Los Angeles, Staples Center.
The Lakers were at home, hosting the Orlando Magic.
The arena was packed to the rafters, a sea of purple and gold.
On the court, the massive figure of Dwight Howard was grinning, joking around with his teammates.
He even pulled a goofy "flex" pose for the camera.
With this freak of nature in the middle surrounded by a squad of sharpshooters, Orlando was starting to look like a legitimate contender.
The game was a grind from the opening tip.
Tweet!
The whistle blew, and we were underway!
Howard, with his insane vertical, won the tip easily.
Jameer Nelson brought the ball up and handed it off to Hedo Turkoglu at the top of the key.
The Turkish forward, tall and long with great court vision, was the Magic's primary playmaker.
He was also Link's assignment for the night.
First possession.
After a few passes, the Magic dumped the ball down low to Howard.
"Superman" faced up against Bynum.
He banged inside twice, then spun for a hook shot.
His touch was rock hard. Clang. No good.
Lakers secured the rebound. Kobe initially looked to set up his teammates.
Link used his speed to shake off Turkoglu and caught the pass on the baseline.
No hesitation. He spun and pulled up for a mid-range jumper.
But Howard's closing speed was terrifying.
The ball had barely left Link's fingertips when Howard spiked it out of bounds like a volleyball!
"Prophet! Did you see that coming?" Howard taunted, wagging his finger.
A wave of boos erupted from the crowd.
But it wasn't over. Next possession.
Link cut to the basket again.
This time he was smarter. He threw a pump fake first, getting Howard to leave his feet.
Then he went up for a graceful layup.
But Howard's second jump was faster than anyone could imagine.
He landed and exploded back up instantly.
Bam!
Link's sure-thing layup was pinned violently against the backboard!
The massive impact threw Link off balance, and he stumbled on the landing.
Howard, meanwhile, landed smoothly with the ball in one hand, flashing a huge, pearly-white grin.
"Prophet, that ain't gonna work! Watch your head!"
Howard's arrogance instantly lit a fire in Link's belly.
For the next few possessions, Link tried to get him back.
But he kept hitting a wall, his shots repeatedly altered or blocked.
Howard's intimidation factor in the paint was on full display.
Halfway through the first quarter, the Lakers were down by 7.
The Zen Master was forced to call a timeout and subbed out a clearly frustrated Link.
"Link, cool off. Watch how Kobe solves the problem," Brian Shaw said, patting Link on the shoulder.
Back from timeout.
Kobe began to showcase his masterful control of the game.
First, he dished out two consecutive assists.
Then, he punished the Magic's defensive weak spots in the mid-range, draining a pull-up jumper.
He even took it inside and drew a foul on Howard, sinking both free throws.
Under Kobe's leadership, the Lakers played with more patience, using spacing and movement to find openings.
Almost all their shots came from the mid-range.
On the final possession of the first quarter, Kobe hit another fadeaway mid-range jumper right over Howard.
Staples Center erupted in cheers.
Lakers 26, Magic 25. They stole a 1-point lead!
Link watched from the bench, mesmerized by how Kobe dissected the Magic's defense.
That ability to read the game was just on another level!
Midway through the second quarter, Link checked back in.
The Zen Master pulled him aside and said in a low voice, "Forget those blocks. Use your speed and your brain."
Link took a deep breath and nodded.
Facing Turkoglu again, he was noticeably calmer.
He executed a sharp curl off a screen for a catch-and-shoot mid-range jumper.
Catch, turn, fire—lightning fast!
Turkoglu couldn't react in time.
Swish!
Howard bared his teeth at him from under the basket.
The Magic's offense still ran through Turkoglu.
The Turkish forward keenly noticed the Lakers' defense collapsing to contain Howard.
He found Rashard Lewis wide open on the perimeter twice in a row, and Lewis buried both threes through the heart of the defense.
Kobe stepped up again.
He didn't try to challenge Howard head-on.
Instead, he used Bynum's massive screens to hit two of his signature fadeaway jumpers.
