Champion, please stay!

Chapter 162, Question 160: The Scoring King of the Next Decade?

Yi Shui called and asked the team to send over the Lakers' scouting report.

Yi Shui, Curry, and Chalmers stared at the Lakers' record sheet, leaving the three of them speechless.

全明星周末前的52场比赛，湖人队39胜13负，看着和他们当时的36胜16负差距不大。

但是，湖人队首月14胜2负、12月12胜3负，08年结束前26胜5负。

战绩最差的1月11胜5负、2月前半段2胜3负。

球探报告上标注着，对比前两个月，那段时间，科比出场时间从39分钟降到33分钟、加索尔出场时间从38分钟降到34分钟、拜纳姆出场时间从32分钟降到26分钟。

与之对应的是几个主力替补的出场时间提升，奥多姆出场时间从28分钟提升到35分钟、武贾西奇出场时间从12分钟提升到20分钟、约什-鲍威尔出场时间从6分钟提升到13分钟……

After returning from the All-Star break and resuming normal playing time, the Lakers started with a 1-2 record and went on a 16-game winning streak! It was only ended yesterday, leaving them with a 17-3 record in 20 games!
The Lakers currently have a record of 57 wins and 15 losses, surpassing the Cavaliers' 55 wins and 16 losses, and are temporarily ranked first in the league!

That winning streak dazzled the three rookies from the class of 08.

Not even a single three-game losing streak!
They have a head-to-head advantage against almost every team in the Western Conference.

Most of the time, the Lakers sweep their opponents, including the Cavaliers, who were crushed in both games against the Lakers... But not all of them are like that. There was one Eastern Conference team that swept the Lakers last night.

The Bobcats pulled off another upset, defeating the Lakers 94-84 and ending the Lakers' 16-game winning streak.

During the game, another conflict broke out between the two teams. It started when Raja Bell fell while collapsing to cover, 'accidentally' tackled Bynum and carried him away...

Bynum did not come to New York with the Lakers. Although the team doctor's diagnosis was good, that he had only twisted his knee, he had just been sidelined for the rest of last season. In the Finals, Gasol was defending the rim alone but was dominated by Garnett and Pierce. The Lakers did not dare to be careless and sent Bynum back to Los Angeles for a detailed examination.

It's not manly to be happy for an opponent's injury, but the three rookies from the 08 class all felt a sense of relief.

Gerald Wallace is the kind of player who exudes competitive spirit and is loved by his opponents.

Moreover, Bynum's absence is indeed a huge advantage for the Knicks. Any one of Bynum, Gasol, and Odom could easily dominate their interior defense, and with all three of them on the court, they would be completely helpless.

Not to mention them, in Yi Shui's memory, Howard only won one game against the three big men in the Finals.

...

After two rest days, March 31st marked the Knicks' tenth day before the season's end. In the morning's pre-season meeting, D'Antoni announced the start of the final sprint.

In other words, we will fight for victory in every game from now on, and go as far as we can.

The Magic's six-game winning streak was snapped by the Heat last night, leaving them with a 50-22 record and a three-game lead over the Heat.

The Hawks, who came in second, won last night, bringing their record to 47 wins and 25 losses, just half a game behind them.

It will be very difficult to gain home advantage in the first round!

The key point is that they have a 1-2 record against the Hawks in the regular season. They can only rank fourth if their record is better than the Hawks'. If they tie, they will only be fifth.

Despite being jokingly referred to as a bankrupt version of the Sacramento Kings, the starting lineup of Bibby, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, and Al Horford, along with an eight-man rotation of Ronald Murray, Zaza Pachulia, and Maurice Evans, was indeed more competitive than the Knicks' group of role players during the final stretch of the season when all teams were putting up a strong showing.

As for the Cavaliers and Celtics, who are further ahead, the Cavaliers have a nine-game lead. If they win two of the remaining 11 games, the Celtics will have no chance of catching up.

The Celtics, even a weakened giant, are still formidable. Despite only achieving an 8-8 record after Garnett's season-ending injury, they still boast a 53-20 record. Furthermore, their recent transformation into a purely defensive team, bolstered by Thibodeau's tough, physical style of play, has improved significantly. After a 3-5 run, they've now gone 5-3. The Magic might not even be able to catch up to the Celtics in their remaining 10 games, let alone the Magic.

However, the team did not put any pressure on the players.

After the meeting, Dolan came to give the players gifts for advancing to the playoffs early.

