In early February, the 76ers came to the second-ranked Spurs in the league with 14 losses.

But in January before this day, the basketball world experienced a drastic change.

Kobe officially announced at the Players Forum that he will retire after the end of this season.

He used a letter to bid farewell to basketball that had been with him for nearly 40 years.

That famous letter:

"Since I first put on my dad's stockings... I can no longer be obsessed with basketball as I used to; because this season, I have given all my strength; I can still bear the hardships in my heart, but my body can no longer hold on; I understand that even if I can't let go of your love, it's time to say goodbye..."

Wei Xia read this letter many times.

Kobe announced suddenly.

Wei Xia knew what Kobe was thinking before. At the beginning of the season, he planned to give it a try. At that time, he had no idea of ​​retirement at all.

When did it start?

In order to keep up with the times, he changed his outside shooting movements, but Lao Mai's body was no longer able to adapt to the new technology.

He spent months repeatedly verifying and finally determined that he could no longer play the role he thought he could play on the court.

So, he and his team began to retire.

With half of the regular season left, he can start his retirement tour like other great stars, which is his deserving glory.

If Kobe chooses to stop here, Wei Xia can only wish you a blessing.

He is destined to have regrets.

Kobe decided to retire, and Wei Xia's plan to steal Kobe from Los Angeles died early.

He waited until the next day before he greeted Kobe.

The schedule is heavy, Wei Xia cannot focus entirely on this matter, he still has to play. The 76ers' record is ups and downs, and the Cavaliers' number one in the Eastern Conference has been firmly occupied by the Cavaliers, and they rank second until February, facing the Spurs, which are second only to the Warriors on the current record list.

In just one year, the Spurs turned the original four-leader Leonard into the actual boss, and then let Aldridge, who came to Xia Tian to support the offensive pressure that belonged to Duncan.

Before this season, the Spurs were the most fancy team in the league.

Their transfer ball, their weak side pick-and-roll passes and cuts, let people see the beauty of team basketball.

Then, Leonard was straightened, and Aldridge was also the same. They suddenly changed from a team that liked to transfer a lot of balls to a team that liked to play positional battles, played a lot of back-to-back singles, and the shooter pulled the team that shot.

Duncan, Parker and Ginobili averaged 44 shots per game at their peak, and two years ago, the Big Three averaged 35 shots per game, with a combined average of 25 shots per game this season.

Leonard was questioned for being useless after playing last season. This season, his offense and defense have the look of a superstar, and is considered to be the top five in the league, second only to Wei Xia, Curry, James and Durant.

Under so many circumstances, the Spurs have played third in offensive efficiency in team history and fourth in defensive efficiency in team history.

If it is a team that has little team history to talk about, this data can only make people laugh, but if it is a Spurs, the meaning will be different.

The Spurs' excellence was covered up by the Warriors' historical performance.

The two sides gathered at the Spurs' home AT&T Center Arena.

The new and old bosses of the Spurs are both icebergs, and there is no way to talk about it in a few words. Wei Xia and Leonard often contact each other in private. When they were sending messages through various communication tools, Leonard was relatively relaxed. When he was facing each other, his indifference to Wei Xia was as if Wei Xia had never advised him.

The Spurs' starting lineup has changed compared to the past few years.

Split was replaced by Aldridge, and the other three were Parker, Green and Leonard.

"For the 76ers, the start is very important. I hope the Spurs can start well."

Spurs legend Sean Elliott naturally hopes to have a smooth start.

As a result, the competition trend did not go smoothly.

The 76ers won the jump ball, and the positional battle was in place, and Cousins ​​was active in the position.

Cousins, who was in his prime, faced Duncan, who was already 40 years old. The two of them had a relish in the finals' PK two years ago. Cousins ​​was like a young student used to set off his seniors, and was very embarrassed by Duncan.

It's just that Duncan is going to play again two years ago, just like hoping that 40-year-old Jordan will let Kobe Bryant not get 50 points when he sees him.

