Chapter Seventy-Eight: Iverson's Ambition
It was a good feeling to be back in Philadelphia, and Bryant was resting well in a warm family atmosphere.
The next day, Kobe Bryant left home early in the morning to participate in the team's joint practice, while Old Joe called friends and picked people up to go to the arena.
The game was played at night, a non-nationally broadcast game on local television.
Dr. J, Julius Owen and Maurice Cheeks, a pair of old teammates, act as commentators.
"Julius, it's a pleasure to join forces with you again!"
"Come on, the two of us can't win the championship." The studio burst into laughter.
"Our savior of Philadelphia, oh no, who would dare to call him a savior in front of Dr. J. Our little Allen has been on a hot streak lately, what heights do you think he can lead the team to? ”
"They're very hopeful of making the playoffs this year, although it's a good idea to fight for Duncan. But the current Celtics, the Spurs have been completely determined to be rotten. There are also really bad teams such as the Grizzlies, Nets, Raptors, Nuggets, etc., and it is difficult for us to get a good signing. ”
"Yes, the battle for Duncan is going to be fierce this year. It's very rare for a player to have so many teams scramble before he even enters the league. ”
"The Philadelphia 76ers are currently 5-7. The Lakers, on the other hand, are 11-2 and top of the Western Conference. There was a big difference in the quality of this game, and we can expect a group of young people in Philadelphia to play a game where they won the game by the weak, as they have done in the previous games. ”
Iverson deserved this year's No. 1 pick, and the Lakers only used a No. 13 pick to get Kobe, which undoubtedly sounded the alarm bell for the leadership who looked down on high school draft players. I heard that Lamar Odom, the No. 1 high school student in the United States, will also run, and his signing will not be as low as Kobe's. ”
"That's right, like Moses Malone, Kevin Garnett, and Sean Kemp are all high school players. I don't think I'm surprised that high school players will be ranked much earlier in the future, and that there will even be high school players who are elected champions. ”
"Kobe Bryant's current combination with O'Neal is terrible, and the last such duo was back in Magic and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. It can be said that in the next 10 years, they will be the protagonists of the alliance. ”
"Indeed, I watched the footage of Kobe's last game. His talent has no words, but luckily we have Aaron too! I'm really looking forward to today's matchup between Allen and Kobe. ”
Iverson is currently averaging 21.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 2.1 steals per game. Bryant, on the other hand, had 23.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.7 blocks. ”
"The data of the two people is very close, and it can be said that they are equal."
"That's right, it's about to start. Please pay attention to the in-field footage. ”
The Lakers' starting lineup remains the same.
The starting lineup for the 76ers is PG Allen Iverson, SG Jerry Starhouse SF, Clarence Witherspoon PF, Derek Coleman, C Scott Williams.
The lineup on paper is still very good, and Stackhouse's average per game has also reached 20.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists this year. It's just that his 40.7% shooting percentage isn't pretty.
Stackhouse has been waiting for a chance to get his revenge since losing to Kobe Bryant in the summer.
Derek Coleman was the 1990 No. 1 pick, a 2.08-meter-tall power forward. He has excellent physical fitness, has a good offensive ability, and can average 18.1 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. He is the interior core of the 76ers.
But his style of play is a little soft, and he doesn't use his body to score under the basket. Instead, he likes to float on the outside to shoot three-pointers, averaging 2.1 three-point shots per game but only shooting 26.9% from the field. This led the Nets to ditch their No. 1 pick last summer.
Clarence Witherspoon was the No. 9 pick in '92, 1.98 meters but weighing 109 kilograms, a very tough small forward. He had 18.4 points and 10.1 rebounds in '94.
This year, his stats have declined across the board, and his motivation has decreased a lot after a significant drop in shots. Only 12.2 points and 8.3 rebounds. But we can also see from his rebounds how strong his physicality is.
It can be said that Philadelphia's forward position is a bit reversed, with the big forward preferring to float outside and the small forward preferring to fight inside.
Scott Williams is an undrafted 28-year-old in his prime, a blue-collar center. He served as the backup center for the Bulls' first three-in-a-row championship.
He is currently averaging 5.8 points and 6.4 rebounds in 21.2 minutes per game.
The 76ers are coached by Johnny Davis, who previously served as an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers, and Portland Trail Blazers. Just took over with the 76ers this year.
Kobe Bryant knows Johnny Davis, who was an assistant coach for the Lakers in '14.
The ability is good, but it can't suppress the stars. That's why he's only been an assistant coach for many years.
The 76ers are in good form at the moment because they have won a few tough games, and if there is a dilemma, then this group of players will have to fight on their own.
Neither Iverson nor Johnny Davis have the qualifications to hold down a group of veteran oilboys on the team. But these two recruits are precisely the core of the 76ers, which is subtle.
Kobe Bryant said hello to the old Joe family on the sidelines, Odom, Pelinka, and the high school coach during the warm-up.
A group of them sat together, and even Kobe's two sisters took leave to come to the scene today to cheer for Kobe.
After all, the Lakers in the West have too few opportunities to come to Philadelphia every year.
Old Joe made a few billboards and waved them wildly.
"Doudou, you're the best! 》
Kobe Bryant's face was black.
This is how family ties are destroyed!
The game starts and the referee throws the ball high.
The ball was jumped away by Scott Williams!
O'Neal lost to Scott Williams on a jump ball?
Kobe remembered that the fat man and a few players seemed to have snuck out last night.
Damn fatty.
The ball was spotted to Iverson, and Bryant met it.
Now Iverson has no ditches and no headbands. His young face had eyes as clear as water.
It's just that these eyes are now full of undisguised war intent.
Iverson didn't pause, and as soon as he kicked the ground, he was about to force a breakthrough through Kobe.
It's so fast!
But Kobe Bryant wasn't slow either!
Bryant stepped back to the left and stuck in a defensive position.
Iverson crossed forward and reversed direction, pulling the ball from his right hand to his left hand in an exaggerated manner while twisting his body.
Iverson's shoes made a loud grinding sound against the ground, and his whole body quickly bounced off.
Bryant quickly adjusted his center of gravity and quickly moved sideways to the right again.
Iverson didn't continue to push, closed the ball, raised his hand, and made a three-point shot!
"Huh."
Basketball hollow into the frame.
Kobe Bryant was a little surprised, no, how could Iverson shoot a three-point like this? It's not his offensive habit.
Wait, it seems that after Larry Brown became the 76ers, Iverson rarely shot threes.
And this season's Allen Iverson has an average of 6 three-point shots per game!