19 to 25.
At the end of the first quarter, the Bulls trailed the Lakers by 6 points.
Although the Bulls got off to a very good start, when Kobe took over the offense, the Lakers' performance suddenly returned to normal.
He scored 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting in the first quarter and also provided 3 assists.
The Bulls used Xu Yong and Deng to defend Kobe, but they failed to restrain the opponent.
This is Kobe, a mature man who has already won the MVP and deserves to be the number one player in the league.
At this time, most of the main players of both sides were resting off the court, but Xu Yong of the Bulls remained on the court.
Although Denagro's tactical level is relatively limited, he can still be on par with Sandek in terms of rotation and deployment.
Because Hinrich is the only truly reliable substitute in the back line, he will use the combination of Hinrich + Xu Yong or Rose in the transition period.
Rose scored more goals in the first quarter, so Xu Yong was naturally paired with Hinrich tonight.
Kobe was on the sidelines at this time, and his teammates gave him some simple ice packs.
Although his personal abilities have reached the peak of his career, at the age of 31, his body has begun to decline uncontrollably.
High-intensity confrontation coupled with the league culture of fighting through injuries, the age of 30 is a watershed in the league of this era.
Especially this season, Gasol was injured before the season even started, and Bynum was embarrassed. He could only play more, and playing more would put a greater load on his body.
After seeing Xu Yong on the court, his eyes immediately shifted to the opponent.
He and Xu Yong did not use their full strength in the bullfight last night.
First of all, it's not necessary. If he has to give his all in a bullfight with a rookie, he might as well just retire.
Secondly, it was because they had to compete today. He and Xu Yong were both opponents no matter how much they chatted. Only fools would leave no room for their opponents.
On the court, Xu Yong came out of the screen to receive Hinrich's pass and hit the ball with his open hand.
Kobe nodded subconsciously.
Although Xu Yong is only a rookie and his offensive skills still need to be improved, his offensive stability is very good, which can also be felt in last night's bullfight.
This shows that Xu Yong, like him, has worked hard in training.
And this is Mai's Ganba. As McGrady's friend, he found that he already liked this new guy.
At this moment, the Lakers missed a wave of offense, and Xu Yong turned around to catch the ball without the ball, but Ariza was not able to get rid of him this time.
Ariza staying on the court at this time was Phil Jackson's helpless move, because although Xu Yong played shooting guard, like McGrady, he was oversized.
This kind of shooting guard has a characteristic, that is, if you arrange defenders to guard against him, it will be naturally misplaced.
The only people on the Lakers who can compete with Xu Yong are Kobe and Ariza.
Xu Yong glanced at his teammates and saw that they had no chance, and the attack time was halfway through. He stretched out his hand to signal for a singles.
Kobe was also very focused at this time.
He knows Ariza's defense. Although it is not the top level, it is definitely elite level.
It is not easy for Xu Yong to break through his defense one-on-one.
And this is on the field, and the intensity of bullfighting off the field is different.
The fact was as he expected. Xu Yong's first step was very explosive, but he did not completely get rid of Ariza.
Moreover, Ariza is 2.03 meters tall and has a wingspan of 2.18 meters, which is at the same level as Tracy McGrady.
This kind of monster with a fast wingspan will easily be disturbed if you can't take action without completely getting rid of him.
Xu Yong broke through to the free throw line but still didn't get a good shot.
"boom!"
But the next second, Kobe suddenly stood up from the bench.
This sudden move startled the team doctor who was tying an ice pack on him.
But at this time, Kobe had no time to care about him because his eyes were fixed on Xu Yong on the court.
After a heavy dribble, Xu Yong immediately fell to the ground, then turned around and shot a pull-up jumper from the free throw line.
Xu Yong, is this Kakashi?
Ah, no, when did Xu Yong learn this new move of his? !
"Uh-huh!"
Xu Yong made a steady hit after getting rid of the defense.
Seeing the ball go into the basket, Xu Yong put away his scissor legs and landed on the ground with a long breath.
Don't tell me, this move is really useful!
Fortunately, he had practiced this move in advance, otherwise he would have suffered a big loss tonight.
It was at this moment that he noticed Kobe's gaze on the sidelines.
It wasn't because of his good eyesight, but because everyone else was sitting, how could it not be obvious that someone as big as Kobe was there?
Seeing Kobe's surprised and puzzled look, Xu Yong felt relieved.
Let’s not talk about each other, we are all talking about each other.
Kobe's expression changed.
Although essentially, both he and Xu Yong had reservations about each other, but Xu Yong was just a newcomer, and their statuses were not equal to each other.