It's basically a bunch of supermarket vouchers, quite a good deal. Daily expenses are high in the Big Apple, and for most of the Knicks' low-paid players, daily expenses take up a large portion of their salaries. After all, these people waste more money in their daily lives than ordinary people.

I was terrified of poverty when I was a child, and now that I'm well-off, I want the best of everything—food, clothes, and everything else.

After defeating the Pistons and increasing their win count to 43, the Knicks had already secured a top-eight spot, making it impossible for the ninth-placed Bulls to catch up.

Currently, the Heat, who are sixth in the Eastern Conference, have a record of 38 wins and 35 losses. If the Knicks win two more games or the Heat lose two more games, the Knicks will secure a top-five finish. The Pacers and 76ers, who are behind them, have winning percentages of less than 50%.

At the end of the meeting, Walsh also expressed his satisfaction with the players' performance, which far exceeded his expectations. He told the players to play freely and without any worries, to go for it if they could, and to prepare for the playoffs if they couldn't.

It was noon. After finishing his training, Yi Shui went to the rest room and, while waiting for lunch, turned on his computer and browsed the news...

He discovered that there is never a shortage of big mouths in this world.

This time, the big mouth is none other than King of the Cavaliers, who has already climbed to the top of the Eastern Conference and is now vying for the top spot in the league!

ESPN, Time Warner, TNT, and other websites prominently featured the headline: "A Battle of Basketball's Holy Land: Black Mamba vs. Embiid!"

Yi Shui and Kobe only mentioned this twice when they met. He didn't mention it to anyone else, and Kobe probably didn't either.

He checked the news in the morning, but there were no related reports. The headline was still pushing the first game of tonight's March Madness Final Four, between the Villanova Wildcats led by Dante Cunningham and the North Carolina Tar Heels led by Hansbrough.

By the way, the Huskies have made it to the semifinals again. Thabeet racked up a triple-double of 11 points, 22 rebounds and 10 blocks in the Elite Eight, breaking the record for most blocks in a single game by a Big East player in the Third Madness tournament, previously held by Yi Shui. He led his team to a 52-47 victory over the Missouri Tigers led by DeMarre Carroll, further cementing his reputation as the 'African Mountain Plus'.

Although thinking that way felt a bit unfair to his old teammates who had made huge contributions during their junior year championship season, Yi Shui was still curious—if the Grizzlies hadn't tanked, which unlucky team that got a top-three pick would have selected Thabeet?

However, if the Grizzlies hadn't been so eager to achieve results and already had the twin towers of Randolph and Gasol, thus not giving newcomers a chance, Yi Shui believes that Thabeet would at least not have become the worst second overall pick in history. After all, his size and shot-blocking instincts are what they are. If he only plays a few minutes per game and there's no guarantee that he'll be on the court every game, even a god couldn't make it.

Getting back to the main point, Yi Shui watched the video of James's interview that morning...

"Kobe is the best scorer in the world, and so is Brook. He's already one of the best scorers in the league. If I didn't have a game tomorrow, I would definitely go to the basketball mecca to watch them face off... Yes, they've already made plans to face off at the basketball mecca..."

Yi Shui recalled that before the All-Star Rookie Game, when he was chatting with Kobe, King seemed to be watching from the sidelines, but he didn't pay attention to it at the time, as it wasn't anything shameful.

The Cavaliers have been crushed twice this season in their matchups against the Lakers, with LeBron James suffering terribly against the Lakers' three towers.

The Knicks lost their first game against the Lakers. If they lose tonight, they will be swept by the Lakers in the regular season, just like the Cavaliers.

If they beat the Lakers, the Lakers' record will be 57 wins and 16 losses, and the Cavaliers, with 56 wins and 15 losses, will be able to catch up with the Lakers in terms of wins and take the initiative in the competition for the top seed in the regular season.

Yi Di: This guy is really cunning!
...

Originally, there was a Crazies semifinal match tonight. Even though there was something to hype about Yi Shui vs. Kobe, the media wasn't very interested. There was some publicity for the game, but not much.

In the US, what sport can rival the excitement of March Madness? Even the NFL playoffs can't compare!
But who is LeBron James? He is the basketball player with the most fans, the highest popularity, and the most controversy among the middle-aged generation.

