Reborn as Kobe

Chapter 19: On perfection

   Many people will list their favorite players, and so on. But to say that Kobe's favorite NBA player in the past life is none other than Grant Hill.

   Many people don't understand why Hill will become the only star who has not been complained by Kobe in his previous life. There is no shocking data, no considerable honor, and no title for life.

   In fact, the reason is very simple. After Jordan retired for the first time, the important factor that supported the alliance not to collapse immediately was the emergence of Grant Hill. Some people may think it is exaggerated, but it is true. Grant Hill was regarded as the incarnation of Jordan as soon as he entered the league, although the commercial hype accounted for half of it.

   On the night of the 1994 draft, Grant Hill even received a congratulatory message from the then US President Bill Clinton. This is the first time in the NBA.

   Grant Hill was born of a famous class, has the style of a general, is low-key, restrained, good at piano, and is a perfect man who performs on and off the court. Hill's skills are rare in NBA history. Now is the heyday of Hill, he can now be called an omnipotent fighter, can do almost all the tasks the team needs. There are a few people in the NBA nowadays who can't defend in a one-on-one situation. One of them is Hill.

Before the game between the Lakers and the Pistons, the league’s public relations department had begun to hype the “second man in the league” dispute. Kobe also took the initiative to ask for the organization forward for the first time before the game. He wanted to really compare with his own idol in his previous life. .

"Ervin, Isaiah, if I declare that the Lakers have won the game at this time, do you think my decision will be light, although I know that the game is still ten minutes away, I am not against Hill? Confidence, but the Pistons' inside line is too weak." TNT commentator Link asked. ..

   Irvin Johnson, Isiah Thomas, these two are the guests of today's game.

"I sincerely believe that the internal strength of the Pistons is really not as good as the Lakers, because they have that prehistoric shark, but today is in Detroit, in Auburn Hills, I think Hill will definitely defend the honor of the Pistons." Isaiah Pointing to the surrounding stands and said to the two.

   "Anything can happen before the end of the game, but I think that if the OK combination plays normally today, the Lakers' victory is not a problem." Magic Johnson said confidently.

   Players from the two teams entered the game when a few people made a fuss. After the warm-up, the starting players were split on both sides, and O'Neal and Rick Mahon began to scramble for the ball.

  The starting five for the Lakers are O'Neal, Kobe, Van Exeter, Eddie Jones and Eldon Campbell.

   The starting five for the Pistons are Joe Dumars, Grant Hill, Otis Thorpe, Lynch Hunt and Rick Mahon.

   Rick Mahon was a veteran of the Bad Boys Army who was still fighting, but he has lost his courage. Not surprisingly, O'Neal scrambled for the ball, and basketball was handed over to Kobe for the first time.

   Kobe took the ball over the half, and Grant Hill immediately greeted him. Kobe quickly went to the basket through Grant Hill's defense. Before both Lynch Hunter and Rick Mahon had time to stand, Kobe had already flown to the top of the basket.

   "Bang", tomahawk-style buckle! Kobe hung on the rim and looked down at Ma Hongxin, who was in shock. This is the first time Kobe Bryant fully demonstrated his bounce and speed this season.

   Grant Hill frowned when he watched Kobe hanging on the basket. He underestimated the enemy. I didn't expect this Kobe to be so fast.

   But next time there won’t be such a good opportunity, Grant Hill has a smile on his face, it is the joy of meeting his opponent.

   "Grant, pay attention to counterpoint defense, and keep an eye on people!"

   "Rick, there won't be another time."

   Kobe's ball directly exploded the commentary.

   "So fast, so strong bounce, does Kobe have such a talent in the first place, or is he always improving?" Link asked in surprise.

   "I think Kobe has such a talent originally, but no one has been able to inspire a complete Kobe before, including Iverson and Walker." Isiah Thomas said surely.

   "I think this is the result of hard training, because there is a famous saying in the Lakers: Have you seen the four o'clock in the morning? Kobe has seen it. It shows how hard Kobe is in daily training." Magic Johnson retorted.

   The Lakers made the first start after the opening and also caused boos from the Pistons fans at home. Grant Hill then beat Kobe to tie the score. Kobe tried his best defensively, but still couldn't stop Hill's goal.

