NBA Christmas Day Games! Lakers vs. Hornets!

December 8, 1998!

In the dead of winter.

The Lakers hosted the second-ranked Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference!

This was a matchup between the league's top team and the Eastern Conference's second seed. Many believed the Miami Heat had a very real chance of snapping the Lakers' winning streak.

This year, the Heat's Big Three had reached the peak of their chemistry!

Tim Hardaway averaged 20 points and 9 assists, Alonzo Mourning averaged 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Mashburn averaged 16 points and 7 rebounds!

The numbers were not exactly eye-popping, but they came within the flow of the team offense rather than from monopolizing possessions.

The Heat's 116.5 points per game ranked second in the league!

Only behind the Lakers! They even outscored the Hornets!

Many had once viewed this game as the Lakers' Waterloo.

Once the game began, it indeed unfolded exactly as the experts had predicted. Alonzo Mourning locked O'Neal down completely!

O'Neal had been in terrible form while cutting weight. But there was no helping it—he had to control his diet and keep his body in a fat-burning state.

In that state, a player's strength, speed, endurance, and overall condition all dropped sharply, while the risk of injury also increased.

There was no way around it. For the playoffs, O'Neal had to prepare well in advance!

Ewing stood his ground against O'Neal with all his might in this game!

Combined with the Heat's red-hot perimeter shooting!

The Lakers found themselves in a difficult spot, trailing by as many as 13 points by halftime!

But the game soon turned into Kobe single-handedly trading fire with Hardaway and Mashburn!

Kobe played all 42 minutes!

He exploded for 45 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 assists! Once again, he defied fate and won the game!

"Who else can