The Most FRIGHTENING Christmas Game Of All Time...

This was the most hostile Christmas game of all time! Tensions were boiling on the court when Kobe and Shaq stepped up against each other for the 1st time ever in 2004. And to understand the gravity of the hype around it, we gotta rewind to see exactly how we got there in the 1st place. Obviously, in the words of O’Neal himself, they were the best 1-2 punch the league has ever seen. In their 8 years together, the Lakers won 3 out of 4 NBA finals. But after the ugly beating they got from the Pistons, the breakup was inevitable. And while the world was focused on the Kobe vs Shaq feud, Bryant had built up so much friction with coach Jackson as well, forcing Phil to say this. So Mitch Kupchak, the Lakers GM at the time made the decision to part ways with the Zen Master. And right after that he had another elephant in the room. How do you choose between two alpha dogs? Well, Shaq put it simple enough. And there he was, on his way to South Beach in exchange for essentially - Lamar Odom, cuz Caron Butler was gone after a year and Brian Grant was on his last legs. So, after the fog has lifted, Dr. Buss made Kobe the face of the franchise by signing him to a 7 year - 136 million dollar deal. And fans knew immediately that the old pals will have to meet on Christmas. But during that period, Bryant’s sexual assault case was still ongoing, and while he was being questioned by the police, Kobe accidentally added fuel to the fire by throwing a wild accusation at Shaq. The Big Diesel as we know him, didn’t hold back when responding to the matter. He stated that the two of them never really hang out together, and that he’s not the one who’s buying love, but instead Kobe is. This made their upcoming matchup a must-see TV. Shaq knew the hype was real, but for Kobe, the game was more of a chance to apologize to his once big brother. When the day finally came, December 25th 2004, the entire sports world tuned in for Shaq’s 1st game back in LA. And the crowd welcomed him with a standing ovation. And even the hottest stars in Hollywood made sure to witness the spectacle from the front row. All the commentators were talking about before tip-off was the way Kobe and Shaq will greet each other on the court. You saw it and heard it first hand, now let’s get down to the basketball side of things. First play of the game, and Bryant goes right at O’Neal. The Diesel shuts down Kobe’s 1st attempt, and the Heat take the 1st lead. But right then and there, the Black Mamba forgot about the emotions, the beef, the apologies, and focused on one thing only. Heat Check! Kobe turned into killer mode and hit 3 straight bombs from deep, as well as that sweet looking fadeaway over O’Neal to get him fired up. It’s on now! How’s Shaq responding to that? In the best way he knows, by bullying people inside the paint. 1, 2, 3 it doesn’t matter. He was dunking on entire teams back in his hey day. And Bryant was still hot. Did you hear that? 1st time ever that Kobe hit 4 straight triples. This game meant the world to him at the moment! However, the Heat bounced back and even took the lead because Bryant was playing with a Looney Tunes squad. Exactly. Chris Mihm at center, Chucky Atkins at point guard and Jumaine Jones at the 3. We gon exclude Lamar Odom as the only decent guy besides Kob. And their best player off the bench was Brian Cook. Yeah, there shouldn’t be a team where Brian Cook is the 6th man. Regardless, at the start of the 2nd quarter, Shaquille wanted to send a message! Wow, this was the epitome of his famous quote. Watch kids, this is how you make a hard foul. So, Kobe went cold in the 2nd, while Shaq displayed his dominance on the offensive end as well. LA fans were well accustomed to seeing this, but not with O’Neal in a different uniform. The game was evenly matched in the 1st half, with the Lakers having a 2 point lead. And both juggernauts continued attacking in the 3rd quarter as well. Kobe was cooking Eddie Jones, Rasual Butler, whoever was guarding him. This is poetry in motion by the Black Mamba. With 13 points in the period, he put LA up by 4 heading into the 4th. And there, Shaquille decided to retaliate. O’Neal was torturing Brian Grant and Chris Mihm under the rim, connecting on 3 straight buckets early in the 4th. And he was sending opponents shots up into the 5th row. But, it was the hometown hero who drew some ooh’s and ahh’s when he pulled some moves directly on Shaq. Bryant put the Lakers up by 5 in the clutch, as they had the slight advantage throughout most of the game. But, Miami was just about to turn the heat because… Damon Jones and Dwyane Wade tied the game for the visitors. And Kobe goes hard at his younger challenger on the other end, wanting to show him who’s the boss. Wow, look at young Flash blocking the vicious dunk attempt. Anyway, Bryant got the foul and knocked down both shots to get his team in front again. But on the other side, Shaq almost tore the rim apart when…