Because she couldn't fly to Los Angeles, Kayla had to fly to San Antonio to spend Christmas with He Xi Meng.
They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Since the start of the new season, He Xi Meng had been busy with games, while Kayla was occupied filming Pirates of the Caribbean 2.
Thanks to the massive success of the first Pirates of the Caribbean, the film company struck while the iron was hot, bringing back the original cast to film the sequel.
The script was still the one co-written by He Xi Meng and Jill. He Xi Meng provided the story outline, and Jill was responsible for fleshing out the details and adapting it into script format.
When they encountered writer's block, Jill would also seek He Xi Meng's help. He Xi Meng was already well-versed in this, and it didn't take much effort.
After two months of hard work, the crew was grateful for the rare Christmas break for the actors, and Kayla immediately flew to the Holy City.
They had agreed to be intimate after the Christmas game, and whoever broke the promise was a dog.
As a result, the very next morning after waking up, the first thing Kayla did was "woof" at He Xi Meng.
Well, last night's exertions had satisfied both of them immensely, both mentally and physically. However, He Xi Meng's physical expenditure was no less than a triple-overtime regular season game...
The consequence of this was He Xi Meng being sluggish throughout the Christmas game, with his shooting touch completely off.
"What are you doing, Xi Meng? Wake up, fight back!"
With the game not yet over, Kobe, who had already scored 30 points, couldn't watch anymore. During O'Neal's free throw, he quietly encouraged He Xi Meng.
Kobe was that kind of player; the more his opponents stepped up, the more enthusiastically he played. If his opponents were listless, winning felt meaningless.
This Christmas game was also the first encounter between the Lakers and the Spurs this season. Kobe had high hopes for it, expecting a scoring duel with He Xi Meng. However, He Xi Meng was completely out of sorts, leaving him greatly disappointed.
He Xi Meng glanced helplessly at Kayla by the sidelines and whispered, "Next time! Next time I go to Los Angeles, I'll have a real battle with you!"
Kobe followed He Xi Meng's gaze to Kayla in the VIP box and waved friendly at her when he saw her look.
Kobe forced a smile. He couldn't say anything to Kayla, but towards He Xi Meng, he subtly blocked Kayla's view and made a dismissive thumbs-down gesture.
He Xi Meng ignored Kobe. No matter how much Kobe provoked him today, he decided not to retaliate.
Fortunately, Yao Ming played exceptionally well today, making this Christmas game much more exciting!
Before the game started, O'Neal had boasted, "Who is Yao Ming? I've never heard of this name!"
As a result, at the start of the game, O'Neal received the ball in the low post, intending to overpower Yao Ming with a finger roll layup. However, Yao Ming, full of energy, immediately sent O'Neal's shot away with a block!
O'Neal grabbed the rebound himself and turned for a fadeaway jumper! But Yao Ming timed it perfectly again, blocking it once more.
Honestly, after two consecutive blocks, O'Neal was a bit stunned.
On the third possession, O'Neal decided to take a step, drive to the basket, and leap high for a two-handed slam dunk!
Again, Yao Ming appeared, blocking O'Neal's seemingly sure dunk and disrupting it!
This time, O'Neal couldn't retrieve the offensive rebound. He Xi Meng seized the ball and initiated a fast break, assisting Ginobili for a Eurostep layup!
In just half a minute, he had sent O'Neal's shots away three times! This feat was unprecedented in O'Neal's ten-season career.
Therefore, O'Neal was a bit dazed from the start.
Fortunately, Kobe stepped up in time, playing offense to counter defense, leading the Lakers to weather the Spurs' opening onslaught.
And as it happened, He Xi Meng had no touch today, and Duncan alone was not enough to defeat a Lakers team with Kobe playing normally.
As the game progressed, O'Neal recovered from his daze and began to attack Yao Ming in the paint.
Naturally, Yao Ming couldn't block all of O'Neal's shots. Although Yao Ming blocked O'Neal five times in this game!
O'Neal had never been blocked five times by an opponent in a single game in his career. Yao Ming was unique!
Therefore, after the Christmas game, O'Neal personally hugged Yao Ming.
"So you're Yao Ming? My apologies..."
Although at the end of the game, Yao Ming had 18 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 6 blocks, while O'Neal scored 28 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks, outscoring Yao Ming.
However, Yao Ming's 5 blocks earned him O'Neal's respect in this game.
In the first matchup between Yao and Shaq, it was quite impressive for Yao Ming to outperform O'Neal in rebounds, assists, and blocks.
The only regret was not securing a victory.
And that wasn't Yao Ming's fault; it was He Xi Meng's. Because He Xi Meng played poorly in this game, he was too much of a liability...
After the Christmas game, the Spurs' December games were essentially over.
Aside from the subpar performance in the Christmas game, He Xi Meng had been quite effective in other games, averaging 24 points, 11 assists, and 4 rebounds, a standout among point guards in the league!
But unfortunately, He Xi Meng faced a more impressive Kobe!
Kobe averaged 27.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 6.7 assists this month, leading the Lakers to an impressive 14-1 record.
While Kobe's scoring average was higher than He Xi Meng's, He Xi Meng's assist average was significantly higher!
Based solely on individual statistics, the two were quite evenly matched, with no clear advantage.
However, when looking at team records, the Spurs fell slightly short. After all, the Spurs lost 3 games this month, with a monthly record of 12-3.
Therefore, He Xi Meng lost to Kobe in the selection for the Western Conference Player of the Month in December.
In the Eastern Conference, the Celtics' dynamic duo were co-recipients!
This season, Pierce and Antoine Walker were experiencing a career breakout.
This month, Pierce averaged 27.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.1 steals, and 1.6 blocks, while Antoine Walker averaged 23.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assists!
Under the leadership of the duo, the Celtics achieved an 11-5 record, and their overall standing improved to second in the Eastern Conference, trailing only behind Kidd's Nets.
This improvement in performance certainly warranted the league awarding the Eastern Conference Player of the Month to these two rising Celtics stars...