Six Hundred and Seventy-Three: Indiscriminate Revenge (2/5)

On March 29, 2003, Kobe Bryant played Jordan for the last time. The young No. 8 Kobe played 41 minutes in the whole game, made 15 of 29 shots, 9 of 13 three-pointers, 16 of 18 free throws, scored 55 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals, leading the Lakers to 108 at home. Beat the Wizards by 94.

In that game, Kobe seemed to try his best to prove his ability one last time in front of Jordan. There is no doubt that Kobe succeeded.

And this 55-point game has also become a classic in the minds of many people.

But a not-so-beautiful fact is that in that game, the number of times Kobe and Jordan played against each other was actually very small. Most of the time, it was another Wizards guard, Jerry Stackhouse, who was playing against Bryant.

In the few times that Jordan actually played against Kobe, there was also a steal, a foul and a defense against Kobe. Overall, Jordan is not really beaten by Kobe Bryant.

At that time, Jordan was lucky, at least he had people like Stackhouse by his side to help him defend against Kobe's attack.

And now Kobe is not so lucky, because from the first round, he has to face Link directly!

Kobe didn't expect Link's counterattack to be so fast just now. That kind of ball is not only a manifestation of a player's outstanding level, but also a manifestation of a player's strong competitiveness.

After being scored by Kobe, Link didn't have the patience to play any positional battles slowly, but rushed directly to return Kobe's "punch". Link can also be regarded as showing his attitude, he will not make Kobe Bryant today.

Kobe was defended very hard by Link this round, and there was no space to connect the ball.

Kobe didn't know if he had become too slow or if Link had become too fast.

In desperation, Wesley Johnson had to give the ball to Gasol. Pau Gasol confronted Randolph in the low post. The Spaniard said that he will work hard with Kobe today!

Gasol then pushed back hard, people haven't seen him play so aggressively in a long time.

Last season, Gasol almost became a catch-and-shooter because of Howard's presence. Also, a catch-and-shooter who can only shoot from the mid-range. This strange style naturally made Gasol struggle quite a bit.

This season, although Mike D'Antoni still hasn't found Gasol's instructions. But at the very least, the Lakers' interior is less crowded,

Gasol has a lot of freedom to play.

Gasol turned and hooked very skillfully after reaching the basket. Randolph was already at a disadvantage because of his height, and Gasol also chose the offensive method of hooking, which was difficult to block, and Randolph had no way to interfere.

The basketball is hollow into the net, and it goes in without any hesitation. Gasol roared and waved his fist, as if the "Golden Lion King" of the year had reappeared in the arena.

"Damn, can you defend your brother later, he is too tall!" Randolph picked up the basketball and complained to Gasol.

"Leave it to me, Zach." Little Gasol patted Randolph on the shoulder. He could clearly feel that his brother was in an unusual state today.

Bryant excitedly gave Gasol a high five. That attack just now seemed to make Bryant find the feeling of two consecutive championships. Whenever he can't open up the situation, Gasol will step up in time to help himself. Then they were invincible, briefly ruling the Union for two years.

Gasol did what he said, he said that he would fight with Kobe, and he would never be lazy! Today they don't have to rule the league, they just rule the FedEx Arena.

It seems that the "script" of today's game was specially prepared for the Lakers. Kobe and Gasol dreamed of returning to the top and gave the Grizzlies, now the league's No. 1, a two-game losing streak. Let them see what it means to be immortal. What a perfect story!

But Link never follows the script others gave him, how many beautiful stories he ruins?

Link was still very excited, and Kobe felt that the kid seemed more excited than himself. This excitement, like that night in 2003, when he met Jordan...

Kobe had just set up his posture when Link raised his hand for the ball.

For the second consecutive round, Link wanted to take the ball to attack. Kobe found himself a little nervous, a tension he hadn't experienced in years.

But in front of Link, who had a strong desire to attack, Kobe experienced this tension again.

As soon as Link got the ball, Marc Gasol's screen was in place. Jordan Hill had to switch defenses, and Kobe isn't as capable of getting off screens now as he was back then.

Link broke through, and both Hill and Kobe chased after Link. At the same time, Gasol also made up the defense to the basket!

With the three encircled, it is not the first time that Link has "enjoyed" such treatment this season.

Pau Gasol is not only on the offensive end, but also very hard on the defensive end.

