And such a scene continued.
One possession later, Steve Nash’s mid-range shot after a pick-and-roll hit the iron under Roger’s best efforts to contest.
Allan Houston’s catch-and-shoot was also directly blocked by Kobe.
The secret to a team becoming tough lies in defense, an eternal truth.
In 1975, the Golden State Warriors were the last team in NBA history to win a championship solely relying on offense. Since then, modern defensive systems have gradually erged, and defense began to dictate victories.
Last season, the Lakers and the Warriors were almost as strong in offense as they are now, but neither went very far.
And this sumr, they both solved a common issue, which is defense.
This allowed both teams to completely step up a level this season.
Great defense is like planting a dense forest of towering trees in your own half-court, and if the opponents charge recklessly, they can’t help but get battered and bruised, crushed to pieces.
After several possessions, it was still 0-0. Kobe and Roger both realized that with this level of defensive intensity, they needed to take control of the offense early.
Because now, even stars like Nash, Malone, Houston, and Stoudemire were finding it hard to score.
So, Kobe took the initiative.
Facing Tayshaun Prince, Kobe posted up and then reached out to Steve Nash for the ball.
After a shoulder fake, Kobe didn’t turn around for a jump shot but instead pivoted for a breakthrough!
Tayshaun Prince reacted quickly enough but was bumped off position by Kobe.
It’s very hard to find a perfect player in this world. Tayshaun Prince’s height and wingspan are quite advantageous, and he can still maintain agility in such situations. But the price paid for it is that his resistance is not top-notch.
And Kobe was at the peak of his weight, becoming a veritable scoring guard. Standing next to Karl Malone, they were enough to intimidate quite a few teams’ players.
Before this, with Shaq around, Kobe could still maintain his relatively graceful style of play.
But after taking charge on his own, Kobe inevitably had to lead the charge with the ball. So, like Jordan and Roger, he chose to gain weight to enhance his finishing ability.
Roger’s weight gain was gradual, taking several years to reach his current perfect weight and avoiding the risk of injury.
Kobe, however, was more frightening. He seed to gain an entire size within a single sumr; his execution in training was like a machine.
This weight allowed him to easily overpower Prince and still finish the layup after colliding with Stoudemire!
"Get out of my way, dumb dog!" Kobe felt angry at Prince because many dia outlets before the ga believed that sophomore Prince would force Kobe into an ugly series.
Prince’s defense during the regular season was indeed very strong, but Kobe proved that this guy was still not qualified to defend him.
The ga continued. With Kobe already scoring, Roger had no reason to keep passing the ball.
George Lynch, a peer of Roger from the ’93 generation, was already in the late stages of his career.
At 34, he knew his chances of getting a ring were diminishing.
Therefore, he cherished the ti playing for a championship-contending team very much.
This season, George Lynch’s defense remained outstanding, almost the opposite of Tayshaun Prince. He had the sa height and wingspan but a solid build.
The downside was also the opposite, lacking the agility of Tayshaun Prince.
Roger used a wide arcing crossover to try to get past George Lynch. He moved laterally as quickly as possible, but just as he was about to block Roger, Roger suddenly went behind his back, nimbly slipping past George Lynch.
This move gave Roger an incredibly open shot, and he calmly knocked down the mid-range jumper!
George Lynch’s defense had always been praised, but Roger easily shaking him off made him look like Ben Simmons inexplicably shaken to the floor by Kuzma 20 years later with a fake drive.
It’s not George Lynch’s fault, just like that earlier shot by Kobe wasn’t Tayshaun Prince’s fault.
Against top-tier players, defenders are bound to feel powerless.
And the two best shooting guards of this season were right here!
This was a nightmare for both teams’ defenders!
2-2, Kobe and Roger had already started taking control of the offense early.
These two baskets seed to open Pandora’s box, becoming unstoppable.
In the subsequent ga, Kobe and Roger started trading baskets, delivering one incredible shot after another to the fans at the venue.
Kobe scored after a double-tead layup under Camby and Stoudemire’s rim protection, while Roger imdiately returned with a smooth spin jumper.
Kobe backed down Tayshaun Prince and made an extre fadeaway under his long arms.
Roger, in the crowd, made a difficult layup, shooting as if with a ruler, just enough to get the ball past Theo Ratliff’s fingers and into the net.
In the first quarter, Roger exploded for 14 points, while Kobe Bryant had 15.
The fans felt extrely entertained because it’s rare for a scoring battle between two stars to start directly from the first quarter!
Of course, taking over the offense from the first quarter is very physically demanding.
Hubie Brown and the Zen Master both tried to develop a second offensive point on the court.
But their efforts were in vain at the beginning of the second quarter.
Karl Malone’s jump shot after off-ball movent was again blocked by Marcus Camby. Today, Marcus Camby was hauntingly lingering around Malone.
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