NBA: Magic Johnson opens the season, crowned MOP

As soon as Joey came on the court, he used the Spurs' classic hammer tactic to assist Joseph in the corner to score a three-pointer.

Soon afterwards, Kobe forced a three-pointer over his head from the top of the arc to return the favor.

The impact of Duncan's departure on the Spurs is visible to the naked eye. The Lakers' crazy pursuit of points in the third quarter is one of the best manifestations!

And now in the fourth quarter, the impact is even worse.

Howard grabbed three consecutive frontcourt rebounds over Split and Baynes, which gave the Lakers three shooting opportunities. In the end, Nash received the ball and scored from mid-range.

87:85, the score difference was only two points.

During this period, two-thirds of the Spurs' points came from Joey, Parker and others on the outside, and only a small number of points came from the inside who were fed.

"Did you see that, pretty boy? This is the real power!"

Howard bent his arms high, showing off his strong biceps, and walked past Joey arrogantly.

In the next round, Joey and Baynes set a pick-and-roll, slipping out of Howard to play small against big.

The fans and spectators off the court instantly became excited - is it finally going to be a match?

Popovich frowned when he saw this. Why did Joey choose to"save" the team with his personal ability at such a critical moment?

Does he think he is a top singles attacker at the level of Kobe and McGrady?

"Come on, rookie, Mr. Howard has been waiting for you for a long time, come and take my block……"

Howard was talking trash in an attempt to disturb Joey's mind, while he stretched out his long arms and tried to interfere with the ball.

It seems that Howard, the three-time best defensive player, is not only good at guarding the restricted area, but also has experience in defending the"small against the big" situation that centers fear the most.

Joey dribbled the ball in a simple rhythm, then made a quick stop under his crotch and dribbled behind his back to create space, and then he would pass the ball after withdrawing from the three-point line.

"Good opportunity!"

Howard, who has a historical level of defensive awareness, instantly realized that this was an opportunity to deliver a"shocking pot", and without caring about anything else, he jumped up as if he had eaten a spring, and his long arms instantly covered all of Joey's shooting space.

The latter was not in a hurry, and just as he was about to close his hand, he pulled the ball back to his right hand and easily broke through.

Just kidding, a few bronze badges for ball control plus the blessing of the silver first step master, plus Joey's breakthrough attribute that is comparable to that of an NBA All-Star guard...

Facing Gasol's help defense and Kobe who had already left Parker and was ready to pounce, Joey exploded the ball with his right hand and turned around, avoiding Gasol, and shot a mid-range shot from the free throw line!

"Swish——"

Although this shot did not receive the bonus of the high-difficulty shot king, it still went into the net.

Joey's score in this game officially reached the 20-point mark. It was his seventh regular season game in his career and the third time he scored more than 20 points, ranking second among rookies in this year's class.

"Damn rookie, how can he be as slippery as a loach!"

Howard cursed inwardly, facing Kobe's murderous gaze, he lowered his head and raised his hands guiltily, indicating that he was impatient.

"Oh, good shot, Joey!"

A beautiful scene on the sidelines instantly attracted the attention of most of the players on the court - it was one of Disney's hottest teenage stars in recent years, Selena Gomez.

She was wearing the No. 3 jersey of the Spurs, standing on the sidelines and cheering loudly for Joey. That beautiful face and figure... damn pretty boy!

Howard's"hatred" for Joey went up a notch!

The next few rounds became a battle of personal ability and teamwork!

Kobe seemed to have found a key to the game, and he suddenly had the ball and scored against Joey in three consecutive rounds.

Joey Not to be outdone, he first used his own containment power to assist his teammate to score a goal, and then he and Leonard delivered a"double ghost knock" as usual, blocking Gasol's dunk on the backboard.

The situation instantly entered the most tense stage. There was only one minute left in the fourth quarter. The two sides went back and forth, neither gave in. Some actions became more and more violent, and the anger between the players gradually came out.

This ball was the Spurs' offensive round.

The score on the field was 107:104, and the Spurs led by three points. This goal would have a great hope of turning the game into a victory. The Los Angeles players took him away.

