"The Lakers have already won their game."
In Miami, inside the Heat locker room, Pat Riley, his hair slicked back, narrowed his eyes as he addressed the Heat players.
"Scottie, you've wanted to beat the Lakers for a long time, haven't you?" Pat Riley looked at Pippen.
As the only remaining player from the Bulls dynasty of that era, Pippen clenched his fists.
The tangled history between the Bulls and the Lakers could not be summed up in a few words.
But Pippen knew one thing: he dreamed of stomping Kobe and the Lakers beneath his feet.
"Karl, you haven't forgotten who cost you your chance to compete for a championship, have you?" Pat Riley then turned to Karl Malone.
Malone breathed heavily, the muscles all over his massive body bulging.
Back then, the Jazz had every chance to reach the Finals and go head-to-head with the Bulls, but the Lakers had crushed them time and again.
The Lakers had shut down the final prime years of Utah's two old legends.
And now, Stockton had already won a championship with the San Antonio Spurs. Karl Malone, who had left the Jazz first, was even more bitter!
"Shaq, Eddie, it's time to let the Lakers understand who the true most important architect of the OK Dynasty was."
Eddie Jones folded his arms.
Back then, for status on the team and a better salary, he had left the Lakers after winning two championships—a Lakers team that would go on to win five in total.
Without a doubt, fans often mocked him for that.
And now, it was time to prove that leaving had not been a mistake.
A savage grin curled across Shaquille O'Neal's lips.
The most important architects of the OK Dynasty were, naturally, O and K.
But who was stronger—O