Just as Chen Hao was preparing to show off his skills in the upcoming game against the Nuggets, the team informed him that he did not need to participate in the preseason. He would start training with the team's main players to prepare for the new season.
That was why there was an internal training match between Chen Hao's reserve team and Kobe's main team.
As soon as the game started, Chen Hao and Kobe were already facing each other.
There was no other way. Kobe ignored everyone and went straight to the door. Chen Hao expressed that he could not show weakness and chose to fight head-on.
" You did well in the preseason." Kobe's gaze was a little confused.
Chen Hao didn't doubt him."It's just so-so. After all, it's just a preseason game. The intensity of the game isn't too high. I can defend against Kobe Bryant. If I can't even play well in the preseason game, then I'm too weak ~"
" Arrogant guy. I'm the only one in the world who can stop me," Kobe said confidently.
Without waiting for a response, he immediately launched an attack.
The rest of the players in the stadium were all watching the match between Kobe and Chen Hao.
With the end of the previous two games against the Wizards, Chen Hao showed a strong ability to defend on the outside in a direct confrontation with Arenas, who was known as a scoring machine. He also showed his outstanding talent in ball control and organization.
In the second game against the Wizards, Arenas's mental state exploded. He directly fouled him and left the court in anger. After this incident was widely publicized by the news media, it could be said that the entire league exploded.
Last season, Arenas, who had an average of 25.5 points per game, 4.7 rebound per game, and 5.1 assist per game, was undoubtedly at the level of an All-Star. This season, he was given even higher expectations, but he was limited by a rookie who had just entered the league. It was really surprising that his mentality was blown up.
More people started to pay attention to Chen Hao, the rookie.
This included the media and fans who had been paying attention to the Rockets, specifically Big Yao.
They began to pay attention to this Chinese who had suddenly appeared.
This allowed Chen Hao to directly enter the field of vision of the fans and audience without playing a regular season game. His popularity and attention increased at an extremely fast speed.
This was especially true on the Los Angeles team. Everyone looked at Chen Hao differently.
However, Odom and the others had never seen Chen Hao play with their own eyes. Seeing was believing. Now that they had a chance to experience Chen Hao's defensive ability, they naturally wouldn't miss it. They all became spectators.
Chen Hao did not pay attention to this and focused on defending against Kobe.
No matter how Kobe's rhythm changed, I would remain unmoved!
He had been perfectly stuck in Kobe's offensive line, not giving him a chance to break through. Despite the repeated attempts to completely shake off his defense, Kobe was not in a hurry. After all, he had long known that Chen Hao's defensive ability was extremely strong.
This time, he just wanted to let his other teammates, and even the head coach, Phil Jackson, feel Chen Hao's strength.
It was undoubtedly helping Chen Hao establish his prestige.
On the basketball court, strength was always the most important thing.
As long as he could show enough strength to convince his coach and teammates, Chen Hao would definitely get more opportunities in the new season. This was something Kobe was very happy to see. After all, Chen Hao was a teammate he recognized and had high hopes for.
Chen Hao didn't know about this. He just went all out to defend. He was facing Kobe anyway. The other side wouldn't care about petty tricks, so he naturally wouldn't lack them. The money was increasing very quickly. This made Phil Jackson, who was watching from the sidelines, raise his eyebrows.
Hoffman, who was standing beside him, explained,""Phil, don't think that Hao did this just because he has a good relationship with Bryant. In the last game against the Wizards, he dared to do this the first time he saw Arenas. He was very dedicated on the defensive end and didn't care about his feathers.”
"He doesn't look like a rookie from this era. He looks more like a rookie from our era.”Phil Jackson replied indifferently with a hint of agreement in his eyes.
How could Hoffman not know what his old friend was thinking? He immediately nodded in agreement. Chen Hao's defensive style and style could be said to be the complete opposite of the rookies of this era, but it made the veterans who had experienced the ups and downs of the Alliance in the 1990s like him very much.
