Champion, please stay!

Chapter 163, Section 161: This kid has the flair of the Mamba.

Although the opposing player was acting strangely, Kobe still leaned against Big Q on the right high post to ask for the ball.

Fisher lobbed the ball to Kobe and ran around the three-point line toward the right corner; Odom moved up from the left side of the three-second zone to the left side of the top arc; Gasol moved to the right baseline; Ariza moved to the weak sideline.

With the high post-up formation set up in the triangle offense, Kobe dribbled the ball and pushed his back against Big Q. Big Q's physique is definitely strong among shooting guards, but when facing Kobe's back-up, he couldn't even reach out to grab the ball and could only lower his center of gravity to barely resist.

Kobe noticed Swift's move to cover a two-point distance, while Curry in the corner was also watching him with small, quick steps.

A turnaround jump shot is not advisable, driving to the baseline is difficult, and a strong shot will be blocked by the lower body... Kobe suddenly exerted force with one step, turned to the right, and went to the middle... Yi Shui blocked him!
Kobe reacted quickly, leaning against the turned big Q, he dribbled the ball quickly with his left hand, pushed the big Q aside, and changed direction to the right to avoid Yi Shui's double-team, but was forced into the baseline and into the elbow area.

At this moment, David Lee and Curry rushed up and surrounded Big Q and Swift, who were chasing them.

With four players surrounding him, it meant three teammates were wide open – no, four teammates were wide open! Yi Shui had already charged straight to the middle from the weak side… Kobe made a decisive move, grabbed the ball, pulled up, leaned to his right, and shot the ball over Curry's head…

"bang"

Ironclad!

Having become familiar with his teammates' shooting form, Gasol saw the ball's trajectory towards the basket and immediately rushed in from the right baseline, while Ariza also rushed in from the left corner.

But Yi Shui got there first and grabbed the rebound from the left side of the basket!

Rondo's key to rebounding is to observe the opponent's movement and use aggressive rebounding techniques to protect the rebound, even if it's difficult to predict whether the opponent has missed. For example, Gasol's sprinting motion with his neck tucked in and arms swinging definitely wasn't just a retreat to the basket, and Ariza's run from the left corner wasn't a baseline sprint either...

Such rebounding has become instinctive for Yi Shui; he immediately launches a counterattack after grabbing the rebound!
Facing Ariza's attempt to steal the ball, Yi decisively passed it out.

Curry, rushing out from the wing, received the ball, quickly advanced to the opposite three-point line, and then passed it... Swift, on the fast break, drew the defense of Kobe and Odom who were retreating to defend on the left side.

Yi Shui cut in from the right, received the ball despite Ariza's challenge, and triggered his "Inside Dominator" move! He went up strong and dunked an empty basket for two points.

When Ariza sensed Yi Shui's exertion, his retreat seemed to be a beat faster than his defensive retreat, allowing him to withdraw from under the basket in time.

When Yi Shui jokingly remarked that he "dodged really fast," Ariza ignored him and retrieved the ball to serve.

Kobe and Odom, who was receiving the serve and advancing the ball, didn't think there was anything wrong with Ariza dodging. James and Stoudemire couldn't withstand Yi Shui, let alone Ariza.

Odom advanced to the frontcourt and passed to Kobe, who was leaning against Big Q.

As soon as Kobe received the ball, he saw Swift double-teaming him, blocking his retreat space once again. He also noticed Yi Shui and Curry collapsing on both sides of the sideline.

It was time to pass the ball, but he still wanted to try two more shots!
Kobe turned right and walked down the middle, having prepared in advance. Before Yi Shui could close the middle, he pushed aside Da Q and changed direction, then drove along the right sideline of the three-second zone. He drove to the baseline despite Curry's help defense on the wing, stopped abruptly, grabbed the ball, turned, took three big steps to the baseline, and used a backhand... a layup to avoid Yi Shui's block... but it missed!
When Kobe saw Yi Shui grab the rebound, he was momentarily shocked by Yi Shui's awareness of shrinking the defense and his instinct for blocking, but he immediately moved closer to interfere with Yi Shui's start.

Kobe's blocking effectiveness was significantly better than Ariza's in the previous round, in terms of blocking position selection, intensity of confrontation, passing interference, and subtle movements.

Despite Yi Shui passing the ball to Curry at top speed, the Knicks managed to get the ball moving.

However, without Yi Shui leading the fast break and setting the pace, the Lakers were able to set up their defensive formation smoothly, and the Knicks failed to execute their offensive and defensive transitions effectively.

