"Shaq played very well. He had 32 points and 13 rebounds. He was unstoppable under the basket—"
Jackson, who had been answering the question instinctively, suddenly caught himself and shut his mouth. After a slight pause, he continued, "Of course, Kobe's performance was just as outstanding. His offense was still excellent, scoring 21 points. He's also our core perimeter defender and a huge help to the team."
After speaking, Jackson nodded to himself. 'Right, I can't just praise O'Neal. At such a sensitive time, things will only get more difficult if I don't say something good about Kobe.'
He couldn't help but think back to the post-game locker room.
After losing the game, Kobe, his face taut, headed straight back to the locker room.
He even ignored the young fans on both sides of the players' tunnel who were reaching out for his autograph. Normally, especially with young fans like that, Kobe would have definitely stopped to grant their wish.
