Chapter 62: Preseason Game 8: Seven and One

Detroit changed the look to start the third.

Thorpe met Hill several feet above where he had been setting the screen before halftime. Bowen followed Hill toward the top, and Campbell stayed near the lane, holding to the coverage Harris had given them.

Hill came off the screen with room anyway.

Bowen fought over, but the extra distance gave Hill enough space to turn the corner before he recovered. Campbell stepped up only when Hill reached the foul line, and Hill floated the ball over him before Shaq could rotate across.

Ratliff finished underneath.

The next time, Bowen tried to beat Hill to the screen.

Thorpe changed the angle.

Hill started right, stopped and came back across the second screen before Bowen could recover. Eddie pinched down from the wing, leaving Dumars enough room to catch the kickout and knock down the jumper.

Kobe took the inbound and found Dumars on the way back.

Detroit showed the same alignment again two possessions later. This time Eddie called the switch before Hill reached Thorpe.

Hill gave the ball up immediately.

Thorpe slipped toward the lane with Eddie behind him and Kobe stepping down from the weak side. The pass reached Thorpe before either could close the space, forcing Shaq across and opening Ratliff underneath.

Hill found him.

Harris called timeout. After a quick few adjustments, the game was back on.

Detroit brought Thorpe high again.

Bowen followed Hill toward the screen without giving away the coverage. Hill hesitated, waiting for the call that had come early the possession before.

It didn’t.

He used the screen.

Only then did Bowen release.

Kobe stepped onto Hill’s path while Bowen turned toward Thorpe. For an instant, Hill held the ball, the opening he’d expected underneath no longer there.

He passed back toward the top.

Detroit kept playing. Dumars eventually got it with the clock running down and drove toward the baseline, forcing up a jumper over Kobe’s outstretched hand.

It rolled off.

Shaq collected the rebound and turned toward the other end.

Kobe was already moving.

The next switch left Kobe on Hill above the wing.

Detroit recognized the matchup and cleared the side. Hill caught, faced him, and put the ball down immediately, driving toward the middle before the rest of the defense could shift.

Kobe knew the first move. He turned his hips and beat Hill to the lane, getting his body in front before Hill could reach his shoulder. Hill didn’t pull it back. He kept coming.

Their bodies met near the elbow, and Kobe held his ground for the first step. On the second, Hill’s size made the difference. The contact moved Kobe just enough to create space, and Hill changed direction before Kobe could take it back.

Kobe recovered and got a hand up as Hill rose.

The jumper dropped over it.

Shaking his head, Kobe took the inbound and gave it to Van Exel.

The game moved on. Shaq scored from the block, Detroit answered through Dumars, and Eddie missed a jumper after Van Exel found him coming off a screen. At the other end, Bowen stayed with Hill long enough to force the ball out of his hands. Neither team managed to create much separation.

A few possessions later, Shaq came up to screen for Kobe.

Kobe turned the corner with Dumars trailing, but Detroit switched the action. Hill stepped out to take him while Dumars released toward Shaq.

Kobe pulled the ball back and let the floor settle.

Hill stayed in front of him, giving Kobe more room than Dumars had most of the night. Kobe bounced the ball once, leaned toward the lane, and shifted his weight forward.

Hill stepped back a bit, and that was enough.

Kobe hit the brake and rose. Hill recovered quickly, his hand arriving as Kobe released the ball, but the jumper was already on its way.

Swish.

The lead changed hands again.

When the next whistle stopped play, Van Exel turned toward the bench, and Harris pointed toward the scorer’s table.

Kobe expected Fisher to get up.

Fisher stayed seated.

Late in the third, Harris went back to his bench.

Van Exel came off. Kobe glanced toward the scorer’s table, expecting Fisher to replace him, but Fisher stayed seated with a towel draped over his shoulders.

Harris pointed at Kobe. “You have it.”

Kobe took the inbound.

Eddie and Bowen spread to opposite sides while Campbell settled along the baseline. Shaq started toward the block, then changed direction when Kobe raised a hand and called him higher.

Lakers 72 – Pistons 71

Detroit was already leaning toward the strong side. Dumars angled himself toward Shaq’s screen before it arrived, and Thorpe had taken a step away from Campbell.

Kobe waved Shaq through and went the other way.

Thorpe stepped across to stop him. Kobe took one more dribble to pull him farther from the baseline, then bounced the ball to Campbell near the short corner.

Campbell caught and finished before Hill could get back.

Detroit answered through Dumars. Hill started the possession from the wing, drew the defense toward the lane and moved the ball back outside. Dumars came around a pin-down, caught near the elbow and knocked down the jumper over Bowen.

Kobe brought the Lakers back up and called Shaq high again.

This time Detroit waited for him to reject the screen.

Kobe used it instead.

Dumars chased from behind while Thorpe stepped out to meet him. Kobe released the ball before the two could close around him, hitting Eddie on the wing. Eddie moved it to Bowen without holding it, and Detroit’s weak side shifted with the pass.

Bowen looked inside.

Shaq was already rolling.