Curry didn't stop the movement; after stopping the ball at the top of the arc, he immediately passed it to Yi Shui at a 45-degree angle on the right, who then made a diagonal run towards the right baseline.

Yi Shui received the ball, lowered his center of gravity, and headed towards Kobe. Kobe, who was pushed back, saw this familiar move and quickly pushed back. Yi Shui twisted his waist, stepped out with his left foot, blocked Kobe, exerted force, and made a tank-like breakthrough!

Fisher, who was chasing Curry to the right elbow area, stopped and braced himself against Yi Shui like a weight. Gasol had already moved to the right side of the basket, and Yi Shui passed the ball to the right...

After being beaten, Kobe quickly switched to defend the right sideline. As Curry received the ball, he took a step to the side to avoid Kobe's defense and raised his hand.

Kobe burst out and took a step to the side, closing the gap in front of Curry, but Curry was already ready to shoot. He jumped decisively and launched a three-pointer over Kobe's interference...

hit!

The Knicks started with a 7-0 run!

Curry's determined gaze and decisive shooting caught Kobe's eye.

This kid has the flair of the Mamba!
He remembered, it was the boy who led his team to the quarterfinals in three consecutive upsets last year's 3rd Major, becoming one of the stepping stones for Big-Yi's dominance of college basketball, the son of Hornets' all-time leading scorer Dell Curry.

It's no wonder Kobe almost forgot about Curry. A whole year has passed since last year's 3 Madness, and the two have only met three times in that year: during the regular season, at the All-Star Rookie Game, and today.

Curry's rookie year wasn't bad, but he was only in the third tier of his draft class. There were too many talented players in the 08 draft class, and it was difficult for Curry, who entered the NBA before he was 21, to stand out.

Moreover, standing next to Yi Shui, whose rookie year was as dazzling as those of Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, The Admiral, Shaquille O'Neal, and Tim Duncan, not to mention Curry, even David Lee, who was selected as an All-Star reserve, was regarded as an accessory to Yi Shui, the All-Star vote leader.

But Curry's shooting talent and determination on that play left a deep impression on Kobe. Trailing by 7 points at the start, Phil Jackson didn't call a timeout. Fisher pushed the pace up the court and passed to Kobe, who was still calling for the ball at the high post.

Kobe initiated the attack with a one-on-one move, moving to the right elbow area. After drawing a triple team from David Lee, Curry, and Big Q, he passed the ball!

Without discussion or tactical gestures, Gasol tacitly sensed that his partner's curiosity had been satisfied. He moved up to the left side of the free-throw line at just the right moment, received the ball from Kobe, and, facing Yi Shui's help defense, passed it again... Ariza received the ball in the mid-range and drove into the paint, facing David Lee who was turning and rushing towards him, and made a layup!

David Lee waved his hand to interfere, but Kobe didn't risk passing the ball directly to the left sideline for an assist; after receiving the ball, Gasol didn't wait for Ariza to penetrate deep into the paint before passing it, avoiding interference with Ariza, and passed the ball early.

This offensive play made Yi Shui realize once again why Kobe and Gasol, who only averaged a combined 8 assists per game, were considered the strongest offensive duo in the NBA.

If the two players were just a little more focused on assists, they would definitely be the duo with the most assists in the league. But then Ariza's opportunities to score on easy baskets wouldn't be as good, and the Lakers would have to place even higher demands on the finishing ability of their role players.

With a slight regret that 'the old blacksmith is no longer able to fight five opponents at once,' Yi Shui quickly rushed to the front line and launched an attack!

Yi Shui arrived at the left 45-degree angle mid-range, waiting for Curry and Swift to set a screen and initiate the attack. Yi Shui pulled out to the three-point line, ran to the right 45-degree angle, and when he reached the top arc, he suddenly turned around and cut into the middle!

Ariza anticipated the attack and tried to block it, but during the chase, he was unable to block from the front, and half of his body was knocked away by Yi Shui.

Yi Shui drove straight to the basket, drawing a double team from Odom and Gasol. Curry drove to the right and passed the ball to David Lee, who ran to the left 45-degree angle to receive it. He then took a mid-range shot over Ariza, who was turning and lunging at him. The opportunity was good, Ariza did not have any real interference, and David Lee's shot was decisive. However, he couldn't find his touch, and the shot went wide.

Pau Gasol spreads his long arms to box out, while Lamar Odom secures the defensive rebound.

