N-A-A Chapter 12: A Go-on with Kobe, a Lesson on the Fadeaway Jumper
Chapter 12: A Go-on with Kobe, a Lesson on the Fadeaway Jumper
The referee blew his whistle, and the ball went out of play, resulting in a substitution.
Lin Hao ripped off his training uniform, revealing a Warriors blue jersey with the number 1 printed on it, and stepped onto the court.
The entire venue erupted in cheers!
The deafening cheers and screams nearly lifted the roof off Oracle Arena. The audience stood up, waving their support signs and chanting Lin Hao's name. The suona horns from the stands blared again, mingling with the cheers in a deafening roar.
The commentators on the sidelines instantly perked up, excitedly shouting into their microphones, "Wow! The matchup we've been waiting for has finally arrived! The Warriors have brought in their second-round pick, Lin Hao! This summer's most controversial rookie is about to face off against Kobe Bryant! Let's see what kind of performance this young man, whom Kobe called an 'internet celebrity,' can deliver!"
Kobe stood on the court, glanced at Lin Hao as he approached, a cold smile playing on his lips, his eyes filled with disdain. In his eyes, this rookie who relied on sensationalism to attract attention was not worthy of being his opponent.
Lin Hao walked up to him, stopped, his face expressionless, and simply said, "You said I'm just an internet celebrity and don't deserve to play in the NBA. Today, I'll show you how an internet celebrity plays basketball."
Kobe scoffed at this, didn't reply, and simply turned and walked towards the frontcourt. He couldn't be bothered to waste words on a rookie; he'd beat him on the court later, that would be more effective than anything else.
The Warriors had possession of the ball. Richardson dribbled the ball across half-court and looked up to see Lin Hao already positioned at a 45-degree angle on the right side, guarded by Kobe Bryant.
The entire arena fell silent instantly; everyone held their breath and stared at the scene.
Richardson didn't hesitate and lobbed the ball directly to Lin Hao.
Lin Hao received the ball with his back to the basket, and Kobe immediately closed in, using his body to firmly block him and constantly interfering with his dribbling, exerting maximum defensive pressure. As one of the league's top perimeter defenders, Kobe's one-on-one defensive ability is enough to suffocate 90% of the league's guards.
But Lin Hao remained as steady as a mountain.
In his past life, he coached a youth training team and taught countless post-up techniques. How to deflect force, how to protect the ball, and how to use the defender's shift in center of gravity to find opportunities were ingrained in his very being. Kobe's power was fierce, but he could always go with the flow of Kobe's force, gently deflecting it, leaving Kobe's power hitting empty air and making him feel suffocated.
The entire audience was stunned.
They thought that as soon as Lin Hao received the ball, Kobe would steal it immediately. But to their surprise, this second-round rookie was able to steadily protect the ball under Kobe's close defense without even a hint of panic.
The commentators on the sidelines were astonished: "My God! Lin Hao's back-to-the-basket ball protection is incredible! Kobe's defensive pressure didn't affect him at all!"
Lin Hao sensed Kobe's shift in center of gravity behind him, his mind racing. In his previous life, he had studied Kobe's videos thousands of times, and he knew every defensive habit, every shift in center of gravity, and every opportunity to steal the ball perfectly.
Just as Kobe was about to push him again, Lin Hao suddenly turned sharply to the left. Kobe instinctively moved to the left as well, preparing to block his path. But Lin Hao had only turned halfway when he suddenly twisted back, executing a beautiful backspin that created half a body length of space.
Immediately afterwards, he pushed off the ground with both feet, leaped into the air, leaned his body slightly backward in mid-air, and flicked his wrist lightly, sending the basketball flying towards the basket in a perfect arc.
This move is exactly the same; it's Kobe's signature fadeaway jump shot!
The entire venue fell into a deathly silence!
Everyone stared wide-eyed, their eyes glued to the basketball in the air.
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp swish, the basketball swished through the net and nestled firmly into the hoop!
Goal!
With Kobe's signature fadeaway jumper, he scored his first point in his NBA career over Kobe's head!
Three seconds later, the entire Oracle Arena exploded!
The cheers were deafening, ten times more frenzied than before! The audience jumped up like madmen, waving whatever they were holding and yelling. Richardson was the first to rush over, giving Lin Hao a hard bump on the shoulder and shouting excitedly, "Awesome! Canned Food Bro! That's fucking awesome!"
The commentator on the sidelines, microphone in hand, was trembling with excitement: "My God! What did I just see?! Lin Hao scored over Kobe with Kobe's signature fadeaway jumper! He stole Kobe's skill set! This is unbelievable!"
