The Whip of the God of Basketball

Phil Jackson has experienced the most complicated season of his coaching career. Since the summer of 2003, he and his Los Angeles Lakers have been tortured by various incidents. Kobe's scandal, O'Neal's demand for a big contract from Buss, the conflict between Karl Malone and Kobe, complaints about Payton's inability to integrate into the triangle offense, the boss making the final choice between O'Neal and Kobe, anonymous players criticizing Kobe in the last week of the regular season event.

All in all, it has been a chaotic, disturbing, and bumpy 7 months. The Galaxy Fighters, who were originally highly anticipated, stumbled into the playoffs as the second-place finisher in the Western Conference. After defeating the Rockets relatively easily in the first round, the Lakers suffered a defeat in the semifinals. A huge test for the defending champion Spurs. As a result, after falling behind 0:2, the Lakers easily won two games in a row at home, and then won the fifth game at Tianwangshan with Derek Fisher's magical 0.4-second buzzer-beating goal. This crucial game.

Then in Game 6, at Staples, the Spurs were helpless. Without the help of David Robinson and suffering from plantar fasciitis, Duncan could no longer stop O'Neal from wreaking havoc in the paint and was eliminated sadly. .

In the Western Conference Finals, the Lakers once again met the Sacramento Kings, their old rival in 2002, the gorgeous team that had pushed them to the edge. In the semifinals, they defeated the Timberwolves in seven games and reached the Western Conference Finals to avenge the Lakers.

However, Chris Webber's condition plummeted due to injuries. He already showed signs of decline in the semifinals victory over the Timberwolves. However, the Timberwolves' Milicic was too young and inexperienced, making it difficult for Walker to take on the big role, and finally relied on Mike Bibby. A desperate three-pointer in the fourth quarter helped the Kings overcome their opponents.

In the Western Conference Finals, the Lakers, who had slowly recovered from the chaos and re-established confidence, showed no mercy in the face of the aging Kings. They won the first two home games and took a 2:0 lead. After a small loss in the third game, , defeated the opponent 97:91 in the fourth game, gaining a 3:1 advantage. Returning to Staples in Game 5, we were about to reach the finals, but the Kings didn't want to give up. The two sides fought hard until the last minute.

This time it was Mike Bibby again. He hit a key three-pointer 45 seconds before the end of the game, helping the Kings expand their lead to 4 points. Finally, as Kobe Bryant missed a three-pointer, the Kings tied the score. It became 2:3, and the Lakers had to go to Sacramento to withstand the test.

So, on May 31, the last day of May, Jackson had to fly from Los Angeles to Sacramento with the Lakers generals to participate in the sixth game of the Western Conference Finals that night. Because they are both in California and the distance between the two cities is not far, the Lakers chose to take a regional flight directly to the game venue on the day of the game instead of staying in a hotel in Sacramento.

This is a modified Boeing 717 aircraft. It only takes 40 minutes to fly from Los Angeles to Sacramento. The aircraft is equipped with comfortable massage seats and a small physiotherapy room. All seats have been modified. Allow taller players to sit comfortably.

Jackson likes to use meditation to spend his flying time. He believes in Zen Buddhism. He often uses some Buddhist words to give guidance and inspiration to the players. At this time, a sentence echoed in his mind: "Sit quietly and do nothing. When spring comes, the grass will grow green."

This is also a principle that Jackson has been pursuing this season. In the endless incidents of the team, he has never really taken action to clean up or interfere. Instead, he has done what a coach should do, directing the team to fight in all directions, and doing everything possible. Win the game and earn a good spot for the playoffs. Just like that, in the playoffs, this team with high hopes finally burst out with great energy, especially in the semi-finals against the Spurs, when they were 0:2 behind and won the series in four consecutive games. , this is a great improvement for the entire Lakers.

After this series, discordant voices were rarely heard in the team. O'Neal even praised Kobe as the second Michael Jordan after the game. You must know that mid-season, because Kobe criticized O'Neal in an interview for not being a good person. Leader, O'Neal even threatened to beat up Kobe.

Now, at least in the next games, the Lakers should be a complete and united whole, so Jackson is not worried about the sixth game. He knows that the Kings are already at the end of their game, and being able to step on the Timberwolves is their limit. . Chris Webber's state determines that they can't go further.

Of course, Jackson knew that now was not the time to think about the finals, but it was difficult for his thoughts not to wander there during meditation, because four days ago, the green and powerful Hulk rampaged through the stadium. The final awaits the next opponent.

At this time, the captain's announcement came from the plane that the plane had arrived over Sacramento and was about to land.

Jackson opened his eyes from meditation. Through the window, he could see the blossoming white clouds and the faintly visible Sacramento River under the white clouds. He was thinking in his heart, I wonder what kind of mood they will leave here tonight.

After arriving at the airport, we took the bus directly to the arena. The team conducted a simple warm-up training, and then Jackson allowed the team to move freely and prepare for the game at 7:30 p.m. He then left Kobe alone and chatted with the young man in the locker room bathroom.

Chatting with the players in the bathroom was Holtzman, the coach Jackson inherited from the Knicks. He would always chat with the players in this special meeting room, firstly to avoid intensifying conflicts caused by criticism in front of everyone, and secondly, to allow Players are opening up more.

It can be said that most of the chaos in the Lakers this season comes from Kobe. Since his scandal broke out, the entire Lakers have been in trouble. At the end of the season, in a game against the Kings, Kobe took a shot at halftime and the team was defeated. Later, some Lakers players anonymously criticized Kobe in the media, causing Kobe to lose his temper in the training hall and question everyone one by one, which made the Lakers cast a shadow on their playoff journey.

Before the extremely important Game 6, Jackson felt the need to talk to Kobe. In fact, so far this season, Jackson has not had a serious and in-depth communication with Kobe, especially after the scandal, because Jackson’s daughter Having suffered such abuse, Jackson was unable to feel sympathy and care for Kobe in his heart. In the middle of the season, Jackson even suggested that Kubchak trade Kobe, but of course Buss refused.

Now, Jackson knew that he had to talk to Kobe. So close to the Finals, they needed a less formal, seemingly casual but important exchange.

"You know, they're in the Finals." Jackson said. Standing in front of Kobe, Jackson was a little taller.

Kobe nodded. He looked a little tired. In fact, Kobe looked a little tired throughout the season. This 24-year-old young man can be described as "tired" for more than half a year. Fortunately, he never showed signs of fatigue on the court.

"The deal is done, what has happened has happened and will never change; and what has not happened yet, there are infinite possibilities. The championship is like this, it is waiting for us in June." Jackson said in a soft tone, Then he saw a spark in Kobe's eyes.

"They are very strong, but we can beat them." Kobe said, his tone as stubborn as ever, which made people uncomfortable to listen to. But Jackson knew that this was Kobe, that was who Kobe was.

"I originally planned to chat with you before the finals started, but when I thought about it, if I didn't say something, maybe we wouldn't be able to wait until the finals." Jackson said.

Next, the two people had a deep conversation in the small bathroom. Jackson told what happened about his daughter. He did not regret that he was not angry enough at the time. At the same time, he told Kobe that he had brought this anger to Kobe. Kobe also admitted his mistakes to Jackson for his naive and indifferent performance during the season, and stated that he would put the team first in the next games.

This conversation undoubtedly had an effect. Five hours later, at Arco Arena, Kobe Bryant scored 47 points in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, helping the Lakers defeat the Sacramento Kings 101:89. They also defeated their opponents with a total score of 4:2 to advance to the NBA Finals.

Lakers VS Celtics, in 1987, 17 years later, the NBA reappeared.