When pride still matters

Chapter 143 He knows everything, but he just doesn’t want to face it
The four sinners identified by ESPN's Mark Stein during the Lakers' hellish journey to 4 wins and 9 losses are O'Neal (who had toe surgery before the start of the season, causing him to miss more than a dozen games), Soma Leah Samaki (an emergency player who didn't work out), Kobe Bryant (who saw O'Neal's absence as the perfect opportunity to "here's my chance"), Phil Jackson (who seemed indifferent to what was going on).

Jackson's inaction is truly troubling. Since he became an NBA coach, he has never been afraid to confront players.If Jordan ignored a teammate's open shot, he would remind him; on a night when Pippen's shooting was poor, he dared to anger Kukoc by giving him a winning chance; when the Sharks' free throw shooting was at its lowest, he would urge him. Extra training; when Kobe disobeys orders, he will strictly require him to abide by the team's rules.

But on those nights when O'Neal was absent, Jackson seemed to regard Kobe as his only hope, completely ignoring that Horry and Fox were also on the team, and they were proven scorers.There's also Samakie Walker, who can score in the low post.Starting point guard Derek Fisher is the smartest player on the team and he knows how to drive his teammates.

However, Jackson seemed to be deliberately indulging Kobe.

In the seventh season of his career, Kobe wanted more ball rights, and O'Neal's absence naturally allowed him to take more shots.But what does that bring?

When the Lakers lost momentum, Kobe began to become frantic, so in the sixth game of the season, he made 47 of 17 shots against the Boston Celtics. The Lakers lost by 3 points.

"USA Today" wrote: "Without Shaq, the Lakers are nothing."

This further stimulated Kobe, who completed 40 of 18 shots and 37 of 18 shots in the subsequent games (these two games were consecutive).Moving the ball is the foundation of the triangle offense, and during this period, Kobe's style of play made the system disappear.

What is incredible is that Jackson rarely complained about Kobe.

It was as if he was surrendering to Kobe, but anyone familiar with Jackson knew that he could not surrender to anyone.

The Bucks' offense blossomed inside and out under Yu Fei's leadership.

The Lakers only have two modes.

One is O'Neal mode, where the whole team slows down and gets into position to pass the ball to the big man.

One is Kobe's mode. Passing the ball to him is like beating a dog with a meat bun. Others don't want it.

These two modes are the reason why the Lakers cling to the game, but there is a question, when will the triangle offense that allowed them to win three consecutive championships appear?

Someone thought about it.

When the Bucks took advantage of the open space to easily complete an offense at the basket, the Lakers' response made people laugh.

Kobe and O'Neal are still on the strong side.

However, Kobe asked O'Neal to come out for the pick-and-roll.

Of course the shark refused.

As a result, Rick Fox went to pick and roll Kobe, and Yu Fei switched defenses.Kobe dribbled the ball all the way to the bottom corner, and was closely guarded by Yu Fei. The two came to the low post, with O'Neal beside him.

Kobe thrived without getting rid of Yu Fei. There was obviously O'Neal around him who could pass the ball, but Kobe didn't even look at the big fat man.

Neither getting rid of the defense nor having sufficient height, Kobe's forced shot was blocked directly out of bounds by Yu Fei.

"This is my life!" O'Neal raged. "This is my fucking life! I play with a selfish bastard!"

At this time, as a die-hard old Ke Mi, Yu Fei thought he needed to stand up and seek justice.

"How dare you, the bastard who blocks the basket when your teammates break through with the ball, dare to complain first?" Yu Fei looked at Kobe sympathetically, "Brother, what kind of life are you living?"

Classmate Yu swore by O'Neal's self-discipline that he was definitely not seeking personal revenge or revenge by saying this.
"A rookie like you who doesn't even have a ring is not qualified to evaluate my game!" O'Neal launched the big ring suppression technique against Fei.

Good point, but without this selfish bastard next to you, why would you win three rings?
Yu Fei didn't say anything because the game was still going on.

Kobe did not participate in their scolding, but Yu Fei's righteous speech made him feel very fond of this second-year player with a poor reputation.

He remembered that Yu Fei dared to accuse O'Neal at the ABCD training camp before he entered the league.

I thought he would restrain himself after entering the league, but instead of restraining himself, he became more violent. Isn't this a role model for our generation?
Every high school player must learn from his classmates!

The Lakers sent a sideline ball.

Fisher then chose to keep the ball in his hands and hit a three-pointer before the shot clock ran out.

He went in.

This big-hearted player always hits key shots when the team needs it.

Then, Latrell Sprewell suddenly exerted force on the outside and used a pick-and-roll to get rid of Kobe. After getting open, he shot a three-pointer and also hit it.

Something more interesting happened next.

On a rare occasion, O'Neal gave Kobe a pick-and-roll, and Kobe passed the ball.However, the ball was actually destroyed by Sprewell.

A good pick-and-roll and pie-eating tactic turned into a defensive counterattack score for the Bucks.

Kobe, who felt there was no tacit understanding with O'Neal at all, stopped trying to pass the ball to O'Neal. He moved from the backcourt to the frontcourt and hit a chasing three-pointer.

Yu Fei grabbed the long rebound and rushed to the frontcourt to dunk and score.

21 is better than 12
When the difference between the two sides reached 9 points, Phil Jackson finally lost his patience and did what the fans had always wanted him to do - call that damn timeout when Kobe was sick.

After the timeout, Jackson did what was befitting his status.

Kobe has always regarded him as O'Neal's person.

As expected, he replaced Kobe with someone else to ensure that O'Neal could get the ball at any time.

On the Bucks side, Karl was in a great mood because the Lakers looked as vulnerable as expected.

O'Neal is back, but so what?He now has no defense at all and has not shown the destructive power he had during the three consecutive championships. Coupled with the disagreement with Kobe, the Lakers, who were considered to have great hopes of winning four consecutive championships before the start of the season, appear to have major flaws.

Karl replaced Yu Fei and Laettner with Devin George and Anthony Mason.

They were also replaced. Jackson replaced Kobe to make the team better, and Karl replaced Yu Fei to rest his best player.

Yu Fei had no objection.

Because even if he is not here, it will be difficult for the Lakers to chase points.O'Neal's condition looks average.

Now, Yu Fei finally knows why OK can't win until they don't want to win anymore - the answer is that they don't want to win anymore, but many people think that this point in time should last until at least 2005.

However, considering that these two people have so many incompatibility, how rare is it to win three championships together?Nine years later, when the Big Three of the 03 Platinum Generation gathered in Miami, they also felt that they could win countless championships. However, the first championship failed because some people did not want to win, and they stumbled and won two championships thereafter.

They obviously could, why didn't they do it in the end?
There are many things worth thinking about here.

However, before Fei Fei could think so deeply, the Bucks began to make mistakes one after another because of some people's excessive self-awareness.

When Yu Fei was on the court, Ray Allen had a good life. He ran the floor, defended, and shot three-pointers, and the team began to take the lead. He felt that it was easy for him to be a leader, because he did all the dirty work. Yu Fei does all the delicate work that requires the use of his brain.

When classmate Yu, who was carrying a heavy load, came to an end, Rey-ray's quiet years also ended.

Anthony Mason came into the game with a lot of dissatisfaction.

Before the game started, Karl asked Laettner to replace him in the starting lineup without saying hello.

This gave Mason a strong sense of crisis. In his eyes, Leitner was Yu Fei's lackey.Moreover, Laettner can also do something for Yu Fei that he cannot do - shoot three-pointers.

Maybe letting Leitner start is Yu Fei's intention?

Mason couldn't help but think so, because Yu Fei obviously didn't like him.

If Yu Fei wants one of his men to start the game, Mason will react strongly, but he will not have any objection to Fei either.

However, he was particularly angry when Carr took him out of the starting lineup without saying hello.

This left Mason feeling offended and disrespected.

In order to fill the void in his heart, to make himself feel valued, Mason would do things that only franchise players would do.

For example, swallowing up the ball like a black hole.

After getting the defensive rebound, he does not give it to the defender and moves it from the backcourt to the frontcourt.

Without Karl's tactics, the value of teammates is to open up singles for him.

Because Mason didn't pass the ball, Sprewell scolded him directly.

Devin George is a man with no temper, and he dare not accuse Mason.

Ray Allen didn't want to get angry, but when Mason missed his shot several times, he finally remembered that he was the big brother.

"Anthony, if I get open, you have to pass the ball to me!" Ray Allen shouted righteously.

As if Mason was someone to be reasoned with.

As a result, Mason's deafening "Shut your mouth, sissy!" directly silenced Ray Allen.

The Lakers haven't played well during this period, but sometimes whether you chase points or not doesn't depend on you. If your opponent performs worse than you, then even if your performance is bad, you can still chase points.

When the Lakers narrowed the point difference to 4 points in 3 minutes, Phil Jackson specifically said in front of Kobe: "As long as you play the right basketball, you can get twice the result with half the effort."

The first quarter is over.

Karl's reflection on the last few minutes of the first quarter was that "some people didn't play well." Although he didn't directly refer to Mason, everyone knew who he was talking about.

Mason snorted and turned his head.

Then, Karl decided to let Yu Fei start in the second quarter.

Yu Fei stood up, straightened his clothes, and looked at Mason while listening to Karl's instructions.

He made Mason feel uncomfortable.

"Fry, what are you looking at?" Mason asked. "Is there something on my face?"

Yu Fei said calmly: "No, there is nothing on your face."

Just like your performance in the first quarter.

Not even a single round worthy of praise.

"When I look at your face, I think of your performance just now." Yu Fei lightly stomped the floor a few times, "If you continue to perform like this, one thing is for sure."

"There will no longer be a place for you in Milwaukee."

It's not a threat, it's a fact.

There was no sadness or joy in Yu Fei's tone, just like a decision-maker stating the company's future development direction.

Then, he came on stage, leaving behind a furious Mason and a hesitant Karl.

Ray Allen, who was resting off the court, was filled with turmoil. Yu Fei had just done something he would never dare to do.

Is this what a self-proclaimed second-in-command should do?
Would Scottie Pippen do this?

The answer is obvious.

Ray Allen knows everything, he just doesn't want to face it.

PS: Since there was a reward from the new leader last night, I still owe two chapters.I'll wait a few days and update again.Again, I can’t afford to add hundreds of chapters. Can I still not afford to add two chapters?
　Thanks to the leader of Lonely World for the rewards, and also to Yuyan, Kongtaixi, Erchengzi, Let’s Fly Together, Kanyou*, and the Second Demon God of the Ancient Times for their rewards.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)