Chapter 517: The tragedy predicted in advance
At the end of the first quarter, the Lakers chose to replace Kobe.
The 13-point gap is not a small number. If the start of the second quarter does not go well and the SuperSonics, who are playing at home, continue to expand the score, the game will basically be decided.
Phil Jackson pinned his hopes on James.
"LeBron, you were not who you were in the first quarter." Jackson said in a magical tone, "Now, let that person see what you are capable of."
James glanced at the Sonics bench.
Yu Fei sat peacefully.
Because the Lakers did not put any pressure on them, the SuperSonics can safely let Yu Fei rest.
This is absolutely not allowed in the Lakers' game plan.
But tonight, this scene happened.
Also, they look very relaxed.
James made up his mind and said decisively: "I will get that bastard back on the court soon."
At the beginning of the second quarter, the SuperSonics handed the game to Durant.
On the outside are Shaun Livingston and Anthony Morrow, and on the inside are O'Neal Jr. and Kwame Brown.
When it comes to the second team alone, the Lakers' stars are also very good.
Mike Bibby, Mike Miller, James, Artest and Big Z.
Jackson wanted James to be the output point of the lineup, so he asked Bibby to come in and get the ball.
He wants to see an authentic triangle offense.
This suddenly made Yu Fei think, isn't Master Zen planning to let James play in the low post like Kobe?
If James' low-post defense is amateur-level, then his low-post offense is actually not much better.
It can't be said that he doesn't have it at all, but his skills are terrible and he relies entirely on his weight to keep him safe. But even if he pushes people away in the low post, he doesn't have a reliable offensive method.
The only thing James can do is turn over and shoot like Kobe, but his turn over jumper from the low post is extremely unstable.
Apparently, the Zen master knew this.
James knows it too.
So they tailored and improved the pivot attack starting style in the triangle offense for James.
The triangle offense of Tex Winter, the father of the triangle offense, was specifically designed for those interiors who have the ability to attack in the low post and also pass the ball.
Therefore, Shaquille O'Neal can be said to be a natural fit with the triangle offense.
Jordan before O'Neal and Kobe now both used guards as centers.
Now James is asked to replace Kobe. He has far better organizational skills than Kobe, but his back is not good, so what should we do? After all, the ancestral method is dead. James believes that his low-post offense can completely turn around and face the basket to attack the basket after receiving the ball. In this way, his attack radius is reduced, his certainty is increased, and he can pass the ball to his teammates. Can he still exert his core abilities in the triangle offense system?
In the first round of the second quarter, Bibby missed a jump shot.
The Sonics failed to counterattack and fell into position, decisively starting from Durant's position.
Durant also made a jump shot, but also missed. The Lakers began to pass the ball to James and let him create opportunities.
Moreover, the Lakers also want to see how effective James' customized version of the triangle offense is.
The results were mixed.
The good thing is that James scored the first goal he came up with.
The bad side is that it looks forced.
Although it is feasible to attack facing the basket, if he only has the ability to attack facing the basket, his offense will be difficult to judge.
Although receiving the ball in the low post and turning to face the basket to attack shortens the offensive radius, it also reduces the difficulty for the Sonics to double-team him and the inside players to protect the basket in time.
The key to the Sonics is Durant.
He is alone on the court. Brown and Morrow, one only knows how to eat cakes, and the other focuses on fixed-point three-pointers. The only one who can help him share the offense is Xiao Ou.
Livingston can play in the back, but as long as Durant is on the court, his singles priority is higher than others.
Therefore, Livingston, who has no three-point ability and a single offensive method, is just a porter.
The main reason for the last defeat in Los Angeles was that the Sonics could not find a reliable second offensive point.
Yu Fei scored a huge triple-double with 40 points, which can be said to be blameless, but Durant was restricted.
Now Durant holds a 15-point lead and once again has a chance to prove himself.
In the first quarter, he and Yu Fei scored the team's first 10 points. After that, although they were not as good as Yu Fei who scored 16 points in a single quarter, they still scored 9 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists.
However, such a brilliant performance did not earn the respect of his opponents.
James, who successfully restricted him in the last game, seemed to have lost interest in him.
The Lakers asked James to defend the fourth position on the defensive end at this stage, and then asked Artest to come out to face Durant.
This arrangement usually has several meanings. It can be understood that the Lakers feel that Artest is enough to restrict Durant, or it can be understood that James is responding to Yu Fei from a distance.
Yu Fei once said in the first quarter that Durant had lost interest in James, so he directly began to challenge Kobe.
James expressed his position in an inappropriate way. He also disdained to waste time on Durant. They are people on two levels.
What's not good is that Artest happens to be the player best suited to guard Durant today.
This is a former Defensive Player of the Year who has obviously degenerated, but he has degenerated. He is still a good player on the defensive end. However, due to weight issues, he feels unable to deal with more and more pick-and-rolls in today's games, so he is placed at the fourth position. Just enough to offset this problem.
However, it is just right to use it against Durant.
Like James, he can crush Durant with his size and strength. Although Durant has skills and speed, they are not enough to get rid of Artest.
Once he can't get rid of it, Artest's counterattack will make him feel powerless.
Durant was blocked by the opponent in the opening game, and he already knew the opponent's style.
He knew it was not the right time for him to have a head-on confrontation with Artest.
Seeing Durant passing the ball back to Livingston, Yu Fei nodded secretly off the court. It seemed that he had learned the lesson from the previous game.
There is really no need to fight hard against an opponent who cannot be beaten.
Because the Sonics have a mature pick-and-roll system.
Durant returns to the outside.
Livingston hit Bibby from behind the three-point line.
It was like a two-threaded offense. While Livingston was playing from behind, Durant used Brown's screen to get rid of Artest and ran to the top of the key.
Livingston throws the ball.
Durant caught the ball and hit a three-pointer.
As a result, the SuperSonics' lead came to 16 points.
The Lakers need to continue attacking, but Durant looks completely different from the last game. Maybe he can stop the second team led by James?
The SuperSonics coaches and players were optimistic for a while.
Then, James suddenly gave up his tactics and dribbled the ball, creating defensive chaos and assisting Miller to hit a three-pointer.
This may be the game that the league and the audience want to see most.
No one played poorly. Durant and James, as the protagonists at this stage, both showed their strength.
It's just that James is better than Durant as a core player.
He knows that the Sonics will double-team him, so he is more active without the ball. Even if the low-post offense does not perform well, he can still drive the offense steadily.
Durant came to his senses in front of a nemesis like Artest. He knew what he should do and what he shouldn't do, but his influence on the team was not as good as that of James.
He was unwilling to do so, but for the team, this performance was enough.
Four and a half minutes into the second quarter, James hit a three-pointer from the outside, chasing the point difference to 7 points.
The Sonics requested a timeout.
Director Lu replaced other main players and replaced Durant with Alonzo Key to rest.
Durant was very frustrated. He tried his best but still couldn't hold on to the lead.
"You are no match for LeBron yet."
Yu Fei said to Durant who was about to take a rest.
"I know." Durant said, "He has more influence on the court than me."
"Don't be depressed." Yu Fei said jokingly, "He is in a formation, you are in no formation, this result is natural."
After that, Yu Fei went on stage without looking back.
Although he was not selected for this year's best team, Durant believes that he has the strength of the top ten in the league. Hearing Yu Fei's last words, he was a little unconvinced, but the cheers of Key Arena welcoming Yu Fei's return swept his heart. Thoughts.
On the Lakers side, Kobe and other main players are also back.
Because James' condition has recovered, they are confident that they can beat any team in this state.
A 7-point difference? It only takes three attacks to wipe it out. "LeBron, will you only play in front of our bench?"
After Yu Fei came on the court, he immediately mocked James for his off-peak action.
