"The Lakers and Pacers game has reached the second half!"
"The current score is Pacers 42, Lakers 47. Kobe went 11 for 18 in the first half, putting up 25 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists!"
"With Kidd guarded by Kobe, Reggie Miller shadowed by Little Fish, and Artest covered by Bowen, the Pacers' offense has stalled somewhat. Aside from Jermaine O'Neal, who could affect the game at both ends with his agile footwork, the Pacers had no particularly good options."
"But it wouldn't be easy for the Lakers to win this game either. Against an elite defensive team like the Pacers, you could beat them—but winning easily was out of the question!"
"Even though the Lakers seized the initiative in the first half under Kobe's leadership, they would definitely have to go through a brutal battle to take this game!"
This season's Pacers were 33-6. Win or lose, every opponent that faced them came away missing a layer of skin!
Tenacious!
Tough!
Iron-blooded!
These Pacers were the very definition of an old-school team, and teams with that style were becoming increasingly rare in the NBA.
Beating this team wasn't impossible. But beating them easily? Impossible!
Even in their six losses this season, the Pacers had never been blown out. Every game had remained a grueling dogfight until the very end before they suffered a regrettable defeat.
Larry Bird had mentally prepared himself for a loss in this game, but he absolutely refused to hand Los Angeles—a bitter rival—an easy victory.
That was the pride of old-school players! Losing was fine! But they had to fight until the end!
The players from both sides returned to the court.
"Something seems off about Kobe's expression," Barkley noticed.
"It does seem that way," Goodrich replied.
Cold!
Kobe's face radiated killing intent!
The