Chapter 81: Fourth and Thirteenth

The Forum had a different hum on Sunday.

Two nights earlier, the Lakers had opened the season with a 108–104 win over Phoenix. Minnesota came in 1–0 too, fresh off an 82–78 win over San Antonio, and there was enough talent on the other side that nobody in the Lakers’ locker room was treating it like an easy second win.

Kobe caught the pregame report from the training table. Stephon Marbury was another rookie point guard with enough confidence for three people. Tom Gugliotta could score from almost anywhere, and Terry Porter had been playing NBA basketball long enough to recognize every trick a young guard thought he invented.

Then there was Kevin Garnett.

Kobe watched him on the television for another few seconds. In another lifetime, he’d seen what all that energy eventually became—the voice, the rebounding, the constant movement, the way Garnett could make a November possession feel like the final minute of a playoff game.

The locker room was loose and still buzzing off the first win. Shaq had his headphones on with his legs stretched across three chairs while Eddie Jones and Derek Fisher argued about Marbury’s handle. Ceballos was shooting rolled socks toward the trash can when Elden Campbell looked across the room at Kobe.

“What you scoring tonight?”

Kobe looked up from his shoes. “Depends.”

“On what?”

“How bad you guys are playing.”

Campbell laughed and threw a towel at him. Fisher shook his head. “He’s already unbearable.”

“You liked me two days ago.”

That got everyone rowdy before Del Harris walked in with his clipboard.

“Let’s keep it short. Minnesota’s young, physical, and they run all game. Garnett’s going to give us problems if we don’t put bodies on him, and Gugliotta can’t be left open. Lets get Shaq touches early and keep the ball moving.”

He looked at Kobe. “You’ve got Marbury. Make him work bringing it up. Don’t let him walk us into their offense.”

Kobe nodded.

“Eddie, West. Cedric, stay attached to Gugliotta. Elden, find Garnett when the ball goes up.” Del lowered the clipboard. “And if we get a lead, don’t stop rebounding.”

Shaq pulled one side of his headphones away. “Don’t worry, Coach. We’ll eat tonight.”

“Just rebound the damn ball, Shaq.”

Shaq grinned.

By the time Kobe reached the floor, the Forum was full. He noticed more number 8 jerseys than he’d seen two nights earlier, and when his name came over the speakers during introductions, a chant spread through several sections.

“KO-BE! KO-BE! KO-BE!”

Kobe smiled and didn’t let the hype get to his head.

Near the scorer’s table, Garnett was already talking, clapping his hands and bouncing on his toes. Marbury stood across from Kobe as the teams came together for the opening tip.

“So, Mr. Fifty,” Marbury said. “Hope you don’t think you’re dropping that many tonight.”

“Don’t curse me with that,” Kobe said. “You hit it fifty once, and suddenly you can’t get out of the fifties. In your case, though, you should reach it first before you start talking trash.”

Marbury rebutted, “Man, fuck your fifty.”

Kobe chuckled as he thought back to Marbury’s 50-point game.

Hopefully this time it’s not against us, though you didn’t even win the game on your career high night.

The whistle sounded, Shaq won the tip, and Kobe started up the floor.

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The first possession told him plenty.

Shaq buried Stojko Vranković beneath the rim before Kobe had fully settled the offense. Eddie reversed the ball back up top, Kobe delivered the entry before Minnesota could bring help, and Shaq dropped in a short hook.

Minnesota answered by moving Garnett around the floor and letting Gugliotta work from the wing. Kobe noticed Garnett shading toward Shaq almost immediately. Whenever Shaq moved deeper into the paint, Garnett took another half-step toward him.

The next time down, Kobe faked a drive.

And GArnett bit, clogging the lane.

Kobe fired the ball across the court instead. Ceballos missed the open corner jumper.

Then Kobe turned his attention to Marbury.

He picked him up almost as soon as Minnesota inbounded. Marbury crossed once, changed direction, and tried to create space, but Kobe stayed attached without reaching. Another crossover cost Marbury more time. Kobe guided him toward the sideline and watched the Minnesota bench begin shouting.

The whistle came before Marbury crossed half court.

Ten-second violation.

Marbury clapped his hands in frustration.

Kobe let a small grin through. “Watch the clock.”

Minnesota adjusted immediately. Garnett came higher as an outlet, allowing Marbury to give the ball up earlier, and Gugliotta started finding space whenever the Lakers shifted toward the paint.

That became the problem.

Gugliotta hit a face-up jumper, drove past a harder closeout the next time, then found West cutting behind the help. Ceballos wasn’t playing badly. Gugliotta simply wasn’t attacking him the same way.

At the other end, Minnesota still couldn’t solve Shaq.

