Chapter 511 Not one, not two
Staples Center
Yu Fei arrived at the scene half an hour early.
Durant was here earlier to warm up, which was nice to see.
The boy-next-door image may be Nike hype, but the ball-crazy approach is real.
Yu Fei heard someone say that Durant came an hour ago.
He really looks like he wants to drink Scarlett's bathwater.
Like Durant, Alonzo Key came to the scene in advance.
Key is like Durant's little brother. Wherever Adu goes, he goes.
However, although he spent most of the year under Durant's encouragement, his skills have not improved significantly. His characteristics are still physical fitness and inexhaustible energy.
Other than that, no other Sonics players came to the scene in advance to warm up.
Yu Fei is not Jordan. He is not the kind of person who gets angry when his teammates are not as diligent as him. However, he has a better perception of those who are willing to come to the scene in advance to familiarize themselves with the venue.
It is undeniable that the big victory in the first game gave Yu Fei's teammates some wrong perceptions about the strength of the Lakers.
Counting that game, the SuperSonics have 3 wins and 1 loss against the Lakers so far this season.
Even with an incomplete roster, they have clear advantages.
But Yu Fei knew that the first game could not show the Lakers' true strength.
Ten minutes later, more and more people were at the scene.
Those Hollywood celebrities who regard time as valuable as gold are here again.
Scarlett Johansson is back on set, along with Don Cheadle as War Machine.
However, a plump woman with red lips as bright as flames stood out in the crowd.
The television cameras were also very cooperative in giving her - Christina Hendricks, who became famous as Joan Harris in "Mad Men".
Before getting the role of Joan Harris, Christina was best known as Yu Fei's love interest, and they maintained a relationship for several years.
Now, she's a major part of a hit series, the TV personality of 2009, with a crushing presence at every ceremony that overwhelms everyone who's prettier but not as eye-catching as her.
In an era of healthy eating, excessive bodybuilding and exercise, highly developed plastic surgery and bizarre weight loss techniques, Christina's figure is already outdated for Hollywood.
But in the 1960s, if a woman like Christina were taken to a restaurant on a date, she would order a meatloaf, onion rings, and vanilla malts and eat the whole thing with a smile. In 2010, if someone took her to the same restaurant, she would order a Diet Coke and a garden salad with dressing, then stare at her date's onion rings for 20 minutes. Plus, there's a good chance she'd break a rib while wearing her seatbelt on the way home. Because she is too thin.
Christina is such a special existence at the moment. Her anti-trend visual aesthetic gives people an extremely novel experience. Her long red wavy hair, impeccable S-class figure, and a face that is not beautiful but will not be a deduction. She set Mad Men on fire and caused riots everywhere she appeared, including the Staples Center.
People would stare at her like a UFO that had suddenly landed on the stage.
At this time, Christina was sitting not far from Scarlett.
The fire of gossip was ignited.
A married woman who was rumored to be having an affair with Yu Fei, and Yu Fei's last ex-girlfriend who had a stable relationship.
Scarlett glanced at Christina Hendricks slightly, with a subtle emotion in her eyes. She smiled and chatted with Don Cheadle, trying to maintain a natural posture, but the turmoil in her heart could not calm down.
At the same time, Christina also noticed Scarlett. The corners of her mouth were slightly raised, and she was very confident in herself. When the camera focused on her, she gently toyed with her fiery red wavy hair, as if announcing her presence to the crowd around her.
“It seems like the focus tonight is not the game.”
Don Cheadle thought, his eyes flickering between Scarlett and Christina.
Yu Fei was not distracted by this. Christina's appearance did cause some ripples in his heart, but he quickly turned his attention elsewhere.
Therefore, he just went over to say hello as a courtesy.
Durant wanted to talk to Scarlett, but he found that Scarlett's mood tonight was not as good as the night before.
Maybe this is the goddess. The suitor is doing everything possible to please her, but her attention is limited and she can only focus on the people and things that interest her.
At this time, Durant will miss Robert Downey Jr., the man who has never emerged from the role of Tony Stark. If he were present, he would definitely say a few words to liven up the atmosphere.
When returning to the court, Durant asked Yu Fei: "What's wrong with Scarlett?"
"God knows?"
Yu Fei was shooting while observing the training of his teammates.
Veteran Michael Finley was placed on the sideline list before the game with a sprain.
This is not a good sign.
The SuperSonics are not like the Lakers. The only pure shooter on their team is Anthony Morrow.
Although Moreau has established a reputation as a marksman, Yu Fei does not think his true strength is as good as the data shows.
Yu Fei has met Ray Allen, who is a truly historical shooter.
Putting aside Ray Allen's other strengths, as a shooter alone, he spent several years showing Yu Fei how a historical shooter prepares before the game.
