Dunking on Ewing

Amid the interference from the Madison Square Garden crowd, Kobe calmly sank the free throw. Over these past few games, Kobe had not attacked the paint much because the gap in weight and strength was simply too great, and with his team holding the advantage, there was no need to play that desperately. But that did not mean Kobe lacked the ability to score in the paint. He had never been a pure shooter.

On the other end, Allan Houston missed a mid-range jumper off Ewing's pass. O'Neal grabbed the defensive rebound and quickly passed to Kobe, but the swiftly retreating Knicks gave Kobe no chance to launch a fast break.

If they could not play fast, then they would play for efficiency.

Kobe dribbled unhurriedly at the top of the arc. One and-one was nowhere near enough to satisfy the Black Mamba's appetite. Kobe gestured with his hands, directing his teammates' movement. He had O'Neal draw Ewing over to his side while the other three players spread the floor.

This was a typical low-post isolation play. Ewing thought Kobe would lob the ball to O'Neal, so he desperately fought O'Neal for position.

Amid the roar of Madison Square Garden, Kobe did not pass. He decided to do it himself! With one burst of speed, he blew past Charlie Ward again. Players on Kobe, Jordan, and James's level often drove in very simply, without too many unnecessary moves.

Charlie Ward was left behind, while Kobe charged into the paint like a bolt of lightning.

Ewing had been battling O'Neal for position, but Kobe suddenly stormed in and caught him off guard. Ewing hurried over to help, planting himself beneath the basket.

Kobe took off, as swift as the wind! His explosive acceleration sent him soaring high.

"Damn it, I'm too late to jump." After wrestling with O'Neal all game, Ewing's tired legs no longer had the speed to rise quickly for a block. He could only watch Kobe take to the air. The seasoned veteran shoved Kobe in the waist and abdomen.

Kobe had truly jumped incredibly high. His left hand blocked Ewing's shove, while his right arm swung in an arc and violently smashed the basketball through the hoop.

"Boom!" The ball went in, and Kobe was riding on Ewing's neck. Kobe hung from the rim with one hand. Ewing had been dunked on.

"OMG." The courtside crowd sucked in a breath. Their giant had been ridden beneath a rookie.

A New York courtside photographer captured that instant: Kobe hanging from the rim with his right hand, blocking Ewing's shove with his left. His entire body was perched atop Ewing—an absolutely perfect poster shot.

"Fuck." O'Neal could not help swearing. That dunk was downright savage. His little brother had utterly humiliated Ewing the Gorilla, and he quickly moved forward to meet Kobe.

Ewing wanted to throw Kobe off his body. He was absolutely furious. Fortunately, Kobe held tightly onto the rim and used it to spring himself down.

"Tweet!" The referee blew the whistle. One more free throw.

The Lakers players immediately came over and surrounded Kobe, celebrating while also preventing the New York gang from making a move.

New York coach Jeff Van Gundy quickly called a timeout. After Kobe's two plays, the situation had already spiraled out of control. He needed to settle his players' emotions immediately.

"Fuck, Charlie Ward, why do you keep getting blown by?" Jeff Van Gundy cursed loudly. Both baskets had come from Kobe forcing his way past Ward head-on.

Charlie Ward was speechless. He knew his defense had greatly hurt the team. But he truly had no confidence that he could keep guarding Kobe.

"Starks, get in there." Van Gundy did not know whether Starks could stop Kobe, but the hot-handed Starks could at least help the team offensively.

On the Lakers' side, the players on the bench eagerly bumped fists with Kobe. What had they just witnessed? That dunk had been incredible.

"Boss, if you entered the dunk contest, you'd definitely win it!" Fisher shrieked, completely stunned by Kobe's dunk.

Harris did not change the lineup. After offering the players some encouragement, Kobe returned to the court.

The game resumed, and Kobe calmly knocked down the free throw. The Lakers had taken the lead!

After Kobe converted two consecutive and-ones, the score became Lakers 79, Knicks 78.

The Knicks attacked, and Starks passed the ball to Ewing under Kobe's pressure. Having lost face, Ewing desperately wanted to prove himself. He powered through O'Neal and hit a hook shot under the basket.

On the Lakers' end, Kobe faced Starks. He drove again, and Starks could not stop him. Kobe hit a mid-range jumper.

"Damn it, the kid has scored eight straight. I'll guard him." Grandmama Larry Johnson could not stand it any longer. Kobe's scoring explosiveness was too overwhelming. The team no longer had the energy to double-team Kobe while also containing O'Neal, so they could only rely on their own individual effort.

New York kept feeding Ewing. This time, O'Neal stood him up in the low post. Campbell firmly secured the rebound despite Oakley's challenge and handed the ball to Kobe.

Kobe kept doing it himself. With his hand scorching hot, he no longer cared who was defending him.

Facing Grandmama Larry Johnson, Kobe used a wide crossover to drive past him. Larry Johnson's heavy body could not support a quick adjustment of his center of gravity, forcing him to retreat again and again. Kobe then pulled the ball back, rose from beyond the three-point line, and fired.

Swish. It was in again!

Kobe's 11 straight points set Madison Square Garden buzzing. New York fans did not care who you were. As long as you played well, they would give you thunderous applause.

This kid has taken over Madison Square Garden, Harris thought.

Van Gundy chose to call another timeout. He looked around, yet among his talented roster, he could not find a single player capable of guarding Kobe.

"Double-team him!" Van Gundy could only use this method to stop Kobe. He was gambling—gambling that Kobe was not experienced enough at passing out of double teams.

Would an 18-year-old player not panic when double-teamed by a pack of vicious men?

Kobe showed them with his performance that not only would he not panic, he could instead orchestrate the team's offense superbly. He repeatedly found open players during the defensive rotations, and Eddie Jones and Bowen knocked down shots in succession.

Meanwhile, on defense, Kobe, Eddie Jones, and Bowen clamped down hard on the Knicks' perimeter. The Knicks could only hand the ball to Ewing to handle.

Ewing continued battling O'Neal inside, but with his stamina fading, he simply could not withstand the prime Big Shark in the fourth quarter. The Big Shark delivered the final verdict, overpowering Ewing under the basket and putting the game to bed.

The New York Knicks collapsed in the fourth quarter, and the Lakers won 101-92. O'Neal had also won the generational battle among the four great centers.

Kobe finished with 25 points, 3 rebounds, and 8 assists. His 14 points and 5 assists in the fourth quarter, along with his poster dunk over Ewing, were the keys to the team's victory.

O'Neal finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds, while Ewing had 21 points and 11 rebounds. In the matchup between the two centers, O'Neal won both the statistics and the game.