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Chapter 277 The Rebellious Bryant, Paul Who Can Always Be Trusted
The Warriors, who have been on a roll recently, faced the Lakers for the first time in the regular season on Christmas Day.

Before the game started, Kobe strode confidently to the away team's half.

As the owner of the Staples Center.

Given the long-standing animosity between Kobe and Qin Yue, Kobe certainly had reason to extinguish the visiting team's arrogance by uttering a few harsh words.

However, just as the Warriors players on the court were all straining to hear what Kobe would say to Qin Yue, they were all on the edge of their seats, curious about how Kobe would exchange insults with Qin Yue.
Kobe, in a seemingly aggressive manner, unexpectedly accepted a Golden State Warriors jersey with the number 77 from a Lakers staff member standing next to him.

And in front of Qin Yue, he said in the most humble tone he had ever used, "Could you sign your name for me?"

sign?

Kobe asked me for an autograph on a Warriors jersey?

At this moment, looking at Kobe with disbelief, Qin Yue couldn't believe that Kobe, who was always unruly in front of him, would one day bow down and kneel before him.

Overjoyed, Qin Yue smiled and said, "No problem, you know Kobe, I'm always happy to sign autographs for all my supporters."

Even Kobe, a die-hard Qin hater, was turned into a Qin fan by himself.

In Qin Yue's eyes, this was definitely a recognition of his achievements in the current era.

However, shortly after Qin Yue signed Kobe's autograph, he discovered that the whole thing about Kobe being labeled a "Qin fan" was just his overthinking.

Because it was Maccaroni Bryant, who received a Christmas gift a few seconds later on the Lakers' bench, who was actually the reason Kobe asked Qin Yue for a jersey that night.

"Kobe's son is your fan?"

"At halftime, Kwame Brown exclaimed in surprise."

Indeed, Macaroni, who developed a strong interest in basketball under Kobe's influence since childhood, has become a die-hard fan of Qin Yue since last year.

Although Kobe always wanted to help the rebellious Maccaroni rebuild his correct values.

But Kobe, who was always strict with Maccaroni, actually strengthened Maccaroni's faith in Qin Yue.

Do not ask.

The question is, Uncle Qin is the white moonlight in young Macaroni's heart, the one who could easily surpass his old father.

"Father, thank you for getting GOAT's autograph for me."

On the sidelines, Maccaroni excitedly hugged Qin Yue's autographed jersey, completely disregarding his father's feelings, and even added insult to injury by stabbing Kobe in the chest.

“Father, this jersey has elevated your status in my heart beyond Ham.”

Who is Ham?

"A golden retriever owned by Richard, my elementary school classmate."

"."

At this moment, looking at Macaroni, who had always found pleasure in annoying him over the past year, Kobe could no longer tell whether he was the father or Macaroni was the father.

But there's one thing Kobe can be sure of.

That is, he only understands the gratitude he owes his parents after raising children. Right now, his most urgent thing is not to beat up Macaroni, but to go home immediately and continue making babies with Vanessa.

Yes.

In Kobe's opinion, Macaroni was completely beyond saving.

Now, his only chance is to switch to a different account and keep practicing so that he can have a well-behaved son who will understand him in the future.

However, Kobe held a different attitude.

Qin Yue took the initiative to come to the Lakers' half of the court and interacted with his young fan.

Qin Yue, however, immediately fell in love with Macaroni.

"You have given birth to a good son."

On the sidelines, Qin Yue asked Kobe, "Has he started learning to play basketball yet?"

Upon hearing this, Kobe, who didn't really want to talk to Qin Yue, said with a grudge, "I've been studying for two and a half years."

Has it really been two and a half years already?

At that moment, as Qin Yue once again realized the irreversible passage of time and years from Macaroni's rapidly growing figure, he said with a melancholy expression, "Perhaps in another ten years, your son will also follow in your footsteps and make his mark in the NBA."

Seeing this, Kobe sighed and said, "Who knows if he will choose to pursue a professional basketball career in the future?"

In the NBA, not every second-generation star can inherit their father's mantle.

However, he did it to argue with his elderly father.
Macaroni pouted and said, "I will definitely become a professional basketball player in the future, and as long as I can play in the NBA, I will definitely choose to wear jersey number 77."

What an ambitious little guy.