Ray Allen is in the same place, doing the same thing, in the same way, year after year. He's the closest thing to a basketball robot. He treats the three-point shot like a volleyball player treats a serve, a golf player treats a tee shot, and a baseball pitcher treats a pitch—quick takeoff, quick release, perfect posture, perfect arc, perfect result. Every shot looks exactly the same.
As long as he has time, he will arrive at the field training hours in advance.
He has developed a consistent routine and eating habits, which is almost an obsessive-compulsive disorder.
It is this kind of hard practice that has shaped Ray Allen's current shooting skills. Therefore, when others say that his shooting is so good, it is because of the blessing of God. Ray Allen would only respond with a sneer: "Don't be ridiculous, God doesn't care about me."
Morrow just practiced casually according to his own habits. Half of his shooting came from training and the other half from innate touch. But rigorous training can enable a shooter to seize the opportunity to deliver a fatal blow in the most suffocating environment.
Yu Fei didn't say anything to Moreau because he was not a shooter and didn't understand how a shooter should maintain his touch through training.
If I really want to tell Morrow and ask him to watch more Ray Allen game videos, the other party will probably agree on the surface, but I don’t know how he will be rude in his heart.
Innate talent determines the lower limit, and acquired training, habits, and character shaping determine the upper limit.
Yu Fei would not force it, he just felt that Moreau still had room for improvement.
Another unusual thing that happened on the court was that the core players of the Sonics and Lakers did not come to midfield to say hello.
Yu Fei wanted to do it as a routine, but Kobe had no intention of coming over to fulfill the ancestral rules in the NBA.
In this case, Yu Fei would not put his hot face on someone else's cold ass.
It's certainly a sign that the Lakers want both sides to be hostile to each other from before the game even begins.
Then, as the game time approached, the on-site DJ began to introduce the starting lineup of both sides.
Tyronn Lue walked to the sidelines to make final arrangements before the start.
Lu emphasized three things.
Defense, rebounding and corner threes.
The Lakers' offensive configuration makes it difficult for them to be restricted on the defensive end, but the SuperSonics did well in the last game. Lu believes that is the key to the team's victory.
It's easy to understand when it comes to rebounds. If the Lakers get a rebound advantage, it would be a terrible thing. Their shooters will be confident when taking shots.
The corner three-pointer is the Sonics' regular scoring spot.
Both Morrow and Durant are good at corner three-pointers.
As a ball-handling core, Yu Fei has also established a foundation for players of this style - a qualified ball-holding core will definitely be able to find every corner three-pointer that appears in his eyes.
Because the ball holder's breakthrough will inevitably cause the opponent's defense to shrink.
In this way, there will be a gap in the defense at the bottom corner, and the shooter will get an opportunity.
Finding the corner shooter is one of the basic verification methods to determine the passing ability of the ball-handling core.
It's just that tonight, the Lakers don't intend to let the Sonics get too many chances in the corner.
The defense between top teams can be summed up in terms of trade-offs.
Teams that are clear-headed, have clear goals, and are well-aimed will often win.
The Lakers' first plan tonight is to block the SuperSonics' corner three-pointer.
Because the left and right bottom corners are Anthony Morrow's sweet spots, his shooting rate here is as high as 44%. Leaving the bottom corners, Moreau is not a marksman with a 40% shooting rate.
But it is not easy to block the corner, because if Yu Fei or other Sonics players break through to the basket, the players defending the corner will inevitably shrink.
Therefore, Phil Jackson provided a clever idea when designing defense: give Morrow a half-open space.
The so-called semi-open position means that the opponent has shooting opportunities and space, but will still be subject to obvious defensive interference.
This design is suitable for players with poor defense like Richard Hamilton. All he has to do is choose a distant position, which can both interfere with and block the Sonics' breakthrough.
There are several pure shooters who can maintain a hit rate of over 40% in a semi-open position.
The answer is very, very rarely.
Those who can withstand pressure and maintain efficiency are basically shooters at the level of Miller and Ray Allen.
In contrast, a small character like Moreau does not have the big heart to fight against difficulties.
This is why Morrow made two consecutive strikes after the opening, giving the Lakers two defensive counterattack opportunities.
Yu Fei's worries became reality at this moment. The Lakers no longer gave Morrow a comfortable corner opportunity, and Morrow was indeed affected.
With a scoring shortage and mistakes, the Lakers got off to a 6-0 start.
The Staples Center was buzzing with momentum, and Lakers fans clearly felt that the team tonight was different from before.
Yu Fei dribbled the ball, and the Lakers asked Kobe to counter.
He was determined to break his scoring drought.
Kobe's matchup with Yu Fei is like Hamilton's matchup with Moreau, with half the ball open.
If Yu Fei dares to shoot, he can also step forward to interfere.
If Yu Fei doesn't shoot, the offense will be in trouble.
