NBA: Built to Dominate

Chapter 104: Young Mamba's Mentality! Want Rodman? You Have to Unleash Big Ben! (3/5, Please Subscribe)Big Ben on the Sidelines – The Calm Before the Storm

For this game, Ben Wallace traveled with the Lakers to Boston—but he wasn't on the active roster.

Del Harris had made it clear:

"Mo and AI's first battle against the Celtics is going to be a basketball game—not a boxing match."

Big Ben was furious.

He was still brooding over his six-game suspension.

"Why am I the one sitting out?! Was I the one who threw the first punch?"

Garnett had dodged his punch—technically, it never landed.

"I ain't a damn detonator!"

But Harris still kept him glued to the bench.

And that only made Ben's grudge against Garnett even stronger.

"Man, if I knew I'd get suspended anyway, I should've landed that punch!"

Still, Big Ben accepted reality quickly.

After all—

Waving towels, hyping up teammates, and roaring from the bench?

Yeah, he was too skilled at that.

Tip-Off – Iverson vs. Kidd, Tradition vs. Revolution

With the warmups over, the starting lineups took the court.

While the Lakers-Celtics rivalry was the headliner, the matchup between Iverson and Kidd also carried serious weight.

Jason Kidd was the perfect traditional point guard:

Pass-first mentality.Total floor general.Almost zero scoring instinct.

So much so that fans nicknamed him:

"A Point Guard Who Doesn't Attack."

And on the opposite end of the spectrum?

Allen Iverson.

Buckets first.Buckets second.Maybe an assist if Mo's open.

Even his high assist totals came mostly from Mo catching lobs.

As Stephon Marbury once joked:"Hell, even my grandma would average 10 assists if Mo was on her team."

Iverson wasn't traditional.

But he didn't care.

Because this was who he was.

Kobe – The Young Gun Who Doesn't Pass

If Kidd was known as "The Point Guard Who Doesn't Attack,"

Then Kobe Bryant was…

"The Shooting Guard Who Doesn't Pass."

If Kidd was all pass, no attack, then Kobe was no pass, all attack.

A perfectly ironic matchup.

And tonight?

Kobe had a mission.

And Iverson was about to deliver that message.

Kobe's Dunk Challenge – Welcome to Boston

After tip-off, the Celtics won possession.

Kidd slowly walked it up the floor, controlling the tempo.

He read the defense and found Kobe, wide open for a mid-range jumper.

Byron Scott was too slow to contest it.

But instead of taking the open shot…

Kobe attacked the rim.

"Here we go! The young Celtics guard is taking it straight to Mo!"

The crowd erupted as Kobe charged inside.

And Mo?

He was already waiting.

Kobe jumped.

Mo jumped.

And then—

BOOM!

Mo spiked the ball straight down, sending Kobe crashing to the floor.

The Celtics fans, ready to cheer, were frozen mid-celebration.

Mo grinned.

"That's how LA says hello, Kobe."

"If you're brave enough, try again!"

Then, without hesitation, Mo grabbed the loose ball, sprinted down the court, and threw down a dunk on the other end.

The rim shook violently.

Even the staff under the basket looked nervous.

Because last time?

Mo broke the backboard here.

Kobe's Second Attempt – Blocked Again!

After seeing Mo throw down a three-step dunk in transition,

Kobe refused to back down.

The next possession?

He attacked the rim again.

Same move.Same aggression.Same result.

Mo blocked it again.

This time, Kobe hit the floor even harder.

But…

Instead of being frustrated,

He was thinking.

"How do I beat him?"

This wasn't just reckless dunking.

This was Kobe breaking down film in real-time.

Kobe's Third Attempt – The Switch-Hand Layup

The next Celtics possession?

Kobe called for a screen to get another lane to the basket.

This time, as Mo rotated over, Kobe adjusted mid-air…

And tried a switch-hand layup to avoid the block.

A brilliant move.

Except—

Mo read it perfectly.

His right hand missed—but his left hand swatted it anyway.

Kobe hit the floor for the third time.

And the Lakers turned it into another fast-break dunk.

Kobe just lay there, staring at the ceiling.

Was he hopeless?

No.

He was calculating.

Like Doctor Strange analyzing millions of timelines,

Kobe was searching for the one reality where he dunked on Mo.

Lakers Dominate – First Yellow-Green Battle of the New Era

The game quickly got out of hand.

Iverson and Mo were too much for Boston.

By the fourth quarter:

Mo: 40+ points, 18 rebounds, 6 blocks.Iverson: 30+ points, 10 assists.Celtics trailed by 25.

A dominant first win for the Lakers in the new Lakers-Celtics era.

After the game, Kobe walked over to Mo.

Mo smiled.

"Keep challenging me, Kobe. That's how you get stronger."

Then, he patted Kobe's head.

"But if you wanna dunk on me, you need to level up first."

Kobe nodded.

"One day, I'll score on you."

His voice was calm.

Confident.

Because for Kobe Bryant, this wasn't just a side quest.

It was a main mission—on the same level as beating Michael Jordan.

And he wasn't giving up anytime soon.

Ben Wallace – The Enforcer's Return

At the post-game press conference, reporters asked Del Harris the question everyone wanted answered:

"Will Ben Wallace finally play in the next game?"

Harris smirked.

"We're still evaluating the right time for his return."

"It could be at home in a few days… or we might save him for Christmas in Chicago."

Because while the regular season continued…

Everyone already had their eyes on one game.

Lakers vs. Bulls.

Christmas Day.

Mo vs. Jordan.

And if anyone was going to handle Dennis Rodman?

That job belonged to Big Ben.