Junior Basketball says

Chapter 212
Lakers fans may be the most picky fan group in the league, but when Xu Hao walked into the Staples Center, he quickly felt the fans' love and admiration for Kobe.Perhaps they were also disappointed with Kobe when the "OK Group" disbanded and the Eagle County incident occurred, but now there is no doubt that the Black Mamba is the king of Los Angeles, and everyone surrenders at his feet.

The Timberwolves players warmed up first, and it didn't take long for the Lakers players to come to the court in twos and threes.As the boss of the Lakers, Kobe did not train with his teammates at the first time, but walked to the Timberwolves side, waved to Xu Hao, and said loudly: "Hey, Chris, are you free now? Glad to be here Seeing you, maybe we can chat before the game."

Xu Hao threw the ball to Ellington casually, walked over to sit with Kobe on the floor beside the court and chatted.There have always been rumors that Kobe is very picky about his teammates, but it is strange that he is very gentle when facing Xu Hao, and his seniors can see everything at a glance.

"I watched your game, Chris, and you did a great job. Maybe you'll be even better than I was in my rookie year."

Xu Hao shook his head and said with a smile: "Don't flatter me. I can play such statistics because Coach McHale put me in the starting lineup and let me be the point guard, with the ball in hand. The opportunities will naturally increase a lot.”

Kobe was very satisfied with Xu Hao's humble attitude, but he still said: "Don't underestimate yourself, you have the potential to become a superstar." Then he grinned: "But I still have to weigh you in this game. I hope you can handle it."

Xu Hao waved his fist and said proudly: "Just let it go, I will prove my strength with actual performance."

The two chatted a few more words, and then returned to their respective halfs to continue warming up.Seeing that Xu Hao had finished chatting with Kobe, Ellington hurried over and said enviously, "Dude, you're lucky to have such a good friendship with Kobe."

Xu Hao shrugged: "I had the honor to train with him this summer, it was really a very painful memory..."

Ellington rolled his eyes, you are so pretentious, can you still have a good chat?There are not many players in the league who can be favored by Kobe, let alone rookies. In Ellington's view, Xu Hao is too hypocritical. If it were him, it would have been hype. As a rookie, being able to have friendship with Kobe is something to be proud of.

It's a pity that Xu Hao doesn't think there is anything to show off. He feels a lot of pressure now. Kobe said that he is not joking about his weight, which means that he will increase his matchup with himself in the upcoming games. This is not a good thing.Xu Hao has a very clear understanding of his strength. Although he has made a lot of progress, it is difficult to take advantage of Kobe.

After returning to the locker room, Xu Hao told McHale what Kobe said just now, and the latter also looked solemn.Now Xu Hao occupies an important position in the Timberwolves' tactical system. If he is guarded by Kobe, the entire team will be affected on both offense and defense.In other words, in the game later, other people must give him more support.

Xu Hao didn't think there was anything shameful about not being able to beat him. He wasn't the kind of player who would be singled out until he lost his mind. He knew that he might not be able to handle Kobe, so why didn't he try to get his teammates to deal with it together?Just win the game.

McHale is actually not particularly worried about Xu Hao's offensive performance. Although he is the team's top outside shooter, even if there is no room to shoot, he can also use the pass to help his teammates find a suitable position.But on the defensive end, he can't afford to defend Kobe alone. At this time, he needs other people to help, such as Ellington, who McHale has high hopes for.

According to McHale's idea, as long as Kobe holds the ball, Ellington will go up and double-team with Xu Hao. As for the players facing him, he can only let go. If Brewer can be busy, let It's okay for him to take care of it.

Xu Hao had no objection to this. Although Kobe Bryant was very strong, he believed that he and Ellington's double-teaming was enough to handle.Moreover, if double-teaming fails, adding triple-teaming will only give other Lakers players more opportunities.

But Xu Hao knew he was wrong as soon as the game started.Indeed, for most players, double-teaming is a very unfavorable situation. At this time, the best way is to pass the ball quickly, otherwise there will be a risk of being intercepted by the opponent.Of course, some guys who are confident in their own strength will choose to continue to fight, but generally the head coach will not allow such behavior.

However, Kobe is the third type of person. Lakers head coach "Zen Master" Phil Jackson does not object to him holding the ball for a long time. After all, his singles are a very important way of scoring for the Lakers.With Kobe's character, double teams will not put much pressure on him. Unless his path is completely blocked, he will dare to shoot directly as long as he is given a slight gap.

Xu Hao and Ellington's defensive abilities are considered pretty good among young players, but Kobe performed with ease in front of them. Three consecutive pull-up jumpers helped the Lakers start a 3-6 start.Xu Hao was very speechless about this. Under normal circumstances, when encountering a double team, he would either call a screen or pass the ball directly. Perhaps Kobe was the only one in the league who didn't take defense seriously under such circumstances. Perhaps his understanding of the open space and Most players in this league are completely different.

When he was training with Kobe Bryant before, Xu Hao had seen Kobe’s mid-range shots. At that time, Kobe said aggressively: “When there are one or two people in front of you, you can shoot, you don’t need to wait until you are completely open. "Xu Hao thought Kobe was joking, but he didn't expect that Kobe would practice what he said in the game. The double team had no effect on him at all.Looking at the reactions of other Lakers players, it seems that this has happened many times before.

From the Lakers' first three offenses, it can be seen that Kobe's game feels hot, at least for now, and McHale absolutely has no courage to let Brewer follow him to defend Kobe.Although Kobe is not known for passing the ball, when his teammates are in a better position, he will definitely pass the ball. At that time, the Timberwolves players could hardly find a place to cry.

Xu Hao had a headache. If he couldn't guard Kobe, God knows if the Timberwolves could still win this game...

(End of this chapter)