I've been playing in the NBA for three years, and this system is only now showing up?

Chapter 88 The harder you try, the more heartbroken you become: Kobe's despair! Master, I understand! [Please subscribe]

After this brief interlude, the Lakers' training camp finally got back on track. Everyone trained hard, practiced tactics, newcomers tried to integrate into the team, and players who didn't get many opportunities last season worked hard to get into the rotation for the new season.

Jackson also constantly tried and thought about new tactics.

After all, the Lakers only have one goal this year.

champion!

As time flew by, the Lakers players poured their hearts and souls into training camp for a month. Whether they were the team's core players or the fringe players who barely made it onto the team before the end of training camp, they all felt that they had made tremendous progress during this period.

Well, except for Kobe.

He's going crazy.

He trained hard all summer, and Vanessa almost broke up with him because he trained too hard.

But the result?

He found that the gap between him and Lin Ze was even more obvious than last season!

Lin Ze knows everything that he practiced hard during the offseason!

The things he improved during the offseason, Lin Ze has become even stronger!

What pained Kobe even more was that because he spent the entire summer practicing his skills and fundamentals, he didn't have much time to build muscle, so his strength didn't improve much during the offseason.

But to his astonishment, Lin Ze had made significant progress in strength, physical strength, muscle mass, and weight.

In other words, Lin Ze's skills have improved significantly, and his strength is also on a completely different level.

How is that possible?

Does he have 48 hours in a day?

Do not!

Kobe thought of all the news he'd seen that summer about Lin Ze exploring restaurants and indulging in a gluttonous eating spree—

This guy, even if there were 72 hours in a day, it still wouldn't be enough!

On what grounds?

Kobe was so troubled that he couldn't sleep.

This was probably the first time in his life that he realized something—

The talent I used to be so proud of is utterly worthless.

Lin Ze, of course, didn't care at all about Kobe's little schemes.

Just focus on your training, little brother, don't worry about anything else.

Next, fans saw the Lakers players at the team's media day.

O'Neal hasn't gained weight, Lin Ze is incredibly strong, and Kobe looks to be in great shape.

At least from the looks of it, the trio are all stronger!

Throughout the training camp, the Lakers would occasionally release training videos to entertain fans. In these videos, fans saw Kobe's exquisite footwork, Lin Ze's fierce defense and rebounding, and O'Neal running fast breaks with the guards.

The Lakers even released a video of an internal free throw contest.

O'Neal ultimately won the first Lakers Free Throw Contest by making 15 consecutive free throws.

These images have thrilled Lakers fans, who have complete confidence in this Lakers team!

Even without Rice, their strength will definitely be more terrifying than last season!

Some media outlets and fans have even started to predict that this Lakers team will win 75 games!

This Lakers team just looks too strong!

They had 73 wins last season, and with the core trio all improving this season, winning a couple more games is absolutely reasonable.

Some media outlets have even stated that the Lakers will be the most uncontested defending champions in history, and no team will be able to cause them any trouble this year.

Amidst all the cheers and jubilation, the Lakers surprised everyone right from the start of the season.

In seven preseason games, the Lakers had a record of only 3 wins and 4 losses. Although this was partly due to the team's average playing time, with no player averaging more than 23 minutes per game, and Jackson not fielding the starting lineup in the fourth quarter of each game, they were, after all, the defending champions and carried completely different expectations.

So this result is somewhat disappointing for the fans.

The core trio, on whom high hopes were placed, did not perform as well as expected in the preseason.

O'Neal was no longer the player who made all 15 of his free throws; his free throw shooting looked worse than last season. Lin Ze, on the other hand, was completely out of sorts, with a three-point shooting percentage of just over 30%. Kobe was caught in a vicious cycle of taking wild shots; he was always taking shots, always shooting, with an unreasonablely high desire to shoot.

Fortunately, at this time, both fans and players can find solace in their own company.

This is just the preseason. We'll come back strong in the regular season!

Then came the season opener, where the Lakers faced off against the Trail Blazers, their Western Conference Finals opponent from last season. As the defending champions, the Lakers had only one game on the first day of the new season, and all eyes in the United States were on them.

Everyone watched as the championship banner was raised, watched the players happily put on their championship rings, listened to the passionate speeches of Jackson, West, Buss, and O'Neal, and watched as the Lakers were crushed by the Trail Blazers, losing this highly anticipated opening game.

