He Xi Meng stared at Duncan’s eyes with a look of helplessness, wanting him to take back the not-so-funny joke himself.
But Duncan didn't back down, staring straight back at He Xi Meng with an expression of extreme seriousness…
"Alright, alright! I'm scared of you! Big brother, the Lakers aren't run by my family either! My status on the Lakers is not as good as yours on the Spurs! Bringing you to the Lakers is useless… The Lakers have to offer this kind of compensation to trade you from San Antonio to Los Angeles. Do you know how valuable you are right now? The Lakers might not be able to afford it…"
"Is that so? Am I that valuable now? That's going to be tough!" Duncan feigned a headache. "By the way, where's your starting power forward?"
"Hmm?" Facing Duncan's sudden, wide-ranging topic shift, He Xi Meng suddenly realized, "You've been rambling with me for so long, and this last sentence is your real objective, isn't it?"
Duncan couldn't help but chuckle, "How about that, surprised? Unexpected?"
"Surprise your big head!" He Xi Meng wished he could pry open this rookie's skull to see how many wild ideas were crammed inside.
"Is it that number 5 player, the one named Horry?" Duncan relentlessly pressed He Xi Meng.
"Injured, can't play!" Duncan replied irritably.
"Wow~ Then how are you going to stop me in this game? Aren't you guys going to get crushed by us?"
"I… do you see Shaq? He's gotten even bigger in the offseason! You'd better pray you don't get blown out by Shaq…"
"That's just fat!"
"Real strong or just fat, you'll find out! Don't blame me for not warning you! Shaq's big butt… tsk tsk tsk…"
He Xi Meng deliberately showed a look of pity, which made Duncan's heart skip a beat. He turned and returned to his own team, sharing the latest information he had gathered with David Robinson, so that David Robinson could be mentally prepared and not caught off guard by O'Neal.
He Xi Meng then took the opportunity to go to the Spurs' sideline and offered an apology to Popovich.
"The Lakers' schedule for the new season is too tight, there's not even time to invite you for a meal… I'll treat you to a meal next time you come to Los Angeles!"
"I understand! It's not just the Lakers who are going crazy, we are too, the whole league is! It's all because of that damn labor dispute…"
"By the way, will there be more injuries this year?" He Xi Meng suddenly lowered his voice to remind him, "Full rotation, don't push yourself in the regular season, give up games you need to give up, rest when you need to rest… These little secrets, I don't usually share them with others…"
Popovich paused and replied in a lowered voice, "You too, health first…"
With that, Popovich gave He Xi Meng a look of "great minds think alike!"
Alright! It seemed the old man had found the secret to staying strong during the shortened season.
After hugging goodbye with Popovich, with the referee's whistle, the game officially began.
O'Neal was fat, but his leaping ability was still there. David Robinson didn't win the tip-off against O'Neal, and the Lakers got the chance for the opening possession.
He Xi Meng dribbled the ball past half-court, and the Lakers set up in the half-court offense. O'Neal was battling David Robinson in the post, looking for an opportunity to catch the ball.
He Xi Meng's original plan was to lob the ball to O'Neal, letting the "Big Shaq Attack" take the first shot of the game. However, Kobe suddenly made a move, a back-door cut, shaking off his defender Jalen Jackson and gaining an opportunity to drive into the Spurs' paint.
He Xi Meng immediately forgot about O'Neal making the "grand opening" gesture. When a good opportunity presented itself, not passing the ball would be an act of heaven's wrath…
So, he arrived, the ball arrived, and He Xi Meng made a bounce pass to Kobe, who was cutting behind O'Neal.
Kobe caught the ball and drove strongly, facing David Robinson, who had turned to defend. With a skillful layup, he successfully hit the backboard for the first points of the game!
After scoring, Kobe, on his way back on defense, didn't forget to give He Xi Meng a positive smile, indicating: "Nice pass!"
He Xi Meng responded with a cooperative nod, signaling, "Just a small matter! Just playing normally…"
While the Lakers' twin stars were exchanging glances, on the other side, Jalen Jackson, who had been blown by Kobe, ran forward very aggressively, trying to set up a fast break for the Lakers.
Johnson saw Jalen Jackson running and took a risky cross-half-court long pass.
However, Eddie Jones suddenly appeared midway, leaped high, and intercepted Johnson's long pass to Jalen Jackson.
Eddie Jones, who had been in a slump for two games, desperately needed a standout performance to solidify his position on the Lakers. But his shooting percentage had indeed been poor in the previous two games. Therefore, in this game, Eddie Jones decided to start with defense to slowly regain his form.
After stealing the ball, Eddie Jones didn't blindly attack or shoot. Instead, he paused for half a beat, waited for O'Neal to get back into position, and then drove strong against Elliott. He broke through and passed to O'Neal under the basket, assisting O'Neal with an easy dunk.
Is Eddie Jones trying to take He Xi Meng's job by playing the role of a point forward?
O'Neal didn't care who passed him the ball, He Xi Meng or Eddie Jones. As long as his teammates fed him good passes, he was happy.
On the Spurs' side, the first possession ended in a turnover, which was a blow to General Johnson's ego. On the second possession, he decisively refused Jalen Jackson's request for the ball on the perimeter and instead lobbed the ball to David Robinson at the edge of the paint, letting David Robinson post up O'Neal.
David Robinson first tried a side-post drive, trying to get into the paint for a shot. However, O'Neal, who had gained significant weight, also had greatly increased strength. David Robinson struggled with the post-up, so he dribbled back and switched to a face-up against O'Neal!
O'Neal mistakenly assumed that at this distance, David Robinson would at least get a little closer before daring to shoot. However, David Robinson saw that O'Neal had given him enough space to shoot, so he decisively pulled up, hit a quick stop-and-pop jumper, and shot over O'Neal!
By the time O'Neal reacted, David Robinson wasn't him; David Robinson was a center with a precise mid-range game. It was too late.
David Robinson's first shot of the game went in perfectly.
On the Lakers' third possession, both Kobe and Eddie Jones were very active, vying for position to get the ball.
He Xi Meng didn't pass to either of them and, sticking to the original plan, passed to O'Neal at the edge of the paint…