674: Take the baton (3/5)
Kobe Bryant did not surrender. Even though Link was nearly 10 years younger than him, he did not give up on resisting.
No. 24, wearing a golden robe, held the ball on his back again. He didn't want to be beaten by a young man like Jordan in his twilight years.
He can handle Kevin Durant, why can't he handle Link the same?
Even the Grizzlies fans were particularly excited to see Kobe holding the ball again. There is no doubt that this will become the most classic game in the career showdown between Kobe and Link.
It's even more classic than before, when Link turned around and jumped to beat Kobe!
Because there are so many meanings contained in this game.
Kobe is like an emperor who is unwilling to be destroyed by his rule, and he is fighting desperately. Last season, the Lakers fell unexpectedly and were reimbursed for the quarterly matches, and the Grizzlies won the championship.
Before Kobe could react to what happened, the world changed.
From a championship contender to a mere playoffs, Kobe's personality is indeed difficult to accept.
Therefore, Kobe desperately protected his last glory. He was unwilling to give up, and was unwilling to be kicked out of the ranks of champion contenders.
Kobe knew that he hadn't had a few chances to meet the championship in a season, so he cherished every chance to defeat the championship.
He wanted to make himself look less outdated.
Even though, five minutes before the end of the fourth quarter, Link had scored 40 points!
Kobe turned back and forth, this is the most effective way he can deal with Link now.
When Kobe leaned back and jumped in the air, he even had a clear stagnation.
It is said that Kobe's athletic ability has been greatly reduced after a ruptured Achilles tendon, but in fact, he is still one of the best players in the world.
Basketball finally jumped into the net under Link's interference, and Kobe scored his 21st point in the game.
21 to 40, less than five minutes. If you have to judge, Kobe is no different from Jordan in 2003, he must have lost! Jordan lost to the young No. 8 at that time, and today, Kobe will be in the hands of another young No. 0.
But the reason why Kobe is Kobe is because his disgust of failure has reached a perverted level!
"Bryant Bryant scored again in the 21st point, and he is still a terrible scorer. But now, the Lakers are still 12 points behind, so there is not much time left for them."
Hubby Brown looked at the score difference, and the Grizzlies were still safe.
Since Link scored 11 points in a single quarter in the first quarter, he has been out of control. In the second and third quarters, Link also controlled the situation on the court. Jump shots, breakthroughs, dunks, Link was omnipotent and showed his all-round scoring skills wantonly.
Link scored 30 points in a single game last time, which happened half a month ago when he played against the Houston Rockets.
But today, Link is no longer humble. He wants to prove that he can become the vote king, not just because of his skin color. His loss to the Thunder in the last game does not mean that the Grizzlies are in trouble.
Although Kobe performed extremely bravely, his score reached 20 again. But in front of Link's explosive scoring performance, Kobe's 21 points seemed very powerless.
However, Kobe and Gasol's persistence have allowed the Lakers to hold on until now. They are 12 points behind. This is indeed a big gap, but it is not a gap that cannot be overcome.
Kobe believes that he still has a glimmer of hope!
Kobe was able to obviously stagnate when he was in a back jump shot, which surprised Link very much. Kobe's current condition is much better than Jordan, who was already 40 years old in 2003.
Now, all the Lakers players are nervous because they know that after Kobe scored that goal, Link will definitely be fucked by tooth!
A player who scored 40 points before the game was over is a pressure for the defense.
As soon as Link ran outside the three-point line, he noticed that the three players around him had moved one step towards him and could join him at any time.
Link was calm and asked Conley and Randolph to fight their own cooperation first. The purpose was very simple, which was to force others to stay away from him.
When Meeks had to chase Conley and Gasol was transferred from the penalty area by Randolph, Conley passed the ball through the crack and sent it to Link!
Link smiled. Conley was simply a worm in his stomach. If he had a point guard teammate who was highly consistent with his thoughts, he could do twice the result with half the effort.
Kobe was not surprised to see Link receive the basketball. He was ready to retreat, and he knew that Link would definitely take advantage of Gasol's opportunity to break through.