The pass reached him in stride, and Shaq gathered beneath the rim and powered it through before Ratliff could get across.

Hill drew a foul on the other end and made both free throws.

The next Lakers possession didn’t come as easily.

Detroit took away the first action, then stayed with the reversal. Kobe gave the ball to Eddie and got it back with Dumars already crowding him. Shaq tried to establish himself inside, but Ratliff fronted him with Thorpe waiting behind.

Seven seconds remained.

Kobe started right. Dumars stayed on his hip, cutting off the lane and forcing him toward the elbow.

Four.

Kobe stopped and rose. Dumars recovered with him, reaching across Kobe’s shoulder as the ball left his hand.

The basketball homed into the net.

Splash.

Detroit stayed close through the rest of the quarter. Ratliff converted a second chance, Eddie missed from the wing, and a pass Kobe tried to slip underneath to Campbell was tipped away. Los Angeles recovered it, but the possession went nowhere.

On the Lakers’ final trip, Shaq came up once more.

Kobe used the screen and drew the second defender before sending the ball across to Bowen in the corner. Bowen caught with enough room to set his feet.

His three went halfway down before coming back out.

Detroit secured the rebound, and the horn followed moments later.

Lakers 82 – Pistons 79

The fourth began with Kobe still handling the ball.

Detroit changed the coverage almost immediately. Dumars chased him over Shaq’s first screen while Ratliff stepped higher than he had in the third, staying just long enough to close the lane before recovering.

Kobe pulled the ball out rather than trying to squeeze between them.

He saw the same coverage on the next trip and got rid of the ball sooner.

Eddie caught on the wing with Detroit still recovering. He attacked the gap, drew Thorpe away from the baseline and slipped the ball underneath to Campbell. Campbell missed the first attempt, stayed with it and put the rebound back in.

Detroit came up empty at the other end.

Kobe crossed half court and raised his hand.

Shaq came high.

Ratliff showed again, but Kobe had already started moving the ball. Eddie received it on the wing as Kobe cut through the lane and cleared to the opposite side. Bowen got it next and looked inside.

Shaq had Ratliff sealed beneath the rim.

Bowen fed him.

Shaq caught, turned, and finished off the glass.

Lakers 88 – Pistons 83

Detroit called timeout.

Kobe headed toward the bench with the rest of the group. Fisher shifted his legs to let him through and handed him a cup of water.

Harris was already reaching for the board.

Detroit got the stop.

Hill came back with the ball and waited above the arc while Thorpe moved into position. Bowen followed him over the first screen and recovered when Hill changed direction.

Hill kept going.

He reached the right side of the lane, stopped before Shaq could meet him and put up the short jumper.

It fell.

Pistons 96 – Lakers 94

Kobe took the inbound and crossed half court with Dumars waiting for him.

Shaq started up from the block.

Dumars shifted before the screen arrived, already angling his body toward it. Ratliff took two steps away from the paint, preparing to show.

Kobe had seen that coverage enough.

He waved Shaq through.

Shaq continued across the lane toward the opposite block, and Ratliff followed him for one step too many. Kobe attacked the space they’d left behind.

Dumars recovered to his hip.

Thorpe came across from Campbell.

Kobe took another dribble and waited until Thorpe committed.

Then he dropped the ball behind him.

Shaq caught it moving back toward the rim and finished before Ratliff could recover.

96–96

Detroit went to Dumars on the other end.

Hill started the possession from the wing and moved through the lane while Dumars came around Thorpe on the opposite side. Eddie switched out, but Dumars caught near the elbow and rose before Eddie could close the space.

The jumper dropped.

Pistons 98 – Lakers 96

Kobe brought them back.

This time Shaq stayed low. Kobe gave the ball to Eddie, moved across the top and got it back on the reversal.

Dumars was waiting.

Kobe started right.

Dumars moved with him, staying close enough to take away the lane without reaching.

Kobe stopped at the elbow.

Dumars got a hand up.

Swish.

98–98

The clock moved under a minute. Detroit went back to Hill, with Thorpe coming high to screen. Bowen fought over and stayed attached as Hill turned the corner, while Shaq waited near the rim, giving Bowen somewhere to send him.

Hill kept coming and put up the runner between them. It caught the back rim, and Shaq secured the rebound with both hands.

Harris called timeout and went over what he wanted for the final possessions.

Buzzer.

Kobe took the inbound.

He walked the ball across half court while Shaq headed toward the left block. Detroit shifted with him immediately. Ratliff settled behind Shaq, with Thorpe close enough to help if the entry came. Eddie cleared through as Harris had drawn it, pulling another defender away from the right side.

Kobe looked toward Shaq long enough to keep the defense there.

Then he went the other way.

Dumars recovered quickly, but Kobe had already turned the corner. Thorpe stepped across from Campbell, arriving just late enough for Kobe to get inside him.

Kobe gathered off his left foot.

Thorpe met him in the air.

The contact knocked Kobe sideways, but he kept his eyes on the rim and sent the ball high off the glass.

The whistle blew.

The ball kissed the backboard, caught the front of the rim—

and dropped.

