Chapter 523 After he comes back
The first media outlet to report that Brandon Roy will return in Game 5 was ESPN. As the most influential sports media in contemporary America, their sources are pervasive.
Among them, some insider whistleblowers with exclusive information channels, represented by WOJ, publish the latest internal news on Twitter.
However, as one of Yu Fei's external mouthpieces, Mark Stein, also from ESPN, remained silent.
This makes people wonder whether the news of Roy's comeback is a smoke screen.
Because a player who has been away from the game for half a year will need a period of systematic recovery training even if he wants to come back. Otherwise, let alone whether he can adapt to the intensity of the game, has his technical ability recovered and can he help the team?
These doubts disappeared on May 27.
Roy entered the Sonics' activated list.
"This means the Lakers will have a full Sonics squad for the first time this season," Bill Simmons wrote on Twitter. "Yes, you read that right, 7 games with the Lakers so far this season." The Sonics, which achieved 5 wins and 2 losses in the first meeting, have never been perfect.”
Simmons' own home team, the Celtics, are struggling in the Eastern Conference, but he knows very well that no matter which team in the Eastern Conference reaches the Finals, it will be impossible to stop the winner of the Western Conference Finals. As the biggest Cammy and the biggest Laker black on the planet, he was already prepared in advance to belittle the value of the Lakers' championship.
After the Sonics' special plane arrived in Los Angeles, swarms of media were outside the airport wanting to interview them.
About Roy's comeback, about Yu Fei's desire to score 50 points in three consecutive games, and about the preparations of the coaching staff headed by Tyronn Lue.
Players have chosen silence when it comes to the media.
And Lu was interviewed.
"Brandon is in very good condition." Lu directly confirmed that Roy will return tonight. "His return will completely liberate Frye on the offensive end."
In the past few days, Lue has been looking for a game plan that can suppress the Lakers' outside shooters.
Just looking at the quality of shooters, the Lakers may not be able to find an opponent in the league.
Richard Hamilton, Mike Miller, Eddie House, and Mike Bibby are all shooters with a shooting percentage of 40% from outside.
However, it cannot all depend on the hit rate.
For example, Bibby's main role is as a Porter guard. His three-point hot zone is at the top of the arc, while House is a substitute on the bench. His main shooting points are the corner three-pointers on the left and right wings. The shooters who really have no blind spots are Hamilton and Miller.
However, there are differences between Hamilton and Miller, who are both all-around shooters. The former can not only shoot three-pointers, but also mid-range shots, and can also attack with the ball, while Miller is a typical catch-and-shooter.
So, defensively, with a guy like Miller you have to stay close and continue to impact his feel, while with Hamilton you need to defend based on his form that night.
In the two games the Lakers won before, James did a very good job in passing the ball. The Sonics overly pursued limiting his offense and were often mobilized on defense by his breakthroughs.
Now, Lu made a bold decision.
He wants to remove the backcourt players who cannot switch defense out of the rotation and maintain full switching defense against the Lakers.
It's impossible to get open. If you want to score, just play in isolation.
In this way, the pressure is put on every player.
Seattle's defensive intensity needs to be there throughout, and the Lakers need to overcome the pressure and rise to the occasion.
That night, Staples Center
Any Lakers fan who has seen how the Lakers slaughtered the Sonics in the last game will have full confidence in tonight's game.
In their view, that was proof that the Lakers had found the password to victory.
When the Sonics entered the game, the boos from the crowd gave them the first wave of pressure.
Yu Fei seemed to be isolated from the surrounding sounds and started shooting as soon as he arrived on the court.
Some celebrities wanted to say hello to him, but he only gestured: Not now.
"I can now confirm that the oxygen on the court is completely different from the oxygen off the court." Roy said excitedly, "I like standing here."
Yu Fei immediately poured cold water on him: "If you dare to hold us back tonight, I will ask Sam to trade you to the Clippers."
Roy asked: "Then I don't even have to go back to Seattle, and I can go next door to visit after the game?"
"That's right." Yu Fei sarcastically said, "A farmer like Donald Sterling would be very happy to have an idiot like you in his orchard who doesn't even want to help him work for his future."
Yu Fei and Roy were disparaging each other, and the players from the two teams were shooting shots to warm up as usual.
Other than that, there has been no communication between the Sonics and the Lakers.
