basketball never sleeps

Chapter 329 Vanessa is making her move?

"10-time All-Star, 2002 All-Star MVP, three-time NBA champion... A 6-foot-6 guard from Lower Merion High School, the one and only Black Mamba, number 24, Kobe Bryant!!!"

Accompanied by the DJ's long notes and the cheers of the fans, Kobe ran out of the player tunnel with his hands raised, but he didn't look well.

In the current era, apart from Duncan losing the championship that cemented his status as the greatest power forward in history, Kobe is the one most affected in terms of honors.

Paul's early arrival prevented Kobe from winning the scoring title in 05, while Mo Wen directly snatched the scoring title and All-Star MVP from Kobe's original timeline last season. As a result, his DJ profile hasn't been updated for a long time except for his All-Star appearances, and most of his honors are still from the "OK" era.

Fortunately, the DJ was very enthusiastic, clearly a die-hard Kobe fan. If the commentator had read it out every game, it might have been interpreted as a Kobe hater being sarcastic.

Kobe actually really liked this segment. A stagnant trophy board would humiliate an ambitious person, and that sense of shame would give him immense strength.

If his opponent is someone like Mo Wen, who has a "major update" every year, it will further ignite his fighting spirit.

When Morven won his third championship with the Heat, Kobe Bryant was somewhat resentful when the media considered Morven and Kobe to be players of the same caliber, and even ignored reporters who asked him about it.

But when Kobe finally agreed to talk about the issue after Mo Wen won the Grand Slam of honors in a single season last year, those voices disappeared.

Overnight, a "political" issue turned into a "historical" issue.

Mo Wen began to be discussed by fans as a potential top-ten player in history and a potential GOAT.

Kobe was apprehensive because he realized that if he used his current achievements to test the waters of "history," his opponent would change from Dan to Pippen.

He's not even as good as Pirlo, who has two three-peat championships.

Fortunately, he still had time.

Paul's growth and the addition of O'Neal mean that his wasted years have finally come to an end. Dan was 31 when he started his second Bulls dynasty, and he is not even 30 yet.

Seeing Mo Wen chatting and laughing casually with a female celebrity on the sidelines not far away, Kobe felt his fighting spirit burning and his elbows tingling...

The game officially started at 19 PM Los Angeles time.

Kwame Brown won the jump ball, just like he did in the draft.

Paul didn't play as freely as usual when facing Mo Wen, but strictly followed the Phil Jackson's tactics, passing the ball to Kobe on the wing early after crossing half-court.

Despite Paul's extraordinary playmaking talent, Phil Jackson didn't force Kobe to become a pure finisher; the old man still required Kobe to take on some playmaking responsibilities.

Mo Wen has proven just how destructive a playmaker who can shoot threes and pass the ball can be on the court.

Although Kobe's three-point shooting wasn't consistent and his playmaking ability was barely passable, imitating him was better than nothing.

More importantly, Kobe would run the triangle offense, while Paul preferred to play what he considered opportunities, but which deviated from the triangle offense. On the surface, it seemed effective, but in reality, it disrupted the original offensive system. Everyone liked these opportunities, but the coaching staff couldn't control them.

Kobe got into the game very quickly today. Facing Ray Allen, who also had a poker face, Kobe didn't start immediately after getting the ball. Instead, he waited for his teammates to make simple runs to put some psychological pressure on the defender before taking a step to break through.

Ray Allen held off Kobe's advance, bravely using his pectoral muscles to meet the cannon-like black shoulder. He had his facial muscles ready, but the expected struggle did not materialize.

After being coached by Mo Wen every day, Ray Allen immediately realized it was a fake move and immediately exerted force to prevent Kobe from turning to the other side or finding space to flip and jump shot.

This time, Kobe didn't think about "looking beautiful." Instead, he made a fake turn and immediately stepped back, taking advantage of Ray Allen's unsteady footing to decisively shoot.

The trajectory wasn't perfectly straight, but luckily it hit the backboard and fell into the basket.

Mo Wen raised an eyebrow. Kobe's move was very much like his.

Kobe remained calm and collected. He studied a lot of Mo Wen's videos. Although the game where Mo Wen scored 88 points didn't have much tactical value, he really enjoyed watching it, watching it over and over again, never getting tired of it.

After watching enough, and practicing a little bit in the sweltering summer and freezing winter, you'll get the hang of it.

Although Mo Wen is his junior, scoring points is no small matter.

The SuperSonics are on offense. Mo Wen is positioned in the middle, and he is being defended by Udoka, a new addition to the Lakers this year.

The future Rockets coach, Udoka, was also a rookie in the same draft class as Mo Wen, except that he was "undrafted" – in layman's terms, he went undrafted.

Udoka's story is quite inspiring. In the first three years of his career, when Morten was already famous, he was still struggling in the G League, playing a total of 15 NBA regular season games in those three years.

