The match is about to start in a few minutes, and the players are preparing on the field.
Nash wiped his hands with the soles of his shoes to keep them dry so as not to affect his feel, while Richardson bounced around as if he were about to take off at any moment.
Only Kobe...
He seemed to have thought of something, and ran to the Suns' bench to whisper something in Wei Guo's ear.
“What did he just say to you?” Gentry asked.
Wei Guo smiled wryly, "Kobe said he wished he could be as carefree as me."
"Hahaha..."
Cummings and his companions were overjoyed.
Kobe has such a humorous side? But as a fellow superstar, Wei Guo is really cool. He can sit comfortably on the bench and watch the game, only taking the shot when the team is behind and needs him.
"Beep!!!"
The referee blew his whistle, and the match began.
Stoudemire tipped the ball to Nash, and Marion had already run up the court when Stoudemire jumped for the ball. Nash made a long pass, and the basketball ended up in Marion's hands.
Marion takes a mid-range jump shot!
"Whoosh!!!"
The basketball went into the net.
2-0!!!
The Suns took the lead and scored first.
The Lakers inbound the ball from the baseline, and Atkins dribbled it up the court to find Kobe.
Atkins is only 1.8 meters tall and is a typical point guard. His three-point shooting percentage is quite good, consistently above 35%, only 20 percentage points lower than Wei Guo's.
but...
Limited by his height and ability, Atkins' assist rate is not high. Last season with the Celtics was probably the peak of his career, averaging 12 points and 5 assists per game. However, he is also an inconsistent player, sometimes failing to score a single point and providing only a few assists in a game.
Kobe Bryant one-on-one against Shawn Marion!
He used his back to the basket to create space, then made a low sweep to steal the ball, followed by a series of crossover steps the moment the ball landed!
"Whoosh~~~"
Relying on his exceptional individual scoring ability, Kobe beat Marion and took a mid-range shot.
"Whoosh!!!"
The basketball went into the net.
2:2!!!
Beside Wei Dafa was a wooden box containing a bottle of red wine that Kobe had given him. Looking down at the wine, Wei Dafa gave Kobe a thumbs-up, saying, "This young man is good; he has a real knack for playing basketball."
Gentry said, "Kobe's offensive ability ranks in the top five among active players."
"oh?"
Wei Dafa was very interested in the rankings and asked, "Who's number one?"
Gentry shook his head and said, "Needless to say, the first one is your son, our team's ace player, Weiguo!"
Wei Dafa was very happy when his son was praised in public.
......
The situation on the field was somewhat tense.
undoubtedly...
Kobe is already the absolute core of the Lakers, and he has unlimited shot attempts. Even if he takes 30 shots in a game, no one will say anything to him.
The Suns played more unselfishly. Under Nash's organization, teammates with scoring opportunities could receive Nash's passes. Stoudemire took slightly more shots. After the four great centers, O'Neal dominated the paint, and now Howard has just entered the league. Stoudemire's growth is very fast. If you were to rank the current centers, Stoudemire could be ranked in the top five or even the top three.
In the 2004-05 season, only O'Neal could consistently outperform Stoudemire at the center position.
The Lakers' center is Mihm, a 2.11-meter tall center with relatively weak physical strength. He doesn't like to match up against centers with strong impact like Stoudemire!
Some people say...
Stoudemire is like a weaker version of Wei Guo at the center position.
This is praise, not criticism.
At the end of the first quarter, the Suns led by 6 points.
As the players returned to the bench, Wei Guo reminded them, "We can't focus all our attention on Kobe alone. We can't ignore Odom either, and there's also that young player named Caron Butler, who also has a lot of explosiveness."
"I've been following him."
Richardson seemed unconcerned. "I was a key player in my rookie season, averaging 15 points per game, but my stats dropped significantly the following year. This is a classic case of peaking right out of the gate."
Debuting at the peak?
Wei Guo disagreed with Richardson's opinion. He had both a Caron Butler trading card and a Quentin Richardson trading card, one silver and one bronze. Even if he couldn't predict the future, Wei Guo knew that Richardson's achievements and abilities were not on the same level as Butler's.
......
Perhaps sensing Wei Guo's praise, Butler exploded in the second quarter.
At the start of the second quarter, Butler, without rest, drove to the basket and scored, drawing a foul from Barbosa in the process.
"Well done!"
Kobe gave Butler a thumbs up.
Butler steps to the free-throw line.
"Whoosh!!!"
The free throw was made.
29:26!!
The Lakers are down by 3 points.
The Suns inbound the ball from the baseline. Barbosa dribbles to the frontcourt and passes to Marion. Marion's three-pointer misses, and Butler grabs the defensive rebound.
"Defense!"
D'Antoni yelled, "Get back on defense quickly..."
The Suns retreated quickly on defense. After Butler grabbed the defensive rebound, he passed the ball to Atkins and then ran up the court.
The offense and defense switch very quickly...
Atkins passed the ball to Odom, who drove with his left hand. Noticing Butler following from the right, Odom suddenly threw the ball towards the top of the basket.
That was a very risky pass!
The Suns' defender under the basket was Lampe, the Suns' second tallest player after the guards, but Butler reacted faster, taking a step forward and leaping high.
Aerial relay!!!
"Bang!!!"
Butler completed a powerful dunk while riding on Lampe.
29:28!!
The Lakers' bench erupted in cheers, with Kobe Bryant even standing up and waving a towel.
Gentry looked at Wei Guo with an expression as if he had just eaten a basket of lemons. "Brother Wei, is your mouth blessed?"
This sip of poisonous milk...
Wei Guo had just reminded his teammates to watch out for Butler, but after Butler came on the court, he scored 5 points in a row, narrowing the gap to just 1 point!
Richardson was even more frustrated.
Butler was unaware that Richardson had criticized him during the break, but since Richardson had said those words, he still felt like he had been slapped in the face by Butler.
Then...
The Suns missed several consecutive shots.
Nash is the Suns' absolute core. When he's off the court, the Suns' offense seems to be stuck in a quagmire, while Butler is simply on fire. In five minutes, he made 5 of 7 shots and scored 11 points, giving the Lakers a 7-point lead.
The Suns have brought back their starters, and Kobe has returned to the court.
"Brother Wei..."
Gentry looked at him with a reproachful expression, "You dug this hole yourself, so you have to fill it yourself."
"why???"
Wei Guo spread his hands, reminding his teammates to be careful when defending Butler.
Butler exploded...
Doesn't this make you seem prescient?
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