And Yu Fei also proved with actual actions that he is not Moreau. Even if it is only half open, he is confident to score. Kobe held his breath, only to see Yu Fei suddenly start to the strong side, instantly switching the basketball from his hip to his left hand, and retreated backwards, shaking off Kobe's defense. With the creation of personal abilities, half of the vacancies turned into large vacancies.
Yu Fei stepped back from the top of the arc and shot a three-pointer.
6 to 3
Yu Fei broke the team's scoring drought, but the Lakers attacked quickly and responded immediately.
There was a five-out formation on the court. Although James' breakthrough was affected by Bosh's protection of the rim, he passed the ball out. After Kobe's second breakthrough, he passed it to Antoine Jamison.
After the Lakers' two breakthroughs, the Sonics' defense collapsed and Jamison scored easily.
"The good news for Los Angeles is that the Lakers are starting to recover." ESPN's Jeff Van Gundy said, "And they are much improved defensively from the last game."
Mark Jackson took over and said: "Moreover, you can see that they control the blind spot very tightly, which is the regular end point of Sonics' offense. If they control this area, it will be difficult for Seattle's offense to launch."
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The Sonics under Tyronn Lue pursue a strategy of keeping everything simple.
He had no offensive tactics, so he largely followed the system from Karl's era and allowed Yu Fei to play freely.
Lu gave Yu the power of coaching on the flying field on the offensive end, while he made suggestions on the defensive end.
Therefore, Yu Fei has become accustomed to finding a solution by himself when his attack is blocked.
The Lakers are determined to control the bottom corner, and the Sonics are unable to change it. However, in order to block the bottom corner, the Lakers will give up their defensive efforts at a 45-degree angle.
This is the trade-off on the defensive end.
Yu Fei began to change the end point of the attack. After breaking through, he passed the ball to 45-degree angles on the left and right sides.
Durant likes this arrangement. Playing from a 45-degree angle on both wings means he will get many opportunities.
But he didn't like the Lakers' arrangement of letting James play against him.
James has been selected for the first defense for two consecutive seasons, and this year he ranked third in the voting for the best defensive team of the year.
It can be said that, looking at the league, he is the number one defender outside the inside.
As long as James is willing, his defense is like an enhanced version of Artest to Durant, with stronger physique and strength, better explosiveness and speed. The only thing inferior is his skills and experience, but this is missing. With the blessing of heaven-defying physical fitness, it is completely incompetent.
Moreover, after the "test" in the first game, James returned to power. He has reason to go all out and use a big victory to prove that he can lead the Lakers to victory.
Therefore, when it comes to defending Durant, James is determined to prevent his opponent to death.
Durant has only experienced this feeling of "as long as the opponent takes it seriously, I can't beat him".
At this moment, James proved that being as famous as Yu Fei in his early years was not just a hype.
Durant struggled to take a shot under his defense, but he didn't even touch the basket.
Marc Gasol got a defensive rebound, and the Lakers' defensive counterattack was as fast as lightning.
Yu Fei had already rushed back to the backcourt, but James made a beautiful pass in the frontcourt to Kobe, who hit a chasing three-pointer and hit a SuperSonics timeout.
Coach Lu rarely caught the right moment to call a timeout.
But calling a good timeout is only part of coaching.
What are the countermeasures during the suspension period?
Director Lu stared at the roster in his hand and found that he couldn't find a shooter to replace Moreau, who was in poor condition.
This allowed him to discover the resource that the Sonics currently lack the most - a stable pure shooter.
Just when Coach Lu was in trouble, Yu Fei took the tactical board from his hand and pointed clearly at the 45-degree angle and mid-range.
"From now on, I will keep calling pick-and-rolls. If they choose to retreat to the three-point line, I will pass the ball to you. If they switch defenses, I will resolutely attack their switching players." Yu Fei said to Bosh, "Chris, get ready." Then he looked at Durant, "Kevin, run more, use more screens, don't fall into the trap set by the opponent, LeBron's physical strength is limited."< br>
The timeout ended, and Director Lu didn't say a word.
As a coach, he felt that Yu Fei said everything he could say.
"Anything else missing?"
Director Lu thought to himself.
Facing the Sonics' pick-and-roll offense, the Lakers chose to retreat. Bosh's mid-range shot quickly made them pay the price, so the Lakers were in a dilemma. When they were worried about Bosh's mid-range shot, Yu Fei used the mid-range shot to attack.
However, Kwame Brown's lack of offensive threat when leaving the penalty area was quickly exploited by the Lakers to deal with the Sonics' pick-and-roll offense.
They can let go of Brown to deal with Bosh. As long as Brown doesn't go to the basket, the Lakers allow him to do anything.
Once Brown comes to the basket, Garfield's interference will make him at a loss.
