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"Hey, look at Zhou and Kobe, the two team leaders are already in form."

Barkley and Kenny Smith sat on the commentary desk on the sidelines.

Even from several meters away, both men could feel the fighting spirit between Zhou Yi and Kobe on the court.

Kenny rolled his eyes at Flying Pig, who was stirring things up before the game, and then said.

"Yes, for Kobe, losing to the Clippers at home last time was a huge humiliation. This time the Lakers are well prepared, and the Clippers will face a tough battle."

On the field, as the countdown reached zero, Kaman and Bynum walked to the center circle to prepare for the jump ball.

This time, Odom will no longer be the Lakers' power forward. Pau Gasol has recovered from his injury and returned to the starting lineup, and Odom has returned to his role as the sixth man.

In the bench lineup, the versatile Lamar Odom became the Lakers' bench leader.

beep—

The whistle blew for the jump ball, but Kaman didn't jump over Bynum, and the basketball landed in Fisher's hands.

"Defense! Defense!"

Amid chants from Clippers fans on the sidelines, the Clippers players quickly retreated to their backcourt, preparing to meet the Lakers' first offensive attack.

On the court, Kobe stood on the strong side as the starting point for the offense, Bynum was positioned in the low post, Gasol received the ball and stood at the free throw line to facilitate the play, while Fisher and Artest stood on the weak side.

The Lakers' classic triangle offense, Phil Jackson's trump card tactic that won him eleven championships.

At a 45-degree angle, Kobe leaned against the round-faced defender and stretched out his hand. It seemed that the old blacksmith intended to attack the ball himself for the first shot.

After Kobe reached out for the ball, the Clippers' defensive focus naturally shifted towards him.

"Watch out for Paul!"

Before Zhou Yi could finish speaking, Camby, who was opposite Gasol, had already shifted his feet slightly, trying to block Kobe's path of attack.

But it was this momentary defensive lapse that gave Gasol the opportunity to seize the chance and fire directly at the ball.

"Kobe attracted the Clippers' attention, and Gasol made the Lakers' first basket with a mid-range jumper."

On the court, as Gasol scored, Kobe smiled smugly at Zhou Yi, his eyes revealing a cunning slyness like that of an old fox.

This old blacksmith is so experienced; he knows how to use his offensive threat to create scoring opportunities for his teammates.

Of course, this only applies when you're not too hot-headed; otherwise, even when Kobe was surrounded by three defenders, he would have yelled that he was undefended.

Seeing Kobe's smug smile, Zhou Yi clenched his fist.

With Gasol's return, the Lakers now have everything they need.

He was taller than Odom, had a better passing vision, and was more offensively potent, making him a perfect fit for Kobe.

Possession changed hands, and the Clippers launched their attack.

Zhou Yi stood on one side of the free throw line, and Artest stood opposite Zhou Yi.

Facing Zhou Yi again, Atai no longer underestimated him as he had in their first encounter and went all out from the start.

"Hey kid, you're not getting away with this so easily this time."

Artest said menacingly, sticking close to Zhou Yi and waving his hands, trying his best to prevent Zhou Yi from receiving Baron Davis's pass.

Artest's tenacity made it difficult for Baron Davis to find an angle for his pass, and then he saw Zhou Yi's finger pointing upwards.

"Wow! Zhou Yi jumped really high, catching Byron's pass with one hand right in mid-air."

Zhou Yi's amazing move made the Clippers commentators exclaim in surprise, and Artest on the other side also showed surprise at his extreme talent.

"Ron, why can't I see anyone from the sky?"

As Zhou Yi spoke, Atai's face was filled with anger.

Taking advantage of the moment when Artest was about to retaliate with his verbal sparring, Zhou Yi had already passed the ball and chosen to break through.

With a nimble, sharp change of direction, Zhou Yi forcefully bypassed Artest and charged towards the Lakers' paint from the middle.

Seeing that Artest had lost his footing, Gasol came up to help defend and block him.

