At 53:61, the Lakers trailed the SuperSonics by eight points at halftime at Key Arena in Seattle.

The Lakers players have almost always played tailwind this season, and the presence of OK is almost able to suppress the opponent in terms of the field and situation, and this game is a rare disadvantage. Neither Bryant nor O'Neal broke down their respective defenders. This caused the Lakers' offense to be very unsmooth, coupled with the strong confrontation at the playoff level, and everyone in the Lakers locker room was gasping for breath at halftime.

"It's difficult, the biggest weakness of the Lakers' group of young people is that they are only good at playing downwind." The Magic watched the Lakers' game at home in Los Angeles, and he clearly knew that the Lakers' rookies had a few pounds and taels, and if it weren't for Kobe Bryant's presence and covering up too many of their problems, O'Neal's long-term injury Lakers this season would not say 70 wins, maybe even 50 wins would be very difficult.

"But they have Kobe, Kobe and Shaq's key shots, aren't you still at ease?" West toasted and smiled, feeling more and more that this season's Lakers have a championship appearance.

"Jerry, you don't think every Kobe Bryant is capable of turning the tide, do you?" The magician's eyes widened.

West didn't answer, smiling silently.

And EJ-chan and little Curry on the side pouted.

"The old guys can't keep up with the times! How do they understand the power of Kobe. EJ-chan, are you right? Although he was in the magician's house, Xiao Curry was not restrained at all, but took EJ-chan and complained about the elders behind his back.

"That's right, dads don't understand anything." EJ-chan nodded sympathetically, but Curry and he meant something very different.

"Dad, if he hadn't dragged his feet and only made two three-pointers, the Lakers would have had such a hard time?" Curry Jr. stared at the halftime advertising screen, refusing to take his eyes off for a moment.

...

In a small private bar in Orlando, Penny Hardaway and Grant Hill, who had been fishing for the first round, were sitting at the bar and enjoying a drink.

A glass of whiskey with ice hockey was held in Hill's hand, and Hill was not touched by a drop of wine during the season, and under the recent major pressure, he couldn't help but use alcohol to kill his sorrows.

"Penny, you're almost going to win G5." Hill talks about last week's game with a little regret.

"You're not the same, just a little bit." Hardaway shook his head and reached out to touch his knee, which had not fully recovered from cultivation, and after the last three 40+, 40+, and 30+ performances, it was now tearing pain even when he walked.

Those three games against the Heat were arguably the pinnacle of Penny leaving O'Neal, and Penny, who was thought to have fallen from the superstar position, played a performance that would not lose anyone. These three games were not handled better by Kobe and Jordan, but they still lost.

Those three games still gave the Magic's management a lot of confidence, and they felt that as long as the pennies could maintain this level, they could still make the playoffs next year, and even the second round. And as long as they make the playoffs, the tickets they receive are enough to satisfy them. They didn't think about competing for a championship after O'Neal left, and they don't have that many lofty goals for a small ball city like Orlando. This is the same reason as the Timberwolves, who are crazy in the future, as long as they can make the playoffs, as long as Pennies can maintain a superstar performance, then their earnings are fully in line with expectations.

As for gambling, exchanging all assets for the hope of winning the championship, these are things that only big ball city teams do.

"Penny, you're still a little luckier than me." Hill smiled wryly, he was caught in the siege of Wilkens in the last game, and it can be said that the performance was really bad. Also losing the playoffs 2-3, Hill felt that Hardaway at least played to his full strength. And he was the same as in the regular season, driving high and going low, and was completely blocked by Wilkens and Uncle Mu. This kind of performance made all the verbal criticism of pennies shift the target to him. This is the reason why he was very depressed and came to Orlando to find pennies to drink and watch the game together.

"Lucky? Not necessarily. Hardaway shook his head, he didn't tell Hill about his knee. Both of them are definitely at the level of superstars in terms of strength. But the team just can't customize a lineup for them that matches them, which makes them two team players, and the two coaches have to charge in person, which is their sorrow and the sorrow of American professional basketball. No one has seen how far Hardaway and Hill can go if they are paired with a championship lineup, and their slightly naïve loyalty won't let them leave the team to join a team that matches them.

"What I'm afraid of is that next year, I will still have no harvest." Hill took a sip of alcohol, and with Dumas and Thorpe getting a year older, next year's Pistons will only continue to decline. And Hill is at his peak, he has to wear many hats, charge the team and take charge of the team's organization at the same time, such a handful of play may make some ball bullies happy, but for a player like Hill who is willing to share the ball, the play is too embarrassing. Not only is it difficult to win, but at the same time, you have to lead the team with a style of play that you don't like.

"Let's hope the management will have a good deal." To this day, Hardaway still has high hopes for the Magic's management, and they have promised Hardaway that if he makes the playoffs, he will find players who can help him. He's got it, and he's waiting to see what the team will do for him.

"Hopefully, sometimes I really envy Kobe. His teammates, coaches, and management are all too good. ”

"Haha, let's wait until we're all free agents. Let's go to LA? Penny made a joke, of course he was the kind of proud person in his bones, and he couldn't choose to go to O'Neill again, and he couldn't hug anyone's thigh. His goal is to build a dynasty of his own in Orlando, and Jordan can do it, and Hardaway thinks he can too.

"Don't make a fuss about Penny, go to Kobe? No, I'd rather be in Detroit without a crown for the rest of my life. Hill took another sip of alcohol, his personality was actually very similar to Duncan, and he was not willing to give up on this team if it was not a last resort, even if the team was full of old and sick.

The sailboat is in a storm, and all it takes as a captain is to lead the ship out of the center of the storm, and if it can't be done, then sink with the ship. This is the thinking of the vast majority of team bosses in this era, which is very different from later generations.