After bringing the ball past half-court, He Ximeng called for Cory Brunt to set a high screen!
Nash, who was guarding He Ximeng, tried to get around him to block his drive and pass. However, seeing Nash going behind him, He Ximeng went the opposite way, executing a behind-the-back dribble followed by a step-back!
Using Cory Brunt as a pick, he launched his second three-pointer of the game! And he sank it cleanly.
The Suns were caught off guard by He Ximeng's surprise attack!
The Suns hadn't paid enough attention to He Ximeng, believing it was just a rookie's flash of brilliance.
The real threats to the Suns were Ceballos on the wing and Campbell in the paint!
However, He Ximeng's offense wasn't finished yet.
Turning around, Nash attempted to answer He Ximeng with a shot from beyond the arc, but his touch was off, and the ball bounced out.
Cory Brunt grabbed the rebound and passed it back to He Ximeng. Ignoring Nash's interference, He Ximeng accelerated, appearing to drive straight to the basket. Instead, he stopped near the three-point line and pulled up for a chase-down three-pointer!
After He Ximeng hit two consecutive three-pointers, the arena DJ got hyped! He loudly shouted "Ximeng," rallying the Lakers fans in attendance to make some noise!
On the Lakers' bench, Shaq O'Neal made an exaggerated expression, a white towel draped over his shoulder, his fists like sandbags as he cheered on his new little brother!
In comparison, Kobe's and Nate's cheering gestures were much more subdued.
In the first half, He Ximeng was three for three, a perfect shooting percentage. Just as the fans expected him to continue his hot streak, Ceballos stepped up, stole He Ximeng's ball, received it in the backcourt, brought it past half-court, and went for a one-on-one isolation play...
If they don't let He Ximeng touch the ball, they can surely stifle his performance, right?
He Ximeng didn't seem to care, but head coach Harris on the sidelines was furious. They had a chance for a game-changing run against the Suns, but the rhythm was broken by internal conflict... He immediately called a timeout, substituted Ceballos out, and brought in O'Neal!
After the timeout, He Ximeng attempted another shot from beyond the arc, but the ball finally hit the rim and bounced out. His shooting touch seemed to have cooled down.
No matter, He Ximeng shifted his focus back to assisting.
Because of the impact of his previous two three-pointers, the Suns clearly increased their defensive intensity on He Ximeng, which in turn created more favorable conditions for He Ximeng to assist O'Neal...
In the final two minutes of the second quarter, He Ximeng continuously passed the ball to O'Neal, forcing the Suns to foul preemptively to prevent O'Neal from scoring.
During this period, O'Neal took six shots, making three, and got six free throws, making three, helping the Lakers score nine points.
He Ximeng recorded two assists, along with a driving layup, a steal, and a rebound.
By halftime, the Lakers were leading the Suns by 17 points, 57-40!
O'Neal had 17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks in the half, dominating the paint and displaying unparalleled power!
Ceballos was having a poor shooting day, going 3-for-10 from the field, 0-for-3 from three-point range, and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line, scoring only 8 points in the first half.
The second-highest scorer for the Lakers was the rookie, reserve point guard He Ximeng!
With a 4-of-5 shooting performance, including 3-of-3 from three-point range in the first half, He Ximeng scored 11 points, second only to O'Neal, along with 6 assists, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal...
Meanwhile, starting point guard Van Exel was locked down by Cassell. In the first half, besides picking up 3 fouls, he contributed very little, with no points, 3 assists, 1 rebound, and 2 turnovers...
During halftime, the big screen displayed the statistics for all Lakers players in the first half.
The Lakers fans in the arena could hardly believe their eyes. The team's two core scorers from last season, Ceballos and Van Exel, were in such poor form...
In the third quarter, the Lakers returned to their pure starting lineup, while the Suns replaced the out-of-form AC Green with Finley.
Horry was moved to power forward, and Finley played small forward.
Compared to their starting lineup at the beginning of the game, the Suns' overall height decreased, and their mobility increased.
For the Lakers, this presented a good opportunity to strengthen their inside offense.
They aimed to exploit the height and bulk of O'Neal and Campbell to attack the Suns' basket.
This time, Van Exel did pass to O'Neal, but it was a rushed pass. Before O'Neal could secure the ball, Horry, who had already anticipated the play and was coming from the flank, stole it...
Immediately after, Van Exel passed to Campbell with a similar intent. Again, it was Horry who stripped the ball from Campbell just as he was about to receive it under the basket...
Horry was playing very actively today, with two precise steals in a row, demonstrating excellent defensive efficiency!
Van Exel of the Lakers was having a terrible game. Could it be that he touched something he shouldn't have touched during the summer?
Fortunately, the Lakers' overall defense was still steady, and neither of these turnovers resulted in points for the opponent.
On the Suns' side, Finley drove for a mid-range jump shot but was fingertip-blocked by Campbell.
Cassell drove for a layup on the fast break but was fiercely blocked by Ceballos!
Honestly, the defensive intensity on the NBA court during the 1996-97 season was exceptionally high!
A smaller player attempting a layup could unexpectedly be met with a huge block coming from who knows where!
A big man driving to the basket could at any moment have the ball snatched away by a smaller player who seemed to materialize out of nowhere!
"Eyesight defense" simply did not exist in this era! Anyone who played with "eyesight defense" would lose playing time and opportunities.
The defensive intensity inside the paint was entirely different from that of over a decade later.
This was precisely why He Ximeng was so wary of directly attacking the basket! It wasn't fear of physical contact, but a concern about injuries.
In an era where injuries were commonplace, it was difficult to stay unscathed. He Ximeng could only try to avoid such situations, leading him to keep his offensive attempts as far away from the basket as possible...
While scoring was easier closer to the basket, so was getting injured...
Both teams went through a flurry of activity, but for two minutes, neither team scored!
Besides turnovers, the Lakers saw O'Neal attempt a little hook shot in the paint, which rimmed out.
Ceballos tried a three-pointer, which missed.
Van Exel attempted a mid-range pull-up jumper, which missed.
...
The Lakers suddenly entered a scoring drought at the beginning of the third quarter...