In this game, the Lakers lost completely. The team substituted their starters with 4 minutes left in the game, signaling their surrender. In the end, they lost to the Trail Blazers by as much as 21 points.

The Lakers' performance was truly disappointing, suffering such a humiliating defeat on the night of the championship flag-raising ceremony!

Then, right after the game, Pippen declared triumphantly, "This year it's our turn!"

As for the Lakers?

奥尼尔今晚虽然18投10中，但罚球线上只有11罚4中，24分13篮板3盖帽的数据仍旧华丽，却不足以帮助湖人取胜。

Lin Ze made only 1 of 4 three-point attempts, failing to find his shooting touch, and only scored 14 points tonight.

Kobe took the most shots on the team tonight, with 24 attempts, but only made 10. This efficiency was hardly enough to help the Lakers defeat a strong opponent like the Trail Blazers.

Of course, the NBA regular season is long, with a super long schedule of five and a half months and 82 games. The Lakers have plenty of time to adjust their form and find their rhythm.

But they searched for a whole month!

Throughout November, the Lakers only managed a 7-7 record in 14 games, temporarily placing them ninth in the Western Conference.

This start was absolutely disastrous for the Lakers.

Worse still, of their core trio, only O'Neal's performance could be considered to be in line with expectations. In the first month, he averaged 23 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks. Although not as frightening as last season, he was still at the level of the league's best center.

But there's a problem with the remaining two.

Lin Ze averaged only 16 points per game in his first month. Although he managed to grab a career-high 7 rebounds, his three-point shooting percentage, which he relied on, dropped to 29.5%. His mid-range shooting was also far less impressive than last season. Although he was still able to score a lot of points through more cuts, drives, and second-chance opportunities, his decline was clearly visible.

However, neither Lin Ze nor Jackson seemed to be in a hurry about it.

Because Lin Ze knew why he was forbidden from doing so.

He really hasn't played basketball in a long time.

In addition, he gained a lot of muscle during the offseason and also learned a lot of skills from Kobe. Now his body and mind need to be in sync, and he needs to adapt to his new abilities and state.

Training camp is not enough for him to fully regain his form; he needs real matches and needs to gradually adapt and find himself over a long season.

The good news is that he is getting closer and closer to finding himself again.

In the four games during the last week of November, Lin Ze has recovered to an average of 20.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, and his three-point shooting percentage has also rebounded to 39%!

This visible improvement can put many people's minds at ease.

Lin Ze and O'Neal don't have any major problems. Their situations are actually the same: they both went too far during the offseason and need to use games as practice and rely on a long season to regain their form.

The one with the biggest problem among the trio was actually Kobe, who had the best stats in the first month!

这家伙在新赛季的第一个月里场均能够拿下29.5分5.5篮板和5.1次助攻，距离30+5+5仅有一步之遥。

However, his gameplay was problematic. Although he averaged 5 assists per game, everyone could see that he was much more selfish than last season!

He wasn't as selfless as he was last season. He was unwilling to share the ball in many opportunities, and often preferred to rush in and deal with the opponent himself rather than play a combination with his teammates.

When Kobe was on fire, he could certainly dominate and lead his team to victory, but more often than not, everyone could only watch him play with the ball alone, and then lose the game.

Lin Ze and O'Neal will almost certainly improve as the season progresses, but Kobe's problem will be a real headache for Jackson, who will have to think carefully about how to solve it.

Jackson had already cooked a large pot of chicken soup, but he wasn't in a hurry to take it to Kobe.

Because it's pointless to say anything now.

Jackson wanted the Lakers to lose again and to inflict further damage on Kobe.

And more importantly, he wants to wait for Lin Ze and O'Neal to fully regain their form.

Jackson will only begin his plan once all three are in top form.

The Lakers' recovery has been faster than Jackson had imagined!

As the season progressed into December, the Lakers' form finally improved. They started the season with a five-game winning streak, putting themselves back in the top eight in the Western Conference.

The reason he was able to win consecutive games was that Lin Ze had gradually regained his form. In these 5 games, he had a 3-point shooting percentage of over 40% in 4 games and a 3-point shooting percentage of over 50% in every game!

