The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball
Chapter 543 - 268: Mechanical Descent of God

Chapter 543: Chapter 268: Mechanical Descent of God

The half ended, with the Cavaliers leading the Lakers by a whopping 15 points, 58 to 43.

The Cavaliers made 7 out of 14 three-point shots in the first half, achieving an accuracy of 50 percent.

Irving was the leading contributor for the Cavaliers in the first half, making 9 of his 11 shots, hitting 7 out of 8 free throws, and scoring a game-high 27 points.

"Do you want the game to end like this, letting everyone mock you for not earning that damn respect? Or do you want to come with me and win this damn game?!"

After entering the player’s tunnel, Kobe cornered James against the wall.

Having been suppressed for the half, his emotions finally erupted.

This was the first time James had lost control like this since he joined the Lakers.

James didn’t answer, but lowered his head.

It wasn’t until the end of the first half that he realized something—he, who had always been compared to Hansen, had unexpectedly matched up with the young Irving for half the game.

And in the end, not only did he lose, but he lost thoroughly.

Now, he just wanted the game to end early so he could go to Diddy’s party, where the madness could make him forget everything.

"Hey! Look at me! Who are you?" Kobe glared fiercely at James.

"You’re LeBron! Where is the LeBron who doesn’t want to be the next Kobe?"

Finally, James lifted his head, Kobe’s words awakening long-forgotten memories.

Seeing the change in James’s eyes, Kobe knew his words had taken effect.

"Listen, I won’t force you to defend Han anymore, you just need to be yourself, but we absolutely can’t give up like this when you’re trying your hardest!"

Returning from halftime, the scene was filled with a Christmas atmosphere.

The big names at the commentator’s table chatted and reviewed the first half of the game while giving a situational prediction for the second half.

"Kyrie proved tonight that he is more than just an exhibition game star," Barkley praised Irving.

Last All-Star game, as the leader of a weaker team, Irving surprisingly won the All-Star MVP, earning him the title of an exhibition game star at the time.

"If nothing unexpected happens, the Cavaliers will finish the game in three quarters, and everyone can go home for Christmas early, including Kobe and his Lakers team," O’Neal said, still not missing a chance to diss Kobe.

When James and Kobe teamed up over the summer, it had surprised him as well.

He thought, what’s Kobe doing at 36, still causing a stir? It would be so much better to play quietly for two years and then retire, instead of aiming for something bigger.

Their conversation continued as the players from both sides returned to the court and began warming up, and the second half started quickly.

Neither side made any changes to the starting lineup for the second half but there were differences in the matchups and the opening.

The Cavaliers attacked first in the second half, with Kobe defending Han.

Irving took the ball to the front, Lin Shuhao increased his defensive aggression, but was exploited by Irving, who broke through and drew a foul from him.

"Don’t foul!" Kobe fiercely reminded Lin Shuhao.

Irving went to the free-throw line and solidly hit both shots.

The Cavaliers pushed their score to 60, widening the gap to 17 points.

Irving’s performance remained stable, but on the next play, Kobe, using Vallejo’s screen, received a pass from James and hit a mid-range shot in response.

Speaking of defensive matchups, the Cavaliers opted to have Han defend James in the second half.

Seeing Kobe make the shot, Malone reacted quickly, waving from the sideline for Han to switch back to guarding Kobe.

Irving continued to handle the ball, and with another basket, he would reach over 30 points for the night.

After being scolded by Kobe. Lin Shuhao adjusted his defensive efforts, but Irving still managed to get past him with his superior ball-handling skills and made a layup off the board.

But just as the ball touched the backboard, a figure swooped in and slapped the ball directly back against it.

A stir arose from the crowd because the person who made the block was James!

James seized the defensive rebound and immediately passed the ball to Kobe.

Kobe took the ball on a fast break, with Han closely trailing him.

The two rushed to the front court.

Suddenly, Kobe passed the ball backward, and Han turned to see James.

He quickly realized that James was different from the first half; his competitiveness was completely unlike his earlier demeanor.

He turned to defend James, but James passed the ball back to Kobe, who soared for a fast-break layup.

to 47.

The Cavaliers were still leading by 13 points, but the Lakers looked poised to close the gap in the second half.

Han started handling the ball as they reached the front court.

Kobe defended with focus, taking some effort to get past him, but Kobe persisted in chasing from behind, and this period allowed the Lakers a chance to help defensively.

Seizing the opportunity, he passed to Thompson, who was deep in the pocket.

Thompson caught the ball and took a step to dunk, but Vallejo turned to set his position and fell, drawing an offensive foul on him.

A wave of boos filled the arena.

However, it was palpable that something had happened in the Lakers’ locker room at halftime; their entire demeanor had changed in the second half.

Malone was quick to react, calling up Conningham to replace Thompson.

And as the team fell back to midfield, he stood by the sideline, loudly reminding his players to focus on defense.

After a pick-and-roll with Vallejo, Kobe encountered a double team, he chose to drive directly towards the free-throw line and, once getting enough separation, passed the ball to Vallejo, who flew in for a basket.