Chapter 1333: Chapter 421: The Man Most Like Roger

As the basketball went through the net, the Los Angeles Lakers extended their lead to 6 points in the last 50 seconds of the game.

Shawn Marion pumped his fist and exchanged a powerful high-five with Kobe.

Kobe immediately shouted, "Stop them one more time, and we can return home with the lead!"

You can see that everyone on the Lakers is invigorated by Kobe. He’s no longer the lonely, misunderstood maverick, always excluded from the team’s social circle. Approaching 28, he’s become a true team leader.

His transformation is as evident as Roger’s transformation was before.

People weren’t wrong when they said Kobe Bryant is the closest to Roger, and Kobe Bryant is indeed the closest man to defeating Roger.

Marion’s crucial three-pointer cemented the victory for the Lakers. A possession later, Roger scored a mid-range shot, but Kobe drove to the basket to draw a foul on Marcus Camby and sank both free throws to maintain the gap until the game ended.

After this battle, Kobe mimicked Roger by jumping onto the scorer’s table, spreading his arms, enjoying the boos from the Warriors fans, and shouted loudly, "The water here is so shallow, it doesn’t even reach my chest!"

to 2!

The whole world thought the Lakers were about to cave, but they tenaciously tied the score!

Kobe Bryant became the protagonist for the first time in his competition with Roger and received unanimous praise from around the world. He showed everyone why he deserved to win the MVP.

In Game 5, the Warriors continued to win at the Staples Center, but it was still tough. In the last 31 seconds, the Warriors secured the victory only with Jason Richardson’s crucial three-pointer.

to 2, the Warriors continued to maintain the lead and reached match point.

But at this moment, no one dared to underestimate Kobe and his Lakers anymore.

No one dared to say that the Golden State Warriors could surely win the final victory.

The Warriors have experienced countless 3-2 lead situations, and most of the time, it essentially meant the series was over.

Because that essentially meant their opponents’ backbones were broken and they had been skinned and deboned by the Warriors.

But the Lakers are different; they are down 2-3, but they still stand firm.

The next day, the cover of "Sports Illustrated" was a photo of Kobe and Roger staring at each other.

The headline was the biggest suspense in the basketball world now.

"Is the Bay Area’s water still deep enough?"

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We will fight to the last second, fight until the last person stands, and bleed till the last drop. We will dye the blue sea of Mission Bay red with blood, making all Bay Area fans cry in fear! — Kobe Bryant talks about the win-or-go-home Game 6.

Kobe is different now, you have to admit that. He’s matured, he’s strong, he’s become who we expected him to be, he’s the deserved regular-season MVP. It’s true: this is the closest he’s come to Roger. — Retired Phil Jackson talks about this season’s MVP, Kobe Bryant.

The contract renewal negotiations between LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers have had a new twist; they still haven’t reached an agreement. LBJ is the only player among the top five picks of the ’03 class who hasn’t signed an early extension with his team, and he could likely become a restricted free agent next summer. What does he want to do? Does he really want to take Gary Payton’s script? If so, then he might join the Orlando Magic. But if that’s a win, does that really count as winning? — Bill Simmons predicts LBJ’s direction in his column.

"Roger, a surprising outcome. Almost everyone thought the Warriors should have ended all suspense in Game 5. But now, the Lakers are going to Mission Bay for Game 6, with a chance to drag the series to a Game 7. What do you think of this situation?"

"You know, Kobe is an extremely excellent player. From the first moment I saw him 11 years ago, I knew he would be special. But Erik was right; he predicted Kobe’s outcome long ago."

"Erik? What did he say?"

"He’s the player closest to defeating Roger, always has been. And when we use ’closest’ to describe someone, it usually means he is the loser."

— Roger in an ESPN exclusive interview.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com