A simple, efficient Lin Ze who can help his teammates rack up a huge number of assists is the best and most suitable Lin Ze for the Lakers!

With Lin Ze's recovery, O'Neal's performance has also improved significantly.

He has more space to play one-on-one, and his passes can turn into more assists, which greatly increases his desire to pass. As a result, opponents are less likely to double-team him excessively, and he gains better space to play one-on-one.

If the resurgence of O'Neal and Lin Ze was entirely within Jackson's expectations, then Kobe's transformation was completely unexpected.

Because Kobe has also returned to normal.

This guy didn't wait for Jackson to analyze the game for him, nor did he wait for Jackson to give him any pep talks.

He started sharing the ball, passing it to his teammates, becoming more rational, and focusing more on defense.

This completely exceeded Jackson's expectations and surprised him immensely.

Surprisingly, even this old fox couldn't help but take the initiative to talk to Lin Ze!

After a resounding victory in a game in mid-December, Jackson couldn't resist approaching Lin Ze during practice the following day.

Have you noticed Kobe's recent playing style?

"You think he's become more reasonable?" Lin Ze asked, taking a sip of water. He immediately understood Jackson's purpose.

"You've spoken to him?" Jackson asked. "Why did he suddenly change?"

"Because that idiot knows that hitting like this is the right thing to do." Lin Ze said with a matter-of-fact expression.

Jackson still didn't understand: "Then why didn't he play like this last month?"

"Last month? Because I couldn't make my shots." Lin Ze pursed his lips and said, "If I can't make my shots, I can't catch the ball. Isn't that normal?"

"It's that simple?"

"It's that simple." Lin Ze patted Jackson on the shoulder. "Of course, maybe he also realized that he can't win the game by himself, otherwise he definitely wouldn't have passed the ball. In this respect, he's exactly the same as that damn bastard."

Seeing Lin Ze's confidence, Jackson gave up the idea of ​​talking to Kobe. The team was now on the right track. Although the team's poor performance and consecutive losses in November had basically eliminated their chances of surpassing last season or even achieving 70 wins again, Jackson was more relaxed because of it.

The strongest team is one that is free from constraints and unnecessary psychological burdens!

Breaking a record once is enough; the championship is what lasts forever!

After a five-game winning streak in early December, the Lakers' record fluctuated slightly again. In the following week, they only managed a 2-2 record, bringing their overall record to 14-9, and their ranking dropped to seventh in the Western Conference.

It has to be said that the competition in the Western Conference this year is truly fierce.

Based on the current winning percentage, 50 wins would only barely secure a playoff spot in the Western Conference, and there are bound to be several teams with winning percentages over 50% that will only be able to linger in the lottery.

In contrast, the Eastern Conference is a battle of the weak. Based on records, only three teams in the East would be in the top eight of the West. If the Lakers' current record were transferred to the East, they would be second only to the Bucks.

Then on December 16, the Lakers faced the Miami Heat, who had the same record as them and were ranked second in the Eastern Conference!

It's worth noting that they had just lost their star player, the best center in the Eastern Conference, and Defensive Player of the Year, Alonzo Mourning, before training camp even began.

It's truly astonishing that they've achieved what they have without Mourning.

This is also directly related to the tactical changes and large-scale trades made by team leader Pat Riley during the offseason.

This summer, Leigh traded the team's starting small forward from the past few years, the exceptionally talented "monster" Mashburn, blue-collar PJ Brown, other add-ons and future draft picks to the Hornets for Anthony Mason Jr. and Eddie Jones, among others.

In addition, Riley also signed Brian Grant, a key member of the Trail Blazers' Western Conference Finals run last season, in the free agent market.

Riley's series of moves greatly increased the Heat's depth and strength, especially their frontcourt and interior strength! If Mourning hadn't been injured, the Heat's interior strength would definitely be the best in the East, and even in the entire league, it would only be slightly inferior to the Lakers and Spurs.

Even considering the team's overall roster, the Heat are among the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

Clearly, Riley was already planning for the Finals, and his imagined enemy was in the West!

He started stockpiling big men in the paint early on in an attempt to counter O'Neal and the Spurs' twin towers.

Unfortunately, the team no longer has Mourning.

