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The referee's whistle blew, and the ball was tossed into the air.
Bynum and Camby jumped simultaneously, tipping the ball into the Lakers' backcourt.
Farmar controlled the ball and, just past half-court, handed it off to Kobe at the top of the key.
Guarding Kobe was... Iverson!
Staples Center instantly erupted in a mix of surprise and excitement.
The old rivals were matched up from the very first possession!
"Oh God, what am I seeing? Iverson is actively guarding Kobe!" The TNT commentator sounded incredulous.
Iverson was the number one overall pick of the legendary 1996 draft class. His stylish, free-flowing game and defiant personality had won him countless fans across the league. Despite standing under six feet tall, he had won four scoring titles and an MVP. He had even led his team to the Finals and snatched a victory from the invincible Shaq-Kobe duo.
But at this moment, Iverson was beginning his decline, no longer quite on the same level as Kobe, who was in his absolute prime.
Kobe stared down his old adversary, lowering his center of gravity, protecting the ball carefully. Iverson was a three-time steals leader; one careless moment and he'd pick your pocket.
Bynum tried to come up for a screen.
Kobe waved him off.
He wanted the isolation!
The tension was palpable right from the first play!
Every fan in Staples Center began to cheer.
They were in for a show tonight!
His teammates, knowing the drill, cleared out one side of the floor.
Kobe glanced up at the shot clock.
A crossover jab step, pushing off his left foot.
Driving left!
Iverson slid his feet, moving incredibly fast.
But Kobe stopped on a dime, shaking Iverson off by half a step.
With just that sliver of space, Kobe pulled up and fired!
Swish!
Nothing but net.
Simplicity itself. There were fewer than three people in the entire league who could score like that.
"Great shot!" Brian Shaw clapped loudly from the sidelines.
Nuggets ball.
Iverson brought it up. Link was about to pick him up.
Kobe pushed him away. He was going to guard Iverson himself!
That was Kobe's style. Always guarding the opponent's best scorer.
AI stared at Kobe, suddenly accelerating with a right-hand dribble.
Kobe slid to stay with him, but Iverson pulled it back between his legs.
Followed by a lightning-fast crossover, wide and low.
Kobe's balance was thrown off, and Iverson flashed past him like a bolt of lightning!
"WOW, spectacular crossover! Even Michael Jordan couldn't stop that move back in the day!" TNT's Charles Barkley exclaimed.
AI drove into the paint, and facing Bynum's help defense, he contorted his body in mid-air for a high floater off the glass.
2-2!
Tit for tat!
Running back on defense, Iverson glared at Kobe but said nothing.
Change of possession.
Kobe continued to isolate against Iverson.
This time he chose to post up.
Odom's lob pass landed perfectly in Kobe's hands.
Kobe caught it and immediately spun into a fadeaway jumper without hesitation.
With his absolute height advantage, even Iverson's maximum vertical wasn't enough to bother the shot. He could only watch the ball drop through the hoop.
Nuggets on offense again.
Iverson dribbled on the perimeter, looking for rhythm.
Nene tried to come up for a screen.
Kobe fought hard to get over it.
But in the split second the screen hit, Iverson used the brief opening to fire a pull-up three!
Kobe extended his long arm to contest, but he was too late.
The ball dropped into the basket with pinpoint accuracy!
Good!
The crowd at Staples Center let out a collective gasp.
Just these two exchanges in the Kobe-AI battle were worth the price of admission.
In the following possessions, Link started to make his presence felt.
He was assigned to guard Carmelo Anthony.
This heavy-set forward was an isolation master, but off-ball defense was his weakness.
The Nuggets had Steve Blake chasing Link.
Link moved like a fish in water, constantly cutting along the baseline.
When he used Bynum's screen to catch the ball on the left wing at a 45-degree angle, Blake was already left half a step behind.
Link caught and shot immediately.
[Focused Shooter Lv3] lock-on bonus.
[Quick Release Lv2] synced activation.
His absolute release height put the ball far out of Blake's reach.
Swish!
The crisp sound of the net snapping.
Three-pointer made.
