Nash Equilibrium

The Lakers cruised to their first preseason victory, with the Warriors effectively surrendering by halftime. Facing a Lakers team superior in both starters and reserves, they put up hardly any meaningful resistance.

Chris Mullin and Price were getting on in years, and as white players, their defense had become a considerable liability for the team.

In garbage time, a whole host of Lakers reserves got their chance to play.

Harris did not let Kobe play for too long. The season was long, and he worried that the kid would go too hard too early and run out of steam later on.

In just 17 minutes, Kobe efficiently put up an all-around stat line of 13 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. His tough yet nimble defense and thunderous dunks in transition left the courtside crowd at the Great Western Forum with a strong impression of this energetic rookie.

The second preseason game was held in Phoenix. The team boarded its plane and flew to the city.

Phoenix was the capital of Arizona, located in the desert on America's west coast. It received little rainfall and abundant sunshine. Arizona was best known for its beautiful, colorful sunsets, making "Suns" a particularly fitting team name.

After spending four years in Phoenix with nothing to show for it, "the Flying Pig" Charles Barkley had been overturned 4-3 by Olajuwon in this year's playoffs.

After the game, Charles Barkley angrily told his teammates, "Don't worry. I'll go have a word with them." Then he headed straight for Olajuwon's locker room.

Reportedly, his teammates never saw that MVP-caliber tough guy again. They only learned from the media that Charles Barkley had joined the Mosaic Team.

The Suns' current roster was not bad at all, stacked with quality players. Their starting point guard was 20-and-9 All-Star Kevin Johnson, while their shooting guard was the Alien, Sam Cassell. Last year's promising rookie, Mike Finley, started at small forward. Their frontcourt consisted of Showtime member A.C. Green and 1988 first overall pick Danny Manning.

Their bench was no slouch either, featuring this year's fifteenth pick Steve Nash, big-shot Robert Horry, and a group of other quality role players.

Despite having so many excellent teammates, Barkley had failed to achieve much with the Suns, then went and joined the very team that had just beaten him. It could not help but make people sigh. If he could not beat them, he joined them—his defection left Phoenix fans heartbroken.

After landing, Kobe and the others did not go out sightseeing with O'Neal. Instead, they continued working out in the hotel gym.

The next day, the game began.

At the opening tip, Van Exel, Eddie Jones, and Ceballos did not pass the ball inside. They began playing one-on-one, their offense flashy and graceful but not particularly efficient.

The Suns, meanwhile, pushed the pace and repeatedly converted fast breaks under Kevin Johnson's leadership. Unable to get the ball, O'Neal watched his teammates keep clanking shots, his frustration written all over his body language. He could barely even be bothered to get back on defense.

"Damn it, what are you doing?" Del Harris roared. The plays had looked fine in practice, so why did their heads get hot as soon as they stepped onto the court? Especially Ceballos—did he still think he was the number one scorer? Once the ball got into his hands, it never came back out. He was practically an offensive black hole.

"Listen, get the damn ball to O'Neal. If you can't do that, get off the court!"

Get them off the court already! These so-called stars can't even pass. Fisher muttered to himself. He could not wait to get out there and steal the spotlight with Kobe.

After the timeout, the Lakers guards finally behaved themselves. Once they stopped fooling around, simply feeding the ball to O'Neal was enough to make their offense work. On the defensive end, however, they still had no good answer for the Suns. The Lakers' starting lineup was somewhat lumbering. At the end of the first quarter, the Lakers trailed the Suns 17-24, down by 7.

Kobe entered the game in the second quarter and once again took the initiative to guard the ball-handler. The Suns' backup point guard was none other than future back-to-back MVP Steve Nash.

"Hey, Steve. We should play soccer together sometime." Nash froze for a moment. How did he know I liked playing soccer?

That was exactly the effect Kobe wanted. He picked Nash's pocket while he was distracted, strode into the Suns' half, pulled the ball down to his waist, spread his legs, and slammed it backward into the hoop.

"WOW~" Cries of surprise erupted from the sidelines. That dunk, combining power, leaping ability, and coordination, ignited the Suns' home crowd at America West Arena.

"Steve, welcome to the NBA. First lesson: never believe anything your opponent says." As Kobe retreated to his own half, he said this while passing Nash.

"Damn it." Nash frowned tightly. This scheming NBA—wasn't this guy a rookie just like him? What gave him the right to lecture him?

Bullying Steve Nash brought a smile to Kobe's face. Once this legendary point guard developed, there would be few chances to steal the ball from him. Kobe knew this future Son of the Wind very well. They had been rivals and even teammates for many years.

Nash dribbled across half court. Kobe did not press him too tightly, always leaving a body's worth of space. He knew this point guard was incredibly fast; if he crowded him too much, Nash would surely blow past him.

Nash ran a pick-and-roll with Horry, then delivered a behind-the-back pass to assist Robert Horry on a mid-range jumper.

"Guys, did sitting on the plane make your legs soft? I want to see some aggression." Kobe looked displeased at his somewhat sluggish teammates. He had nearly shut down every bit of Nash's scoring space, yet Nash had still found the open man and made the pass.

Kobe had the ball, while Nash defended Fisher. The defender in front of Kobe was Wesley Person. This 1.98-meter shooting guard was much stronger physically than Kobe at this point. Kobe tried to drive, but failed, leaving him no choice but to launch a three.

"Duang!" It missed.

Nash continued to match up against Kobe, once again using a pick-and-roll. After Kobe's callout, the Lakers reserves had become more active. This time, Ben Wallace closed out on Horry's shot. Tyrese grabbed the rebound and threw it ahead. Kobe had already sprinted toward the Suns' half as Horry took the shot, and he naturally took the pass, rose up, and hammered the ball through the hoop.

Kobe knew his offensive touch was poor in this game, so he devoted more of his energy to defense.

Under Kobe's pressure, Nash struggled to keep control of the ball. Though he did not create any great scoring opportunities or make any shots, at least he did not turn it over.

Nash did not commit turnovers, but the Suns still struggled to make shots. The Lakers' reserves were simply too strong at capitalizing on transitions. Young and tireless, they raced up and down the court, unleashing a storm of youthful energy. The deficit left by the starters was quickly erased, and they even took the lead.

The Suns called a timeout. Though it was not yet time for the regular rotation, coach Cotton Fitzsimmons was preparing to send in the starters to test themselves against these youngsters.