Before the game started, this little incident with Kobe and his son even improved Qin Yue's mood considerably, as he had to work overtime every Christmas.

Of course, in stark contrast, Kobe was devastated by the macaroni incident.

In the center of the court, after warming up, the starting lineups for the Lakers and Warriors in this Christmas Day game were officially announced.

The visiting Warriors: Brown, Qin Yue, Wallace, Green, Jack.

Home team Lakers: Marc Gasol, Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant, Klay Thompson, Chris Paul.

In the opening tip-off, Brown, who had returned to the starting lineup, defeated Gasol and won possession for his team.

On the court, the Warriors' offensive possession.

Despite his high position and attempt to circumvent Qin Yue's influence, Paul did not choose to be polite because of his relationship with Qin Yue.

boom!
Near the top of the arc, Paul ignited the powder keg of the match with a powerful punch.

Although this punch did not cause any real damage to Qin Yue.

But this powerful punch was clearly a warning:
The Lakers won't let the Warriors off easily in the Christmas Day game.

On the court, the Warriors' first offensive possession was completed by Green.

Green's three-point attempt missed under strong pressure from Klay Thompson.

In the Lakers' paint, the Gasol brothers immediately formed a pincer movement to secure the defensive rebound for the Lakers.

On the sidelines, on the Warriors' bench, Warriors head coach Mike Malone noticed that the Lakers clearly intended to turn this regular season game into a Western Conference Finals matchup.

Malone immediately sensed the malice these old rivals harbored towards the Warriors.

Compared to the past, this season, the other 29 teams in the league tend to raise the level of their games whenever they face the Warriors.

why?
Because as long as we can defeat this champion team, even if it's just a regular season game, it would be a cause for celebration.

Therefore, since the beginning of December, even with the same level of difficulty in the schedule, the Warriors will face a much greater challenge in winning games than other championship contenders.

Malone is very worried that the physical strain the Warriors endured during the regular season will affect their chances of defending their title this season.

However, no matter how many reasons Malone had for hoping the Warriors would reduce their workload by deliberately giving up some games during the regular season.

Since Qin Yue expressed his desire to win from the very beginning of this Christmas game, Ma Long could only transform into "Zhuge Ma Long" and actively assist his opponent in winning this match.

Qin Yue's will is the will of the entire warrior team.

On the court, Paul dribbled the ball across half-court and attempted to use a screen with Gasol at the high post to move Qin Yue away from the paint.

Unfortunately, Qin Yue skillfully turned and bypassed Pau Gasol.

And while delaying Paul, he responded with an eye-to-eye elbow to Paul's earlier cannonball punch during the block.

However, in the instant Qin Yue made his mistake, the quick-thinking Klay used another Gasol screen to get around to the right corner.

Seeing this, Gasol, who had just finished a handoff with Paul, quickly passed the ball to Klay.

After being honed last season, Clay's sharpness has undoubtedly reached a new level.

From the outside, Klay Thompson drained a three-pointer.

The Lakers' opening offensive and defensive plays became a microcosm of the game between the two teams in the first quarter.

At Staples Center, the better-prepared Lakers not only stifled the Warriors' offensive momentum with their relentless defense.

Furthermore, their multi-pronged attack and the teamwork they displayed on the court can only be described as a feast for the eyes.

At the end of the first quarter, the score was 24-37.

On the sidelines, during the break, Maccaroni, who had been cheering for the Warriors, was even mercilessly mocked by Klay Thompson's uncle: "It looks like the team you support and that GOAT aren't in form for this game."

After a pause, Clay continued with a smile, "It's not too late for you to choose to abandon the darkness and embrace the light."

Upon hearing this, Macaroni, who firmly believed that Uncle Qin would definitely beat up the Lakers and his father next, said without changing his expression: "Supporting the Lakers is abandoning the light for the dark!"

As you can see, it turns out that even though Macaroni is a native of Los Angeles, not everyone in Los Angeles dislikes Qin Yue.

On the Warriors' bench, Qin Yue, knowing that the Warriors had been caught off guard by the Lakers in this game, did not choose to blame his teammates.

Instead, after returning to the court in the second quarter, he led the way with a determination to make up for the hole he dug in the first quarter.

On the field, Qin Yue's first round back on the field.

Positioning himself low and forcefully pushing past Marc Gasol, Qin Yue executed a side hook shot under the basket and scored.

