Chapter 524 Pursuit and Counterattack
Six minutes into the first quarter, James faced off against Yu Fei. After calling a pick-and-roll, he pointed out Chris Bosh. Alonzo Keyhu pretended to be a powerful force and assisted in the defense.
James threw the ball to Kobe on the outside during the chaos.
Kobe passed Roy, who was obviously exhausted, and scored a jumper from outside the paint.
17 to 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 persist."
"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 knows he's not going to be the team's savior, his appearance tonight was inspiring to the rest of his teammates, and his start to the game has been better than expected.
But for Fei, this was like proof that the team was at its wits end.
If there was another way, would they bring Roy back?
Why wasn't he more determined to stop the decision?
During this one-minute long pause, Yu Fei quickly reviewed his career and found that he lacked an experience in his second life - adversity.
There seems to be a problem with this idea, because he emerged from adversity, and DC's rookie season was hell for any rookie, but he survived it and forced Jordan to make the trade that determined the entire NBA landscape in the 2000s. .
Has he had any adversity since then?
Mount Auburn in the winter of 2004?
In his opinion, this is not an adversity at all. His resume of six championships in seven years can show how smooth his journey has been. None of his opponents so far has put more pressure on him than the 2003 Spurs.
Why is this happening? Because in the finals with the Spurs that year, Yu Fei was not the best player in that series.
The strongest Duncan forced out the strongest Yu Fei at that stage.
He hasn't had any similar trouble since.
He had almost forgotten what it was like to play with a sense of desperation.
Now, the series that determines the rise and fall of a dynasty is tied, and as the two biggest rivals of his generation, Cojan seems to have found a tacit understanding of working together, just like Iron Man and Cap after "Civil War."
The Lakers' shooting group is also a positive addition to these two people.
They are undoubtedly the strongest opponents Yu Fei has ever encountered.
They pushed him to this point.
Reminds him of how he played in his early days.
"Fry, it's time."
Bosh shouted.
Yu Fei returned to the court and said to Bosh: "It's time to drive the Spaniard off the court."
Bosh thought Yu Fei was hinting that he should play more proactively and not be outmatched by Gasol in the paint.
But that's 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 and Yu dribbled the ball at the top of the arc. As soon as James came in front of him, the SuperSonics' pick-and-roll attack had already started.
Bosh came to pick and roll, and Yu Fei clearly targeted Gasol.
When it comes to pick-and-rolls, the Lakers' defensive arrangement for Garfield has always been to expand the defense to the free throw line and then stop, leaving the rest to their teammates.
In the last game, Bosh played the fifth position for a long time and was exhausted and couldn't find his touch. But tonight, after only half a quarter, the Lakers once again chose to leave him open, and Yu Fei passed the ball decisively.
Bosh directly punished Xiaojia who couldn't hold on with a three-pointer from the left.
17 to 17
"If he wants to play in the post, give him the position and don't give him a chance to consume you." Yu Fei said to Bosh, "If he pulls away from the pick-and-roll like you do, let him see what a modern post is. How to defend!”
Bosh felt like a machine being manipulated.
It's been a season, and Yu Fei's on-the-spot command has never been so frequent.
But he had a vague feeling that it was effective.
If you really want to put him in the fifth position to compete with Gasol, he won't have any advantage. Clearly using his mobility and shooting stability after the pick-and-roll to punish Garfield is the right solution for an athletic inside man like him to deal with the White Bear.
Of course, the premise is that he must make the shot that should be scored. If he can't make the shot and can't fight like he did in the last game, it will really be hard to save him.
The Lakers also want to fight back through pick-and-rolls.
But when the pick-and-roll was called, the Sonics resolutely switched defense, and James' opponent changed from Yu Fei to Alonzo Key.
James broke through decisively. Although he had two fouls, Key's defensive strength was not weak at all. He knew that he was able to be promoted to the starting lineup because Coach Lu valued this dead pigskin that is not afraid of boiling water. As long as he can It's so disgusting for James that he committed six fouls in one quarter.
James failed to cause a foul, and felt that the space under the basket was narrow because Durant relied on his long arms to shrink to interfere, but he also let go of Artest in the corner.
James passed the ball, and Artest did not take a shot after receiving the ball because it was not his sweet spot, so he dribbled in but was interfered by Durant and missed the layup.
James, who was just under the basket, grabbed an offensive rebound and was about to make a second attack when Yu Fei behind him blocked his face and made a block.
The basketball fell to the floor, and the ten players on the court began to fall to the ground to fight for this unclaimed thing.
In the end, it was Key, an unknown guy, who took the advantage, got the ball first, and then smashed it into the leg of a Lakers player, causing the ball to pop out of bounds.
This suffocating round lasted nearly 30 seconds.
After missing the opportunity to attack, James stood up and complained to the referee. He believed that he had definitely committed a foul.