This was what basketball should be like!
A real man would do it!
Basketball was a sissy sport!
The look in his eyes would not lie. Chen Hao had a big heart and was extremely focused on defense. This was something that people admired.
At the same time, the match on the court continued. Kobe finally managed to break through. When he stopped to make a jump shot, he was blocked by Chen Hao's blindfold defense. This was the first time Chen Hao had used this kind of defense against Kobe.
It was inevitable for Kobe to feel uncomfortable.
The basketball bounced out of the basket.
Bynum protected the rebound and passed the ball over.
"Pa ~"
Chen Hao had just raised his hand to receive the basketball when Kobe had already stepped forward to defend. He did not give Chen Hao any space at all. His strength was extremely high.
This gave the surrounding people the illusion that this game was not just a team training match, but more like a playoffs!
Kobe was actually so serious when facing a rookie!
Faced with Kobe's aggressive and pressing defense, Chen Hao controlled the ball steadily and made full use of his control skills. He did not give Kobe any chance to steal, nor did he blindly fight with Kobe.
" You're very smart. Your ability to protect the ball is very good." Phil Jackson's eyes flashed with admiration.
Having coached Kobe for several seasons, he had a deep understanding of his defensive abilities.
Chen Hao's ability to keep the ball intact while Kobe defended with all his might and steadily pushed to the front court was commendable. He was capable of handling most situations in the regular season and even the playoffs. He was an excellent point guard candidate.
However, what happened next made Phil Jackson decide to position Chen Hao as the starting point guard for the new season.
Chen Hao relied on the pick-and-roll to get past Kobe and smoothly broke into the penalty area. He passed the ball behind him without looking at anyone and sent the ball into the hands of Turiaf, who cut inside the penalty area. After the latter received the ball, he jumped up and scored with both hands.
How did he see Turiaf?!
This was the true thought of most of the players on the court.
The bystanders had a clearer view. Phil Jackson could see it very clearly from the sidelines. When Chen Hao protected the ball and pushed forward, even when he broke through, he was observing the positioning of the players on the field almost at all times. His vision was excellent, and his passing awareness was even better.
Such a player could be said to have perfectly made up for Kobe's shortcomings.
Even though Kobe had an average of 4.5 assists per game last season, he mostly passed the ball when he did not have a chance. He rarely took the initiative to pass the ball, and the timing of the pass was too sudden. The ball did not follow the routine, and the receiver could not react in time.
In order to perfectly cooperate with Kobe and receive his pass, the receiver's strength and concentration had to be extremely focused.
It could be said that Kobe's passing organization required the cooperation of his teammates, and the latter was very passive.
Chen Hao was the exact opposite. Phil Jackson saw the potential of a top point guard in him.
He could take the initiative to match his teammates 'playing habits and style, giving extremely comfortable passes.
Anyway, the team's goal for him this season was to enter the playoffs and try his best to break through the first round. Phil Jackson said that entering the playoffs should not be a problem. After all, he had a strong support like Chen Hao. Unfortunately, he only signed for a year.
With that in mind, Phil Jackson began to think about how to sign a new contract with Chen Hao. The current salary space of the Los Angeles Clippers was very abundant. They could provide Chen Hao with a generous contract and keep him on the team.
Of course, these were all things for the future. The contract had just been signed not long ago, and it was definitely unrealistic to change it now.
The game continued. Chen Hao cooperated well with the substitutes. He didn't fight for the right to shoot, and his style of passing the ball attracted a lot of attention.
No one didn't like pancakes.
It was the kind of cake that didn't require too much effort and could be eaten as long as one opened their mouth. There was really no reason to reject it.
Watching Chen Hao lead the substitutes and play well, although they were still suppressed by the main lineup, exciting scenes appeared from time to time. Phil Jackson nodded to himself and immediately instructed Hoffman.
