Who will be the role players now that everyone's been reborn?

In the second minute of the first quarter, Kobe received the ball, faked a shot, and knocked Raja Bell away. He then broke into the paint, faced Marion's help defense and attempted a beautiful fadeaway jump shot, but the arrow failed to pierce the Suns' basket.

Clang!

With Raja Bell on the perimeter and Shawn Marion in the paint, the Suns may claim to prioritize offense over shooting, but that doesn't mean the coaching staff is foolish. They can still provide Kobe with a standard, enhanced defensive package.

In the next possession, Smush Parker's pass was somewhat careless. Rather than passing, Parker, who plays like a shooting guard with a physical shooting guard style, prefers to keep the ball in his own hands.

Kobe touched the ball, but before he could fully control it, Nash, who had anticipated his move, rushed over and precisely swatted the ball away, giving Kobe a rare turnover. At the same time, Nash quickly regained control of the out-of-control ball and launched a counterattack, finding James Jones who was rushing to the basket. He easily jumped up and laid the ball in.

In the stands, Lakers fans booed loudly, not at their opponent, the Suns, but at their own Lakers team, saying, "Where did Smush Parker come from?"

That pass was affected, a bit over-the-top. They really can't act, oops, I mean they can't pass the ball!

Off the court, despite being offered a $10 million annual salary and a three-year contract to bring Phil Jackson back, he remained inactive, leaving the players on the court to solve their own problems while he slept off the court.

On the court, the basketball still hadn't passed Kobe's hands. Parker broke through and passed the ball to Devin George, who received it a step inside the three-point line and attempted a jump shot, but it missed.

Two and a half minutes into the game, the Lakers' offense, orchestrated by Smaspark, was successfully stopped.

Conversely, the Suns' offense, orchestrated by Nash, was incredibly fluid and aggressive, even managing to score on every possession for four consecutive minutes, unleashing a relentless barrage of attacks.

Just as the Suns were leading the game with their whirlwind offensive onslaught, Odom stepped up.

He took over Smush Parker's playmaking duties, moved the high post to the center of the triangle offense, and frequently set up Kobe. Then, Kobe exploded.

Players like Raja Bell, who went undrafted and had mediocre talent, were easily defeated by Kobe in their first encounter.

The perimeter defense crumbled at the first touch, and Marion's help defense and blocks inside were equally ineffective. Despite his 2.01-meter height, Kobe could either pull up for a jump shot over Marion or ignore the rim protection and drive to the basket for a layup.

首节战罢，科比9投6中，罚球5中5，单节轰下17分，带领湖人30比31落后太阳队1分。

Smush Parker had 7 points and 0 assists as a point guard, while Nash only made one three-pointer for 3 points, but delivered 6 assists. Comparing their stats, the difference between the league's best point guard and the league's weakest point guard is as high as three or four floors. The Suns had multiple players contributing, creating a situation where five heroes were fighting against Lu Bu, and it was reasonable for them to take a 1-point lead.

Off the court, D'Antoni was pleased with what he saw, saying, "Without Stoudemire, a super scorer, the Suns can score 31 points in a single quarter. Any team could do that."

"Kobe's 17 points in a single quarter brought the score back into the lead." On the commentary stand, Kenny Smith remarked with emotion, "Kobe didn't work hard enough. He should reflect on it and could have scored 20 points in each of the next three quarters, which would have brought his total to 77 points."

Kobe could improve his three-point shooting, rounding down his shots to score 81 points, which would ensure the Lakers beat the Suns without Stoudemire.

Barkley nodded in agreement. "Besides maximizing his individual abilities, Kobe could also try a different playing style to make his teammates better."

In the second quarter, D'Antoni reviewed the eight-man rotation roster and called out Chen Dong, Barbosa, Diaw, Jim Jackson, and Brian Granger.

To be honest, Granger's speed can no longer keep up with the Suns' offensive pace. However, he is playing against his former team, and often at this time, even an ordinary player can deliver an extraordinary performance.

In the first minute of the second quarter, Barbosa dribbled past defenders and passed the ball to Chen Dong, who changed direction and leaped forward, facing Vujacic's block attempt, and launched a three-pointer that pierced the heart of the opponent's defense.

Swish!!!

"Here he comes. Chen Dong didn't play in the first quarter, but he came in right away in the second quarter and immediately used a three-pointer to make a show of force."

"Yeah, if Vujacic is a tiger, he's a fierce tiger. It's not surprising that we can't stop him!" Barkley shook his head repeatedly after looking at the Lakers' roster. "Where did the Lakers' management find their rotation? They're really something else."

