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The matchup between the Lakers and the Heat showcases a significant disparity in strength just by looking at their starting lineups.
The Lakers' starting five are Gary Payton, Kobe Bryant, Wang Chong, Karl Malone, and Shaquille O'Neal.
The Heat's starting lineup features Dwyane Wade, Eddie Jones, Lamar Odom, Udonis Haslem, and Brian Grant.
The tallest player on the Heat team is Lamar Odom, who stands at 2.08 meters.
During the jump ball phase, Odom and O'Neal went head-to-head. O'Neal easily won the tip-off with his significant height advantage.
With such a dominant presence inside, the Lakers naturally focused on O'Neal from the beginning.
The Heat's starting center, Brian Grant, is only 2.06 meters tall and weighs 115 kilograms. His physique is more suited for a power forward than a center, but he is the only option for the Heat in that role.
Consequently, he had a rough time.
After O'Neal received the ball in the paint, he simply bulldozed his opponent to the basket, forcefully knocking him aside and scoring with a two-handed dunk.
O'Neal's basket gave the Lakers the lead and set the tone for the game.
The Heat were clearly outmatched by the Lakers in terms of strength. The game wasn't so much about winning as it was about gaining experience against a top-tier team and trying to keep the point difference from being too large.
Particularly as both Wade and Kobe played shooting guard positions, the Heat's management and coaching staff were eager to see how Wade would perform against one of the league's best defenders, Kobe Bryant.
Wade did not disappoint the Heat management.
Kobe suffered a setback in his first defensive stand against Wade.
At first, Kobe didn't take Wade seriously. Wade isn't like LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony—players who were highly touted in the draft. Despite winning the NCAA championship alongside Wang Chong and playing well in the NBA, Wade wasn't a highly regarded prospect.
Wade took the ball and faced Kobe's defense. He accelerated and drove past Kobe in just one step.
Wade's nickname, "The Flash," is well-earned. Few guards in the league can match his speed and explosiveness off the dribble. Even Allen Iverson may not match him in terms of pure straight-line speed and explosive bursts.
Kobe was a bit slow to react, and by the time he turned to chase Wade, it was already too late.
Wade blew by Kobe and dashed into the restricted area. He soared up and executed a tomahawk dunk to complete the attack. Even O'Neal, under the basket, didn't have time to react.
"This kid is really fast; he deserves to be Wang Chong's teammate."
Wade's dribbling and quick penetration immediately left a deep impression on O'Neal.
Having been beaten by Wade in a single step, Kobe looked a bit embarrassed. In the next possession, he opted to take the ball himself for a one-on-one battle against Wade, eager to get revenge.
However, Wade's defense proved more formidable than Kobe had anticipated. Despite the slight height disadvantage, Wade's speed, explosiveness, jumping ability, and even strength were all on par with Kobe's. Confronting a top guard in the league like Kobe, who had already established himself, Wade demonstrated a strong desire to challenge him.
For a while, Kobe found himself struggling against Wade's defense and failed to score in two consecutive offensive possessions.
Wade's defense is outstanding. During his prime, he was selected for the All-Defensive Team several times. His peak years, however, were relatively short, and because the league favored Kobe during those years, even though Wade's defensive statistics and efficiency were better, Kobe still received the First Team All-Defense honors, while Wade was given Second Team.
The most typical example is the 2008-09 season: Kobe averaged 1.5 steals and 0.5 blocks per game, while Wade averaged 2.2 steals and 1.3 blocks. Wade outperformed Kobe in terms of defensive efficiency per 100 possessions and his overall defensive contribution to the team. Yet, Kobe was named to the First Team All-Defense, while Wade only made the Second Team.
The topic has digressed, so let's return to the game.
After a few brief confrontations, Kobe couldn't stop Wade's attacks, while Wade managed to disrupt Kobe's offense. As a result, Kobe grew increasingly frustrated and began taking aggressive shots in an attempt to overwhelm Wade on the court.
He succeeded in doing so. While Wade was highly talented at this stage, his skills were not yet fully developed. He relied on a few basic moves, and once Kobe adapted to his rhythm, Wade had no choice but to concede control.
Throughout the game, Kobe shot 7-of-10 from the field. While he didn't take many shots, he earned 16 free throws, converting 15 of them, ending with 27 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists.
Meanwhile, Wade, who initially performed well against Kobe in the first quarter, found himself more constrained as his style of play was dissected.
After all, the Lakers had O'Neal in the paint, and Wade's offensive game was almost entirely based on driving to the basket. Even if he got past Kobe, scoring wasn't easy. In the end, Wade shot 6-of-14 from the field and 4-of-5 from the free-throw line, scoring 16 points.
This point total was exactly the same as Wang Chong's in this game.
Wang Chong didn't get many opportunities in this game, mainly because the Heat were simply too weak. By the third quarter, the score was so lopsided that the game lost any competitive suspense.
Additionally, Wang Chong's direct opponent in this game was Lamar Odom, known as the "Left-Handed Magician." While Odom's abilities were strong, his focus and seriousness in games were lacking, especially on the defensive end. Wang Chong could clearly sense his opponent's distraction. Odom was constantly winking at the pretty girls in the Staples Center stands, with no intention of playing solid defense.
Classic Odom.
Given the massive gap in strength, the Lakers' starters saw reduced playing time. As a result, only three players scored in double figures: Kobe with 27 points, Wang Chong with 16, and O'Neal with 18 points and 6 rebounds.
The first clash between Wang Chong and Wade ended with a victory for the Lakers, the team Wang Chong played for, but the two did not directly face off on the court. This was expected since they played different positions, so direct confrontations were naturally limited.
Nevertheless, at the end of the game, the two shared a friendly hug.
"Wang, our next game will be in Miami. You won this time, but next time, it'll be my turn!" Wade said.
Teams from the East and West only play each other twice in the regular season unless they meet in the Finals.
With the Heat's current strength, making it to the playoffs is quite difficult, so that possibility doesn't exist.
In the locker room, Kobe took the initiative to say to Wang Chong, "Your college teammate is pretty awesome. He's definitely going to be a top star in the league in the future."
Wang Chong thought to himself, "Of course, Wade is a shooting guard who will win an NBA Finals MVP before you. With three championships and one Finals MVP, he'll be ranked third among shooting guards in history, only behind Jordan and Kobe himself. If he weren't so selfless, hadn't suffered injuries while fighting for the team, and hadn't voluntarily given up his position as the Heat's tactical core for the sake of brotherhood, his achievements would have been even greater."
End of this chapter
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