no shortcuts in basketball

Chapter 256 Kobe’s final battle
The Golden State is the abbreviation of California.

Yes, that’s right, the Golden State does not specifically refer to San Francisco, because the Warriors’ home court is in Oakland, not San Francisco, and calling the Oakland Warriors seemed awkward, so the abbreviation of the state where it is located is used as the prefix.

The Golden State that Windhorst is talking about here naturally refers to the Warriors.

This option made James' eyes light up again, but he completely ignored this possibility.

The Warriors' starting small forward Harrison Barnes' rookie contract expires in the summer. Because of Curry's child labor contract and the skyrocketing salary cap in the summer, the Warriors can sign any superstar naked.

Moreover, Curry is much easier to handle than Durant, who entered the league 6 years later than him. In terms of seniority, it is not too much to call him Uncle James.

So this is indeed a perfect option to go to Los Angeles with Durant.

James finally smiled.

Who says that a loyal person will be foolishly loyal at critical moments?This made him suddenly open his mind and become enlightened.

He got up from the bed, and Windhorst rushed to help him.

He reached out and patted Windhorst on the shoulder, then called his barber and asked him to come over and fix his hair and beard.

Now that a new escape route has been found, there is no reason to stand still.

Moreover, Rose is out for the season with the Bulls this year. The Cavaliers may not be the Bulls' opponents in the playoffs.

Now that his heart problems are gone, he wants to let go and have a fierce battle with the Bulls.

……

March 3 is the league’s buyout deadline, and there are several players worthy of attention in this year’s buyout market.

The favorite is Joe Johnson of the Nets.

今年34岁的约翰逊在篮网队仍旧是首发球员，但他场均得分（11.5分）和命中率（40.6%）都是自03~04赛季以来的新低。

But the good thing is that he doesn't have any major injuries, and he is not being bought out, but actively buying out and seeking to join a championship team.

Another one worthy of attention is [Actor] Varejao.

When the Cavaliers traded for Love, plus Tristan Thompson on the bench, he was given up by the Cavaliers due to salary issues.

Later, he joined the Wizards on a two-year contract, but he only played 26 games last season due to injuries. He has only played 31 games so far this season. The Wizards are also seeking to buy out him.

Then there is David Lee. Lee was traded to the Celtics and did not get many opportunities, and his condition is relatively average. Although the Celtics have a great chance of making the playoffs this season, he is only 32 years old. There is a high probability that a buyout will also be sought.

In addition, Kris Humphries, who had a 72-day wedding with Kim Kardashian, drinking enthusiast Ty Lawson, Jingdezhen porcelain ancestor Kevin Martin, Full Moon Scimitar Josh Smith, etc. wait.

The day after the buyout deadline, when Xu Yong went to the locker room, he saw that Aldridge's position was already vacant.

"He was bought out," Hinrich explained.

Xu Yong nodded. Aldridge had been with the Bulls for less than ten days, and it seemed that he had not even played on the court yet. Role players did not have much status or say in the NBA.

However, it is expected that he was bought out, because he was not the person the Bulls wanted in the first place, and although Jokic played well as a substitute, he is still immature after all. There are many players in the buyout market this year, but he just doesn’t know what the Bulls want. Who will you choose in the end?

Just as he was thinking about it, Malone had already led the new reinforcements in.

It seemed that Forman had been ready to take action for a long time, but it just happened to be at this point in time.

It's just that Xu Yong didn't expect the person who came in at all.

It turned out to be Varejao.

After a player is bought out, it is natural that some popular destinations will appear. For example, Joe Johnson's popular destination is the Heat.

Bosh has not returned to play a game since he suffered a calf strain before the All-Star break. Although the Heat have not made an official announcement, there are already rumors that his injury is caused by blood clot transfer. This recurrence is likely to mean that the Dragon King The end of a career.

