Kill the Suspense

"This is the China Men's National Basketball Team warm-up game brought to you by All Under Heaven TV. The game has reached the middle of the third quarter, with the Lakers leading China 57–49." Families across China sat gathered around their televisions, watching the game. With the Olympic Games drawing near, many people had already begun learning about the performances of China's teams in various events.

"During the timeout, Coach Su, how would you assess China's performance in this game?" The television audio crackled slightly, and the image on the bulky TV was a little blurry, but countless families still watched together with great interest.

"China's performance in this game has been fairly solid. They've moved the ball very quickly. However, the defenders have been highly focused on their matchups, making it difficult to create good open looks," Su Qun said on television.

"Very well. Then, Coach Su, what are your thoughts on Kobe Bryant, Jordan's successor at only seventeen years old?"

"This player, who only graduated from high school this year, is far from ordinary. He already has 21 points. The statistics can't reflect his impact on the court. You can see that he's leading the Lakers on both offense and defense. He's the Lakers' spearhead, the only player capable of cutting through China's defensive line." Su Qun looked somewhat grave. He could tell something was wrong with the flow of the game, but he still had nothing but praise for Kobe.

"That's right. For a player this age to put on such a performance is truly jaw-dropping. That play where he beat six defenders in a row, and that poster dunk over Bater—they were both absolutely savage!" Xu Jicheng chimed in.

"I hope the viewers remember this player named Kobe Bryant. Perhaps we are witnessing the rise of a future legend."

"Then, Teacher Su, what do you think of China's two young interior players, Wang Zhizhi and Bater?" Xu Jicheng knew they could not keep praising foreign players, so he shifted the topic toward the young twin towers.

"Wang Zhizhi is very gifted offensively. He carved up the Lakers' backup interior defense. But offense alone isn't enough. His frame is too slight, and he needs to improve his physicality to earn more playing time and gain better room for development."

"As for Bater, his physical gifts are truly first-rate. He stands there like a wall! His screens for his teammates are rock-solid, and he works extremely hard defensively. You have to know, on the play where Kobe posterized him, he could have chosen not to rotate over. Every player who gets posterized or shaken off is usually the one fighting hardest on defense." Su Qun spared no effort in praising the young domestic players.

"Teacher Su summed it up perfectly. The game is restarting—let's turn our attention back to the action!"

"China has possession, and the Lakers are once again using the full-court press they opened with! China looks a little flustered. They seemingly haven't recovered from Kobe's display just now."

"Li Nan's inbound pass is intercepted in midair by Bruce Bowen! After the steal, Bowen quickly passes to the unguarded Kobe. Kobe shoots from beyond the three-point line—it's in. Kobe Bryant knocks down the three."

"China doesn't call a timeout. The ball goes to Li Xiaoyong. Under Fisher's pressure, Li Xiaoyong protects the ball firmly and passes to Hu Weidong. Hu Weidong can't dribble under Kobe's tight defense, so he swings it to Liu Yudong."

"Liu Yudong backs down Ben Wallace. He gives him two bumps but can't move him, then kicks the ball back out to point guard Li Xiaoyong on the perimeter. Time is running out. Li Xiaoyong hurriedly puts it up—missed! Kobe grabs the long rebound!"

"Kobe pushes the ball upcourt. China doesn't dare pressure him and retreats, packing the paint. Kobe stops two steps beyond the three-point line. What is he going to do?"

"Kobe lets it fly—a deep three is good! China can't get out to contest it."

"Kobe scores eight straight by himself: first a layup after beating six defenders in a row, then two crisp, clean threes. He sparks an 8–0 offensive run, and China calls a timeout."

After the timeout, China still couldn't organize an effective offense. Whenever the Lakers faced a pick-and-roll, they went under it, leaving Li Xiaoyong room to shoot threes. With his three-point shots repeatedly missing, Li Xiaoyong could only let Liu Yudong face Ben Wallace one-on-one. Liu Yudong was overpowered by Ben Wallace's strength, and China's most prominent offensive weapon was stalled. Every other perimeter option was smothered by the defense.

The Lakers' passion for the game had been completely ignited by Kobe's miraculous performance! As we know, momentum is an extremely important thing in basketball. It is hard to explain and impossible to see clearly, yet it affects every aspect of the game. A team that finds its momentum can often play at 120 percent of its ability. A team whose momentum is suppressed, meanwhile, often falls into playing on its own.

Kobe had lifted the Lakers' momentum, leading his teammates by example. China, on the other hand, was clearly rattled. They had lost their footing, and turnovers came one after another.

The Lakers continued to push the pace, capitalizing on turnovers and China's missed shots. Wave after wave of defensive fast breaks shattered China's defense. China had no ability to fight back, and the game became completely one-sided.

Kobe drove inside and shot from outside, getting his shots off quickly before China's double-teams could form. With his hand scorching hot, he knocked down jumpers one after another.

At the end of three quarters, the Lakers led China 89–64. The game had lost all suspense, and neither side sent out its starting lineup afterward.

Kobe clocked out after three quarters with a spectacular stat line of 31 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals. For China, Liu Yudong played brilliantly, putting up 25 points and 8 rebounds.

But China's perimeter players had been completely shut down. Under the defense led by Fisher, Kobe, and Bowen, not a single guard scored in double figures.

After the game, Kobe went over to Liu Yudong, who looked somewhat dejected. Even though it was only a warm-up game, Liu Yudong valued every victory.

"'Exchange jerseys?' What does that mean?" Liu Yudong stared wide-eyed at Kobe, who had taken off his jersey. This young man had seemed rather pleasant when they met the day before yesterday, but now Liu Yudong found him more and more unpleasant to look at.

"Whoa! This kid wants to exchange jerseys with you!" Zhang Weiping walked over and explained it to Liu Yudong.

"Exchange jerseys?" It was Liu Yudong's first time encountering something like this. He smiled shyly. He felt that he had played rather poorly in this game, but he still took off his jersey and handed it to Kobe.

"Kobe says you played great. If any of you want to come to the United States to play, you can ask him for help! This is wonderful!" Zhang Weiping said excitedly. What basketball player didn't dream of playing in the United States? Having an opportunity to leave the country would be a major breakthrough for Chinese basketball.

Kobe spoke with the Chinese players for a while. After learning that quite a few of them wanted to play in the United States, he told them to perform well at the Olympic Games, and that he would contact the players who stood out.

Some players on this China team truly had the ability to make it to the NCAA. If Liu Yudong were not a little older and lacking much potential, he could have made an NBA roster and served as a floor-spacing shooter in the second unit without any problem.

Basketball was wonderful because of the world's diversity. If the United States dominated basketball alone, wouldn't it lose its appeal?

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