When the Magic's defense started to extend, he threaded a beautiful bounce pass to a cutting Odom for a layup.
Two minutes before halftime, the highlight of the night happened.
Link caught the ball off a screen and slashed into the paint.
Howard rotated over like a mountain.
This time, Link didn't force the shot. He contorted his body in mid-air.
And dumped the ball off to a wide-open Bynum.
Bynum caught it and smashed it home!
"Great play!" Kobe walked over and high-fived Link hard.
Howard looked annoyed, barking at his teammates about missed rotations.
On the other end, he fought hard for position.
After catching the entry pass, he powered up through a double team.
He dunked it right over Bynum! And the foul!
"AND ONE!" Howard landed, pounding his chest and roaring, flexing his bulging biceps for the crowd!
The frustration from a moment ago was instantly replaced by his over-the-top celebration.
After hitting the free throw, he backpedaled on defense, winking at the Lakers bench.
Halftime: Lakers trailed 52-55.
The locker room was a bit subdued. Howard's presence in the paint was just overwhelming.
"We're playing too timidly because we're scared of his shot-blocking," the Zen Master analyzed calmly.
"Second half, I'm going to attack the rim and draw fouls on him," Kobe took over, then looked at Link.
"Link, keep cutting. Shoot if you have the look. If he commits to you, our bigs will be open."
In the third quarter, the Lakers stuck to the Zen Master's game plan.
Kobe led the charge, driving into the paint like he was carrying dynamite.
Although he got altered by Howard twice, he managed to draw a defensive foul on the big man.
When Howard picked up his fourth foul and was forced to sit, it felt like a mountain had been moved out of Staples Center.
Link seized the opportunity. First, he hit a corner three off a Kobe assist.
Then he picked Jameer Nelson's pocket and finished a fast-break layup.
5 straight points to help the Lakers retake the lead!
The crowd was fully ignited!
End of the third: Lakers 78, Magic 73.
The fourth quarter was a dogfight.
Kobe went full Black Mamba mode.
He poured in 15 points in the quarter, practically dragging the Lakers forward on his own.
Link also contributed a crucial three-pointer and hounded Turkoglu on defense, forcing a turnover.
Final minute. Magic trailed 96-98 with the ball.
The entire crowd was on its feet, the noise threatening to blow the roof off.
The Zen Master set the defense.
No doubt about it, the Magic would initiate with a Turkoglu-Howard pick-and-roll.
Timeout over.
Magic inbounded in the frontcourt. Turkoglu caught the ball under heavy pressure from Link.
Howard came up to set the screen.
But the screen was soft, and Link fought through it easily.
The [Defensive Specialist Lv2] effect was still active.
Link stayed right in front of Turkoglu.
The Turkish forward couldn't shake him and had to retreat to the top of the key to reset.
Tick, tick, tick.
Time was running out for the Magic.
Turkoglu drove deep again, but facing a double team, he kicked it back out to Howard, who was a step outside the free-throw line.
2.1 seconds on the shot clock.
Howard had no time to pass.
He had to shoot!
His upper body was so muscular that his shooting motion was incredibly stiff.
The ball had zero rotation, the arc flat and straight.
It slammed against the backboard and didn't even graze the rim!
Beep!!
Shot clock violation!
Lakers ball. The Magic fouled immediately.
Howard stood with hands on his hips, head down, staring at the floor.
As Kobe prepared to head to the free-throw line...
"Hey, Dwight!"
It was Link.
Howard turned his head.
He saw Link mimicking a stiff, robotic shooting motion.
Imitating Howard's broken form perfectly—pushing the arm straight out with almost no wrist flick.
Staples Center erupted in knowing laughter.
Howard's face turned livid, and he walked to the bench without looking back.
Amid chants of "MVP," Kobe calmly sank both free throws.
The Black Mamba was incredibly efficient tonight, finishing with 38 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists.
The final buzzer sounded. 100-96.
Staples Center exploded in a frenzy of victory, the purple and gold ocean surging once again.