When pride still matters

Chapter 524: Pursuit and Counterattack

Six minutes into the first quarter, James faced Yu Fei. He called for a pick-and-roll and pointed out Chris Bosh. He then used the big man to play against the smaller man and broke into the basket. But behind him, Yu Fei was chasing him fiercely, and Alonzo Gee was also assisting in defense under the basket.

In the chaos, James threw the ball to Kobe on the outside.

Kobe passed Roy, who was obviously exhausted, in one step and scored a jump shot outside the paint area.

17 is better than 14
The Lakers led by 4 points and the Supersonics immediately called a timeout.

"I'll control the ball!" Yu Fei said to Lu.

Roy said: "I can hold on."

"Stop talking nonsense!" Yu Fei said, "Six minutes is enough, take a good rest."

Roy didn't insist because his physical strength really couldn't keep up. He knew he wouldn't be the savior of the team, but his appearance tonight was inspiring to other teammates, and his performance at the beginning was beyond expectations.

But to Fei, it felt like proof that the team was running out of options.

If there was another way, would they have let Roy come back?
Why hadn't he been more determined to stop this decision?
During this one-minute long pause, Yu Fei quickly reviewed his career and found that he was very lacking in an experience in his second life - adversity.

This idea seems problematic because he rose in adversity. DC's rookie season was hell for any rookie, but he survived and forced Jordan to make the deal that determined the entire NBA landscape in the 2000s.

Has he faced any adversity since then?
Auburn Hills in the winter of 2004?
In his opinion, this is not adversity at all. His record of six championships in seven years shows how smooth his journey has been. Among all his opponents so far, none has put more pressure on him than the Spurs in 2003.

Why is this so? Because in the finals against the Spurs, Yu Fei was not the best player in that series.

The strongest Duncan forced out the strongest Yu Fei at that stage.

He has not had any similar trouble since then.

He had almost forgotten what it was like to play with desperation.

Now, with the series that determines the rise and fall of dynasties tied, it seems Kozan and the two greatest rivals of his generation have found a tacit understanding to work together, just like Iron Man and Captain America after Civil War.

The Lakers' shooters also provide a positive addition to these two players.

They are undoubtedly the strongest opponents Yu Fei has ever met.

They had pushed him to this point.

It reminded him of how he played when he was a nobody.

"Fry, it's time."

Bosh yelled.

Yu Fei returned to the court and said to Bosh: "It's time to get the Spaniard off the court."

Bosh thought Yu Fei was hinting at him to play more proactively and not be outshined by Gasol Jr. in the interior.

But that is not the case at all.

Both sides made substitutions.

The Supersonics replaced Roy with Larry Hughes, and the Lakers replaced the sleepwalking Jamison with Artest.

The timeout ended, Yu dribbled the ball at the top of the arc, and as soon as James came in front of him, the Supersonics' pick-and-roll attack had already started.

Bosh came to set the screen and Yu Fei clearly targeted Gasol Jr.

When it comes to pick-and-rolls, the Lakers' defensive arrangement for Gasol has always been to expand the defense to the free throw line and stop, leaving the rest to his teammates.

In the last game, Bosh played the five position for a long time and was exhausted. But tonight, after only playing for half a quarter, the Lakers chose to leave him open again, and Yu Fei decisively passed the ball.

Bosh directly punished Gasol with a three-pointer from the left side.

17 is better than 17
"If he wants to play inside, give him the position and don't give him the opportunity to consume you." Yu Fei said to Bosh, "If he pulls out after the pick-and-roll like you, let him see how modern inside defense works!"

Bosh felt like a machine being manipulated.

In this season, Yu Fei's on-the-spot command has never been so frequent.

But he had a vague feeling that this was effective.

If he is really put in the five position to compete with Gasol, he has no advantage. Clearly using his mobility and shooting stability after the pick-and-roll to punish Gasol is the correct solution for an athletic inside player like him to deal with the big white bear.

Of course, the prerequisite is that he must make the shots he is supposed to make. If he can neither make the shots nor win in hand-to-hand combat like in the last game, then even the gods cannot help him.

