Reborn in 96, I started by taking charge of the Dallas Mavericks.

Kobe is a sensation, an absolute sensation!

His performance of scoring 40+10 in the preseason as a rookie completely won over fans and the media.

Chen Fang had originally been thinking about whether he should find someone to create some buzz for Kobe, but now it seems that he doesn't need to do anything at all.

While Kobe Bryant was shining brightly, other rookies from the same draft class also showed impressive performances.

Of course, compared to Kobe's stats, everyone else pales in comparison.

Philadelphia, Wells Fargo Center Arena.

The Philadelphia 76ers, who just moved to a new arena this year and also acquired this year's number one draft pick Allen Iverson, are determined to make a name for themselves in the new season.

In their first preseason game, they defeated the Orlando Magic, who finished second in the Eastern Conference last regular season, by a score of 110-85.

Although Shaquille O'Neal's departure from the Magic to the Lakers this summer greatly weakened the Magic's strength.

But even a starved camel is bigger than a horse; the Magic still have Penny Hardaway.

Even so, the 76ers, led by Iverson, still easily defeated the Magic.

In this game, Iverson played 32 minutes, scoring 28 points, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 3 rebounds.

This statistic is among the highest of all rookies.

While Iverson was still feeling smug about his performance in his first game, all the media suddenly started reporting on Kobe's 40+10, which made Iverson extremely unhappy.

Like Kobe, Iverson was the kind of person who never gave up.

Seeing Kobe steal the spotlight from him, Iverson was determined to prove himself in the following games and show everyone why he was the number one pick, while Kobe was only the second pick.

……

When the people of Dallas learned that the Mavericks had defeated the Rockets, and that rookie Kobe Bryant had put up a 40+10 stat line, they went absolutely wild.

After all these years, they have finally found their star player.

"Have you heard? The Mavericks' rookies this year are exceptionally strong, especially Kobe, the second overall pick, who scored 40+10 in his first game."

"I watched that game. It wasn't just Kobe; the other rookies were also very strong, but Kobe was the strongest. He was just too strong."

"I have to say, the Mavericks' new owner really has a good eye. When he first traded away Kidd and others, I thought the new season was over. I didn't expect him to give us such a big surprise."

"Who can argue with that? I think the Mavericks will definitely make the playoffs this year."

"Honestly, I really want to go see Kobe play in person!"

"If you want to watch, go ahead. The Mavericks' next game is at home, let's go buy tickets now."

……

In an era dominated by interior players and where every team plays a half-court game, the Mavericks' run-and-gun offense instantly attracted the attention of a large number of players.

Especially with the Mavericks having this year's hottest rookie, coupled with the media's heavy hype, they have become the focus of the league.

Many fans are eager to see how far this new Mavericks team can go once the regular season begins.

After a day of rest, on October 9th, the Mavericks hosted their second preseason opponent at home, the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Mavericks and Lakers faced off once in the Summer League, with the Mavericks winning decisively.

But everyone understood that the Summer League matches were not of any reference value.

After all, most of the players on the Lakers roster at that time were not regular rotation players.

The media's coverage of the Mavericks in recent days, as well as the Lakers' acquisition of Shaquille O'Neal for the new season, have made this otherwise ordinary preseason game a focus of attention.

Tickets for the event were extremely difficult to obtain.

Even before the match started, the stadium was already packed with fans who came to watch the game.

The Mavericks' home arena hasn't seen such a packed house in a long time, not even during the regular season, let alone the preseason.

Looking at the enthusiastic fans in the arena, Nelson couldn't stop smiling.

Although he is currently in charge of the Mavericks' operations, the team's profitability depends on his management.

But he knew that the team's success was not due to him, but to Chen Fang.

Without Chen Fang, the Mavericks could not have been transformed in such a short time.

Besides Don Nelson, many other Mavericks players were also taken aback by the massive crowd.

"There are...there are way too many people!"

"I've never played basketball in front of so many people before!"

Nash, Peja, and Ben Wallace, as rookies, had never seen anything like this before, and immediately became nervous.

Seeing this, Chen Fang patted the group on the shoulders and said with a smile, "Don't be nervous. See? They're all here to cheer you on. You can't let us down at this time."

“He studies more subjects, and you see he’s not affected at all.”

Kobe was taken aback when he heard this, thinking to himself, "Which eye of yours saw that I wasn't affected?"

Chen Fang glanced at his watch. "It's about time, guys, let's go!"

After saying that, he led the Mavericks players out of the player tunnel.

Meanwhile, the DJ at the scene began introducing the players.

Originally, there was no player introduction segment in the preseason game, but Chen Fang added it on the spot because of the large number of fans present.

This allows the players to experience what a real NBA game is like beforehand, and also allows the fans at the venue to get to know each player better.

The substitute players were the first to take the stage, and the audience immediately erupted in light applause.

But when Nash and several other rookies came on the court, the situation immediately changed, and the entire stadium erupted in a deafening roar of cheers.

When Kobe finally took the court, the cheers soared to the heavens, almost lifting the stadium off its feet.

At this time, Kobe appeared quite naive in the face of the fans' cheers, lacking the domineering aura he would later possess.

Chen Fang saw everything and wondered if he should suggest that Kobe also have some kind of entrance ceremony.

For example, every time James comes on the court, he stands on the scorer's table and throws powder into the air, or hangs on the rim like Garnett and does pull-ups, or starts the game with a super long three-pointer like Curry to warm up.

After introducing the Mavericks players, the DJ then began introducing the Lakers players.

But perhaps the fans were tired of cheering, because when the Lakers players came on the field, the cheers suddenly subsided, and there was practically no cheering at all.

After the players from both sides finished their introductions, the players from both teams immediately began warming up on the field.

Meanwhile, the starting lineups for both teams appeared on the big screen above the Mavericks' home arena.

There was a slight change in the Mavericks' starting lineup today, with Chen Fang starting the five rookies.

After the last game, the media gave extensive coverage to the Mavericks' five rookies. Even if Chen Fang wanted to keep something under wraps, he couldn't hide it anymore, so he might as well just let the five start directly.

On the other side, the Lakers' starting lineup consisted of center Shaquille O'Neal, power forward Elden Campbell, small forward Jerome Colsey, and guards Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel.

Without a doubt, the Lakers, like the Rockets, have their strength in the paint.