When Garnett helped, Kobe moved the ball opposite. When Minnesota stayed home, Shaq got the pass. When Marbury backed off Kobe expecting a drive, Kobe rose over him and buried the jumper.

Marbury answered on the next trip, using Garnett’s screen to get his shoulder ahead of Kobe and finishing high off the glass.

As he backpedaled, he looked toward Kobe.

Kobe gave him a small nod.

It was a nice move.

The first quarter ended without either team creating much separation.

Lakers 27, Timberwolves 25

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Marbury came out in the second quarter using every screen he could find. He missed his first couple of jumpers before rubbing Kobe off a Garnett screen and burying one from just inside the arc.

The next time, Kobe went over the screen. Marbury felt him coming, turned the corner and drew a foul on the drive.

He made both.

Shaq kept Los Angeles steady. Whenever Minnesota threatened to tilt the game, the Lakers went back inside. He scored over Vranković, drew enough attention on another touch to free Eddie on the weak side, then caught deep and hammered one through before Garnett could rotate.

Kobe created around him. He drew Garnett away from the rim and found Campbell rolling underneath, then caught West watching the ball and slipped a pass behind him to Eddie on a back cut.

Minnesota kept answering, mostly through Gugliotta.

He buried a three after Marbury drew the defense into the lane, and Kobe glanced toward the bench as he took the inbound. Gugliotta had scored facing up, off the dribble and from beyond the arc. The matchup was costing them.

Halfway through the quarter, Marbury tried the hesitation again.

For a split second, he had Kobe leaning.

Then Kobe recovered.

Two long strides erased the space. Marbury rose for the short jumper, and Kobe came from the side, getting his hand to the ball just after it left Marbury’s fingers.

The shot never reached the rim.

Eddie gathered the loose ball near midcourt and was gone before West could recover. Two dribbles later, he threw it down.

The Forum erupted.

Minnesota brought Terry Porter in soon afterward, and the difference was immediate. Porter didn’t waste dribbles trying to beat Kobe’s pressure. If the first pass was there, he made it. If it wasn’t, he waited until Garnett or Gugliotta created another angle.

Kobe adjusted with him. There was no point pressing Porter like Marbury when the veteran would simply give the ball up and get it back somewhere better.

Marbury returned later in the second and closed hard when Kobe caught on the wing. Kobe raised the ball.

Marbury left his feet.

Kobe waited for him to pass, took one dribble into the lane and dropped the ball to Campbell when Garnett stepped over.

“Stay down,” Kobe said as they turned upcourt.

Marbury answered a few possessions later by getting downhill and finishing before Campbell could close the lane. Kobe grabbed the inbound and moved on.

Late in the first half, Garnett ripped down an offensive rebound between two Lakers, kicked it outside and immediately cut back toward the rim. He got the ball again in stride and drew a foul from Shaq.

Garnett bounced up talking shit.

Kobe had heard plenty of that voice before.

The free throws dropped, and Minnesota stayed close through the horn.

Lakers 54, Timberwolves 50.

Del went straight to the problem at halftime.

“Gugliotta’s too comfortable. Bruce, you’re getting him in the second half. Make him work before he catches it.” He looked around the room.

There wasn’t much more to say.

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The adjustment helped, but it didn’t put Minnesota away. Bowen made Gugliotta work harder for his catches, while Kobe stayed attached to Marbury and continued making him fight for space.

The problem was Garnett.

He kept possessions alive on the glass, ran the floor every chance he got, and seemed to appear wherever the Lakers thought they had an opening. Shaq continued doing damage inside, but Marbury found enough room off Garnett’s screens to keep Minnesota close.

Little by little, the four-point halftime lead disappeared. Gugliotta hit a jumper over Bowen, Garnett cleaned up a miss, and Marbury finished the quarter by getting into the lane and dropping a floater over Campbell.

The horn sounded with the game even.

Lakers 77, Timberwolves 77.

Kobe took the inbound to begin the fourth and walked the ball across half court. Marbury met him near the logo, still bouncing on his toes after three quarters of chasing him around the floor.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Marbury said.

He motioned Shaq toward the block.

The Lakers went right back to the matchup Minnesota still hadn’t solved.

Shaq sealed Vranković deep, Kobe put the ball inside, and Garnett immediately came over to help. Shaq held the ball high and kicked it back out before the double could trap him. Kobe caught it, saw Eddie alone on the opposite side, and moved it immediately.

Eddie buried the three.

Garnett responded by attacking the glass after a Marbury miss and tipped the ball in before Campbell could box him out.

On the next trip, Kobe fed Shaq again. Porter dug down from the top this time, Shaq kicked it back out, and Marbury came flying toward Kobe.

Kobe faked the shot.

Marbury stopped himself from jumping.

