NBA: Warrior godfather.

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Whoever wants to wear a crown must bear its weight.

Even Jordan in the 1990s had many people who didn't like him at the peak of his career, let alone Kobe.

While the debate in the live broadcast booth was heating up, the game continued on the court. Curry dribbled toward the frontcourt. Fisher was still in front of him. Naturally, he raised his hand and shot a three-pointer. It was on target, but the ball fell a little short, hit the rim, and bounced out.

The Lakers countered, but the Warriors had nothing more to give. Their speed was definitely among the best in the league. Every player quickly returned to defense, not giving the opponent a chance to fast-break.

The Lakers could only fall into a half-court battle. Kobe once again stretched to catch the ball, beat Butler in the post, and hit his signature fadeaway jumper.

8:6.

"Oh, Kobe is showing his power, scoring 4 points in a row, and the Lakers are about to tie the game!" said Ke Fan.

The fans at Staples Center also got excited with Kobe's consecutive baskets. They cheered "Kobe!" and the stars on the sidelines also applauded.

They knew they weren't the main act tonight, but the bald guy wearing number 24 certainly was.

No one could take away his brilliance in this place.

But Curry had a different opinion. He promised to compete with Kobe tonight, in front of his girlfriend.

When the Warriors had the ball, Curry didn't run the pick-and-roll. The other four players spaced the floor, but he still opted to play one-on-one.

This was the warning from Liam before the game: as long as Fisher was guarding him, he would play one-on-one until the Lakers changed their defense. If the Lakers didn't change, he would keep going!

Facing the old fish, Curry took small steps, making him unpredictable. His pace blew by Fisher, and he took one step inside the free-throw line. However, the ball fell a bit short and hit the rim. It bounced off, and Bynum grabbed the rebound.

Even though the shot didn't go in, Kobe frowned and gave Fisher an unsatisfied look. Fisher knew his boss was unhappy with his defense and quickly raised his hands, signaling that it was his fault and he would defend better next time.

Looking back, Kobe held the ball and pointed at Butler. After driving to the basket, Biedrins helped him. His layup was blocked, and the ball missed the rim, but Bynum grabbed the offensive rebound and dunked it.

8:8.

Curry immediately responded, hitting a three-pointer over Fisher, quieting the growing noise at Staples Center.

11:8.

Kobe used his unique killer stare and fixed it on Fisher, making the old fish feel paralyzed. Fisher quickly explained:

"Kobe, I did my best, but his shot was too fast. I couldn't keep up…"

Kobe stared at him for a while, then coldly replied, "I'll take care of Curry later."

Fisher sighed in relief, took the ball from the baseline, and after crossing half-court, passed it to Kobe as though he were getting rid of a hot potato.

Kobe posted up on Butler to catch the ball, spun to the left, stepped right, and took a long two-pointer inside the three-point line, ignoring Butler's interference. The ball hit the rim.

11:10.

"Kobe is schooling Curry. It's only the first quarter. Is it superstar versus rookie? This is so exciting!"

"This is the boss, tough!"

"It doesn't matter; it's like the Lakers are pulling ahead…"

With every basket Kobe made, there was a wave of debate in the live broadcast booth. No matter how well Curry played in the past few games, his traffic wasn't even a fraction of Kobe's.

Looking back, the Warriors attacked again, and Curry brought the ball into the frontcourt, but the person who blocked him wasn't Fisher, it was Kobe.

The Black Mamba glared at Curry with a fierce look, smoothed his shorts with both hands, exuding a strong sense of oppression, and slowly spread his hands, ready for action.

Kobe knew the outside world always criticized him for not being a qualified leader and for being too hard on his teammates, but he never bothered to argue.

Before asking his teammates to do something, he had to do it perfectly himself.

Shooting, dribbling, lateral movement on defense, perimeter rotation... Whether it's offensive or defensive training, he's the hardest working and most serious player on the team. Even though he's a superstar with privileges, he's always practicing. No rest.

