He Is on the Path to Becoming the Greatest in History

"Duncan held Kobe below 50 percent shooting and even had three spectacular blocks. He was the first interior player in the league to accomplish this so far."

"Have to admit it, Tim Duncan is currently the strongest defensive player among the big men."

"But he paid the price by fouling out with six fouls."

"The Spurs fell in Game One in Los Angeles."

"Spurs 109:127 Lakers. Kobe had 48 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, and 2 turnovers. O'Neal had 31 points, 17 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 4 blocks, and 3 turnovers."

"OK combined for 79 points, 24 rebounds, 12 assists, 3 steals, and 5 blocks!!!"

"On the other side, Duncan had 43 points, 18 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 blocks, 1 steal, and 3 turnovers. Richmond had 21 points and 4 rebounds, while David Robinson had 18 points and 7 rebounds."

"Duncan nearly put up 40+20 and held Kobe below 50 percent shooting, but they still lost."

"The moment Duncan was sent off with six fouls, the Spurs lost all hope of victory."

<Kobe Is on the Path to Becoming the Greatest in History>

The Lakers and Spurs' first game was over. As expected, the Lakers had secured a comfortable win.

Just as many people believed the Spurs would pose a threat to the Lakers, I too acknowledged that the Spurs and Tim Duncan were capable of stopping the Lakers and halting Kobe's march forward.

But the facts proved that Kobe was far greater than we had imagined!

Why did a player shooting below 50 percent have such an enormous impact on the game?

Kobe had instilled the spirit of champions into the Lakers!

O'Neal at the start of the season was practically a different person from Shaquille O'Neal now.

The 23-year-old rookie guard from Argentina