The Championship Is Only Another Beginning

Looking at Kobe on the podium, Michael Jordan felt a little bitter.

He had always been the one standing on the podium, making the world envy him.

But this time, he had finally become a spectator.

He had lost. Michael Jordan had lost his sixth Finals. A 5-1 record in the Finals was astonishing, yet it somehow no longer seemed perfect.

The O'Brien Trophy and the FMVP trophy were so beautiful, and they should have belonged to him.

Kobe considered this the toughest series of his career. Though the final score was 4-1, only those involved knew just how perilous it had been.

With even the slightest lapse, the series would have unfolded very differently.

And how could Michael Jordan not see Kobe as his greatest opponent?

What would his career have been like without Kobe?

Perhaps by now, he would have already won six championships, stood invincible before the world, and been ready to retire.

But now, Jordan's hunger for a championship and his desire to defeat Kobe had swelled dramatically!

Retire?

Retirement was impossible! Before defeating Kobe, Michael Jordan simply could not bear to leave the court.

Michael Jordan seemed to have returned to those summers, the summers when Boston and Detroit defeated him time and again. And with every passing summer, he had grown stronger!

Jordan looked around. Some Bulls players hung their heads in disappointment, while others seemed as if a burden had been lifted from their shoulders.

Pippen looked thoughtful, as though he were already considering his contract.

Rodman let out a long sigh. Honestly, he was considering whether he should retire.

Ron Harper watched the Lakers with a contemplative look.

Toni Kukoc and Joe Smith hung their heads. As young players, they still could not accept a Finals defeat so quickly.

And Michael Jordan