In this case, the remedy the Heat can do is to sign Joe to supplement the scoring points. The Heat can not only provide Johnson with the playing time he needs, but also provide a starter.

Another example is Varejao. Varejao partnered with James as soon as he entered the league. After James left, he still stayed with the Cavaliers. He has been in Cleveland for 11 of the 10 seasons in his career.

Now that he has bought out his contract, James has returned to the Cavaliers. In theory, he will definitely go.

As a result, who would have thought?

He actually ran to the bull, and now the bull and the knight are still bitter enemies.

After Varejao came in, he did not go directly to his closet. He talked to Malone about his troubles for a while, and then asked Malone to go and do his work. Then he turned around and greeted Xu Yong and Butler one by one. Finally, when he went to the closet to put things, he even said hello to the people on the side. Stephenson chatted animatedly.

Xu Yong's impression of Varejao basically rests on his injuries and the [Actor Award] he got for making offensive fouls. Now it seems that this guy is still a social butterfly.

And he then thought of another thing, that is, if he meets the Cavaliers in the playoffs, James doesn't know how he will feel when he sees Varejao. There is a high probability that he will feel like he was stabbed in the back?

If Varejao plays at that time, the story on the court will definitely become interesting.

……

In the blink of an eye, time has arrived in early April, and after more than a month of competition, the season has come to an end.

Although the Bulls' record has dropped compared to last season, they still occupy the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Under normal circumstances, winning 65+ games is not a big problem.

Another one worth paying attention to is the Warriors in the Western Conference.

The development of the Warriors is different from the history Xu Yong knows, but it is similar to what he analyzed before.

After Green's suspension made it difficult to hit the regular season historical record, the Warriors gave up that idea early.

Although their record is not that exaggerated, the players are in very good condition.

This also means that they did not consume too much in the regular season, which made Xu Yong curious about the performance of this Warriors team in the playoffs.

Finally, there’s the Lakers.

Kobe Bryant's season tour was a blast, and now the Lakers still retain hope of making the playoffs.

This was also unexpected by Xu Yong, because he remembered that the Lakers did not make the playoffs this season in their history. All they could say was that the management traded Gasol and Reggie Jackson and signed back Ariza. The move still helped the team, and even Okafor played well under Kobe's adjustment.

What's more interesting is that the Bulls play the Lakers at home in the season opener, and the regular season finale is an away game against the Lakers.

So even at the end of the season, fans' attention is fully occupied at this stage.

On April 4, the Bulls team arrived in Los Angeles to prepare for the final game of the season with the Lakers.

The Lakers are competing with the Pelicans for the last playoff spot, and they only have a chance if they win this game.

But as early as on the plane to Los Angeles, Thibodeau had already announced that Xu Yong, Butler and Adams would not play tonight's game.

This kind of operation is not uncommon at the end of the season, because the ranking has been determined and the opponent is in the playoffs. Unless there is a grudge, otherwise they will usually choose to let it go.

Of course, there is another point. Many fans are now looking forward to the Lakers making the playoffs. There is no need for Thibodeau to confront them at this time.

Therefore, Xu Yong rarely wears a suit to watch games on the sidelines this season.

Although he didn't play, he could still feel the difference tonight at Staples Center while sitting on the sidelines.

He saw the ace commentary combination of Barkley, O'Neal and Kenny Smith in the live commentary box.

Over at the domestic commentary booth, Director Zhang, whom he hadn’t seen for a long time, also came to the scene.

The enthusiasm of the fans at the scene is also unprecedentedly high. If the Lakers lose this game, it will be the curtain call of Kobe's career.

This was fully reflected in the opening ceremony before the game.

"Now, 18-time NBA All-Star, 4-time All-Star Game MVP, 5-time NBA Champion, 2-time NBA Finals MVP, 2007~2008 regular season MVP, from Lower Merion High School to the NBA, let us welcome, 6 feet 6 inches, our forever Black Mamba, No. 24, Kobe~Bryant!!”