During an interview, he 'unintentionally' revealed that Yi Shui and Kobe Bryant had a 'duel at Madison Square Garden,' which caused the already high-profile match to gain even more attention!
With the NBA officially involved and spending money on promotion, major media outlets began to hype up the matchup between the two, conducting in-depth analyses, making forced comparisons, and creating buzz.

Kobe Bryant solidified his place among all-time leading scorers in the 05-07 seasons, becoming the undisputed greatest scorer of the first decade of the 21st century, bar none.

Kobe's scoring spree this season isn't as explosive as in previous years. After scoring 53 points against the Mavericks recently, his average points per game has dropped to 26.6, ranking 'only' fourth in the league.

But as of now, he still has 5 40+ point games, tied for first place in the league with Yi Shui and Wade!

Yi Shui is the second rookie in over 30 years, since 1976, to average 25+ points per game; the other is Michael Jordan.

And Yi Shui accomplished something even Jordan couldn't do—50+ points in a single game during his rookie season!

So far this season, Yi Shui has played in all 72 games, scoring a total of 1989 points, averaging 27.6 points per game, ranking third in the league, behind Wade and James.

His lowest single-game score this season was 13 points against the Celtics. It's almost certain that tonight he will become the third player in modern basketball history, after Jordan and David Robinson, to reach 2000 points in his rookie season. The media has hailed Yi Shui as a strong candidate for the greatest scorer of the next decade!

After some comparison, the media artificially elevated this game to a high level – a 'battle of succession' between the two generations of the strongest scorers!
Furthermore, the game was played in the holy land of basketball, the place where every NBA player's dream begins, which further enhanced its 'legendary' status.

This hype was very effective. Many basketball fans who originally only planned to watch the final four of the Third Madness series started to waver, wondering if they should spend an extra fee to watch this game, since the two games were scheduled at different times...

At 5:40 p.m., the players' entrance ceremony began at the basketball mecca.

The Lakers, playing away, were the first to enter the arena.

Seeing the fans in the arena all wearing blue or orange Knicks jerseys and T-shirts, most of them wearing special edition Knicks T-shirts specially made for Yishui with the number '13' and 'Greatest Rookie of All Time' printed on them; hearing the overwhelming boos from the fans...

Although Kobe was used to being booed, he still felt a little uncomfortable in this arena.

05年年底、06年年初，他打小牛队三节62分、打猛龙队单场81分后，06年2月来到这里打球，下飞机都有人来接机、来训练的时候球馆外都一群人等着他、打比赛更是所有人都为他欢呼、甚至他被犯规的时候球迷们还在嘘尼克斯队球员。

The same thing happened in the next two seasons.

I never imagined that in just one year, the basketball atmosphere in this stadium and this city would have undergone such a huge change!

And all of this is because of that guy...

When it was the home team's turn to enter, David Lee, Swift, Big Q, Curry, and others entered one after another. Kobe's eyes were fixed on Yi Shui, who was the last to enter.

Listening to the fans screaming and cheering wildly, the old blacksmith's lips curled up.

He said to Fisher beside him, "This rookie, I heard he's improved again in the past month or so, seems to have developed some left-handed offense? It's really something to look forward to."

Fisher responded, but he simply couldn't understand—what was this about being happy that the opponent was getting stronger?

He thumped his arms and legs, knowing he'd have to run around again tonight, and his old arms and legs would suffer again.

In his early years, things were actually fine. He joined the NBA on the same team as Kobe and got used to Kobe's obsessive competitiveness.

But he left for two or three years in between. With the Warriors, he witnessed the infighting and backstabbing within the team, which was then tanking for years and stockpiling a bunch of exceptionally talented players. With the Jazz, he saw Boozer's greed and selfishness, Deron Williams' pettiness, and his arrogance beyond his capabilities...

He truly realized the difference between Kobe and other players, and there was more and more misunderstanding, but his respect for that competitive spirit and his admiration for Kobe's strength in basketball also grew deeper and deeper.

After the opening ceremony, Yi Shui and Kobe walked tacitly to the scorer's table.

Facing the camera, Yi Shui said, "You've finally arrived."

Kobe replied, "I've been looking forward to this for a long time too."

Yi Shui: "You probably shouldn't have come."

A hint of doubt flashed in Kobe's eyes, but he didn't stop talking: "But I'm already here."

Yi Shui's eyes lit up, and he continued, "Michael Jordan is already retiring at your age, and a new era is about to begin."

Kobe laughed and said, "A new era? I also feel that everything for me is just beginning."