The latter immediately called a halt to the match and switched positions between Chen Hao and Smash Parker, allowing them to enter the main lineup.
With Kobe, Odom, Mihm, and Cook.
Such an action was already very clear that they were testing who could better integrate into the main lineup between Chen Hao and Parker.
The main team organized the attack ~
Kobe didn't ask for the ball right away. Compared to Parker, he definitely trusted Chen Hao more. Naturally, he was happy that he was relaxed and didn't take on all the responsibilities.
After controlling the ball for half the court, Chen Hao was immediately attacked by Parker's tight defense. His expression was as usual as he gave Kobe a look a few steps away.
With a tacit understanding, Kobe quickly rushed over to help with the pick-and-roll ~
The eyeballs on the ground were shocked ~
The boss of the team was helping the rookie to block and roll. Was he dreaming?
However, that was what happened. Relying on the pick-and-roll, Chen Hao easily broke away from the defense. After a successful breakthrough, Chen Hao easily broke into the free-throw line area. He did not even look at the situation behind him. It was as if the basketball had left his hand and flew out of his fingertips at an extremely fast speed.
It smashed heavily onto the backboard.
"A mistake?" Parker thought happily.
Parker had always been very wary of the biggest competitor for the starting position in front of him. Naturally, he was very happy to see Chen Hao make a mistake.
However, before he could continue his daydream, a figure soared into the air, grabbed the basketball that bounced back, and pressed it into the basket.
Kobe Bryant!
At this moment, Black Mamba became Peter Pan
" The pass was a little rough," Kobe said proudly.
After spending so much time together, how could Chen Hao not know Kobe's thoughts? He laughed and said,"" I know you're strong enough to receive it, so I won't bother."
"Yes ~"
Satisfied with Chen Hao's reply, Kobe ran to the front field.
"This guy is too easy to coax ~" Chen Hao laughed.
On the defensive end, he didn't hold back at all. Parker, who was originally trying to regain his position and keep his starting position, suddenly began to doubt his life.
Who am I?
Where am I?
Was this guy really the Chinese he remembered?
Chen Hao, whose defensive ability was no longer what it used to be, successfully intercepted the ball and quickly controlled the ball to cross the half court. He cooperated with Odom to pass the ball two-by-one and easily broke through the defenders. The front was flat.
He rushed into the penalty area. Just when everyone thought that Chen Hao wanted to score, he smashed the basketball from his crotch to the floor.
Odom, who had been following closely behind, received the pass, jumped, and dunked with both hands to score.
After landing, he excitedly high-fived Chen Hao.
"What a beautiful spread ~"
"Your slam dunk is very domineering ~"
Chen Hao and Odom boasted to each other, and they seemed to have a very harmonious relationship.
However, he did not notice Kobe's sour expression a few steps away. They had agreed to be each other's angels. Why did they betray each other?
In the following game, Chen Hao's defense completely restricted Parker, and his offense was even more compatible with his teammates. Wonderful scenes appeared from time to time, completely dispelling the slightest hesitation in Phil Jackson's heart.
After the team match, he even announced that Chen Hao would be the team's main point guard for the new season, which was to stop other people's wild thoughts.
"F * ck!”
With less than ten days left before the start of the new season, the Los Angeles Clippers finally confirmed the starting lineup of the five tigers. The positions of the other players were also confirmed. They were ready to wait for the start of the new season.
The specific lineup is as follows:
Center: Chris Mihm
Power Forward: Brian Cook
Small Forward: Lamar Odom
Shooting guard: Kobe Bryant
Point Guard: Chen Hao
In addition to the starting five Tigers, the team also had substitutes and role players such as Kouame Brown, Ronny Turiaf, Sasha Vujasic, and Devin George. The overall strength of the lineup was not the best in the Western Conference.
However, Phil Jackson felt an inexplicable sense of confidence when he saw Chen Hao chatting happily with Kobe and the others.
There might be surprises in the new season.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]