparation.
The lights in the Staples Center practice facility burned day and night.
Phil Jackson did not deliberately mediate the internal conflict.
Well versed in the art of coaching superstars, he knew that only victory could resolve conflicts on the court.
Too much verbal persuasion would only backfire and intensify the hostility between the two.
He allowed Kobe and O'Neal to maintain their subtle distance.
He focused only on refining the team's tactics and specifically breaking the Hack-a-Shaq trap.
O'Neal set aside his pride and began an insane regimen of extra free-throw practice.
He repeated his shooting motion countless times, honing the force in his fingertips and the arc of his wrist.
Though he could not transform overnight, the consistency of his touch improved noticeably.
Kobe, meanwhile, immersed himself in refining his individual offense and defense, silent and obsessive.
He reviewed the losing possessions from Game 1 and Game 2 over and over, optimizing his rhythm for managing his stamina.
Off the court, there was zero communication and zero interaction. The two were like strangers.
But the moment they stepped onto the practice court, all personal emotions were wiped clean.
They needed no words.