The previous dynasty team in the NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers, was relatively fortunate.
Because when O'Neal was sidelined due to injury, the Lakers still had Kobe to lead the team.
Ma Long didn't want to say that the Lakers' luck at that time mainly owed to them having a second-in-command fully committed to both offense and defense, but without Kobe, it would have been far from easy for the Lakers to get through those tough times.
Additionally, Phil Jackson, who had previously led the Bulls to two dynasty runs, was more experienced compared to Ma Long at that moment.
By comparing O'Neal's and Kobe's regular-season playing time in the second and third championships, it isn't hard to find...
Old man Jackson wasn't just "meditating" on the sidelines. He had deliberately adjusted O'Neal's and Kobe's playing time in the regular season of 01/02 early on.