On the court, he's not only the offensive core of the team but always rises to the challenge and takes on great responsibilities. He never backs down defensively and doesn't save energy for offense. To seize the opponent's offensive arrow and achieve true success, attack and defense are integrated, an attack and defense all year round.

This is how Kobe leads the team. He won't make a dominant move and roar after scoring, nor will he give an inspiring speech in the locker room during halftime. But he leads by example, doing everything right. In the end, he uses actions to inspire his teammates' competitiveness and attacks to secure the victory!

Today, like countless games before, he will carry the load on both ends of the court, just like the man he's been chasing.

When the fans at Staples Center saw Kobe and Curry facing off, everyone watched both men with great anticipation, expecting a one-on-one battle between the stars. The photographers on the sidelines quickly grabbed their cameras and repeatedly pressed the shutter button, capturing the image of the two men facing off.

But Curry didn't feel nervous at all about facing Kobe. He handed the ball directly to Azubuike and ran to the weak side, showing no intent to challenge Kobe.

The fans at the scene were stunned. Our emotions were building, but did you just let us see this?

Weren't you so aggressive against Fisher earlier? Why did you back off when facing Kobe?

"Curry got to the corner and stopped, and Kobe followed him… Does Azubuike need to take this shot?" Ke Fan was also surprised.

Seeing Curry's performance like this, the number of comments in the live broadcast booth surged:

"Is Curry not feeling confident now? Just keep shooting!"

"As soon as he hit the step-back, he didn't dare shoot. He only knows how to take three-pointers from outside. Curry is too soft."

"Does Curry have to take every shot himself? You all must be stupid, right?"

Some were foolish, others rational, but in the end, Kobe's fans had the upper hand.

Nationally, Yao Ming is the star with the most fans, followed by Kobe Bryant. The Warriors have the support of Liam, but after all, he can't play on the court, and their fanbase is much smaller than the Lakers'.

This time, Curry was waiting for a pass. Azubuike took advantage of Fisher's slow lateral movement, broke through his defense, ran toward the basket, and tried a layup, but Bynum was quick enough to recover and blocked the shot.

Liam on the sidelines couldn't help but frown when he saw this scene.

When Bynum was substituted earlier, Biedrins was left unprotected. If Azubuike had thrown the ball up to the sky, it would have been a dunk, but all he could focus on was the basket and he missed it without thinking. Bynum was blocked by two defenders.

But what could be said? Azubuike's skill is there. He naturally has a chaotic and rushed style of play. It's simply unrealistic for him to see and listen to everything like Curry.

Looking back, Kobe found Butler again. The Warriors still didn't have anyone to help defend. Kobe powered through the frame, but Butler did everything he could to block him. Butler tried to interfere, but nothing worked. As a result, Kobe hit the jump shot with his usual consistency.

11:12.

"Damn, Kobe's out of his mind!"

"Doing this in the first quarter? Isn't that a bit too much?"

"This is Kobe, challenging Curry and letting him hit two three-pointers and let me see!"

In the live broadcast booth, the Lakers' fans hit a collective high and completely took over the broadcast room, while the Warriors' fans disappeared.

On the court, the Warriors had the ball. When Curry advanced with the ball, he looked at the Warriors' bench, where Liam patted his head, and Curry understood.

He got to the frontcourt, and instead of passing the ball, he called for Biedrins to set a screen.

"Pick and roll!" shouted Bynum from behind Kobe.

His reminder prepared Kobe, who got close to Curry but was still blocked by Biedrins, while Bynum stayed behind the three-point line and didn't defend.

For a moment, Curry had space. Without hesitation, he raised his hand and hit a three-pointer!

Kobe managed to fight through the screen, and Bynum jumped from behind the three-point line, but it was already a step too late.

Swish!

The basketball arced high, "Curry-style," and fell directly through the net.

14:12.

After scoring, Curry bit his mouthpiece and shrugged his shoulders as if no one was around.

Liam had patted his head earlier, letting Curry go solo.

Before the game, he had carefully told Azubuike to watch his teammates' positioning and be ready to pass at any moment, giving him specific training, which paid off well.

