Chapter 56

Today, watching the Lakers and Suns game was a mix of emotions, especially when I saw 37-year-old Kobe still stubbornly pursuing victory, taking nearly 40 shots. It made me feel a deep sense of sorrow. Kobe's career has never truly transcended like Jordan's, despite winning five championships, which is a perfect career. However, he has always been labeled as a "cancer" by American experts and basketball pundits. They criticize him for taking too many shots when he scores high and for not taking enough when he scores low. They also mock the Lakers for failing to attract big names, suggesting that top players don't like him. When ranking players for the season, the experts smiled and placed this five-time champion outside the top 40, showing no respect like they do for Duncan, who is equally great. Regardless of Kobe's current level compared to Duncan, as one of the best players in NBA history, he deserves at least some respect. But from the beginning, he has never been on the list of respected players in the eyes of the experts. Of course, as a player with such a style, he has as many fans as detractors worldwide. But now, seeing 37-year-old Kobe still striving and persistently pursuing the first win of the season, I really don't know what to say. As a swingman, I admire many great swingmen in the NBA, like Carter, McGrady, Durant, James, and Kobe. If I were just a shooting guard, I would be a fan of Jordan, and Kobe is the player most often compared to Jordan. Although their career trajectories are different, Jordan eventually transformed from a "cancer" to a successful player, and now no one calls him a "cancer." Kobe may never achieve such a transformation in his entire career, but such a player, who is willing to do everything for victory even at 37, is a very lovable "cancer." Perhaps after Kobe really leaves the NBA, I will miss this "lovable cancer" who has brought me countless beautiful moments.

This game between the Jazz and the Magic exceeded the imagination of almost all the spectators and reporters on site. No one expected a rookie to score 41 points in the first half, nor did they expect the two teams to combine for over 150 points in the first half.

The pace of this game was so intense that it was rare even in today's NBA. The Jazz rookie's performance was so shocking that it was almost frightening, with his continuous scoring ability and aggressive offensive desire. It seemed like he was targeting Hardaway, attacking him every time, which made everyone worry about Hardaway's performance in the second half. After all, this Jazz rookie appeared to have a natural talent for shooting without getting tired.

Swish, swish, swish.

After the second half began, when the Jazz's No. 8 player, after the game resumed, hit three high-difficulty back-to-back jump shots over Hardaway's defense, the originally crazy Magic fans were stunned.

In the NBA, the means to change the atmosphere of the game are not just spectacular dunks and powerful rim attacks. Continuous three-pointers or continuous jump shots over a single player can also do the job.

If Lin Han had hit three consecutive jump shots over Hardaway at the Delta Center, the Jazz fans would probably have gone wild. Now, there were no Jazz fans here, but the Magic fans were almost all crazy.

The two teams were already close to a ten-point gap, and now it had truly widened to ten points. This was the first time this season that the Magic felt so frustrated. The Jazz, from the inside to the outside, were simply unstoppable. Whether it was Malone's mid-range and long-range shots teasing Shaq or Lin Han's constant back-to-back jump shots over Hardaway, the Magic were helpless. They could only hope that these two would have a drop in shooting accuracy, but the key was that these two had no issues with their shooting accuracy in this game.

When the other team was leading and they couldn't stop their offense, how could they possibly catch up? It was an impossible task.

"Finally, I can go all out again."

After the second half began, Lin Han felt his body become more relaxed. After today's final 20% burst of luck, his shooting touch improved significantly, though not as good as when he played against the Mavericks, it was better than when he played against Payton.

"You said my style of basketball couldn't beat you, but now I'm going to tell you that even if you look down on my style, I can still beat you with it."

After scoring over Hardaway again, Lin Han glanced at his former teammate with a serious expression and said lightly. At this moment, although Hardaway was provoked by Lin Han, there was no anger on his face, as if he was thinking about something.

"Is there really a perfect duplicate of someone in this world?" Looking at Lin Han's back, Hardaway thought about the Dream Team training camp last year. At this moment, Lin Han gave him a feeling that was infinitely close to Jordan, the god-like man who had once put immense pressure on him. Was this a coincidence? Hardaway didn't know.

"Perry, stop thinking. Maybe we've underestimated him," Anderson sighed helplessly behind Hardaway. This was the first time he had seen Hardaway so flustered. It wasn't that Hardaway was weak; Anderson knew that if he and Hardaway switched positions, he would be even worse off.

After the second half began, Jeff Malone and Chambers sat on the bench again, so the Jazz's starting lineup became a double offensive duo of Malone and Lin Han. With their almost terrifying shooting accuracy in this game, the Magic struggled in the third quarter.

With a "bang," Shaq had no idea how many times he had directly crushed the Jazz center Spencer and forced his way to the basket for a powerful dunk. But what frustrated Shaq was that no matter how many times he dunked or scored, it felt like a bottomless pit, and this sense of powerlessness made the Magic's star player very unhappy.

With a "swish," after Shaq's powerful dunk, Malone immediately responded with a mid-range shot from the free-throw line. This "answer ball" was almost despairing for the Magic.

"Ha ha ha, John, this feeling is amazing. When Lin's shooting accuracy improves, I find my own shooting accuracy improves too. Having such a teammate to draw attention, this game environment is really excellent."

After hanging Shaq and hitting the mid-range shot, Malone laughed loudly. Stockton, on the other side, was speechless. It was obvious that although the Magic didn't double-team Lin Han out of respect for Hardaway, when Lin Han was on the court, the Magic's power forward was always watching him, ready to help defend. If Lin Han broke through, he would immediately step up to block him. But what frustrated Coach Brian Hill and the Magic's power forward Chris Corvey was that Lin Han didn't break through; he just took back-to-back jump shots over Hardaway, giving them no chance.

But even so, Brian Hill couldn't make Chris Corvey focus on Malone. In this situation, as a superstar, Malone, facing only Shaq, a super center, should not have a low shooting accuracy. As long as Malone didn't foolishly go into the paint to battle Shaq, Shaq's defensive pressure could be ignored.

"However, this Magic coach's decision-making in this game is really hesitant. If he wants to double-team Lin, he should just let Chris Corvey double-team. If he doesn't want to double-team Lin, he should let Chris Corvey defend Karl. This middle ground is uncomfortable, not just for him but for his players too. He doesn't seem like an experienced NBA coach."

Although Stockton was somewhat dismissive of Malone's arrogance, he thought to himself. In fact, after last season's Magic coach Matt Guokas left, the new coach Brian Hill, despite having over 20 years of basketball experience, was actually coaching his first NBA team at the age of 46. His previous career as an assistant coach was in high school and college basketball, where he focused more on player development and was a very kind coach. This is why the Magic were willing to let him coach, as the team's future stars, Shaq and Hardaway, were young, and Brian Hill's personality was suitable for nurturing young players.

Of course, for Hill, considering Hardaway's feelings too much was not a mistake. The team's style and culture required different coaching methods. If he used a tyrannical style like Jerry Sloan, Shaq would probably kick him out within a season.

So for the Magic, the outcome of a single game was not as important as the dignity and confidence of their two young stars.

But with this approach, the Magic had almost no chance of a comeback against the Jazz. By the end of the third quarter, the score was 122-110, with the Jazz leading by 12 points. Lin Han, who scored 41 points in the first half, hit 7 out of 12 in the third quarter, scoring 16 points, and with 25 out of 38 in three quarters, he had a terrifying 57 points.

Given the current situation, the Magic were almost certain to lose if this trend continued. So at the start of the fourth quarter, the Magic kept their full lineup on the court, clearly making a final push. The Jazz did