Kobe entered the court, unafraid of Malone's elbows and Ostertag's blocks. Utilizing active movement, he got an opportunity for a cut to the basket!
The ball reached him as quickly as he moved, and Heximon lived up to Kobe's trust, passing the ball immediately. Kobe caught it and took flight. Using his excellent hang time, he dodged the defense of several Jazz players in the air and hit a bank shot!
Eddie Jones, Kobe, and Heximon formed the Lakers' "iron triangle" on the perimeter. With Horry helping to clear out the Jazz's interior defense and prevent congestion, the Lakers continuously attacked with backdoor cuts and drive-and-kick plays, inflicting constant damage on the Jazz.
By the end of the first quarter, Heximon was substituted out for Van Exel. The Lakers led the Jazz by a commanding 12 points, 28-16!
The Jazz's interior offense was blocked, and their perimeter threes were slow to fall, resulting in very low offensive efficiency in the first quarter. Coach Sloan's face was ashen on the sideline, clearly dissatisfied with his team's performance.
During the rotation, Head Coach Sloan brought in Shandon Anderson!
Shandon Anderson was also a formidable player from the golden generation of '96! Although he wasn't a first-round pick, being selected by the Jazz in the second round didn't stop Shandon Anderson from establishing himself in the league.
In high school, Shandon Anderson was a nationally renowned prodigy, essentially in the same tier as Kobe and McGrady as a swingman! His offense was unstoppable.
However, after entering the league, Shandon Anderson didn't fully realize his offensive potential. Instead, he developed into a defensive stalwart. During the two years the "Jazz Duo" battled Jordan, Shandon Anderson, with his "Sendoh Akira" hairstyle, was an indispensable bench force for the Jazz!
Last season, Shandon Anderson didn't play many minutes off the Jazz's bench. But within his limited playing time, Shandon Anderson earned Head Coach Sloan's trust with his defense. Therefore, in the first game of the new season, Shandon Anderson was included in the Jazz's second unit and performed exceptionally well. Upon entering the game, Shandon Anderson made both drives and jump shots, leaving Lakers' backup shooting guard Smits struggling.
The Jazz successfully narrowed the deficit to 6 points.
Harris, unable to watch any longer, substituted out Smits and brought in Eddie Jones to stabilize the situation shortly after the second quarter began. Subsequently, the Lakers' starting lineup gradually returned. However, Fox did not play; instead, Kobe partnered with the starters.
In the first quarter, Heximon primarily focused on assists, dedicating his energy to getting his teammates into a rhythm. In the second quarter, with his teammates finding their shooting touch and drawing attention, Heximon naturally found more opportunities for himself on the perimeter.
After hitting two consecutive three-pointers from beyond the arc, Heximon completely ignited the Lakers' perimeter shooting. Eddie Jones and Kobe followed suit, and then Horry, not wanting to be left out, contributed a wing three-pointer. Before halftime, the Lakers re-extended their lead to 11 points.
During halftime, Harris lauded his players' performance in the first half and encouraged them to maintain the rhythm, pick up the pace, and continue to attack from the perimeter in the second half. Well, it seemed this idea was actually suggested to Harris by Heximon. Now, the "Silver Fox" comrade shamelessly presented this idea as his own original thought.
After the break, the Jazz prepared to increase their offensive and defensive intensity in the third quarter, attempting to turn the tide of the game.
Heximon had studied the coaching habits of every famous coach in the league. Seeing the Jazz preparing to build momentum, he immediately slowed down the game's pace, focusing on stability, drives, and attacking the basket. Simultaneously, he rallied his teammates to crash the boards, preventing the Jazz from easy fast breaks and disrupting their rhythm as much as possible.
From a head coach's perspective, a game, in essence, is about fighting for rhythm and control.
Whoever controls the game's rhythm can play more comfortably and ultimately win.
When the opponent wants to build momentum and accelerate the game's pace, using chaos to their advantage, your team must try to stabilize the rhythm, play slowly and deliberately, especially when leading. "I'm not in a hurry, you can be if you want." 138 Reading Net.
The duel between Sloan and Harris had unknowingly transformed into a contest between Sloan and Harris plus Heximon.
Through steady passing and ball control, the Lakers compressed their turnovers to an optimal level. Conversely, the Jazz, in their eagerness to catch up and force Lakers' turnovers, committed a series of unforced errors themselves! Heximon, of course, did not miss these opportunities, seizing them with precision, and pushing the Jazz back steadily.
By the end of the third quarter, not only had the Jazz failed to erase their first-half deficit, but they also fell further behind by 20 points. The game had effectively entered garbage time.
Eddie Jones, Heximon, Horry, and Campbell were substituted out.
Kobe, along with Fox, Van Exel, Cory Brandon, Sean Loder, and Smits, held off the Jazz's fourth-quarter surge.
Ultimately, the Lakers defeated the previous season's runner-up Jazz 104-87, avenging their Western Conference Finals loss and securing an opening victory for the new season.
Kobe's first game of the new season netted a team-high 23 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists! Of course, 13 of those points were scored during garbage time in the fourth quarter. But garbage time is still time, and the points accumulated are a testament to his skill.
Heximon, making his first regular-season start, was substituted out after playing three quarters. In 30 minutes of play, he shot 7-of-12 from the field, 6-of-8 from three-point range, and 2-of-3 from the free-throw line, scoring 22 points, 8 assists, 1 rebound, and 1 steal, second only to Kobe!
If Horry hadn't been so unselfish, often passing Heximon's assists to Eddie Jones, Heximon would have easily achieved a double-double today!
Seeing his teammates easily defeat their old rivals, the Jazz, Shaquille O'Neal, wearing a suit on the bench, was bewildered. Shouldn't the team lose without him? The team loses, he returns, and they win big. This should be the rhythm of Superman's return, right?
Now, without him as the stabilizing force, the team still defeated the Jazz overwhelmingly. At this pace and momentum, the next few opponents probably won't be able to stop the team's winning streak.
After a brief consideration of the pros and cons, O'Neal decided to return early in the team's second game.
The Lakers' second regular-season game, still at home, would be against the young Boston Celtics!