Even so, Riley still managed to unleash the players' potential at the beginning of the season. Grant had the best season of his career, and Mason Jr. returned to his peak, putting up All-Star caliber numbers and performances again after many years. In addition, there was the steady and calm Jones, and Tim Hardaway, the team's core outside player for the past few years. The Heat were still able to show good strength, at least in the Eastern Conference.

They may not be able to contend for the championship this year, but no one dares to underestimate the Heat's strength.

"You're going up against Carmelo Anthony tonight." Before the game started, O'Neal looked at Lin Ze with some concern, having suffered quite a few losses against Anthony Mason in previous seasons: "You'd better watch out for this guy!"

"So what if he's the former New York City slayer?" Lin Ze said casually. "I'm the league's number one slayer now! A mere former slayer, do you think I'm afraid of him?"

"But Kobe," Lin Ze turned to Kobe, "you have to be careful of that Bruce! That guy is no good. He looks like an animal. Rose is a nice guy compared to him. Be careful he doesn't step on you."

"I won't let some idiot whose name I don't even know hurt me." Kobe snorted, expressionless, then turned to O'Neal and said, "Their interior defense may lack height, but they have a lot of players, they're strong, and they run fast. You should be careful too."

"Afraid of them?" O'Neal smugly chuckled. "Lin, if you need help, I'll twist Carmelo Anthony's head off for you!"

Jackson was extremely pleased to see the three of them reminding each other.

A chemical reaction!

The relationship between these three seems, at least, much better than that of Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman—those three bastards.

Those three guys were never friends from beginning to end; in fact, they hated each other. Every season, Jackson's biggest headache was the relationship between the three of them. Every season, he had to put in a lot of effort to act as the team's lubricant and glue, mediating their relationship. His biggest fear was that those three villains would completely fall out and the team would collapse.

As it stands, the three players on the Lakers don't have that problem; they're quite united!

If Jackson had said this to Lin Ze, Lin Ze would have laughed at the old man for being short-sighted. "With this, how dare you call yourself a Zen master?"

Just wait two more years, and you'll soon find out what the biggest internal conflict and top-tier soap opera in NBA history truly is!

Do you even understand what it means to be able to hold three consecutive Christmas battles after splitting up, and to break Christmas battle ratings records for three consecutive years?

Soon after, the Lakers players left the hotel and took a bus to the American Airlines Arena in Miami.

Along the way, there were blue skies, white clouds, and a long, beautiful coastline. The city was quite beautiful, and even in December, the temperature in Miami was still around 25 degrees Celsius, which was quite comfortable. It was this comfortable environment all year round that made it known as "God's waiting room".

But it is precisely this long coastline that made Miami the number one drug trafficking and distribution center in the United States starting in the 80s. It was home to 70% of the nation's cocaine, 70% of its marijuana, and 90% of its methaqualone trade. These drug dealers then laundered their profits in the city, building countless skyscrapers and five-star hotels.

Nightclubs and luxury apartments.

In order to increase the value of the properties they invested in, the gang members strictly controlled the environment in the city and forbade their men from making Miami a mess.

The city’s core area is clean, tidy, and rapidly developing. It is the fourth largest metropolitan area in the United States and one of the cities with the most skyscrapers. It is also one of the cities that receives the most tourists in the United States.

"If I ever have the chance, I definitely want to live in Miami permanently!" O'Neal exclaimed, looking out the window. "This place is so comfortable! I could lie on this nudist beach for a year and never get tired of it!"

"There will be opportunities," Lin Ze said from the side. "I bet you'll have a great time here!"

"You understand me best!" O'Neal laughed heartily, patting his partner on the shoulder, overjoyed.

Miami's basketball market is already quite good, and now the Lakers, the most popular team in the league, are coming to challenge them. Miami fans are naturally willing to buy tickets and fill the American Airlines Arena to capacity early on.

Riley, who was sitting on the bench and seemingly studying something, didn't look too good. Beneath his meticulously slicked-back hair was a serious and cold face.

"That old man still holds a grudge against you," O'Neal said. "I heard he invited you to the Heat, but you didn't even give him a chance to meet you? So he had to give the contract to Grant and the others."

"Only an idiot would play for him," Lin Ze said. "This old fox has no bottom line. You can't take anything he says seriously, and every promise he makes will most likely be an empty promise."

"I think so too," O'Neal nodded in agreement. "You can't trust a word he says, not even the punctuation!"

You'd better really think that way.