When Kobe finally appeared on the court, the cheers were deafening, as if the entire arena was shaking.

From the large LED screen above his head, Xu Yong saw Kobe's serious expression.

Different from the point in history, Kobe's final game in history has no record pressure at all, but tonight, he needs to bring the team into the playoffs, so Xu Yong doesn't know what kind of performance he can perform.

But it can be seen from Kobe's expression that he will definitely go all out.

After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups of both sides were announced one after another.

Bulls: Stephenson, Justin Holiday, Ennis, West, Jokic;

Lakers: Reggie Jackson, Kobe Bryant, Ariza, Gasol, Okafor.

With the fans cheering, Jokic moved the ball back to the Bulls half, and the game officially started.

After Stephenson advanced to the frontcourt, he handed the ball directly to Jokic outside the three-point line at the top of the key. Jokic was organizing with the ball.

It is true that Thibodeau intends to help the Lakers, but it is also true to train young players.

Okafor's defensive position for this ball was relatively deep. Jokic raised his hand and threw it when he saw it from outside the three-point line.

Xu Yong's eyes were on Kobe after the game started, but now he couldn't help but look at Jokic and saw the determined look on his face.

Speaking of which, this is Jokic's first start in his rookie career, and he is obviously holding back his energy.

The same situation is reflected in Holiday.

Judging from the situation of NBA role players based on Bai Ade's experience, although Holiday remained on the Bulls' roster, he rarely had a chance to play before. That is to say, after Foye was traded, he barely squeezed into the end of the rotation. Now Naturally, you will cherish the hard-won starting opportunity.

So when he returned to the defensive end, he guarded Kobe tightly. Kobe was restricted by him and it was difficult to catch the ball.

Jackson failed to score when he broke through. Jokic took off the defensive rebound and threw it directly to Stephenson. The latter used physical confrontation to knock Ariza away during the fast break and sent the ball into the basket.

Looking back, Kobe still couldn't catch the ball, and Gasol made a shot from the free throw line.

Jokic hit Okafor from the three-point line, broke through to the free throw line to attract a double attack, and then passed the ball to Holiday, who cut from the baseline, and the latter dunked directly with both hands.

7:2.

The Bulls got off to an early start.

If the Bulls let down three main players, they will definitely lose to the Lakers?
This is really not necessarily the case. Historically, there have been games where the main force has been defeated by the opponent, because as Holiday and Jokic have shown, this may be their only chance to start, or for others. If you say it's your only chance to play, they won't cooperate with your performance.

The pressure came to the Lakers, and Kobe directly came to the three-point line to hold the ball, and then signaled to pull away for a single.

At this time, the fans at Staples Center began to boil.

Kobe's performance this season is actually not good. Playing against the Bulls in the opener is already one of the few highlights of his season. He played 66 games throughout the season, averaging only 19.5 points per game, shooting 35.8% from the field and 28.5% from the field. Three-point shooting percentage.

Moreover, he rarely holds the ball to attack like this in games, and he rarely starts holding the ball so early.

He gave people a very different feeling tonight.

After his teammates pulled away, Kobe launched an attack. He changed direction and walked to the left, then dribbled with his left hand and broke through inside.

His dominant hand is his right hand, which is his non-dominant hand, but he is also very capable with his left hand, having once completed a left-handed kill.

This unconventional method started to work, but he was old after all. After breaking through to the basket, he still did not completely get rid of Holiday. When he finally shot, he could only raise the shooting angle significantly.

So when the ball is released, the basketball seems to go straight up and down.

But miraculously, the ball went in!
And this is just the beginning.

In the next few rounds, Kobe did it: he received a pass from Jackson in the right corner and stepped back and hit a three-pointer; he shot a three-pointer from a 45-degree angle on the right; he cut along the right baseline to receive a pass from Gasol. The ball's iconic reverse layup scored 2+1; in the end, he even shook Holiday away and went inside for a two-handed dunk.