James didn't take it to heart.
Subsequently, Yu Fei's first round was to call Bosh's pick-and-roll roll call Antoine Jamison.
Jamison is the big colander in the Lakers' lineup. In the first round, James did not immediately double-team after calling the pick-and-roll like in the first quarter, but let Jamison switch defense normally.
This on-the-spot judgment error caused Jamison to be teased by Yu Fei like a plaything.
Jamison was shaken, and to make matters worse, he couldn't control his center of gravity.
Yu Fei took off from outside the three-point line, just like McGrady's 3+1 against Duncan in his 35 seconds and 13 minutes miracle against the Spurs. His body rubbed against Jamison exactly the same, and the referee blew the whistle. The shot that seemed to have been affected flew out of the palm of his hand softly and fell into the basket in a graceful arc.
"Four points from Fry!!!"
The screams of the live announcer sent Key Arena into an uncontrollable madness.
When Yu Fei stepped to the free throw line.
Cheers of "MVP" rang out.
They didn't mean to insult Kobe, but they couldn't think of any other way to praise him.
Yu Fei is their MVP, and the only MVP in their eyes.
"MVP!"
The cry spread from inside the Key Arena to outside the arena.
Corridors, street shopping streets, and even gates.
Every Seattleite knows who the cheer belongs to.
The people in front of the TV couldn't help but screamed.
Those outside the arena who were unable to purchase tickets could only watch the game live on the big screen in the square outside.
They also began to echo the MVP voice on the scene.
Members of the MCCAIT organization who occupied the main entrance and exit of the Key Arena were angry that the dull people's hearts were so easily swayed.
Listening to this outcry, it's as if people all over the world are supporting Frye Yu.
"Let citizens focus on more important things!" MCCAIT tried to take control of the situation with a louder voice.
Every time they made a noise, the fans outside responded with an even louder "MVP!"
Ever since the Sonics became a championship favorite, playoff season has been Seattle basketball season.
Basketball is going to be the most important thing in Seattle during this time.
When Yu Fei performs well, the whole city will follow him.
What happened on the field made MCCAIT leaders realize that their influence was being suppressed and their vision to prevent the Sonics from getting a new arena was being shattered.
But what can they do?
The influence of organizations like MCCAIT comes from the people's support for the people, but now, the people's support is not on their side.
The people's support lies with Fei, and he lives up to it.
Yu Fei used his personal ability to call his name at the top of the arc. When the Lakers started to double-team him, he gave the ball to his teammates and created chaos by playing pick-and-rolls with Larry Hughes and others.
Then he went back down low again.
James didn't want to repeat the mistakes of the first quarter and tried his best to defend, but his poor low-post defensive skills prevented him from restricting Yu Fei even a bit.
To make matters worse, the return of the Lakers' entire lineup did not bring him any positive help.
Zen Master saw that he had a good effect in hitting the axis just now, so he simply regarded him as the O in OK and let Kobe return to the role he used to be.
Kobe had no objection, but James was able to play like that because his opponent was Durant.
Yu Fei is a being of another level.
Turn your back to the basket? It was too late for Yu Fei to see him so happy.
Putting the low-post face-to-basket offense into an outside breakthrough is like the final stage of the breakthrough offense, which is the stage when the opponent interferes the most.
But in the low post, this kind of interference is just the beginning. The subsequent confrontation and the hidden dangers of surrounding help defense are something James has to consider.
So, James was in a dilemma.
This situation can be said to have exposed all his technical shortcomings.
He can't shoot accurately under strong confrontation, and he likes to fight hard when encountering rim protection inside, but without a whistle, his efficiency will plummet. He can't control anyone in the low post attack. He can bully Durant inexperienced by turning to the basket, but against Yu Fei , this is courting death.
Suddenly, James found himself a mediocre player who didn't know what to do in this situation.
The Lakers' offense failed, failed again, failed for the third time, failed for the fourth time.
