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Kobe-Shaq Story Must Watch!!!!

Uploaded by: kinghere258
Video Description:
t's been fun.
All of us at ESPN.com, TNT, ABC and everywhere else have now squeezed two seasons of psychoanalysis, speculation, jocularity, interviews, video, etc., etc. out of the Shaquille O'Neal-Kobe Bryant relationship.
And now we've finally had two things we didn't know for sure we would see: (1) the Hug Heard 'Round the World, as Shaq approached Kobe for a quick handshake before the game and soon thereafter the former teammates embraced, not once but twice; and (2) a win by Kobe's Lakers over Shaq's Heat, 100-92.
Meanwhile, we're missing one of the most surprising, even amazing stories of the season. More on that in a sec.
First, a whirlwind recap of where we've been, courtesy of Shaq and Kobe.
Last season, we had the Daddy Christmas game, as the Heat pulled out an OT win in L.A. when Kobe scored 42 but missed a game-winning jumper ... and then the more ordinary Miami home win over L.A. in March.
This season, Miami pulled out another tight win on Christmas, this time at home.
Each time, the Shaq-Kobe relationship seemed to grow ever frostier. The first Christmas game featured a slight pregame acknowledgement/fist-bump/half-hug, while a year later the two made no gesture toward one another.
During all of that, the two teams were giving us more mini-dramas than we could keep straight:
• The resignation of Rudy Tomjanovich and the subsequent return of Phil Jackson to the Lakers
• The Heat's inability to close out the Eastern Conference finals, which led to a summer of controversy
• Stan Van Gundy's resignation, with Pat Riley taking over and O'Neal being suspected of having a backstage role in the moves
• The resumption of the longtime Phil Jackson-Pat Riley rivalry
• The ongoing controversy about whether Bryant plays selfishly
• The debate about his 62-point night
• Kobe vs. LeBron
• Gary Payton vs. Lamar Odom
• Shaq vs. Andrew Bynum(!)
• And much, much more
So what's the untold story?
Well, pardon me for bringing this back to basketball, and pardon me for bringing up something that's about as titillating as Rob Schneider, but hidden in all the drama is the reason for the rise of the Lakers as a credible team in the Western Conference.
It's not Kobe Bryant, as sensational as he's been.
It's not Lamar Odom, though he's been an often unsung hero this season.
It's not the triangle offense, or Phil Jackson's supposed ability to get players to play together.
No -- it's the team defense.
Don't buy it?
Last year, the Lakers were 29th (of 30 teams) in defense, according to John Hollinger's Defensive Efficiency rating, which is simply a measure of how many points a team allows per 100 possessions. They were a terrible defensive team, and they finished 34-48.
This year? Coming into Monday's games, the Lakers were tied for ninth in the league with the vaunted Pistons. They were ahead of Jerry Sloan's Jazz, Jeff Van Gundy's Rockets, Scott Skiles' Bulls and 17 other teams.
That's what Jackson has persuaded the Lakers to do -- play defense. He's getting the usual stellar effort out of Bryant, some strong defensive play out of Odom and Smush Parker and a surprising interior defensive presence in Kwame Brown. More than anything else, he's getting them to play hard.
The team's offense? It's a healthy 10th in the league, but that's actually down from last season's 7th-place finish.
So when the Lakers shut down the Heat on Monday, holding them to 92 points, it shouldn't have been a big surprise. Rather, it should have been the story.

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