I Am the Killer of the Kobe Killer (Part 1)

After training ended that day, Kobe watched Zhou Ze's departing back and smiled for no apparent reason.

This prickly rookie really was a three-point prodigy.

It was the first time he had seen such terrifying improvement speed.

During their one-on-one matchups, the little bastard's triple-threat moves and fakes had also improved visibly.

Not only that, he liked studying all sorts of strange and unusual moves.

Take that morning's scrimmage, for example. After catching the ball beyond the three-point line, he accelerated toward the basket. Facing Andrew Bynum, who had already established defensive position, he leaped high, trying to hammer the ball in over the 213-centimeter Bynum.

Although the slam failed, the guy was not discouraged in the slightest. Instead, he excitedly discussed the angle of the dunk with me. On top of that, he had given this bizarre move an incredibly flashy name—Meteor Dunk!

Interesting rookie! Kobe thought.

The next day.

The Los Angeles Lakers faced the Phoenix Suns on the road.

The Suns' core interior player, Amar'e Stoudemire, was out due to injury.

Zhou Ze knew very well that although Amar'e Stoudemire's injury was serious, the Phoenix Suns had miracle doctors.

Just as the fans had expected after Zhou Ze put up 20+ in the previous game, he directly replaced Kwame Brown in the starting lineup.

This greatly excited Director Zhang and Teacher Su in the Heavenly Dynasty Sports Studio.

"Little Zhou will start for the Lakers tonight."

"Even though Little Zhou played well last game, I originally thought he would need another three to five games before becoming a starter."

"Little Zhou is a little lacking in rebounding and defense, but his three-point shooting can help the Lakers spread the floor, making the team's overall offense much smoother. Phil Jackson's decision to make Little Zhou a starter is very reasonable."

Aside from Yao Ming, another player from China had become an NBA starter.

And it was with an NBA powerhouse—the Purple and Gold.

Tonight's starting lineups:

Los Angeles Lakers (away): Smush Parker, Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Zhou Ze, and Chris Mihm.

Phoenix Suns (home): Steve Nash, Raja Bell, James Jones, Shawn Marion, and Kurt Thomas.

After the game began, Raja Bell, known as the "Kobe Killer," hounded him like a mad dog.

As an undrafted player, Raja Bell understood his own strengths very well: biting, physical defense.

To be fair, aside from defending Kobe, Raja Bell was not particularly physical against other players, nor did he talk that much trash.

With a swish, facing Raja Bell's constantly waving arms, Kobe lowered his body and blew past him. Combining speed and power, he directly brushed aside the defense. With Shawn Marion coming over to help, Kobe stopped sharply in the mid-range and knocked down the jumper.

After Kobe scored, Raja Bell continued talking trash. "Kobe, looks like you're pretty lucky tonight."

As the Kobe Killer, Raja Bell understood Kobe very well. He knew the weaknesses in Kobe's personality.

Raja Bell was trying to provoke Kobe, who loved fighting back and answering force with force, into losing his cool. He wanted Kobe to fall into an endless isolation mode, cutting him off from the other four players. That was Raja Bell's true defensive objective!

Faced with Raja Bell's trash talk and overly physical play, Kobe gradually lost his composure.

After making his first two shots, he clanked three straight attempts.

Zhou Ze could only run back and forth along with him.

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Then, while getting back on defense, he was fooled by Shawn Marion suddenly slowing down on a fast-break layup. He jumped too early and could only watch Shawn Marion finish with a tomahawk dunk.

"Ah, Little Zhou's wingspan really is a bit short..."

"Yes, Little Zhou's shoulders are too broad, which makes his standing reach a little low."

"Also, Little Zhou's defensive positioning and anticipation need further improvement."

"Mm. Little Zhou isn't slower than Shawn Marion. He had already caught up, but he was fooled by the opponent's rhythm."

The two commentators in the Heavenly Dynasty Sports Studio could not help feeling somewhat regretful at the sight.

On the court, Kobe was double-teamed. After passing the ball out, he quickly moved from the left side to the right, intending to receive the ball again and continue attacking.

As the outlet at the top of the arc beyond the three-point line, Zhou Ze instantly noticed that not only was Raja Bell quickly trailing Kobe, but even Shawn Marion, who was guarding him, had all his attention on Kobe.

The two were waiting for him to pass the ball over so they could double-team Kobe immediately.

With that in mind, Zhou Ze caught the ball, ignored Kobe's call for it, and immediately raised up for a three.

Shawn Marion reacted quickly and rushed over at once, but Zhou Ze was a 206 cm barefoot artillery tower, and his shooting motion was as fast as a true sharpshooter's.

Seeing Zhou Ze take the shot on his own, Kobe's face darkened. Just as he was about to open his mouth and curse him out, a crisp "Swish!" sounded beside his ear.

"Kobe, nice pass!" Zhou Ze teased when he noticed the change in Kobe's expression.

Kobe could not help but laugh inwardly. After shooting Zhou Ze a glare, he quickly retreated on defense.

As for Raja Bell, who had been trying to provoke Kobe into playing one-on-one, he was slightly stunned.

This rookie really had some nerve. He actually dared to steal Kobe's shot attempt.

Kobe was one of the league's top isolation scorers!

As a superstar, he had the responsibility and obligation to carry the team's offense in critical moments.

But no matter how great a star was, it was hard to play hero ball for an entire game.

Although Shawn Marion was not built as thickly as a conventional interior player, his wingspan was outrageous, and he could run and jump exceptionally well.

Zhou Ze still did not have the ability to back him down in the post.

Additionally, Zhou Ze had to be extremely careful after grabbing a defensive rebound. Marion's long arms could swipe at the ball at any moment.

However, tonight, the Suns had focused their defense on Kobe and underestimated Zhou Ze's three-point shooting ability.

After Kobe moved off the ball and faced help-defense pressure, he seemed to have regained his composure. To Raja Bell's surprise, he took the initiative to kick the ball out to Zhou Ze.

Zhou Ze shot with extreme decisiveness.

The moment he got the ball, he fired.

After firing, he turned and ran back on defense.

Thanks to his decent athleticism and his position at the top of the arc, Zhou Ze was often the first player to get back on defense.

Once back, Zhou Ze's main task was protecting the rim and doing everything possible to stop the Suns from attacking the basket in transition.

Although Zhou Ze's rim protection was fairly ordinary, he was active, and with his 206 cm, 113 kg frame planted under the basket, he could still have some effect.

By the end of the first quarter, Zhou Ze had played 8 minutes and 11 seconds and gone 3-for-5 from three, with 2 of those makes assisted by Kobe.

Zhou Ze had 9 points, 1 rebound, 2 fouls, and 1 turnover in the quarter.

Kobe, who had received the Suns' special attention, had 8 points, 2 assists, and 1 steal.