At halftime, return to the locker room.
As soon as I opened the door, I smelled the aroma of various delicacies mixed together.
I saw two dining cars divided into three stalls parked in the dressing room. Each dining car contained seven or eight dishes.
Although it's not enough to keep the Lakers players full, it's enough to try something new and fill their stomachs together.
"Bah bang bang -" O'Neal took the lead in the door and attracted everyone's attention by clapping.
Then he said: "Brothers, this is a seafood dinner, Shaq invited you to eat it!
Everyone played very well in the first half and was the key to the team taking the lead.
Let’s keep working hard in the second half and let’s work together to win tonight’s game.
Okay, let's leave the abalone to our hero - Du En.
Everyone can start the rest, brothers, you're welcome. "
After O'Neill finished speaking, he put his arms around the shoulders of Du En and Malone, hugging them from left to right, and led Du En and Malone to the front of the dining car.
When the plates were opened one by one, the inside was not only still warm, but also steaming, just like it had just come out of the pot.
Abalone, oysters, geoduck, sea urchin, lobster, coral shrimp, Dungeness crab, snow crab, salmon, cod, halibut, shrimp fried rice, lobster omelette rice.
Du En also didn't expect that O'Neill would be so heroic and that this meal would cost at least several thousand dollars.
Seeing that other teammates had gathered around him, Du En didn't even say a word of thanks to O'Neal, and went straight to pick up abalone in one hand, oysters in the other, and then picked a few geoducks and sea urchins...
Unlike other teams that have to arrange tactics during halftime, Jackson has long been accustomed to players having a gluttonous feast during halftime.
Sometimes the atmosphere is so good that the Zen master himself and other teaching assistants will bring dishes and join in the fun.
But today, Zen Master still cared about his image and had no intention of competing with the players. He just sat aside and meditated on his own.
"Gary, do you have time to chat?"
After feeling a little full, Du En didn't eat any more. Instead, he took the initiative to find Payton and wanted to chat with him.
There was still half a game to play. In order to live up to O'Neal's kindness, Dunn did not want to be like Pierce, who was pushed back to the locker room in a wheelchair midway through the game because he was too full, which affected his condition in the second half.
"I'm leading the bench alone and can't absorb so much ball rights. Gary, are you willing to help me?"
Like in the second quarter, if I get the ball at the top of the arc or on the wing, I can attract double-teams from the Mavericks' perimeter players.
At this time, if you are on the court, I will definitely pass the ball to you, and then you can easily rush to the basket and score.
We are teammates, we are a team!
In the starting lineup, if you rush to the basket and encounter a master of rim protection, you can also distribute the ball to Karl, right? "
In order to produce better debut data tonight, Duan took the initiative to contact Payton and was honest with him, hoping that Payton would not be so stubborn.
If Payton wants to rack up points and strive for the next big contract, Duane made it clear that he can share the ball with Payton in the substitute lineup and create easier scoring opportunities for Payton.
Payton was not stupid, and he could obviously hear that there was something in Du En's words. Duane hopes to get more of the ball from him during his starting partnership.
Payton thought about it and finally chose to nod: "I am happy to support the younger generations.
I am here to compete for the championship and I am willing to make sacrifices for the team.
If the team needs me to lead the bench, then I will lead the bench. "
I have to say that Du En's strength has won his respect!
There was no stage fright at all in his NBA debut, and his personal strength was enough to defeat an All-Star player like Nash without any chance of fighting back.
If the Mavericks hadn't set up a zone defense early and adopted a double-team defensive strategy against Duen, Duen's score would have exceeded 20 long ago.
Obviously, Duan already has the ability to score 30+ points in the regular season just like he did in the preseason, given the right to play football.
Originally, Payton was worried that the absence of O'Neal and Kobe would lead to an unstable record for the Lakers, which would lead to conflicts in the locker room.
Now that a rising star like Duane has emerged in the Lakers, it will undoubtedly help the team stabilize the situation.
It is worth mentioning that newcomers like Du En also have the support of the team's head coach Zen Master and team boss O'Neal.
If it were other rookies, with such strong offensive firepower, they would have long wanted to concentrate on the ball and let go, but Duen was willing to share the ball with his role teammates.
It was also Duan's humble character and team play that dispelled Payton's doubts and made him give up his little calculation.
The points that can be scored as a substitute do not necessarily need to be scored in the starting lineup.
Since Duen is willing to help him create easier scoring opportunities in the substitute lineup, Payton is also willing to accept Duen's kindness and go to the substitute lineup to help Duen share the pressure of holding the ball.
For Du En, if Payton is taken care of in advance, everything will be fine.
Today, Duan was full of firepower and scored 19 points in the first half. The main reason was that Kobe was not back. Kobe's ball rights needed Duan to digest.
It's impossible to score high scores without the ball! Duane must seize the opportunity when Kobe and O'Neal are not back and let Lakers fans know what he is capable of.
Therefore, it is necessary to deal with Payton.
On the one hand, when matched with the starting lineup, Duen can get more open shooting opportunities, and basically it is Duen's very confident three-pointer.
On the other hand, if one person leads the bench, no one can attack with the ball and help attract the defense. Relying on Fisher and others alone does make Duan's game more uncomfortable.
