The day after the game, sports media across the United States were swept up in a frenzy of coverage about the Los Angeles Lakers.
The front pages of every major news site were dominated by the purple and gold.
ESPN: <The Foundation of a Dynasty? Lakers Crush Opponents by 52, Deliver a Historic Season Opener!>
TNT: <Bill Walton's Prediction Comes True? Lakers Show Championship Potential, New York Knicks Face Their Strongest Challenger!>
NBC: <The Zen Master's Magic! Phil Jackson's Debut Transforms the Lakers!>
The New York Times: <A Warning from the West Coast: The O'Neal-Bryant Duo Has Reached Perfection>
As Los Angeles's most influential local outlet, the Los Angeles Times devoted its entire sports section to this history-making victory, covering it with an almost celebratory fervor.
Its front-page headline was simple and commanding—The King Is Back!
The article spared no effort in its hype: "Last night, Staples Center was no longer merely an arena. It became a temple, bearing witness to a great return. When the final buzzer sounded and the score froze at 128:76, every Angeleno understood that the golden age of 'Showtime,' the basketball Dynasty that had made this city so proud, had finally declared its rebirth with thunderous force after years of silence!
Phil Jackson, the Zen Master with six championship rings, had needed only one summer to forge a group of extraordinarily gifted but individually minded wild horses into a disciplined, tactically brilliant championship team.
The Triangle Offense in his hands had become the most devastating offensive weapon in basketball history through O'Neal, Bryant, and Rice.
Shaquille O'Neal was no longer merely a beast who battled under the basket. He had become the axis of the system, every catch pulling at the opponent's entire defensive line.
Kobe Bryant had shed his immaturity and learned to share