In just a few minutes, Kobe scored 13 points in a row.

Xu Yong, who was watching all this happen on the bench, felt an indescribable magical feeling.

Before his rebirth, he missed the live broadcast of this game due to other matters, so he didn't watch the video afterwards, which was a small regret.

Unexpectedly, after his rebirth, he not only had the opportunity to make up for this small regret, but also sat in a VIP seat. The impact was very intuitive and strong.

Kobe may not have entered the white-hot space, because his current ability should not be able to enter, and it can be seen from the parabola of the ball after his shot, the degree of body loss after shooting, and even his ability to escape.

So this feeling is amazing. After all, Holiday provided defensive intensity from the beginning. Even the Bulls helped defend the ball that was swung away. It was Kobe who used his signature turnaround to break through the defense.However, the Bulls did not open up the score. Holiday failed to guard Kobe, but the Lakers also failed to guard Jokic.

Although Okafor's defensive habits have improved after this season, he obviously cannot guard Jokic.

In such a game, the Serbian guy used his top-notch football intelligence and hands to activate the Bulls' offense.

Xu Yong was very pleased after seeing it.

Although Thibodeau used Jokic, he was still far from being reused. After entering the rotation, his average playing time was only about 15 minutes per game.

Including the team's signing of Varejao this time, he was also the person he wanted after communicating with Foreman.

In fact, this is not to blame Thibodeau. As a defensive coach, it is indeed difficult to look down on a player like Jokic who is strong in offense and weak in defense, especially an inside center. The center is the last and most critical barrier for the team's defense. .

But Jokic is only a rookie after all, and like his opponent Okafor, there is room for defensive improvement. More importantly, he can not be stage frightened in such a focus and fully demonstrate his offensive abilities. This may impress Thibodeau. of.

The two sides were in a stalemate in the first quarter, but in the second quarter the Lakers began to fall behind because Kobe's physical fitness declined under Holiday's tireless defense, and his touch dropped significantly.

There is a drawback to the Lakers' strategy tonight. Maybe it's because Kobe has a good touch in the first quarter, or maybe tonight is Kobe's final game in retirement. Basically, they are looking for Kobe every round.

所以科比第一节10投6中拿了16分，但是第二节12投3中只拿了6分，半场22投9中拿到22分。

At halftime, the Bulls also led the Lakers by 54 points, 42-12.

The trend of this game is very similar to the season opener. Kobe played a good game, but he only played a good game.

At the end of halftime, Xu Yong stood up and high-fived Jokic, then pulled Holiday to say words of encouragement.

Holiday hasn't had much of a chance in three years with the Bulls, but his performance in the first half tonight deserves praise.

Lack of stage fright is an important factor in whether a player can play well. Holiday's performance proves one thing: the Holiday family does not raise idlers.

As for the outcome, Xu Yong knew that Kobe wanted to win, but if the main force didn't play and the substitutes had to give up the victory, Kobe wouldn't want it either.

After the half-time break, the game between the two sides continued.

Kobe is still the main attacker for the Lakers, but he shot a three-pointer as soon as he came up, which caused a stir in the scene.

But just when Xu Yong thought Kobe was going to stop there, Kobe suddenly started to explode again.

He walked at a not too fast pace, as if chasing his younger self, continuously attacking the inside, using pull rod layups and turning layups to score.

After Holiday was afraid of his breakthrough and the defense took half a step back, he hit two consecutive three-pointers from the outside.

This brought the Staples Center to a boil again.

Xu Yong couldn't help but reach out and applaud Kobe.

Maybe the three-no-touch thing just now awakened the memory deep in Kobe's mind.

The two sides entered the fourth quarter tied.

Kobe scored another 15 points in the third quarter and already scored 37 points in the third quarter, which was more than double his season average.

In the fourth quarter, the two sides were still in a stalemate. With 7 minutes left in the game, the two sides replaced their main players and entered the final decisive stage.