Now that Payton has agreed to lead the bench with him, Duan can also reduce the pressure of holding the ball, reduce the number of turnovers, and save some energy to further improve scoring efficiency.
The intermission ended quickly, and Dunn, Payton, Malone and others started again.
Jackson was originally worried that Payton still went his own way and refused to pass the ball to Duan. He insisted on speeding up and played a fast break with the Mavericks, and then the Mavericks caught up with the score difference.
Unexpectedly, after the start of the third quarter, Payton handed the ball to Dunn after halftime.
After Duane got the ball, he was immediately double-teamed. Instead of passing the ball to Devin George, who was left open, Duane passed the ball back to Payton, allowing him to single out Tony Delk.
Payton did not disappoint Duan. He first played a high post, then immediately turned his back and stayed at the basket.
Nowitzki came over to help defend, but Payton didn't look at it and threw the ball into the sky.
Malone, like Rain Man Kemp back then, suddenly appeared in the air and dunked directly with an alley-oop.
Looking back, Payton also worked hard on the defensive end, and Tony Delk had to pass the ball out early.
Facing Duen's defense, Finley could only pass the ball to other teammates again.
With Malone in front of Walker, it is not easy to catch and shoot. Nowitzki and Edondo Najera are left to choose one. Naturally, he will pass the ball to Nowitzki in the low post and let him play Grant alone.
Nowitzki is still relatively immature at this time, and his playing style is soft, and the Golden Rooster has not yet reached the level of proficiency.
Under the influence of Grant's little move, the mid-range shot missed.
Malone relied on his excellent blocking to protect the rebound. When he turned back to look for his teammates, he found that Du En had rushed to the midfield.
"Oh, this kid."
Malone saw Du En's position and immediately passed the ball long.
Malone's passing level is often overlooked by fans, especially as he grows older, his ability to read the game increases, and his passing level becomes higher and higher.
Malone will distribute the ball to his teammates in the low post, and he is also good at long passes.
Because Malone passed the ball in advance, Duan easily caught the ball and then simply stepped forward and performed a one-handed dunk.
Naturally, Duane's score tonight cannot be limited to 20+. After taking advantage of Duen's ability to share the ball, Payton is willing to continue passing the ball to Duen.
If the Mavericks don't double-team on the outside, Duan will resolutely play the pick-and-roll, and then rush to the basket, either attacking the basket or causing damage.
Duan's ability to draw fouls is already strong, not to mention the blessing of a whistle.
After more than 8 minutes in the third quarter, Duan's score has reached 27 points. Today, if he works hard, he still has a chance to score 40 points.
After returning to the bench after a timeout, Payton learned that Master Jackson intended to replace Du En. Suddenly he found that a useful tool like Du En was missing, and Payton felt a little anxious.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Payton took the initiative to confront Zen Master and expressed his willingness to sacrifice for the team and lead the substitutes with Du En.
Payton's statistics tonight are not bad, he has 18 points. This is because he was held down by Jackson in the second quarter and only returned to the court in the last 2 minutes.
After hearing Payton's request to bring in a substitute, and seeing Du En and Payton flirting with each other, the Zen master probably understood what was going on.
Instead of objecting to this, the Zen Master appreciated it very much.
He had planned to let one of Payton or Kobe go to the bench to help Duan share the pressure of holding the ball.
It's just that Payton has been uncooperative before, and Kobe has been silent in the preseason.
He was disgusted with Kobe's personal behavior, so he wanted to ask other assistant coaches to help convey some words to Kobe, but he never received a response.
No matter how hard you try, you won't be able to find anything, and it won't take any effort at all!
Payton is willing to lead the bench with Duan. The ball rights of the starting and bench lineups can finally be distributed reasonably, and he is naturally willing to facilitate this.
"Then you and Du En can rest together! I will send you on the field in the fourth quarter."
The Zen master made new arrangements.
At this time, the Lakers have opened the point difference to 13 points. Although it is not a lot, relying on Malone to lead the team and maintain the advantage until the fourth quarter should not be a big problem.
71 to 78, the Lakers entered the fourth quarter with a 7-point lead.
The backcourt duo of Dunn and Payton once again exerted their strength, taking advantage of the Mavericks' weak point guard and constantly bombarding them.
Although it is too much of a two-man game, other teammates have little sense of participation, and it does not conform to the tactical concept of the triangle offense.
However, it’s a good thing to win! The Zen master didn't complain too much about this.
93 to 106, in the opening game of the 2003-04 season, the Lakers defeated the Mavericks by 13 points and got a good start to the new season.
Rookie Du En was called upon to take over Kobe's position in Kobe's absence, but he performed extremely well.
He made 13 of 21 shots from the field, 3 of 6 three-pointers, and 6 of 8 free throws. He scored 35 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals.
In addition, new Lakers players Payton and Malone performed well, scoring 26 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and 1 block respectively, and 21 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and 1 block respectively.
In the post-game interview, rookie Duane talked about the key to winning: "Payton and I scored 61 points together. We are the No. 1 backcourt in the Western Conference. No one can stop us!"
According to gossip, Kobe Bryant rushed back to Los Angeles overnight that night. Because of Kobe's intervention, the "No. 1 backcourt in the West" theoretically only existed for a few hours...