There was no follow-up to this matter, because the referees were very strict tonight and they judged through their own on-the-spot senses.
It's a foul if it exceeds that level, and it's not if it doesn't.
Key pumped his fist and roared after winning the ball. What happened since the beginning of the game has made his role as a small player in the league beyond his wildest dreams.
"Can you stand up to Artest?"
Yu Fei asked before Ji served.
Ji couldn't guarantee it, just said: "I will try my best to resist him."
"You have no advantage in front of him, but there is one thing..." Yu Fei said, "He doesn't like running on the defensive end, but the opposite is true on the offensive end."
Later, Yu Fei dribbled the ball to the frontcourt and once again called on Xiaojia to beat him.
Having learned from previous lessons, the Lakers also knew to protect the Spaniard as much as possible, so they asked Artest to guard the pick-and-roll.
Artest and James switched defenses, but Yu Fei had no intention of starting a fight and actually waved his hand to call for a pick-and-roll. This was a temporary pick-and-roll for the base to face off against Kawhi.
Due to the unstable shooting, Xiaojia squatted down at the free throw line with confidence. Yu Fei suddenly dribbled to the left side of the free throw line. He raised his hand with a tendency to collect the ball and shook Xiaojia. He crossed the Spaniard's defense and dunked. A layup was scored.
"Marc Gasol is the defensive pillar of the Lakers." Jeff Van Gundy said, "But in these rounds, Frye made him look like a flaw on the defensive end."
"The Carnival Basketball played by George Karl and Frye in Milwaukee completely changed the face of the basketball game. There is a view that traditional insiders like Mark who do not have the ability to quickly switch guards and forwards will be quickly eliminated. But people like Yao and An outstanding traditional insider like Mark has adapted to the times. In development, they lost weight, made their speed barely able to keep up with the rhythm of contemporary basketball, and developed outside shooting to integrate themselves into the trend of the new era. However, whether they could barely keep up with the rhythm proved that their defense could cope with Unlimited singles like this? ”
Now experts are no longer concerned with flying points.
This is the biggest difference between this game and the previous game.
When you score 59 points and the team loses by almost 30 points, no matter how you polish it, it's meaningless. An attack that really hits the opponent's pain point only takes a few rounds to be effective.
Phil Jackson stood up from his position at some point and discussed countermeasures with his assistant coach.
The Lakers players on the field also found some clues in the SuperSonics' indiscriminate defense switching strategy.
Since we have to play unlimited defense changes, among the five players on the field, there must be some who are strong and some who are weak on the defensive end. It is difficult to beat the strong ones, so just find the weak ones to beat.
The Lakers have two goals. One is Durant, who is not tough enough, and the other is Base, who is not tough enough except for anything else.
Kobe came to the top of the arc to get the ball, and like James, ordered the easiest dish to eat - Alonzo Key.
Compared with James, although Kobe can't simply and crudely break through his defense in one step, the opponent's skill combination is too good.
In less than two seconds, Key, who was accustomed to James' simple and crude violence, was fired by Kobe and committed his third foul.
Kobe even adjusted his posture after being fouled, and a crooked shot hit the rim and circled into the net.
Director Lu immediately replaced Key with Livingston.
Kobe made the extra free throw.
As soon as Ji comes off the field, the fourth position on the field needs to be reassigned.
Durant wanted to hit him, but as soon as halftime passed, Yu Fei was already beside Artest.
Livingston dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, and Yu Fei immediately went out to get the ball. Then, he started again and called the fifth pick-and-roll.
The two sides began a game of cat and mouse.
The Lakers were determined to hide Garfield, so they asked James to switch defenses. Yu Fei called a pick-and-roll again, and this time it was Kobe who came out. After changing positions, he called a pick-and-roll for the third time. The Lakers, who had nothing to change, could only let Kawhi go to the front.
Kobe even let Livingston close up in an attempt to double-team.
Yu Fei suddenly passed the ball to Livingston. Livingston took a step and made a free throw line jump shot.
Kobe's face looked ugly, and Yu Fei didn't forget to give him a sarcastic smile before returning to defense.
How much effort do you have to put in to protect someone who shouldn't be protected by you?
Just when the Lakers didn't know how to defend on the court, the Zen Master off the court blew a whistle and asked everyone to follow his lead.
"Hit the inside!" The Zen Master gave the instruction, "Let Mark attack their restricted area!"
This is considered a temporary measure.
Strictly speaking it is not a solution to the problem.
Because it is impossible for the Lakers to let Xiaojia play inside every round, but Yu Fei can really call on Xiaojia's name every round.
As soon as the Lakers opened up the outside line, James lobbed the ball to Xiaojia, and Yu Fei was ready to help defend.
