After three consecutive championships, their cooperation became more and more perfect, especially in the offensive system of the Lakers. When an opponent doubles O 'Neal on the inside, the ball will be transferred to Kobe Bryant and Fisher on the outside. When the opponent pounces on Kobe Bryant, the ball will be quickly passed to O 'Neal inside. But this brings another problem. Jimmy Clemens, an assistant professor of the Lakers, once hit the nail on the head: "O 'Neill and Kobe are in their prime. At any time, the expression on their faces is:' All right, give me the ball and let me fix everything' ... Everyone is eager to shoot. The point is, the basketball game is only 48 minutes. How many times can each player touch the ball? "
Finally, Kobe Bryant's wings are growing, and he is ready to "usurp the throne and seize power". O 'Neill is a party expert and a joke expert in the Lakers. He likes nightlife and often organizes his teammates to participate in "shark parties". Only Kobe never buys anything. He prefers to be alone, eating dinner, reading books and talking on the phone in the hotel room, which also lays a time bomb for the contradiction between the two.
Peter Pan also began to complain to the media and fans many times that he was treated unfairly in the team, that he had fewer shooting opportunities than O 'Neill, and that ... too many complaints exposed the contradiction between them to the world.
O 'Neill is obviously not satisfied with Kobe's complaints. The Lakers' No.34 has repeatedly said that there is something wrong with the team's offense, and teammates should shift the ball to the inside more. Many times, when Kobe scored high and he couldn't find the feeling of shooting, O 'Neill would choose to avoid the media. Although the NBA stipulates that players must be interviewed after the game, O 'Neill either stays in the training room or slips out the back door. "When O 'Neal is happy, the whole dressing room, the whole training room and the whole stadium are full of joy," Lakers coach Vitti said. When he is unhappy, he has the ability to make everyone excited, as if they were in hell. "
Subsequently, Kobe's "rape case" pushed the contradiction between the two to an irreconcilable level. When being investigated by the police, Kobe Bryant casually said that O 'Neill had paid "hush money" to other women. O 'Neill knew about it before it was made public. On the one hand, Kobe was busy with the lawsuit, on the other hand, he was so angry that he "betrayed" O 'Neill. He even growled at his teammates in the locker room, trying to find out who tipped O 'Neill off. On the other hand, O 'Neill is crazy. He told reporters, "This is his true colors. This guy is a joke and a clown. He was caught by the police because he did something bad, and he said my name. I don't usually talk to him or associate with him. I can't imagine how he made up that story. "
Later, Kobe said to Jackson, "I will never tolerate Shaq again." If he criticizes me to the media, I will definitely fight back. " . I'm not afraid to go against Shaq. It's not that I didn't fight him. "Of course, these words will reach O' Neill's ears, so when a reporter asked O' Neill at the Lakers training camp," What is the impact of Kobe's absence from training camp on the team? " O' Neill's answer is: "The whole team? Our entire team is here. "
Then the Lakers unexpectedly lost to the Pistons in the finals, Shaq swam to Florida, Peter Pan signed a super contract, and the "OK combination" was dissolved. According to the media, Kobe and O 'Neill will never eat together on the road, and they are always at arm's length, just like in the home team locker room of Staples Center, where Kobe's wardrobe and O 'Neill's wardrobe are just at the two ends of the right angle; They may stare at the championship ring at the same time, but their eyes never stop on each other's faces, even for a moment.
Even though they are separated, they still can't forget their hatred for each other. The versatile O 'Neill actually recorded a rap to satirize Kobe: "Even if I give you a pair of wings, you can't fly as high as me. Kobe wants to keep pace with me, but he can't. Even if I am traded, I am still me. " And Kobe will try to avoid talking about this former teammate in public.
The Christmas war has always been the highlight of the NBA, and the warring sides must be the most influential teams in the league. Because of the entanglement between Kobe Bryant and O 'Neill, two teams have been created, and the confrontation between Kobe Bryant and O 'Neill is still the main theme of the Christmas War. The Christmas War in 2004 was O 'Neill's first visit to Los Angeles after his transfer. Before the game, O 'Neill and Kobe Bryant choked again. "If you hit a brick wall with a light cruiser, you can imagine the result," O 'Neill told ABC. "Kobe is a sports car and I am a wall. You should know what will happen. " Kobe retorted: "He (O 'Neill) is a cruiser. This is a joke. I am not a light sports car. I am Lamborghini (top luxury sports car). "