There are moments in life when you must challenge greatness.

During the All-Star Weekend, Kobe promised Lakers fans that he would personally tear through the darkness ahead for the Lakers and lead them back to the playoffs.

As facts proved, Kobe did it.

In the sprint phase of the regular season, to ensure their standings, he played more than 40 minutes with injuries for thirteen consecutive games.

After the All-Star Weekend, he had eleven games where he scored over forty points per game. (This only includes statistics after the All-Star Weekend and includes two games of 50+ points.)

One night, Lakers' famous fan Nicholson asked Kobe, "Hey, Kobe, why can you always score so many points?"

To this, Kobe's response was filled with helplessness: "Because I have to score those points to get us back to where we belong."

Hence, whenever Kobe took too many shots in a game, the media, who always focused on his shot count, changed their tune.

They hoped Kobe would score high in game after game because everyone knew that only in this way could this once-proud team return to the playoffs.

For this, Kobe's teammate Brian Cook reminded the world, "Chicagoans say such Kobe is not a hero. But I want to say that without Kobe's scoring, we might have already started our vacation early."

Monta Ellis supported Kobe, "No one knows what he goes through every night. Since the new year began, he's been playing injured every night, but he never complains, at least not like that bastard who constantly uses 'foot injury' to prove he's still at his peak."

Undoubtedly, such Kobe Bryant is worthy of respect.

From early March to April, under his leadership, the Lakers won critical battles one by one, and finally, before the regular season ended, they raised their standings to seventh in the West.

Although they may still be squeezed out of the playoff sequence in the last moment of the regular season, compared to the despair at the start of the season, Lakers fans have already seen a glimmer of hope from Kobe.

April 11th, evening, Staples Center.

When Kobe finished his ice pack treatment and walked from the locker room to the court, the fans who had just started taking their seats immediately broke out in "MVP, MVP" chants for him.

Assistant coach Brian Shaw was the first to step forward with concern, "Can your body endure 40 minutes?"

Kobe smiled and replied, "When can I not endure 40 minutes in a game?"

Tonight, facing the Warriors visiting Staples Center, the entire Lakers team longed for revenge.

Because at the start of the regular season, the Warriors' Messiah once used a buzzer-beater to snatch away the night that should have belonged to Kobe from Staples Center.

Even after all this time, Kobe never allows anyone to mention the 70 points he scored in that game in front of him.

Because, in Kobe's eyes, that is neither worth boasting about nor worth reminiscing.

To the victor go the spoils, to the loser goes disgrace.

In Kobe's view, only the weak and mediocre would tell the world about his failures and tell the world it was a great failure.

Failure, when does it deserve to be associated with greatness?

Would Elgin Baylor tell the world that because he reached the finals enough times, his multiple runner-up finishes are also valuable? Should people not overlook his dominance in reaching the finals repeatedly?

Just like now, even though he's about to lead the Lakers into the playoffs, Kobe still believes he is not associated with greatness.

The Lakers half-court, Kobe took the basketball from Ellis and officially started his pre-game warm-up.

"Hiss——!"

Meanwhile, as the person involved in "Good night, Los Angeles," as soon as someone appeared on the court, the whole arena greeted him with boos.

During the warm-up, the boos intensified with every basket someone scored.

Especially during the pre-game interview with ESPN, the crowd immediately expressed their attitude with boos that echoed to the dome.

Los Angeles does not like you.

Staples Center does not welcome you.

We Lakers fans despise you.

"See how loved I am here?" during the interview, facing ESPN's reporter, someone said this.

In response, the ESPN reporter, feeling he was about to lose the ability to hear what was being said next, smiled wryly, "Please don't make my work harder, Messiah."

Then, the reporter, enduring the piercing boos, asked, "You're about to have a duel with the Lakers. You've already locked fifth in the West, and the Lakers need a win to ensure their standings. Do you think you'll go all out as usual?"

Qin Yue nodded, "You know, I always go all out, especially in Los Angeles."

At this moment, Qin Yue had no intention of making the ESPN reporter's job harder by interviewing him.

Because this season, in games held in Los Angeles, whether facing the Clippers or the Lakers, Qin Yue always performs unusually well.

In the NBA, many stars have their own happy hunting grounds, like Stephen Curry in Charlotte, or Michael Jordan, who always seems to switch on God mode in New York.

Although you can't explain this phenomenon scientifically, Qin Yue indeed reached his second condition set for himself before the game against the Lakers began.

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