Chapter 167 The tough-talking Kobe

Author: Lao Ma Jia

Chapter 167 The tough-talking Kobe

Kobe beat McGrady with his back in various ways on the court, and McGrady was also merciless, making various moves in the frontcourt, and both of them showed their special skills.

The two actually played against each other in high school, when Kobe Bryant's team defeated Tracy McGrady by two points.

However, after entering the NBA, the Lakers have never won a single game against the Raptors, which means that Kobe has never defeated Tracy McGrady in the NBA.

Kobe's touch was overwhelming tonight, and he felt that he had the opportunity to rewrite this unbeatable history with his individual singles ability.

Of course, McGrady couldn't give him this opportunity. He worked hard on both offense and defense.

Not only did Kongbu enjoy this kind of duel, but the Raptors fans at the scene were also smiling. After Jordan retired, this kind of top shooting guard duel was too rare.

At the end of the first half, Kobe had made 12 of 17 free throws, 3 of 4 free throws, and 1 of 3 three-pointers, scoring 28 points.

In fact, three-pointers have never been Kobe's strong point. His three-point shooting percentage has never been higher in a season.

Kobe's offensive efficiency is quite amazing, and McGrady's pull-up efficiency is not low either.

9 of 15, 2 of 4 three-pointers, and 2 of 2 free throws, McGrady also scored 22 points in the half.

"Tracy, admit it, your strength is not as good as mine."

Kobe said confidently to McGrady.

McGrady drooped his eyelids, "The game is not over yet, and it seems that we are the one who is leading now. I don't know why you said that."

"55:51, we are still four points ahead."

"Whenever you can win a match against me, let's talk about being stronger than me. You are not qualified right now."

"If I had teammates like you, I wouldn't have to worry about winning." Kobe said with conviction.

"Oh? You have Shaq, Rice, and Harper by your side. Isn't that bad?"

"If Michael had a teammate like you, he would definitely lead the Lakers to win ten consecutive championships."

Maddie replied calmly.

Even though they were very close friends, they got a little angry on the court and started talking trash to each other.

This was so heartbreaking. He knew very well that Kobe had always regarded Jordan as his goal. Bringing Jordan out to stimulate Kobe had an absolutely explosive effect.

Sure enough, Kobe's face turned red.

"Are you sure Michael can lead the Lakers to win ten consecutive championships? He also led the Bulls to two consecutive losses to Combs."

"I have to take back what I just said. If I had a coach like Kombu, I wouldn't have to worry about winning at all."

Kobe said loudly.

McGrady said this and it was difficult to fight back. He knew very well that this was the case. The team with Kongbu didn't seem to have to worry about winning at all.

I have played in the Raptors for more than two years. The Raptors have been an extremely strong team from the beginning. This has never changed in more than two years.

Some teams' overall strength will become weaker due to major lineup adjustments.

In the past two years or so, the Raptors have had many players come and go, and their lineup has changed a lot, but they have still maintained their dominance.

In the first championship lineup, now only Ben and Tracy McGrady are left.

Other championship teams would definitely not be able to defend their title after experiencing such player changes, but the Raptors not only defended their title, but also headed towards a dynasty.

McGrady has never thought about whether he can win the championship this year, because he feels that this year's championship will be a piece of cake.

There is only one Knicks team in the East, which is a bit of a threat to the Raptors.

Now that Kombu has been traded for Dampier, he has some restrictive effects on Da Zhi. As long as Da Zhi's performance is average, the Knicks will not be able to beat the Raptors.

You can't always expect Ewing and Auntie to break out.

Moreover, Ewing withers away at critical moments. He has been injured in the playoffs for two consecutive years. This year's schedule was only a month old, and he was injured again.

In the West, the Spurs and Lakers are relatively big threats.

The Spurs are no longer worth mentioning now. The second lineup created by Kong Bu can be called the Spurs' natural nemesis. The ultra-fast pace is simply not something that the Spurs' old guys can parry.

What makes the Spurs most desperate is that after Kong has used up the physical strength of their veterans by using the second lineup, he may also put the first lineup in five ups and five downs. For the old men of the Spurs, it is too fatal.

The threat from the Lakers is not great, at least McGrady doesn't think the Lakers will be an obstacle to their road to the Raptors dynasty.

Looking at it this way, what Kobe said is indeed correct. With a coach like Kongbu, there is no need to worry about whether the team wins or loses.

"Okay, man, you're right."

"After I finish this season, I will probably be traded away. Then there will be no coach Kongbu. Let's compete again."

Maddie said with a smile.

Kobe shook his head. He felt sorry for McGrady. The Raptors team was too poor and they simply could not afford the high luxury tax.