   Van Exel dribbled the ball through halftime. This time the Pistons paid attention to the speed of retreat. Grant Hill sticks Kobe very tightly. Kobe can't get rid of it. Grant Hill's speed and defense are also top-notch.

   Kobe tried his best to protect the ball, and now Grant Hill's speed, strength, and footwork are no worse than him. Because to get rid of Grant Hill, Kobe has wasted a lot of time, and the Pistons have all stood firm.

   Kobe wants to find teammates, but his teammates are not in a good position. He is now in a dilemma.

   Grant Hill also didn't dare to care, he had already overestimated Kobe, but he still underestimated it. Kobe's technique and physical fitness were too bad, and Grant Hill was already fully defensive and almost couldn't keep up. No wonder people say that Kobe is now comparable to him and Jordan, and Grant Hill finally recognized this sentence.

   "Not good," Grant Hill saw that Kobe didn't jump forward, but took a step back. When Grant Hill wanted to follow up next to his body, Kobe had already thrown the ball high in the air.

   "Oh my God!" Grant Hill looked back, and a scene that reminded him of his life appeared.

The ball thrown by Kobe flew to the rim, and O'Neal and Mahon under the basket jumped up at the same time, but O'Neal behind Mahon bounced faster, and Mahon suddenly felt his body pressed by a huge object. At the moment he was about to touch the ball, his body became uncontrollable and he began to fall. As he was falling, he saw a big hand appearing above the ball, and the owner of that hand was naturally O'Neal. The ball slammed into the hoop.

   "Bang," O'Neal roared up to the sky as the basket shattered.

   Kobe jumped onto O'Neal, and rode O'Neal together and shouted: "Big Brother, you are the overlord of the basket, the new emperor of the basketball!"

   The arena that was boosing just now quieted down immediately, and there was no sound.

   Everyone looked at the broken basket, Grant Hill also looked up at O'Neal's face in disbelief, shocked to speak.

   Because of the pre-match hype, O'Neal became very dissatisfied with the supporting role. Although he has always felt Kobe's sincerity and respect, he does not want to be a supporting role.

"Too violent, it is too violent! Dare to ask who can stop O'Neal like this? In my memory, this is the second time O'Neal has dunked the rim in his career. It's horrible. O'Neal's goal is horrible! "TNT's commentator Link woke up first and said incoherently.

   The game was suspended for more than ten minutes, and the game did not start again until the staff repaired the basket.

   I must take revenge, I must find it back. Ma Hong only has this idea in his mind now.

   "Grant, give me the ball!" Rick Mahon took the initiative to go to the basket to find O'Neal in the first half of the game, and when he was in position, he asked Grant Hill for the ball.

   Hill is very cooperative, and the pass is also in place. Ma Hong received the ball comfortably, took a deep breath, and pushed it a little bit inward, then added more strength, forcibly got up, and then hooked.

   Before the ball reached half of the highest point, Ma Hong watched the basketball being slapped outside the three-point line by O'Neal.

   The ball covered by O'Neal flew between Kobe and Hill. The two touched the ball almost at the same time and fell down at the same time. However, Kobe was more flexible than Hill. A carp struck up, picked up the ball and ran away. Although a little slower than Kobe, Hill still did not give up, preparing to block Kobe’s layup or one-handed dunk from behind, but Kobe seemed to have eyes long behind, as if he had known Hill’s plan for a long time, and Kobe had no choice at all. The layup wasn't even a one-handed buckle, but a step inside the free throw line and directly used both hands to buckle. His body was extremely stretched and his posture was extremely beautiful. Even Hill who was waiting for an opportunity behind him couldn't help but praise him.

   "Kobe is enough to match Michael in terms of business and skills, and Hill still needs more effort." Isiah Thomas said helplessly.

   "I think after the Lakers have an OK combination, they can try to hit the championship this year." Magic Johnson was a little excited.