The antipathy between the two sides seems to have reached a critical point.
Before the game, Staples Center showed off what sets them apart from other arenas.
The person responsible for singing the national anthem tonight is Taylor Swift, a country-pop female singer who has become very popular in recent years.
"Okay, Key Arena has been completely defeated at this stage." Roy humorously mobilized the emotions of his teammates, "We must win."
"Unless Michael Jackson crawls out of his grave and sings the national anthem for us, I don't see the possibility of KeyArena beating the Staples Center."
"It doesn't have to be that extreme." Yu Fei always believed that Taylor was Britney Spears who was not "controlled" by her biological father. "KeyArena just needs to invite Britney."
Alonzo Key said it best: "Her damn control-freak dad is probably going to turn down KeyArena's invitation because he's worried about getting out of control."
To sum up, Staples Center did win in the Western Conference Finals.
This reflects the urgency of the Sonics' need for a new arena.
Before the game started, the TV station played out the starting lineups of both sides.
As was already known before the game, Brandon Roy entered the Sonics' starting lineup.
But the strange thing is that Yu Fei did not start in the third position.
Tonight, Yu Fei will appear as the starting No. 4, while Bosh will appear as the starting No. 5.
Phil Jackson couldn't see clearly what Tyronn Lue was thinking at once.
Because letting Bosh play the fifth position against Garfield has proven to be ineffective in the last game.
Bosh is not used to the confrontation at the fifth position, and forcing him to the fifth position will only be counterproductive.
But the Sonics didn't seem to learn their lesson. Not only did Bosh start at center, they also started Yu Fei at the fourth position.
Based on past experience, only if the Lakers use high-frequency double-teaming to limit Yu Fei's ball-handling offense, the SuperSonics will put Yu Fei in the fourth position to shorten the offensive radius.
And now, the SuperSonics take the initiative to put Yu Fei at the fourth position. What does this mean? Are they going to fight hand to hand when they come up?
"Brandon Roy, Kevin Durant, Alonzo Kee, Frye, Chris Bosh" Defensive experts like Jeff Van Gundy can already tell where the focus of Seattle's game is What's up. "The Sonics' starting five have height, speed, physical fitness and the flexibility to switch defenses. KD, Frye and Chriss have the size to even defend one against two on the defensive end. I think they still intend to use defense To deal with the Lakers.”
In the subsequent opening, Xiaojia won the jump ball.
James suddenly quickened his pace and wanted to hit the basket.
However, Alonzo Key blocked the front and acted as a speed bump. Although he could not stop James, he successfully slowed down his advancement.
However, tonight James showed unusual determination to attack the basket resolutely even if he was stuck.
With no choice, Key chose to foul.
James goes to the free throw line.
James made two free throws, giving the Lakers a good start.
Then Roy began to be tested.
James, who also signed up as a point guard, led him on defense throughout the game.
"How much do you hate Fry?" Roy suddenly said.
James didn't reply.
"Believe me, I hate him as much as you do." Just when James was about to step forward to put pressure, Yu Fei's pick-and-roll fell beside him.
Antawn Jamison followed, but the Lakers starter, who had been invisible in the Western Conference Finals, had obvious flaws in his defense.
Roy decisively stepped into Jamison's position, using rhythm changes to shake the opponent away as he moved, like a silver snake entering the paint area, and shot a basket, which was just high enough to pass the assist defense of Xiaojia, and made a hollow hit.
With a height of 198 centimeters, Roy's undifferentiated proficiency with his left and right hands allows him to easily swing back and forth between the first and second positions. He is probably the backcourt swingman with the best basic skills that Yu Fei has ever seen.
Sometimes he couldn't understand why such a person who had no blind spots in skills, didn't abuse his body, easily couldn't start at full speed, and was very steady in everything he did, had a glass constitution.
In turn, Kobe caught the ball in the low post and then exaggeratedly twisted his waist and turned around for a fadeaway jumper.
"Whoosh!"
This is the ultimate abuse of the body.
On the contrary, people like this who don't know how to take care of their bodies are far away from injuries.
What sense does this make?
Durant dribbled the ball across half court for Roy.
Because although Roy has not missed a beat in private training, he has been away from the game for half a year. His physical fitness will be problematic. If he is guarded by his opponent for a long time, his physical strength will probably be exhausted before half a game.