The Lakers also wanted to fight back through pick-and-roll.

But as soon as the pick-and-roll was called, the Supersonics resolutely switched defense, and James' opponent changed from Yu Fei to Alonzo Gee.

James broke through decisively. Although he had two fouls, Key's defensive strength was not reduced at all. He knew that he was promoted to the starting lineup as an exception because Coach Lu valued this tough guy. As long as he could disgust James, it would not be a loss even if he had six fouls in a quarter.

James failed to cause a foul and felt that the space under the basket was small because Durant relied on his long arms to interfere, but he also let go of Artest in the corner.

James passed the ball, and Artest did not shoot after receiving it because that was not his sweet spot. So when he dribbled in, he was interfered by Durant and missed the layup.

James, who happened to be under the basket, grabbed the offensive rebound and was about to take a second attack when Yu Fei blocked his shot from behind.

The basketball fell to the floor, and the ten players on the court began to fall to the ground to fight for this ownerless object.

In the end, it was the unknown young man Key who took the initiative, got the ball first, and then smashed it into the legs of the Lakers player, causing the ball to bounce out of bounds.

This breathtaking round lasted nearly 30 seconds.

After missing the offensive opportunity, James stood up and complained to the referee, saying that Ki had definitely committed a foul.

There was no follow-up to this incident because the referees were very strict tonight and they made their judgment based on their on-the-spot senses.

If it exceeds that degree, it is a foul; if it does not exceed that degree, it is not a foul.

Key pumped his fist and roared after winning the ball. What had happened since the start of the game had made the impact of this insignificant little figure in the league exceed his wildest dreams.

"Can you stand up to Artest?"

Yu Fei asked before Ji served.

Ji didn't promise, but said, "I will try my best to hold him off."

"You don't have much advantage over him, but there is one thing..." Yu Fei said, "He doesn't like running on defense, but the opposite on offense."

Afterwards, Yu Fei dribbled the ball to the frontcourt and once again called on Xiaojia to attack.

Having learned from previous lessons, the Lakers knew they had to protect the Spaniard as much as possible, so they asked Artest to defend the pick-and-roll.

Artest and James switched defense, but Yu Fei had no intention of starting the game. He actually waved his hand to call for a pick-and-roll. This was a temporary pick-and-roll for Yu Fei who was facing off against Gasol.

Since Ji's shooting was unstable, Xiaojia was crouching at the free throw line. Yu Fei suddenly dribbled to the left side of the free throw line. He raised his hand with the intention of collecting the ball and shook Xiaojia. He passed through the Spaniard's defense and dunked and scored a layup.

"Marc Gasol is the defensive anchor for the Lakers," Jeff Van Gundy said, "but in a few possessions, Frye made him look like a hole on defense."

"The carnival basketball played by George Karl and Frye in Milwaukee completely changed the face of basketball games. There is a view that traditional inside players like Mark who do not have the ability to quickly switch to guards and forwards will be quickly eliminated. However, outstanding traditional inside players like Yao and Mark have adapted to the development of the times. They have lost weight so that their speed can barely keep up with the rhythm of contemporary basketball, and they have developed outside shooting to integrate themselves into the trend of the new era. However, can they barely keep up with the rhythm prove that their defense can deal with unlimited singles like Frye?"

Now experts are no longer concerned about how many points a person gets.

This is the biggest difference between this game and the previous game.

When you score 59 points but your team loses by almost 30, it doesn't make sense no matter how you dress it up. And an offense that really hits the opponent's pain points only takes a few rounds to be effective.

Phil Jackson had stood up from his seat at some point and was discussing countermeasures with his assistant coach.

The Lakers players on the field also found some clues in the Sonics' indiscriminate switching defense strategy.

Since we have to play unlimited switching defense, there must be strong and weak players on the defensive end among the five people on the court. The strong ones are difficult to play against, so just find the weak ones to play against.

The Lakers have two targets, one is Durant, he is not tough enough, the other is Kiley, except for being tough enough in other aspects.