   "What a high basketball IQ!" Since the opening, Hill has been staring at Kobe, especially seeing that he didn't blindly seek to challenge himself when he was on the offensive position, but took the initiative to organize for his teammates. O'Neal's invincibility at the basket is worthy of a special mention, Van Exel's shooting is also commendable, but the most dazzling player on the court in Hill's heart is Kobe.

   "Isaiah, do you still think this game is suspenseful now?" Johnson said gleefully in the commentary.

   "Huh!" Isaiah snorted and then said: "Alvin, you are too happy too early! It's only half the game now, anything can happen."

   Although the magician was a bit disdainful of Isaiah Thomas’s words, he did not refute it. After all, although the score was 66:42 on the field, there was still the entire second half, and the Pistons still had time to come back.

   "Guys did a great job!" When the Lakers were off the court, Harris hugged them one by one. The Lakers completely suppressed the Pistons in the first two quarters and played a perfect match inside and outside. ..

   The Pistons' bench, Coach Doug Collins is also arranging the lineup.

"Grant, I ask you to watch the opponent's number eight, and you can't let him organize an offense. Rick, if you can't stop the shark, you will foul." Doug Collins was very dissatisfied with the Pistons' performance in the first half. But he also knows that there is indeed a big gap in the inside line and can only continue to boost morale.

   Rick was very depressed. He played too stubbornly in this game. Because it was a national broadcast, his unconventional methods were not used, and O'Neal could only be unscrupulous in the basket.

   After the start of the second half, the Pistons began to implement the "shark-cutting" tactic. O'Neal was pulled down for three consecutive dunks and missed several free throws. The point gap between the two teams was gradually narrowed.

   The Lakers attacked again. This time Kobe did not pass inside again, but made a pick-and-roll with Jones. Van Exel, who received the ball, faced Hill's supplementary defense and missed the ball.

   "Exel, don't just stare at the basket, pass more." Bryant said loudly.

   Van Exel also knew that he was a little too impatient, so he nodded and turned to defend.

   Kobe again dropped the ball to O'Neal, who was about to take off when he was pulled down by Mahon behind him.

   O'Neal missed two free throws again, plus the previous two free throws, which means that he has missed four consecutive free throws.

   The so-called killing one thousand enemies, self-defeating three hundred. Seeing O'Neal whose complexion had changed drastically, Kobe hurried forward to comfort him.

   "Big brother, don't get angry, we are still a lot ahead, just hit them inside."

   O'Neal took a deep breath and nodded, "Brother, this tactic is disgusting."

   "You need to find old Nelson, after all, he invented the ‘shark chopping’. UU reading www.uukanshu.com" Kobe joked.

   Kobe's joke calmed O'Neal. In the next few minutes, O'Neal felt the boundless darkness, but he gritted his teeth and persevered. All kinds of fouls emerged in an endless stream, and he was not freed until Rick Mahon fouled. O'Neal thought the free throw was too cruel.

   "The trend is over, this game is over." The magician sighed.

   "Hmph, if the Pistons have a stronger inside line, it is still unknown who will be the winner tonight." Isaiah Thomas was very unconvinced.

   Johnson smiled and said: "Unfortunately, the Pistons management has not yet found a strong inside line for Hill."

   As the referee whistle sounded, the Lakers took the Pistons 107:84.

   Lakers O'Neal had 26 points, 20 rebounds and 7 blocks. It was a bit disgusting on free throws. He made only 3 of 14 free throws. Bryant had 24 points, 11 rebounds, 16 assists and 3 steals. This is his fourth triple-double of the season.

   For the Pistons, Grant Hill had 30 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists and 2 steals. The stats were perfect, but his teammates were not good enough.

   "Grant, don't change the direction too much when you play. You'd better focus on conducting the ball and pay attention to your body." Kobe said earnestly.

   "Okay, I remember!" Grant Hill and Kobe exchanged jerseys, without taking Kobe's words to heart.

   Kobe sighed, turned and walked into the tunnel. Grant Hill is a perfect player, but unfortunately he was eventually destroyed by injuries. Maybe all of this is caused by his striving for perfection.

   It is impossible for people to be perfect, whether on or off the court. Although Kobe is pursuing perfection, he does not demand perfection from himself. From ancient times to the present, the ones who won the final victory are the last ones.