Chapter 1006
The Mamba Awakens from Hibernation! As the 7th in the league, this performance should b
The Raptors are still a bad team.
Despite having top draft pick Bargnani, Chinese star Xu Yong, and other talented players like Calderon and Navarro, this team is still a terrible team.
Since its inception, this team has had no highlights or memorable moments for fans.
There's nothing we can do about it. In a sense, this team is the one that Lin Tian has exploited the most and left the most destitute. It's the team that has been changed the most by Lin Tian.
Vince Carter, the team's first top-tier star, never played for the team because of Lin Tian's emergence.
Chris Bosh, the team's second star player, never played for the team because of Lin Tian's emergence.
The team finally got the number one pick, but they selected a mediocre draft pick. As it turned out, Lin Tian didn't cause any trouble this time.
DeRozan is the third player in the team's history to be called a star, but Lin Tian never played for the team.
The team's three generations of leaders were all unable to play for the Raptors because of Lin Tian.
Absolutely nothing good comes, and nothing bad gets lost.
Although they later selected Xu Yong, which gave them immense popularity in China and allowed them to make a fortune, Xu Yong was not the type of player who could defy fate and single-handedly change the team's fortunes.
His average score per game has been consistently above 20 points for the past few years, but that's about it.
In a sense, Xu Yong was somewhat disappointing. Everyone hoped that he could play at the level of a top star, and at least reach the level of a team's main player who is a regular member of the annual roster and a playoff team.
Unfortunately, over the years, this guy has remained stagnant. Apart from a few rare moments when he shows glimpses of superstar-level talent and has a burst of brilliance, he has never truly reached that level.
For his age, this is his upper limit.
But of course, considering his draft position and the level of his performance, he absolutely deserved his draft position. He was not a bust at all; he was very good, just not top-tier.
This team, known as the worst team in the league and with almost no highlights in its nearly 20-year history, will challenge the Lakers tonight.
If Kobe hadn't given in and admitted defeat a few days ago, they might have had a chance, but tonight?
It can only be Kobe who becomes the dragon slayer once again!
The first quarter had just begun, and the Lakers had the first possession of the ball. Lin Tian dribbled the ball to the frontcourt.
As always, Kobe on the wing turned and ran past Navarro, then charged straight for the basket once again.
Lin Tian's pass was precise, accurate, and incredibly smooth; the basketball swept across half the court and flew right under the basket.
Kobe pulled up and slammed the basketball toward the rim!
"boom!"
With a loud bang, Kobe once again kicked things off with a powerful alley-oop dunk after an off-ball movement!
"You run alright. If you were five years younger, you could pass higher and I could give you a windmill dunk." Lin Tian said, extending his hand as he retreated to defend.
"Good message." This time, Kobe finally didn't dare to be arrogant and slapped Lin Tian's hand to show his friendliness.
All you want is a high five so I can compliment you.
I'll satisfy you.
After cursing under his breath, Kobe knew very well that his time had come!
Tonight, we will slay the dragon.
Next, Xu Yong of the Raptors also made a strong drive past Barnes and scored 2 points with a layup. However, when Kobe and Lin Tian started to play their tactics seriously, the Raptors really couldn't defend against them at all.
Lin Tian first pretended to back down Calderon, pressuring him all the way to the baseline. Then, he suddenly made a no-look pass to the middle, where Kobe, cutting to the basket, caught the ball and immediately pulled up for a floater, scoring another 2 points!
Less than 30 seconds later, Kobe once again squeezed Navarro, firmly blocking his position.
He then drove all the way to the edge of the three-second zone before reaching out for the ball.
Kobe didn't need to reach out for the ball when Lin Tian passed it to him. He only stretched out halfway before taking it back and grabbing the basketball. After a brief struggle with Navarro behind him, Kobe turned around to face the basket and then faked the defender away with both hands.
Then, with an easy jump, he smoothly banked the ball into the basket.
After Kobe scored three consecutive baskets at the start of the game, he seemed to have completely regained his form. Throughout the first quarter, Kobe was in an unstoppable state.
Furthermore, his attack range has been expanding, from the three-second zone at the beginning to close-range shooting, then to mid-range catch-and-shoot jumpers, one-on-one isolation plays after the spread out, and finally, just before the end of the first quarter, he threw up an extremely long buzzer-beating three-pointer from near midcourt!
With a crisp sound, Kobe hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer, bringing his score in the first quarter to 21 points.
Slightly less than Durant's from a few days ago, but still the second-highest individual single-quarter score of the new season.
First, of course, is Durant from a couple of days ago.
Kobe's single-quarter outburst left the Raptors helpless to retaliate. They never expected that Kobe, who had been in a slump for almost half a month, would suddenly awaken when facing them.
They didn't even devise any strategies or tactics to counter Kobe before the game. They thought they wouldn't be so unlucky. They thought, "Kobe's bad form can't just suddenly end when he's playing against us, right?"
can.
