With O’Neal gone from the Lakers, Kobe had become the absolute core of the offense.
Before the season started, Jackson had mentioned in a press interview that he would ask Kobe to take on greater responsibility in the new season, on both offense and defense.
The subtext was that Kobe would be given a limitless green light to shoot, and everyone else would have to play in support of him.
The Lakers intended to develop Yao Ming as a key player, but on this Lakers team, Kobe was the one and only king.
After the offseason, Kobe seemed to have gotten a bit stronger. His offensive consistency had also improved.
Most importantly, Kobe no longer had to worry about whether to accommodate O’Neal, watch O’Neal’s position, or decide if he should pass the ball to O’Neal. He only had to think about one thing now: scoring.
Kobe could get the ball anywhere on the court. He could also pass it off, curl around the baseline, and get it right back.
At this moment, the rest of the Lakers were all playing for him.
A crushing screen at the high post allowed Kobe to shake off Poseidon, who had been sticking to him like glue. Kobe pulled up for a sudden stop, and the shot was pure.
Sitting on the sidelines, Jackson clapped casually, then turned to Yao Ming beside him and said, "Yao, pay attention to the Phoenix Suns’ defensive strategy."
Yao Ming was sitting right next to Jackson at that moment.
When they said they would focus on developing him, they weren’t just paying lip service. Jackson had specifically requested this arrangement so he could explain the on-court situation to Yao Ming during the game, helping him understand NBA tactics and his own role.
A young white man, a dedicated translator hired by the Lakers, followed the two of them.
After the draft, Jackson had contacted Yao Ming with a specific request: for Yao Ming to do everything he could to learn English during the offseason and master the spoken language as much as possible.
The Lakers even paid to find an English teacher for Yao Ming.
"Shaq has lost weight, but his defensive habits are still poor. Hakeem has a large range of movement, but look, Shaq almost never follows him out," Jackson said, pointing to the court. "This is your opportunity. I told you before, for this initial period of the new season, I’m going to use your agility on offense, have you play on the perimeter, and take more mid-range shots. So if you’re matched up against Shaq later, you can do that."
Yao Ming nodded thoughtfully.
Jackson continued, "But, you need to watch McDyess. Have you noticed? When Hakeem is left open and appears at the elbow of the paint, McDyess will immediately come over to provide help defense. And his range is huge. I think the Phoenix Suns’ strategy is to push McDyess into a pure blue-collar role, helping O’Neal with interior defense."
O’Neal’s defense, both in terms of attitude and habit, was not good enough. He needed someone to clean up his messes on the defensive end.
And the Phoenix Suns were extravagant enough to trade for an All-Star level player in McDyess.
Just as he spoke, O’Neal on the court executed a spin move with his back to the basket, exploded forward, and left Olajuwon behind in a single step.
The basketball flew over, and with a thunderous SLAM, the backboard was left trembling.
The atmosphere in the arena was now completely electrified.
This kind of explosive dunk was exactly what the fans paid to see.
On the sideline, Nelson couldn’t help but say, "Chen, is it a problem for Shaq to be playing like this right from the get-go?"
After all, he had only rejoined the team a few days ago and had just finished recovering from an injury.
Chen Yu shook his head. "Don’t worry, he’s perfectly fine."
By October, after being his sole focus, all those recovery treatments weren’t for nothing.
So, the O’Neal of this moment was completely healthy, able to unleash his dominance without reservation.
Chen Yu turned his head to look at the opposing bench.
’Honestly, if this is how the Lakers are going to play, they won’t be a match for the Phoenix Suns even if they make it to the Western Conference Finals this year.’
’In the playoffs, O’Neal, who attacks the inside, will definitely be more efficient and harder to guard than the perimeter-oriented Kobe. Not to mention, Kobe’s shooting stability still isn’t good enough. When he loses his touch, he’s a real bricklayer.’
’Speaking of which, that guy has started playing with Baoding balls!’
Before the game, while waiting to take the court, Chen Yu had seen Kobe on the sidelines, fiddling with a pair of iron balls in his hands.
It was O’Neal again.
Whenever he got the ball, the Lakers’ frontcourt trembled in their boots.
There was nothing to be done. The Lakers didn’t have the defensive resources. Although Olajuwon was still healthy, he was 40 years old, after all.
’Besides, after going to the Lakers, without my post-game maintenance treatments, it’s another question entirely whether a man his age can even make it through a whole season healthy.’
This time, however, O’Neal didn’t attack directly. After drawing the defense, he passed the ball to McDyess.
McDyess calmly hit the jump shot.
His jumper had always been above average and very reliable; otherwise, he never would have made the All-Star team.
Chen Yu knew this was also something Skiles demanded of O’Neal—not only to score himself but also to be mindful of distributing the ball.
The Phoenix Suns had plenty of reliable scorers and were constantly bringing in more shooters.
A little over six minutes in, O’Neal was subbed out.
He had just returned from injury. Although Chen Yu felt it was unnecessary, Skiles was still deliberately managing his minutes.
Even in a game against the Lakers.
But within those six minutes, O’Neal, as the offensive core, had already wreaked havoc, hitting all four of his shots and racking up 8 points.
"Chief, Yao Ming is checking in."
In the press section by the court, Yi Xiaohua cried out with some excitement.
The surrounding Chinese reporters all perked up.
With the change in broadcaster, TNT was now officially on the scene. This time, because he was at the arena, Barkley was sitting at the broadcast table on the sidelines, commentating on the game himself.
