36-year-old Kidd gave the Lakers a rough start tonight.

On the court, Dragic, who was responsible for advancing the ball across the half-court line, was still looking for a teammate when the ball in his hand was snatched away by Kidd's quick eyes and hands.

As the saying goes, time waits for no one.

As time went on, the Mavericks players were well aware that the time left for them to compete for the championship would only decrease.

Therefore, the Mavericks players, who only wanted to seize the present, hoped to take the first game at Staples in this Western Conference Finals.

Kidd stole the ball and made a fast break.

4-0.

Back on the other end, it was the Lakers' turn to attack.

Having learned his lesson, Little D now kept Kidd at bay with his right elbow as soon as he crossed the half-court line, determined not to give him the chance to "suck him in."

Meanwhile, the other four Lakers players were positioned in a 1-1-2 formation, with Little Gasol moving up to the high post to receive the ball.

In the low post, Prince's frantic fronting successfully forced Su Feng to ask for the ball from a position farther away from the basket.

In theory, Prince defended this play successfully.

But alas, the man receiving the ball...

His name is Su Feng.

At the high post on the right wing, after receiving the ball from Little Gasol, the old Su Feng leaned back, pushed inward, and Prince's previous efforts were in vain.

What a move!

On the court, watching Prince being pushed back by Su Feng, Chandler rotated to Su Feng's side in time.

But...

Who would have thought that Su Feng, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, flicked the ball behind him, sending it miraculously into the hands of Little Gasol, who had cut to the basket!

On CCTV, Zhang指导 said with emotion, "This is what we often say, the risk you must take when choosing to double-team Su Feng.

"You have to know, Su Feng's post-up is different from others.

"Not only can he find the flaws in your defense while posting you up, but he can also take the time to observe his teammates' movements."

Under the basket, Little Gasol, with "no way to go to heaven," did not choose to finish with a domineering two-handed dunk.

Because for a macho man, dunking was something only sissies would do, and Little Gasol had always disdained it.

Bang, swish!

In the Mavericks' paint, after scoring the Lakers' first points with a simple layup, Little Gasol did not forget to glare fiercely at Chandler while pounding his soft chest.

And at this moment, Garnett, who had personally given Little Gasol his experience book, would definitely be gratified.

Because...

Even though the Northwest Wolf King had been eliminated...

His legend still lived on in the martial world!

See?

The Mavericks, intimidated by Little Gasol, didn't dare to enter the paint when they attacked back.

So, why is it said that chest-pounding and foot-stomping are core skills that every big man must master?

Because if you can't pound your chest and stomp your feet, no one in the NBA will be afraid of you.

But...

The Mavericks' attack wasn't so much that they were intimidated by Little Gasol, but rather that it was simply their playing style.

Because Chandler had to take on a large number of screen-setting tasks for his teammates on offense, and the Mavericks' offensive spacing was very wide, Nowitzki, Prince, and Hamilton were spread out on both sides of the court under Kidd's direction before finding the Lakers' defensive flaws.

Would this attack be completed by Nowitzki or Prince?

On the court, watching Chandler's movement...

Su Feng had already mourned for Kobe for two seconds in his heart.

Because, just like Miller sneaking around Jordan back then...

After running around the court several times, taking advantage of Chandler's screen, Hamilton directly raised the knife in his hand and stabbed Kobe in the chest!

It had to be said, in terms of stamina, this Black Mamba was really not up to par.

And in the courtside seats of the Staples Center, at this moment, Britney also looked thoughtfully at Vanessa next to her.

Then...

A proud smile appeared on her face.

Swish!

On the left wing, Hamilton hit a three-pointer.

7-2.

Compared to the mid-range king when he was with the Pistons, in Su Feng's opinion, it might be more appropriate to call this Hamilton the "unstoppable three-point king" now.

Because since coming to the Mavericks last season, Nowitzki's mid-range shot had been able to meet the Mavericks' offensive needs, so in order to open up more space for this German Gundam, Hamilton had also embarked on a path of transformation.

However, because of this transformation, Hamilton had to change his shooting style that he had been accustomed to for more than ten years, so this season, his three-point shot had been inconsistent.

