After that 58-point demolition on the road, the Lakers flew back to Los Angeles carrying a confidence the team hadn't felt in years.
The final regular-season game was against the Chicago Bulls, who'd made the trip west. Kobe, Link, Odom, and the rest of the core rested. Bench minutes were the order of the night.
Inside the locker room the mood was light—nothing like the usual pre-game tension. Players chatted in small groups, laughing easily.
"Gentlemen," Phil Jackson said, calm as ever. "We've locked up the fourth seed. The only job left is to stay healthy and stay sharp." He glanced at the bench guys. "Tonight belongs to you. Go show everyone what you've been waiting all season to prove."
When the lights came up at Staples, the Lakers rolled out a deep rotation: Farmar, Brian Cook, Radmanović, Turiaf, and Mihm. Kobe and Link sat at the end of the bench in street clothes, relaxed, watching like fans.
The game played out exactly how everyone expected. Without their stars the Lakers looked slow on offense and disconnected on defense. The Bulls, led by Ben Gordon and Luol Deng, played with real edge.
The deficit grew from the first quarter. By halftime Chicago led by 18. In the second half the gap ballooned toward 30. Final score: 89–112. The Lakers dropped their last regular-season game at home.
The one bright spot was rookie Jordan Farmar. He played 32 minutes and finished with 10 points and 8 assists, showing real growth in his decision-making and handle.
The loss didn't dampen the locker-room mood at all. The 2006–07 regular season had officially ended.
The Western Conference standings were finally set.
Dallas, Phoenix, San Antonio, and Los Angeles sat in the top four. Houston, Utah, Denver, and Golden State filled out spots five through eight. The first-round matchups were locked. The Lakers had secured home-court advantage.
In the previous timeline, this Lakers team had finished 42–40 and landed in the seventh seed. They got swept 4–1 by the Suns in the first round. This time everything had changed. Link's arrival helped the Lakers win eight more games—huge in the brutal West. They'd climbed into the top half of the conference.
That meant their playoff journey started against the Houston Rockets.
After the game, media outlets began breaking down individual stats. Kobe Bryant led the league at 30.9 points per game and claimed his second scoring title. His scoring dipped slightly from the year before because Link was taking some of the offensive load, but nobody cared. The Black Mamba had the crown again.
In MVP chatter, Kobe's late-season surge and the Lakers' improved record put him back in the conversation. Most analysts still favored Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas. Defensive Player of the Year was a tight race between Bruce Bowen and Marcus Camby. Brandon Roy of the Trail Blazers was the clear favorite for Rookie of the Year.
Link closed his second NBA season with a strong line: 21.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. He shot 46.9 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from three. He'd gone from a fringe rotation player to an All-Star starter. The fan vote helped, sure, but his story and impact on a high-profile team made him a legitimate candidate.
Most Improved Player was shaping up as a two-man race between Link and Monta Ellis of the Warriors. Link's improbable rise and the way he'd become a key piece for the Lakers gave him a real shot.
"Alright, celebration's over," Kobe said, rising from his locker after the short locker-room gathering. His expression turned serious. "We got the home-court advantage we wanted. That's only the beginning." He looked around the room, eyes lingering on Link for an extra beat. "Houston's got Yao and Tracy. They're tough. We don't have the luxury of relaxing. These next ten days aren't a vacation—they're the final prep before we go to war."
The room went quiet. Everyone knew the Lakers were finally back on track. Kobe was hungry to reach the mountaintop without Shaq and prove to the world he could still win it all.
The next day the team had no group practice. Link showed up anyway and went straight into extra work. The gym was busier than usual—playoff urgency had everyone grinding.
He pulled up the system panel in his mind.
Host: Link
Age: 22 | Height: 6'7" | Weight: 205 lbs | Wingspan: 6'11" | Body Fat: 6.6%
Shooting Ratings
Three-Point: A+ | Mid-Range: A | Free Throw: B+ | Catch & Shoot: A–
Athleticism Ratings
Speed: A | Agility: A | Strength: A– | Vertical: B+ | Balance: A+
Finishing Ratings
Layups: A– | Off-Hand Layup: B | Contact Layup: C | Drawing Fouls: D
Ball-Handling Ratings
Dribbling: C | Fancy Dribbling: C– | Off-Hand Dribbling: C– | Crossover/Drive: C
Defense Ratings
Steals: A | Blocks: B+ | Shot Contest: A+ | Help Defense: A
Overall Rating: B
Completed Training: Open Threes (Advanced), Athleticism (Advanced), Defense (Advanced), Mid-Range Shooting (Intermediate), Layups (Intermediate)
Unlocked Skills: Focused Shooter Lv3, Stamina Boost Lv3, Defensive Specialist Lv3, Mid-Range Master Lv2, Soft Touch Lv2
Available Training: Deep Threes (Advanced), Vision Denial (Advanced), Catch & Shoot (Advanced)
Link's next focus was clear.
Contact Layup (Basic)
Playoff physicality was on another level. He planned to use the ten days before the first round to sharpen his finishing through contact. Once the offseason hit, he'd shift to ball-handling and creation work.
The real season was just about to begin.