After hitting the buzzer-beater, Kobe looked at the camera, grabbed his jersey and yelled: "I will be back, I will be back! This is for you!"
After the game, the fans were all confused. Who are you in this "this is for you"?
Some people say they are Los Angeles fans, but the problem is that Lakers fans don't feel sorry for Kobe either.
There were differences between Kobe and the Lakers when he left, and his goals and direction in life changed.
Until he left, Lakers fans still loved Kobe, and Kobe also loved them.
Is it for James? There was no need, James was on the court, hugged Garnett after the buzzer beater, and went straight back to the locker room.
Someone soon guessed that this "you" must refer to Clippers general manager Min Congda.
The two made a promise to meet in the Finals that night, and just yesterday the Clippers lost to the Lakers.
But Kobe defeated the Cavaliers. Compared with the two, Kobe and the Nets won first.
Of course, no one knows that the reason why Kobe said this to the TV camera was just because he was unhappy.
In the summer, Kobe lost to Min Chongda in the ultra-long three-point shooting competition from the midline, and also lost a large sum of money. This was really uncomfortable for him.
This bitch Min Congda stopped playing after he won money and resolutely refused any challenge from Kobe. No matter how Kobe called or sent text messages, he remained unmoved.
This made Kobe very angry. He did nothing else all summer but trained like crazy on ultra-long-distance three-pointers just to hold his breath and beat Min Congda.
Fortunately, Min Congda was not a big talker, and Kobe didn't go around telling him if he won the bet. Otherwise, Kobe would have to openly challenge him, and he wouldn't be able to swallow this breath.
But with Kobe's character, he couldn't let go of this easily, so in this game, he boldly shot from a long distance and succeeded!
His goal was to be thrown to Min Congda. A summer of hard training was not in vain. Kobe's three-pointers really improved to a higher level.
The moment the ball hit, the Barclays Center burst into cheers. The ball was played repeatedly on television for two days, becoming another classic masterpiece in Kobe's career.
In the next few games, Kobe also performed well. At the same time, people found that Kobe's playing style was significantly different from before.
His breakthroughs have become less frequent, and the mid-range has almost disappeared, replaced by a large number of three-pointers.
The season in which Kobe took the most three-pointers was last season, averaging 5.2 per game, which is quite a lot.
But Stephen Curry averages 7.8 three-pointers per game, and Kobe takes 2.5 more per game.
In the new season, Kobe further increased his three-point attempts to 7.1.
Compared with the previous kaleidoscope-style offensive method, Kobe is doing subtraction in the new season.
Three-pointers, simple straight-line breakthroughs, and a small number of mid-range shots are Kobe's main offensive methods.
The low-post catching attack disappeared, and the large number of complex fadeaway jumpers after dribbling disappeared - these can still be seen in Paul Pierce, but Kobe does not play like this anymore.
This greatly exceeded the expectations of fans and some football commentators. Some people said that Kobe was lazy, a regression, and a compromise to the three-point era.
But on November 1, in the second game of the new season, the Nets defeated last season's Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat 107:100 with a 7-point advantage.
Then on November 3, they beat the Orlando Magic 112:91 away from home. Kobe scored 24 points and 25 points respectively in these two games.
The score is not high, but watching the game you know that Kobe's scoring efficiency is quite high, he doesn't take many shots, and he has a strong ability to digest the ball.
Moreover, Kobe sent 6 and 8 assists respectively, playing an important role in the team's tactics.
On the contrary, Deron Williams feels that he is in average condition, and his statistics and performance on the field are relatively mediocre.
Garnett is particularly powerful on the defensive end. On the offensive end, he is basically a mid-range shooting guy and a pie-eater.
One person who really performed well is Pierce. His one-on-one one-on-one isolation is still an important hard-hitting ability for the team.
But after watching the three games, everyone knows that Kobe's efficiency and ability to digest the ball are the cornerstone of the current Nets' combat effectiveness.
This surprised many people, especially some experts who were originally not optimistic about the team that was put together by giants like the Nets in their later years, and felt like they were being slapped in the face.
Of course, the season has just begun and it is normal for the old giants to form a team and everything goes smoothly in the early stage, but when the season progresses and the players fall into fatigue and injuries, problems will become apparent.