"Can you do it? If you can't, just say it out loud, and I'll go help you guard Richard.

"Anyway, when we get to the Finals, I'll definitely be the one guarding Ray or Tracy." On the court, watching Kobe, who was almost out of breath from being run around by Hamilton, Su Feng suggested.

And upon hearing this...

Kobe immediately became anxious!

Because you can say a man is ugly, or you can call him stupid, but if you say he can't do it...

That's simply insulting him.

"Mind your own business! I can definitely guard Richard!" Kobe glared at Su Feng, nostrils flaring.

"Really? I don't believe it!" Su Feng continued to provoke Kobe.

And this time, Kobe was too lazy to pay attention to Su Feng.

Because for people like Su Feng, Kobe knew very well...

You can only shut his mouth, which is even more annoying than Carter's, by showing him the facts!

…

It's a pity...

Tonight, Kobe was destined to be tragic.

Because although he had lost some weight appropriately during his injury recovery...

Hamilton's innate agility and quickness...

And the stamina that only the dogs he raised knew how good it was...

Just after the first quarter...

Kobe was as tired as if he had just walked out of his and Vanessa's bedroom...

At this moment...

Kobe's legs were even shaking as he walked!

"Why are you so tired after just one quarter?

"Tsk!

"With your stamina, you still dare to complain about your playing time being too short?" On the Lakers' bench, Su Feng, who hadn't even broken a sweat after the first quarter, looked at Kobe and smiled.

Originally...

Kobe wanted to retort to Su Feng, "If you're so good, you go do it"...

But when he thought of Su Feng's previous words, "If you can't do it, I'll replace you"...

Kobe immediately gritted his teeth and said, "I just sweat a lot, which eye of yours saw that I'm tired?"

Hearing this, Su Feng smiled and said, "Okay! Then Richard will continue to be your responsibility!"

Kobe: "..."

In the second quarter, Su Feng led the Lakers, with the other four being Little Jordan, Big Ben, Little Mo, and Livingston.

The Mavericks replaced their bench unit: Dampier, Bass, George, Terry, and Barea.

In the regular season, the Mavericks' bench unit could win by an average of nearly 15 points against the opponent's bench.

Without a doubt.

Besides the Heat's bench unit that could carry the Timberwolves, Rockets, and Spurs into the playoffs, the Mavericks' bench unit was definitely the strongest bench mob in the NBA today.

However, on the Mavericks' bench...

Before the start of the second quarter.

Noticing Su Feng's different expression and state compared to last year...

Davis sighed and said, "The combination of Kobe and Su is indeed the strongest perimeter combination in NBA history."

Davis knew that this season, whether it was seven games or even fourteen games, and even if those fourteen games each went into five overtimes, it was no longer realistic for the Mavericks to try to wear down Su Feng through their second unit.

Because Kobe's presence greatly reduced Su Feng's pressure on the court.

Tonight, if you only looked at Su Feng's shooting percentage in the first quarter, Prince's defense against Su Feng was definitely a failure.

But in terms of Su Feng's cost of shots tonight...

It was hard to say that anyone else could have done better than Prince.

But...

Because Kobe could take over a lot of Su Feng's defensive responsibilities...

Su Feng's physical exertion was much less than before.

On the court, as soon as the second quarter started, George felt how fast Su Feng's speed, which hadn't slowed down at all, was.

In the world of martial arts, speed is the only thing that matters!

And back on the other end, before Terry could even take off...

Su Feng had already blocked him!

Last year against the Mavericks...

Because Su Feng's defensive pressure was too great, he could only turn a blind eye to Terry's scoring.

But tonight...

Even for the sake of protecting Britney's proud smile...

Su Feng had to show Kobe what stamina was all about!

"His weight is obviously much greater than mine.

"But why can he keep up with his opponent's movements?" On the Lakers' bench, Kobe couldn't figure it out.

Next to him, looking at Kobe, Marion thought for two seconds and said, "It's like, why are some men thin and short, but they're still fast? But some men are thick and long, but they can still last a long time. (Note 1)

"People's physiques can't be generalized, Kobe."

Kobe: "..."

Wait...

Shawn, when did you dare to make fun of me?