This section became Jokic's performance moment.

He first faked a pass, turned around and ran over Okafor to score at the basket, then received Stephenson's crotch pass and scored 2+1 on Okafor, and then he directly blocked Okafor on the defensive end. Fu, and then returned the favor, assisting Stephenson to hit a chasing three-pointer in the fast break.

Okafor averaged 17.5 points, 7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game this season, and his shooting percentage reached 50.8%. He is a popular candidate for the Rookie of the Season.

But Jokic's performance in the past few rounds has directly defeated Okafor.

Even the photographers at the scene showed Jokic's lens, and Jokic's performance tonight was also shown on the LED screen. He had scored 21 points and was the Bulls' top scorer.

In contrast to his performance, Kobe's offense was inaccurate again after returning.

This is Kobe's current strength, and his performance can no longer remain stable.

When the game entered the last 3 minutes, the score on the field was 94 to 84, and the Bulls had re-established a double-digit lead.

At this time, Kobe's data was 42-for-17 shooting and 45 points.

The Lakers were forced to call a timeout, leaving them little time.

Xu Yong stood up and gave Jokic a big hug this time. Tonight is destined to be the masterpiece of Jokic's rookie season.

As for Kobe, when he "ruined" Jordan's final game in the All-Star Game, Jordan was not angry about it.

For people like them, the greatest respect has always been to try their best.

"Nikola Jokic, are you going to ruin Kobe's final game?" O'Neal couldn't help but ask from the commentary box.

Perhaps he heard the voice of this old friend with many grievances and disputes. After returning from the timeout, Kobe used a jump step after a breakthrough to shake Jokic and Holiday at the same time, and then scored a defensive layup.

Then in the next round, he broke through to the free throw line and hit the mid-range against Holiday's defense.

His continuous scoring inspired the fighting spirit of the Lakers team. After Jackson completed the steal, he passed the ball to Kobe during the fast break. Kobe scored again with a side layup and a high throw.

Xu Yong was shocked at this time.

Theoretically speaking, Kobe's age and ability at this stage cannot support him to focus on the offense for a whole game. You must know that Kobe has already shot more than 40 shots, and he only shot 81 times in total in the game where he scored 46 points. It's still the end of the fourth quarter.

But Kobe's performance continues.

He dribbled the ball past half court, used Gasol to cover as the audience shouted "Kobe! Kobe!", and then suddenly accelerated through the two defenders and reached the sweet spot of the right elbow. Ennis, who was assisting on defense, hit a mid-range pull-up steadily.

After returning from the timeout, he made every shot and scored 8 points on sudden shots, quickly raising his personal score to 53 points.

At this time, the Lakers had chased the point difference to 92 to 96. With 1 minute left in the game, the point difference was only 4 points.

Then the scene that made Xu Yong feel so incredible that he couldn't help but get up from the bench appeared.

Kobe and Gasol repeated their old tricks. This time, he did not directly insert into the basket, but dribbled to the right three-point line. A sudden stop fake shot shook West's center of gravity, and then he made a three-pointer. Take action.

"Shh!"

The three-pointer shoots up and down.

The Staples Center was in a state of flux.

After hitting a three-pointer, Kobe turned his head and saw Xu Yong getting up. He directly reached out and patted his shoulder, and then continued to retreat.

Xu Yong couldn't help but smile and shake his head.

He felt as if God was actually watching this game tonight, and then gave Kobe a magical touch, and then Kobe used the skills he had honed step by step for 20 years to complete those finishes.

After returning from the timeout, the Bulls arranged a Jokic attack tactic under the basket, but the Lakers chose to shrink. Jokic passed the ball out, but Holiday from the outside was unable to hit the three-pointer.

Gasol took the rebound and protected it in his arms, and then handed the ball to Kobe after it was confirmed that the Bulls had given up the ball.

Everyone present has stood up.