On the court, after scoring, Chen Dong immediately turned around to defend. The Suns' extreme speed left Vujacic with only his back, not provocative trash talk.

On the defensive possession, Barbosa automatically charged forward, accelerating at full speed, lunging forward to double-team Vujacic and accurately swatting the basketball away from his hands.

Chen Dong charged forward, controlled the out-of-control basketball, and instead of driving the length of the court to the basket, he passed the ball faster than he dribbled. The 7-second fast break, or even less, was perfectly demonstrated at this moment. Chen Dong passed the ball to Barbosa, who was driving to the basket, and then leaped up and smashed it with all his might.

Clang!!!

Chen Dong scored 3 points and 1 assist in less than a minute on the court. This is the rhythm of the Suns' game, and the stats can rise accordingly.

Of course, besides the Suns' excellent offensive system, the Lakers' rotation lineup also made the Suns' offense even more formidable.

Turning back, Vujacic welcomed rookie Chen Dong with a three-pointer, but his shot selection was somewhat hasty, and the three-pointer missed.

Granger grabbed the rebound, passed the ball to Barbosa for a fast break, and found Chen Dong in the frontcourt. Chen Dong received the ball, took a jab step, shook off Vujacic, and launched a three-pointer, which went in perfectly.

Swish!!!

"Chen Dong has gone berserk!"

Another three-pointer that found its mark.

"At the start of the second quarter, led by Chen Dong's 6 points and 1 assist, the Lakers were hit with an 8-0 run, and the point difference quickly widened to 9 points."

"With only one and a half minutes left in the second quarter, Kobe is still resting on the bench, and the Lakers' defense is very likely to collapse..."

Surprisingly, Phil Jackson didn't make any adjustments.

Center Chris Mihm almost couldn't get playing time with the Celtics, so the Lakers brought him over to start. Devin George, who is 2.03 meters tall, is only average and is playing power forward, a position he is not good at. Small forward Vujacic is only a second-year rookie, and as Kobe's backup, he didn't get much playing time last season to adapt to the NBA. Shooting guard Aaron McGee is almost 34 years old. Last season, as Iverson's backup, he only averaged 2.2 points per game. In addition, point guard LaRon Profit is an undrafted player and was a fringe player on a weak team last season, averaging 3.2 points and 0.9 assists per game.

Good grief, with a hand like that, even if Jackson were to recover from all the medical treatment, he'd be crippled anyway. It's better to just let the players play as they please.

Then, as the team's reserve player and ball-handler, Devin George took on Jim Jackson one-on-one, but his skills were too rough, and he was called for a charging foul, resulting in a change of possession.

Off the court, Kobe's face grew increasingly dark as he watched, frequently glancing at Coach Jackson on the bench, as if to say, "Coach, I want to play basketball!!"

However, Colonel Sanders remained unmoved.

Outside the stadium, boos filled the air once again.

On the court, Chen Dong dribbled past Vujacic, broke into the paint, and passed the ball with his back to the basket, assisting Diaw on a layup attempt, who scored two points.

His personal stats have reached 6 points and 2 assists. You call this a rookie player? Or a role player? It's like a superstar is dominating the game.

There's nothing we can do. It's not that Chen Dong is too strong, but rather that the Lakers' CBA roster is simply too weak.

In the fourth minute of the second quarter, when Kobe Bryant returned to the court, the Suns, led by Chen Dong, had already launched a 15-5 run against the Lakers, giving them a 46-35 lead.

The plan has changed. Even if Kobe scores 20 points in a single quarter, it's unlikely he can carry the team and turn the game around.

Therefore, upon returning to the court, Kobe did not take on all the offensive burden. Instead, he acted as a distraction on offense, drawing the defense and allowing his teammates to open up the offensive opportunities.

"In the last game against the Nuggets, the Lakers went into overtime. It was thanks to Kobe's 33 points and 6 assists, and his defense that held Anthony to 19 points and 3 assists, that the Lakers narrowly defeated the Nuggets by 2 points," Barkley commented on the commentary desk. "So, Kobe needs to tone down his scoring."

Playing back-to-back games is very detrimental to the Lakers' stamina; the second half is when Kobe should really give it his all.

As it turned out, it didn't work. Kobe passed the ball to Devin George, whose two-point jump shot missed.

Kobe drove to the basket and passed the ball to Odom, who drove to the rim and attempted a layup, but his shot also missed.