Kobe stood there, looking at the basket, his smile instantly freezing.
He never expected that this rising star, whom he called an internet celebrity, would actually score a point over him using his signature move. His eyes held less disdain and more surprise, along with a hint of anger at being offended.
He walked up to Lin Hao, gritted his teeth, and sneered, "Try again if you dare."
Lin Hao landed, looked at him, grinned, and slowly let out a thick Northeastern accent: "This move works pretty well, can I borrow it for a bit? You don't mind, do you?"
With just one sentence, Kobe's lips twitched and his eyes instantly turned cold.
During the Lakers' offensive possession, Kobe called for the ball at the top of the key, and his teammates all spread out, creating space for him to isolate and attack. Everyone could see that Kobe was angry; he wanted to personally teach this arrogant rookie a lesson.
The entire arena fell silent instantly, everyone holding their breath and staring at the one-on-one match on the court.
Kobe lowered his center of gravity, dribbling the basketball between his legs, his eyes fixed on Lin Hao. Suddenly, he pushed off the ground with a sharp crossover, breaking through to the left at full speed! His first step was extremely fast, with explosive power at its peak. Any ordinary defender would have been blown past in one step.
But Lin Hao remained as steady as a mountain.
His eyes were fixed on Kobe's shoulders and hips. The movements he had studied thousands of times in his past life were now indistinguishable from slow-motion replays in his eyes. Before Kobe drove to the left, his right shoulder would always drop half an inch, and his left toes would step forward and turn to the left. This habit was ingrained in his muscles and he couldn't break it.
The instant Kobe pushed off the ground, Lin Hao had already moved laterally, standing in his path of attack, spreading his arms wide to completely block his offensive space.
Kobe was startled, not expecting Lin Hao to be able to keep up with his first step. He could only immediately gather the ball, make a sudden stop and pull the ball behind his back, and switch to the right wing to break through. But Lin Hao was like a sticky plaster, sticking to him and not leaving him any space at all.
Unable to shake off the defense after two consecutive crossovers, Kobe had no choice but to force a turnaround jump shot. Under Lin Hao's interference, the basketball hit the front edge of the rim and bounced out.
The Warriors grabbed the rebound and immediately pushed for a fast break.
Lin Hao sprinted towards the frontcourt at full speed, and Richardson delivered a long pass, accurately placing the ball into his hands. Kobe was chasing him at full speed, and just as he was about to catch up, Lin Hao suddenly gathered the ball, stopped abruptly, and took off again, unleashing another identical fadeaway jump shot!
Kobe jumped with all his might to block the shot, but he was still a fraction of a second too slow. His fingertips barely grazed the bottom of the basketball, failing to change its trajectory.
"Whoosh!"
Another swivel into the net!
Another hit!
In two consecutive possessions, he scored 4 points with Kobe's signature fadeaway jump shot!
The entire audience went absolutely wild!
"My God! It went in again! Another fadeaway jumper!"
"He really stole Kobe's skill set! This is outrageous!"
"An internet celebrity? That's fucking genius!"
The commentators on the sidelines were already incoherent, constantly exclaiming into the microphone.
Lin Hao landed, looked at Kobe behind him, and raised an eyebrow with a smile.
He didn't steal Kobe's skill set; in his past life, he meticulously analyzed Kobe's fadeaway jump shots frame by frame, studying them thousands of times. He knew by heart how to step, how to shift weight, how to time the jump, the release angle, and how to generate power with the wrist.
In his past life, he was a coach who taught children to play basketball. His specialty was breaking down the techniques of top stars into their most basic movements and then reassembling them. In this life, with NBA-level physical talent, he can naturally perfectly replicate these movements.
Kobe's face turned completely dark.
In all his years of life and NBA playing, this was the first time he'd ever been repeatedly scored on over his head by a rookie using his signature move. His eyes were no longer filled with disdain, only cold seriousness and rage.
He looked at Lin Hao, gritted his teeth, and said, word by word, "You will pay the price for those words."
Lin Hao just smiled, didn't reply, and turned to run back.
He knew Kobe was getting serious.
The real showdown has only just begun.
The referee blew his whistle, and the Lakers got the ball in the frontcourt.
Kobe received the ball again, his eyes cold, his entire aura changed. He no longer used fancy crossovers, but relied on his physical advantage to back down Lin Hao and grind him down, each step carrying an extremely strong sense of pressure.
He switched to one-on-one mode, determined to use his most unstoppable offense to regain all the face he had just lost.
The entire audience held their breath; everyone knew that the Black Mamba was about to bare his fangs.