But Angie debuted at a time when the Suns were rebuilding!
Barkley had left for Houston, and AC Green and Finley had gone to Dallas…
The management team had taken a wait-and-see attitude, figuring that during a rebuilding phase there was no pressure, and at worst, they could just fire him and hire someone else.
But who would have thought, Angie’s coaching talent was quite remarkable!
In just half a season, he had re-integrated the team and led the Suns back to the Western Conference playoffs!
Regarding how to use Kidd, Angie initially had Kidd play as a backup to Kevin Johnson!
But after only about ten games as a reserve, Angie felt that using Kidd this way was a waste, a clear case of underutilization!
So, Angie promoted Kidd to the starting lineup, having Kidd and Kevin Johnson play as co-point guards!
The Suns' lineup of dual point guards on the perimeter and dual power forwards on the interior showed that Angie, with his unconventional and imaginative thinking, dared to do what others wouldn't even consider…
And after over a season of adjustments, the soul of the Suns had transitioned from the former point guard Kevin Johnson to the current Kidd!
Facing the Suns' dual point guard combination presented a significant challenge for He Ximeng!
Veteran Kevin Johnson was experienced, with his only drawback perhaps being his height of 1.85 meters, making him a smaller point guard.
Kidd, on the other hand, was steadily approaching his peak. Not yet old, but already formidable… Of course, Kidd’s peak was remarkably long! Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been called an old monster later on.
Generally speaking, point guards who focused on organization tended to have longer careers and peak periods than those who focused on offense.
Top-tier playmaking and top-tier defense. Kidd’s only perceived weakness at this point was a slightly lacking offensive threat, with his outside shooting not being very consistent. But this was a relative deficiency; if one truly treated Kidd as a point guard with no offensive capability, the Lakers would suffer greatly, and He Ximeng wouldn’t dare take that risk!
On April 23, 1998, the first game of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs kicked off at the Lakers' home court, the Forum.
Before the game, Coach Harris calmly began to motivate the team: “No one can stop our progress! Now, let’s go out and achieve our dreams one game at a time…”
“For victory!” O'Neal suddenly shouted, startling Harris.
“For victory!” the other players chimed in.
Well, that was the end of Harris’s speech.
As the game was about to begin, the players from both teams took to the court!
He Ximeng and Kobe were the first and second to appear, Eddie Jones second to last, and O'Neal made his grand finale!
For the Suns, Kidd was the last to take the court!
O’Neal and Kidd were the soul players of these two teams at this moment!
“When do you think we’ll get to come out last?” Kobe shielded his mouth and asked He Ximeng softly in his ear.
He Ximeng whispered back, “Maybe after Shaq’s peak is over?”
“And who will be the last one out then, you or me?” Kobe, not quite satisfied, extended the question.
“It’ll be you, of course!” He Ximeng affirmed.
“Why? Don’t you want to be the leader of the Lakers?”
“Who wouldn’t want to be the leader? But here with the Lakers, I don’t see myself having that opportunity…”
He Ximeng didn’t reveal his full thoughts. The Lakers were where He Ximeng would take flight, but perhaps not where he would finish his career…
Kobe interpreted this as He Ximeng acknowledging him, patting He Ximeng on the shoulder, and whispering, “When I become the King of the Lakers, you’ll be my Queen, and we’ll be equals… dominating this league…”
Uh… Kobe’s chuunibyou seemed to have flared up again. He Ximeng quickly used the imminent start of the game as an excuse to pull Kobe’s attention away from their king-and-queen fantasies.
For Kobe, the immediate issue was likely securing a starting position, as Coach Harris still hadn't put him in the starting lineup for this game.
The Lakers’ starting lineup was O’Neal, Horry, Fox, Eddie Jones, and He Ximeng.
The Suns’ starting lineup was Antonio McDyess, Clifford Robinson, George McCloud, Kidd, and Kevin Johnson!
As the game began, O’Neal easily defeated McDyess, giving the Lakers the first possession.
He Ximeng, facing Kevin Johnson’s defense, advanced steadily. He dribbled past half-court and made a direct lob pass to O’Neal near the edge of the paint!
This season, as O’Neal’s dominance in the paint had grown, the Lakers’ opening offensive plays had become relatively fixed: rely on O’Neal’s power game!
Unless O’Neal was injured and unavailable, the Lakers’ tactics would be more flexible, otherwise, He Ximeng’s job was simply to bring the ball past half-court and hand it over to O’Neal to start the offense!
This allowed O’Neal to test the opponent’s defensive strength and also compress the opponent’s defense, creating more shooting space for the perimeter players.
On this play, after receiving the ball, O’Neal immediately turned his back and posted up McDyess! McDyess was outmatched in height and weight, making his defense strenuous. Robinson had pulled Horry out to the perimeter near the three-point line, leaving him no time to recover. O’Neal drove into the paint, turned, and made a floating shot, giving the Lakers the first points!
Turning the ball over, Kevin Johnson brought it up past half-court and passed it to Kidd, then ran to the weak side to play off-ball.
Kidd, facing Eddie Jones’s defense, observed the Lakers’ defensive positioning while watching his teammates’ cuts.
The game had just started, and the Lakers’ defense was still quite tight, with no immediate breakdowns.
Kidd then called for a high pick-and-roll from Robinson, shaking off Eddie Jones, and drove strong to the side against Horry.
However, Horry had excellent defensive awareness and good mobility, and didn’t give Kidd a clear path to the basket. Kidd’s initial drive was unsuccessful. He changed direction and drove towards the middle, drawing Eddie Jones’s help defense, and then kicked the ball out to Robinson on the three-point line!
Robinson didn’t hesitate, using his height advantage to shoot over Eddie Jones! However, his touch was off, and the first three-point attempt missed.
O’Neal secured the defensive rebound, and the Suns immediately retreated, preventing the Lakers from launching a fast break.
He Ximeng continued to lob the ball to O’Neal, but this time, Kevin Johnson chose to drop back, intending to assist McDyess in attacking O’Neal’s lower body and attempting a steal!
He Ximeng, of course, wouldn’t stand idly by. The moment Kevin Johnson dropped back, he anticipated his intention and loudly warned O’Neal: “Shaq, watch the steal!”
O’Neal, who was about to bull-charge for another score, heard He Ximeng’s call, quickly pulled the ball back, narrowly avoiding Kevin Johnson’s swipe, and preventing a turnover.
After collecting the ball, O’Neal didn’t immediately pass to the perimeter but adopted a stance that suggested he was going for a face-up jump shot…