The Lakers' game against Houston had come to an end, but its impact ran very deep.
The three-game road trip—against the Timberwolves, Spurs, and Houston—had featured teams that were among the league's elite, all serious contenders for this year's championship!
Wolf King Garnett!
Tim Duncan!
Shaquille O'Neal!
These were the three players who had appeared most often on the All-NBA First Team in recent years!
They represented the pinnacle of the league's strength.
Their teams were currently the strongest teams as well.
And Kobe had defeated them!
Leading a group of rookies and role players.
Three games! Three 70+ performances!
With a string of unbelievable displays, he had dominated championship-caliber teams.
Unbelievable!
That was the conclusion reached by everyone who had watched Kobe's three games!
Was this the true strength of the greatest player in league history, the Clutch God?
He was already a player on an entirely different level.
Kobe had truly become the totem of basketball!
Now, Kobe was synonymous with basketball. Anywhere in the world, any discussion of basketball inevitably had to mention Kobe!
Countless news broadcasts replayed Kobe's exploits again and again!
At that moment, Kobe once more became the center of the world.
"I can't do what Kobe does." Basketball god Michael Jordan spoke bluntly in an interview, though his expression was somewhat stifled.
His battles with Kobe had gone on for far too long.
If not for Kobe, he might already have won eight championships.
That was no joke.
Six with the Bulls, two with the Hornets.
But Kobe had forcibly snatched three championships from his hands.
Jordan had originally believed that he was Kobe's most knowledgeable opponent.
No one understood Kobe better than he did.
He had felt Kobe's strength more deeply than anyone.
But now, he realized that he had been wrong.