Before Charles Barkley was injured in 1997, the Rockets had a record of 21 wins and 2 losses, chasing the 72 wins and 10 losses of the 1996 Bulls. Unfortunately, Barkley's body could not hold on and he fell to the injury.
But Kobe seemed to be well prepared. In the subsequent series of games, Kobe's performance was quite stable. It seemed as if Kobe had changed into a different player after changing teams, systems, and cities. .
At this time, he has a demeanor of heavy swords but no sharp edges, and a skillful and skillful demeanor. He is no longer obsessed with using high difficulty and skills to beat his opponents to score, but cares more about scoring effectively in every round and getting points. Waste of possession.
On November 15, the Nets challenged the Phoenix Suns away from home. This was their second of three consecutive games in the Western Conference.
Facing the old rival Suns, they are now a weakling. Without Nash and Stoudemire, the Suns have completely entered a period of reconstruction.
In such an easy game, Kobe showed no mercy. He made 4 of 9 three-pointers and scored 24 points. He occasionally showed his talents at critical moments, using a difficult left-hand layup in the air to score important points. Two points helped the Nets defeat the Suns 100:96.
At this time, the Nets' record has reached 6 wins and 2 losses. In the first 8 games of the season, the Nets have only lost two games and have broken down all the hard bones.
Such results surprised those who looked down on the Nets before the start of the season. After Kobe Bryant chose to be traded to the Nets, although there was a lot of fanfare in the media, the Nets' championship odds were very real, ranking only tenth. position, lower than the Lakers.
After all, there are too many examples of this kind of partnership between old giants failing, and almost none succeeding (the Lakers also struggled for several years until they were old in 1972). Naturally, everyone should talk about what they should, and be honest with their bodies and votes.
As a result, the Nets played quite well. In the post-game interview against the Suns, the reporter asked Kobe: "Why have you made such big adjustments and changes this season? Did Coach Kidd ask you to make the changes?"
Kidd was sitting next to Kobe at this time, and Kobe said very shamelessly: "No, it has nothing to do with Kidd."
Kidd smiled awkwardly and added: "How Kobe plays is entirely his decision."
Kobe continued: "In the summer, I trained with a friend, and his thoughts and ideas inspired me a lot. You know, when every new season comes, everyone says, I learned a lot. With some new skills, I want to make some changes on the court. However, there are very few people who can actually make changes. This requires not only technical training, but also changes in thinking and ideas. .”
Kobe pointed at his brain and said that he had undergone a change in his thinking.
This makes sense. Many players hope to complete their transformation during the off-season.
For example, I found a footstep master to practice my steps hard, hoping to be able to perform the dream dance steps. However, after a real competition, I found that the crab step is still easy to use and it works smoothly.
There is also Dwight Howard. After losing in the 2009 Finals, I don’t know who he listened to in the offseason, or he thought he was one step away from a super center. The reason why he lost the Finals was that his scoring was too low and his shooting was too low. Poor, he only averaged 15 points per game. If his shooting was good and his free throws were good, he wouldn't lose to the Lakers.
So he practiced shooting hard. At the beginning of the 2010 season, he often showed off his mid-range shots in games, but as the season progressed, he returned to bunny hops and dunks.
For NBA players, it is not difficult to learn a skill. What is difficult is the application. What is difficult is how to perform it under high-intensity confrontation. Many times when the game reaches a critical moment, what kind of skill a player chooses depends entirely on instinct and conditions. reflection.
Instinct will drive him to use a certain technique. Those technical movements that have not been practiced deeply into the bone marrow will not be effective in real competitions.
Kobe is one of the few players who can really acquire new skills in the offseason and put them into use in the new season. He is talented and he works hard enough.
But in these two seasons, Kobe's technical improvements lacked foresight and did not follow the trend of the league, because the Lakers have never been a team that follows the latest technical and tactical trends.
Fortunately, Kobe, who came to the Nets, seized the last stage of his career and once again made technical and tactical changes. This time he had good guidance.
The reporter asked: "Can you tell me who this friend is?"
Kobe smiled and shook his head and said, "No, this is a secret between us."
"But I'm going to see him at the game, very soon."
The last opponent of the Nets' three consecutive away games is the Los Angeles Clippers.
(End of chapter)