Lin Ze glanced at O'Neal but didn't say anything.

Because he knew that a few years later, after O'Neal was traded to the Heat, the first thing he would do was to be subjected to a barrage of psychological manipulation by Riley, causing him to opt out of his remaining two years, which totaled over 5000 million, with one year's salary exceeding 3000 million.

He signed a massive $1 million contract with the Heat and extended it for 5 years.

Lin Ze couldn't say exactly how much O'Neal's salary was reduced, but it was at least around 2000 million!

After all, if he hadn't opted out of his contract, he would have easily secured those two years' worth of $50 million. Even if Shaquille O'Neal's performance declined after winning the championship in 2006, signing a four-year contract worth $80-90 million would have been no problem.

Lin Ze could only wish this guy, who had just arrived in Miami, aroused by PUA tactics and suffered a significant pay cut, good luck.

At this moment, the starting players from both sides have all taken to the field.

For the Lakers, Fisher filled the void left by Rice's departure and became the team's starting point guard. The remaining four players are the same as last season: Kobe, Harper, Lin Ze, and O'Neal!

With Alonzo Mourning essentially out for the rest of his career, the Heat are now playing a centerless lineup.

Anthony Mason Jr., Brian Grant, Eddie Jones, Bruce Bowen, and Tim Hardaway.

This lineup is full of villains.

There's no need to say much about the infamous "New York Killer King" Mason Jr. He was the most ruthless member of the New York gang back then. Some even say that if he hadn't left New York early, Riley would never have dared to use dirty tricks against the Knicks in the playoffs.

Grant, a well-known inmate from the Portland State Penitentiary, is characterized by one word in both his playing style and appearance: [unclear - possibly referring to a specific type of prisoner].

Ruthless!

As for Bruce Bowen, who is still relatively unknown and has just started for the team, there's no need to mention him. He's the number one trash and top-tier filth of the 21st century, a bastard cursed and scorned by all swingmen in the league. When this guy gets ruthless, he'll even step on his own good friend and buddy Allen without hesitation.

It's worth noting that the fathers of these two men had a very good relationship, and the two were childhood friends who often trained and played basketball together since they were young. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Allen was Bowen's only friend in the league. When Bowen was being condemned for his foot-planting incident, Allen was one of the few people who spoke up for him.

"Bruce is a good guy, one of my best friends, and I believe that many times it's just an accident!"

Ironically, Bowen didn't appreciate it at all. In the first game of the second round of the 05 Western Conference playoffs, Allen had an excellent shooting touch in the first quarter, scoring 12 points on 4 of 7 shots.

Then Bowen got annoyed.

Dude, why did you beat me up like that?

He then made a decisive tackle, causing Allen to walk off the court clutching his ankle just 53 seconds into the second quarter, and the Spurs easily secured the first victory in the series.

Although Allen quickly returned to the court in the second game, he was hampered by a foot injury and his former glory was gone. Allen, who scored 32 points in the first round, only averaged 21 points per game in this series. As the league's top three-point shooter, his three-point shooting percentage was less than 30% in this series.

The Supersonics also lost this series.

After this series, Allen and Bowen officially fell out, with Allen angrily telling Bowen: "Just play basketball and stop messing around with that dirty stuff."

Bowen shamelessly stated, "Be a man, Ray, that way you'll learn how to face real defense."

After the two had a complete falling out, Bowen went even further, showing no respect for his former friend. In a regular season game in 06, Bowen revealed something to Allen.

This guy did go easy on him because he was a friend!

In this match, Bowen delivered a flying kick from behind to Allen in mid-air, nearly ending Allen's entire career.

After that, the two completely lost contact, and Allen repeatedly stated that he would never speak to Bowen again.

Although these were all things that Bowen of the Spurs did, and Bowen of the Heat had not yet truly mastered the skill that would allow him to establish himself in the league, Lin Ze still felt that he should not be underestimated.

After all, while Bowen's complete descent into darkness was related to Popovich being a shameless scumbag who liked to use dirty tricks, Riley wasn't exactly a saint either!

Speaking of which, the Heat's frontcourt trio really do have similar styles: one is ruthless, one is fierce, and one is cunning!

In stark contrast to these three is their backcourt duo.

