The Whip of the God of Basketball

With the four sides wide open, Kobe dribbled facing Laga Bell with his back hunched, like a poisonous snake waiting for an opportunity.

This is not the first time Bell and Kobe have met in the finals. As early as 2001, Bell was still playing for the Philadelphia 76ers. In his first NBA season, he was lucky enough to reach the finals with the team. , their opponent is the Lakers.

Of course, luck does not always accompany Bell. As early as 1999, he participated in the NBA draft, but on that draft night when the stars were not bright, he was still ignored and unfortunately failed to be selected. After that, he wandered around the low-level leagues, and finally was spotted by the Spurs in 2000 and signed a short-term contract. After that, he failed to play a game and was transferred to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Although he did not perform well in the 76ers' regular season, he was still included in Larry Brown's 76ers playoff roster. Brown valued Bell's efforts and talent on the defensive end.

But in the finals, with limited playing time, Bell knew what talent was. He was facing Kobe.

Kobe was 22 years old that year. He had played in the NBA for 5 seasons and was selected to the All-Stars 3 times, 1 All-Defensive First Team, and 1 All-Defensive Second Team. In the 2000-2001 season, he averaged 28.5 points per game and was one of the best backcourt scorers in the league.

And that year, Laga Bell was 24 years old, two years older than Kobe. He was undrafted. He had not played a full NBA season. His appearances and playing time were negligible. He averaged 1 point per game. He had no honors or any honors. fame. Entering the finals with the 76ers will not bring any changes. What he is thinking about is not how to win a championship for the 76ers, but where he should go next.

In their extremely limited playing time, Bell and Kobe teamed up several times, but it was insignificant. Kobe could easily score, pass, and pass over Bell. The relationship between them was just like the Lakers and 76ers that year. , one side is so powerful that it is suffocating, while the other side only has an unyielding spirit.

After that, Bell left the 76ers and was spotted by the Mavericks, where he found his place and reached the Western Conference Finals with the Mavericks that season. In the summer of 2003, he became a free agent and received a recruitment offer from the Celtics. He hesitated but agreed because their head coach was Fox Leon.

When he was struggling in the lower leagues after being undrafted, it was Leon's scouting team who recommended him and he got a short contract with the Spurs because Leon had a good relationship with Presti, the Spurs' player director. This small fate allowed him to finally settle in Boston, and once again reached the Finals with the Celtics this season. It can be said that Bell has been playing for championship-level teams since entering the NBA, which gave him a strong Quality of will.

Now, he faces Kobe again. Time has passed for three years. Kobe has experienced ups and downs and hardships, but he is still a superstar, while Bell is still an ordinary role player, but he knows that he is no longer three years old. The former trash player who played in insignificant trash time is now an important chess piece in the hands of coach Leon.

This time, he will never back down. No matter what skills Kobe uses to torture him, his heart will not be shaken in the slightest.

"Kobe, try to go to the right. Bell is very close to the ground. Kobe throws Bell away, but Bell takes the ball away from behind... The two people compete for the ball... fight for the ball, fight for the ball." Brin was very happy. It's hard to believe that Kobe Bryant had already beaten Bell with this ball, but Bell was able to knock the ball out of Kobe's hands from behind and create a scrimmage.

Both men fell to the ground. Garnett immediately stepped forward and pulled Bell up together with Pierce. On the Lakers side, only Fox came up and pulled Kobe up, and the two competed for the ball.

Obviously Kobe didn't expect that Bell could disrupt the offense from behind with this ball. He was still a little careless, thinking that if he passed Bell, he would be safe.

The two stood in the free throw circle fighting for the ball. Bell was no match for Kobe in terms of bounce, speed or strength. However, when the ball was thrown to the highest point, he still grabbed the ball before Kobe with the fingertips of his right hand. He dialed the ball in Garnett's direction, and Garnett stretched out his arms and took the ball into his arms.

"Garnett made a long pass, Arenas got the ball, Paul Pierce caught the ball in the middle and made a layup! I think Phil Jackson is going to call a timeout."

