CHAPTER 1256: CHAPTER 509: YOU HAVE JI BUGONG? I HAVE THE STRONGEST HIGH SCHOOLER IN HISTORY! (PART 2)

In the final minute of the first quarter, the Bobcats lead the Lakers by 25 to 24 points. It’s the Lakers’ offense; Kobe receives the ball at the high post, makes a gesture, Kidd and Gasol get ready for the setup and retreat defense, while Garnett and Shannon Brown prepare to crash the boards. Kobe turns and faces Hill, begins his triple threat, leans forward with a jab step... pulls back, steps back with a mid-range shot... and scores!

Hill had no way to deal with it; Kobe unleashed several new moves tonight, all of which he learned from his third brother.

Hill greatly admires Kobe for this; the guy never considers so-called ’face’ when it comes to getting stronger. He can ask Payton for help, is even willing to consult Stockton and Nash, and his good friend McGrady has long been picked clean. There’s even a rumor that Kobe studied the second-year prodigy Durant’s hop step breakthrough technique, but didn’t master it... so it’s no surprise to see him learning from Zhang Yang during the Finals.

As for how Kobe could use it after just a few days... it’s not a complicated move. Hill is also a player with extremely solid fundamentals; if he were to imitate a new skill, he’d be quick as well. It’s just that his current physical condition doesn’t support using it at an NBA level game.

Transitioning offense and defense, Zhang Yang positions himself, receives the ball, facing Kobe’s trailing defense, makes a horseback-style fadeaway shot with a little gap between his front and back feet... and scores!

to 26, Zhang Yang answers Kobe’s earlier mid-range shot!

In the last possession of the first quarter, Kidd runs down the clock and directly passes to the open Kobe. Kobe, against Hill’s chase and Zhang Yang’s sidewing double-team defense, turns around for a fadeaway drifting three-pointer, scoring 5 points in a row and leading the Lakers to a 29 to 27 comeback over the Bobcats to end the first quarter.

After the quarter break, Zhang Yang comes back, receives the ball on the right side of the top arc and goes for a direct pull-up shot. Yan Ye defends Kidd’s three-pointer, once again responding to Kobe’s solo attempts.

Kidd doesn’t have a way either; Ariza is resting, leaving him to create moments where Kobe can rest on defense. Zhang Yang displays a ’I will definitely attack’ stance, with the current twin towers inside being Kwame Brown and Gasol. If they get too close, they get passed; if not too tight, Yan Ye spaces them out. He opts for defending the drive, thinking Zhang Yang might be regaining his form after the break?

Turns out, Zhang San and the old ironsmith pay no heed to reason.

After the official timeout in the first quarter, Kobe had over 4 minutes with only one shot attempt. End of the quarter, he takes and makes two consecutive shots. Zhang Yang comes back from break acting just as domineering.

Both Kobe and Zhang Yang each scored 5 points in a row, with Zhang Yang’s three-point response shot also connecting. Subsequently, both instinctively enter team cooperation mode.

Facing each other head-on, neither can fully overpower the other; Afflalo, who replaced Hill, struggles to significantly interfere with Kobe. Kidd, relying purely on skill and experience, fails to contain the in-form Zhang Yang due to his height and athleticism disadvantage. Direct matchups between all-stars increase potential changes, but will also definitely lead to more exhaustion. Kobe possesses better stamina, but the Bobcats have greater roster depth, with eleven players rotating, whereas the Lakers rotate only nine. Starting from Game 2, every game against Kobe involves a successive defending strategy... During unique phases like before the official timeout and at the end of quarters, a strong attack is possible, but extending the battle line without a clear opportunity to blow out the opponent is unwise for both players.

Following this trend, by the end, it’ll definitely test individual abilities; neither wants to reach a point where they can no longer hold their strength.

Another seesaw battle, in the next 11 minutes and 50 seconds, the Bobcats score 26 points while the Lakers score 25. Including Zhang Yang’s bold three-pointer at the start, the Bobcats match the Lakers with 29 points in a single quarter!

By halftime, the Bobcats lead the Lakers 56 to 54 by two points as the teams enter the halftime break!

...

Returning to the locker room, Zhang Yang looks for Vincent to see the stats; their numbers closely match the opposition’s, both hitting 21 field goals, and making 7 free throws each. The only shooting difference is that the Lakers made 5 three-pointers, whereas the Bobcats made 7. Felton, Afflalo, and Brad Miller showcased excellent three-point shooting, amassing 5 combined three-pointers tonight.

The defensive stats show considerable differences; the Bobcats achieved 6 blocks at halftime, while the Lakers only had two. However, the Lakers forced turnovers and pass outs 5 times, while the Bobcats only did so twice. The teams combined for merely 7 turnovers in the half, showcasing a remarkably error-free standard!

Kobe scored 13 points in the first quarter, 8 points in the second, playing 21 minutes at halftime, and went 16-for-8 from the field, including 2-of-4 from three-point range, adding 2-of-3 from free throws for a total of 20 points.

Zhang San scored 9 points in each quarter, playing 20 minutes at halftime, shooting 6-for-13, with 2-of-5 from three-point range, adding 4-of-4 free throws for a total of 18 points, slightly trailing Kobe. Both he and Kobe have a significant number of assists, with 4 each at halftime, but he also has 3 block assists from supplement defenses, two of which came from Brad Miller protecting the rim, greatly alleviating his inside teammates’ defensive pressure. When Kobe defends him alone, he restricts his shots well but lacks Zhang’s help defense capabilities.

Whether it’s for the team or them individually against Kobe, it remains evenly matched.

With the situation so close, he becomes even more excited; this is precisely the Finals he was anticipating!

He remembered the ’essence of human cinema’, the words that led Atlanta fans to criticize him and possibly cost him his place. With the Lakers holding firm on fundamental defense, avoiding proactive attacks and leaving no openings, stirring up the Lakers’ defense indeed suited the trio of Hawk stars best.