NBA: The start beat Kobe Bryant in his old age

Chapter 73 Lakers VS Rockets!
In the other half, more than a dozen Rockets players were also warming up in practice uniforms.

Lin Tian saw the tall Warcraft Howard at a glance.

But the other Rockets players talked and laughed, Howard seemed a little lonely.

Everyone knows who is the boss of the current Rockets, and it is basically a well-known fact that Howard and Harden have a bad relationship.

Lin Tian sighed, lonely big boy.

If Howard can be traded, it seems to be very good.

Lin Tian remembers very clearly that in his previous life, the Lakers signed Howard with a veteran's basic salary in the 2019-2020 season, allowing Howard to assist James.

And Howard's performance in the playoffs that year was not bad, blowing up Jokic, and eventually became the Lakers' champion.

Facts have also proved that he can indeed perform well in a limited time.

What's more, it is still the 2015-2016 season.

Since Howard experienced a back injury, his state has declined seriously, but the emaciated camel is bigger than a horse and stronger than most insiders in the league.

But this kind of thing, judging from the current situation, seems to be something that can only be thought about.

Howard also very much wants to leave the Rockets.

Not long ago, the Rockets actually put Howard on the shelf, because Howard is free after this season.

He himself is not happy in the Rockets. If he can be traded away, it will undoubtedly be a good thing.

But there are not many teams interested in Howard in the league, so that the Rockets have not yet found a suitable seller.

It is not easy for the Lakers to trade Howard.

Because there are only a few people in the entire team who can match his salary.

Hibbert is one, but the Rockets won't want him if he is given to the Rockets.

The Lakers have a lot of young players, which is not what the Rockets need.

What the Rockets want now is a star in his prime to assist Harden.

Of course, there is a more important point, Howard has been proven not suitable for the Lakers...

There is also a deep grudge between him and Kobe, which cannot be easily and completely resolved.

If Jokic can be traded, Howard should never think about it.

Lin Tian was thinking that Kobe had already gone to the Rockets.

The first person he greeted was former old teammate Trevor Ariza.

When Ariza was still with the Lakers, he won a championship trophy for the Lakers with Kobe in the 08-09 season.

That is also the last championship of the Lakers so far, which is of great significance.

The two old friends chatted for a while, and Kobe hugged and greeted other Rockets players.

Among these players is the bearded Harden.

Lin Tian also followed Kobe and greeted them with a smile.

Howard, who was warming up under the basket, also walked over and gave Kobe a brief hug.

Although the relationship between the two of them can't be said to have been resolved, it has also eased a lot.

After the two sides ended their pleasantries, they each returned to their own half for shooting training.

Lin Tian walked up to Kobe and asked, "Kobe, what do you think of Dwight?"

Kobe said without looking back: "He is too lazy."

As a ball-hungry player, what Kobe hates the most is someone who is obviously talented but lazy.

Lin Tian is not surprised. Kobe and Howard have completely opposite personalities, one is hardworking and paranoid, and the other is lazy and happy.

The collision of these two personalities is indeed very uncomfortable for both parties.

After making a three-pointer, Kobe looked back at Lin Tian: "You, why did you suddenly ask this?"

Lin Tian smiled bitterly: "I heard that Howard is not happy in the Rockets."

"So, do you want Kupchak to trade him?" Kobe asked in a low voice with his eyes wide open.

"I mean, if the Jokic deal doesn't work out, that kind of thing seems to be something to consider."

In the past two days, there has not been much progress in the Jokic deal.

The Nuggets front office seems to have spotted a unique talent in Jokic.

Jokic even pushed Nurkic out of the starting lineup in tonight's Nuggets-Mavericks game.

This is not good news for the Lakers.

Lin Tian thought that Kobe would be extremely opposed, but he just said: "The Lakers don't have the chips that the Rockets want."

Seeing what he said, Lin Tian didn't say anything more.

After the warm-up was over, the DJ of the Rockets began to introduce the lineup of the away Lakers.

When Kobe Bryant's name was mentioned again, the cheers at the Toyota Center were deafening.

Lin Tian's name also attracted a lot of applause, thanks to Dayao's blessing. The fans loved him so much, and it was hard to dislike him as a Chinese player.

The referee blew the opening whistle.

The Rockets' starting lineup is: Patrick Beverley, James Harden, Trevor Ariza, Clint Capela, Dwight Howard.

The starting lineup for the Lakers is: D'Angelo Russell, Kobe Bryant, Lin Tian, ​​Nance Jr., Hibbert.

Just looking at the starting lineup, the Rockets' starting lineup is obviously stronger.

Their point guard Beverley's defense like a mad dog has caused headaches for many star players, such as Curry.

Needless to say, small forward Trevor Ariza is the league's top 3D player.

Although power forward Capela is not yet the cake king, his talent has slowly been revealed.

Howard's emaciated camel is bigger than a horse, not to mention his current state is definitely not emaciated.

The Rockets' worst defense is obviously the head star James Harden, but he can use offense to make up for defense.

After the warm-up of the players, Howard and Hibbert jumped the ball in the middle circle.

After the referee threw the ball in the air, Howard took off to catch the ball and let it fall into Beverly's hands.

Beverley dribbled the ball through half court, and then handed it to Harden very sensibly.

Harden played shooting guard, in fact, he was the point guard.

Lin Tian and Kobe changed their defenders, and it was he who defended Harden at the beginning of the game.

Harden already knew Lin Tian's recent performance against the sky. He blew his beard and planned to teach this young player a lesson tonight.

After dribbling the ball for a few seconds, Harden suddenly speeded up and went inside.

Lin Tian retreated and defended. Not only did he not lose his position, but he also occupied an extremely favorable defensive position.

When Harden rushed near the penalty area and was about to collect the ball, Lin Tian, ​​who had quick eyesight and quick hands, stretched out his hand and touched the basketball.

The basketball was shot from Harden's crotch by Lin Tian, ​​and Kobe, standing behind Harden, quickly picked it up.

In the beginning, Harden got a turnover first.

He could also clearly feel that the rookie in front of him was not so easy to mess with.

Kobe took possession of the ball for half court and then handed the ball to Lin Tian.

Ariza greeted him.

At this time, the inside line was overcrowded.

Strictly speaking, there are now four traditional centers standing on the field, and the inside space is extremely small.

Lin Tian and Kobe played a pick-and-roll, and suddenly rushed to the free throw line with the ball. Facing Capela who rushed to defend, he directly made a mid-range shot.

"Shua!" The basketball hit!The Lakers took the lead to score two points!

(End of this chapter)