The Celtics once again completed a beautiful fast break. Arenas received the pass on the wing, and then passed it to the center to Pierce, who cut inside. Pierce easily succeeded in a left-hand layup, and the score difference between the two sides was It has been opened to 7 points, which is the largest point difference in the game so far.

However, Phil Jackson insisted not to call a timeout. He believed that a timeout would not solve the problem. The players need to solve the dilemma on the court themselves, otherwise they will not be able to beat the Celtics.

This time the Lakers offense did not leave Kobe alone. They went to O'Neal. When O'Neal had a good offensive position in the low post, this behemoth was very scary. He turned around with a strong back and completed one over Brown's head. One-handed dunk.

"The Lakers still relied on O'Neal to break the scoring drought, but if they can't defend the Celtics' offense, then..." Brin didn't even have time to finish his words, and the Celtics' counterattack was already halfway through. field.

Leon's tactics in the midfield are very clear. Since Reid is not on the court and there is no outside ball-holding point, he will launch a second quick counterattack and use high-speed offense to wear down the bulky and aging Lakers.

Arenas' legs were like hot wheels, running non-stop. Running with him was the Celtics forward. Bell replaced Reid's role as a feint attacker and began to ambush in the bottom corner. , while Pierce is wandering near Arenas. Once Arenas passes the ball, he can directly attack with the ball by relying on a screen.

Garnett, on the other hand, has done a good job at his pivot point, quickly distributing the ball near the top of the arc, and if given the chance, he will also use jump shots to attack the Lakers' defense.

As he spoke, Arenas broke through to the basket, then turned around and passed the ball to Garnett. Garnett passed the ball to Pierce. Pierce received the ball and made a feint shot, and then made a pull-up jumper.

The Celtics' fast-paced offense made Kobe feel itchy. He couldn't watch the team lose points like this, but he couldn't guard five people by himself. In that case, he could always beat five people by himself.

"Give me the ball!" Kobe shouted at Fox who was serving the ball. Fox sent the ball to Kobe from the baseline. Kobe took the ball and ran with luck.

Bell was like a dog-skin plaster, sticking tightly to Kobe until Kobe slowed down outside the three-point line, and Bell also slowed down. In short, he was clinging to Kobe.

"A clingy piece of shit." Kobe couldn't help but cursed while holding the ball. Kobe rarely talked trash during games, but this time he couldn't help it. The fight for the ball just now made him very embarrassed. , and now he clings to himself and feels very uncomfortable.

Obviously, Kobe is a little anxious. It's not like he has never encountered such high-intensity defense. When his mentality is calm, he can deal with these difficult opponents with ease. However, once his mentality is unbalanced and he wants to score as soon as possible and thinks about FMVP, everything will fail. Everything is different.

Kobe chose to force a shot from outside the three-point line. He wanted to grab a three-pointer, but the ball hit the front of the basket. Arenas grabbed the long rebound and he dribbled directly to launch a counterattack.

But when Arenas was preparing for a one-stop layup, Kobe fell from the sky and knocked the ball out of Arenas' hands, making a beautiful chase.

"This guy really fought hard, but it's a pity that he spelled it in the wrong place..." Leon watched Kobe chasing the risk at the risk of his own strength, and in his heart he paused the tenacity of this poisonous snake, but excessive paranoia will only hurt himself and the team. .

With the fans sighing in disappointment, Kobe wanted to rub salt into the Celtics' wounds. He dribbled the ball from the middle. Facing Bell, he advanced and retreated rhythmically, turned around and faked a beautiful move. Step up and prepare to finish the offense with a forward jump shot.

"Kobe, his beautiful steps shook Bell away... But, oh, Bell fouled. He grabbed Kobe's throat from behind and pulled him down. Foul, a flagrant foul."

Lagabelle was like a mongoose that was inseparable from the snake. He gave the snake a fierce bite on its back and knocked Kobe to the ground. After the foul, Bell took the initiative to raise his hands, and Kobe jumped up excitedly and rushed to Bell.

Players from both sides immediately stepped forward and pulled the two apart. Facing the aggressive Kobe, Bell said nothing and had no intention of counterattack. He just muttered to himself: "I won't let you score easily. I won't." Let you score easily."