Quicken Loans Arena was roaring like a tidal wave.
When Kobe Bryant and LeBron James exchanged a final nod at center court before the opening tip, the energy inside the building instantly ignited.
This wasn't just a game between two teams.
This was a head-on conversation between two generations of superstars.
From the opening possession, the game unfolded exactly as expected.
LeBron James played with a level of poise and completeness far beyond his age—calm, controlled, and all-encompassing.
First possession, Lakers ball.
Kobe came off a screen, caught the pass, and gained half a step of separation.
From the weak-side 45-degree angle, LeBron immediately shouted,
"Switch! Step up! Don't give him the midrange!"
Reading the defense, Kobe drove inside and kicked it to the corner.
Luke Walton missed the wide-open three, and the Cavaliers secured the rebound.
Transition.
LeBron pushed the ball up the floor, not rushing into a shot. He dribbled with his left hand while directing teammates with his right.
Facing Kobe one-on-one, LeBron called Drew Gooden up for a solid pick-and-roll.
Using the brief opening created by the screen, LeBron exploded into the lane.
When the help defense collapsed, he bounced a pass to Gooden rolling to the rim for an easy layup.
On the other end, Kobe cleared out one side and went straight into isolation.
After a few probing dribbles, he took one hard step and pulled up.
Money.
Both teams played cautiously early, trading baskets.
Midway through the first quarter, with the score tied at 15–15, Link checked into the game.
LeBron immediately called out to Larry Hughes.
"Larry, watch Link! He likes to shoot from the wings—stay glued to him!"
With that reminder, Hughes stuck to Link like a shadow, leaving him no breathing room.
Several of Link's catch-and-shoot chances were shut down by Cleveland's aggressive switching.
"Good defense! Keep it up!" LeBron shouted.
He just kept talking.
Link shot him an annoyed glance.
He'd known LeBron was a talker—but experiencing it on the court was something else entirely.
Almost every possession, LeBron was directing traffic, calling coverages, telling teammates where to move.
Still, credit where it was due.
LeBron's feel for the game was on another level. He was a natural floor general.
If the Cavaliers were a machine, LeBron was the engine—and the brain.
On the next play, the Lakers missed, LeBron grabbed the rebound, and instantly pushed the fast break.
He charged upcourt like a runaway truck, with Kobe sprinting back in pursuit.
Near the three-point line, LeBron slowed just enough to read the floor—Kobe was already on him.
LeBron raised his hand again, calling for a screen from Big Z.
Kobe got clipped by the massive Lithuanian and barked,
"Fk! Don't play soft!"
Using the screen, LeBron squeezed out half a step.
Instead of forcing it against help defense, he kicked the ball out to a wide-open Larry Hughes.
Hughes drilled the three.
"See that? That's basketball," LeBron said while jogging back on defense, firing a shot in Kobe's direction.
That did it.
Kobe was officially pissed.
On the next possession, he demanded the ball in the backcourt and waved everyone else away.
No screens.
No complicated sets.
Just pure, elite skill.
Facing LeBron, Kobe unleashed a series of sharp crossovers, breaking his defender's balance.
Then he rose straight up—fadeaway jumper.
Swish.
"That's how you score," Kobe snapped after landing.
"Take notes, kid. Stop relying on other people to make plays for you."
LeBron pressed his lips together, saying nothing—but his focus sharpened.
Next possession, he called for another screen.
This time, after the switch put the slower Kwame Brown on him, LeBron bulldozed into the paint like a tank and powered through for an and-one.
All through the first quarter, Kobe and LeBron went straight at each other.
Two completely different styles colliding at full force.
Link didn't get many shots, but his presence alone kept Cleveland from helping freely off the perimeter.
His spacing gave Kobe room to operate.
End of the first quarter: Lakers 28, Cavaliers 30.
LeBron finished the quarter with 6 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Kobe dropped 12.
The second quarter became a battle of the benches.
Neither team's reserves were particularly strong.
Without their stars, both sides scraped together points possession by possession.
Four minutes in, neither team had created any separation.
With 7:45 left in the second quarter, Link checked back in.
LeBron kept directing his teammates to stay tight, denying Link any clean looks from deep.
But Link adjusted.
On one possession, Kobe drew a double-team on the strong side.
From the weak-side baseline, Link suddenly cut.
LeBron immediately called it out.
But instead of popping out to the three-point line, Link used Andrew Bynum's screen, cut backdoor, shook Larry Hughes, and sliced straight to the rim.
Kobe threaded the pass through traffic.
Link caught it in stride as Anderson Varejão rotated over.
No panic.
[Soft Touch Lv.1] activated.
With a gentle flick of the wrist, Link floated the ball high off the glass.
Bucket.
A tough finish—right over a center, using a split-second opening.
"Fine, keep defending like that," LeBron said while running back. "Take away the three—let him cut!"
But what followed was something LeBron didn't expect.
Over the next few possessions, Link repeatedly slipped behind the defense for layups.
One of them was a high-difficulty reverse off the glass.
"Nice adjustment," assistant coach Brian Shaw muttered from the sideline.
Once could be luck.
But when the same pattern played out again and again—each time in a different way—
Everyone realized this was no accident.
"Link's finishing has improved a lot," Brian Shaw quietly said to the Zen Master.
Phil Jackson gave no outward reaction.
Another half-court set.
Link ran a crisscross screen with Sasha Vujacic on the weak side, then cut baseline again.
The Cavaliers blew the switch, and two defenders followed Link.
That left Vujacic wide open on the perimeter.
Splash.
"Defense! Defense! Stay with your man!" LeBron barked, his tone noticeably sharper.
Final possession of the half. Lakers down four.
Kobe attacked, drew the double-team, and Link curled out from the baseline to the free-throw line.
Bounce pass.
Link caught it with Drew Gooden switching onto him.
Instead of forcing the shot, Link pump-faked.
Gooden bit and left his feet.
Link rose into the contact—foul.
He went to the line and hit one of two.
At halftime, the Lakers trailed 50–47.
LeBron had 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists.
Kobe led all scorers with 19.
Link didn't get a single three-point attempt—but with sharp cuts and smart movement, he scored repeatedly at the rim.
At the half, he was 4-for-5 from the field, 1-for-2 at the line, with 9 points and 2 rebounds.