Now the Lakers have a chance to win the game, and Kobe has a chance to personally lead the team into the playoffs in his retirement season.

When Kobe arrived at the front court, cheers were already ringing out.

Because Kobe has regained his touch, Holiday didn't dare to defend the ball too far forward, and Gasol's pick-and-roll came again.

Kobe followed Gasol's pick-and-roll and headed to the right again.

Holiday wanted to squeeze through, but Gasol blocked him.

At this moment, perhaps there was only one sentence in his mind: Go vote, Kobe!Hit that buzzer-beating shot, just like you, just like we have done time and time again!Go get it done!

Kobe reached the high post on the right, stopped suddenly, and West pounced on him.

Kobe directly faced West and shot an arrow from mid-range.

His eyes were full of determination.

West provided interference, but failed to prevent Kobe from completing the shot.

The fans at the scene held their breath.

"Shh!"

When a crisp sound came from the net, the Staples Center was completely boiling, and the cheers continued for a long time.

The Bulls called a timeout, and Kobe clenched his fists and raised his hands to meet the impact of his teammates.

"He did it! He did it again!" O'Neal also shouted excitedly in the commentary box.

Xu Yong looked at the scene in front of him and spread his hands helplessly.

This is the first time, and perhaps the last time, that he will show his hands for other people's performance: "What can I say?"

What can he say?

At this time, the LED screen once again showed Kobe's performance in this game, making 50 of 22 shots and scoring 58 points.

Although his performance has had ups and downs, for a veteran who is about to retire, there is no more perfect performance than this.

And Xu Yong also belatedly realized that although the opponent had changed, it seemed that Kobe could still get his 60 points as in history.

In the Bulls' final timeout, Thibodeau arranged for Stephenson to hit the buzzer-beater.

At this point in the game, no matter how strong the inside is, just like Jokic in the last round, it is too easy to be double-teamed, so it can only come from the outside.

Stephenson and Jokic passed the ball to Jokic after the pick-and-roll, and Jokic returned the ball to Stephenson. The two have played together since the trade deadline, and they are both players who are willing to share the ball. The chemistry is great.

But Stephenson failed to hit this shot, because at the moment he took the shot, Kobe came out from the side and struggled to interfere with his shot.

The years have left too many things on Kobe. He no longer jumps so high and runs so fast, but the only thing that has not been taken away is his enthusiasm, whether it is offense or defense.

This is also the similarity between Kobe and Jordan. Even at the end of his career, it is absolutely impossible for him to defend like others, or to sacrifice defense in exchange for offense.

Stephenson ultimately failed to hit the shot, and Gasol quickly handed the ball to Kobe after grabbing the rebound. Because the time was less than 24 seconds, the Bulls could only choose to commit a tactical foul.

Kobe was sent to the free throw line.

The familiar shouts of MVP began to ring out from the scene.

In the face of such shouts, Kobe adjusted his breathing and made the first free throw.

His score came to 59 points.

The second free throw was also hit.

现场继续给出科比今晚的数据：50投22中，三分球21投6中，罚球11罚10中，60分4板4助攻1抢断1盖帽。

Jokic's last three-pointer from the top of the arc also missed the basket. Gasol grabbed the rebound and threw it directly to Jackson in front. Jackson's fast-break dunk sealed the victory.

101 to 96, the Lakers finally completed the comeback and defeated the Bulls. They also successfully entered the playoffs as the eighth seed in the Western Conference.

At the end of the game, Kobe finally had a smile on his face.

But what surprised Xu Yongdu was that Kobe, who should be very tired at this time, actually stood there steadily and waved to the fans.

He suddenly felt that if there was a game in basketball called "Fairytale", then this was it.

This is Kobe's final game of the regular season, but it is not his last game. He still has the last round of the playoffs in his life.

The result no longer matters, because being able to bring the Lakers into the playoffs in this way is already a more perfect ending than history.

(End of this chapter)