At this moment, all his goodwill and love for Xu Yong were gone.
Xu Yong didn't pay attention to the change in Kobe's expression, and he didn't care either.
Off-field communication is communication, but on the field, there are only opponents.
"Dang!"
Odom's three-point attempt from the outside still missed the basket.
The Lakers haven't scored since the second quarter.
It can be clearly felt that their struggles this season are not just a problem of missing Gasol.
Xu Yong jumped up high to grab the defensive rebound and directly held the ball for a fast break.
After dribbling beyond the three-point line and seeing that Johnson was already about to leave, he waved his hand at the right angle and directly passed a long pass across the half court to .gif.
After Johnson received the ball, he went 1-on-0 and dunked directly with both hands to score.
25 square meters!
The Bulls came back in the second quarter and hit 6-0, directly smoothing the point difference!
"beep!"
At this moment, the short whistle sounded from the sidelines.
Phil Jackson did not call a timeout. What "Zen Master" likes to do most is to hand over the problem to the players.
This short whistle is a substitution, Kobe is back.
If you leave the problem to the players, you have to leave it to reliable people.
During the Lakers' offense, Kobe held the ball. Odom was about to come over for a pick-and-roll, but Kobe directly signaled him to go back.
It was obvious that he wanted to give Xu Yong a beating.
Xu Yong also put on a defensive posture.
Although he may not be able to guard Kobe now, he will not call his teammates like others if he can't guard him.
Kobe chose to play with his back to the basket this time. After continuous back turns and footwork fakes, he made an iconic fadeaway jumper.
Xu Yong rushed forward with all his strength and was disturbed.
"Uh-huh!"
But Kobe still threw the ball in.
And after Kobe made the shot, he gave Xu Yong a death stare.
This action also instantly excited the fans at Staples Center.
This is the first time this season that they have seen Kobe have such a strong desire to compete.
In the transition between offense and defense, Xu Yong directly reached out for the ball this time.
Kobe was given the death stare, and there was no way he wouldn't respond.
And although he can't compare to Kobe in terms of ability now, ability and whether he can play are two different things.
What he can't match is Kobe's offensive skills and game experience, but he still has a chance to break Kobe's defense because he has trained all the "weapons" in his "arsenal" very skillfully.
In the one-on-one match between the two, Kobe immediately turned up the intensity. While constantly confronting Xu Yong, he also kept trying to cut the ball, creating a sense of pressure.
This was not at the same level as the intensity of the two men's bullfight yesterday.
Kobe has been selected to the double team 7 times in his career. He is the only player after Jordan to receive this honor.
His defense, like his offense, is top-notch.
Xu Yong half-sided his body to protect the ball. Of course he knew Kobe's defensive ability, so he had to find a shot opportunity within the shortest number of dribbles.
The more luck you have, the greater the chance of being destroyed.
He leaned against Kobe for a moment, then dropped directly to start.
Kobe Bryant made a very obvious contraction at this time. He is smaller than Xu Yong. If Xu Yong is allowed to speed up, his defense will become passive.
Seeing this, Xu Yong directly took off the ball and made a pull-up.
Under normal circumstances, Xu Yong was able to shoot calmly, but Kobe's reaction was too fast, or Kobe's defensive skills were too strong. He used his puppy steps to rush forward instantly, and then took off almost at the same time as Xu Yong.
This is the true pressure of seven defensive first-team defenders.
Xu Yong was forced to scissor-kick backwards in the air, and it was at this time that his size advantage began to show.
He is one size larger than Kobe, which allows him to complete the shot against Kobe's defense at the highest point.
The basketball passed over Kobe's fingertips, flew over Kobe's head, and drew a parabola in the air.
"Uh-huh!"
Hollow bag!
The scene was instantly in uproar.
Under Kobe's high-pressure defense, Xu Yong actually completed the answerball!
Moreover, it’s still facial cumshot!
The Bulls' bench erupted.
Even Rose couldn't help but stand up.
This ball is so hard!
You know, that's Kobe, the number one player in the league, and the number one player in both offense and defense!
After seeing the ball go in, Xu Yong showed his hands to Kobe.
Even if you are Kobe and I should fuck you, I still have to fuck you!
Of course, the most excited person at this time was Yang Yi in the commentary box. He almost knelt down and called his father.
On the other hand, the No. 1 Hu Mi Jia Ke Mi stood with her mouth open at this time, not knowing what to say for a moment.
After a long time, he finally sighed: "This ball is unreasonable!"
(End of chapter)