Kobe smiled. “At least you stayed on your feet.”

“You ain’t got no—.”

Kobe didn’t let him finish, he rose and the jumper dropped cleanly.

Neither team was giving the other much room.

Minnesota collapsed on Shaq again a few possessions later, and Kobe moved the kickout to Fisher in the corner. Fisher buried the three and started back on defense while Shaq pointed toward himself.

“That’s all me!”

Fisher laughed. “That’s my shot.”

Kobe was still laughing when he picked Marbury up near half court. A few possessions later, Marbury tried changing direction behind his back near the top, but Kobe recognized it early and stepped across to knock the ball free. Eddie took off along the left side, leaving West retreating between the two of them.

Kobe waited until West finally committed, then slipped the pass across. Eddie caught it in stride and finished at the rim.

Minnesota called timeout.

Shaq dropped into the chair beside Kobe and grabbed a towel. “Keep feeding everybody. Makes my life easier.”

Kobe reached for some water. “I thought you were Mr. Always Open.”

“I am.”

“Then why you need my help?”

Shaq stared at him for a second before laughing. “Man, shut up.”

Kobe laughed with him while Del stepped into the huddle.

Beep.

With a little over three minutes left, Marbury crowded Kobe on the wing. Shaq occupied Vranković near the block while Garnett hovered close enough to help. Kobe hesitated just long enough to make Marbury shift, then turned the corner before the help could arrive. Porter stepped toward him from the weak side, but Kobe floated the ball over his hand and softly off the glass.

Minnesota came back empty, and the Lakers used nearly the entire clock on the next possession. The Timberwolves showed the double toward Shaq before the entry even arrived, so Kobe waited. Eddie cut behind West when his attention drifted toward the paint, and Kobe put the pass through the opening for the layup.

Minnesota was running out of possessions now, but Marbury wasn’t finished. He used another Garnett screen, got his shoulder past Kobe and stretched the ball high off the glass before Shaq could meet him at the rim. As soon as it dropped, Marbury grabbed the ball and tossed it toward the official.

“Come on!”

Minnesota picked up full court. Kobe took the inbound with Marbury waiting and Porter hovering behind him, ready to trap near the sideline. Marbury tried angling him left, but Kobe crossed behind his back and changed direction before Porter could close the gap. By the time Minnesota recovered, he was already across half court.

Kobe raised one hand and slowed everything down.

Shaq came up to screen as the shot clock wound down. Marbury fought over it while Garnett stepped toward the free-throw line, and Kobe looked toward Shaq just long enough to freeze Garnett. Kobe split the opening, but Marbury recovered from behind and caught him across the arm.

The whistle came with less than a minute remaining.

Kobe walked to the line, bounced the ball twice and made both.

Minnesota pushed without calling timeout. Porter found Gugliotta on the wing, but Bowen stayed attached and forced him into a difficult jumper. The shot caught the back rim, and Garnett came flying in from the weak side to tip the rebound loose before Campbell finally secured it against his chest.

Campbell found Kobe, and Minnesota pressured for a few seconds before Marbury looked toward the clock. Porter did the same. Neither fouled.

The Forum began rising around them.

Shaq walked toward Kobe with a grin. “And that’s game.”

Kobe kept dribbling as the clock winded down.

He smiled while the crowd took over the final seconds. Marbury stood several feet away with his hands on his hips as thousands of voices counted together.

“Five! Four! Three! Two!”

“One!”

The horn sounded with Lakers 105, Timberwolves 94 glowing above the floor.

Kobe handed the ball to the nearest official as both teams crossed the court. Marbury reached him first and held out his hand.

“Good game,” Marbury said, holding out his hand.

Kobe took it. “Thanks. You played well too.”

Marbury nodded toward Kobe’s jersey. “Trade?”

“Yeah.”

They pulled them off and exchanged them without much ceremony. Kobe took Marbury’s number 3 while Marbury held up the number 8.

“Fourth and thirteenth,” Marbury said.

Kobe smiled. “Not bad.”

Before either could move on, one of the camera crews hurried over and called for them to hold the jerseys up. Marbury laughed and turned Kobe’s around so BRYANT faced the camera. Kobe did the same with MARBURY.

“Make sure you get my good side,” Marbury said.

“You have one?”

Marbury shoved Kobe lightly with the jersey as the cameraman caught the shot, both rookies laughing before they finally headed toward their respective tunnels.

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Final Score: Los Angeles Lakers 105 – Minnesota Timberwolves 94

Kobe Bryant: 25 points, 5 rebounds, 13 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks.

Shaquille O’Neal: 34 points, 17 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks.

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Stephon Marbury: 22 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal.

Kevin Garnett: 26 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks.