When pride still matters

Chapter 509 God is not kind to me

After the timeout, the SuperSonics discovered a strange phenomenon.

As the second most ball-handling core in the league after Yu Fei, James became a porter, dribbling the ball across half court and then passing it to Gasol.

Having Gasol be the axis in the high post directly disrupts the inverted triangle offense system led by James.

The Lakers returned to the right path in the eyes of the Zen Master, and Gasol did not disappoint. He found an opportunity for Antawn Jamison in the first round after getting the ball and made a lob pass to help the opponent score.

Jackson hopes that James will be like Frye, but this is just the idea of ​​the coaching staff. For someone like His Majesty the Emperor, who shoulders the hopes of Nike, the hatred of his hometown elders and the obsession of surpassing Yu Fei, there are many things to consider.

With Marc Gasol as the core, James can still make contributions.

His current three-point shooting percentage is similar to Yu Fei's in the regular season, reaching 39%. But like Xiaojia, his efficiency can only be guaranteed if he controls his output at a certain level, so he can't shoot a lot. Even so, as long as he is willing to run, he can still create many opportunities in the Lakers' system.

But James was unwilling to compromise. Now that Kobe was not around, he should be in control of the game. Before he even started to make a move, Jackson was already urging him to consider the overall situation and sacrifice his small self for the greater good.

In that case, he could only stand aside and watch.

A strange scene suddenly appeared on the field.

The player the Supersonics care about most is the Lakers' least active player.

As long as he doesn't have the ball in his hands, James will stand at one end of the court, neither directing nor running. The Zen Master asked him to be like Frye, but to be honest, he is really like Frye now.

Yu Fei is resting off the court and he is resting on the court. Tell me if it's the same.

This scene is very familiar to Cavaliers fans.

This is how James defeated the Cavaliers in last year's Eastern Conference semifinals.

Yu Fei was more familiar with this scene.

Because the phenomenon of James being a spectator on the court whenever he is unhappy playing is not unfamiliar to him.

If the coaching staff wants to blame him, then he has something to say.

He has played the entire quarter, and now he can stop and take a breath without the ball. Isn't it more suitable for Xiaojia to take the ball? Then let him take it.

The decline in James' offensive influence is not fatal to the Lakers, because the Lakers are a team with overflowing offensive firepower. Even if Kobe and James are silent, they will not have a headache about scoring.

Hamilton, Miller and Jamison all stepped up to score at this time.

However, weakness on the defensive end is inevitable.

Especially when James gave up power on the offensive end and didn't put much effort on the defensive end, Durant just roamed around on the outside.

Facing Hamilton, he can pull up.

When he met Jamison, he broke through with one dribble.

Gasol's help defense is only effective in the restricted area, while Durant and Bosh's pick-and-roll offense often forces Gasol to leave the basket.

The Lakers need to limit Durant, and only James can do that.

But now James is like Gao Yuliang at the beginning of "Righteousness of Man", neither too fast nor too slow, as if everything is under control.

Jackson's face was gloomy.

After so many years of coaching, he has seen all kinds of teams, including dominant players like Jordan, sensitive country bumpkins like Pippen, and quick-witted clowns like O'Neal. He can even handle paranoid lunatics like Kobe. However, he never felt like he was coaching James.

Because among these people, only James would use victory or defeat as a bargaining chip.

Perhaps because the Yu Fei virus has penetrated deep into James' bones, he has a morbid desire to share the cake on the court.

In the balance of power in the Lakers, he and Kobe should each take half, and the others should share the rest.

Once you touch his cake, he will not be furious like Jordan. He will just act like he is now, with an attitude of "I have seen through the world" and compete fiercely with a non-competitive attitude.

The opponent is the Supersonics, and the Lakers can't afford his poor performance.

But Jackson didn't expect that just an instruction for him to temporarily hand over the control of the ball to Gasol would lead to such a backlash.

But Jackson is not one of those coaches who is a tool for James to ride on.

During the regular season, he could allow James to play tricks on this matter. Now, since he wants to delegate power, let Kobe take over.

After a few minutes
Before Kobe came on the court, Jackson told him, "LeBron has no energy tonight, you have to take on more responsibility."

This was never a problem for Kobe.

"I will handle it."

Halfway through the second quarter, the Supersonics replaced Durant and Bosh, and the Lakers replaced James.

However, with Durant in good form, the Supersonics not only did not fall behind the second team led by James, but they even overtook them by 6 points.

"You played well." Yu Fei joked, "You have a higher chance of becoming 01 Kobe than Kobe himself."

Durant suddenly said for no apparent reason: "Can becoming 01 Kobe allow me to get Scarlett's contact information?"

"Did you forget something?" Yu Fei said, "She got married."

Durant smiled smugly and said, "Really? It doesn't matter."

As soon as Yu Fei came on stage, he greeted his Marvel friends: "I'm a little bored sitting on the bench for so long. If you want to see something, I'll perform a live show for you."

Robert Downey wanted to see an alley-oop. Scarlett didn't know how to play basketball, but she pretended to know, so she ordered a program that Yu Fei couldn't complete: "Let's hit a home run!"

As soon as these words were spoken, friends around him showed ambiguous expressions.

Although words like "base" and "home run" are baseball nouns, they have special meanings in life.

Although Yu Fei has always denied that he has any relationship with Scarlett, Donny always suspects that the two are having an affair. He heard that Scarlett's husband had a conflict because of this matter.

Could it be that all the gossip last summer was true?

Tang Niu's smiling eyes let Yu Fei know that he was misunderstood again. He doesn't touch married women. This is a principle, but if they get divorced in the future, that's another matter.

And now, the focus is on the competition.

In the first round when Yu Fei came on the court, he satisfied Downey's wish for an alley-oop.

He controlled the ball in the high post, and the Lakers double-teamed him just like they did in the first quarter.

However, the effect of this double-team was far less effective than in the first quarter.

Because Zhan Ke was there at that time.

Now, Kobe was not even part of the double-team. Yu Fei struggled with him for a while and then threw the ball into the sky.

O'Neal received the ball and slammed the ball into the basket violently.

"Kamo!!!" Bosh pounded his chest, spitting and yelling, "Kamo!!!"

Then, Kobe quickly got into the game.

Although Yu Fei hurt some people by bringing the small ball era forward, it also benefited many people, Kobe being one of them.

The Lakers are now the team with the best space in the league, so Kobe doesn't have to make a lot of unreasonable and forced shots like he did in his previous life.

Now, not only does Yi have many one-on-one opportunities, but he also often has open spots.

The space is too big.

He can use beautiful technical moves in a small space to deal with all kinds of opponents. This era of wide space and extremely fast speed is extremely friendly to him.

No one on the Sonics' backcourt could match Kobe.

In a few minutes, Kobe scored points as easily as drinking water, just like what the Zen Master said, but what made the Zen Master happy was that all his points were scored within the framework of the triangle offense.

Cut-out shots, wing one-on-ones, low-post one-on-ones, not a single one of them was a solo shot with the ball from the outside, they were all part of the tactical ending attack.

Kobe's performance aroused Yu Fei's fighting spirit.

The last few minutes of the second quarter were a real battle between the dragons and the tigers.

If Kobe scores a goal, Yu Fei will definitely return the favor in the next round.

On the other hand, if Yu Fei scored a goal, Kobe would find a way to get it back quickly.

The two started out by not positioning themselves against each other and just attacking, then came over to defend each other, carrying out the super-giant showdown to the end. This was what was expected and was also the scene that should have occurred in this imperial battle that had been brewing for a whole year.

半场战罢，56比62，超音速领先湖人6分，于飞半场22分7篮板6助攻，科比半场20分5篮板3助攻。

"No. 44 and No. 24 are killing each other!"

"The question is, what is number 23 doing?"

"No. 23 sat on the sidelines and watched them kill each other like crazy."

"The second half continues."

Kobe said coldly at the end of the first half.

Yu Fei sarcastically asked, "Where's LeBron? Where do you put LeBron?"

"He's a little timid." Kobe said in the most arrogant and conceited tone Yu Fei had ever heard, but it sounded perfectly right when he said it. "I'll teach him how to win a championship."

How can you fight in the palace with such a stupid person?

Yu Fei didn't think James was afraid of the battle.

Based on Yu Fei's understanding of James and what happened in the first half, a reasonable explanation is that the opponent had C-position cancer.

Just like some traffic stars who are obsessed with their ranking and some people in competitive games who will give up as soon as they can’t be the carry.

Jackson should have seen this, so he increased Kobe's offensive role.

Kobe really did not let down the team, and the closing stage of the first half was super high. This performance was enough for Jackson to give James some color.

Everyone saw it, except Kobe.

Not only did he fail to see it, he also wanted to teach James how to win the championship.

Yu Fei smiled without saying anything and left.

Both sides returned to the locker room and the live stage was given to the coach.

Coach Lu was very satisfied with the team's performance in the first half.

Jackson's words were full of sarcasm.

"I have always emphasized that as long as the Lakers become a whole, we can beat any opponent, just like in 2001," Jackson said. "As a coach, I failed. Until now, we are still not a whole. We have too many stars and our thoughts cannot be unified. You can see Kobe's determination and the obvious carelessness of some people. If we want to beat the Supersonics, this mentality is not desirable."

Who is so careless on the field?
Jackson is a person who is very good at mobilizing external forces to exert internal pressure.

This started when he was fighting Jerry Krause in the Chicago Bulls. After coming to the Lakers, he defeated the Logo Man, and finally staged a plot with Kobe that could be compared to a romance novel - first abuse, then love - and now, using indirect methods to increase the intensity of James is just a small trick for him.

Professional commentators from major TV stations quickly won the ghost-catching game.

They realized the man Jackson was referring to was James.

In the first half, the Lakers played well, but there was something weird about it.

That is, this Lakers team looks like a single core with Kobe as the main player, rather than a dual core with Kobe and James. When they need James to exert his strength to seize the advantage in the transition period, James disappears.

This is the reason why the Lakers fell behind by 6 points after Kobe came on the court, and it is also the reason why rookie coach Lu dared to fight against the Lakers for 48 minutes.

Yu Fei actually rested for six minutes in the first half.

This is like telling the world that the Lakers are not strong enough, and the Supersonics can still arrange time for Yu Fei to come off the court and take a breath in their spare time.

"The biggest problem with the Lakers is that they act like the strongest team in the league when facing other teams, but once they face the SuperSonics, one of Kobe and LeBron will always be abnormal." In the ESPN studio, former NBA player Jalen Rose said, "If this problem is not solved, it is hard for me to believe that they can beat the SuperSonics because Frye will not let go of any flaws."

"Wait a minute, Jaylen, are you trying to say that LeBron tonight is the Lakers' weakness?"

"I didn't say that," Rose laughed. "But we all know what happened on the court."

From ESPN, to TNT, to ABC, a trial about James suddenly began.

Commentators and analysts are divided into two camps. One camp believes that James is just habitually afraid of fighting in front of Yu Fei, while the other camp believes that there are problems within the Lakers.

No one doubts James' strength. He is not as good as Yu Fei, but he can definitely play a 50-50 game like Kobe.

With the situation in the first half, if the Lakers had added James, how would Yu Fei have been able to cope with it?

The overwhelming pressure of public opinion seemed like it could crush James.

But James has already seen the power of public opinion.

In the months following the “Decision,” he was discussed like this every day.

Now he has gotten used to it and will post various inspirational messages on social media to cleanse his heart.

He knows what he wants.

"Kobe is in such good shape, the Lakers probably won't change their strategy."

In the visiting team's locker room, Yu Fei suggested that Coach Lu concentrate on dealing with Kobe.

"What about LeBron?" Lue asked. "What about him?"

Yu Fei laughed: "Until he gets what he wants, he will only play like he did in the first half."

"Doesn't he just want the ball? What if the Lakers just give it back to him?" asked Kwame Brown.

“That’s another question,” Yu Fei said. “Besides, I think it’s unlikely to happen.”

As to why, it's hard to say.

From the perspective of Yu Fei, a rookie with little experience in palace fighting, since Jackson decided to increase the intensity of James, it is impossible for him to stop after just putting some pressure on him. James' idea is simple. He has always had the habit of letting his teammates know that "you really can't do it without me."

Especially after he turns 30, as long as he starts to perform poorly on the court, there will be major changes in his team, and it has always been like this.

The former was Yu Fei's judgment based on palace fighting, and the latter was based on his understanding of James.

Therefore, in the second half, James only needs to deal with Kobe. He will not do nothing, but his performance now will not be much better than Iguodala of the Spurs.

Putting Andre Iguodala next to Kobe will not bring about qualitative changes.

In the second half, James symbolically attacked the basket, broke through for layups, and made three-pointers from the outside. He was only active for a few minutes and then began to return to the rhythm of the first half.

However, if James does not exert his strength, the Lakers will still be a strong opponent.

Because Kobe is in excellent form and has enough helpers around him.

Richard Hamilton, Antawn Jamison, Mike Miller, Mike Bibby, and Ron Artest are all good players.

When the Lakers' shooters were exerting their strength, the Supersonics' shooters did not fall behind.

Anthony Morrow and veteran Michael Finley both played as shooters.

But it is the stars who decide the game.

In the fourth quarter, Yu Fei used targeted shots to make Gasol a loophole on the court, while Kobe's lethality at the No. 2 position also made the Supersonics unable to cope with it.

Yu Fei chose to attack and call out Gasol, and defend against Kobe.

But limiting Kobe was not the work of one person, Yu Fei's teammates also participated in assisting defense and double-teaming.

This is why Kobe's offense was inaccurate in the fourth quarter.

Kobe has already given his all, but now, they need someone with a clear mind to stabilize the situation. That person is either James or Gasol.

James was not online, and Gasol had already played for 35 minutes. He was called out by Yu Fei and became nervous, unable to handle the ball calmly.

At the last minute, the Lakers made mistakes one after another.

Yu Fei was as calm as ice. After specifically suppressing Gasol, he seized the opponent's mistakes and let Durant let himself go during the defensive counterattack.

In the last four minutes of the game, Durant, who was not involved in the star showdown at all, had plenty of physical strength and he started running.

In the shot where Durant received the pass from Yu Fei, rushed to the frontcourt and glided like a swallow to dunk, people discovered David Stern.

That dunk gave the Supersonics a 10-point lead and the Lakers called a timeout.

Major TV stations reported tonight's ratings.

About 1700 million Americans watched the game, and it is difficult to count the number of overseas viewers.

The local ratings of 1700 million mean that even if this game were put in the finals, it would have more viewers than 95% of the finals.

And this is just Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.

Stern and the interest groups he represents have reason to smile about tonight's game.

The three best players in the world appeared in the same series at the same time. Durant, a symbol of the future, was also there. He could actually finish the battle for Yu Fei and Kobe on this stage.

Stern liked the young man.

Although Yu Fei is the best player in the world, he lacks the reverence for the league and the franchise. His idol has been built and he has been shaped into an inviolable person by the commercialism of the sports world.

His image is so tall that even the league finds it difficult to approach him.

Stern prefers retro players like Durant.

Of course, when it comes to making money, ten Durants can't compare to one Yu Fei, but liking this kind of thing is a very personal thing.

Durant's counterattack fast break ended the suspense of the game.

In the final minutes, he turned the game into a ukiyo-e on the court.

Everything in defensive counterattack can be seen in him, that kind of pure basketball skills are possessed by a 22-year-old young man who has already grasped the future.

The artist of this painting dribbled the ball and hit a step-back three-pointer over Kobe's head before the end of the game.

121 is better than 104
"I think you can not only teach LeBron how to win the championship," Yu Fei said with a faint smile, "you can also teach him how to win the Western Conference runner-up. You have a lot of experience in this area, don't you?"

This is Yu Fei’s home run, but it’s a pity that Scarlett Johansson can’t hear it.

But seeing Kobe fly into a rage was something that was far more satisfying to Yu Fei than sleeping with Scarlett.

