The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball
Chapter 538 - 266 Admiral Irving, authorized to cut down BOAT

Chapter 538: Chapter 266 Admiral Irving, authorized to cut down BOAT

After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups of both teams were announced.

Lakers: Lin Shuhao, Kobe, James, Frye, Varejao

Cavaliers: Irving, Hansen, Tucker, TT, Bargnani

After entering December, Bargnani had seized the starting position from Hawes with his steady performance.

For this marquee matchup, The Big Three from TNT were also present at the scene.

Taking advantage of the game not yet starting, they were analyzing the situation of tonight’s game.

"In terms of strength, the Lakers are a stronger team than the Cavaliers; the Cavaliers’ wings can’t contain LeBron’s lethality," Kenny Smith said in his analytical tone.

"You seem to have forgotten that Han is also on the wing," O’Neal reminded him.

"He can’t possibly stop both Kobe and LeBron, it’s a multiple-choice question," Smith pointed out.

"Then who can stop Han?" Barkley countered with a soul-searching question at that moment.

"Kobe," Smith provided the answer.

"You think a 36-year-old Kobe is going to guard Han all night?" O’Neal also expressed his doubt.

"Or maybe let LeBron try?"

Before Barkley finished speaking, the commentator’s booth was already filled with joyous laughter.

Just then, James walked to the scorer’s table to perform his routine powder toss.

However, he was quickly taken aback by the scene before him.

For some reason, a staff member had found a white cloth to cover the electronic equipment, as if his powder toss would damage those devices.

And in front of him, the fans were mocking him with a "throwing powder" gesture, watching him as if he was performing a monkey show.

In the end, James simply poured some powder into his hand, rubbed it, and then turned around to enter the court.

Both teams’ players were already on the court, with Kobe and Hansen directly matching up.

"Playing in Cleveland must be worrisome, right?" Kobe said with a smile to Irving.

"It’s a bit better than your current situation," Hansen replied, also looking toward James.

Irving’s statement, though lacking in emotional intelligence, didn’t really have any significant issue.

If someone had been willing to play with James, he certainly would have stayed in New York instead of moving to Los Angeles.

On the contrary, what’s this about "everyone must respect me, every individual is independent"? Why should people owe you respect?

Respect is something you earn for yourself, not something you demand from others.

Varejao tapped the ball back to half-court, officially kicking off the Christmas battle.

When James went to the Lakers, some fans worried about his compatibility with Kobe.

In fact, the answer to this question had been clear ever since Paul joined the Lakers.

Kobe could play without the ball, and in fact, as he got older and considered his physical condition, he would be more inclined to play off the ball.

However, Kobe’s first off-the-ball run of the night didn’t create an opportunity.

He was effectively marked by Hansen.

Hansen’s current defensive strength could constrain a prime Kobe, let alone a 36-year-old Kobe.

Seeing that Kobe didn’t get open, James immediately called Varejao for a pick and roll.

The Cavaliers chose to double-team, but James and Varejao were in sync, bouncing the ball to each other; Varejao caught the ball and quickly made a layup to score first for the Lakers.

Although James struggled a bit when facing other teams from The West, he was back in his comfort zone in the familiar Eastern Conference.

Hansen didn’t handle the ball at the opening but let Irving run the play.

Irving crossed over Lin Shuhao and drove to the paint, scoring with a floater before Frye’s help defense could get into position.

The Cavaliers’ interior defense wasn’t strong, but the Lakers weren’t much better.

After Bargnani pulled Varejao out to the perimeter, Frye alone was not enough to support the team’s interior defense.

James continued with the ball; this time he directly called for Varejao to set another screen.

The Cavaliers didn’t double-team, and James accelerated past Bargnani charging into the paint, getting ready to unleash his signature tomahawk dunk.

An amazed murmur rippled through the crowd.

As James leaped, Hansen rotated into the paint to help defend.

Just as James reached his peak height with the ball, Hansen’s hand made contact with it.

"Bang!"

James’s hand slammed against the rim, but the ball had already flown out of bounds.

The court was first silent, and then erupted with overwhelming cheers.

Hansen had actually blocked James’s much-prided tomahawk dunk!

James was incredulous, while only Hansen casually shrugged his shoulders.

It seemed James hadn’t learned his lesson; he had already done this during his first practice with the Cavaliers!

What about the confiscated video from back then? Well, just reenact it live!

"Kenny, it’s not a multiple-choice question!" Barkley exclaimed loudly at Smith in the commentary booth.

Hansen just successfully defended against both Kobe and James in this play.

Smith laughed and shook his head.

Hansen didn’t handle the ball at the opening, making it seem like his desire to play tonight wasn’t that strong, but the desire to play isn’t just about offense, it’s also about defense.

The Lakers didn’t have much time left for their offense, and after the ball was inbounded from the sidelines, it was left to Kobe to solve the challenge.

Kobe went one-on-one with Hansen, a classic face-off.

However, Kobe’s fadeaway after backing down was heavily contested by Hansen, resulting in a clanger off the rim.

Hansen used to provoke Kobe by saying Kobe was old, but now, he was genuinely old.

The decline in his speed made it difficult for him to get comfortable shooting space against Hansen.

As play transitioned to offense and defense, the Lakers made an adjustment; Frye followed Bargnani to the perimeter, while Varejao switched to defend TT.

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