Why don't we go to the bathroom and compare right now?

He was depressed.

Kobe was really made depressed by Marion.

On the court, with Terry's movement restricted, the Mavericks' offensive burden in the first half of the quarter fell on Bass and Barea.

Because Barea, who was only 175 cm tall but dared to register as 183 cm, was a mismatch against everyone, it was difficult for Livingston to cover him, even with his height and wingspan.

And back on the other end...

Because Livingston's pull-up jumper wasn't fully developed yet...

Without being able to push against Barea's solid body...

Livingston couldn't even use his height to retaliate against Barea.

In Su Feng's previous life, many players had been frustrated by Barea.

Because Barea's lower body was very stable...

So if your fadeaway or pull-up jumper isn't stable enough, you'd better not try to bully Barea in the game.

Otherwise...

What awaits you is definitely Towns hammering Cousins...

————I'm actually the soft persimmon.

Barea played well in the first half of this quarter, scoring a total of 7 points for the Mavericks.

And the other stocky rebounding monster, Bass, made the Lakers' bench wonder if Big Ben had really beaten up Oakley back in the day.

With age, Big Ben's athletic talent was rapidly declining, and he was now relying on experience to play the game.

Therefore, facing Bass, who was younger, faster, and even had a fadeaway jumper...

On the court, Barkley couldn't help but complain about Big Ben's performance tonight, "Even if you put me in, I'd defend better than Ben!"

Next to him, Smith, knowing that Barkley was jealous that Big Ben had won more rings than him by following Su Feng, smiled and said, "That's right, because when I was commentating on your games with the Raptors, I thought so too."

Barkley: "..."

Staples.

At the end of the first half of the second quarter, the score was 46 to 49.

Because both teams were very good at offense, even though both sides played very high-quality defense tonight, in the end, it still came down to who played better offense.

In the second half of the second quarter, Su Feng's stamina declined slightly compared to the first half.

But what drove Davis crazy was...

Kobe, who was always out for revenge, stepped up in the second half of the quarter.

As the saying goes, Su and Kobe always seek revenge quickly.

Therefore, after being run around by Hamilton for an entire quarter in the first quarter, how could Kobe not take "revenge" at this moment?

On the court, the Lakers' offense was still set up in a 1-2-2 formation, with Little Gasol moving up to the high post to pull the opponent's interior defense to the free throw line area to facilitate playmaking.

The only difference was...

In the second half of the second quarter, the player who went into the low post became Kobe.

Seeing this, Kidd, who felt that this moment seemed familiar, couldn't help but recall the scenes of O'Neal and Kobe fighting for position on the court back in the day.

However, noticing Su Feng's face, which was filled with trust in Kobe, in the corner of his eye...

In a trance, Kidd realized...

The Lakers back then never lacked talent or potential.

What they lacked was...

O'Neal and Kobe couldn't trust each other like Su Feng and Kobe did.

On the surface, Su Feng and Kobe argued even more fiercely than OK back then.

But when it came to actual games...

Both of them believed in each other's strength more than anyone else.

For example, in the second half of this quarter.

"Your shot... even my son is more accurate than you!" On the court, after Kobe missed two shots in a row, Su Feng couldn't help but complain.

Hearing this, Kobe retorted, "My daughter's passing is better than yours!"

See!

If it were the old OK...

After arguing to this point, the Lakers would have had to fast-forward to the "let's destroy it, hurry up" stage.

But what about Su and Kobe?

Even if they were arguing, Su Feng still chose to give the ball to Kobe on the next possession.

In the second half of this quarter, Kobe scored 12 of his 17 points in the first half.

Staples Center.

At the half, the score was 61 to 67.

In the third quarter, both teams slowed down the pace of the game.

Because in terms of age, both teams' starting lineups had a group of old men in their thirties...

So after going all out for one and a half quarters, both teams needed to take a breather at this moment.

Nowitzki's performance in this quarter was very eye-catching.

On the Lakers' side, even Marion and Su Feng taking turns to guard him were stunned by his high-arcing shots.

However, how could Marion, who had followed Su Feng on a seven-in-seven-out journey last year, be a pushover?