Post-match interview
“42分12篮板11助攻，这不是弗莱的极限，但我相信38分5篮板5助攻肯定是科比在本轮系列赛的极限。”泰伦·卢发誓不会再让科比如此发挥。“他不会再打出这么一场比赛了！”

"Kobe certainly played to his full potential, but some people may have only played 30% of their ability." Phil Jackson said, "I won't name that person, you can watch the video and you will have the answer."

"When the next game starts, I'll let Tyronn know if this is my limit." - Kobe Bryant publicly responded to Tyronn Lue.

"We'll find the problem in the video analysis meeting, and we'll be fine." - LeBron James looked regretful as if he had done his best for this game.

There is a low pressure on the Lakers, which makes what they say and do not seem as simple as it seems on the surface.

It was a different story on the Supersonic side.

Durant left the court wearing sunglasses and a backpack, looking more like a Star Wars fan than a future NBA superstar. After defeating the Lakers in the first game of Los Angeles, he gave his mother and family a warm hug, and when talking about his amazing performance, he showed a humble attitude.

"I thank God." Durant said, "I have to thank God, only God can give me such good teammates."

When a reporter wondered if he was jealous that Yu Fei was getting all the spotlight, Durant laughed and said, "You know who ended the game?"

"It's you."

Durant smiled; "So, I had the spotlight, too. Frye didn't take it all."

Retired player Steve Smith, who serves as a commentator for NBATV, commented: "Whether it's his playing style, his personal attitude, how he handles the media, and his love and passion for the game. I haven't felt anything like this from a young person for a long time."

"He's one of those retro-style players, like someone from the 80s or 90s."

When Yu Fei brazenly signed a short-term contract, James chose to stick together, and Anthony even threatened the Nuggets to trade him. This made Durant refuse to test the free market and directly renew his contract with the Supersonics for five years, which became his highlight.

The world was focused on the Empire War, and countless people were expecting 44 to settle the series with 23 and 24. Durant was willing to take up most of the time to humbly explain how to do better, which sounded more like what a substitute should do, rather than what a superstar who should have been the protagonist of the series should do.

"He's pure. That's the charm of him. He's the most humble superstar," said Mike Breen of ESPN. "He's a unique, special player, but he has a charm that attracts people even to people who don't like basketball."

Durant expressed his deep gratitude for this and said: "I am not as good as you say. I just try to be myself, because it is too easy to be arrogant in the NBA."

These moments are the height of Durant’s hype, the moment when Nike’s dreams come true.

They spent years honing their characters and finally shined on this stage.

By its very nature, basketball is a sport built on star power. More than in any other sport, a single player can have a greater impact on the game. One player has the power to turn a bad team into a great team, or at least a decent team. So a small group of athletes who hold that responsibility develop an inflated sense of ego that might lead to one of them doing an hour-long special to announce where they're going to play.

Durant is like the Son of God, who has eliminated all negativity and only the good remains in him.

That night, Durant joined the Marvel actors' party through Yu Fei's relationship and tried to get close to Scarlett.

But Scarlett had no interest in him and she always stayed with Yu Fei.

She clearly acted as if she hated Yu Fei, but in the end, they left together.

Durant looked at their backs, thinking about something.

"Kevin, do you believe that nothing happened between the two of them?"

Robert Downey asked with a smile.

Durant was stunned for a moment and said, "Frye is not interested in married women."

"I know," Donnie said, "but her marriage is over."

Durant didn't know how to respond, but Downey wasn't done talking.

"A handsome face, a perfect body, and the ability to make women angry without making them hate him." Donnie shook his head, "Damn, this is the holy trinity of a playboy!"

Durant once heard Yu Fei say that he thought Downey's public display of a personality that was almost identical to Tony Stark was a strategy of Marvel and himself. Marvel had a long-term plan, and they wanted to make Iron Man a classic character, so Downey had to become the incarnation of Tony Stark.

So even in real life, whenever he attends Marvel-related events, he has to act like Iron Man.

"So you and he are the same type of people," Durant said.

"That was in the past," Donnie said calmly, "Look at me now. God hasn't been kind to me."

Durant could only laugh it off.

But he still had a problem.

Has God been too good to Fry Yu?
(End of this chapter)