Facing one of the best shooting guards in the league, Rock Richmond, Kobe seemed quite naive, but he was fearless during offensive and defensive confrontations.
From the matchup with Wilkins of the Spurs to Richmond of the Kings, Bird always had Kobe face these mature and excellent perimeter attackers.
Some players might complain, I'm still a rookie, why do I have to face the best players in the league right away—Kobe's mom did complain like this.
But Kobe himself didn't think so, he treated it as an opportunity to hone his defense and game experience, as well as an opportunity to stay on the court longer.
After securing two consecutive victories, the entire Trail Blazers team boarded a bus to the airport post showering and interviews in the locker room, taking Pioneer One to Cleveland.
This season's Eastern away trip also came much earlier than in past seasons.
In previous schedules, the Trail Blazers' consecutive away trips mostly started from California, Arizona.
