Carrying an old science teacher with him

"Watfa, Kobe, what are you bragging about? You scored 81 points, and I'll give you a big gift as a thank you. That's the funniest thing I've ever heard you say."

During the break in the first quarter, Kobe Bryant showed Wang Kai his impressive skills.

Having lived in the United States for several years, Wang Kai didn't believe Kobe's "bragging" at all. He knew that "Old Rogue" had scored 69 points and "Admiral" Robinson had scored 71 points, but he really couldn't believe that the old guy living in his soul's space could score 81 points in a game.

Therefore, it is quite rare for Wang Kai to utter an American "catchphrase".

"Kid, don't be skeptical. My 'greatness' is beyond question. Just you wait and see, it will happen on January 23rd next year."

"So, should I do what you do and try to get as many points as possible?"

"No, I'm not telling you to rack up points right now. I'm telling you to realize that all 'greatness' comes from outperforming others. You're still a rookie. Trading high shot attempts for high points could upset the veteran players, which would be detrimental to you. What you need to do now is establish yourself on the team, and then when Byron leaves, you'll be the team's 'leader'."

"I think..."

"No, you're wrong. You've just entered the league and don't know that some of the unspoken rules here are more entrenched than you imagine. I entered the league in 1996, and it wasn't until 2005 that I could act freely. Why? Because the league needed me to act, the capital needed me to act. They needed someone to step up after that 'old rogue' completely retired. That person could be me, or it could be Iverson, McGrady, Carter, and so on. So don't challenge the rules for now. Just be yourself and wait for your opportunity."

"I understand, Kobe. I will work hard, and I believe that day is not far away."

Kobe's guidance of Wang Kai was both subtle and profound. He taught Wang Kai how to play basketball and hoped to teach him how to survive properly in the league.

After the start of the second quarter, Mo Williams, a player on the Bucks' bench, suddenly stepped up, making 2 of 4 three-point attempts and frequently driving into the Warriors' paint to score.

If the Warriors' starting frontcourt is passable, then their bench frontcourt is not even passable.

Chris Taft was a rookie in the same draft class as Wang Kai, but he was only selected 12th overall in the second round. He was a player with no talent, no experience, and no connections.

Backup center Kabakappa was selected 17th overall in the first round of the 03 NBA draft by the Suns. He was waived by the Suns before his rookie season was over because the Warriors simply didn't have any talent to recruit, and his salary was even lower than Wang Kai's starting salary.

With this kind of interior lineup, the Warriors simply couldn't withstand the onslaught from Mo Williams and 95 number one draft pick Joe Smith.

In just three minutes and forty seconds, the Warriors' lead of 11 points turned into a lead of 3 points.

Warriors interim head coach Tom Jackson had to bring Wang Kai and Baron Davis back onto the court.

At this point, the Bucks put Bogut back on the court, who seemed to have calmed down from the bench.

The Bucks struggled in the first quarter, with poor performance from the outside but showing an advantage in the paint during transition periods, and they were not going to let such opportunities slip by.

Wang Kai and Baron Davis's return to the court immediately stopped the Warriors' losing streak.

Wang Kai's off-ball movement and subsequent catch-and-shoot is very consistent. Tom Jackson's first offensive tactic after taking over the Warriors was the off-ball movement of Wang Kai.

Wang Kai's outside shooting ability has been recognized by the entire Warriors team. His shots are extremely consistent. With the right tactical coordination, Wang Kai's shots are not only quick but also high. More importantly, they are consistent. As long as the opponent's defense is not so close and relentless, Wang Kai's outside shooting percentage can reach more than 50%, or even close to 60%.

This shooting percentage is extremely dangerous in a game. Defense is always passive, and no defensive player can guarantee that they won't lose focus for the entire game. Therefore, Wang Kai's off-ball tactics are one of the Warriors' most important tactics right now.

After stabilizing their offense, the Warriors didn't make any further adjustments to their defense, since it didn't really matter whether they made changes or not.

The Bucks were forced to start double-teaming Wang Kai in the area when he was off the ball. It wasn't that they hadn't done any preparation before the game; they had studied the video of Wang Kai's game against the Jazz for a long time.

Therefore, when Wang Kai was at the two 45-degree angles in the frontcourt, the Bucks double-teamed him extremely quickly.

Baron Davis stepped up at the right time, reducing his unreasonable three-point attempts and increasing his drives and passes.

Neither the Bucks' starting point guard Ford nor their backup point guard Mo Williams could do anything against Baron Davis's big backside.

Byron didn't force a shot after breaking through, but instead cooperated actively with Wang Kai.

After Byron drove to the basket and Wang Kai drove to the basket, Jason Richardson received top-tier treatment after entering the game midway through the second quarter.

With two players capable of dribbling and penetrating relentlessly attacking, the Bucks' imperfect defensive system began to collapse, and the Warriors' outside shooting opened up completely.

Bogut is still looking for an opportunity to give Wang Kai a "hard" beating, but he hasn't adapted to the pace of the NBA yet and is being walked by Wang Kai and Byron alternately.

At halftime, the Warriors maintained an 8-point lead, 58-50.

The Bucks weren't without any chance to fight back in the second quarter. Reed's shots were very consistent. These past few years have been his peak, and he can still maintain a shooting percentage of nearly 45% even with tight defense.

After the halftime break, when both teams returned to the court, Wang Kai continued to threaten the Bucks' defense with his off-ball movement.

What Lao Ke said about Wang Kai was absolutely right. With Baron Davis on the court, Wang Kai didn't have many opportunities to attack with the ball. No matter how much Baron Davis valued Wang Kai, he wouldn't let Wang Kai, who had just entered the league, take away his ball-handling rights unless Wang Kai had already proven himself in important games, or even in the playoffs. Only then might Baron Davis appropriately give up ball-handling rights.

For league stars like Baron Davis, they won't easily relinquish power, because power is, to some extent, money and profit.

After his rookie contract expired, Baron Davis signed a lucrative 5-year, $70 million contract with the Hornets. After joining the Warriors, he was on his third year, a $13.7 million contract. With two years left on his contract, Baron Davis was determined not to relinquish any of his power.