Time flew by. Over the past couple of weeks, the Lakers' results had been decent but nothing spectacular, and Kobe once again picked up Player of the Week honors.
They'd just wrapped up a road game against the Charlotte Bobcats. For the next three days, the Lakers didn't have a single game on the schedule.
And three days later—it would be Christmas.
Link held the beautifully printed Christmas Day game ticket in his hand, hesitating for a long moment before finally dialing a New York number.
"Hi, this is Isabella Rodriguez. Sorry I can't take your call right now. I'm probably busy backstage at a show somewhere. Please leave your name and message…"
Isabella's slightly husky, upbeat voicemail greeting came through the phone.
Listening to that familiar, alluring voice, Link couldn't help but smile.
After the tone, he spoke into the receiver.
"Isabella, it's me—Link. Your… fortune-teller friend," he said, pausing as if choosing his words.
"Thanks so much for the suit. It fits perfectly…"
"And, uh… the Lakers—we have a big game on Christmas Day. I managed to get a pretty good seat… I thought maybe you'd be interested in something like that? Plus, Los Angeles sunshine is pretty nice even in winter."
Link forced himself to keep his tone light, as if he were just inviting a casual friend to watch a game.
"I've already mailed the ticket to your VOGUE office address. If you happen to be free, you're more than welcome to come experience the atmosphere at Staples Center…"
He didn't say much more. After a brief goodbye, he hung up.
He slipped the ticket into a pre-prepared envelope, filled out the address, and sent it off via express delivery.
Once everything was done, Link let out a quiet breath.
It wasn't like he hadn't considered giving the ticket to someone else—his best friend Andrew, for instance, who would've been so excited he wouldn't sleep for days.
Or Amy. As part of the team, it would've made sense to share the moment with her.
But every time, Isabella's image surfaced in his mind.
That Latina girl he'd briefly crossed paths with amid New York's city lights, who later sent him a suit all the way to New Jersey.
Something indescribable tugged at his heart.
After wrestling with himself more than once, Link chose to follow his instincts.
"Let's just call it… a return gift for the suit," he muttered with a self-deprecating smile, shaking his head and dropping the thought.
The invitation had been sent. The rest was up to fate.
He tucked that subtle, personal anticipation deep inside and refocused his attention on basketball.
---
As the Christmas showdown drew closer, the atmosphere inside the Lakers' practice facility noticeably changed.
"Defense! Rotate faster! Double-team with more conviction!"
Brian Shaw's voice echoed through the gym, harsher than usual.
"Think about how Dwyane will punish our mistakes! Think about Shaq's dominance in the paint!"
The intensity of practice had clearly ramped up.
On the whiteboard, plays were drawn and redrawn—how to handle Shaquille O'Neal's post-ups, when to double, how to rotate, and how to slow down Dwyane Wade on the break.
The air was thick with tension, the unmistakable feeling that a major battle was coming.
At the center of it all was Kobe Bryant.
His expression was icy, his eyes filled with an almost obsessive focus.
No one dared slack off. Everyone knew that against a team led by Shaq, Kobe's competitive drive would hit its absolute peak.
This wasn't just a marquee matchup—it was a defining game for Kobe to prove his leadership.
Meanwhile, sports media across the country had already whipped the Christmas game into a frenzy.
ESPN ran special segments breaking down the rise and fall of the "OK duo," from a three-peat dynasty to their bitter split.
Clips replayed endlessly—glorious moments of them dominating together, followed by subtle signs of their eventual fallout.
In TNT's studio, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith were nearly shouting at each other over one question:
Who was the real leader of the Lakers during the Shaq–Kobe era?
Anyone who followed basketball knew that by that point, Kobe had clearly grown into a top-five—arguably top-three—superstar in the league.
Beating the Spurs, coming back against the Blazers, knocking out the Kings—during that run out of the West, Kobe was the better player.
Of course, no one could deny that against the East's weaker frontcourts, Shaq's dominance was downright catastrophic. His three straight Finals MVPs left no room for debate.
The Los Angeles Times sports section splashed a massive headline across the front page:
"Rivals Reunited: Shaq vs. Kobe on Christmas Night!"
The article dove deep into their complicated relationship and how much this game would mean for the Lakers' confidence this season.
Add in the explosive rise of the new-generation shooting guard Dwyane Wade, and the matchup had yet another layer of intrigue.
The media barrage painted the game as something bigger than basketball—an epic clash fueled by personal grudges and a symbolic passing of the torch.
Walking through the streets of Los Angeles, you could feel it everywhere. Bus stops, mall billboards—promotional posters for the game were impossible to miss.
The entire city seemed to be holding its breath amid the growing holiday spirit, waiting for Christmas night and a basketball feast destined for the history books.
After team practice ended, Link stayed behind as usual.
In the empty gym, only the echo of the ball hitting the hardwood and his heavy breathing remained.
He was in the final sprint of his [Catch-and-Shoot (Intermediate)] training.
His practice jersey was soaked through. His legs felt like lead, and every lift of his arms came with a burning ache.
Yet his eyes stayed locked in, Amy's coaching cues replaying in his mind alongside the system's cold progress notifications.
[Progress: 5998/6000]
[Progress: 5999/6000]
Last shot.
Link curled off an imaginary screen from the baseline, arriving at the left wing.
Despite the exhaustion, his footwork and core stayed steady.
He caught the pass from the shooting machine, bent his knees, rose up, and snapped his wrist.
Under extreme fatigue, the motion looked even cleaner—simple, refined, and instinctive from countless repetitions.
The ball traced a perfect arc.
[Progress: 6000/6000]
[Congratulations, host. Mission complete.]
[Reward: Catch-and-Shoot +15%. Skill unlocked — Quick Release Lv.2]
[Quick Release Lv.2: Significantly increases catch-and-shoot stability and release speed (duration: 30 minutes, cooldown: 6 hours). Bonus effect: Brief accuracy boost when receiving high-quality passes.]
A warm, lively sensation surged through his body, settling into his muscle memory.
His catch-and-shoot rating rose to A-.
Link could clearly feel it—his adjustments after the catch were almost instinctive now, his release noticeably quicker, far harder to defend.
He took a deep breath.
From here on out, it was all about resting, staying sharp, and preparing for the ultimate challenge—one coming straight from the Shark and Dwyane Wade.