He Xi Meng's idea was good, but too outrageous!
Reid did show decent catch-and-shoot three-point ability, but Reid was too young, a second-round pick. If he were directly promoted to the starting lineup, how would the lottery picks taken earlier in the first round feel?
After much consideration, Popovich decided to let veteran Elliott take the starting spot for now, as a formality. His actual playing time would likely be similar to Ginobili's. At the same time, he would closely evaluate Reid, who was recommended by He Xi Meng, to see what made this freshman so exceptional that He Xi Meng would strongly recommend him.
The game was about to begin. O'Neal beat David Robinson to win the tip-off, giving the Lakers the first possession of the new season.
Harper faced He Xi Meng and dribbled past half-court, passing to Kobe on the other side. Kobe was being defended by Bowen, whose defensive prowess was steadily improving.
Kobe originally wanted to shake off Bowen for a mid-range jumper, but he hadn't expected Bowen to be more tenacious than he imagined.
So, Kobe bounced the ball to O'Neal at the edge of the paint.
O'Neal, with his back to the basket, tried to overpower David Robinson, but Duncan immediately shifted over, helping David Robinson to double-team him.
Facing the league's current strongest twin towers in the paint, O'Neal didn't dare to be reckless and passed the ball back to Kobe, who was waiting on the wing.
Kobe caught the ball and, despite Bowen's interference, forced a shot from beyond the three-point line. The ball bounced off the rim. O'Neal was boxed out by David Robinson, and Duncan grabbed the defensive rebound.
One box-out, one rebound! The Spurs' twin towers were now very adept and skilled at rebounding. Even against O'Neal, the league's top center, they showed no fear.
Duncan passed the ball to He Xi Meng. He Xi Meng dribbled to push the fast break, intending to pass back to Duncan, who was cutting down the middle, for an alley-oop.
However, Grant, who had switched to defend He Xi Meng, shifted to the middle to cover Duncan early, leaving the right side open for He Xi Meng.
He Xi Meng, of course, didn't hesitate. He faked a shot, retracted the ball, drove all the way to the basket, and prepared for a layup.
Unexpectedly, Kobe had been watching He Xi Meng's movements. Seeing that Grant had left He Xi Meng open, Kobe, realizing the danger, immediately abandoned Bowen and quickly rotated back. He managed to reach He Xi Meng's right-rear side just before he could shoot, intending to block his layup.
Although He Xi Meng hadn't anticipated Kobe's speed, his instincts for danger kicked in. At the moment of his shot, He Xi Meng paused in mid-air for a beat, catching a glimpse of Kobe out of the corner of his eye. He then pulled back for a reverse layup, successfully avoiding Kobe's block. Kobe's first attempt failed, but he didn't give up, turning to try and block with his left hand again...
He was met by He Xi Meng's arm!
A crisp slapping sound, followed by the referee's whistle. Kobe raised his right hand, admitting his "crime"!
He Xi Meng showed Kobe his instantly reddening and swelling arm, complaining, "You hit hard, you know?"
Kobe shrugged with an innocent expression, "Who told you to go for the ball and not your arms! I had it all figured out; I was going to block the ball in your hands, who knew you'd deliberately put your arm there..."
"You're loud, you're right!" He Xi Meng stopped arguing with Kobe and stepped to the free-throw line, making both shots to give the Spurs the first point of the new season.
Turning around, Kobe wanted to return the favor, switching to guard He Xi Meng and driving hard for a layup.
As a result, He Xi Meng couldn't stop Kobe, but Duncan stealthily moved from behind Kobe, using his height and leaping advantage to block Kobe's pull-up, fadeaway jumper!
Kobe couldn't help but curse Duncan under his breath for being unsportsmanlike! This was supposed to be a one-on-one battle between Kobe and He Xi Meng; why was a big man interfering?
But Duncan didn't care what Kobe was thinking. Any player who drove into the Spurs' basket was an intruder to Duncan, someone who needed to be blocked without mercy...
Bowen grabbed the loose ball in the chaos and passed it to He Xi Meng. Seeing that a fast break wasn't an option, He Xi Meng opted for a half-court set.
He Xi Meng passed the ball to Duncan at the high post. Duncan observed his teammates' movements and chose to pass to David Robinson at the edge of the paint. David Robinson backed down O'Neal, intending to pass back to Duncan. However, his intention was too obvious, and Fox anticipated it! Fox rotated back, intercepted the pass from David Robinson back to Duncan cutting down the middle, and passed to Kobe for a fast break!
Kobe pushed the ball up quickly. Bowen alone couldn't stop him. As Kobe was about to drive into the paint and attack the Spurs' basket, He Xi Meng rotated over to help double-team Kobe, intending to disrupt his offensive rhythm. Unexpectedly, Kobe didn't plan to force a shot this time. As soon as He Xi Meng came over, he immediately passed to Harper, who was unguarded near the free-throw line!
Harper was never known for his offensive prowess, but he wasn't timid when needed.
With almost no defense, Harper calmly executed the shot, giving the Lakers their first point of the new season.
Whether it was the Lakers fans in the arena or the Spurs fans watching on television, they likely hadn't expected that it would be defensive specialist Harper who scored the Lakers' first point. This is the NBA; you can never underestimate any role player. Regardless of their past role or strengths, when the team needs it, they can unexpectedly take on other tasks and deliver a fierce blow to the opponent!
Fox's steal was like that, and so was Harper's mid-range jumper.
Returning to the Spurs' possession, He Xi Meng directed his teammates to circulate the ball on the perimeter for half a lap before passing it to Duncan at the edge of the paint.
Duncan backed down Grant and used a strong, sudden spin move to try and get past Grant and drive to the basket for a one-handed dunk. However, the veteran Grant was clever; as he set up his defense, he had already extended his foot, waiting for Duncan to spin. Grant let out a shout and fell down... the whistle blew, and Duncan was called for an offensive foul!
Seeing that he could have scored two points just by jumping, Duncan, furious, threw down a windmill dunk on the spot to express his dissatisfaction with the call.
However, the referee was unfazed by Duncan's displeasure. He firmly extended his hand to signal for the ball, took it from Duncan, and handed it to Fox, who was inbounding from the baseline.
Duncan felt wronged, but his feelings were useless.
The Lakers organized their offense again. In this possession, Harper passed the ball inside. It had been over two minutes of play, and their star O'Neal hadn't had a chance to shoot, constantly running back and forth. What kind of play was this?