There was movement in the system, and Li Yan was naturally very excited.
If possible, Li Yan really wants to give Kobe a hug.
His mind is now full of classic advertising slogans:
Kobe Bryant welcomes you and thank you for coming to my place;
Kobe Bryant welcomes you, waiting for the wind and rain;
He comes, he comes, he comes with a mission;
He's coming, he's coming, he's coming with skills.
"What's wrong with Lee?"
Iverson looked at Li Yan who suddenly had a silly smile on his face while stretching and asked, "Is there anything happy about you?"
Li Yan didn't hide it: "Boss, I'm just a little excited thinking that I'm going to see Kobe soon."
"Watt?" Iverson's heart tightened: "Are you a fan of Kobe?"
Iverson is very satisfied with playing with Li Yan in so many games.
How rare it is to have a point guard who is top-notch in passing control and passing first, and can also constantly make up for himself on the defensive end.
Iverson didn't want Li Yan to change careers after playing one season.
As the two best shooting guards of the 1996 golden generation, Iverson and Kobe have always been compared together.
It's impossible for a player to say that he doesn't care at all.
Iverson knew Kobe very well. He knew that Kobe would definitely like a point guard like Li Yan, and he felt a sense of crisis in his heart.
"It's nothing." Li Yan said with a smile: "I just can't wait to play against Kobe. I want to beat him."
"Haha, boss, do you think I'm dreaming?" Li Yan said sheepishly, looking at the stunned Iverson.
Iverson did not feel that Li Yan was overestimating his abilities. He was just stunned as if he saw his former self. The fledgling self at that time also launched a challenge to the then superstar Michael Jordan.
"Come on!" Iverson patted Li Yan on the shoulder.
…………
The Los Angeles Lakers are a wealthy team in the NBA, and Staples is also one of the basketball meccas in the NBA.
Basketball is a very popular sport in Los Angeles.
Now Li Yan is no longer an unknown person. He has performed brilliantly one after another. His assists have been in double figures for 11 consecutive games. And as Iverson's backcourt partner, Li Yan is more likely to attract media attention.
Many Los Angeles media are full of curiosity about this player whose playing style resembles Lakers legend "Magic" Johnson.
During the pre-game interview, Li Yan was favored by the Los Angeles media, and there were microphones piled in front of him.
"Lee, Allen Iverson said you will definitely become a star guard. Do you have confidence in yourself?"
"Of course, thanks to AI, he helps me like a big brother."
"Are you looking forward to the matchup with Kobe? We noticed in Denver that you were guarding the other team's arrows."
Li Yan thought for a while and replied: "Of course, I am very much looking forward to playing against Kobe. I grew up watching his basketball, and I am very excited now."
"What's your goal? Do you want to win Rookie of the Year?"
"Let nature take its course. I still have a lot to learn now..."
…………
January 6th.
Staples Center was buzzing with people.
Li Yan looked around. Los Angeles is indeed a metropolis, with Hollywood in the background and Staples Arena always studded with stars.
There is no need to worry about selling tickets in the front row here. There are always Hollywood stars and various socialites sitting here.
Like watching basketball is only part of it, the rest is mostly for exposure.
You must know that the Lakers are the most popular team in the NBA, and the number of live broadcasts of their games across the United States is among the highest in the entire league.
Li Yan saw some fans wearing his own jersey, most of whom had Chinese faces.
Seeing these fans cheering for him enthusiastically, Li Yan waved to them very naturally.
Li Yan continued to warm up, and the fans in the stands suddenly cheered.
Li Yan looked up and saw that Kobe and Iverson were chatting.
Kobe is in hot form this season, averaging 31.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
After O'Neal left, Kobe has been carrying the Lakers forward, and there are not many helpers around him.
The Lakers' second-leading scorer is Lamar Odom, but his scoring average is less than half of Kobe's, only 15.2 points per game.
The Lakers' starting point guard is Smush Parker, who is known as the "Grim Reaper", but Smush Parker's strength is not as domineering as his nickname.
But as a minimum-salary player, Parker is already worth every penny.
The Lakers' starting center is Kwame Brown. This No. 1 pick is really miserable. He has been "polished" by Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. He seriously lacks confidence in the game.
At this time, "Baby Shark" Bynum is Kwame Brown's substitute, and his skills are even rougher than Kwame Brown's.
However, age is Bynum's advantage. He is not yet 20 years old when he was drafted out of high school.
Li Yan weighed the tasks he received and found that scoring 20 points was not easy for him now.
Of course, it is more difficult to limit Kobe's score to 25 points, but the temptation of Kobe's skill package is much greater than an attribute point.
So Li Yan decided to spend more energy on limiting Kobe's scoring. For Li Yan, limiting Kobe's scoring was even more important than the team's winning.
The game starts soon.
Marcus Camby beat Kwame Brown on a jump ball.
Kobe went to guard Iverson, and it was Smush Parker who guarded Li Yan.
Li Yan advanced with the ball, and he had an absolute advantage against Parker.
Li Yan didn't call for a screen, he just started and carried Parker into the paint.
There was no one on the Lakers side to defend, and Li Yan pressed Parker and opened the scoring for the Nuggets with a hook.
2 to 0!
"Ouch!" Staples exclaimed.
Li Yan's first goal made the fans in the stands shine. Before, they had only heard that there was a player in the Nuggets who played like a "Magic".
Now, after seeing the scene, Lakers fans were shocked: no matter the height and body shape, or technical movements such as dribbling and hooking, they were all too similar.
Lakers offense.
Kobe was in the low post on the right, and Smush Parker passed the ball over.
Li Yan defends Kobe.
After Kobe continued to hit with his back while holding the ball, Li Yan knew that Kobe was going to make a fadeaway jumper.
When Kobe turned over and took off, Li Yan also jumped forward to defend.
At this time, Kobe was at his peak, and his jumping height was very high.
Li Yan knew that once Kobe was in form, it would be difficult to stop him.
So Li Yan decisively activated the skill "Flash's Contempt". Even if he couldn't block the shot, he would still make money as long as he could interfere with Kobe.
Li Yan's long arms gave Kobe a certain amount of interference. The trajectory of the basketball was very positive, but a little off.
"DUang!" The basketball hit the front of the basket and bounced up.
