341. Genuine leather, truly exceptional leather!
341. Genuine leather, truly exceptional leather!
As the referee blew the whistle, the game officially began. Su Hao and Odom stood on either side of the center line, ready for the jump ball. The referee then tossed the basketball high between the two players.
With a crisp "smack," the basketball was slapped directly into Curry's hands by Su Hao. Curry quickly dribbled the ball up the court, while Su Hao also sprinted towards the opponent's basket.
With just a glance, Curry understood Su Hao's intention.
Curry tossed the ball high into the air above the basket. Just as the ball was half a meter away from the top edge of the rim, Su Hao suddenly leaped up, like a bird in flight, and intercepted the ball with one hand while it was still flying through the air. He then forcefully shoved it into the basket.
The entire basketball hoop shook violently because of the dunk.
Although Su Hao often had such brilliant performances last season, those were just preseason games. However, what's unexpected is how high his chemistry with Curry has become, enabling them to execute such a beautiful play in the opening game of the new season.
Just as Su Hao completed his dunk, Odom, who was originally guarding him, made a surprising move—he wisely chose to dodge. Clearly, he didn't want to become the backdrop for Su Hao's dunk in the preseason.
The audience erupted in thunderous cheers, hardly believing their eyes.
After landing, Su Hao glanced triumphantly at Odom, while the latter shook his head helplessly.
Teammates rushed over to high-five Su Hao in celebration, with Curry excitedly shouting, "This is how we start!"
The coach on the sidelines also showed a satisfied smile. He knew that Su Hao would bring more surprises to the team this season.
The game is still ongoing, and the Lakers players are inbounding the ball.
Su Hao ran around like a hungry cheetah, his eyes fixed on the basketball, trying to find an opportunity to steal the ball from his opponent.
Farmar seemed intimidated by Su Hao's powerful aura and made a small mistake when passing the ball. Su Hao immediately seized the opportunity and successfully intercepted the ball.
After successfully stealing the ball, Su Hao didn't hesitate and immediately turned around to launch a fast break.
He charged toward the basket in an almost savage manner, and this powerful and aggressive offensive style startled Vujacic, who was trying to draw an offensive foul, so he dodged away instantly.
"Vujacic! What did he just do?" Barkley exclaimed in the commentary booth.
"He actually dodged Su Hao's dunk? I'm not seeing things, am I?" Miller exclaimed incredulously.
"This is absolutely incredible!" The audience members below the stage also showed expressions of surprise, unable to believe what they were seeing.
"What are the Lakers doing? Not only are they not putting in any effort on defense, but they're even dodging it themselves?" someone couldn't help but question. Others said, "What can he do if he doesn't dodge? Faced with Su Hao's fierce dunk, what can you expect him to do?" Still others comforted, "It's just a preseason game, don't worry too much about these details."
Immediately, the audience on the sidelines began to discuss the scene that had just unfolded, with various opinions and voices intertwined.
The Lakers teammates on the court had just witnessed Odom hiding from Su Hao, and an indescribable emotion welled up in their hearts.
"How could you let Su Hao blow the rim so easily? Couldn't you have pulled a fast one?" Artest shouted, accusing him.
Odom helplessly spread his hands, indicating his innocence, and retorted, "If you think you're so good, then you try guarding Su Hao!"
This remark infuriated Artest, who was so angry that he wanted to go up and fight Odom.
Fortunately, the two remained rational and there was no physical conflict.
However, Su Hao did not show much excitement after scoring, nor did he make any flamboyant celebrations. Instead, he calmly turned around and actively participated in the team's defense.
The Lakers launched another attack, but having just been successfully intercepted by Su Hao, they became extra cautious, not daring to be careless in the slightest, for fear of being intercepted again.
As Walton dribbled past Su Hao, Su Hao smiled and said to him, "The shot clock is about to end, so don't dribble anymore!"
Walton glanced at the timer on the basket, and in that instant, Su Hao keenly sensed the opportunity and quickly reached out to steal the ball from Walton's hands.
Before the Lakers could react, Su Hao had already passed the ball to Curry, who was not far away. Curry received the ball and stood at the three-point line without hesitation, decisively taking the shot.
The ball traced a beautiful arc in the air and swished through the net! Curry excitedly pumped his fist, while Su Hao smiled and gave him a thumbs up.
The crowd erupted in cheers and applause. The Lakers players, however, looked dejected, grumbling to each other, while the coach anxiously directed the team from the sidelines.
There's one minute left in the first quarter.
At this point, the Clippers were leading by 25 points.
The Lakers completely lost control of the game's tempo.
With the score gap widening, the Lakers called a timeout. The coach, while outlining tactics, reprimanded his players: "Cheer up! We can't give up like this!"
After returning to the court, the Lakers' defense became noticeably tighter, but the Clippers' players were in excellent form, especially Su Hao, who dominated the paint. No matter who the Lakers fielded to guard him, they had no way to limit his performance.
With five seconds left in the first quarter, the Clippers have an offensive possession.
Curry passed the ball to George, who didn't hold onto it and immediately passed it to Su Hao in the paint.
Su Hao received the ball and, facing a double-team from two Lakers players, managed to create an opening and put the ball into the basket.
In an attempt to stop Su Hao from scoring, Odom and Artest even draped themselves over Su Hao's shoulders, but this still couldn't prevent him from netting the final two points.
Finally, the final buzzer sounded for the end of the first quarter, with the Clippers leading the Lakers by a large margin. The players from both teams headed to their benches; the Lakers players looked dejected, while the Clippers players high-fived each other in celebration.
The first quarter has ended! The Lakers are trailing the Clippers by a full twenty-seven points.
"The Clippers crushed the Lakers in just one quarter! That's incredible!" Miller exclaimed.
"That's amazing, Su Hao! Every point the Clippers score is related to him, either his own or an assist. Without him, who knows who would be leading right now!" Barkley said.
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