Moreover, this was an undisputed And-One.

At the free-throw line, Qin Yue made the extra free throw.

Immediately afterwards, during a defensive possession by the Warriors, Qin Yue once again blocked Pau Gasol's shot.

Although, at the moment of receiving the ball and attacking the basket, Pau Gasol's fake move is enough to fool 99.99% of the current league's interior players.

Unfortunately, Qin Yue was exactly that 0.01%.

In the Warriors' paint, whenever Qin Yue wanted to win, Brown, who always charged forward like a fierce dog, successfully protected the second ball for the team.

At Staples Center, Qin Yue's offensive and defensive plays in the second quarter became a microcosm of the Lakers-Warriors game in the same period.

On the court, the defending champions, led by Qin Yue, showed their attitude and enthusiasm.

As the Lakers' shooting touch cooled off, the Warriors had narrowed the gap to just 5 points by the end of the first half.

So, during halftime, young Maccaroni responded smugly to his Uncle Clay, who had mocked him earlier, saying, "This is the Messiah! He and his team will never disappoint!"

Upon hearing this, with Kobe's tacit approval, Klay immediately made Maccaroni realize what a treacherous world was like.

On the sidelines, Clay spent a full two minutes tugging at Maccaroni's head before finally turning back to the locker room, satisfied.
With a force that Macaroni was destined to be unable to resist at this moment, he fiercely avenged Kobe.

Even so, Maccaroni still displayed the stubbornness that comes with being the son of Kobe Bryant.

"Wait! I can't beat you now! But in ten years, I will personally organize your retirement ceremony in the NBA!" With a fierce look at Klay, "Little Mamba" Maccaroni thought to himself.

The game resumed after halftime.

In the third quarter, both the Lakers and Warriors experienced uncontrollable X-factors.

On the Lakers' side, the player playing the X-factor was none other than Klay Thompson, who would make a taunting gesture towards Maccaroni on the sidelines after every basket.

On the Warriors' side, the X-factor is Ray Allen, Kobe's old rival, who has been locked in a bitter rivalry with Kobe throughout his career.

In fact, Ray Allen had been holding back his anger since the first quarter of this game.

Because he had just come off the bench, Kobe mocked him, saying, "I never thought you would abandon your dignity for a championship."

To say that this sentence had no effect on Ray Allen is an understatement.

Kobe's next words were the key to breaking down Ray Allen's defense.

"How would the Messiah's toes taste?"

Kobe, who was once mocked by Ray Allen for being "inexperienced," would never have anything nice to say about him.

And what about Ray Allen?
Ray Allen was already used to the mutual mockery between him and Kobe.

However, due to his diminished strength, Ray Allen didn't find an opportunity to get revenge on Kobe until the third quarter of the game.

"Your son is indeed outstanding."

On the court, after hitting two consecutive three-pointers for the Warriors, Ray Allen said to Kobe, "At least he understands basketball better than you, his father, and he knows better who the best player of this era is."

"."

Without a doubt, the rebellious Maccaroni has become Kobe's Achilles' heel today.

At Staples Center, after three quarters, the score was 81-84.

The Lakers, who failed to capitalize on their lead established in the first quarter to maintain it in the following two quarters, had their lead reduced to just 3 points after three quarters.

In the final quarter, knowing that the Lakers couldn't expect Qin Yue to falter at crucial moments, Kobe kept encouraging his teammates who were about to take the court, saying, "In this game, our performance was clearly better than theirs. As long as we seize the opportunity, we will definitely have the last laugh."

just
Since Kobe knew that Qin Yue would never let him down in crucial moments.

Did Kobe know that Chris Paul, who was responsible for leading the Lakers' bench players in the fourth quarter, was a player who often faltered in crucial moments?
On the court, as the final quarter officially began.

Paul, who had been performing steadily in the first three quarters, suddenly seemed to have been possessed by a ghost.

The jump shot missed.

The pass was intercepted.

Then he personally sent Livingston to the free-throw line.

On the sidelines, on the Warriors' bench, watching Paul lose his composure, Qin Yue said, "That's right, this is my good brother Chris Paul."

After a pause, Qin Yue added, "As his opponent, you can always choose to trust him in crucial moments."

……

P.S.: Update may be late, but it's here!
(End of this chapter)