Kobe came to the top of the arc to get the ball, and like James, ordered the easiest dish - Alonzo Gee.

Compared to James, Kobe cannot break through his defense in a simple and rough step, but the opponent's skill combination is too outstanding.

In less than two seconds, Ki, who was used to James' simple, rough and violent attacks, was picked up by Kobe and committed his third personal foul.

Kobe even adjusted his posture after being fouled, and a crooked shot hit the basket and spun into the net.

Coach Lu then replaced Key with Livingston.

Kobe made the free throw.

The base is down and the four positions on the court need to be redistributed.

Durant wanted to go for it, but as soon as he crossed half court, Yu Fei was already next to Artest.

Livingston brought the ball to the frontcourt, Yu Fei immediately went out to get the ball, then started again and called for a pick-and-roll at the fifth position.

The two sides started a cat-and-mouse game.

The Lakers were determined to hide Gasol, so they asked James to switch defense. Yu Fei called for another pick-and-roll, and this time it was Kobe who came out. After the position change, the Lakers called for a third pick-and-roll, and there was no other way to switch, so they had to let Gasol go to the front.

Kobe even let Livingston go and tried to double-team him.

Yu Fei suddenly passed the ball to Livingston, who took one dribble and made a jump shot from the free throw line.

Kobe's face looked very ugly, and Yu Fei did not forget to give him a sarcastic smile before returning to defense.

How much effort are you willing to put in to protect someone who is not your responsibility?

Just when the Lakers on the court didn't know how to defend, the Zen Master off the court blew a whistle and asked everyone to follow his lead.

"Go inside!" The Zen Master gave instructions, "Let Mark attack their restricted area!"

This is a delaying tactic.

Strictly speaking, this is not a solution to the problem.

Because the Lakers can't let Gasol play inside in every round, but Yu Fei can really call on Gasol in every round.

As soon as he saw the Lakers' outside line was wide open, James lobbed the ball to Gasol, and Yu Fei was ready to assist in defense.

Unexpectedly, Xiaojia did a very good job of positioning himself in advance and was already in a position where he could attack as soon as he received the ball.

As soon as the ball got in place, Gasol made a big hook shot and hit the bank.

During this process, Bosh was a little weak, but this is the difference in strength between the four and five positions, just like a fight between heavyweight boxers. "If it doesn't work, try to defend from the front."

This suggestion was made by Livingston.

Yu Fei agreed, but would Bosh agree?

Whenever there is front-circuiting defense between the inside players, it means that they admit that they are not as skilled as their opponents. Instead of being beaten by your opponent after you receive the ball, it is better to increase the difficulty of your receiving the ball.

"I can go around!" Bosh is not a person who values ​​face, but he also has his own ideas, "But, Dafei, we have to beat him down!"

Bosh was determined to limit Gasol's ability to receive the ball even if it meant losing his star's self-esteem, but at the same time he also wanted to make Gasol look ridiculous on the defensive end.

If we are to be embarrassed, we should be embarrassed together.

The Lakers have no way out.

It's not just that Gasol has high tactical value to them, but also that they don't have multiple athletic inside players like the Supersonics.

The Supersonics are determined to play with one big and four small players, with Bosh playing center and Jordan, O'Neal and Brown, all with different styles, on the bench. Except for O'Neal, the other two are not good at offense, but their defense meets the small ball's requirements for defending the interior.

And the Lakers? They emptied their nest egg in pursuit of spacing and shooters.

The reinforcements during the season, whether it is Jamison or Miller, they have brought the Lakers offensive resources that other teams envy.

But there is only one ball on the court, and the chances of shooting in each game are limited. In the Lakers, Jamison is the team's third person, which is his most accustomed position. He does not need to bear too much responsibility and has enough ball rights. But in the Lakers, he is just a pure fifth person and has no tactical status at all, so he was lost in the playoffs.

If Jamison is lost, Artest can still fill in. If Gasol is really unable to play, who can replace him?
Big Z? If Yu Fei called him out like that, the situation would be even more embarrassing.