But once on the court, Azubuike stuck to his original habits. All he focused

on was the basket. Liam couldn't let him keep playing like this.

This wasn't about abusing someone. If he didn't make the right play, Liam wouldn't give him another chance.

This is his training style when facing a strong team. Every ball counts, and he will never make consecutive mistakes in the same area. Azubuike might take a bad shot again, but he won't be allowed another opportunity to gamble.

"666, I just said Curry wasn't good enough to handle this, and now I'll give him a hard time!"

"Curry hit a three-pointer and went in. What do you say now?"

"If you have the ability to fight directly, what's the point of running the pick-and-roll?"

"Ha, do you think you're playing on a concrete court? Why don't you just say you have the skills and stop shooting?"

Warriors' fans in the live broadcast room instantly came to life, and their speeches became much more heated.

If the fans watching the broadcast on TV were debating, the fans watching the online stream were in a full-on heated exchange. They deeply understood the principle of "carpe diem." Once the home team gets an advantage, they'll fire up their full power and fight back like mad.

When the home team falls behind and their stars play badly, they temporarily tuck their tails between their legs and wait for the next opportunity to strike back.

The small live broadcast room wasn't much different from the real world. When you're on top, you go wild, and when you're frustrated, you hesitate.

The next game, Curry and Kobe clashed once again.

Butler really couldn't stop Kobe, and Liam didn't help on defense, so he let Butler guard Kobe one-on-one, which only ignited Kobe's bloodlust. Though he occasionally missed, he kept his shooting percentage high.

But on defense, the Lakers simply couldn't stop Curry.

Bynum's nickname is "Baby Shark." His advantage lies in strength, not mobility.

His defense was good, but the premise was that he could stay near the basket and protect the paint, but there was no way he could guard Curry with his sheer weight. His lateral movement and speed were just too slow.

Curry only needed one screen to get space for his shot. Even though Biedrins' screen wasn't great and Kobe could fight through it, Curry's ultra-fast release was enough to take advantage of that brief moment of space to complete the shot.

His lightning speed made Bynum look like a clumsy black bear, showing his teeth and claws in front of him, but it was all just a trick with no effect.

Later, Bynum was forced to step out to the three-point line to defend Curry. But as soon as Bynum stepped out, Curry backed off. His three-pointers were increasingly from deeper and deeper distances, even two steps behind the three-point line. He ran a pick-and-roll, set a screen, then raised his hand and hit another three-pointer, leaving Bynum stunned.

As a true expert, how had he ever seen something like this before?

If Bynum was asked to fight O'Neal or Howard, he'd go up without a word, grit his teeth, and do it. But defending Curry's three-pointer?

Coach, I really can't do this job. Give me the ball, I wanna go home!

At the end of the first quarter, Curry had scored 26 points, hitting 4 three-pointers. With Biedrins' screens and Kobe's tight defense, he was still able to score. If Biedrins hadn't set strong screens, Kobe would have disrupted Curry's shots more, but Curry still managed to score.

But Kobe didn't back down. He kept doing everything he wanted to do when facing Butler. Even though Butler tried hard to defend, he still couldn't stop Kobe from scoring, and Kobe ended the first quarter with 21 points.

He made more shots than Curry, but his points mostly came from mid-range, and his efficiency wasn't as high as Curry's, who took more three-pointers.

After the first quarter, the score was 33:37, with the Lakers leading by 4 points. Though Curry scored more than Kobe, the Lakers were stronger inside and grabbed a lot of offensive rebounds, which helped them build the lead.

This could be considered him paying for his defensive mistakes. If it weren't for his slow pace, Curry wouldn't have scored so many three-pointers. He had to let the team boss do as much as he could. Fortunately, he scored some points, otherwise, Bynum would have feared for his life.

Kobe didn't speak much when he was angry. He just looked coldly into someone's eyes, and under his powerful, oppressive aura, they would shy away and fear anyone he looked at.

End of this chapter

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