NBA: Starting with Jokic template

Chapter 95 You Are the Challenger (55)

He made two free throws and the score difference was widened to 7 points again!!!
Kobe looked at the timer and saw that there were only 30 seconds left before the end of the game.

There are not many opportunities left!
He gritted his teeth and quickly shot a three-pointer after receiving the ball!
"clang!"

With Kobe missing shots again, the Lakers' hopes are slim!
But he didn't want to give up! The Thunder fouled again after serving!

After making both free throws, Kobe continued to chase with a three-pointer.

Score! But there are only 20 seconds left.

The Thunder scored again in the subsequent foul free throws, and the game completely lost its suspense!

With 10 seconds left and trailing by 6 points, the Lakers gave up fouling and waited for the time to run out.

The game is over!

106: 100!

In a back-to-back game, the Thunder defeated the well-rested Lakers by 8 points!
With the end of the game, Lin Chuan's mission was officially completed!
"Reward: Bounce +3 has been issued."

Lin Chuan suddenly felt that the muscles in his legs were stronger.

With the 3-point rebound, Lin Chuan's rebound score also reached 73 points.

Although 73 points is not a high score, a mosquito leg is still meat.

Little by little, they add up to a lot, and one day they will explode.

本场比赛，科比出战40分钟，38投18中，三分11投4中，罚球14中11砍下全场最高的51分6篮板6助攻。

Although the team lost, Kobe Bryant still put up explosive numbers.

In other words, if it weren't for Kobe's outstanding performance in this game, the Lakers would definitely have been defeated by the Thunder with a big advantage, relying on Gasol, who had just returned and was not yet fully recovered, and Howard, who had extremely scarce offensive means.

He was even beaten directly into a tragedy!
而赛前宣称要打爆林川的霍华德，本场出战38分钟，砍下了一份纯纯的蓝领数据。12投5中，罚球5罚2中，得到12分7板以及3个失误。

All three turnovers were caused by Lin Chuan's steals.

Gasol, who returned from injury, also performed poorly in this game, scoring only 15 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists.

Neither Howard nor Gasol performed up to their worth.

而雷霆队这边，后半场扛起球队的林川凭借着第三节的个人输出，本场20投13中，三分3投1中，罚球6中6，砍下了33分14篮板8助攻3盖帽4抢断。

The data is extremely comprehensive and there is no problem to be found.

To know.

In this game, Lin Chuan only got two free throws in regular time.

As for the remaining four, they were all caused by the Lakers' final active fouls.

After four quarters, Durant successfully brought his shooting percentage back to over 50%, making 24 of 13 shots and scoring 32 points.

Until the end of the game, the fans were still cheering and encouraging the players on the field.

Kobe stood at the center line, resting with his hands on his hips, looking at the score and timer unwillingly.

His legs were trembling from the overexertion, but he still stood there like an indomitable warrior.

Even Lin Chuan, his opponent, couldn't help but shake his head and sigh when he saw Kobe's look.

They were clearly the F4, but two of the remaining three were repeatedly injured, and Howard, the only one with no physical problems, was of little help and could not share any of the burden at the critical moment.

But he was also relieved. The back-to-back games were finally over.

The nightmare of four consecutive away games finally came to an end. They will return to Oklahoma to rest for two days and then play the next game at home.

After the game, the media were already waiting in the media rooms of both the home and away stadiums, just waiting for the players to arrive.

In the home media room, Kobe, Howard and Mike Brown walked in and started the post-game interview.

"Kobe, you fulfilled a promise before the game and scored 51 points, which is also the first 50-point game in the league this season, but the team still lost. What do you think?"

"Howard, you said before the game that Lin Chuan was able to perform like that because he hadn't met you, but you lost to him in this head-on confrontation. Do you have anything to say?"

"Coach Mike Brown, Pau Gasol returned today, but the two All-Star centers don't seem to be working well together. Is the lineup still not well-coordinated?"

The reporters' questions bombarded the three people like a machine gun.

And this time, all three of them benefited equally, as they all faced their own problems.

Kobe was silent for a moment, then moved closer to the microphone.

"When my teammates were not feeling good, I made the wrong decision and played too restrained. Now I think I should have strengthened my personal offense, increased my shots, and played with my personal strength, just like in the first half, to widen the score gap."

"So, I think the biggest reason for this loss is me. It's because I didn't score enough points, which led to the team's loss. If I could score 60 points, the game would be won."

50 points is not enough, 60 points is enough to win the game, this statement is very Kobe. The reporters in the audience were not too surprised, after all, this is Kobe.

"..."

The home media room fell silent.

Howard fell into a brief silence in response to the reporter's questions, and then slowly spoke,

"I was not in good shape today. The team's lineup was different from the previous games, and I was not used to it. We will definitely beat the Thunder next time, and we will also beat Lin Chuan in terms of statistics."

"Can you win the next game against the Thunder?"

"You can win."

Howard answered decisively.

Mike Brown was not embarrassed by the reporter. He just thought about the question for a while and answered it.

"It's not that Howard and Gasol are incompatible, because we have had too many injuries this season and everyone's condition has been up and down. In fact, if everyone is healthy, our team's inside strength is very scary."

"We wasted Kobe's efforts in this game, but after a few more games, the Lakers will show their true strength, and we will strive for the first place in the Western Conference!"

Mike Brown's tone was firm.

Because no matter who has this lineup, with Kobe, Nash, Howard, and Gasol, there will definitely be expectations.

As long as the team is healthy, their strength must be extremely terrifying.

On the other hand, Lin Chuan was inevitably asked questions related to Howard.

"Regarding his claim before the game that he could beat me, I believe everyone has witnessed it with their own eyes in this game. Not only did he not beat me, on the contrary, I completely beat him from both ends of offense and defense to the team's victory or defeat. He was beaten into a complete blue-collar player."

"Before the game, I made a bet with Durant, saying that if I let Howard get 15+10 in this game, I would lose."

"Of course, the game is over, and his stats really didn't exceed what I said. He only scored, I remember, 12+7, right?"

"You know, this is the last game of our back-to-back and four-game road trip. He couldn't even beat me who was so tired. I pinned him to the ground. I can only say that he should give way."

"Howard should have seen the truth sooner and realized that he is no longer the best center in the league. He should have just been a supporting player next to Kobe. To be honest, to me, he is the challenger."

Finally, Lin Chuan arrogantly gestured goodbye to the reporters and cameras below the stage.
"Goodbye, Howard. You are just an ordinary person who grew up in an era without me."

(End of this chapter)