Chapter 456: Offensive Battle
Kobe clearly had no idea they were plotting against him. However, given his personality, even if he knew, there was a 70% chance he'd stick with it. Because that's just the way he is. Even though he's increasingly trusting the team, in crucial moments, he'll never let his individual heroism dim. Besides, now that the whole world knows he's going to duel Yang Mo, can he afford to lose?
Obviously, Kobe Bryant couldn't afford to lose, so before the game, he emphasized to Phil Jackson three times: I want to increase my shooting rights tonight and I want to beat that brat.
Phil Jackson could only nod his head in agreement. He wasn't willing to argue with Kobe over such trivial matters; the outcome of this game wasn't crucial to him. It was just… he still felt a little bothered. He was a man who refused to admit defeat, but he'd already lost to Yang Mo many times. As a seasoned coach, he hated the feeling of losing to a greenhorn. To lose repeatedly to a greenhorn with such a strong hand was truly unrefined!
Soon, the game arrived. As both players took the court, Yang Mo was met with both the loudest boos and the loudest cheers. Indeed, Yang Mo's presence directly divided the entire Staples Center community. The vast majority of men booed Yang Mo, while the vast majority of women offered their enthusiastic support.
This is a strange phenomenon. Even Beckham, who is known as a heartthrob, has never experienced this phenomenon.
Yang Mo wasn't surprised by this. What surprised him was that he actually spotted Scarlett behind his own bench. When he glanced over, Scarlett was cheering him on with all her might. Jessica Alba and her best friend, the bearded Davis, were sitting behind the Lakers bench, and she was also cheering Yang Mo on with all her might!
The appearance of these two undoubtedly grabbed a lot of camera attention. The greater significance of this match was the drama of two goddesses chasing Yang Mo. At least half of the people watching the TV were watching for this reason, more concerned with the goddess's fate than the outcome of the game. To them, what's so interesting about basketball? A goddess is more interesting, isn't she?
After discovering Scarlett and Jessica, Yang Mo kept scanning around, trying to find Lu Xuefei, but no matter how hard he tried, Lu Xuefei's figure could not be projected into his pupils.
While Yang Mo was searching, the referee blew the whistle, and Milicic and Bynum jumped at the same time... Bang! The basketball was hit by the taller Bynum and landed in Kobe's hands. Kobe caught the ball and held it tightly, not giving Yang Mo any chance to sneak up.
After Kobe received the ball, he paused for a moment, then passed it to Fisher and slowly ran to the frontcourt. Yang Mo followed him all the way, spewing trash talk as he walked: "You are doomed to lose tonight, because I know you better, and you don't know me. I am the only core of the team, and you are not. Phil Jackson said that the inside is more important for the Lakers now..."
Yang Mo's constant chatter annoyed Kobe Bryant, so once he was one step outside the three-point line, he quickly stopped and passed the ball to Fisher. He ducked, and before Yang Mo could regain his balance, he suddenly made a swift drive. Yang Mo hurried to catch up, but Kobe Bryant had already stopped, and Yang Mo stopped too. Unexpectedly, Kobe suddenly spun around, and Yang Mo caught up again. Kobe spun again, and Yang Mo was a little behind him. Kobe took a step forward and launched the ball... swish!
The basketball went into the net!
Kobe Bryant's offensive footwork has reached perfection, which is one of the reasons why his scoring is always so sharp.
"Boy, you're still a greenhorn." Kobe Bryant raised his eyebrows proudly at Yang Mo after scoring the goal: "You can't beat me."
"You've reversed the subject and object in that sentence. If I remember correctly, you've never been able to defeat me, right?"
Yang Mo's retorts were always quick and on time, which immediately stifled Kobe and made his smug expression completely stiff.
Back in half court, Yang Mo decisively passed the ball to Tony Allen. He didn't rush to break through like Kobe, but rather slowly bent down, taking a few moments before taking a perfunctory tactical step. Kobe, of course, remained motionless. Meanwhile, Yang Mo had already swiftly prepared for a shot. Kobe quickly moved forward to block the shot, but just as he was about to reach out, he suppressed his instincts, knowing Yang Mo was definitely trying to trick him into committing a foul.
As soon as he retracted his hand, Yang Mo shot the ball directly...Swish!