For him, such a professional attitude is very worthy of recognition. After all, Gasol has been deeply involved in transfer rumors since a long time ago. As a meritorious player who accompanied Kobe to create the last two consecutive championships, Gasol is put on the shelves by the Lakers almost every year.

If ordinary players were treated like this, they would have already started to fish. You don't want to see me, and I'm too lazy to work hard for you.

But Gasol still does his best for the Lakers under such circumstances, and one of the most important reasons is Kobe Bryant!

Gasol felt like he wasn't playing for the Lakers, he was playing for Kobe.

Gasol stood under the basket with his arms raised, without evading, even if he was knocked over by Link, he could still win an offensive foul!

Kobe thought that Link would make a pull-up jumper, but Link did not slow down at all, and rushed towards Gasol!

Gasol was ready to fall backwards, but Link suddenly burst out and jumped high!

This kind of feeling Gasol is all too familiar, because of this kind of fucking encounter, Gasol has to meet several times a season.

"My Cao, ruthless..."

As soon as Gasol finished muttering in his heart, he felt a huge impact hit. The Spaniard forgot to fall backwards, but was knocked out of the bottom line in an embarrassing manner. In the next second, the basket made a loud noise, and Link hung the frame with both hands and dunked the ball in!

With Paul Gasol, who is 2.13 meters tall, standing at the basket with his arms raised, Link is equivalent to directly ignoring the defense of the opponent's inside players and dunking directly!

"This is really an explosive scene! Link ignored Gasol's defense and succeeded in a dunk! The poor Pau Gasol, he is undoubtedly a great player, but he is also the most frequent dunk in the dunk collection. The background panel that appears."

Watching Link roar at Gasol after landing, Hubie Brown couldn't bear to complain. Gasol is really a bit embarrassing. It seems that anyone who beats the Lakers has to deduct one on Gasol's head to be considered a worthwhile trip.

"Fuck, this Spanish bastard!" Bill Simmons also scolded in front of the TV, how could he let Link score so easily?

If Simmons went up to play a round with Link himself, it is estimated that he would not think Gasol was a softball.

"It's okay, Paul!" Kobe Bryant immediately went to ask Gasol's situation.

Gasol waved his hand embarrassingly, he just hit a small hook, and he suffered a dunk as a result, and that guy Link is too revengeful!

But the facts once again proved that Link did not want to be behind even one round today. As long as the Lakers score, Link will find a way to get the score back.

Kobe started to find that something was wrong, Link's momentum today... The score is expected to be very high!

In the next few possessions, the Lakers struggled under the Grizzlies' tough defense. Although every attack is not easy, but it can continue to score.

And what about the Grizzlies? Link started his solo show.

After dunking Gasol, Link made a quick stop over Kobe Bryant's head again. A few minutes later, Link broke through Kobe Bryant and hit a layup.

Gasol just took a breath when Link came again. This time, Link directly hit the basket, but Gasol didn't hold it, and finally gave Link a 2+1.

Bill Simmons became more and more nervous as he looked, and his palms were all sweaty. He finally managed to regain a victory because of the Grizzlies' loss to the Thunder, but he didn't want to be slapped in the face by Link again.

However, the results of the first quarter were disappointing.

When Link was substituted in the tenth minute of the first quarter, he had already scored 11 points!

Kobe's performance in the first quarter today has been quite good, scoring 8 points on 4 of 6 shots on Link's head! But Kobe didn't expect that Link was even more ruthless than himself!

People said that the Black Mamba would be very angry today, but Kobe felt that Link's anger even overshadowed himself.

Look at what kind of monster Durant and Simmons have forced out.

After Kobe was once provoked by Jordan, he did not speak to his teammates for two consecutive weeks, and waited for the next time he met Jordan to complete his revenge.

But Link is different. He can't wait for the next encounter with Durant. Today, no matter who is in front of Link, it will be unlucky.

This indiscriminate revenge made Kobe feel innocent.

In the end, the Grizzlies blasted 30 points in the first quarter and entered the break with a 7-point lead.

Gasol and Kobe looked at each other on the bench, an opponent they couldn't contain together? It really never happened before.

Kobe wants to be able to become or even surpass Jordan, but he doesn't want to be shot by a young kid on the top of his head like Jordan for 50 points...