Basketball's most talented forward is on the left

February 13, Staples Arena.

A familiar figure appeared outside the training hall.

Six o'clock in the morning, Kobe Bryant.

Skillfully turning on the lights in the arena and preparing all the props needed for training, Kobe started the warm-up before training with ease.

Although he is 32 years old this year, and being in Los Angeles at four in the morning is rarely part of his training plan, he is still one of the hardest working guys in the league. It is not news that he comes to the training ground three hours early.

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However, Kobe trained extremely seriously today. He even added a few sets of strength training after his daily shooting training, because tonight, he had a game that he did not want to lose no matter what.

By the time his teammates arrived at the arena, Kobe was already sweating profusely, but this did not prevent him from completing all the morning training in an instant according to the rhythm.

At noon, Kobe, who was replenishing his energy, looked at the text message on his phone from tonight's opponent and smiled.

"This guy is as cool as ever." Kobe sighed, replied, put down his phone, and continued eating his lunch.

The phone reflected the light, and the text message came from Zuo Li:

"Kobe, I'm already here. Are you ready for the battle tonight?"

And Kobe's reply was: "Of course, be prepared to cry when you lose."

Yes, the outside world regards Zuo Li and Kobe as mortal enemies, even more serious than James-Kobe and Zuo Li-James.

Because the latter two groups are more controversial from the outside world, in fact, they have no actual conflict. After all, neither James and Zuo Li nor Kobe and James have ever met in the playoffs.

But Kobe and Zuo Li are different.

The two of them met in the finals two years ago, played 14 games, and each won a championship over the other. At the same time, Zuo Li was also behind Kobe, constantly setting new records that Kobe set that year.

No matter how you look at it, these two people meet the definition of mortal enemies.

However, the truth of the matter may disappoint the fans watching the excitement, because although they are opponents, they are also friends.

No fight, no acquaintance.

Perhaps this word is the most appropriate way to describe the relationship between the two.

On the court, they are rivals who want to kill each other, but off the court, they are friends who often greet each other.

Maybe it's because of the compatibility, both of them feel that the other is a respectable opponent, especially after losing the tiebreaker, Kobe has put Zuoli in the same position as himself.

This is not easy. Even if he lost to the Celtics in the finals, Kobe would never put Pierce in his eyes, because Kobe was much more confident than him in terms of offense than defense.

But Zuo Li was different.

Zuo Li is a guy who truly has superhuman strength, and he is also a guy he must take 200% seriously.

Talented, diligent, hard-working, humble, and studious.

Kobe seemed to see himself when he first entered the league.

I asked various free time and active and retired superstars for their unique knowledge and experience. Apart from Kobe himself, Zuo Li was really the first one in so many years.

"This is a man who has the opportunity to achieve dominance and become a king." Kobe once made such an evaluation of Zuo Li.

Over the years, Kobe was confident that he could win against anyone he faced, but against Zuo Li, he had no such confidence.

Moreover, Kobe was also surprised that Zuo Li had consulted so many current and retired superstars, but he had never been consulted!

This further stimulated Kobe's competitive spirit. Every time they met, Kobe hoped to suppress Zuo Li.

This time is the best and one of the most important opportunities. Zuo Li proved Kobe's vision with 13 consecutive 40 games. This guy is indeed a monster, because although Kobe is confident enough in his scoring, he has 40 games in 13 consecutive games, even at his peak.

He didn't dare to say that he was completely sure, but Zuo Li did it and still won completely.

Coincidentally, with one game left, Zuo Li will prove the quality of modern basketball and surpass Chamberlain. This is what every scorer in future generations hopes to achieve.

But it's a pity that Kobe doesn't have the habit of making background boards.

"So, I'm sorry, I know you really want to do it tonight, but it's not going to happen."

When shaking hands before the game, Kobe said to Zuo Li.

"You know after fighting that you may not be able to hold on to victory or record." Zuo Li responded calmly. He came tonight with this purpose in mind.

And while the two were making harsh remarks to each other, the attention of this game was also rising crazily.

Prior to this, the Christmas Day game between the Knicks and the Heat held the record for the highest ratings this season, but before the start of this game, this record was almost unstoppable.

At the scene, all 19,800 seats were filled, and the front row was also star-studded. Big names from all walks of life were also present, and there were even many current stars, such as Durant and Westbrook, as well as the still-unremarkable Ha

Deng, there is Bill Russell next door. It is not easy to see the old man in Staples.

O'Mei's family also came. O'Mei was filming near Los Angeles. She had been working hard before, just to free up time during the All-Star Game so that she could spend some quality time with her boyfriend. Now, she

I have entered the vacation rhythm early, and of course I want to come to support my man tonight.

Coupled with a bunch of rappers, it made people think it was an all-star arena.

Oh, that’s almost it, because this is the last game before the All-Star Game. After this game, the league will enter the rhythm of the All-Star Game. And this year’s All-Star Game itself will be held in Los Angeles, which is just right.

It’s the 60th anniversary of the All-Star Game, so many current stars who have finished playing games and retired stars who have nothing to do at home have chosen to come to Los Angeles in advance.

And since we are all here, how can we miss this focus battle?

"Okay! Okay then! This focus battle before the All-Star Weekend is about to begin!"

"The starting lineups of both sides have already arrived on the court. We see the Lakers sending out a combination of Bynum, Gasol, Artest, Kobe and Blake."

"The Knicks have a regular left winger, Randolph, Battier, Belinelli and Curry."

"Compared with the last game, Bynum's return is very important to the Lakers. In the last game, without him protecting the frame in the paint, it can be said that Zuo Li has no pressure at all. But tonight, Bynum will definitely defend Zuo Li.

After all, in addition to the victory or defeat tonight, whether Zuo Li can continue to break through the 40-point mark is also what we are most concerned about!"

In the TNT live broadcast room, Barkley gave a brief introduction to the game.

"So, Charles, do you think Zuo Li can do it tonight?" Smith asked.

"There is a chance, but it is not easy. It depends on what the Lakers think." Barkley replied.

For Zuo Li, the difficulty of this game is foreseeable. If you think about it with your toes, the Zen Master will also use the strongest defense to restrict Zuo Li.

The first 3 minutes of the game also proved this. Once Zuo Li got the ball, he was followed by a double attack. Bynum and Artest, Gasol and Kobe were not comparable to the few rotten shrimps in the Nets yesterday.

Under this kind of defense, Zuo Li hardly got any good opportunities and failed to score a point in three minutes.