"Hey, Carl, I'm leaving for Miami tomorrow, taking Michael and David on vacation, do you want to go with me?" Just when Carl Malone was sweating in the gym and looking at the upcoming finals, his old partner John Stockton called, after a season, taking advantage of the offseason, Stockton rarely had time to take his family out for a vacation, but before leaving, Stockton still couldn't let go of his old partner, so after packing up the salute, Stockton immediately called Malone to see if he wanted to go with him.

"John, have you finished training today?" When he heard Stockton ask if he wanted to go on vacation, Malone did not answer Stockton, but asked Stockton if he had completed his training today, in the past, in the offseason, Malone and Stockton's biggest fun was to soak in the gym and the gym, and then call each other to show off to each other how many sets of sit-ups, how many sets of push-ups, and how many baskets they shot today.

"I went to the aviation center today for six hours and went to the arena in the afternoon to practice 1,000 shots, what about you? Karl, won't you train today without finishing it? I'm still in the gym, haha. Listening to a hearty laugh on the other end of the phone, Karl Malone couldn't control his emotions, 17 seasons of fighting side by side, so that Malone and Stockton have already been familiar with each other, and are used to each other, in the days when they can't see each other, Malone is really a little unaccustomed, every offseason when it comes, Malone desperately hopes that the new season can start early, so that he and Stockton can fight side by side again.

"Are you watching the finals? Carl, I think the Lakers are a bit of a hanger this year. Just when Malone was still hesitating to go to Miami with Stockton, Stockton's voice rang again on the other end of the phone.

"I'm still more optimistic about the Lakers, the Pacers are too dependent on the outside, they can't maintain a very good feel every game, and today's game is still the Lakers' home court." After hearing Stockton's words, Malone shook his head, the Jazz played four games with the Lakers this season and two games with the Pacers, and Malone still has a lot to say about the strength of both sides. Although the Lakers are behind in the big score, but compared with the Pacers, Malone is still more optimistic about the Lakers, and the league's whistle is not in favor of the Lakers for a day or two. And the Lakers also have O'Neal and Kobe Bryant at their peak, as long as they play normally, their chances of winning are still very good.

"Reggie is really lucky!" After hearing that Malone was more optimistic about the Lakers, Stockton did not argue with Malone, but coldly came up with a sentence that made Malone very sad, although he couldn't see Stockton's face through the phone, but Malone could still clearly feel the mood of his old partner at the moment.

Yes, compared to Malone and Stockton, Reggie Miller is undoubtedly lucky, like Marlon and them, Reggie Miller also belongs to the saddest generation in the NBA, at the beginning of their entry into the league, it was the era of the Magic Birds, the era of Magic, the era of Larry Bird, the era of the Pistons bad boys, they took turns to sit in the bank, alternately ruling the league. When this group of people gradually came to an end, the league ushered in a new overlord, Jordan entered the finals 6 times and won 6 championships, Olajuwon also took advantage of Jordan's absence to win two championships, and the players of their contemporaries have always been pressed under these two people, and they can't turn over, and finally survived until Jordan retired, Olajuwon is getting weaker, but the league has entered the era of O'Neal and Duncan, from young to old, Malone, Stockton, Barkley, Ewing, Reggie Miller, Richmond, Payton, Mullin, these familiar, unfamiliar, retired, and still persistent, they have never won the championship trophy and have never been able to realize their dreams.

And now, just when Malone and Stockton are getting farther and farther away from their oaths and dreams, Reggie Miller, who belongs to the same sad generation as himself, is only one step away from the trophy that countless people dream of.

。。。。。。

"Derek, give me the ball!" When the referee threw the basketball in his hand into the sky, this fateful game officially kicked off, in the first 5 games, the jump ball lost to Jermaine O'Neal's Shaq O'Neal, in this game, it was an unprecedented jump ball into an attack, in the eyes of the fans on the scene, this is definitely a very good sign. When the Lakers' playmaker Derrick Fisher got the ball in the backcourt and dribbled the basketball to the frontcourt, just past the center circle, he saw Kobe Bryant reaching for the ball for him.

Without any hesitation, Fisher immediately handed over the basketball in his hand to Kobe, and Kobe's rookie Fisher, who was in the same rookie class, had a completely different fate from Kobe, who was still a dispensable role player when Kobe Bryant had become a hot superstar, and was still worried about his next contract. For the contradictions that have gradually become prominent in the Lakers team, Fisher and others, who originally had no status in the Lakers, have always remained neutral, after all, in the Lakers, if O'Neal is the king, then Kobe Bryant is the crown prince, their status is far from being comparable to their role players, and the battle between them is not something they can control, so even if Fisher's heart is a little biased towards Kobe, he can't show it anyway. In the previous game, because of his poor performance, O'Neal was angry at him and Fox, but Kobe Bryant stood up for him and encouraged himself in private, Fisher's heart was not just as simple as favoring Kobe.

"Reggie, let me do it." When Kobe Bryant received Fisher's pass in the middle circle and slowly dribbled the basketball towards the top of the arc, Meng Xu stopped Reggie Miller, who was about to step forward to defend him, and motioned to Reggie Miller that he would defend him personally in this game. The focus of today's game, there is no doubt that it is in the defense of Kobe, but with Kobe's state today, even if he plays it himself, there is no way to limit Kobe. And after learning in advance that Kobe Bryant was enchanted in this game, Meng Xu naturally would not miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, which was an epic showdown.

"The Pacers' defensive position is very good, an attack in this game, Kobe Bryant faced Meng Xu, Kobe Bryant signaled to Robert Holly on the side, no need to cover for himself, and Meng Xu also waved to his teammates behind him, no need for them to wrap Kobe, it looks like the two of them are going to be ready to solve each other one-on-one." When Kobe Bryant dribbled to a distance of more than a meter from the top of the arc, Meng Xu, who rushed up quickly, immediately bent down and stretched out his arms, made a defensive posture, and at the same time stared intently at Kobe Bryant, who was slapping basketball.

"Maybe it's a little late for this kind of showdown." After seeing the scene on the court, Magic Johnson on the sidelines immediately stood up, 5VS8, one is the regular season MVP, the season scoring champion, and the other is the second place in the scoring list, whether it is Meng Xu or Kobe, they are currently one of the strongest scorers in the league. Therefore, the super showdown between the two, before the start of the finals, the league and the media have been hyped, but in the first few games, Meng Xu and Kobe did not have a few real confrontations, although the Lakers used Kobe to defend Meng Xu half of the time, but on the Pacers' side, it was either James Posey or Reggie Miller who defended Kobe, just when the melon-eating crowd had no hope for the showdown between Meng Xu and Kobe, in the sixth game of the series, in this game that decided the championship, In the first round, the two faced each other, and both refused the help of their teammates, and it seemed that the game had finally entered the time for Meng Xu and Kobe Bryant to face off.

At this moment, the entire audience at the Staples Center was shouting very excitedly, but Meng Xu and Kobe, as the parties concerned, completely ignored everything around them at this moment, Meng Xu only had Kobe in his eyes, and only Meng Xu was left in Kobe's eyes.