"Look! The big guy from China is coming in! My God, he’s so skinny! And so tall, like a rickety bamboo pole. Phil is being too nice to him. If he’d started him from the beginning, I feel like Shaq would’ve knocked him unconscious," Barkley spewed, spit flying, not holding back his mockery in the slightest.
Although O’Neal was the one who had proactively requested a trade from the Lakers and specifically named the Phoenix Suns as his destination, many Lakers fans still believed that the Lakers had lost out by trading O’Neal for a number-one draft pick.
Or rather, that trading O’Neal for Yao Ming was a huge loss.
And this was also the view of the mainstream media in the United States: there’s a number-one pick every year, but there’s only one O’Neal.
In their eyes, Yao Ming might be good, but he really wasn’t worth the price of O’Neal. Some media outlets even claimed that Yao Ming didn’t have the talent of a number-one pick and were pessimistic about his development in the NBA.
The sports channel’s camera also stayed focused on Yao Ming.
On camera, Yao Ming’s face was expressionless, but a trace of nervousness was clearly visible.
Off-camera, Xu Jicheng silently clenched his fists.
As the saying goes, the first step is always the hardest. Alone in a strange environment, facing a higher level of competition, placed under the spotlight, and bearing the pressure from fans and the media—no one knew what kind of performance Yao Ming would be able to deliver.
Even though he was coming in off the bench, deliberately missing a showdown with O’Neal, he was now facing the "Roof of the World," Sabonis.
This was Yao Ming’s idol!
A bona fide Olympic champion. Even in his later years, plagued by injuries, he was still one of the best centers in the league at containing O’Neal.
In 2000, the O’Neal whom the media called the most dominant of his career had his worst playoff series against none other than Sabonis.
Therefore, if his performance was subpar and he was subjected to more ridicule and discussion from the fans and media, things would get difficult.
At this moment, walking onto the court, Yao Ming also saw Sabonis.
The same number 11.
He used to have a poster of Sabonis hanging by his bed.
And now, the real person was standing right in front of him.
For a moment, Yao Ming couldn’t control the turmoil in his heart.
Before he could think any more, the whistle blew, and Yao Ming subconsciously started running with his teammates.
But when he looked up, he was completely lost.
’The positioning... I’m not sure. My teammates... they’re practically strangers. We’ve barely spoken.’
’There’s the language barrier, and I’ve only been in Los Angeles for a few days.’
Yao Ming just instinctively moved toward the basket.
On the perimeter, Kobe shouted something.
’I think he wants a pick-and-roll.’
To take advantage of his agility, Jackson had also asked him in practice to come up to the high post and set a screen for Kobe.
Yao Ming hurried out, but he was already too slow. The opportunity was gone in a flash.
Kobe glanced at Yao Ming out of the corner of his eye, faked left and right with his back to the basket, and forced a turnaround shot.
Yao Ming went for the rebound, but the crafty Sabonis had already firmly boxed him out. And Sabonis wasn’t short at all; at 221 cm, he was almost the same height as Yao Ming.
Their weight was comparable, too. The thick frame of Sabonis put an immense amount of pressure on Yao Ming.
Yao Ming turned and ran back on defense.
And on the defensive end, Yao Ming immediately witnessed Sabonis’s cunning.
After receiving the ball in the low post, Sabonis faked a pass, then suddenly spun back, pushed Yao Ming aside, and laid the ball into the basket.
’That level of agility... it’s completely different from the centers I faced in the Jia A League.’
’It didn’t even feel like a big move, but I’d already lost my position.’
This performance immediately drew a jeer from Barkley on the sidelines. "I always thought Arvydas was slow, but now he looks as fast as lightning! Look at this big guy, he’s as clumsy as a giraffe, getting played for a fool."
Just as he was speaking, Barkley suddenly exclaimed, "Fack, what did I just see!"
Then, he burst into thunderous laughter.
On the court, Hardaway drove to the basket from the high post. Facing Yao Ming blocking his path, he executed a massive crossover. Yao Ming, who had been backpedaling to keep up with Hardaway’s rhythm, tripped over his own feet and stumbled pathetically to the ground.
Hardaway blew past him like a gust of wind and finished with a powerful dunk.
Sitting on the floor, Yao Ming looked dazed. Only Horry ran over, extending a hand to pull him up.
Chen Yu frowned slightly, also hearing some laughter from the stands behind him.
His eyes locked on Yao Ming, Chen Yu could clearly sense his struggle to adapt.
’He’s too nervous, he can’t play freely at all.’
In truth, Chen Yu paid quite a bit of attention to Yao Ming.
After all, he had gone to China to scout him, had eaten a meal with him at the same table, and before O’Neal decided to leave the Lakers, the Phoenix Suns had been seriously considering drafting Yao Ming.
Brian had even discussed how to develop Yao Ming with Chen Yu on more than one occasion.
Seeing this kind of performance now, Chen Yu couldn’t help but feel a little regretful.
But there was nothing to be done. This was the NBA, professional basketball. If you get put on a poster, you just have to suck it up.
The point difference continued to grow.
After O’Neal was subbed back in during the second quarter, Jackson quickly took Yao Ming out of the game.
Fortunately, this wasn’t the Staples Center. Otherwise, for a performance of 0 points, 3 rebounds, 1 turnover, and 2 fouls in 11 minutes—while letting an old-timer like Sabonis score 6 points on him—the demanding Lakers fans would have absolutely booed him off the court.
"It’s okay, Yao. Not everyone is O’Neal. Look at Kobe—he didn’t score a single point in his debut either. He only got one measly rebound, which is worse than you," Jackson said, immediately getting up. He hugged Yao Ming as he came off the court and offered a comforting smile.
Yao Ming was silent. ’Is that supposed to be comforting?’

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