As a Kobe hater, he was actually teammates with Kobe!

After the training ended that day, Kobe looked at Zhou Ze's back as he left and smiled inexplicably.

This rookie is indeed a three-point shooting genius.

This was the first time he had seen such a terrifying rate of progress.

In the one-on-one duel with himself, this little bastard's proficiency in triple threats and fake moves has improved visibly.

Not only that, he also likes to study some strange and bizarre tricks.

Take this morning's game for example. After receiving the ball outside the three-point line, he accelerated to the basket. Facing Andrew Byram who had taken a defensive position in advance, he jumped high and tried to slam the ball into the basket over Byram, who was 213cm tall.

Although the dunk failed, this guy was not discouraged at all. Instead, he excitedly discussed the angle of the dunk with me. In addition, he gave this strange move a very cool name - Meteor Dunk!

"Interesting rookie!" Kobe thought to himself.

...

...

The next day.

The Los Angeles Lakers challenge the Phoenix Suns away.

The Suns' core inside player, Amar'e Stoudemire, was out due to injury.

Zhou Ze knew very well that although Xiaoba Wang's injury was serious, the Phoenix Suns had a miracle doctor.

Zhou Ze, who scored 20+ points in the last game, directly replaced Kwame Brown as the starter, just as the fans expected.

This made Coach Zhang and Teacher Su from the Tianchao Sports Studio quite excited.

"Xiao Zhou, you will start for the Lakers tonight."

"Although Xiao Zhou performed well in the last game, I thought he would need another 3-5 games before he could start."

"Although Zhou's rebounding and defense are a bit lacking, he has a three-point shot and can help the Lakers open up space. The team's overall offense will be much smoother. Phil Jackson's decision to make Zhou a starter is very reasonable."

In addition to Yao Ming, another Chinese player has become a starter in the NBA.

Moreover, it is a top team in the NBA - the Purple and Gold Army.

...

...

Tonight's starting lineups for both teams:

Los Angeles Lakers (away): Smush Parker, Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Zhou Ze and Chris Mihm.

Phoenix Suns (home): Steve Nash, Raja Bell, James Jones, Shawn Marion and Kurt Thomas.

After the game started, Raja Bell, known as the "Kobe Killer", pestered the opponent like a mad dog.

As an undrafted player, Raja Bell is very clear about his own characteristics and his biting defense.

To be honest, apart from defending Kobe, Raja Bell didn't do much defensive work on other people, and he didn't talk much trash either.

With a "Swish", facing Raja Bell who kept waving his arms at him, Kobe leaned over and accelerated. The combination of speed and strength directly broke through the defense. Facing Shawn Marion who wanted to make up for the defense, Kobe made a quick stop and made a mid-range jump shot.

After Kobe scored, Raja Bell continued to talk trash, saying, "Kobe, it seems you have good luck tonight."

As Kobe's killer, Raja Bell understands Kobe very well and knows Kobe's character weaknesses.

Raja Bell tried to stimulate Kobe, who was good at fighting and retaliating, and make him lose his mind, so that he would fall into an endless stick-standing mode and separate Kobe from the other four people. This was Raja Bell's real defensive purpose!

...

...

Faced with Raja Bell's trash talk and exaggerated actions, Kobe gradually lost his composure.

After hitting the first two shots, he missed three consecutive shots.

Zhou Ze could only run back and forth.

In addition, when retreating, facing Shawn Marion's fast break layup, he was deceived by the sudden slowdown of the rhythm, causing him to jump prematurely and watch Shawn Marion slam dunk.

"Hey, Xiao Zhou's arm span is indeed a bit short..."

"Yeah, Xiao Zhou's shoulders are too broad, which causes his standing reach to be a bit low."

"Also, Xiao Zhou's defensive positioning and anticipation need to be further improved."

"Yeah. Xiao Zhou's speed is not slower than Shawn Marion. He has already caught up, but he was fooled by the opponent's rhythm."

The two commentators in the Tianchao Sports studio couldn't help but feel a little sorry about this scene.

...

...

On the court, Kobe was double-teamed. He first passed the ball, then quickly moved from the left to the right, intending to continue receiving the ball and attacking.

As a transit station, Zhou Ze, who was standing outside the three-point line at the top of the arc, instantly noticed that not only was Raja Bell quickly following Kobe, but even Shawn Marion, who was defending him, was paying attention to Kobe.

These two people were waiting for him to pass the ball so that they could double-team Kobe as soon as possible.

For this reason, Zhou Ze, who received the ball, ignored Kobe's request for the ball and shot a three-pointer.

Although Shawn Marion reacted quickly and rushed forward immediately, Zhou Ze was a 206cm tall barefoot turret, and his "shooting" speed was as fast as a real shooter.

Seeing Zhou Ze's unauthorized attack, Kobe's face was filled with black lines. Just as he was about to open his mouth to scold him, "Swish!", a crisp sound of the ball going into the net rang in his ears.

"Kobe, nice-pass!" Zhou Ze, who noticed the change in Kobe's expression, couldn't help but say jokingly.

Kobe laughed in his heart, glared at Zhou Ze, and quickly returned to defense.

As for Raja Bell, who tried to provoke Kobe to fight alone, he was slightly stunned.

This rookie is really brave. He even dares to snatch Kobe's shooting right.

Kobe is the league's top one-on-one monster!

As a superstar, he has the responsibility and obligation to take up the team's offensive banner at critical moments.

But no matter how strong a star is, it is difficult for him to play the entire game.

...

...

Although Shawn Marion's physique is not as thick as that of a regular inside player, his arm span is exaggerated and his running and jumping ability is excellent.

Zhou Ze currently does not have the ability to back him down at the basket.

In addition, Zhou Ze also has to be very careful after getting the defensive rebound, because Marion's long arms can cut the ball at any time.

However, tonight the Suns focused their defense on Kobe and underestimated Zhou Ze's three-point shooting ability.

After Kobe ran without the ball, he seemed to regain his composure when facing the double-team. Seeing Raja Bell's surprised expression, he took the initiative to pass the ball to Zhou Ze.

Zhou Ze's move was extremely decisive.

Just take the ball and throw it.

After throwing, turn around and return to defense.

With good athletic ability and offensive positioning at the top of the arc, Zhou Ze is often the first player to complete the return defense.

After returning to defense, Zhou Ze's main purpose was to protect the basket and try his best to curb the Suns' use of fast breaks to attack the basket.

Although Zhou Ze's rim protection ability is very average, he is active. In addition, his 206cm and 113kg body can still have some effect under the basket.

第一节比赛结束，出场8分11秒的周泽三分球5投3中，其中有2个是来自科比的助攻。

Zhou Ze scored 9 points, 1 rebound, 2 fouls and 1 turnover in a single quarter.

Kobe, who was the focus of the Suns, scored 8 points, 2 assists and 1 steal.