The Forum exploded.

Kobe landed beneath the basket and stumbled a step toward the baseline before catching himself. Around him, arms were already going up in the stands.

And one.

Shaq came over and slapped Kobe across the back as Kobe headed toward the line.

“Finish it.”

He walked to the line, took the ball from the referee and bounced it twice.

The free throw snapped through the net.

Lakers 101 – Pistons 98

Detroit called timeout.

Kobe turned toward the bench as the Forum stayed on its feet.

From somewhere behind the basket, the chant started.

“LET’S GO, LAKERS!”

The rest of the building picked it up.

“LET’S GO, LAKERS!”

Kobe reached the sideline with Shaq beside him, the chant rolling through the Forum as Harris pulled the five of them toward the board.

“LET’S GO, LAKERS!”

Harris waited for them to get close enough to hear him.

“All we need is one stop.”

When play resumed, Hill brought the ball across with less than thirty seconds remaining. Detroit moved quickly, trying to free Dumars along the baseline, but Eddie stayed with him and forced the ball back toward Hill.

Hill attacked before the defense could reset. Bowen stayed on his outside shoulder, pushing him toward Shaq, and Hill stopped short of the paint for the floater.

It came off the rim.

Shaq grabbed the rebound and found Kobe moving toward the sideline. Detroit fouled him before he could get more than a few steps.

Kobe walked to the line.

The first free throw dropped. So did the second.

Lakers 103 – Pistons 98

Detroit had one last possession. Hunter pushed the ball ahead and found Dumars behind the line, but Kobe closed from the wing as the shot went up.

The three caught the back rim and kicked out toward the lane. Campbell stepped in front of Thorpe and secured the rebound with both hands.

Detroit didn’t foul. Campbell held the ball as the final seconds disappeared and the Forum rose around them.

The horn sounded.

Lakers win.

Kobe Bryant: 30 PTS, 5 REB, 10 AST, 2 STL in 35 minutes.

Players started toward their benches. Shaq slapped Campbell across the back on his way past, while Eddie and Bowen exchanged a quick hand near the foul line.

Kobe followed them toward the sideline.

Fisher was waiting near the bench with a towel. Kobe took it and wiped his face as they fell in behind the others heading toward the tunnel.

Fisher bumped his shoulder lightly against Kobe’s. “So?”

“So what?”

“You started.”

Kobe shook his head, and Fisher let it sit for a few steps.

“Feel any different?” Fisher asked.

“A little.”

“How?”

Kobe thought about it. “Coming off the bench, you get a few minutes to see what’s working. Who’s guarding who. What they’re giving up.”

“And tonight?”

“You find out while they’re trying to score on you.”

Fisher gave a small nod.

They reached the tunnel. Kobe rolled his shoulders as they walked beneath the stands. His legs were heavy and his jersey had gone cold against his back, but it was the familiar kind of fatigue that came after enough minutes on the floor.

He liked the feeling.

The soreness in his legs. The sweat drying against his skin. Knowing he’d emptied enough out of himself that he’d feel it again in the morning.

He’d missed this.

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By the next morning, Detroit had already been reduced to film.

Kobe arrived early enough that most of the locker room was still empty. A few practice jerseys hung from open lockers, shoes squeaked somewhere down the hall, and one of the assistants was already setting up the television in the film room.

A sheet of paper sat on Kobe’s bench.

He picked it up.

At the top were the eight games.

LOS ANGELES LAKERS: 1996 PRESEASON

Game 1: Vs. Golden State Warriors: W, 101–92

Game 2: Vs. Phoenix Suns: W, 91–77

Game 3: Vs. Sacramento Kings: W, 108–94

Game 4: Vs. Los Angeles Clippers: W, 112–96

Game 5: Vs. Minnesota Timberwolves: W, 128–110

Game 6: Vs. Portland Trail Blazers: W, 95–90

Game 7: Vs. New York Knicks: L, 99–104

Game 8: Vs. Detroit Pistons: W, 103–98

PRESEASON RECORD: 7–1

Kobe’s eyes stopped there.

Seven and one.

He remembered five and three.

The games hadn’t been the same the first time around. Neither had the opponents, the minutes, or much of anything else about the last few weeks. There wasn’t much use comparing them one by one.

But he remembered the record.

5–3.

Now it was 7–1.

Kobe moved farther down the page.

His own line was printed beneath the team results.

KOBE BRYANT: 23.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 7.3 APG, 2.4 SPG

He looked over the numbers once.

Thirteen points in the first game had become eighteen, then twenty-two. Twenty-eight against the Clippers. Twelve assists in Minnesota. Twenty-seven in Portland and again in New York. Thirty and ten in his first start.

Eight games.

Enough for Harris to have film on him. Enough for the rest of the league to have some too.

Not enough for any of it to count.

“Kobe.”

Kobe looked toward the doorway.

One of the assistants stood there with a folder tucked beneath his arm. “We got the film set up for you.”

Kobe folded the sheet and slid it into the back of his locker.

“Thank you, I’ll be right there.”