And it wasn't just a single quarter's outburst.
In the second quarter, Kobe, who had played the entire first quarter, took a short rest before returning to the court with eight minutes remaining and continuing his scoring spree.
With Lin Tian's all-out help, Kobe truly thrived.
He can receive the ball when he's open, and he can grab it the instant he's in position. As long as he has an opportunity, the ball will almost always come to him in the most comfortable way and at the most comfortable angle, helping him to attack.
Good passing isn't just about getting the ball into an open space for your teammates to attack. Truly top-notch passing allows your teammates to receive the ball when they are most comfortable and need it most, so that they can launch an attack without needing to adjust, dribble, or struggle to get past you.
At the same time, Lin Tian doesn't just pass the ball to Kobe whenever he has the chance.
While observing Kobe's position, he was also observing the Raptors' defense.
If they set traps for Kobe, or if their defense focuses too much on Kobe, Lin Tian will immediately turn to Durant or Bynum and let them finish the offense.
However, as soon as the Raptors adjust their defensive strategy slightly and shift their defensive focus away from Kobe, Lin Tian will immediately find Kobe again, allowing Kobe to deliver a devastating blow to the Raptors.
With a passer like Lin Tian and an offensive player of Kobe's caliber, their full cooperation would be incredibly effective and would keep the opponent constantly on their toes.
In the second quarter, Kobe continued his momentum, scoring another 15 points!
By the end of the first half, Kobe had already scored 36 points!
He has surpassed Durant to become the player with the highest halftime score so far this season.
The Raptors don't have the same firepower and offensive capabilities as the Suns. They only have 40 points by halftime, just 4 points more than Kobe's individual score!
If the whole team scores 4 points more than one person, then it's only natural that the team is trailing by a large margin.
40: 66!
At the end of the first half, the Raptors were down by as many as 26 points to the Lakers, and the game was clearly about to be blown out.
Given Kobe's personality, if the Raptors surrender now, or if they are no longer able to narrow the gap, then his personal show tonight will be over.
Kobe had absolutely no interest in racking up points when the game was already won.
That's good enough!
During halftime, Kobe didn't even get physical therapy.
Let's finish the match together.
Kobe felt that he could play for another 4-5 minutes in the third quarter at most, and then he could call it a day and go home. He thought it was unnecessary to do physical therapy at halftime and then have to do it again after the game.
Because he knew what level the Raptors were at, he knew that a team like the Raptors, trailing by 26 points at halftime, was enough for them to surrender.
If they truly possessed the tenacity to fight back and strive for a comeback even when trailing by 26 points, could they still be considered pushovers?
Unfortunately for the Raptors, Kobe Bryant's sudden resurgence tonight was unexpected, and Kobe himself didn't anticipate the Raptors' unconventional approach. At the start of the second half, the Raptors' offense suddenly exploded.
巴尼亚尼3分、徐咏2+1、纳瓦罗招牌抛投，第三节开局2分钟，猛龙队就完成3连击，打出了一波8：2，将分差缩小到了20分。
Then, Xu Yong once again showed glimpses of a superstar athlete.
On the defensive end, he faced off against Kobe and successfully anticipated the angle and timing of Kobe's fadeaway shot. He jumped high and successfully brushed against Kobe's shot, completing the block.
On the offensive end, Xu Yong faced off against Kobe, who was looking for revenge, at the three-point line. After a series of probing dribbles, he suddenly pulled up and forced a shot over Kobe!
Kobe's reaction was incredibly fast; he lunged forward immediately, but he was still too slow.
Not only did he slow down, but he also bumped into Xu Yong's arm because he rushed too hard.
"Shh!"
"beep!"
The referee's whistle and the sound of the basketball going through the net rang out at the same time.
3+1!
Xu Yong faced Kobe and scored an incredibly powerful 3+1!
With a frenzied roar and pounding chest, Xu Yong unleashed his pent-up excitement—this ball was crucial!
If he can make the free throw, the Raptors will narrow the gap to 16 points. Although the gap is still large, it is definitely enough for the Raptors to gain momentum!
Although the Raptors are a weak team and they are far from the playoffs, no one is willing to lose, and no one wants to keep losing.
If we can win, if we can reverse the situation against the league's top teams, absolutely no one can refuse that!
"Shh!"
As Xu Yong calmly converted his penalty, the gap between the two sides continued to narrow.
However, Jackson also called his first timeout of the third quarter at this point.
After being outplayed by the opponent, we need to adjust our strategy.
"Terrible! Utterly useless! Garbage! Especially Kobe." Jackson showed no mercy to Kobe. Although Kobe only missed one shot in the third quarter, Xu Yong scored on him repeatedly and even committed a brainless 3+1 foul.
Jackson would absolutely not tolerate Kobe at a time like this.
