He Xi Meng and Kobe take the court together, joined by Horatio and Corey Blount!
The Lakers' on-court lineup adjusts to Horatio, Kobe, Eddie Jones, Corey Blount, and O'Neal!
Hmm... O'Neal and Kobe on the court simultaneously, plus Eddie Jones. Who should Horatio pass to?
The score is currently 18-18, with both teams tied.
The Timberwolves also initiate their rotation, with backup point guard James Robinson taking over the assignment against He Xi Meng!
James Robinson, 1.88 meters tall, was the 21st pick in the first round of 1993. He played three years with the Trail Blazers and just joined the Timberwolves this season. He is a more offense-oriented point guard with average court vision and defense, but strong offensive aggression. /
Facing such a point guard, He Xi Meng could definitely try to isolate and create shooting space and opportunities... but He Xi Meng wouldn't do that!
Currently, on the Lakers' court, apart from Corey Blount, the other three – O'Neal, Kobe, and Eddie Jones – are all eagerly awaiting the ball, their eyes fixed on the basketball in He Xi Meng's hands...
What troubles He Xi Meng now isn't whether he should attack, but rather who he should pass the ball to.
O'Neal is boxing out at the edge of the paint, his large hands already raised.
Kobe is on the wing, his gaze full of anticipation.
Eddie Jones is in the right corner, already in his shooting stance.
He Xi Meng's first choice... is still to lob it to O'Neal in the paint!
Although this might be a bit unfair to Kobe, passing to O'Neal is indeed the best option on the court right now. As a point guard, this is He Xi Meng's responsibility!
O'Neal's back-to-the-basket post-up is met with fierce resistance from the Timberwolves' Ukrainian center, Franckovich. O'Neal can't immediately drive to the basket and instead turns for a hook shot jumper!
Among all of O'Neal's shooting moves, besides dunks for direct scores, the hook shot jumper has the highest accuracy! But unfortunately, this shot bounces off the rim!
O'Neal attempts to grab the rebound, but Franckovich swats it out of the paint. He Xi Meng anticipates the play and gets to the ball first, securing the rebound!
Without hesitation, He Xi Meng charges into the Timberwolves' paint amidst the chaos, feigning an intent to attack the rim!
Franckovich turns around, intending to teach He Xi Meng a lesson. He Xi Meng retracts his layup attempt and instead executes a low-handed pass, slipping the ball to O'Neal, who is also under the basket!
O'Neal, who was already looking up to battle for the rebound, suddenly finds the ball in his hands. He instinctively jumps and, over Franckovich's head, completes a two-handed slam dunk!
O'Neal, having made the dunk, smells his own hand. So fragrant! Then, during the transition back on defense, O'Neal shakes his large posterior and gives He Xi Meng a playful wink... which gives He Xi Meng goosebumps, and he can't even meet O'Neal's gaze...
Turning around, the Timberwolves' backup power forward, Cherokee Parks, tries to score on Corey Blount in the paint, aiming to answer the Lakers' basket! But at the last moment of his turn and layup attempt, he is met with a ferocious block from O'Neal!
Kobe grabs the defensive rebound and immediately passes it to He Xi Meng. This time, He Xi Meng doesn't hesitate, and upon receiving the ball, he initiates a fast break!
After blowing past two Timberwolves, the path ahead is clear. He Xi Meng has a chance to drive directly to the basket, but he sees Kobe still running to keep up. With lightning speed, He Xi Meng opts for a lob pass, leaving the opportunity for Kobe behind him!
Kobe leaps high, catches the ball with one hand in mid-air, and slams it home, marking the beginning of his glorious professional career with a dominant presence!
Meanwhile, as Kobe catches the lob pass, He Xi Meng spreads his arms to welcome the photographers with their long and short lenses from beyond the baseline... and flashes a disarmingly charming smile...
This is Kobe's first dunk of his career, and He Xi Meng's first connection with Kobe on a professional court!
In fact, He Xi Meng had passed to Kobe like this countless times during practice. That's why, even when Kobe saw He Xi Meng had an opportunity to score himself, he still diligently followed. Because he knew He Xi Meng would leave the opportunity for him!
As expected, Kobe guessed correctly! And thus, this highly memorable alley-oop dunk was recorded.
After this game, all the sports media in Los Angeles would feature this alley-oop connection as the headline for the next day!
At this point, the media hadn't yet realized the immense commemorative value of this image. They simply thought the photo was aesthetically pleasing, full of power, chemistry, and a positive attitude...
At the end of the first quarter, Kobe's only successful shot was this one-handed slam dunk, but he was still very happy!
He Xi Meng scored no points in the first quarter but dished out two assists. One to O'Neal and one to Kobe.
At the start of the second quarter, Coach Harris continues to field Kobe and He Xi Meng, but substitutes O'Neal, Eddie Jones, and Corey Blount for Campbell, Sean Lools, and Ceballos!
Coach Harris's rotation rhythm in this game feels more like a typical NBA team's rotation. The previous game, frankly, was chaotic and hard to understand.
With this lineup, Coach Harris's requirement is to pass the ball to Campbell in the paint!
Pass to O'Neal when he's on the court, and pass to Campbell when O'Neal isn't!
He Xi Meng seems to have grasped Coach Harris's tactical philosophy and in-game management. Although a bit rigid, it's not entirely wrong.
The current trend in the league is to get that damn basketball to the big men down low!
Then the big men grunt and groan in the post, turning for a floater or driving for a dunk...
It's full of raw, physical power, but lacks the agility and finesse of basketball.
He Xi Meng intends to pass to the interior, but not blindly!
He calls for a screen from Kobe. After the screen, He Xi Meng drives along the right wing, and Kobe retreats to the three-point line at the top of the arc. After driving, He Xi Meng has two options: he can pass to Campbell in the paint or to Kobe at the three-point line, depending on how the Timberwolves' defense reacts...
As a result, the Timberwolves' defense creates openings simultaneously. Between the interior and perimeter, He Xi Meng chooses Campbell in the paint!
After receiving the ball, Campbell doesn't shoot directly. Instead, he fakes, takes another dribble, and then turns for his shot! The ball bounces off the backboard and goes in, but it's not credited as an assist to He Xi Meng.
Turning around, the Timberwolves' Chris Kael attempts to isolate Kobe but is met with a strong block from Kobe!
After the block, Kobe leads the fast break himself, drives to the frontcourt, and executes a 360-degree spin dunk!
This causes the Lakers' fans in the arena to erupt in cheers again...