Kobe’s NBA debut contributed an epic humorous scene.
For any other rookie, they would probably wish to find a hole to crawl into, impacting their game mindset to some extent.
Or become impatient, eager to showcase themselves, but instead end up making more mistakes on the court.
Kobe was originally a bit anxious inside; otherwise, he wouldn’t have made such a foolish mistake.
The pressure coming from all directions still had an impact on him.
But after making a real mistake, Kobe instead calmed down.
He licked his lips, his mind shifted from just thinking about dunking to "defending Wilkins well."
The power of a role model is strong; Kobe grew up watching Gan Guoyang’s games and knows that Ah Gan’s defense is a true weapon.
Whenever the Trail Blazers were in trouble, with their offense in a slump, or reaching a critical point, Ah Gan always started with defense.
He could often lead the team by successfully limiting opponents on defense, contributing with consecutive blocks, and even performing spectacular one-on-two plays to change the situation on the court.
After solidifying the defense, Ah Gan would follow up with high-efficiency offense to strike back at opponents, scoring at critical points to firmly suppress the opposition.
His steadiness on both offense and defense, with super stability in defense and extremely high efficiency in offense, laid the foundation for seven championships.
Kobe understood these principles well; however, at the high school level, as an outside player, he often destroyed opponents just with offense.
Although Ah Gan had more than once joked with Kobe, "You can win the game by scoring 60 points," Kobe wasn’t naive; he understood the importance of defense.
In recent games, every time the team made more mistakes or had issues with offense, Ah Gan would stabilize the team with defense.
But sometimes, the Trail Blazers’ outside defense had too many gaps, and the opponents intentionally avoided playing against Ah Gan, attacking the Trail Blazers’ perimeter.
The shortened three-point line was advantageous for Gan Guoyang’s offense, making it easier for him to score.
But it was a hassle for his defense because opponents could more easily bypass Gan Guoyang’s strong inside presence and launch attacks from outside the three-point line.
In the last game lost to the Kings, Mitch Richmond efficiently scored 29 points, making 3 out of 6 three-pointers, while the entire Kings team hit 6 out of 12 three-pointers, a stunning 50% hit rate.
It was entirely by avoiding Ah Gan’s inside defense, utilizing one-on-one single-point breakthroughs and three-point jump shots on the outside to attack the Trail Blazers, leading to their defeat.
Kobe clearly knew that the team’s outside single defense was urgently lacking, and having a good display on defense was the best and fastest way to stand out.
However, deep down, Kobe still longed to dunk; he told himself, "I’ll first take care of what’s in front of me, then find a way to dunk one."
His obsession could be temporarily buried, but it wouldn’t be eliminated.
Kobe quickly invested in defense, facing the once-best scorer in the league, Dominique Wilkins.
Wilkins didn’t take Kobe seriously; the 18-year-old Kobe looked skinny, just a big boy.
While the 37-year-old Wilkins, despite losing the proud jumping and explosiveness of his peak, still had his skills and strength in excellent condition.
When Kobe came over to guard Wilkins, Wilkins taunted, "Figure out who’s who first. I’m your teammate—didn’t you realize?"
Kobe said nothing, just stuck close to Wilkins. As Wilkins tried to shake off the defense to receive the ball, Kobe stuck to Wilkins like a piece of sticky candy.
The Spurs moved the ball several times but found Wilkins had no good chance to receive it, so the ball went inside. Elliot attacked the basket with the ball but was disrupted by Gan Guoyang and missed.
The Trail Blazers launched a counterattack; this time, Kobe didn’t run in the wrong direction and went straight ahead. Gan Guoyang pushed the ball forward, passing precisely to Kobe on the run.
Kobe charged straight to the basket but was intercepted by Wilkins, who followed up on defense, causing the fastbreak to fail.
Wilkins couldn’t catch up speed-wise or jump up to block anymore, but he was quick with his hands and experienced.
Kobe’s first NBA point didn’t come; Gan Guoyang came over and patted him, saying, "Protect the ball; this is the NBA, not high school."
Kobe nodded and refocused on the game.
Sideline ball, Gan Guoyang received the ball at the baseline, shot a mid-range jumper, and scored.
The movement was simple and precise without the slightest delay, and he retreated to defense immediately after taking the two points.
Wilkins also wanted to complete a baseline catch-and-shoot but had a shadow he couldn’t shake off.
"Xie Te, are you planning to follow me for the whole game?" Wilkins was a bit frustrated.
The ball still didn’t get passed to him; Avery Johnson missed a shot from the outside, and Gan Guoyang grabbed the rebound.
The Trail Blazers had another fastbreak opportunity; Kobe once again sprinted toward the frontcourt, but this time Gan Guoyang didn’t make the long pass.
He dribbled over half-court quickly by himself, breaking through the Spurs’ defense from the middle, then passed the ball to Reedell at the baseline.
Reedell received the ball, took a jump shot, and scored again. The Trail Blazers’ situation stabilized, gaining the lead.
"You need to run to the right position, not just charge forward blindly," Gan Guoyang reminded Kobe, not to always rush for a fastbreak.
On the court, observation and choice sometimes are more important than speed and explosiveness.
In the next two rounds, Kobe continued to defend like sticky glue, bothering Wilkins greatly.
But after all, Wilkins had dominated the league for over a decade, once being a top-tier scorer, and he wouldn’t be easily shut down by sticking close.