Chapter 121
【121】Boos will only make this man stronger!
The Lakers, the defending champions who were generally favored, actually fell behind the Warriors by double digits after the first quarter?
Perhaps few people could have imagined such a plot before the game.
The reason why the Lakers, with such a strong lineup, still fell behind by 11 points after the first quarter, in addition to the outbreak of Su Mo on the Warriors side, was the shortcomings shown by the team itself.
The biggest and most obvious problem is Kobe Bryant's loss. He only made 2 of 9 shots in the first quarter, and even had 3 turnovers and 1 foul.
It can be said that Kobe did not show the demeanor of a superstar at the beginning of this world-renowned focus battle.
The number one man in the league played such an embarrassing performance, which naturally surprised many Kobe fans.
In response to Kobe's downturn, boos rang out in the Oakland home stadium.
"Kobe is old, it's time for him to give up his position as the best player in the league!"
"The period of transition from the old to the new is coming. Although Kobe has led the Lakers to a perfect record in the new season, he relies more on the team's luxurious lineup and twin towers in the interior. Although his scoring is also high, he can no longer be compared with Su Mo in terms of efficiency!"
"The best player in the league played like this? I believe the Lakers fans would be embarrassed, right?"
On the commentary platform, Mike Breen and Van Gundy were also making a sharp comment on the huge difference between Su Mo and Kobe's performance in the first quarter.
"To be honest, the performances of Su Mo and Kobe in the first quarter really exceeded expectations. Su Mo played better than usual, but Kobe suddenly fell into a vicious circle of missing shots. This may have something to do with Su Mo's defense!"
"Kobe's willpower should not be underestimated. Although he did not perform well in the first quarter, based on my understanding of him, he will definitely not be sluggish throughout the entire game, especially in such a crucial game!"
"You're right. The boos from the home fans are getting louder and louder. I'm afraid this is not a good thing for their team!"
Nicholson, who was sitting on the sidelines, folded his arms and looked calm. He smiled as he listened to the boos from the home fans behind him.
"The boos better be louder. I believe Kobe will give these people enough punishment next time!"
After the start of the second quarter, the two teams first played with their rotation lineups. The Lakers had strong players such as Odom and Shannon Brown, and their overall strength was obviously higher than the Warriors' main substitutes.
The situation of the game also matched the situation of the strength gap. After more than three minutes of the second quarter, the Lakers had narrowed the gap of 11 points to only 3 points.
Warriors head coach Don Nelson immediately called a timeout.
After the timeout, Su Mo and other main players were replaced in advance.
On the Lakers side, Kobe and Gasol and others also followed suit.
The two sides once again entered the contest of core players.
But...
After Su Mo came on the court, the Warriors quickly took on a new look, and their efficiency increased several times on both the offensive and defensive ends.
On the other hand, after the main players of the Lakers returned, Kobe's state was still sluggish, even worse than the overall performance of the substitutes.
Second quarter, 7 minutes and 59 seconds.
Su Mo directly stole Kobe's pass on the defensive end, rushed to the front court, and performed another folding dunk.
""Boom!"
The fans at the home stadium cheered and applauded Su Mo, and also booed Kobe Bryant, the No. 1 player in the league. At
6:55, the Lakers attacked. Kobe shook off Su Mo in the frontcourt and made a fadeaway jump shot.
""Bang!"
The shot missed. At
6:02, Kobe and Gasol made a fadeaway jumper after a pick-and-roll.
""Bang!"
Still missed.
At 5 minutes and 14 seconds, Kobe missed a three-pointer from outside.
At 4 minutes and 19 seconds, Kobe's layup after a breakthrough was off target again.
In the second quarter, Kobe missed all five shots after coming on the court, and did not score a single point. His poor performance finally made those calm Lakers fans panic.
Phil Jackson, the"Zen Master" on the sidelines, who knew Kobe best, couldn't help but frown.
Kobe continued to be in a slump, but Su Mo was always efficient.
The game came to 4 minutes and 3 seconds in the second quarter. With Su Mo assisting Ellis to make a layup, the Warriors played a crazy 15:3 wave, instantly expanding their lead to as many as 15 points.
In desperation, the Zen Master called another timeout.
Kobe's face was covered in sweat, and his eyes were extremely solemn.
Su Mo was not excited by the huge lead. In fact, relying on his basketball intuition, he had already sensed the breath of explosion in Kobe.
Su Mo always believed that Kobe would not be depressed throughout the game.
The booing from the home fans continued. Su Mo could not stop the fans from doing so, so he could only shake his head and smile.
After the timeout, the long-lost Kobe finally broke out.
The Lakers launched an attack. Kobe accelerated through Gasol's pick-and-roll to get rid of Su Mo, received the pass from"Old Fish" Fisher, broke through into the penalty area, and made a stunning slam dunk.
"Boom!"
After scoring the goal, Kobe's eyes were like torches, and he fiercely pressed against Su Mo, full of dominance.
Su Mo seemed to read the content of Kobe's cold eyes:
"Su, whoever laughs last, laughs the most beautifully!"
Kobe's goal was so domineering that it seemed to announce the strong return of the league's number one player.
Nicholson, who was standing in the first row, stood up and applauded with a chic smile on his face.
Even Su Mo himself was shocked by Kobe's domineering attitude. He is worthy of being the league's number one player and worthy of being Su Mo's idol when he was a child.
Next, the Warriors attacked. Curry made a pass error in the frontcourt and was directly intercepted by Kobe, who rushed to the frontcourt and made another amazing slam dunk.
The two consecutive dunks completely mobilized the morale of the Lakers players.
In the last three minutes of the second quarter, the Lakers, led by Kobe, launched a strong wave of chasing points.
At 3 minutes and 8 seconds, Kobe assisted Gasol to score a low single.
At 2 minutes and 22 seconds, Kobe shook off Su Mo's defense and hit a three-pointer from the outside.
After hitting the three-pointer, Kobe's eyes were cold and he bit his jersey hard.
On the commentary desk, Mike Brin and Van Gundy praised him.
"As expected, the boos from the home court forced out the strongest player in the league!"
"That's right, boos only make this man the strongest. When Kobe bit the fans, he was really angry!"