Until last season, he was discovered by the Trail Blazers coaching staff for his defense and became a key player for the Trail Blazers, starting all 75 games and averaging 8.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.

However, the Trail Blazers wanted to draft a more talented player, so they refused to guarantee Udoka consistent playing time. As a result, Udoka miraculously entered the free agent market again and joined the Lakers on a minimum salary to pursue his basketball dream.

Even now, as the Lakers' starter, he stands before the best player currently in the league.

Mo Wen didn't know much about Udoka because Udoka's ability wasn't good enough to be a regular starter. In the game, he was just a nobody who couldn't compete with him. Unfortunately, the Lakers didn't have the cap space or trade assets after acquiring O'Neal in the summer.

However, Mo Wen did remember him. This impression came from the fact that when he became a coach, he led the Celtics to win the Finals MVP and declared that his team had a "bright future." However, before the start of the new season, he was exposed for having an affair with a married female employee in management, and the management was kicked out. He became the first coach in history to be fired for not being able to control his groin. There was even a legend circulating on the internet that the female employee was wearing Tatum's jersey when she was caught having sex with him...

The Zen Master didn't want to put Uduk in front of Mo Wen either. Not only could Uduk not be defended, but Paul would also inevitably be bullied if he swung in front of talented men like Ray Allen and Guy.

However, previous encounters have shown that having Paul guard Mo Wen inflicts simultaneous physical and psychological damage on Paul.

As for having Kobe guard Mo Wen, and letting the top two scorers engage in a physical battle, that's possible and even reasonable. However, you need to understand that a potent drug isn't necessarily a good drug.

Whether Kobe wants it or not, whether the ticket-buying fans want it or not, whether Nike wants it or not, whether the league commissioner wants it or not...

Once his teammates were in position, Mo Wen dribbled between his legs, started with an in-and-out move followed by a slide step to the side, creating half a body length, then did a small turn to shake off Udoka's pull, and cut straight in.

O'Neal and Kwame Brown were prepared and quickly retreated, but Mo Wen reacted quickly, shooting a floater from just one step from the free-throw line.

Before returning to defense, Mo Wen glanced at O'Neal and Kwame Brown, feeling a bit of a predicament.

He made the shot cleanly, with a quick and steady release. Anyone else would have been either blocked or interfered with.

Despite O'Neal's less-than-efficient offense and Kwame Brown's tendency to blunder, these two high school prodigies are quite formidable defensively, especially as they reach their prime.

Top-tier dynamic talent, top-tier physical attributes, combined with years of honed skills and accumulated experience… Even if you pick them out individually, neither of them could get into the defensive all-around, but together, it's no exaggeration to say they have the best interior defense in the league right now. The Magic's number one and number two draft picks, the Black and White duo, have even better talent, but their attitudes are vastly different; they're like a newly lit cigar—they need a good kick.

When Kobe turned around and Ray Allen didn't have a chance, he decisively passed the ball back to Paul. Paul, facing Morey, wanted to emulate Iverson's performance against Danny and create a memorable moment. However, Morey did a good job of defending against drives but not shots.

Paul had no choice but to call a pick-and-roll, but Mo Wen retreated early and easily bypassed it.

Paul missed the fleeting two-point opportunity and had to call for another handoff, passing the ball to O'Neal.

O'Neal's hasty one-on-one attempt against Tyson in the elbow area missed, Ray Allen grabbed the rebound, and Mo Wen, who received the ball, didn't see a chance for a counterattack and continued to attack on his own.

He learned from experience and first set a screen for Tyson, pulling Kwame Brown out, then used a crossover to draw O'Neal back to defense before passing to Millsap in the corner.

Perhaps because it was his first time starting in the Christmas Day game, Millsap was a little nervous. He hit a wide-open three-pointer, but Ray Allen, who was dribbling past Kobe, luckily grabbed the rebound. Without dribbling, he took two steps into the paint and made a reverse layup, giving Kobe a chance.

In the Lakers' possession, Paul tried to score on his own again but failed. Seeing that passing to Kobe to isolate Ray Allen was also not very effective, he decisively changed the lineup, shouting for a double pick-and-roll to try to create a more comfortable environment for the perimeter.

Mo Wen also directed his teammates to speed up the double-teaming and rotation response, and at the same time brought out the simplest and most troublesome strong-side double shooter pick-and-roll.

Both sides countered each other's moves with great skill and strategy. Even though both Mo Wen and Kobe seemed to be holding back, the fans still found it very enjoyable to watch. Although they couldn't understand the tactical maneuvers, the game flowed smoothly.

I don't know if the referees also wanted to speed things up so they could go home for Christmas sooner, but the officiating was very lenient today. Just five minutes into the game, Paul committed an unintentional foul because he couldn't hold onto his opponent.