It was time to say that, and Link accelerated immediately! Kobe retreated very promptly because he was well prepared.
But Link's impact was very strong, making Kobe feel a little unbearable.
Kobe held his breath and fought with Link with all his strength. No matter what, Kobe will never give up!
But in the fierce confrontation, Kobe felt that he could not keep up with Link's speed. In the end, Kobe fell regretfully while running at the extreme speed and fighting in parallel.
The referee could see clearly that Kobe fell down by himself and Link did not make any foul moves. So, there was no timeout.
In this way, Kobe fell to the ground in a mess and was thrown away by Link. Link made an easy layup and scored his 42nd point in the game.
42 to 21, Link beat Kobe completely! Moreover, he won completely while playing against Kobe almost the whole time.
The value of this game is more valuable than the value of Kobe's "torture" Jordan in 2003!
14 points difference, 4 and a half minutes, 21 to 44.
Kobe lay on the floor, staring at the dazzling ceiling lights, and didn't stand up immediately.
He suddenly felt so tired and tired, and he wanted to lie on the floor for a while. From 1996 to 2014, his opponents went from Jordan, Iverson, and James to Link again.
He had used up all his strength in his body, and this time, he felt unlikely to turn the tide.
Kobe just lay on the floor, enjoying the short tranquility. He suddenly realized that it seemed that it was pretty good to enjoy the game without fighting or scrambling to...
Even if I want to grab it, I can't beat these young people.
Kobe never expected that when he fell, it was not Gasol who appeared in front of him first, but Link who had just knocked him down.
After Link finished his layup, he immediately walked up to Kobe, bent down, and stretched out his right hand towards Kobe, "The war is over, man, admit it."
Kobe smiled, and today he smiled at Link for the first time. Because as Link said, the war is over. It is hard to imagine what it was to let Kobe take the initiative to admit defeat, but now Kobe himself knows very well that he can no longer compete with Link for anything.
Kobe held Link's hand, and the two great players held each other tightly. Kobe seemed to pass the King's Scepter, which was symbolizing glory from Jordan, to Link's hand.
"If you hit me, won't you take care of the old man?"
Link, who scored 42 points, said nothing, but just hugged Kobe gently. This super giant duel, which was originally full of gunpowder, instantly became warm.
If Link heard it correctly, Kobe just called himself the old man.
The proud Black Mamba had to lower his proud head in front of time.
In the subsequent game, Kobe's attack was not as fierce as before. Link was no longer cruel and began to give his teammates more attacking the ball.
Although the game has not ended yet, the war between Link and Kobe just now has ended early.
Bill Simmons turned off the TV in a furious manner. He couldn't imagine that Kobe, who had just fought with Durant until the last moment, actually compromised in front of Link!
What a hell! Sure enough, you can't expect any Lakers player!
In the next five minutes, Link and Kobe's matchup were more like enjoying the game. Kobe enjoyed the few time he played against high-level players, while Link enjoyed the pleasure of looking down on Kobe.
In the end, the game ended with the Lakers' defeat. Link scored 45 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals, leading the Grizzlies to stop the bleeding in time at home with a 98-08 victory, avoiding a series of losses.
Compared with Kobe's 45 points, it is more than a little more than Kobe's 26 points. This game is not only a victory for the Grizzlies, but also a victory for Kobe!
Whether Lakers fans accept this result or not, Kobe himself has accepted this fact.
After the game, Kobe and Link hugged each other tightly. The two were surrounded by cameras, and they became the only focus of the stadium.
The day after the game, the famous sideline reporter David Aldridge exposed the content of Kobe talking in Link's ear.
"Bryant told Link that you are now the well-deserved All-Star Ticket King. Don't care what people outside say, just keep going. In the end, your grades will naturally shut up. Come on, the position of Ticket King is given to you."
No one believes that someone like Kobe would say such things. Everyone thinks that David Aldridge was made up by himself to attract attention.
Kobe was also asked by reporters whether he had really said that to Link.
Kobe didn't answer yes or no positively, he just said lightly, "Why don't you interview the All-Star Ticket King?"
Chapter completed!