As long as Kobe is in that state, he will definitely get that 50 points.

Duncan's significance to Cousins ​​is similar to Jordan to Kobe.

Cousins ​​came up and beat him hard, squeezed into the paint area, turned around and hooked his hand to score.

2 to 0

"Kai, I hope you are as energetic as Boge," Wei Xia said expectantly.

Weisha's expectations for Leonard were just like he first met Durant.

The difference is that from the first day after Durant entered the league, everyone knew that his future was great, while Leonard's future was discovered only in the third or even the fourth year of his entry into the league.

Last season, after Weisha's offseason special training, Leonard became the first Spurs' chief scorer since 1997 to have no surname Duncan, Parker or Ginobili.

Then now, he is the second-ranked Spurs' chief offensive and the first defender in the league. He averages 24 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block, with a real shooting percentage of 60%. His PER efficiency is 27.3 in the fourth-ranked NBA.

Wei Xia can see his progress every year.

When he met Wei Xia, Leonard's face still had no emotional fluctuations like a robot. However, he suddenly pulled out a one-on-one challenge and changed directions from the crotch. He wanted to score a little bit of his body, which shows how eager he was to prove himself in front of Wei Xia.

What Leonard did was exactly what other people who looked at the throne wanted to do.

Challenge Wish and defeat Wish.

The Warriors played great basketball and had the power to crush everything. The Spurs also ushered in the regular season at the peak of team history, but Wei Xia still sat on his throne until the 76ers were eliminated in the playoffs. Otherwise, no one could declare the Iron Throne changed hands.

Leonard seemed to force his attack recklessly, but his shooting feel was not always available, and Wei Xia's defense against him was not a small fight, and the intensity and tightness were in place.

Leonard's shot naturally deviated from the designated direction.

"Bang!"

What's even worse is that Wei Xia knew that his shooting would not make, and the speed of the fast break was very fast.

Cousins ​​grabbed the rebound and passed it in place, and Wei Xia followed his pass to the frontcourt and scored a dunk.

4 to 0

Popovich roared with a pale face: "Kaway, do you want to retire with Kobe?"

"Coach, he didn't mean it." Wei Xia pretended to be a good friend in a sarcastic manner.

"This matter has nothing to do with you!" Popovich knew why Leonard's style of play had selfish attributes.

This is completely a bad habit that Kobe has been exposed to after watching many videos of the game.

"It's really sad. During the offseason, I was inseparable from me every day." Wei Xia never noticed that he was using his talent to the opponent's head coach. "Now I know why he looks depressed every day. It must be because you put too much pressure on him. Please review yourself."

Wei Xia had the idea of ​​causing trouble, and even the idea of ​​helping Leonard stand out.

Which team's young core player will be criticized by their head coach if he randomly makes a random shot?

Except for the Spurs, there will be no second case.

Popovich dared to yell at anyone because Duncan never cares about him.

But how many players are there to reach Duncan's level?

Except for Wei Xia in the rookie season, there is no third person to think about it.

Leonard seemed taciturn, but in fact, he had his own opinions on the environment he was in.

The patience and silence at this time are completely different from Duncan's silent steadiness.

When Leonard got the ball again, through his eyes, Wei Xia could see that this was an ambitious young man.

When will an ambitious young man endure a coach and team that does not give him core authority at all?

Just as Wei Xia was imagining, Leonard shot a three-pointer over his head.

"Your defense seems to have regressed."

What's more terrifying than being shot by Leonard Hikari three-pointer is being sprayed with trash talk by Leonard.

Wei Xia instantly woke up from all kinds of strange thoughts and seriously faced the current situation.

"He seemed to have laughed at my defense after scoring the goal?" Wei Xia said with a smile, "Don't bother me, I'm a mature player and I won't care about him."

Cousins ​​was confused when he heard it.
Chapter completed!