To make the Shaq shark swim up and down, disrupting the Knicks' attempt to seal off the paint, throwing off their established defensive strategy, and seizing opportunities to strike directly from the perimeter...
After a minor adjustment by Heximonn, the Lakers' tactics immediately became more fluid!
In principle, Heximonn still centered the offense around O'Neal, but O'Neal was no longer stuck foolishly in the low post. Instead, he put in more effort to roam in more areas. This required considerable proactiveness from O'Neal.
Coach Haslee was very surprised. How did Heximonn, with what qualifications, manage to coax O'Neal into setting screens for him and running himself ragged according to his wishes?
Because these changes were beneficial to the Lakers and did not violate Harris's general principles or overall strategy, Harris did not intervene. He silently watched Heximonn, with O'Neal's assistance, relentlessly dismantling the Knicks' defense.
Little Van Gundy, known for his inflexibility, chose to "meet change with no change."
As a result, stirred up by Heximonn, the Lakers hit 7 three-pointers in the latter half of the second quarter!
Among them, Eddie Jones made the most with 3, Ceballos made 2, and Heximonn also made 2!
Of Eddie Jones's 3 three-pointers, 2 were assisted by Heximonn, and 1 was assisted by O'Neal.
Of Ceballos's 2 three-pointers, 1 was assisted by Heximonn, and 1 was assisted by O'Neal.
As for Heximonn's 2 three-pointers, 1 was assisted by O'Neal, and the other was a transition three-pointer by Heximonn himself!
In other words, under Heximonn's minor overhaul, O'Neal had transformed into a playmaking center, becoming a "complete center" who could pass!
Although O'Neal only scored 4 points himself during this period, he dished out as many as 4 assists. The ball basically went through O'Neal's hands on almost every offensive possession. O'Neal was busy but played with a sense of fulfillment and leadership accomplishment for the team...
Under O'Neal's leadership, the Lakers thoroughly dominated the Knicks, successfully extending their lead to 7 points before halftime!
In the first half, Heximonn played 11 minutes, shooting 3-for-4 from the field, scoring 9 points, 6 assists, 1 rebound, and 1 turnover.
If the game continued at this pace, it shouldn't be a major problem for the Lakers to defeat the Knicks.
However, at the start of the third quarter, Coach Harris put Van Exel back into the starting lineup and sent Heximonn back to the bench.
Heximonn was speechless... Was Coach Harris observing lineup synergy in a live game?
Van Exel curbed his "streaky" tendencies and, following the style of play from the latter half of the second quarter by Heximonn, actually achieved good results!
The Lakers continued to press the Knicks, not giving them a chance to come back.
98:92, they easily defeated their opponents and secured their third consecutive win to start the season.
O'Neal had a super all-around stat line of 26 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 5 blocks in this game, almost blinding the many Knicks fans at Madison Square Garden.
Heximonn's playing time in the second half was less than in the first. His final stats remained at 17 minutes played, 4-for-6 from three-point range, 2-for-2 from the free-throw line, for 14 points, 7 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 turnovers. A single-game total of 14 points set a new career high for Heximonn. Of course, 2 turnovers also set a new career high for Heximonn.
Kobe played 9 minutes today, scoring 7 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 turnover. Compared to the historical record, his individual statistics were also steadily improving.
After the game against the Knicks, the Lakers immediately flew to Charlotte for a back-to-back against the Hornets! This North Carolina team had almost been where Heximonn's career began.
Due to Wake Forest University, Heximonn was somewhat famous in Charlotte.
In the arena filled with the Hornets' green jerseys, Heximonn caught sight of a few scattered fans wearing the black and gold #4 jersey of Wake Forest University, which was Heximonn's former jersey. This indicated they were likely Wake Forest fans. If he had the chance, Heximonn would have been willing to sign autographs on their jerseys as a memento for these discerning fans.
The Hornets were missing two starters in this game, Glenn Rice and Muggsy Bogues, due to injury.
Head coach Dave Cowens fielded center Matt Geigher, power forward Vlade Divac, small forward Anthony Mason, shooting guard Dell Curry, and point guard Brent Barry.
Logically, the well-rested Lakers should have had an easy time against this shorthanded Hornets team. However, the progression of the game greatly surprised the Lakers fans.
The Lakers were completely out of sorts. From O'Neal and Ceballos to Eddie Jones and Van Exel, their desire to score was low, and their shooting touch was unstable. This was the biggest problem caused by back-to-back games: fatigue!
Especially since their previous game was against the New York Knicks, a tenacious defensive powerhouse.
The physical exertion from O'Neal, Campbell, Ceballos, and others in the previous game, battling against Ewing, Oakley, and Larry Johnson, far exceeded that of a typical game.
Consequently, their bodies were still in a state of exhaustion in this game.
By the end of the first quarter, the score was a dismal 14:14.
Heximonn thought Coach Harris would bring in the bench early to alleviate the fatigue of the starters. However, Harris did not adjust as Heximonn expected. Perhaps seeing that they weren't falling behind, he chose to battle it out with the Hornets until the end.
During the rotation, Heximonn and Kobe entered the game together.
On the Hornets' side, it was the 24th overall pick in this year's draft, Tony Delk, and the 15th pick in the second round, Malik Rose.
Tony Delk was originally supposed to start his career in Los Angeles. However, due to these two individuals, he was traded to Charlotte by the Lakers. Delk had always held a grudge about this, believing that Kobe and Heximonn had stolen his rightful Lakers career...
Thus, after they both entered the game as reserves, Tony Delk simultaneously taunted Kobe and Heximonn, saying fiercely, "One day, I will make the Lakers regret this trade!"
Kobe looked at Heximonn with mock "surprise" and asked, "Who is this guy?"
Heximonn shrugged, "A former opponent I defeated..."
Kobe nodded, "Oh... no wonder I don't remember him... I've never been interested in your defeated opponents..."