Barkley: I Don't Have Presbyopia, Do I!

Allen Iverson was still at his peak. With speed in the league's T0 tier, once he blew past the first line of defense and charged full speed to the rim, neither Zhou Ze nor his starting frontcourt partner tonight—Chris Mihm—had any answer for him.

Their defensive reactions were always a beat too slow, making them look like lumbering big men.

Iverson had an exceptionally refined grasp of layup rhythm.

The sudden leap for the floater flashed like lightning, slipping past the defender's blockade.

Then there was the angle at which he banked the ball off the glass.

The Lakers' perimeter defenders could not stop Iverson's drives. Though Smush Parker followed him with everything he had, he still could not contain The Answer on the basketball court.

Iverson and Kobe, the two most outstanding players of the Golden Generation of '96, were always compared by fans.

Their matchups were always needle against awl.

But Kobe's shot was ice-cold tonight. He went 2-for-9 in the first quarter, including 0-for-2 from three, scoring only 4 points in the quarter.

Zhou Ze was much the same. After breaking the NBA regular-season record for most threes in a half in the previous game, it was as if aliens had stolen his shooting package this game. He managed only 3 points and 1 rebound, going 1-for-4 from beyond the arc.

Of course, besides Zhou Ze's poor three-point touch, Chris Webber was also guarding him very tightly.

Chris Webber had been traded by the Sacramento Kings to the Philadelphia 76ers last season. After suffering a major injury, he had long since dropped out of the league's top four power forwards. In the Western Conference semifinals of the 2003-04 season, he had even been thoroughly dominated by Kevin Garnett.

But a starving camel was still bigger than a horse. Last season, he still averaged 19.5 points and 9.1 rebounds.

This season, he had even put up 20+10 numbers, enjoying something of a second spring.

Iverson, on the other hand, went 4-for-8 in the opening quarter and 4-for-5 from the free-throw line, scoring 12 points in the quarter.

Chris Webber went 2-for-4 and 2-for-2 from the line, finishing with 6 points and 3 rebounds.

At the end of the first quarter, the Lakers trailed the Philadelphia 76ers 21-26, down by 5.

After the second quarter began, Kobe, who was being tightly guarded, still could not find his touch.

Clang!

After another picture-perfect brick, Kobe gritted his teeth. Just as he was about to get back on defense, he saw Zhou Ze rise straight up and snatch the offensive rebound over Chris Webber's head.

At his peak, Chris Webber possessed outstanding athleticism, quick leaping ability, elite rebounding for a power forward, a precise mid-range shot, and excellent passing.

But after his major injury, Webber's athleticism had declined dramatically. On top of that, his style of play had always been somewhat soft.

Fans might tease Zhou Ze as a "soft big," but Zhou Ze's softness was entirely different from Webber's.

Zhou Ze was brutally physical when boxing out for rebounds and on the defensive end. He just liked shooting threes a tiny little bit too much.

When the rebound happened to fall into Zhou Ze's area, Zhou Ze bumped Webber with his shoulder, causing Webber to miss the best moment to jump.

Smack! Zhou Ze's huge hand clamped down on the basketball like an iron vise. After landing, he gripped it tightly and flicked it one-handed toward Kobe. Chris Webber immediately launched himself forward, trying to disrupt the pass.

Kobe was ready to receive it as well.

The next instant, the fans let out an involuntary "Wow!" Webber had lunged at nothing. Zhou Ze had not passed the ball at all—it was merely a fake. At the same time, with Webber having flown out and unable to pull himself back, a vast open space appeared before him.

Zhou Ze rose quickly. Boom! He viciously slammed the ball through the hoop with both hands. Almost at the same time, an arm swept over the rim.

The arm belonged to Philadelphia 76ers center Steven Hunter. At 213 cm and 100 kg, he had come over to help defend, but he was half a beat too late. Zhou Ze got there first and dunked the ball through.

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In the TNT broadcast booth.

"Haha, Zhou, this kid's fakes and ability to read the defense have improved tremendously lately," Charles Barkley said with a laugh.

"What surprises me most is that Zhou ignored Kobe calling for the ball again. Of course, this time, his offensive choice was very smart," Kenny Smith said approvingly.

On the court, Webber had been fooled by the rookie Zhou Ze's fake and watched him throw down a dunk right in front of him. On the next possession, he wanted to post Zhou Ze up down low.

Webber stood 206 cm tall, weighed 111 kg, and had a 222 cm wingspan. In terms of raw physical tools, he was half a tier above Zhou Ze.

Zhou Ze had no intention of letting Webber have his way, doing his best to push him away from the basket.

This made it difficult for Webber to establish position in the post, his feet like duckweed with no roots.

"Fuck, this rookie only outweighs me by 2 kg, but his strength is this insane?" Webber could not help feeling as though he were backing down Carl Malone.

To be fair, Chris Webber did not have the latest information on Zhou Ze.

When Zhou Ze first entered the league, he indeed weighed only 113 kg, 2 kg more than Webber. But perhaps because he received more scientific training after entering the NBA, or because his wingspan had increased by 2 cm, Zhou Ze now weighed 113.5 kg.

That was 1.5 kg more than at the draft.

Webber forced his way into receiving the ball, but he caught it fairly far from the basket.

After catching it, he gave his shoulders a realistic shake, shifted his right foot, and suddenly spun with his back to the basket. Just as he was about to complete the turn, smack! rang out.

The basketball slipped from Webber's hand, and Zhou Ze sprinted toward the loose ball.

"OMG!"

"Those hands were so fast!"

"That strip was like a beheading—steady, precise, ruthless."

Even Kenny Smith cried out in surprise in the TNT broadcast booth.

Though Chris Webber was past his prime, he had still been stripped so easily by a rookie not known for his defense.

"That old guy Chris underestimated Zhou too much. He tried to spin before both feet were fully set—way too careless." Charles Barkley spotted the issue at a glance.

With Zhou Ze bodying him up, Chris Webber struggled to make a smooth move, slowing down his spin; moreover, when he tried to use his shoulder to bump Zhou Ze away during the turn, he was bounced back instead, leaving the ball completely exposed.

Zhou Ze seized the moment and reached in for the steal.

Barkley analyzed the details of Zhou Ze's strip.

Not long after.

After Kobe clanked a shot, Zhou Ze jumped with his body practically pressed against Webber's and once again snatched the offensive rebound right over Webber's head.

Barkley looked at his longtime partner with a face full of disbelief. "My dear Mr. Kenny, I don't know if my eyes are playing tricks on me."

"Huh!?" Kenny Smith smiled at his amusing partner.

"I noticed that Zhou's not only getting off the ground faster, but his wingspan seems to have gotten a little longer too." Barkley stared wide-eyed at Zhou Ze on the screen.

"My dear Sir Charles, you really ought to get yourself a good pair of glasses." Kenny Smith couldn't help teasing him.

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