Unexpectedly, Xiaojia did an excellent job in blocking the position in advance, and he was already in a position where he could attack after receiving the ball.
As soon as the ball was in place, Xiaojia hit the board with a big hook.
In this process, Bosh was a little weak, but this was the difference in strength between No. 4 and No. 5, just like a fight between boxers with different weights. "If it doesn't work, try to defend in front."
This suggestion was made by Livingston.
Yu Fei agreed, but could Bosh agree?
Whenever there is a forward defense in the interior, it means admitting that your skills are inferior to others. Instead of being beaten by you after catching the ball, it is better to make it more difficult for you to catch the ball.
"I can go around!" Bosh is not a person who values face, but he also has his own ideas, "But Da Fei, we have to beat him down!"
Bosh made up his mind to restrict Garfield from catching the ball even if he lost the star's self-esteem, but at the same time, he also wanted Garbage to make a fool of himself on the defensive end.
If you want to be embarrassed, let’s all be embarrassed together.
The Lakers have no retreat.
This is not only because Xiaojia has high tactical value to them, but also because they do not have multiple athletic insiders like the Sonics.
The Sonics are determined to play one big and four small, with Bosh playing center. There are also DeAndre Jordan, Ou and Brown with different styles on the bench. Except for Ou, although the other two are not good offensively, their defensive end is suitable for small ball. Interior defense requires it.
And what about the Lakers? They spent a lot of money pursuing space and shooters.
The reinforcements during the season, whether it is Jamison or Miller, have brought offensive resources to the Lakers that are the envy of other teams.
But there is only one ball on the field, and the number of shots in each game will be limited. In the Lakers, Jamison is the team's third man. This is the position he is most accustomed to. He does not need to bear too much responsibility and still has enough ball rights. But in the Lakers, he was just a pure fifth figure with no tactical status at all, so he was lost in the playoffs.
Jamison is lost and Artest can step in. If Garfield is really beaten and unable to play, who can replace him?
Big Z? If he was named like this by Yu Fei, the scene would probably be even more ugly.
Yu Fei desperately named Xiaojia who was tearing a wound from the Lakers.
Xiaojia was once again forced in front of Yu Fei due to continuous pick-and-rolls.
Yu Fei dribbled the ball at full speed to break through, and Xiaojia had no choice but to foul.
Sideline ball
Xiaojia stood at the free throw line worriedly, knowing that Yu Fei would call his name whenever he got a chance.
This worry has formed a panic in his heart. Bosh quietly ran from the baseline to the basket. It may have been just a second of distraction. Yu Fei looked at Livingston and threw the ball towards the basket with both hands.
This is the moment Bosh has been waiting for.
He grabbed the basketball and smashed it into the rim like a tomahawk.
"What's wrong!!!" Bosh yelled at Xiaojia with spittle flying, "I will fight you to the end no matter how hard you want!!!"
Lakers fans at Staples Center were furious.
With three minutes left in the first quarter, the Lakers trailed.
Although the score difference is not big, this trend is worrying enough.
Phil Jackson believes that they have extremely overestimated how much trouble Garfield's weakness in defending pick-and-rolls will cause.
After all, that's how Yu Fei chased and beat O'Neal back then.
But at that time, although O'Neal was being chased defensively, he was still able to come back offensively. The scene was ugly, but it didn't give people the feeling that "the Lakers will be finished if the Spaniard stays on the court" like tonight.
Yu Fei kept calling names for four minutes like a ghost seeking his life.
Every round starts with Xiaojia. Even if it is not Xiaojia's shot that loses points in the end, the opportunity to lose points is still with Xiaojia.
At this moment, Jackson hopes that there will be a Rodman on his team.
If Marc was replaced by Rodman, the Lakers would be an invincible team.
It's a pity that it can't be replaced.
They must solve this puzzle themselves.
First, Jackson replaced Hamilton with Miller, and then conveyed an extremely important instruction to Cojan and Artest.
"That's enough!" said the Zen Master, "I don't want to see Frye attacking Mark as he pleases!"
"From now on, we have only two strategies for dealing with pick-and-rolls!" Jackson said loudly, "Either squeeze through that damn pick-and-roll, or double-team Frye! How to do it, you decide for yourself, in short, you have to interrupt that bastard's rhythm!"< br>
On the other side, Lu was about to ask Yu Fei to maintain this rhythm and kill Xiaojia.
But Roy suddenly said: "Looking at the lineup, no one among them can replace the Spaniard's position. Therefore, they may take the initiative to double-team Frye. Although this seems more stupid, if the method is right, it is possible." It may disrupt our rhythm.”
Director Lu nodded repeatedly after hearing this. He likes these players who can play and understand the game.
Lue fine-tuned the lineup.