It's just a direct attack.
He knows exactly which player should be treated and when, and in what way.
Kobe is someone who can be criticized without consequence. His strong self-confidence won't be affected by those two insults. On the contrary, he'll work even harder because of his poor performance.
Of course, sometimes Kobe would get carried away and start playing recklessly.
Once someone gets carried away, it's hard to say whether it will be beneficial or detrimental to the team.
But now that the team has Lin Tian, a guy who can completely contain Kobe, Jackson can rest easy. With Lin Tian on the team, how can Kobe get carried away? If you don't allow him to continue to ruin the team, Lin Tian probably won't pass the ball to Kobe at all.
Lin Tian is incredibly calm!
So now, Jackson has completely let go.
Throughout the timeout, based on his absolute trust in Lin Tian, this guy didn't hold back much and basically didn't arrange any tactics or lineups.
He spent the entire minute on Kobe.
After a long tirade, Jackson nodded in satisfaction and said, "Alright, that's about it. Go on, keep playing, and widen the score gap again!"
52: 68!
The game continues!
"You can just play it directly?" Lin Tian said to Kobe as he walked onto the court, "You can do it, right?"
"Of course!" Lin Tian's skeptical tone enraged Kobe once again.
What the hell!
A lousy Raptors team, and I can't beat them?
Who do you think you are!
After the timeout ended, a slightly agitated Kobe didn't even need Lin Tian to organize the offense.
He ran straight to the top of the arc to ask for the ball, received the inbound pass from his teammate, and then decisively waved his hand, signaling everyone to spread out for him.
One-on-one! One-on-one today!
Navarro, who was guarding him, was naturally fully focused. A large portion of Kobe's points in the first half tonight came from him, and he knew all too well how good Kobe's performance was tonight.
Now that the team has gained momentum, this shot is extremely important for the Raptors!
If we can defend against it, their momentum will be unstoppable!
But if Kobe scores another basket, the team's morale will not necessarily collapse, but it will certainly be affected.
Navarro stared intently at Kobe, wary of the offensive kaleidoscope's potential attack at any moment.
Is it the safest option—a strong drive to the basket—or his signature mid-range jump shot?
Navarro pondered and waited cautiously, preparing all the contingency plans he could think of. Whenever Kobe launched an attack, he had a way to contain him.
This is a unique defensive style of veteran players. They are experienced and have a reliable way of calculating what their opponents will do and how they will set up their defenses.
This is one of the reasons why a team needs a few veterans to keep things in check!
experience!
But Kobe's final choice still surprised him.
This guy didn't choose any reliable or good offensive methods at all, and all of Navarro's preparations were in vain!
After dribbling for a while, Kobe pulled up and shot from a meter away from the three-point line!
He started with a super long-range three-pointer!
Navarro's first thought at that moment was: During the timeout, the Lakers set up this thing?
If Lin Tian knew what Navarro was thinking, he would definitely tell Navarro considerately: No, we haven't even made that arrangement. Our coach just did nothing but yell at people.
Theoretically speaking, this is the least appropriate offensive move at this point, and the worst possible shot choice for the Lakers who desperately need to score.
Logically, they should now focus on the paint and the three-second zone, upholding the tradition that 'the closer to the basket, the easier it is to score,' and driving to the basket or having Bynum score one-on-one under the basket would be the safest and most reliable option.
But clearly, that's the charm of basketball.
A reasonable choice is likely to be effective, but it may not necessarily ignite passion and bring ultimate excitement to the team and fans.
An unreasonable choice could easily result in a wasteful shot, but if it goes in, it can instantly ignite the entire arena, causing the adrenaline of fans and players to surge wildly.
"Shh!"
Kobe's shot was clearly an unreasonable and tactical decision.
But it got in!
The point difference between the two sides has once again reached 19 points!
Moreover, Kobe was clearly not satisfied with this!
Next, he took over the defense against Xu Yong. This guy had a 2+1 and a 3+1 in 2 minutes in the third quarter, and was the Raptors' number one weapon for chasing points. Now Kobe took over directly and began to put full-court press defense on Xu Yong.
Black Mamba, once again baring his fangs, begins to reveal his most bloodthirsty and ruthless side!
At this point, Xu Yong once again revealed why he failed to become a top NBA star.
His ability to withstand pressure was clearly insufficient, and his skills and mentality were also unable to support him in delivering brilliant moments when facing a fully-fledged Kobe.
In short, Xu Yong went silent for the remainder of the third quarter; he completely disappeared on the offensive end.
Kobe completely shut him down, and Xu Yong's score in the third quarter was only 7 points.
While Kobe completely shut down Xu Yong on the defensive end, he also showed everyone on the offensive end what it means to be a one-man show on both offense and defense!
The invincible Kobe is back!
His firepower in this section was even more impressive than in the first! (End of Chapter)