Veteran Jones, the only man in the league to have made Kobe a substitute, has a very steady style and clean defense. "The Beatle" Hardaway is a typical street black man, loyal, hot-tempered, and has a flashy and attractive playing style.

This five-man team can be considered to have ushered the Heat into the Riley 2.0 era. Even without Mourning, they still played at a top level in the Eastern Conference!

"Where's the guy I jumped ball with?" O'Neal, standing at center court, exaggeratedly looked left and right, then suddenly looked down at Grant: "Oh! It's you jumping ball with me, you little dwarf? You're not going to punch my knee when I jump, are you?"

"Fuck you! You bastard!" Before Grant could speak, Mason, a burly man with a face full of scars that clearly wasn't a good guy, said aggressively, "Your tricks won't work on us. But you little brat, did you get him insurance?"

"All done, full coverage!" Lin Ze said, looking at his opponent tonight. "But I seriously doubt whether you, this washed-up old ghost, have the ability to make me use you."

"Do you think I'm a coward like Malone?" Mason tilted his head slightly and continued to bark at Lin Ze with his nostrils flared.

"You're way softer than him," Lin Ze scoffed. "If you were as tough as Karl, would you still be constantly traded and abandoned by teams? Let's guess how long you can stay in Miami? I bet you'll be thrown into the trash by Riley like a tattered pair of underwear stained with your dissertation!"

Mason and Lin Ze looked ready to fight even before the game started, while Bowen, the real killer next door, looked cautious and timid, seemingly without any murderous intent, and even smiled foolishly at Kobe.

What's there to be afraid of with this kid?

Kobe looked at this guy who wasn't famous these days and scoffed at Lin Ze's advice.

Then, the competition began!

The basketball was easily dribbled by O'Neal to Fisher, and then the Lakers launched an attack!

The Lakers' first offensive possession was originally intended to be for O'Neal, but the Heat's players were not tall enough, with Grant at 205 cm and Mason at only 210 cm, so they couldn't let O'Neal go one-on-one.

So, as soon as O'Neal got the ball under the basket, Mason and Grant surrounded him, preventing him from having any space to dribble and play one-on-one.

O'Neal immediately passed the ball to Lin Ze on the outside, and Lin Ze quickly passed it to Kobe next to him.

After Kobe received the ball, Bowen, who was originally guarding him and was about to chase Lin Ze, suddenly braked and turned around to rush towards Kobe.

But clearly, despite his best efforts to catch up, he couldn't provoke Kobe in any way.

Kobe jumped steadily and released the ball, flicking it with his wrist, sending it flying precisely toward the basket.

"Whoosh!"

A crisp sound.

Kobe made a clean shot, and Bowen, who was too late to catch up, also made a clean shot!

This guy put his foot right where Kobe landed!

If Kobe hadn't reacted quickly enough, he probably would have stepped on his foot.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kobe glared at Bowen.

You're coming in the very first round?

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, it was an accident, I swear!" Bowen quickly raised his hand to explain, indicating that he didn't want to cause trouble.

Lin Ze, who was standing nearby, watched this scene and thought it was indeed an accident.

It's not that Bowen's stepping was unintentional; the accident was that he didn't step on it properly.

This guy's footwork skills are probably still in the early stages. He needs to practice for a few more years to become more precise, more lethal, and more unpredictable.

He's awful, absolutely awful. Bad people are everywhere, they'll be villains no matter where they go.

But I still need to practice my footwork.

"You need to change your landing posture," Lin Ze said to Kobe as he returned to defense. "Otherwise, you'll easily get injured again!"

"Shut up!" Kobe muttered, then lowered his center of gravity and stared at former Lakers starting shooting guard Jones.

However, Jones did not get the ball in this possession. Although Jones is the Heat's leading scorer so far, and Hardaway's average stats this season have dropped to 13.4 points and 6.6 assists, the Heat's nominal core player is still Tim Hardaway.

With age and injuries, this once top star and All-NBA First Team member is no longer as formidable as he once was, and his classic "Hardaway crossover," hailed as the best dribbling move of the 90s, has long lost its former sharpness.

But when facing Fisher, he still had plenty of confidence. After a series of crossover dribbles, he used Mason's screen to easily find an open opportunity and shoot a three-pointer!

Hardaway has never been one of the most accurate three-point shooters in the league.

But he has always been the league's favorite to shoot three-pointers.