After the three sentences of conversation, the two turned around in unison, and the live stream camera zoomed out to show them in full view.

The fans watching on TV were bewildered but impressed. They didn't understand the dialogue between the two at first, but by the end, they felt like they understood it, yet also like they didn't.

After analyzing the conversation, the commentator characterized it as follows: the Emperor was announcing that he would usher in a new era, while Black Mamba believed that he would create the new era.

...

"Your promised battle with Kobe Bryant has arrived. Mission: The Pact of the Holy Land is triggered."

Objective: Defeat the Los Angeles Lakers.

Reward: +1 Stamina, unlocks subsequent quests.

"Kobe Bryant and you, considered the greatest scorer of the present and future, mission: The Next Generation Triggers."

Objective: To score more points than Kobe Bryant in this game.

Reward: Pull-up jump shot (Kobe Bryant version), complete learning method, 100% learning efficiency bonus during technique development, stackable intensive training (months).

After exchanging pleasantries, Yi Shui received a mission notification.

He found exchanging pleasantries with Kobe quite interesting; finally, he had an opponent who could keep up with his pace. The older generation of players were great; few of the current generation of young and middle-aged players had any formal education… But it seemed that even the old blacksmith only had a high school diploma…

He glanced at the two tasks and objectives, both of which were his goals for tonight's match; all he had to do was go out and fight.

The rewards are all related to the old blacksmith, but the one for technical skills is the best.

Yi Shui's mind flashed back to this year's Finals, Kobe Bryant pulling up for a jump shot over Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu, Courtney Lee chasing behind him, with Rafer Alston helping out on defense...

This sudden stop jump shot always gives people the feeling that if you learn it, you'll pick up a bad habit.

After the pre-match preparation time ended, Yi Shui and his teammates came onto the field.

The opposing team fielded a starting lineup of Fisher, Kobe, Ariza, Odom, and Gasol.

Even without Bynum on the opposing team, Yi Shui and his teammates still dared not relax in the slightest.

The opposing team's roster last season was even worse. Ariza was not very reliable at the time, only playing a few games in the playoffs with an average of just a few minutes of playing time. The only available small forward was Luke Walton, whose performance declined rapidly after signing a big contract. Most of the time, Kobe had to fill in at small forward, but they still managed to beat the Nuggets, Jazz, and Spurs to reach the Finals!
The match started at 6 p.m.

Swift beat Gasol to win the jump ball, giving the Knicks the first possession!

The Lakers retreated quickly and in an organized manner, but Yi Shui still opted for a fast break!
Yi Shui rushed to the frontcourt, turned and cut inside past Ariza who was closing in.

David Lee received a pass from Curry on the left high post, and then lobbed it to Yi Shui.

The Lakers were prepared, and Odom immediately stepped in front of Yi Shui to protect him.

Yi Shui received the ball on the right side of the free throw line, facing Odom's help defense, slapped the ball to the right with his left hand, and then leaned forward, stepping his left leg to Odom's left side to block him and make a breakthrough!
With the 'Heavy Tank' activated, Yi Shui had the advantage in weight and strength. After forcefully getting past Odom in hand-to-hand combat, his starting speed was minimally affected!
With his long legs, Yi Shui blew past Odom and entered the basket on his second step. He grabbed the ball and jumped high before Gasol could close in. In mid-air, he switched the ball to his left hand, avoided Kobe's flying block from the baseline, and slammed the ball into the basket with his left hand!

The opening act ignited the entire arena!

Kobe, having failed to get back on defense, looked at Yi Shui, frowned, and shook his head.

He caught the ball, took a jump, and slammed it home in three steps!

He seemed to see the shadow of his old friend, and also the shadow of that guy from Cleveland... Although both of them were high school prodigies and were considered to have the 'best basketball talent', he had never connected the two of them before; they were two completely different types of players.

As the game transitioned from offense to defense, Kobe put aside that strange feeling and excitedly ran to the frontcourt.

Attack! He's going to attack! He's going to get back at that dunk!
When he landed, he landed right below the Yi River. Although he quickly retreated to the baseline, his experience told him that there would definitely be an angle from which the camera would show him being dunked on...

But when Kobe got to the high post in the frontcourt, before he even made any demands, he could tell that the opponent's defense was off.

Old blacksmith: No, why are you all staring at me?
On the South Coast, in front of the TV, a man with big cheeks watched the camera pan across the Knicks players: Hahaha, Kobe, you've finally met your match!

(End of this chapter)