Arriving in the frontcourt, Durant was about to return the ball to Roy when he suddenly saw Yu Fei running away from Jamison's defense and heading towards the basket.
Durant didn't think much and directly lobbed an alley-oop to Yu Fei from the outside.
Jamison's defensive distraction led to Yu Fei's first goal tonight.
"Nice combination!" Mike Breen said, "Frye completed 2/50 tonight."
The Lakers are still adapting to the SuperSonics with Roy. They play relatively simply and have not yet felt the power of switching defenses.
On the defensive end, the Lakers asked James to face Roy, but the SuperSonics would not arrange it this way. They would put Alonzo Key in front of James. Roy is a point that needs protection, and they usually arrange for him to guard Hamilton.
Since the start of the game, the Lakers have relied on Cojan to score points.
Seeing that it was a rookie like Key who was defending him again, James did not hesitate and rushed in like an advancing tank.
If a rookie like Ji who lacks basic skills makes a big defensive move, the referee will not let him go.
Soon, James made a shot when the buzzer sounded. That was Key's second foul.
Ji spread his hands and expressed confusion. He thought his actions were not big.
But the referee has the final say whether the action is serious or not.
Director Lu had no objection.
Ji is just a pseudo starter, mainly used to wear down the opponent. Even if he commits six fouls in the half, it doesn't matter.
However, does the referee's penalty against Key represent the overall scale of tonight?
This remains to be seen. James did not maintain his previous touch and once again stood on the free throw line and made one of two free throws.
The missed second free throw resulted in a swift defensive counterattack by the Sonics.
Yu Fei grabbed the rebound and threw it to Roy.
Roy, who had been slow and leisurely since the beginning, suddenly picked up his speed, as if to prove that he could also be very fast when necessary.
Durant quickly ran forward.
Probably no other Sonics player felt it more deeply than he did.
When Roy was injured, he thought his chance had come. However, then Karl resigned due to cancer, leading to Tyronn Lue taking over, and the Sonics began to transform into a replica of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Durant didn't get the chance he wanted before the playoffs.
But just when he thought the opportunity was in his hands, a behemoth like the Lakers stood opposite him.
In front of the Lakers, his methods often failed, and Yu Fei's threat alone could not create enough opportunities for him.
But with Roy it's different.
Roy's pass was as good as it was before the injury, and Durant caught it with a penitent mood, rushed upcourt and scored a dunk.
6 to 6
At this moment, Durant did regret many things. He once tweeted on his trumpet that the team would be better without Roy.
This was in ironic contrast to the excitement he felt upon hearing the news of Roy's return.
He has nothing to give in return, he can only do his best, play better, and try his best to win this game.
The Lakers began to notice the uniqueness of this Sonics lineup.
James called a 1-5 pick-and-roll, but it was Yu Fei who followed, not Bosh.
Yu Fei and Ji directly switched defenses.
Yu Fei faced James, and Ji followed Xiaojia.
On the other side, Kobe took Jamison's screen, but Bosh also came out. This time Roy went to the inside to prevent Jamison, and Bosh defended Kobe.
In order for the Lakers to always face one-on-one situations, the Sonics don't mind mismatched defense.
James was heartbroken and tried to fight Yu Fei alone.
But Yu Fei is not like Alonzo Key, who gets fouled whenever he touches him.
Obviously, referees have completely different standards for judging rookies, veterans and star players.
After the "decision", James' reputation hit its lowest point. Even a superstar is a "pariah"-like superstar.
He won't get superstar treatment.
Yu Fei both resisted and took advantage. James carried the pressure and broke through to the free throw line. Feeling that he could not go deeper, he stopped and made a jump shot.
However, under severe interference, James could not find his aim.
His jump shot missed the rim.
However, the consequence of unlimited defense changes is that the Sonics' insiders have to be replaced frequently, so the ability to protect the basket is insufficient and they do not get rebounds.
Jamison got an offensive rebound and scored on the second attack.
"After all these years, do you still know only these tricks?"
James had no intention of staying in the backcourt, and Yu Fei followed.
James didn't want to have too much contact with Yu Fei, but this psychological suggestion was far less reflective of his inner thoughts than his previous choices.
He wanted to score on Yu Fei to open up the situation.
He knew very well that only by defeating Yu Fei head-on could he truly exorcise his inner demons.
"That's enough for you."
