Dribbled Past Six!

Kobe rose to his feet and looked toward Liu Yudong, the thick-browed, big-eyed player trying to rouse his teammates. Even a performance like that hadn't intimidated him? Wasn't he afraid?

Kobe smiled. A worthy opponent. Without players like this, wouldn't the game be boring? Kobe liked fighting players like him. The stronger the enemy, the more Kobe enjoyed the sense of accomplishment from defeating them.

"Fisher, Ben. Don't switch on ball-screen defense anymore. Go over the screen and let them shoot from outside. Fish, lock down their point guard. Ben, watch their power forward." Kobe immediately laid out the defensive strategy with his teammates. He knew Liu Yudong was China's offensive spearhead. If they denied him mismatches, Kobe wanted to see whether Liu could still play like a god.

"Got it. I'll keep him in check," Ben Wallace said in his deep voice. With barely any chance to shine so far, he planned to show Liu Yudong what he was made of.

The second quarter resumed. China's players had clearly been affected by Kobe's dunk. Their defensive attention was completely drawn to him, and whenever Kobe was outside the three-point line, they rushed to double-team him.

China had plenty of depth on the wings. They took turns guarding Kobe, doubling him whenever he had the ball and giving him extremely physical resistance. Kobe handled the ball steadily and distributed it to open teammates, but Fisher and Bowen were ice-cold from outside, clanking shot after shot.

The score remained tight. Neither side had many effective offensive options, and offensive efficiency plummeted. The slow-paced, physical half-court battle kept both teams' scoring low.

The first half ended with the Lakers leading China's men's national team 41:37, only a four-point advantage. Kobe was very dissatisfied with the result. If Fisher and Bowen had made those open threes, the game should have been over long ago.

This half also dealt the Lakers a harsh blow. The team's inconsistent outside shooting, lack of offensive creation, and insufficient physicality had all been exposed.

During halftime, Fisher and Bowen scarcely dared to look at Kobe. They had messed up the game, especially Fisher, who had accomplished nothing on either end of the floor.

"Fish, Bruce. Keep shooting," Kobe said without blaming them. He knew when to encourage and when to be strict. Right now, what his teammates needed most was his affirmation.

Kobe looked resolutely at his teammates. "Guys, we played well in the first half. But we're here to win! China hasn't surrendered. Shoot whenever you're open! Don't be afraid to miss. Even if you miss a hundred shots, as long as you're open, I'll pass you the ball. I believe you'll eventually make the shot that decides this game!"

Fisher was somewhat surprised. Kobe, who was usually so exacting in practice, hadn't blamed him during an actual game—even though he had practically ruined the entire half.

Rambis watched Kobe standing among his teammates, raising their morale. For a moment, he seemed to see a king leading his knights. Rambis began to understand why Kobe's teammates responded to his every call.

Players like this were born leaders. Simply standing on the court inspired their teams. Such leadership was exceedingly rare, and even rarer was possessing it at this age. While others his age were still chasing stats and monopolizing the ball, Kobe was already leading his team for the sake of victory.

Rambis no longer intended to fuss over Kobe interfering with the tactics. Harris was the head coach anyway; he could leave Harris to worry about it later. For now, Rambis only wanted to enjoy the rise of a superstar.

On China's side, coach Gong Luming also focused his praise on Liu Yudong, Wang Zhizhi, and Bater.

"Keep it up in the second half! Maintain the defensive intensity, don't give Kobe room to perform, double-team him! The score is close. All we need to do is win this game!" Gong Luming was excited. Both teams had a chance to win based on the situation on the court, and this was exactly the kind of victory he urgently needed. The Olympics were about to begin. He wanted to beat the Lakers and beat Kobe.

This game also made Gong Luming realize that the Lakers had a genius player in Kobe Bryant. China, likewise, had a formidable defensive wall formed by the gifted youngsters Wang Zhizhi and Bater. The future would belong to players like them.

The second half began. Kobe still calmly moved the ball out of double-teams. He had many ways to break them—shooting quickly before the trap formed, or getting free with off-ball movement before taking the shot, were both simple ways to crack it.

But with Kobe's current stamina, he could not guarantee that he could take over the game continuously for two quarters. So he waited for an opportunity, a chance to strike with one blow and kill the game.

Opportunities always favored those who were prepared. More than halfway through the third quarter, Liu Yudong's shot clanked off the rim under Ben Wallace's soaring defense.

"Rebound!" Tyrese boxed out, grabbed the rebound, and immediately handed it to Kobe.

Kobe slammed the ball down in front of him, exploded into motion, and sprinted down the court.

"Stop him!" Gong Luming shouted from the sideline.

Hu Weidong had been watching Kobe the entire time. He wanted to erase his humiliation and was the first to set his defensive stance, stepping in front of Kobe.

Kobe did not even slow down. Like a gust of wind, he ran straight over Hu Weidong.

"So fast!" Hu Weidong had no time to marvel. He turned and gave chase.

Liu Yudong was the second to appear in Kobe's path. Kobe pulled the ball with his left hand and used a hesitation crossover. Liu Yudong's feet failed to keep up, and Kobe blew right past him with ease!

"No way through here!" Li Nan and Li Xiaoyong came over to double-team him. Kobe lowered his body, the basketball dancing in his hands, and before the double-team could fully form, he slipped straight through the gap between them.

"Stop right there!" Hu Weidong caught up, caught up! Kobe pressed against Hu Weidong's body, spun with his back to the basket, and twisted past him like a top.

Liu Yudong caught up as well, reaching to steal the ball. Kobe had been ready. As he gathered the ball, he slowed his steps and softly laid it into the basket. Unable to stop his momentum, Liu Yudong missed the ball and instead ran out of bounds.

Kobe shook off six defenders and scored on a slow three-step layup!

In just a few seconds, Kobe broke through six consecutive defensive challenges!

What kind of performance was this? The basketball seemed like a beloved pet in his hands, firmly controlled as it danced back and forth between Kobe's palms.

The arena's volume spiraled out of control. Cheers, shrieks, and applause mingled together. Fisher rushed at Kobe immediately and gave him a hard shove.

"Damn, Fish only bows to you!" Fisher screeched.

"Tweet! China requests a timeout." The referee stopped the game and brought the scene under control. Otherwise, who knew how long this celebration would have continued?

Gong Luming hurriedly calmed his players, telling them that the score had not opened up and that there was still hope.

Not enough. Far from enough. Kobe looked at the Chinese team nervously drawing up its tactics and knew that was only a two-point basket. China's men's national team was nowhere near broken. This resilient team would not give up over such a score, so Kobe decided to deliver the fatal blow next.

"It's time to end the suspense, guys. Bring out your best."

"Understood!" The Lakers' momentum gathered together.