On the small forward position, in terms of defensive ability, Pierce was undoubtedly top-tier. But facing Durant, Pierce suddenly felt he was outmatched.
In terms of mobility, Durant was not inferior to him; in terms of height, Durant was not inferior to him; in terms of shooting accuracy, Durant was not inferior to him...
Only in terms of core strength did the current Durant seem slightly inferior to Pierce, but it didn't matter. If core strength was lacking, he could just drive straight to the basket and use his speed to compensate for the lack of strength!
He Xi Meng immediately reminded Durant from the sidelines: "Attack from the front!"
In Durant's offensive arsenal, post-up play was originally a negligible aspect.
Since He Xi Meng had said so, Durant abandoned his post-up game and focused entirely on overpowering Pierce from the front.
With the height and wingspan of a power forward, overpowering a small forward defender was almost always successful!
Even a strong player like Pierce could not completely stop a young Durant. At best, he could only disrupt Durant's shooting percentage, preventing Durant from getting too hot.
As for widening the lead, that was basically out of the question. They would be lucky if they weren't overtaken by Durant's team.
Pierce had not expected this first-year rookie to be so fierce this year!
Horry and Francis on the other side simultaneously comforted Pierce: "You're defending pretty well! His usual shooting percentage is even higher..."
Pierce grumbled as he went off to rest, replaced by Garnett to go head-to-head with Durant.
Garnett had a height advantage, but his mobility was slightly inferior to Durant's. 138 Reading Net.
"Drive him! Attack the basket!" He Xi Meng's reminder followed closely.
Durant played according to He Xi Meng's method, making Garnett look quite miserable.
The Lakers, who had hoped to gain an advantage during the rotation period, found themselves not gaining any advantage at all.
Under He Xi Meng's guidance from the sidelines, and with the assistance of veterans Mutombo, Webber, Horry, and Francis, the young Durant went toe-to-toe with the Lakers' big three, and while not dominant, he certainly didn't fall behind.
Frankly, He Xi Meng had also not expected Durant to play so fiercely during his rookie season!
Could it be that constantly practicing one-on-one with Kobe had caused Durant to evolve early?
Whether Durant had evolved early, He Xi Meng couldn't be sure. But because Durant successfully withstood the Lakers' surge during the rotation period, when He Xi Meng, Kobe, along with Hill and the Gasol brothers returned to the court, it was evident that the Lakers' big three's offense was not as sharp as in the first quarter.
After all, during the rotation period, the Supersonics' starting lineup had not played at all, while the Lakers' big three had been playing in turns, consuming more energy than the Supersonics.
Kobe seemed to be motivated by Durant and began to aggressively score.
He Xi Meng didn't mind. The best thing about playing with Kobe was that He Xi Meng could comfortably coast. Unless Kobe was in a severe shooting slump, He Xi Meng would only step in to interfere and grab some of Kobe's possessions. Otherwise, as long as they could win, who cared about the shots?
In the starting lineup, the one who needed ball possession the most was actually Marc Gasol!
He was the youngest, had the least experience, and was also the weakest in terms of skill!
Fortunately, Pau Gasol was always looking out for his younger brother. Sometimes, when He Xi Meng couldn't pay attention, Pau Gasol would be on the court, willingly giving up his own offensive opportunities to ensure his brother got enough chances to shoot.
Therefore, although Marc Gasol's performance in the first few games was not as dazzling as Durant's, it was at least not disappointing.
On defense, with the teachings of Mutombo and Pau Gasol, combined with Marc Gasol's own talent, he succeeded and improved rapidly.
On offense, Mutombo's assistance was limited, mainly from Pau Gasol. However, when Webber felt like it, he would also come down and teach Marc Gasol a few tricks... So, overall, Marc Gasol's performance among rookies of the same draft class could be considered top-tier!
However, compared to the monstrous Durant, he was still slightly lacking!
As Marc Gasol in the paint gradually found his scoring rhythm, frequently receiving assists from He Xi Meng for easy baskets, coupled with Kobe's efforts, the Supersonics successfully overturned the score to lead the Lakers by 1 point before the end of the first half!
In the third quarter, the Lakers suddenly increased their defensive intensity, linking up inside and out, successfully stifling the Supersonics' regular offense and causing their shooting percentage to plummet.
Ray Allen took the opportunity to attack from beyond the three-point line, firing like a cold arrow and sinking two consecutive three-pointers. This not only helped the Lakers regain the advantage on the court but also showed signs of pulling away.
Seeing Kobe about to fall into his individual isolation mode again, He Xi Meng, not wanting the team to get into a tough battle, dribbled past half-court and feigned a pass to Kobe. Instead, he suddenly pulled up for a shot from two steps beyond the three-point line, with Ray Allen in his face!
Shot released, three points scored!
He Xi Meng's signature scoring move was still as effective as ever!
This long-range three-pointer successfully stabilized the Supersonics and prevented Kobe from turning into the "Little Iron Man of Milan."
Turning around, Kobe and Pau Gasol combined to successfully block Pierce's driving layup!
In the final moments, Pierce still tried to use changes in rhythm to draw a foul from Pau Gasol.
Pau Gasol was too smart. He immediately leaned back with both hands, successfully avoiding Pierce's attempt to draw contact, causing Pierce's tough shot to miss the rim.
Marc Gasol secured the defensive rebound at the other end and immediately passed it to He Xi Meng, who was pushing the ball up the court on the fast break!
He Xi Meng dribbled across half-court without delay, causing Ray Allen and Garnett to become tense.
In the final moments, He Xi Meng suddenly stopped at the three-point line, prompting Ray Allen and Garnett to both close in, expecting He Xi Meng to try the same trick again for another three-pointer!
However, He Xi Meng, without looking, made a no-look pass, a bounce pass to Kobe, who was trailing on the weak side!
Kobe caught the ball and took flight, fiercely completing a one-handed dunk over the recovering Garnett!
The fans in the arena immediately wanted to cheer... their mouths had opened, smiles were already overflowing, when they suddenly realized that Kobe was no longer the Lakers' leader, and Garnett, who was being dunked on, was...
So, these Lakers fans who had stood up and raised their hands to cheer had to awkwardly lower them halfway.
He Xi Meng and Kobe's fast-break combination made the older Lakers fans feel as if they were seeing the two of them as rookies again, playing side-by-side in purple and gold.
Back then, He Xi Meng used to love initiating such fast breaks and then assisting Kobe for explosive dunks!
Ten years had passed in the blink of an eye, and the twin stars had grown into the Mamba brothers!
But to the heartbreak of the Lakers fans, both of them had now shed their purple and gold jerseys and donned the Supersonics' uniforms...