If it were the Lakers or Knicks, they wouldn't be able to let go of a player like McGrady easily.

After thinking for a moment, Kobe smiled bitterly again, was he sympathizing with McGrady?

He has become a dynasty shooting guard immediately, and he has also won FMVP and received all kinds of honors. It is much more glamorous than his own career. Why should I sympathize with him?

He was envious of McGrady. Everyone started from the same starting point, but now McGrady has left him far behind.

In the second half, the two continued to maintain a super high shooting rate.

McGrady has gradually increased the frequency of his shots, and his scores have gradually caught up with Kobe.

Of course, Kobe also wants to increase the frequency of his shots. Unfortunately, the Lakers are not his only team. At least after O'Fay gets the ball under the basket, it is impossible to pass it out.

It's different with the Raptors. If Ben grabs an offensive rebound, he will definitely not make a second offense himself at the first time, but try to pass the ball out.

The bombardment battle on the outside is extremely exciting, and the hand-to-hand combat on the inside is actually thrilling to watch.

The lethality of Ao Pang was too terrifying. Because Dampier was unable to play, Kongbu could only let Ben continue to support Ao Pang on the court.

Big Ben's figure is at least two times smaller than Ao Pang's. It's a bit sad to see him grit his teeth and push Ao Pang outside towards the basket area.

Fortunately, there was a bus service to help me change, otherwise it would be really difficult for me.

Even if the two of them were locked in a head-to-head battle with Ao Pang, he still had a good efficiency in sports battles, but the free throws were too awkward, which resulted in the overall efficiency not being high.

The game passed minute by minute, and the Raptors still held the advantage.

This advantage actually mainly comes from Payton and Marion.

Combs started Marion tonight and played a huge role. He was able to defend a veteran pitcher like Glenn Rice who was not very athletic.

After three quarters, Glen Rice had yet to score in double figures.

In addition, after being bound with a three-point calibration device, he also poses a considerable threat on the offensive end.

He ran so fast, like an alien rabbit, that Les couldn't catch up with him.

Since he can't catch up, it will give Marion a lot of open shots. Even if his posture is ugly, if he can score a goal, it is a good goal.

Payton really didn't perform well against Harper. The two are old rivals. Whether it was the previous SuperSonics period or the later Raptors period, the two played against each other countless times.

They have figured out each other's characteristics and can defend them with ease.

But after all, Harper is too old and cannot stay on the court forever. Jackson has to replace Fisher. Once the little fish comes on the court, Payton immediately starts the abuse mode.

Fisher's defense is very weak for many reasons. On the one hand, his athletic ability is not good, and on the other hand, his body is not good. He is short and thick. If you ignore his height, he actually looks more like a cook.

He, the cook, started serving food to the Lakers fans tonight. When the food was not good enough, Payton beat him hard one after another.

By the time halfway through the fourth quarter, the Raptors already held an 11-point advantage, and it seemed that the overall situation was already decided.

Rice was silent for the whole game, and finally found an opportunity without Marion. Against Maggette, he shot two three-pointers in succession, and both of them hit.

These two three-pointers were indeed life-saving three-pointers, allowing the Lakers to maintain hope of winning the game.

Maggette plays a purebred three position, but his height is a standard shooting guard, the same height as Kobe Bryant is 198 centimeters. This is why some people often jokingly call him Los Angeles Corvo or the bodybuilding version of Corvo.

Kongbu had no choice but to quickly replace Marion.

Maggette is still suitable for bullying. Against such a strong team, he has too many technical shortcomings and it is easy for his opponents to seize opportunities.

The basket is not good on the offensive end, and he has no advantages in speed and height on the defensive end. He is quite effective when defending strong forwards who mainly focus on breakthroughs.

For example, when James first entered the league, Maggette was able to bully him.

This is really not nonsense. James played against Maggette once during his rookie season and played 32 minutes. He only made two goals in 13 shots and scored 4 points.

Didn't even get a free throw opportunity.

This is called adding salt to the tofu, and one thing reduces another. In the early stages of his career, James was indeed bullied all the time when he encountered such a powerful small forward.

In the seven years from 2003 to 2010, James' shooting percentage against Maggette was only 41.9%, which was far lower than his normal shooting percentage.

Why it ended in 2010 is because Maggette became a marginal player. In addition, James also developed a good basket, and he is no longer afraid of players like Maggette.

After being robbed of six points by Glen Rice, the difference between the two sides was only five points.

What made Kongbu relieved was that in the following time, the Raptors and Lakers began to play back and forth again, with the score rising alternately and maintaining a five-point difference.
To be continued...