October 30, 2003, Staples Center, Los Angeles.
Yellow jerseys filled Staples.
The Los Angeles fans were bursting with enthusiasm!
"This is amazing! We went undefeated in the preseason! The Lakers are definitely going to be the best team this year!" A potbellied middle-aged man, popcorn in his left hand and beer in his right, strutted around in an oversized Kobe jersey, loudly boasting to everyone around him.
"That's right! Lakers champions! This season is bound to be another legendary one for the Lakers!"
"What the hell was that dumbass Barkley talking about? The Lakers are finished? The Lakers are all rookies? Their second overall pick is just a lottery-level small forward? He's full of shit!"
"Seven straight preseason wins! With the starting five on the court together, they outscored opponents by an average of 32 points per game!"
"Steve Nash, the Son of the Wind! He's a passing maestro no less brilliant than Magic Johnson!"
"Carmelo, the Melo! He's even more game-ready than that Little Emperor in Cleveland!"
"Especially with Ben Wallace returning—the Lakers' interior defense is finally no longer something everyone can bully! With Ben Wallace paired with Yao Ming, a giant center with absurd range, his offensive shortcomings won't affect the team at all!"
"And Kobe is twenty-five, having fully entered his prime!"
"This is a superteam! I'm picking the Lakers to win it all!"
The potbellied middle-aged man's remarks drew cheers from the fans around him!
Well said!
Lakers fans were beside themselves with excitement!
In just one year, the Lakers had escaped the collapse of the OK Dynasty?
They had not even gone through a true low point! At their worst last year, they had still been an elite team that battled the champions for seven games.
How fortunate it was to be a Lakers fan,