The basketball fell into the net. Kobe never thought that Yang Mo's move was not a fake, but a real shot.
Suddenly, he felt his intelligence was insulted: Is this a lie to a three-year-old? Am I a three-year-old?
Kobe is indeed not a three-year-old child, but to Yang Mo, he is easier to fool than a three-year-old child.
"Look, I turned the tables right away, didn't I?" Yang Mo grinned at Kobe Bryant. "And I made a three-pointer, one more than you. No matter how good your footwork is, I can knock you down with one shot !"
In response to Yang Mo's boast, Kobe gritted his teeth and nodded coldly, his anger completely on the surface. As a professional actor, Yang Mo felt that this expression was a bit exaggerated.
Kobe Bryant obviously didn't know that Yang Mo had mentally transformed his expression into something exaggerated. He only knew that he had to score a goal right away, or else he would lose face. This was their home court!
"Kobe Bryant and Super Yang competed from the start. They each scored a goal, and it looked very easy for both of them." ESPN host Hollins commented with a flat expression.
"Oh, no, man, these two shots were not easy at all. Kobe used his footwork to deceive Super Yang, and Super Yang used his shooting speed to deceive Kobe. The battle of wits and courage here is much more interesting than a simple slam dunk." Chris Webber quickly corrected his partner's statement. He analyzed from his professional perspective: "Kobe Bryant's footwork is a bit like that of an inside player, but he is more agile than an inside player. Therefore, it is very difficult to defend. Super Yang's skills rely more on talent and psychological tactics. His speed actually exceeds the defender's thinking, making people unable to help but dance with him subconsciously. Kobe was actually deceived just now, he almost committed a foul!"
"Man, it's not as amazing as you say!" Steve Kerr, standing by, started complaining before Chris Webber could finish. "Kobe Bryant's footwork is definitely a skill, but that Chinese kid's skill is ridiculous. That shot just happened because Kobe Bryant wasn't sure if he was going to shoot it."
"Being able to prevent defenders from making accurate judgments is the essence of skill," Chris Webber argued. "Kobe Bryant's zigzagging footwork was designed to prevent opponents from making accurate judgments. You can't ignore the effectiveness of Yang's moves just because they're so simple. In fact, this is where Super Yang's brilliance lies. Being able to deceive opponents with the simplest means is truly commendable!"
"You're getting more and more ridiculous! Super Yang isn't that great!" Steve Kerr retorted angrily. Although he had no concrete evidence to back up his claims, he still had his stance, and that was against Yang Mo. It was that simple. If you're not on the right side of the fence, there's no way you can be objective.
As for the commentator profession, a commentator with a personal attitude is not necessarily a good commentator, but a commentator without a personal attitude is definitely not a good commentator. Therefore, basically every commentator has a player they like or hate. This is not surprising at all.
While Steve Kerr and Chris Webber were arguing , Kobe Bryant scored again and caused Yang Mo to commit a defensive foul, making it a two-plus-one.
Kobe Bryant received the ball from beyond the arc and quickly drove toward the paint, with Yang Mo hot on his heels, pressing him. Kobe took a step inside the free throw line and suddenly stopped. Yang Mo quickly pulled back, but Kobe had already made a fadeaway shot. Unable to react quickly, Yang Mo reached out to block the shot, only to see Kobe, who was fading, suddenly swerve forward and fling the ball past Yang Mo. Swoosh!
The basketball actually went in, and the referee blew the whistle immediately, indicating that Yang Mo had committed a foul.
When the referee made the call, Staples Center suddenly became a sea of joy. Lakers supporters used all kinds of screams and cheers to pay homage to Kobe's foul. After a burst of cheers, they kept shouting: MVP! MVP! MVP!
They also knew about the bet between Yang Mo and Kobe, and they were of course very happy that Kobe won the first game.
"Yang, what you can do, I can do too, but what I can do , you will never be able to learn." Kobe did not forget to hit Yang Mo before going to the free throw line.
"Really?" Yang Mo smiled faintly, not taking it seriously at all: "It's just the beginning. Your current pride only proves your guilty conscience. And I will only give you a good-natured laugh after the game: Kobe, you lost again, how could you possibly beat me??"
"Arrogant!" Kobe muttered, and walked to the free throw line... Swish! He easily made the free throw.