"WOW, do the Nuggets really know what they're doing? Blake looks like a child in front of Link!"
The commentator held his head, shouting in disbelief at the Nuggets' defensive strategy.
Next, Link seemed tireless.
With the boost from [Stamina Boost Lv3], he was a perpetual motion machine on the court. His powerful cardiovascular system mitigated the fatigue.
On offense, Link constantly stretched the Nuggets' perimeter defense.
On defense, he went all out to shadow Carmelo Anthony.
Anthony tried to muscle Link in the post, only to find Link's base was very solid.
Melo bumped him twice but couldn't dislodge him. He raised an eyebrow.
Then he turned and faded away.
Link contested with everything he had.
The ball grazed Link's fingertips and went in.
Although he made it, it took a lot of energy.
Running back on defense, Anthony patted Link on the back.
In a voice only the two of them could hear, he said, "Nice strength, Link!"
6:39 left in the quarter.
Link caught the ball again. A realistic pump fake sent Blake flying.
One dribble to adjust, three-pointer up.
Another hit!
"Prophet Link! That's two threes already. Linsanity continues tonight!" The commentator was getting hyped.
Lakers 18-9, lead up to 9.
For the Nuggets, aside from that tough bucket by Anthony, all their points had come from Iverson.
Seeing the lead growing, George Karl called a timeout.
Heading to the bench, Blake was gasping for air, his face flushed red. Chasing Link everywhere and fighting through screens was exhausting.
It had only been half a quarter, and he was already struggling.
Timeout huddle.
"Great job, guys!" The Zen Master said while drawing on his whiteboard.
"Keep playing like this. Slow down the pace. AI and Carmelo clearly don't want to play a half-court game!"
It was exactly as Phil Jackson predicted.
Although Iverson and Anthony were elite scorers, there was zero chemistry between them, and their defense was... questionable at best. The team's offensive strategy was basically taking turns isolating.
This was the fundamental reason why this duo wouldn't go far.
Back from timeout.
George Karl sent in sixth man J.R. Smith.
The infamous "neuronal knife" (wild card). Precise shooting, elite athletic talent. From the neck down, he was comparable to Kobe.
Link's eyes narrowed.
This wasn't a frail white guard like Blake. He would be tough to handle.
The Nuggets' first play out of the timeout.
J.R. took charge.
Iverson drove into the paint and kicked it out.
J.R. caught the ball, ignored Nene wide open under the basket, and pulled up for a highly difficult jumper right in Link's face.
Good!
18-12.
However, this didn't really help.
With Blake out, the Nuggets had no playmaker. They went from two isolation scorers to three. One guy with the ball, four guys watching.
The Lakers stuck to the Zen Master's plan.
Resolutely playing half-court sets, dragging out the tempo.
Running the Triangle Offense around Kobe as the absolute focal point.
Complex cuts, hand-offs, and cross-screens left the Nuggets' three perimeter sieves spinning, running into each other.
Link caught the ball, faked out his defender again.
One dribble to the right of the free-throw line.
A flick of the wrist fed Odom under the basket for a dunk.
"I said it! I said it! George Karl, you can't guard Link like that!"
In the commentary booth, Charles Barkley shouted while shaking his head.
Kobe stopped obsessing over isolating Iverson. He began using his gravity to create opportunities for his teammates.
On one possession, Kobe posted up and drew a double team.
Link cut silently from the opposite corner.
His defender, J.R. Smith, didn't notice him at all.
Kobe sensed Link's cut and threw a no-look behind-the-back pass.
Perfectly delivered into Link's hands.
[Soft Touch Lv2] Activated!
The bonus effect synced up!
Facing Nene's help defense, Link finished with a left-handed jelly layup off the glass.
"Great play!" Brian Shaw pumped his fist in celebration.
Staples Center was boiling over.
By the end of the first quarter, the Lakers had put up a terrifying 39 points.
The Nuggets only had 26.
Kobe had 8 points and 5 assists in the quarter.
After his initial 8 points, Kobe didn't force any more shots. Instead, he kept setting the table for his teammates.
The Lakers were firing on all cylinders.
Link had 10 points, and Bynum chipped in with 6.