Pursuit! The Endless Comeback Battle!

"Kobe and O'Neal returned to the court in the second half. As All-Star starters, they had played just six minutes so far!"

"This is extremely rare. The Western Conference All-Stars surprisingly declined interviews at halftime, and their locker room was closed off. We have no idea what happened in there during halftime. All we can see is Kobe and the others reappearing on the court."

"But look at the current gap! Eastern Conference 77, Western Conference 56! A full 21-point deficit! That isn't an easy score to chase down. It might even take three or four offensive runs to make up. I don't think Sloan putting Kobe and the others back in now has much meaning. Their impact on the outcome isn't enough to overturn the current score."

"But Kobe's fighting spirit is soaring! There wasn't a trace of anxiety in his eyes from being pinned to the bench for an entire half, nor any despair at being so far behind. There was always fire burning in Kobe's eyes!"

"Willpower! If the league measured a player's greatness by willpower, Kobe would undoubtedly rank among the very best in history! I have never seen him give up on a game! His eyes always yearn for victory!"

"Guys, ready to start cutting into the lead?" Kobe adjusted his elbow sleeve into a comfortable position.

Jerry Sloan simply took all three Jazz players off the court.

That left the Western Conference lineup as Payton, Kobe, Jones, Garnett, and O'Neal!

"Let's go." Watching Kobe's back, Payton suddenly felt like going all out as well!

That was Kobe's influence!

His burning desire to win affected everyone around him in every way!

Not just teammates! Fans! Even his enemies could be infected by that passion, that vitality!

"Oh, looks like the Western Conference is getting serious."