Morrow replaced Livingston, and Durant switched to the fourth position, but he did not struggle with Artest in the paint. On the offensive end, he pulled out all the time, taking advantage of the opponent's heavy weight and not being able to run in a wide range to chase players without the ball. Looking for opportunities, the defensive end is due to flying matchups.
As for Moreau, he was seriously inaccurate in the last game, but his reputation as a marksman will not be taken away from him just because of a bad game.
The team is now very aggressive, and it is a good time for the shooter to start.
Returning to the game, the Lakers were about to hit the ball toward the basket, but saw Bosh moving forward like a mad dog to wrap around Garfield's body, denying him a chance to catch the ball steadily.
The opportunity to pass the ball is fleeting. If it is not given at once, it will be difficult to pass it later.
As soon as James hesitated, Yu Fei's defense had already moved up, making it difficult for him to observe the situation.
Kobe ran at full speed, caught the ball and hit a difficult three-pointer from far away.
Yu Fei jumped up to grab a long rebound, and after landing, he steadily controlled the court 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 is so unabashed and wants to stare at them one by one.
This is an ordinary one-five pick-and-roll. The Lakers still substitute players to defend. According to previous habits, Yu Fei will immediately call another pick-and-roll to compress the Lakers' defensive resources little by little until Gasol has no way to hide.
However, this time it was Artest who stepped forward. He and James looked at each other. Suddenly, they abandoned Bosh and pressed towards Yu Fei with all their teeth and claws.
Yu Fei released the ball early, Bosh dribbled into the basket and got entangled with Xiaojia, but at the most intense moment, he suddenly threw the ball to the left corner.
Durant caught the ball in an open position, and the basket in front of him was as wide as the sea. Artest, who was supposed to be facing him, ran away without knowing where he was.
He held the ball and made a three-pointer.
"The Marc Gasol problem is changing from a regional problem to a global problem."
As the series progresses, the two teams have no secrets left.
The Sonics lack a center with excellent overall quality, a shortage of shooter resources, and a lack of ball-holding points, but they make up for the center problem with depth.
The Lakers looked perfect under the trend, with a cloud of outside shooters, James and Artest on the wings, and small plus and big Z inside. However, after the first four games, the SuperSonics had no cards to play, so Yu Fei chose Unlimited singles suppressed Xiaojia's influence to the lowest point in the series.
This also forced the Lakers into an unprecedented dilemma.
They have shooters, but they can't solve the urgent need inside. The duo of Kejan can allow them to seize the game, but there is no way to share the defensive pressure borne by García.
Once Garfield is deemed unable to play in the game, the Lakers' inside line will suffer an avalanche because they have invested too many resources on the outside.
Now in order to make the inside line no longer a problem, they have to mobilize other resources to fill this bottomless hole.
Switching defenses doesn't work, multi-person coverage doesn't work, opening up doesn't work, and now even double-teaming doesn't work.
Kobe stepped up and took the responsibility. After getting rid of Morrow's defense, he scored a high jumper.
Xiaojia's sense of presence has become thin.
The Lakers were unable to give him the ball in large numbers to attack the paint in order to keep him in shape.
But coming to the defensive end...
Yu Fei was like the incarnation of the devil, coming to James, but his eyes were not on James at all. He dribbled the ball with his left hand and raised his right hand like Thanos' snap of his fingers, creating a pick-and-roll tactic.
This time, Kevin followed up, but did not switch defenses or leave Bosh open. James squeezed past Bosh's screen.
However, squeezing through screens is not the optimal solution to defending pick-and-rolls.
Because no matter how tough the defender who squeezes through the screen is, the ball carrier who receives the screen will always be one step ahead, and the defender can only ensure that he does not lose all 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. The ball passed under his crotch, but James did not stop and almost fell in front of Yu Fei.
Even though he used his strong core strength to control his body, he could only go so far. Yu Fei collected the ball and took off, shooting a long mid-range shot in front of him.
"Whoosh!"
Is this the most time James has paid for his teammates?
How many times does it take to fall on the same somersault?
All methods have been tried and everything that can be done has been done. If the Lakers want to protect Gasol from being named, then everyone on the court will be played by Yu Fei.
James knows that the Spaniard is Jackson's favorite general. As long as the Spaniard is on the court, the Lakers can play an authentic triangle offense.
But now, they can't keep the Spaniards.
For those people and things that you can no longer protect, giving up early is the best way to stop losses.
On the court, no one can calculate the pros and cons of this account better than James, and he has already realized something.
"Mark." James said, "Let go of Chris Bosh from now on, and you and I will attack No. 44 together."
What if Bosh hits an open shot?
That's not something James has to think about.
He only cares about one thing, making Yu Fei's behavior on the court predictable.
Forcing him to pass the ball to Bosh is predictable.
He didn't believe that Bosh could kill them. Since he couldn't kill them, it would depend on whose hand was tougher.
(End of chapter)