There wasn't a single pause, leaving the broadcasting stations helpless; they were waiting for commercial breaks, after all, this was the Christmas Day showdown.

"It's been a long time since I've seen such a smooth game. Mo Wen used his individual skills combined with the two corners to completely tear apart the Lakers' zone defense system, and the Lakers responded very well. CP3 didn't show any of the naivety of a third-year player. His triangle offense and pick-and-roll always created good one-on-one opportunities for his teammates. Both coaching staffs were very well prepared. What do you think, Mark?"

Mike Brown, who was commentating on today's game, looked at his partner next to him.

Mark Jackson nodded in agreement, but inwardly he was disgusted.

Coaching staff? Is there anything involving the coaching staff of both sides?

The camera just panned across the coaching staff of both teams; those who don't watch the NBA often might mistake them for front-row spectators.

The Zen Master had one hand in his pocket, but at least his eyes were still on the field. Old Hill, on the other hand, relaxed and leaned back in his chair, his eyes seemingly wandering off somewhere else. He looked more relaxed and at ease than the commentator.

This gave Mark Jackson a sense of accomplishment, and he adapted to the backless chair in the commentary room. At least he could have kept his back straight the whole time.

At the end of the first quarter, the SuperSonics led the Lakers 34-28.

The two teams' starting lineups only managed a 1-point lead against the SuperSonics, with the remaining 5 points coming from the substitutes.

With three minutes left in the first quarter, both sides tacitly began to pull some of their key players for rest. Udoka was even moved to the starting lineup, and the quality of the Lakers' bench was predictably poor.

Even with Paul leading the way, you can't cook without rice, and with Hill joining the SuperSonics, their original championship reserves have been strengthened this year.

Kobe was furious and vented his frustration on the bench with a sullen face, but the Lakers players weren't having any of it.

They felt they had no real grudge against supersonic speeds, and that it was just a token gesture during the holiday.

People earning 30,000 yuan a month are happy to work overtime during the Spring Festival, but people earning 3,000 yuan a month are too lazy to even copy and paste blessings without sending a password-protected red envelope.

“Jermaine, you should try to position yourself deeper.” Kobe encouraged Jermaine during the break.

In the first quarter, O'Neal didn't exactly slack off, but he certainly wasn't very aggressive, much like his usual Harden. Apart from two easy baskets, he spent the rest of the time outside the paint.

"Don't let the short stature of the guy I'm guarding fool you, he's got a solid lower body, I can score against him, but you guys need to remember to pass the ball."

Xiao Ao didn't stand on ceremony and directly stated his needs.

Jermaine O'Neal's stats have declined significantly this year. He can still play the triangle offense, but he no longer has the core status he had when he was the leader of the Pacers.

Positioning requires physical exertion. Often, after painstakingly making his way to the back of the court to establish position, he doesn't receive a pass, but rather a rebound or a screen. Over time, this naturally diminishes his aggressiveness.

Kobe nodded, his face slightly flushed. He had indeed acted a little willfully a while ago in order to demonstrate his authority as the boss.

But today, he's matured again. This time it's certain, we'll talk about it next time.

Paul, standing nearby, just watched without saying a word. If Kobe really wanted to, he should have done what he said before the game and started a physical battle with Mo Wen.

With him and O'Neal against Ray Allen, it's 2 against 1, that's when the Lakers have the advantage.

Ultimately, it all comes down to wanting to score high.

Oh man.

The game remained close when the second quarter ended.

O'Neal's increased presence in the paint did force the SuperSonics to collapse their defense, giving the Lakers' perimeter players more room to operate. However, relying heavily on inside play is not O'Neal's preferred style of play.

O'Neal's ball control ability is actually quite good, but he and Harden are the opposite of LeBron James. They have the physique and simpler ways to solve problems, but they just don't use them.

Just like Liu Tao, everyone knows which role she is most suited for, but she just won't film it.

Mo Wen lived up to his pre-game declaration: enjoy the game, only occasionally taking shots when the team's offense stalled, and spending most of his time organizing the offense, drawing the defense, and creating opportunities for his teammates to perform.

He doesn't lack attention and doesn't mind letting his teammates, who gave up the American Spring Festival to play in the game, get more exposure.

He didn't go all out on the defensive end, but he would still try his best to deal with Paul.

There's nothing you can do about it; that's just Ah Pao's personality. If you don't push him to his limits, he'll really take advantage of you.

I don't know why Kobe was so calm. He scored 14 points in the first half. Apart from a few shots against him at the beginning of the game, he was very restrained.

Could it be that... Vanessa has made a move?

But in the eyes of a certain mamba snake, Mo Wen was simply conserving his energy, preparing to unleash something big.

Are they preparing to exert their strength in the second half or the final quarter?

I'll play along! (End of Chapter)