So far this season, he has averaged 7.1 three-point attempts per game, leading the league. More than half of his shots this year have come from beyond the three-point line. From this perspective, this guy is quite similar to the guards of 20 years from now.

However, unlike those people 20 years later.

Twenty years later, those players really could throw things in and still score, but Hardaway threw so many because he couldn't get inside anymore.

With a loud thud, the basketball bounced off the rim and missed. O'Neal easily grabbed the rebound, and the Lakers began their counterattack.

However, they failed to score this time because although the Heat lacked absolute height, their mobility was not a problem at all. After several forwards quickly retreated to defend, Harper calmly chose to stop and reorganize, and once again passed the ball to O'Neal.

With his back to the basket, O'Neal was once again double-teamed by Mason and Grant. He immediately slammed the ball down onto the floor in the middle.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lin Ze made a quick cut and arrived at the scene. Before Mason could turn around to defend, he had already stood up and dunked with one hand, sending the ball into the basket!

This is also one of the changes that Lin Ze has made this season after his strength has increased. After cutting into the paint, he has started to use dunks more often to finish the offense.

Although the dunks were still unremarkable in terms of style and height, the number of dunks far exceeded that of last season.

Turning around, the Heat also wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to launch a fast break and chase down the defender.

However, the Lakers' mobility was not bad either. Apart from O'Neal being a bit lazy and falling behind, the other four players quickly returned to defense and blocked their respective positions.

Lin Ze immediately returned to the basket, and as he turned around, he encountered Hardaway charging towards him. He immediately raised his arms and jumped vertically, blocking Hardaway between the basket and the rim.

With a muffled thud, Hadaway was almost thrown back by Lin Ze. Not only did he fail to move Lin Ze at all, he also lost his balance and could only throw himself around in the air to try his luck.

Given his current abilities, hitting such a miraculous shot would cost him his lifespan. The basketball slammed onto the rim with a "thud" and was caught in Lin Ze's arms as he quickly turned around.

After receiving the ball, Lin Ze immediately threw it towards the frontcourt. O'Neal, who was just at the back, easily caught the ball, then turned around, dribbled twice, and then slammed it into the basket with both hands!

Amidst the swaying of the basketball hoop, O'Neal landed with an imposing air.

7: 0!

The Lakers have a dream start!

"Tim!" Riley suddenly shouted from the sidelines, "Calm down!"

After Riley's shout, Hardaway calmed down considerably. He stopped playing recklessly and started calling out tactics. He then passed the ball to Jones, and the steady defender played with classic style.

He called for a screen, slowly accelerated, observed the defense, and then took advantage of the mismatch to pull up for a jump shot from mid-range.

Fisher, who was mismatched and not tall enough to defend Jones, was not very effective at interfering with his shot and could only watch Jones take the shot.

"Swish"

With a crisp sound, Rice's jump shot went in, and the Heat finally got their first win.

But the Lakers clearly exploited the Heat's weakness tonight: while their speed was good,

It has enough strength for combat, but its height is a big problem!

This time, the ball came back into O'Neal's hands. O'Neal's one-on-one play once again drew a double team. Lin Ze received the pass and quickly dunked the ball back. No matter how mobile Mason was, he didn't have time to close the gap again.

This guy is already 34 years old. It's really asking too much of him to keep going back and forth like this. He's already giving it his all by being able to contract and expand once more. If you make him keep fighting like this, his stamina will be completely depleted in 20 minutes.

In this situation, the Heat's interior defense was naturally overwhelmed, and they could only watch as O'Neal easily pushed past Grant after receiving the ball a second time and slammed it home with a dunk!

Then the Lakers used this tactic again. This time, Mason was not as decisive as before when he spread out. His hesitation was immediately seized by Lin Ze, who received the ball outside the three-point line and pulled up for the three-pointer. Lin Ze's three-pointer went in!

The Lakers started strong, shooting 5-for-5! Their game was simple and straightforward, and they immediately overwhelmed the Heat.

The difference in height in the paint, coupled with Lin Ze being the best partner for all traditional big men, means that the Heat's interior defense is stretched thin, and they are destined to be unable to cover both their head and feet.

After making the three-pointer, Riley quickly called a timeout.

Jackson didn't care at all how Riley would adjust.

Because the Lakers' tactics this season are quite simple and direct.

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