Although his jumping ability is relatively weak, Gasol, who is 2.13 meters tall, has an excellent wingspan of 230 cm. When he reaches out to block, it is like a parasol covering the restricted area.

Looking at the delicate and frail woman in front of him, Zhou Yi suddenly felt an urge to ride a foreign horse.

With his legs tensing instantly, Zhou Yi's body rose into the air, and with one hand gripping the basketball, he pressed it towards the basket over Gasol.

"Oh my god! Zhou dunked on Gasol, and the Clippers captain responded with Gasol's opening basket."

"Zhou! Zhou! Zhou!"

Zhou Yi's dunk instantly ignited the atmosphere at Staples Center, with Clippers fans throughout the arena cheering for him.

As well-known centers in the NBA, Gasol and Ewing are arguably the most frequent backdrops for dunks on them.

Both of them have the courage to block dunks, but Ewing loves to jump, while Gasol is a bit soft.

After dunking over Gasol, Zhou Yi quickly passed by Kobe as he returned to the backcourt.

"Why is it your teammate and not you in front of me? Kobe, you're old, are you afraid of me?"

When the words from the Book of Changes were spoken next to Kobe, the old blacksmith tripped over his own feet and almost fell to the ground.

"Rookie, you're asking for it."

Kobe gritted his teeth, uttering each word slowly and deliberately, his eyes filled with rage as he looked at Zhou Yi.

"We'll see, Kobe."

After spouting his trash talk, Zhou Yi left the old blacksmith, whose face had turned ashen and was on the verge of erupting like a volcano.

Intentionally provoking Kobe is a strategy based on the I Ching.

For Kobe, who is about to turn 32, physical condition and injuries are his biggest enemies now.

Otherwise, the Lakers wouldn't have acquired Artest in the summer; his role was to free up Kobe from the physically demanding defensive position.

If Kobe, spurred on by the pressure, expends too much energy on both ends of the court in the first half, his shooting percentage will plummet in the second half.

Although not every game is like this, Zhou Yi still really wants to give it a try.

Who says basketball is just about physicality? Undergraduate Zhou Yi plans to play some psychological warfare against high school Kobe.

Of course, most importantly, Zhou Yi really wanted to curse that damned old viper.

The game continued, and this time Kobe didn't resort to any offensive blunders to conserve energy.

The words of the Book of Changes did indeed provoke him, as if to prove that he was not old yet.

As soon as Fisher brought the basketball across half-court, Kobe took the ball and, with his round face, slammed it into the basket.

After scoring, Kobe didn't even celebrate with his teammates before glaring angrily at Zhou Yi, as if the goal was a response to Zhou Yi's trash talk.

Seeing Kobe's actions, Zhou Yi also chose to respond with a goal.

Facing Artest's defense, Zhou Yi made a difficult back-to-the-basket mid-range shot.

After scoring that basket, Zhou Yi slipped away to Kobe's side again.

"Kobe, can you imitate what I just did? But never mind, you're too old for that, don't hurt your back."

Looking at Zhou Yi in front of him, Kobe had a momentary urge to elbow him, but he held back. He thought of the Martial Saint who was still in the hospital.

Damn, this kid can both talk and fight.

The game continued, and Kobe, spurred on by the I Ching, unleashed terrifying offensive firepower in the first quarter.

Kobe scored 14 points in the quarter, 30-24, helping the Lakers take a six-point lead over the Clippers.

On the sidelines, Zhou Yi was wiping away sweat from his brow.

He looked at the Lakers' bench on the other side of the court, where the old blacksmith was also staring intently at him.

The exertion of the first quarter hadn't yet put Kobe in a physical crisis; he was just a little out of breath.

Looking at Kobe, Zhou Yi knew that his time to suffer was about to begin.

After returning to the court in the second quarter, Zhou Yi will switch to defend Kobe and continue to torment the old ironman.

Zhou Yi is ready for that damn victory and the random mission rewards.