When Kobe watched the score difference from 7 points since he came on the court to 16 points step by step by James, the hero of chasing points, he couldn't hold back any longer.
"LeBron!"
Kobe wanted to attack.
But James doesn't want to delegate power in this way.
Suddenly, the Lakers' pick-and-roll offense moved Yu Fei outside, and the person who came to the low post to defend James was his old friend in Cleveland-Larry Hughes.
If you can't beat Yu Fei, can you still beat Hughes?
Determined to prove his obsession dominated James' mind. He dribbled the ball and charged hard in the low post, but Hughes did not take a step back. Until finally, the embarrassed emperor chose an ugly turn over in desperation. Jump shot.
"LeBron hit Larry Hughes in the low post on the right side and hit a jumper!" ESPN's Mike Breen shouted in less than a second. "The shot didn't go in! LeBron didn't punish Larry Hughes in the low post. Hughes!”
To a certain extent, James is lucky. The Sonics do not have a pocket defender like Barea to test the lower limit of his low-post offense. However, at this critical moment, the failure to post up Larry Hughes is undoubtedly a psychological blow to him. A heavy blow to the defense.
Jordan got the defensive rebound and passed it to Yu Fei, and the subsequent defensive counterattack was unimpeded.
Yu Fei made a gliding dunk, scoring his 26th point in the first half.
Returning to the backcourt, Yu Fei looked at James and asked sarcastically: "Did you know that Larry couldn't guard against anyone's low post attack during our team's training games?"
James, who had lost the ability to think, desperately looked for opportunities. He dribbled the ball continuously from the outside, and finally chose to pull up in front of Yu Fei.
This was done without any loss of position in Yu Fei's defense.
Yu Fei reacted instantly, jumped up suddenly, and blocked the basketball when it was released.
James' mind went blank. Yu Fei called past him, caught up with the ball, rushed to the scene and made a 360-degree turn and dunk. The difference between the two teams reached 19 points, and the Lakers requested a timeout again.
What happened in the first half made Phil Jackson understand that they could no longer hold on to the idea of letting James go against Yu Fei and Kobe Bryant to defeat the Sonics from the other side.
James couldn't compete with Yu Fei.
He is no match for Yu Fei.
That was proven twice in the first half.
Yu Fei destroyed his fighting spirit in the low post, which is James' biggest technical shortcoming.
If the Lakers want to win, they must be like in the second game. Kobe plays his full role as the offensive output point, while James becomes the second role on the offensive end, mainly responsible for screening, passing and outside defense.
In other words, he needs to be the Scottie Pippen of Kobe.
It is impossible to expect both Cojan and Cojan to overwhelm the Sonics with their outstanding performances, because Yu Fei will definitely suppress one of them.
The most important thing is that the suppressed person must dare to sacrifice himself to cooperate with another person.
Jackson doesn't know how James will react to his decision, but from now on, the core of the Lakers will not change.
Kobe, who has no technical shortcomings, a mature mentality, and has performed well in the series so far, will be firmly locked in the core position.
This is the key to their victory.
After the pause, the situation did not improve.
Yu Fei's almost terrifying influence on the court began to drive the performance of other teammates.
Even though the Lakers turned their focus to Kobe and their scoring efficiency became stable, Bosh's mid-range shots, Hughes' long shots and DeAndre Jordan's finishing at the basket all appeared on the SuperSonics side.
The Lakers' vision of narrowing the point difference to less than 15 points before the end of the first half came to nothing.
Before halftime, Yu Fei caused Gasol's third foul and made two free throws from the free throw line.
65 to 46
At the end of the first half, the SuperSonics led the Lakers by 19 points. Yu Fei scored 32 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists in the half.
The arrogance of scoring 50 points before the game no longer feels arrogant at this moment.
Now, this is at best a tragedy that was predicted in advance.
The main culprit is Yu Fei.
The accomplice is LeBron James.
(End of chapter)