James responded coolly.
Then, Yu Fei got the ball.
"Kobe!" Yu Fei shouted as Kobe faced Roy at the top of the key, "Why don't you guys send someone to guard me?"
In the past, Yu Fei always said this sentence after scoring a goal to ridicule his opponent.
This time, he said it before attacking.
On the surface, James seemed fine, but his body movements revealed his state of mind.
As far as the defense in this round is concerned, James did it perfectly. He neither allowed Yu Fei to break through with the ball, nor took any fake moves, nor did he allow the opponent to use rhythm to create space.
The moment Yu Fei made a jump shot, James' shot-blocking hand had already obscured his vision.
He relied on feel to increase the arc of his shot, evade the block, and the ball spectacularly fell into the net.
This is the most unreasonable thing on the field: personal ability.
"Is this your defense? Can you defend?" Yu Fei sarcastically said, "It's a shame for me to be in the best defensive team with someone like you."
People often question Yu Fei's selection into the All-Defensive Team. Many football-savvy players believe that he only has good defensive statistics, and his actual defensive performance can only be said to be okay. However, his continuous selection in the first defense is definitely exaggerated by the data. And James is currently at his peak, and can be regarded as an integrated offense and defense. No one has ever questioned his defense.
Yu Fei's rebellion against Tiangang really angered James.
Coming to the frontcourt again, James was angry, but he didn't take the initiative to call the pick-and-roll and let Yu Fei switch to defend in front of him and then fight back face-to-face.
This kind of childish battle of tempers is not something he would do.
Alonzo Key obviously couldn't guard him. Since the Sonics insisted on letting this man guard themselves alone, what reason did he have not to blow him up?
James didn't even call for tactics this time. He let his teammates pull away, broke through Key's defense in one step, and went to the basket to score a dunk.
So far, James has scored 5 points in the beginning.
"Zuo, from now on you go inside to face Antoine." Yu Fei said, "Don't worry, he is very soft."
Ji thought it was because he was being used by James as a wealth code to make continuous withdrawals, which made Yu Fei unable to stand it anymore.
I just wanted to make my stance clear and ask Yu Fei to give him another chance.
But Yu Fei hadn't finished speaking yet.
"Antoine likes to stretch to the 45-degree angle on the left and right wings. That is not exactly the area LeBron likes to pass. So, if Antoine chooses to stretch, you can wait for an opportunity to double-team."
James will not feel any sense of accomplishment if he scores 5 points on Key.
But in turn, allowing a little guy like Key to successfully cause trouble for James is very beneficial to the little guy's psychological development.
When Yu Fei came to the frontcourt, the Lakers thought he would ask James for the ball and hit it back.
However, Yu Fei suddenly ran towards the top of the arc, blocked Roy and immediately separated him.
Half a year ago, for two consecutive years, this was the Sonics' trump card.
Roy broke through halfway, encountered a blocker, and passed the ball directly to Yu Fei on the outside.
Antawn Jamison didn't seem to know where the correct defensive position was in this pick-and-roll offense. He first chased Roy and then supplemented Yu Fei. The result was a chaotic defensive formation.
Yu Fei received Roy's pass and raised his hand to hit a three-pointer.
"Fry finished tonight's 7/50."
Mike Breen said.
Yu Fei seems to have forgotten that he said before the game that he would score 50 points.
After making a three-pointer, Roy simply ran back and caught up with him, and the two high-fived silently.
Is he back?
Maybe not fully back yet.
But some people have value as long as they stand here.
Roy's performance has far exceeded expectations, but the most important thing is that he made Yu Fei completely put aside his distracting thoughts.
He didn't need to think about the organization anymore.
What he has to do is the most basic part of the basketball court, offense and defense.
When James passed the ball to Kobe, Kobe was double-teamed in the low post and wanted to pass the ball over Yu Fei's defensive area to Jamison.
Yu Fei felt ridiculous.
Doesn't Kobe really think he doesn't deserve to be in the defense?
Can this ball be passed?
In fact, even superstars make the most common mistakes. Yu Fei picked off Kobe's pass and threw it towards Alonzo Key.
Key quickly ran forward and dunked.
The Sonics were suddenly on the verge of gaining momentum, and Phil Jackson wasn't about to sit on the sidelines. He stopped the game before the momentum could really sting them.
(End of chapter)