When it was the Lakers' turn to attack, Kobe continued to initiate the offense with one drive and one pass. By the time the ball reached Gasol, the Knicks' defense had completely fallen apart, and they all moved towards the basket to surround Kobe and the Lakers' cutting players.

Gasol passed the ball to Odom, who then passed it to the right corner, where Fisher caught the ball and hit a three-pointer.

5-7, the Lakers have narrowed the gap to two points!

During the offensive and defensive transition, Yi Shui was not discouraged because the previous offensive attack failed to convert into a score. He continued to stab at the Lakers' interior like a sharp knife.

This time, Kobe took the initiative to switch onto Yi Shui. Although he was stronger than Ariza and had better judgment in one-on-one defense, he still couldn't stop Yi Shui from cutting to the basket.

Curry's pass was equally decisive. David Lee received the ball half a step outside the free-throw line, faced Kobe who had turned and rushed towards him after chasing him to the outside of the restricted area, and shot again... and it went in!
9 is better than 5!

The two teams' offensive battle began at this moment.

The Lakers' rim protection dropped significantly without Bynum, but their offense actually improved.

This season, the Lakers have played 72 games, averaging 107 points per game, ranking fourth in the league, behind only the Knicks, Suns, and Warriors, and surpassing the Nuggets' average of 106.5 points per game.

In the 45 games Bynum played, he averaged 105.9 points, which was inferior to the Nuggets' performance and ranked fifth in the league; while in the 27 games Bynum missed, the Lakers averaged 108.8 points, which was basically the same as the Suns' average of 109 points and higher than the Warriors' average of 108.5 points!
Both Odom and Gasol possess high and low post playmaking abilities, seamlessly switching between inside and outside, maximizing Kobe's ability to draw double teams with his isolation plays.

Ariza's cuts or long-range shots, Fisher's corner shots, and Kobe's off-ball runs after passing the ball—whenever the opportunity arises, both big men can find them, and the two playmakers can also pass the ball to each other... Beating the Knicks, who have the third-highest points allowed in the league, is like child's play.

In particular, the Knicks used at least two players to guard Kobe when he was off the ball and overemphasized double-teaming him under the basket, giving the Lakers plenty of shooting opportunities from close, mid, and long range!

However, the Knicks at least did not fall behind on the field!

After scoring two consecutive baskets at the start, Yi Shui began to focus on off-ball movement, constantly cutting to the basket to create shooting opportunities for David Lee, Da Q, and Curry, and to create opportunities for Swift to cut to the baseline.

My teammates did a great job, opening up my mid-range and long-range shooting during fast breaks!
The Lakers are afraid of being rained down by the Knicks' three-pointers. Previously, the Knicks relied on 20 three-pointers in a single game to score 114 points and crush the Mavericks. The Lakers are afraid to double-team the Mavericks in the paint.

The teammates successfully created better conditions for Yi Shui to cut in and receive the ball!
Although the Knicks' initial 7-point lead quickly disappeared, and they were even overtaken after the official timeout.

But just as the Lakers were about to extend their lead to more than 5 points, substitute Duhon drove past Farmar and into the paint, passing the ball to Chalmers, the other point guard among the two. Chalmers then hit an open three-pointer from the right sideline!

Immediately afterwards, Yi Shui actively huddled together to block Shannon Brown's drive to the basket for a dunk, but substitute Birdman made a flying block to secure the ball and pass it to Du Hong.

Du Hong initiated a fast break, Yi Shui quickly went down to receive the pass, took a step at close range and jumped high, overcoming the resistance of Kobe who was jumping in the air, and used his wingspan advantage to put the ball in the basket.

打到8分22秒，尼克斯队以25比24重新取得1分领先优势！
With 3 and a half minutes remaining, the two teams were neck and neck. In the final moments, Fisher, who had returned to the court, ignored Kobe's call for the ball and seized the opportunity to drive to the basket and make a buzzer-beating floater.

The Lakers took a 35-34 lead going into the break.

Kobe had no objection to his old teammate's choice and was happy that the score had been reversed, but... he looked at the big screen.

He played the entire quarter, and the team scored 35 points, but his personal stats were only 1 for 5, including 0 for 1 from three-point range, plus 3 for 4 from the free-throw line, for a total of only 5 points!
He's guarded by five players when he has the ball, and the opposing team doesn't let him off the hook either!

On the other side, Yi Shui made 4 of 7 shots, including 1 of 2 three-pointers, plus 3 of 3 free throws, scoring 12 points in the quarter!
(End of this chapter)