For Brown, the glorious years of following Yu Fei, using the small ball system to reduce the dimensionality of other teams, and riding on the heads of Duncan and O'Neal as ordinary insiders are over.
As an insider, he only has excellent pick-and-roll quality, defensive switching ability and rim protection. He is not good at anything else.
When the opponent uses a traditional big ball system, his problem is not obvious.
But today, all teams in the league have updated their systems, and teams like the Lakers are even more at the forefront of the times. They understand one thing deeply: there cannot be a person on the court who has no major role on both offense and defense.
Their starting five all have their own responsibilities, and Brown has become a problem for Seattle.
He doesn't shoot, can't space the floor, and isn't dominant defensively, so opposing post players can isolate him. His blocking ability is pretty good, but that's about it. His lack of size is especially noticeable against top big men. In the eyes of the Lakers, he is a player with defensive flaws and a black hole on offense.
When Brown repeatedly received passes from Yu Fei at the basket, he made 2 of 4 shots under the bluff of Xiaojia.
This is a result that the Lakers can accept. Brown's scoring cannot hurt people.
Instead, he deliberately gave Brown a chance, which caused Yu Fei to misjudge his passing selection.
Sometimes he can't balance whether to give to the inside or outside.
In the end, it was Director Lu who made the decision.
Since Brown can't provide much positive contribution anyway, it's better to replace him with DeAndre Jordan, who has a longer long board and shorter short board than Brown.
This was a good move directed by Lu.
As soon as Jordan came up, Yu Fei's thinking became clear.
Since Jordan's finishing ability at the basket is much better than Brown's, Yu Fei saw the opportunity and passed it directly, and the opponent would solve it. He continued to engage in pick-and-roll offense with Bosh and Durant.
Although Durant couldn't find the feeling, Bosh felt hot.
The two sides entered the second quarter with a tie.
This is also the biggest variable in this game.
Phil Jackson replaced Bryant seven minutes into the first quarter, then brought Bryant on to lead the second unit at the start of the second quarter.
Director Lu made the mistake of path dependence.
Although the first quarter of the first game against the Lakers was evenly matched, Durant was in good shape at the time and had no problem holding up the transition period. He did so tonight.
But Durant made 1 of 5 in the first quarter.
Although his partner Bosh scored 11 points on 4-of-6, all of his scoring came from cooperating with Yu Fei's pick-and-roll offense.
Without Yu Fei, Bosh would be an angel with broken wings.
In this case, can the two of them be expected to support the connection section again?
On the other hand, for the Lakers, Jackson changed his coach's coaching method of beating James to death and let the former rest at the beginning of the second quarter. Then, the point guard was Mike Bibby, partnering with Kobe, (Mike) Miller, Artest and Big Z.
"The Lakers are so luxurious that they can play the transition period with a lineup that is guaranteed to be in the conference semifinals."
On Twitter, the famous Kemmy Lake Black Bill Simmons complained.
Yu Fei couldn't sit calmly on the sidelines because he knew Durant was in poor condition.
However, seeing the Lakers use Kobe to lead the transition made him even more worried.
For Durant, Kobe Bryant, and James, although they are all faces of the same company, they all want to be the biggest face.
After Woods blew himself up, Kobe was the face of Nike, followed by James, and it was Kobe who Durant wanted to surpass.
For him, this is a good opportunity.
He once beat James, although he didn't get recognition, but what if he beat Kobe at Staples Center?
The first two minutes of the second quarter were a seemingly friendly test. Durant on the SuperSonics side wanted to play in isolation, but his touch was not good, and the Lakers started to play an authentic triangle offense according to the instructions of the Zen Master, but it also failed.
When Durant hit a jumper over Kobe.
Kobe was annoyed.
He started to take the initiative to defend Durant, and then transformed into a Tyrannosaurus on the offensive end, like Erlang God opening the third eye on his forehead, making a three-pointer in front of Durant. After hitting the ball, he added: "FUCKYOU! You can't defend at all." Don’t stop me!”
Half a minute later, the SuperSonics' perfect defense collapsed completely when Kobe's unusual catch at the buzzer, floating takeoff, and ultimate fadeaway three-pointer at the buzzer.
The standard for measuring a super giant is whether he can take over when he wants to.
Kobe left Durant powerless.
A year ago, he thought that only Yu Fei in the league could do it.
In the first quarter, he discovered that James could do it too.
Now, Kobe blasted him just like Yu Fei blasted him in practice.
In this moment, Scarlett, the Nike battle, the championship, everything disappeared in Durant's mind.
Perhaps in the eyes of the Lakers, there is no difference between him and Chris Bosh.
Just three minutes into the second quarter, the SuperSonics fell behind by 6 points again.
Yu Fei shook off the towel on his body.
In front of the complete Lakers, the Sonics have no room for error.
Yu Fei couldn't rest for a second.
(End of chapter)