Must not get angry!

On the court, Carlos faced off against Kobe!

"Carlos, I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. Your recent performances have been outstanding. So... don't disappoint me, okay?" Kobe said with a smile.

"Of course, feel free to attack!" Carlos replied with determination.

"Here it comes!" Kobe stared at Carlos, who was considerably taller than himself, as he dribbled and found his rhythm. Then... he accelerated to the left, and Carlos stepped up to follow.

"Boom!" The two bodies clashed instantly. Although Carlos wasn't particularly strong in terms of center power, facing a guard, he had the advantage. However, tonight against Kobe, he didn't have the upper hand.

Moreover...

In the midst of the confrontation, Kobe stuck to Carlos, executed a turn, and pulled away half a step horizontally. Then... he made his signature fadeaway jump shot.

"Splash!" The basketball sailed through the air, hitting the net. "Nice shot!" Pau Gasol under the basket waved his huge fist to cheer for Kobe.

"Wow, this spectacular fadeaway shot. Every frame could be a wallpaper."

"But Carlos defended well. He almost blocked it. Indeed, he disrupted the shot, but Kobe's shooting accuracy is just too precise."

"That's right. Carlos, a rookie, defending against the 'number one point guard' and the current 'league's number one player' to this extent is quite impressive."

Fans discussed the game.

On the court...

"A bit off, huh?" Kobe shrugged, stepped back to the center, and Carlos received Nash's pass. Holding the ball, he advanced, and Fisher saw Carlos, a center, dribbling forward.

'Old fish' made a dive, attempting a steal. However, Carlos didn't even glance at him, smoothly switching the ball between his legs to avoid 'old fish's' attack.

Fisher embraced nothing but air.

"Wow!" The arena erupted in astonishment. Everyone marveled at Carlos, a center, displaying ball-handling skills not typical for a center.

At the top of the arc...

Carlos faced Kobe, a scene that would go down in history— a rookie center matching up against the league's 'number one point guard' on the perimeter.

"Boom boom boom!" Holding the ball in his left hand, Carlos dribbled slowly, gradually increasing the pace. Then, a sudden stop, a quick move to the left.

"Left-wing drive!" Kobe carefully observed Carlos's every move and quickly shifted to catch up.

Reading the defense all along, Carlos squinted his eyes, then executed a large body fake, shifting his weight to the right.

One step to the left, one step to the right...

"Splash!" Carlos instantly faked out Kobe, took a step to the right, stopped, and made a jump shot.

"Sizzle!" The sound of sneakers on the floor was accompanied by a sharp noise. Deceived by the fake, Kobe, overcoming the inertia of gravity, turned around and leaped to block the shot.

"Such quick reflexes!"

"He jumped so high!"

If it were an ordinary player, Kobe would have blocked the shot. Unfortunately... the one shooting before him was a center with a height of 215 centimeters and astonishing jumping ability.

"Swoosh!" The ball flew past Kobe's fingertips. As Kobe turned around in astonishment, he witnessed the basketball piercing through the net, a clean swish. Looking back at Carlos, he saw him spreading his hands innocently, wearing a face of innocence.

"Is that it?!"

"That's the defense of the number one point guard in the league. Nothing special!"

Carlos, imitating Kobe, shrugged and walked back to his half of the court.

"Hmph!" Kobe snorted, saying, "You little rascal!"

Fisher dribbled the ball over, and Kobe actively called for it, seeking out Carlos. Obviously... Carlos responded to the challenge, fueling Kobe's competitive desire.

High on the right side...

"Boom boom boom!" Kobe backed down Carlos continuously. In the moment when Carlos retreated in the confrontation, Kobe smoothly shook his shoulders, then half-turned and created separation from Carlos.

"Whoosh!" He raised his hand, made a fadeaway shot.

"Jump!" Carlos focused, bending his knees and preparing to block.

However... it was just Kobe's fake. Kobe's mouth curled slightly upward as he took a step to the right under the basket, swiftly shaking off Carlos, and finished with a low-handed layup.

"Swoosh!" Easy basket...

"Wow!" The crowd erupted. "This is Kobe's dreamlike footwork in post-ups and one-on-ones... so cool!"

"Carlos got played."

"Go, Kobe!"

Lakers fans were invigorated one by one.

Perfect footwork, perfect layup. Kobe felt happy too and shouted towards Carlos triumphantly, "Rookie, trying to block me? You're still too young."

"Hmph!" Carlos snorted as well, swiftly pushing the ball forward, top of the arc, three steps behind the three-point line. Suddenly, he launched a three-pointer, catching Kobe off guard.

"Swoosh!" The basketball traced a beautiful arc in the sky, accurately swishing into the net, splashing up waves.

A perfect three-pointer.

"A beautiful layup doesn't matter. It's still just 2 points. Watch me effortlessly score 3 points with a simple three-pointer. Kobe, times are changing, your era is over," Carlos taunted nonchalantly. Kobe instantly felt a bit upset.

But... right after, Kobe, from the top of the arc, made a quick change of direction, executed a fadeaway three-pointer, facing Carlos' defense, and still made the shot.

"Rookie, you're this tall. Can't you block my shots? Hahaha!"

Carlos, infuriated, rushed forward, broke through Kobe's defense, jumped in the restricted area, terrifying bounce, soaring over Pau Gasol's defense.

"Boom!" A dunk over the defender...

"Even a rookie can't be stopped. Kobe, I advise you to retire directly."

"What?!" If even a rookie forces the league's number one player to retire, Kobe's face turned red with anger. During the transition, Kobe shook off Carlos and scored a dunk under the basket.

"Carlos, it's like walking past a wooden stake when I fake you. Can't you give me some pressure?"

"You're just a rookie, surrender, rookie."

"You..."

The confrontations between Kobe and Carlos became more intense, not only in terms of offense but also in their verbal exchanges.

Perhaps language was also a form of attack.

Carlos rushed from the baseline, a backdoor cut, received Nash's pass.

"Whoosh!" Accelerating, forcefully breaking through Kobe's defense, entering the paint, and making a successful layup.

"Even the so-called 'number one point guard' can't keep up with a rookie center's drive? Kobe, I suggest you retire now. This year's league championship belongs to us."

"Carlos, you..."

"What about me?!" Kobe raised his head, looking at Carlos.

It turns out he also knew how to use verbal attacks.

Boom!

In the stands...

Carlos and Kobe continued to explode against each other, thrilling the fans who watched with excitement. However, on the court, Kobe...

Must not get angry!

Must not get angry!

If I get angry, it's the beginning of failure.

But Kobe still felt a bit angry. In his heart, he thought, this guy Carlos is a rookie? Can a rookie be this sarcastic—