Yu Fei desperately pointed out that Xiaojia was tearing a wound on the Lakers.

Xiao Jia was once again forced in front of Yu Fei because of continuous pick-and-rolls.

Yu Fei dribbled the ball at full speed and Xiao Jia had no choice but to foul.

Sideline ball

Xiao Jia stood at the free throw line with a worried look on his face, because he knew that Yu Fei would call on his name whenever he got the chance.

This worry had already formed panic in his heart. Bosh quietly ran to the basket from the baseline. Maybe it was just a one-second distraction. Yu Fei looked at Livingston, but threw the ball towards the basket with both hands.

This is the moment Bosh has been waiting for.

He grabbed the basketball and slammed it into the basket like a tomahawk.

"Kamo!!!" Bosh spitted and screamed at Gasol, "I will fight you no matter how you want to fight!!!"

Lakers fans at the Staples Center were furious.

With three minutes left in the first quarter, the Lakers were trailing.

Although the difference is not big, the trend is enough to cause concern.

Phil Jackson thought they had greatly overestimated how much trouble Gasol's weakness in defending pick-and-rolls would cause.

After all, that’s how Yu Fei chased and beat O’Neal back then.

But although O'Neal was being chased and attacked on defense at that time, he was still able to fight back on offense. The scene was ugly but not as bad as tonight, which gave people the feeling that "the Lakers will be finished if the Spaniard continues to stay on the court."

Yu Fei kept calling out names for four minutes like a ghost demanding his life.

Every round starts with Xiaojia. Even if the final points lost are not due to Xiaojia's shot, the opportunity for losing points also lies with Xiaojia.

At this moment, the Zen Master wishes he had a Rodman on his team.

If Gasol were replaced by Rodman, the Lakers would be an invincible team.

It's a pity that it can't be replaced.

They have to solve this problem themselves.

First, the Zen Master replaced Hamilton with Miller, and then conveyed an extremely important instruction to Kojan and Artest.

"That's enough!" the Zen Master said. "I don't want to see Frye attack Mark at will anymore!"

"From now on, we only have two strategies for pick-and-rolls!" Zen Master said loudly, "Either squeeze through that damn pick-and-roll, or double-team Frye! It's up to you to decide how to do it, but we have to interrupt that bastard's rhythm!"

On the other side, Lu was about to ask Yu Fei to keep up the pace and push Xiao Jia to death.

But Roy suddenly mentioned: "From the lineup, no one among them can replace the Spaniard. Therefore, they may take the initiative to double-team Frye. Although this seems more stupid, if the method is right, it may also disrupt our rhythm."

Coach Lu nodded repeatedly after listening to this. He likes these players who can play and understand basketball.

Lu made minor adjustments to the lineup.

Morrow replaced Livingston, and Durant played the power forward position, but he did not fight with Artest in the interior. On the offensive end, he always pulled out, using the opponent's large weight and the fact that he would not run a large area to chase and defend the player without the ball to find opportunities. On the defensive end, he flew to the opposite position.

As for Morrow, he was seriously inaccurate in the last game, but the title of sharpshooter will not be taken away because of a bad game.

The team is in high spirits now, and it's a good time for the shooter to start scoring.

Back to the game, the Lakers just wanted to hit the ball to the basket, but saw Bosh entangled with Gasol's body like a mad dog, not giving him a chance to catch the ball steadily.

The opportunity to pass the ball is fleeting. If you don't pass it right away, it will be difficult to pass it again later.

As soon as James hesitated, Yu Fei's defense had already approached him, making it difficult for him to observe the situation.

Kobe ran over at full speed, received the ball and made a difficult long three-pointer but missed.

Yu leaped up to grab a long rebound, and after landing, he controlled the court steadily and shouted, "Take your time, prepare for the pick-and-roll!"

The tactical term "pick and roll" is about to become the Lakers' PTSD.

Especially when Yu Fei was so open about it and was determined to attack them from one point.

