Chapter 1084 - 346: He Will Never Be God—He Is the Satan Who Stands Against the World

Words : 1015 Updated : Oct 1st, 2025

Steve Nash wasn’t feeling great with his shooting in the intense physical battle and didn’t have the strength to break through the Warriors’ defense. Stoudemire, though he got to the free-throw line a few times with some strong drives, still didn’t meet expectations. Allan Houston, facing the stronger and faster Kobe, couldn’t even get a hold of the ball. Carmelo Anthony watched the game on TV, swallowing hard. He realized that the Warriors, who swept his team in the first round, didn’t even show seventy percent of their defensive prowess. Eventually, it was Kobe who broke the scoring drought. He successfully broke through with an in-and-out dribble, shrugged off Prince, and attacked the rim again. Prince could do nothing but grab Kobe’s jersey. Kobe lost his balance in the air, but the basketball still hit the backboard and went in solidly! The referee’s whistle blew, and Kobe got a chance for a three-point play! But just after Kobe’s basket, Roger answered back with a signature move, banking the ball in. In the ugly muscular defensive play, Kobe and Roger were like two artists dancing in ruins, providing the only spectacle and scenery. "Help defense, why is there no help defense!" "Don’t panic, we’re still keeping up with the score!" Numbers 8 and 14 were simultaneously shouting on the court, and these voices traveled across the East and West Coasts, across the two countries, allowing countless fans to feel the intensity of the game. Michael Jordan glanced at the game in between playing cards and then decided to turn off the TV. The rivalry between Kobe and Roger was reminiscent of him and Roger in the ’90s, which also meant that this league no longer had anything to do with him. Someone had taken his place to compete with Roger. Since their playing time wasn’t as much as in the first quarter, Roger and Kobe didn’t score as much either. But at halftime, Roger still had 24 points, Kobe 26! "Immortal scoring performance! The top scorer and second leading scorer are lighting it up at the Oakland Arena! No one else can score, the defenses of both teams are too strong! The game’s outcome is completely in the hands of Kobe and Roger!" The third quarter didn’t change much. Stoudemire made several tough shots at the rim, but couldn’t sustain the output. Steve Nash hit a few mid-range shots over Roger, but those sporadic baskets couldn’t change the game. Allan Houston had been prevented from getting the ball by Kobe for a long time now. Karl Malone was the most frustrated, as he had only scored 4 points so far, with Marcus Camby sticking to him like glue. Roger and Kobe remained the primary scoring sources for both teams. In fact, the Lakers’ games hadn’t changed much from the previous round. Others destroyed the Kings with their defense, while Kobe was responsible for finishing. No one from the Kings could step up against the Lakers’ defense, Webber couldn’t, Peja couldn’t, and Mike Bibby couldn’t either. But when facing the Warriors, Roger stepped up to duel with Kobe. By the end of the third quarter, both Roger and Kobe had 36 points, and the Warriors led by 4 going into the fourth quarter. This almost guaranteed one thing: today would witness a showdown with two players scoring over 40 points! Mike Breen couldn’t help but exclaim, "Kobe Bryant is the toughest challenger Roger has faced in recent years!" Indeed, in recent years, no individual had posed such a significant threat to Roger. Kobe, who aimed to make his mark in the league since 1996, finally had the ability to challenge Roger in 2004. However, for the Lakers, they had another problem. During the break between quarters, when Kobe came off the court, boos surrounded the Lakers’ bench and did not stop. "You’re destined to be a loser, damn sexual offender!" "In front of Roger, you’ll always crawl out on your knees!" "Your end might not be in jail, but it’s definitely here!" The Lakers players were all irritated by such voices; this was the Lakers’ other problem, Kobe’s biggest antagonist’s debuff. His mindset was facing severe challenges. The Zen Master also hated Kobe, as his daughter had suffered a similar assault incident and could not forgive Kobe’s actions. But the Zen Master didn’t hate winning; he knew clearly that if he couldn’t win the championship this season, he would most likely retire again. Moreover, from 1995 to 2004, the Zen Master and Roger met countless times in the playoffs but never won, making him eager to win this year. And for the Lakers to win, they needed Kobe to keep fighting without being affected. He glanced at Kobe and found his face full of murderous intent, not frustration. These voices couldn’t affect him at all; from the very beginning, Kobe Bryant wanted to become a God like Roger. But now he understood that he could never be that God. He was the Satan who opposed the world! If that’s the case, then what do these curses mean? He wanted to reach the top amid these insults! Seeing Kobe’s mindset was unaffected, the Zen Master immediately tapped the tactics board: "Kobe, in the last three minutes of the fourth quarter, I need you to defend Roger, manage your stamina!" Kobe shook his head and held up five fingers: "No, from five minutes." No Shaq, no Pierce, none of the other troubles. It’s just Kobe VS Roger; this is the head-to-head duel Kobe had longed for! On the other side, Hubie Brown issued almost the same instruction. And Roger also waved it off: "Not necessarily the last three minutes, I’ll start whenever Kobe starts." "Ha, I bet Kobe would be glad to hear you say that, really hope you two maniacs start hurting each other sooner!" Allan Houston, defensively suffocated by Kobe, helplessly complained. His complaint was agreed upon by most people, like Tayshaun Prince, who was also tortured by Kobe. This was a war none of them could control. This is a war between God and Satan.

Chapter 1084 - 346: He Will Never Be God—He Is the Satan Who Stands Against the World

Comments (0)