Kobe was guarding the Spurs' No. 3 player seriously. At this moment, he no longer regarded this guy as a rookie. So far, the Asian-American guard who was selected by the Spurs at a high price has scored 25 points, 7 rebounds and 11 assists, which is close to a triple-double.

It was him who led the Spurs to score after Duncan was injured and suppressed the Lakers' four-star lineup throughout the game. With his strong control and personal ability, he suppressed the Lakers' Big Four. The Lakers, led by the Big Four, didn’t lead once in the entire game except for the first few minutes!

The excellence of this rookie has far exceeded Kobe’s cognition. In his mind, the last rookie who could lead the team to this point was the youngest MVP winner in history last year.

After this game, whether he wins or loses, Kobe will firmly engrave the word"Joey" in his heart - this is another opponent he wants to defeat and conquer!

At this moment, the Spurs’ lineup on the field, old man Popovich arranged a set of"five small lineups" that were ahead of their time."——

2.03 meters top center position, 2.01 meters Leonard as power forward, Manu as small forward, Parker as shooting guard, Joey as point guard...

Except for Leonard whose shooting is still unstable, almost everyone has the range to pull out to the three-point line.

At this time, Joey started to start, with Dio's solid screen and shooting range, he once again pulled Howard out of the inside, Parker, Leonard, Manu and others stood outside the three-point line, standing in a"five-out" lineup.

This was Joey's fourth singles against Howard in this game. He only scored once in the previous three times. Although it was a"2+1", it was also inefficient.

Joey"re-used the same trick" to shake Howard, but the latter didn't fall for it at all, relying on the lateral speed and strong body comparable to that of an outside player to force Joey to stop.

But do you think this is the end?

Howard's smug smile just hung on his face, and Joey passed the ball between Howard's legs without dribbling space.

Bang!

There was a heavy sound of the basketball hitting the ground. Howard was stunned for a moment. Joey in front of him had disappeared.

When he turned around and saw him again, he had already passed the ball. He received the ball one step away from the free throw line and easily made a layup.

The Staples Center was silent. After a moment of hesitation, almost everyone had a certain degree of doubt about the value of Howard's three consecutive DPOY awards.

This big guy who was first shaken off by the Spurs' rookie No. 3 pick and then"played through the crotch" with a catching action, is he really the peak Warcraft that the Lakers spent a huge price to exchange through a four-team big trade this summer?

At this time, the only person who could laugh at the Staples Center was the Disney girl star on the sidelines. Even the Lakers coach D'Antoni on the bench had an expression of doubt about his life.

After this ball, the score between the two sides came to 109:104. There were 46 seconds left in the game. With a difference of five points, the Lakers had a great hope of equalizing or even surpassing the score!

But what no one expected was that at this time, he was repeatedly used as a backhand.���Howard's mentality collapsed.

The reason was just a casual remark made by Joey when he passed by him:

"Manu, can any clown in the NBA be selected for the All-Defensive Team these days? If so……"

"I think you should be named Defensive Player of the Year."

It didn't mention any names or words, but it was a full insult to Howard!

His eyes turned red, and he chased Joey like a madman, like a bull that had lost its mind. The Lakers players and referees didn't have time to react at all, and he had already rushed behind Joey.

He swung his fist, and a powerful punch hit Joey's back!

Joey only felt like a 50-pound dumbbell fell from a high altitude and hit his back. The piercing pain came, and then... then it was gone. Andre Miller's S-level star card not only brought him the most painful experience in human history. The strongest resistance to injury, and automatically avoids accidental injuries from all non-basketball actions on the court!

In other words, on the court, Joey is made of iron!

But in the eyes of outsiders, Joey was knocked to the ground at this time, with a painful expression, as if he was seriously injured.

Jackson on the bench was the first to react. He didn't expect Howard to endure the whole game, but exploded at the end - this was completely beyond his and Joey's plan!

He was the first to rush onto the court, and before everyone reacted, he pushed Howard away and took a boxing stance, about to perform the classic scene of"Chocolate Bomb".