The four-game road trip had been a complete disaster for the Lakers—it felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped right over their heads.
Flying to Atlanta, they battled the Hawks down to the wire, but a clutch turnover at the end cost them the game.
Then, heading north to Minnesota, the cold Target Center saw the T-Wolves absolutely chew them up. The Lakers' shots weren't falling, Kobe was all alone, and they suffered a blowout loss.
In Philadelphia, Allen Iverson was playing like he was possessed, using his signature crossover over and over to attack the Lakers' soft interior defense. He dropped a massive 40 points, totally outshining Kobe's 27, and the Lakers took another L.
Three games in six days—not the toughest schedule, but the Lakers just swallowed a three-game losing streak!
On the flight to New York, the air between the Zen Master (Phil Jackson) and Kobe was thick enough to cut with a knife. The silence was heavy and suffocating.
What made it worse was the plane's TV, which was playing continuous replays of every major sports media outlet and analyst trashing the Lakers for these three losses.
The sound was crystal clear, ringing in everyone's ears.
> "After Shaquille O'Neal headed East, Kobe proved he's still an unsolvable scorer, but he hasn't learned how to truly lead a team to a win. This Lakers squad looks even more lost than they did last season..."
> "We've seen Kobe's scoring clinics, but we've also seen his teammates looking totally out of sync. The worrying part is, Phil Jackson's Triangle Offense seems to have lost its magic with this group..."
> "Kobe Bryant may never learn how to make his teammates better like Michael Jordan did. He's just a more spectacular scoring machine, not a winner! Look at the numbers—what did all those points get him? A three-game losing streak!"
> "..."
Kobe looked like he was in a trance, listening expressionlessly. In fact, he actually turned the volume up, listening to the harsh, piercing criticism over and over.
The cold anger in his eyes was intensifying, burning with a visible fury that was hard to look at.
Even some of the local L.A. media and commentators started questioning if the Lakers made the right call sending Shaq away and keeping Kobe.
The media was ruthless, acting like a three-game slump was enough to invalidate everything Kobe and this Lakers team stood for.
The external doubts and pressure felt like they were about to crush a team that had a sliver of hope at the start of the season.
Link sat next to Kobe, barely daring to look up.
He, too, felt the massive pressure of these three losses.
Opponents seemed to be catching on to him—the sudden emergence of a spacing threat.
They were now designing specific defensive schemes for his off-ball movement and three-point shooting, guarding him tighter and fighting harder over screens.
With an average of less than 8 minutes of playing time, he was only putting up a sad 4 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists. This feeling of powerlessness was agony.
The Lakers aren't a team that lives and dies by the three, so opportunities for a pure shooter like him are already rare. Every minute on the floor is precious.
The only good news was that Link hadn't been wasting his time during these three games.
He had spent the entire week training like a maniac, and the numbers flickering on his system panel were his only comfort.
$$9171/10000$$
He was just one step away from finishing the mission!
The plane touched down in New York. The glittering lights of the City That Never Sleeps couldn't chase away the gloom inside the Lakers team.
Kobe was the first one up, grabbing his bag and walking down the steps without a word or a glance at anyone.
After arriving at the hotel, most players chose to stay in their rooms, trying to shake off the travel fatigue and the crushing disappointment of the losing streak.
Link, however, quickly changed into his gear. He knew time was running out. He had to cross that final line before the game tomorrow.
He used the team's connections to access the Knicks' practice facility for visiting teams and immediately headed out to train.
New York's nightlife was just starting up—the streets were packed, and the neon signs were flashing.
But the training facility was vast and quiet, with only Link and his basketball for company.
$$9171/10000$$
Link stood at the familiar three-point line, taking a deep breath, trying to expel all the stress and exhaustion.
He grabbed a ball, feeling the texture of the leather on his fingertips.
One more deep breath, and he began his final push.
As time passed...
"9977... 9978... 9979..."
The numbers pulsed in his mind. His world narrowed down to the rim and the steady rhythm of his own breathing.
He pushed the fatigue of the cross-country flight out of his mind. He had to grab every possible chance to get stronger and prove his value to the team.
"9998... 9999..."
For the final shot, Link clenched his jaw, using the last of his strength to dip the ball, bend his knees, jump, and flick his wrist.
The motion was slightly sluggish due to extreme exhaustion, but the control over the ball at the moment of release was more precise than ever before.
The ball traced a familiar arc through the air, the same trajectory it had taken ten thousand times before.
"Swish!"
The perfectly clean sound of the net rippled through the empty gym—music to his ears.
At the exact same moment, the system's notification chimed in his mind.
> [Progress: 10000/10000]
>
> [Congratulations, Host. Mission Complete. Reward: Three-Point Shooting +15%, Skill Unlocked: Focused Shooter Lv2]
>
> [Focused Shooter Lv2: Significantly improves shooting stability and ability to shoot through contact (Effective Time: 30 minutes, Cooldown: 6 hours). Additional Effect: Briefly boosts subsequent shooting percentage after consecutive made threes.]
>
> [New Training Unlocked: Open Three-Pointer (Advanced)]
He had finally completed this almost inhuman training!
Intense joy erupted in Link's eyes, and his body's exhaustion instantly disappeared. He opened his attribute panel again.
His Three-Point rating had jumped from B+ to A, the effective time was longer, the skill was stronger, and it even had a new side effect.
A new, strange sense of understanding seemed to be imprinted on his muscle memory. Link felt his grasp of shooting had reached a whole new level.
Right now, he felt like he could put the ball in the hoop with just a sliver of space, no matter how much defensive pressure he faced.
It was late when Link dragged his weary body back to the hotel.
The hallway was quiet, but as he passed Kobe's room, Link heard sounds coming from inside.
He slowed his pace, vaguely hearing the playback of a basketball game tape, mixed with the occasional curse or heavy sigh.
Kobe, clearly, hadn't been able to sleep either.
Link quietly returned to his own room. He stood by the window, looking down at the still-busy traffic and neon lights of New York City.
Tomorrow, in the Mecca of Basketball, Madison Square Garden, the Lakers would face the Knicks.
The shadow of the three-game losing streak had to be banished. The media criticism had to be silenced with performance. This game was absolutely crucial—for the Lakers, for Kobe, and for Link.
And he was ready.
Ten thousand reps of forging steel, all for tomorrow.
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American TV Series: Young Sheldon mike edition