Back on the other end, frequently exploiting Nowitzki's weakness in defensive footwork, Marion repeatedly scored on cuts to the basket.

And this time, the momentum that the Mavericks had finally built up with Nowitzki was forcibly suppressed by Marion.

On television, the fans were having a great time watching tonight.

Because on the court, not only were the two teams going back and forth, but whether it was offense or defense...

Tonight's game between the Mavericks and the Lakers was definitely a top-level contest.

Cleveland.

Little Zhan Zhan was depressed.

Because of the level of competition that the Mavericks and Lakers showed tonight...

Even the best games the Cavaliers had played this year couldn't compare.

And just thinking about the Celtics and Sixers showdown in the East tomorrow night...

At this moment, James wanted to ask loudly...

Is the NBA even letting people play anymore!

I...

I just want a championship ring.

Is that...

Too much to ask?

Staples Center.

Fortunately, the Mavericks players couldn't hear James's inner voice.

Otherwise, they would definitely tell James:

It's too much.

Because in the past five years, God knows how much sweat the Mavericks had put in for the championship, and how much money Cuban had burned for it!

If miracles really have color.

Then why can't it be the Mavericks' blue and white?

On the court, as the game entered the final quarter.

In the eyes of the world, perhaps, this was what was called a battle of gods!

On the court, Su Feng had just completed a super-difficult leaning shot.

Back on the other end, Nowitzki avoided Marion's block with his signature one-legged fadeaway and shot the ball into the basket.

And then, Kobe also used his beautiful fadeaway jumper to create ripples in the basket at Staples Center.

At the critical moment, knowing that they couldn't rely solely on Nowitzki, the Mavericks players worked together...

Hamilton's sometimes-reliable three-pointers hit one after another.

And Chandler connected with Kidd in the paint to complete a difficult aerial play.

Inside the arena, watching the Mavericks' score closing in, the Lakers fans' hearts were in their throats!

Staples!

Please!

Fall down!

Just fall down already!

At least tonight, why shouldn't the Mavericks, who had played so well, be able to take the victory from here?

"Because this is my and Kobe's reunion after thirteen years!"

Thirteen.

A number that was destined to be full of legend in both his past and present lives.

In Su Feng's previous life, Kobe was selected with the thirteenth pick in the first round and then traded to the Lakers.

And in this life, Su Feng was also selected with the thirteenth pick in the first round and then traded to the Sixers.

Thirteen years ago.

There were those two teenagers in Pennsylvania.

And thirteen years later.

There were those two cheaters in Los Angeles.

With 51 seconds left in the game.

With 29 seconds left in the game.

After Su Feng and Kobe each hit an unreasonable contested three-pointer for the Lakers...

There was no miracle tonight.

And even if there was...

It must be purple and gold!

Staples Center, the Mavericks failed to come back in the final quarter.

In the end, the score was set at 119 to 126.

In the whole game, Su Feng and Kobe scored 37 and 33 points respectively.

"If I told you that I almost had the honor of coaching Su and Kobe back then, would you believe me?" On the Mavericks' bench, Davis, suddenly recalling his conversation with Pat Krause on the eve of the 1996 draft, turned to look at his assistant as the final quarter came to an end.

The story of the Lower Merion duo will continue.

However, the Mavericks, who were down 0 to 1, didn't need to despair.

Because 48 hours later...

When those two cheaters turned into iron merchants.

The Dallas people never dreamed that...

They would actually level the Lakers' home-court advantage in this series in the Lakers' imposing home arena, despite failing in the first game.

"Are these fans too harsh?

"We only had one bad game this year, didn't we?

"Why are they already starting to think that we're going to be eliminated by the Mavericks?" After the second game, Su Feng, who had been browsing the post-game news while eating late-night snacks with Kobe, couldn't help but complain.

Hearing this, Kobe strongly agreed with Su Feng's point of view.

"This Mavericks team isn't like those scrubs we've played before...

"But in other words, doesn't this mean that in people's eyes, our strength is already far beyond others?" Kobe asked.

"What else? In this world, is there any other combination that can compare to us?" Looking at Kobe, Su Feng, who only engaged in commercial flattery with Kobe at times like these, smiled.

…