Halfway through the fourth quarter, the Phoenix Suns held a mere two-point lead. It was practically no lead at all.
Both sides traded blows, hanging on by a thread. Whoever cracked first and let out that held breath would likely lose the game in an instant.
On the sidelines, Chen Yu wore a solemn expression. "Brian, we might lose," he said in a low voice.
Beside him, Brian looked equally grim. He had the same feeling. "Kobe changed his playstyle." He furrowed his brows deeply.
Chen nodded.
At this crucial moment, Raja Bell subbed in to bolster the defense. Kobe had morphed into a primary ball-handler who could both score and pass. He also took on the task of defending Hardaway. He ran off screens, set picks for his teammates, and distributed the ball to create opportunities. He even crashed the paint to fight for rebounds. He was everywhere, doing everything. And unfortunately for the Suns, he executed it all quite well.
This shift was exactly what Chen had feared the most.
