This made Old Curry feel a little overwhelmed! Although he was a star in Charlotte, in the league as a whole, Old Curry's influence was not significant.
Since entering the league as the 15th overall pick in 1986, Old Curry had spent most of his career coming off the bench. His occasional starts were due to tactical needs or injuries to starting players. Although he averaged 15 points per game for the Hornets, becoming the team's super sixth man.
But being admired by rookie players in the same league was probably a first!
Because the rookies who could enter this league were all young people with very high aspirations. They were basically aiming to compete with Jordan, Olajuwon, and Malone, and at the very least, they were targeting Reggie Miller, Stockton... Old Curry had never had anyone worship him. He Ximeng was the first, and whether he would be the last, it was still too early to say.
He Ximeng said that his three-point shooting skill was inspired by Old Curry's three-point skill.
But Old Curry didn't believe He Ximeng's words, because He Ximeng's push shot release method did not seem to be the same as his standard shooting method... Even if it was inspired by Old Curry, as He Ximeng himself said, in practice, He Ximeng had made great improvements, almost to the point of being unrecognizable...
But He Ximeng's admiration made Old Curry very happy, and as a result, his good feelings for this young man, whose skin color was different from his own, but whose basketball philosophy, especially his three-point philosophy, was very close, increased greatly!
Moreover, Old Curry had actually watched He Ximeng's games!
On the night of the NCAA finals, Old Curry was also present. He was an alumnus of Virginia Tech, but since Virginia Tech did not make it to the NCAA tournament this year, Old Curry could only shift his support to other strong teams in North Carolina. North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest... were all strong teams in North Carolina. But the team that made it to the end this year was clearly Wake Forest, led by He Ximeng and Duncan!
Therefore, Old Curry was actually no stranger to He Ximeng. And Old Curry's children, Stephen Curry and Seth Curry, were also no strangers to He Ximeng... Not only were they not strangers, they even liked him very much!
Due to the influence of their talent, the Curry family's children could not become inside dominators like Duncan. Therefore, He Ximeng became their primary choice for pursuit and imitation...
He Ximeng's push shot three-pointer originated from Old Curry tailoring it for Curry in his previous life. In this life, Old Curry had not yet properly trained Curry, but He Ximeng's appearance had already provided Curry with the best learning template...
It seemed that He Ximeng's connection with the Curry family was becoming increasingly complicated.
After leaving Charlotte, the Lakers finally got a day of rest before flying to Toronto to prepare for the game against the Raptors.
The Raptors' roster this season was mainly centered around three players in the backcourt: point guard Damon Stoudamire, shooting guard Doug Christie, and small forward Walt Williams.
Damon Stoudamire was the primary attacker, Christie was the primary defender, and Walt Williams was strong in both offense and defense.
In the paint, they employed a dual-center strategy with veteran center Menges Benjamin and Croatian center Bruno Šundov.
The Raptors' lineup was generally average in terms of overall strength, but their tactical choice was clear: to shut down O'Neal in the paint and then compete with the Lakers in the backcourt.
Since the Lakers were in a strong position and the Raptors were at a disadvantage, Coach Harris did not adjust the starting lineup and decided to go all out.
At the beginning of the game, the Lakers, relying on their inside advantage and the efforts of O'Neal and Campbell, scored consecutively.
The Raptors did not back down either. Damon Stoudamire hit a three-pointer at the start, and he, along with Walt Williams, frequently attacked from mid-range, engaging in a fierce battle with the Lakers.
But seeing the Lakers consistently attacking the paint, the Raptors began to shrink their defense, attempting to force the Lakers to shoot from the outside.
As a result, Van Exel and Ceballos were truly disappointing. They missed several opportunities, and the ball clanked off the rim repeatedly.
Since their clash with O'Neal, Van Exel and Ceballos's performance had been subpar.
It was unclear whether it was due to Coach Harris's tactical adjustments or the players' mental state, but in any case, their performance on the court was severely mismatched with their standing on the team.
Taking advantage of the Lakers' poor outside shooting, the Raptors went on a scoring run and, at the end of the first quarter, led their opponents by 8 points with a score of 28:20, capitalizing on their home-court advantage.
Coach Harris could no longer stand it and initiated the rotation lineup ahead of schedule.
Kobe and Scott entered the game simultaneously, and Harris tried moving Kobe to the small forward position.
In terms of lineup versatility, Harris was indeed a standout in the league...
In addition to Kobe and Scott, there were He Ximeng and Cory Brumbly. Campbell remained on the court, continuing to serve as the inside anchor, and was moved to the center position.
On the Raptors' side, the core of their reserve lineup was the prized rookie of the year, Marcus Camby, who was the second overall pick.
As a top-drafted rookie, Camby had played around 25 minutes in the first three games, making him the Raptors player with the most minutes off the bench. However, Camby's stats in these games hovered around 5 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block in one game, 4 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block in another, and 7 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 blocks in a third.
Camby's defensive energy was gradually being unleashed, but on the offensive end, perhaps due to the intense competition in the paint in the current league, Camby was still in the adaptation phase and had not shown any remarkable performances.
In contrast, Kobe had played significantly fewer minutes than Camby in the previous games, but his scoring efficiency per minute was actually higher than Camby's.
As for He Ximeng, there was even less to say. In the games that had concluded, He Ximeng's performance was probably second only to the top pick, Iverson.
In this game, facing two fellow rookies who were drafted lower than him, Camby was determined to prove his worth.
Not long after entering the game, with an assist from Walt Williams, Camby executed a powerful two-handed dunk under the basket, helping the Raptors extend their lead to 10 points! The situation was quite unfavorable for the Lakers.
After bringing the ball up, He Ximeng called for a high pick-and-roll from Cory Brumbly, intending to draw Camby out of the paint. However, Camby remained unfazed, staying at the edge of the paint and refusing to come out. He Ximeng then drove into the Raptors' interior, drawing Camby's double-team, and passed back to Cory Brumbly, who was near the free-throw line.
Cory Brumbly had the ability to shoot from mid-range and beyond. Facing an open look, he caught the ball and made a mid-range jumper!
On the next possession, Camby tried to drive to the basket again, but He Ximeng anticipated Walt Williams' pass, moved early, and leaped high to intercept the pass intended for Camby!
Seeing He Ximeng leap high, Kobe knew what he had to do! He put his head down and sprinted straight towards the Raptors' basket...