NBA M3 - Chapter 540: The Lakers' Twin Stars, Is the League Already Over? (Patreon)

If Nash and Curry were giving up points because of their defensive shortcomings, that would at least be understandable.

But a player's value was not limited to defense.

There was offense too, along with everything else they brought to the floor.

And on that end, Nash and Curry were also being contained by Paul and Kobe.

Getting suppressed on both offense and defense was what truly showed how powerful the Lakers' Twin Stars were.

On the Suns' bench, Curry shook his head.

"Paul and Kobe together are terrifying."

"Offensively, I can understand it. One is a top-five point guard in the league, and the other is the best shooting guard in the league."

"But they're both vicious defenders too."

"Two-way players like that are incredibly difficult to deal with. They're basically the Lakers' trump-card duo."

"They really are a headache."

Nash shook his head too.

"If I were younger, I could still go back and forth with Chris on offense."

"Now?"

"That's a lot harder."

The expressions on the Suns players' faces turned serious.

Phoenix had not lost the lead because Blake or Yao Ming were playing badly.

It was because Nash and Curry were being overwhelmed in their individual matchups with Paul and Kobe.

So even with Blake performing well, the Lakers had still chipped away at the deficit and eventually moved ahead.

"Uh..."

Gentry rubbed his chin and thought for a moment.

"Steve, take a rest. Klay, you're going in."

"Curry, you move to point guard. You're younger, so even if you can't stop Paul, you should at least be able to stay with him and make his scoring more difficult."

"Klay, you take Kobe."

"Don't worry about trying to block his shots. Just contest as much as possible."

"George, watch the timing and help immediately. Double Kobe whenever you can."

"And on offense, everyone needs to shoot decisively."

"Blake is going to draw constant pressure, so when he kicks the ball out and you get a good look, take it without hesitation."

"Guys, understand?"

"Yeah!"

The Suns answered together.

Before long, the timeout ended.

There were 6:34 left in the first quarter.

Phoenix ball.

"Thump, thump, thump!"

Curry brought it up through the middle against Paul.

Blake stepped up to screen, Curry used it to get around Paul, then accelerated down the right wing.

Kobe met him.

"Whoosh!"

Curry sent the ball back to Blake at the top.

But Curry was not Nash, and the intention behind the pass was a little too obvious.

By the time Blake caught it, Murphy had already recovered.

It did not matter.

"Whoosh!"

Blake ignored Murphy completely and rose straight into a three.

"Swish!"

Nothing but net.

Blake's three stopped the bleeding for Phoenix.

The Lakers came back the other way.

Kobe brought the ball up himself and posted up the young Klay Thompson at the left elbow.

Klay defended him closely.

George still came over to help.

Against an offensive arsenal as complete as Kobe's, Phoenix had no intention of giving him easy one-on-one opportunities.

"Whoosh!"

Kobe stayed calm.

He drove hard at Klay and George, reached the low post, drew both defenders completely toward him, then kicked the ball back to Artest at the top.

"Whoosh!"

Artest moved it to Paul on the right.

"Whoosh!"

Paul looked toward Kobe, who was cutting back out to the perimeter on the left, but instead bounced the ball into Bynum in the paint.

Why Bynum?

Because Yao Ming's attention had been pulled toward Kobe.

"BOOM!"

Bynum caught it, took one step, exploded upward, and hammered home a two-handed dunk.

"Great play!"

"That no-look pass from Paul was beautiful!"

On the next possession, Kobe ran along the baseline without the ball.

Klay chased him the entire way, while George moved to cut him off from the other side.

Then Kobe suddenly reversed direction.

"Screech!"

The sharp change of direction shook both defenders.

At exactly the same moment, Paul delivered the pass.

Kobe caught it and laid the ball in easily.

Another possession.

Kobe moved without the ball again and reached for a pass, instantly drawing the attention of several Suns defenders.

Paul saw it.

"Whoosh!"

Instead of passing, he rose from the free-throw line for a jumper and caught Curry completely off guard.

"Swish!"

Good.

On the following possession, Kobe attacked the rim against Klay but missed.

Bynum grabbed the rebound and kicked it out to Paul.

"Whoosh!"

Paul accelerated down the left wing and attacked the basket.

He drew the defense, then, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, fired the ball to the left corner.

"Whoosh!"

Kobe caught it and immediately launched a three.

"Swish!"

Quick release.

Good again.

The first quarter ended.

Suns 28, Lakers 34.

Los Angeles led by six.

During the break between quarters, Van Gundy looked over the numbers.

"In the second half of that first quarter, Phoenix changed its defensive approach and put Klay, a very good defender, on Kobe."

"George was ready to double at any time."

"But even then, the results weren't very good."

"At the same time, taking Nash, their primary organizer, off the floor caused the Suns' offense to lose some of its flow."

"That's why Phoenix finished the quarter down six."

"Exactly."

Mike Breen nodded.

"You gain something and you lose something."

"Replacing Nash with Klay improves the defense, but it weakens the offensive organization."

"Curry can create for others, but compared with Nash, he still has a ways to go."

"And I have to say, Paul and Kobe complement each other incredibly well."

"Absolutely."

Van Gundy picked up the point.

"For the last several seasons, even during the Lakers' championship years, one problem has always been there."

"They lacked a truly elite organizer."

"That meant Kobe often had to rely on his extraordinary individual scoring ability and create difficult offense himself."

"He could do it, obviously, but it made everything harder."

"Now they have an elite point guard in Paul."

"Kobe's offense is smoother and more efficient, while Paul himself is still in his prime and has a wide variety of ways to score."

"He's especially experienced at attacking big men after switches."

"From the very first game of the new season, this Lakers Twin Stars combination has already put enormous pressure on the defending champions."

"They are genuinely powerful."

It was not only the commentators.

More and more Suns fans in the arena were beginning to marvel at how strong the Paul-Kobe duo looked.

The second quarter began with the reserves.

For the first 5:12, Phoenix used a unit led by Nash and Carter, while the Lakers' bench was led by Shannon Brown and Barnes.

The two sides played almost evenly.

The gap remained six.

"Beep, beep!"

Mike Brown called timeout.

Both teams brought their starters back.

Paul and Kobe kept producing.

Kobe's offense became even more aggressive, while Paul's playmaking also helped Little Shark Bynum and Artest find good opportunities.

By halftime, Los Angeles had won the quarter by another seven points.

The Lakers now led by 13.

"Wow..."

The Suns fans grew uneasy when they saw the score.

In the commentary booth, Van Gundy checked the numbers again.

"Mike, do you realize something?"

"Blake has actually played very well tonight."

"He has 28 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks in the first half. Those are outstanding numbers."

"But that's exactly what makes this so scary."

"Blake is playing well, and Phoenix is still down 13!"

"Exactly."

Mike Breen nodded, his voice turning serious.

"Even with The Emperor Blake playing at a high level, the Lakers still lead the defending champion Suns by 13 at halftime."

"With this incredibly powerful Twin Stars duo, are the Lakers about to make the rest of the league feel like the season is already over?!"