This was an ordinary one-five pick-and-roll, and the Lakers still changed players to defend. According to previous habits, Yu Fei would immediately call for another pick-and-roll to gradually compress the Lakers' defensive resources until Gasol Jr. had nowhere to hide.

However, this time it was Artest who stepped forward. He and James made eye contact, and suddenly, they both abandoned Bosh and moved towards Yu Fei with their fangs and claws.

Yu Fei passed the ball in advance, Bosh dribbled into the basket facing the basket, entangled with Xiao Jia, but suddenly threw the ball to the left corner at the most intense moment.

Durant received the ball in an open position. The basket in front of him was as wide as the ocean. Artest, who was supposed to be playing against him, had disappeared.

He dribbled the ball and shot a three-pointer into the pocket.

"The Marc Gasol issue is changing from a regional issue to a global issue."

As the series progresses, there are no secrets left between the two teams.

The Supersonics lack a center with excellent overall qualities, and they are also short of shooters and ball-handlers, but they make up for the center problem with depth.

The Lakers looked perfect when the situation was favorable, with many outside shooters, including James and Artest on the wings, and Gasol and Big Z in the interior. But after the first four games, the Supersonics had no cards left to play, so Yu Fei chose unlimited singles, suppressing Gasol's influence to the lowest point in the series.

This also put the Lakers into an unprecedented dilemma.

They have shooters, but they can't solve the urgent problem in the interior. The Kobe-Zan duo can make them close to the game, but they can't share the defensive pressure borne by Xiaoga.

Once Gasol is beaten into a player who cannot play in the game, the Lakers' inside line will face an avalanche because they have invested too many resources on the outside.

Now, in order to eliminate the problem in the interior, they have to mobilize other resources to fill this bottomless pit.

Switching defense doesn't work, multiple screens don't work, leaving the player open doesn't work, and now even double-teaming doesn't work.

Kobe stepped up and took the responsibility, breaking away from Morrow's defense and scoring a high-post jump shot.

Xiaojia's presence has become weak.

The Lakers were unable to give him the ball a lot to attack the paint in order to keep him in shape.

On the defensive end...

Yu Fei came in front of James like the devil incarnate, but his eyes were not on James at all. He dribbled the ball with his left hand, raised his right hand, and played a pick-and-roll tactic like Thanos's snap of fingers.

This time, Gasol followed out, but did not switch defense, nor did he leave Bosh open. James squeezed through Bosh's screen.

However, squeezing through a screen is not the optimal solution for defending the pick-and-roll.

Because no matter how tough the defender is when squeezing through the screen, the person with the ball receiving the screen will always be one step ahead, and the defender can only make sure he does not lose his entire position.

For Fei, the step James missed was enough for him to complete the rest.

Two steps inside the three-point line, Yu Fei suddenly stopped, and the ball passed under his crotch, but James did not stop steadily and almost fell in front of Yu Fei.

Even though he used his strong core strength to control his body, he could only do this much. Yu Fei then received the ball and jumped, making a long-distance shot in front of him.

"Shh!"

Is this the most James has ever done for his teammates?
How many times do I have to fall into the same trap before it’s enough?

All methods have been tried and everything that can be done has been done. If the Lakers want to protect Gasol from being singled out, then everyone on the court will be manipulated by Yu Fei.

James knows that the Spaniard is Jackson's favorite player. As long as the Spaniard is on the court, the Lakers can play an authentic triangle offense.

But now, they can't protect the Spaniards.

For those people and things that you are no longer able to protect, giving up early is the best way to stop losses.

On the court, no one can calculate the gains and losses of this account better than James, and he has already realized it.

"Mark," James said, "Let Chris Bosh go from now on, and you and I will double-team No. 44."

What if Bosh made an open shot?

That's not something James has to think about.

He only cared about one thing, making Yu Fei's behavior on the court predictable.

Force him to pass the ball to Bosh, and that's predictable.

He didn't believe that Bosh could kill them with his shooting. Since he couldn't kill them with his shooting, it would depend on who had a tougher hand.

(End of this chapter)