Chapter 1 The First Move
First, He Xi Meng drove to the basket.
In a one-on-one situation, Kobe often chose this move, clashing with He Xi Meng in a battle of core strength. After reaching the basket, he would take three steps, jump, and make a hook shot.
However, in an official game, He Xi Meng was not fighting alone. If Kobe dared to drive aggressively to the basket, Yao Ming would immediately assist He Xi Meng. Ariza on the wing would also throw himself into the fray to help He Xi Meng with the double-team.
Therefore, if Kobe were to drive aggressively against He Xi Meng, he would have to face a double or even triple-team from the Celtics.
This was the tragedy of not having strong teammates around. If O'Neal were by Kobe's side, would the Celtics dare to defend Kobe this way?
When O'Neal was around, almost every team chose to double-team O'Neal. Kobe, on the other hand, would only face a one-on-one defense.
The Spurs of old were like this, and the Kings of old were also like this.
Now, Kobe could not enjoy such treatment. Even with a mismatch against He Xi Meng, he could only opt for the second plan: a mid-range turnaround jump shot!
Before the Celtics' help defense and double-team could arrive, Kobe had to find his rhythm in the mid-range and execute a turnaround fadeaway jumper.
If he was slow, and if Carter or Ariza pressured him too much, Kobe might even have his space for the turnaround limited.
On this play, Kobe did not hesitate. After receiving the ball, he first used a jab step to gauge He Xi Meng's reaction, followed by a dribble sidestep and a post-up adjustment before executing a turnaround fadeaway jumper!
He Xi Meng was not to be outdone. He stayed close to Kobe, waving his arms up and down, constantly disrupting Kobe's dribble and handles, but his footing was firm and steady. He resolutely did not overcommit, refusing to give Kobe an easy chance to shake him.
And as Kobe turned and jumped, He Xi Meng's hands went directly towards Kobe's face, blocking his vision and applying defensive pressure. 138 reading network
For a shooter of Kobe's caliber, seeing or not seeing the rim had little impact on his shooting percentage.
However, as a normal human being, when a pair of large hands came towards your face, out of instinct for self-preservation, there would be a slight fluctuation in one's mind.
The theory behind the "eye-closing defense" lay in this very principle.
By disturbing the shooter's state of mind, the aim was to interfere with their shooting accuracy.
Kobe was no stranger to this tactic, but every time he encountered He Xi Meng's interference, he felt somewhat powerless, unable to calm himself down.
On this play, Kobe's execution was smooth up to the very last moment. As he released the ball, his hand trembled slightly.
After the shot, Kobe immediately realized the outcome was not good. He shouted, "Rebound!" and shoved He Xi Meng aside, driving towards the basket to attempt a put-back.
He Xi Meng was not about to let Kobe succeed so easily. While grappling with Kobe, he also reminded his teammates, "Be careful of the hustle!"
Diop was the quickest to react. He did not focus on the ball but immediately set a screen, blocking Kobe and Odom from crashing the boards, leaving the rebounding task to Yao Ming.
Yao Ming, as expected, lived up to the responsibility. He out-muscled Chris Mihm and successfully grabbed the rebound.
Kobe shot a fierce glare at He Xi Meng and turned to signal his teammates to fall back on defense.
He Xi Meng did not pursue Kobe for a fast break. Instead, he slowly brought the ball past half-court, feigning an attempt to find an open shot. After making Smush Parker and Kobe tense up, he passed the ball back inside to Yao Ming.
Yao Ming faked a drive to the basket with a jab step. Chris Mihm immediately retreated. Yao Ming then stopped his motion, gathered the ball, and rose up for a shot from the spot.
Yao Ming's release point was very high. After Chris Mihm's initial retreat, he could not possibly contest the shot anymore. Moreover, Chris Mihm lacked the skill to blind defensively and could only watch as Yao Ming calmly shot and made another short-range jumper.
After Yao Ming scored four consecutive points, Kobe finally realized that he had likely fallen into He Xi Meng's trap again.
He Xi Meng's feint had successfully drawn the Lakers' defensive attention, allowing Yao Ming to get multiple one-on-one opportunities against Chris Mihm in the paint.
And how could Chris Mihm defend Yao Ming?
In the first half, the reason Yao Ming's scoring wasn't sharp was not because Chris Mihm was playing good defense, but because Yao Ming was deliberately not aggressive offensively to make space for Carter.
Now, with He Xi Meng's instructions, Yao Ming began to wreak havoc in the Lakers' paint.
In this stretch, Yao Ming single-handedly took on the entire Lakers team, making Kobe suffer.
Chris Mihm in the paint couldn't handle Yao Ming, so Odom had to collapse and help defend the basket.
As the defensive load increased, Odom's offensive threat diminished significantly.
Kobe was forced to once again shoulder the scoring burden for the Lakers.
He Xi Meng's orchestrated onslaught by Yao Ming was primarily to give Carter time to recover his stamina.
Seeing that Carter had rested enough, He Xi Meng transferred the ball back to Carter.
This game, it was agreed that Carter would be the primary scorer, and Carter would be the primary scorer! He Xi Meng kept his word.
And Kobe, having barely withstood Yao Ming's sudden burst, found that the recovered Carter had now picked up where Yao Ming left off, initiating a new wave of offense!
Carter attacked, then Yao Ming attacked, and when Yao Ming finished, Carter attacked again. In between, there was He Xi Meng, holding back but looking on with anticipation.
Kobe, in this sequence, was truly like Lü Bu facing the three warriors, being subjected to a war of attrition by the Celtics…
By the end of the game, Kobe had scored 48 points, accounting for half of the Lakers' total score.
However, it was in vain. Carter, who matched up against Kobe, had 42 points, and Yao Ming, who didn't directly match up against Kobe, scored 26 points…
He Xi Meng barely exerted himself offensively, contributing 20 assists, and the Celtics easily defeated the Lakers, winning this edition of the Yellow-Green War!
Overall, the game was very exciting.
Carter's alley-oop dunks, Kobe's fadeaway jumpers, Yao Ming's dominance in the paint, and Odom's moments of brilliance…
However, the game's progression lacked much suspense. Due to the overall difference in strength, the Celtics held the initiative from the start, maintaining a leading advantage in scoring.
The Lakers were constantly chasing, managing to tie the score twice in the middle of the second quarter and early in the third quarter.
But under He Xi Meng's adjustments, the Celtics quickly pulled away again, giving the Lakers no chance to make a comeback.
108:98, the Celtics defeated the visiting Lakers by double digits, consigning Kobe, who scored 48 points, to another game of empty scoring.