Chapter 527: When the Chosen One is Judged
The Lakers deployed a full forward formation to deal with the Sonics' strategy of continuously naming the inside.
This indeed exceeded Tyronn Lue's expectations.
He thought that Phil Jackson might be forced to release players like D.J. Mbenga to support the scene, but Jackson actually gave up on playing pure insiders on the court.
But is this really a risk for Jackson?
Rather, Jackson tried a similar routine many years ago.
During the Bulls' second dynasty, main center Luke Longley was often affected by injuries. When backup centers like Bill Wennington were no longer useful, Jackson would use Harper, Jordan, Pippen, and Cuoco. Qi and Rodman's lineup battled their opponents.
You could say this was Jackson's desperate attempt to test his nemesis Pat Riley's prophecy that the future of basketball will be made up of five forwards.
Today, pressure from reality once again came to the Lakers, forcing Jackson to give up Gasol.
The result of having Artest and Jamison inside is that not only will they face huge pressure on rebounds, but the inside defense will also become a breakthrough point for the opponent. In particular, the Sonics do not need to lower the height of the inside in exchange for defensive flexibility like the Lakers.
This is a reality that the Lakers must face, but the benefits are obvious.
Kobe and James are no longer bound by the triangle offense.
They have become a true small ball team that combines shooting, speed, and space.
What does this mean?
Their games became two-man basketball, with Kobe and James sharing ball-handling time, and the college coach had a saying: I fucking hate teams that allow their star player to dribble more than five times in an offense.
For the Lakers, in this situation, let alone five times, as long as there is enough time, Kojan can dribble more than ten times in the offensive round.
The ultra-high ball holding time, coupled with repeated pick-and-rolls and five-out one-on-ones, role players receive the ball and either shoot or pass back. There are no other options. The main focus is to maximize the space and let the stars dominate everything.
In terms of playing style, the Lakers have gone further than Yu Fei's SuperSonics and Bucks.
They are like the Mavericks of Doncic and Irving.
Star + shooter equals everything.
When the Lakers scored 10 points in three minutes in the second half and narrowed the point difference to 4 points, the SuperSonics used their inside advantage to widen the point difference to 7 points.
Yu Fei took the initiative to confront James.
James in 2010 is not as good as Doncic in 2024 in terms of offensive methods, and Kobe in 2010 is significantly greater than Irving in 2024. This is a difficulty in defending the Lakers.
However, although the Lakers' lineup is extreme, the offense is not full.
At least they still have Artest, the black hole in space.
Therefore, the Sonics can let go of Artest at any time to double-team one of Cojan's.
The Lakers did not miss Artest's open opportunities, but Artest's performance when he got the open space can only be called the courage to take action. As for his shooting percentage, there's not much to say.
Artest made 1 of 4 shots in the second quarter and his shooting percentage was only 25%, but the Lakers need him to continue shooting. Not only him, but others must also take bold shots when they get the ball.
Jamison played a little role at this time. Compared with the passive nature of being beaten in the first half, he started to score in the second half.
But the losses and rebounding pressure he brought to the Lakers in the paint are still not something he can make up for by stealing a few goals.
Yu Fei and Roy kept naming Jamison for half a quarter, continuing to expand their inside advantage.
The Lakers rely on the natural space advantage of the five outsiders to score from the outside.
Richard Hamilton saw what Yu Fei did.
He faced James on the defensive end and did not hesitate to defend Kobe Bryant. Even when he was helping to defend himself, he did not despise himself as he did in the past.
What does this mean?
The Lakers have indeed put unprecedented pressure on the always-high-ranking chosen one.
The first half of the third quarter was when the Lakers were under the most pressure.
Yu Fei and Roy took turns holding the ball and taking roll calls.
Then, the Sonics replaced Roy six minutes later.
The ball returned to Yu Fei's hands alone.
He was not in a hurry, dribbling with his right hand and starting to direct his teammates with his left hand.
Suddenly, there was a flaw in James' defense, and he broke into it decisively. Unexpectedly, this was the opponent's preset trap, and Artest suddenly appeared.
Yu Fei's ball immediately moved outward.
Larry Hughes then made a three-point shot and missed, but Bosh grabbed the rebound and made a second attack, but still missed. Yu Fei grabbed the offensive rebound but sent it back to the basket without waiting for it to land.
"Can a three-point shot save your life, LeBron?"
More than half a minute of excellent defense by the Lakers was in vain in the face of poor rebound protection.
Yu Fei's sarcasm did not enter James' heart.
"I can kill you," James replied coldly.
"Is this something you can say?" Yu Fei walked back and said the next sentence without looking back, "Have you forgotten who created this era?"
One thing is very unfair to Stephen Curry.
He should have been the son of destiny who changed the game of basketball. This achievement was greater than the championships he was destined to win, just like Oscar Robertson led the uprising during the 1964 All-Star Weekend to fight for better benefits for future generations of players. and retirement insurance, and used a long legal battle after retirement to end the long history of slavery in professional basketball⑴. This kind of Prometheus-like behavior is enough to make the Big O transcend the meaning of basketball.
The small ball revolution triggered by Curry changed basketball itself. However, now Yu Fei has become synonymous with this matter.
The carnival basketball he created in the Bucks changed the face of the league, which is why the current Lakers team was born.
It is not an exaggeration to say that he created this era.
But is the creator destined to be the strongest?
James doesn't think so. At least Yu Fei's SuperSonics has deviated from the original intention of space basketball in terms of staffing.
They only have one stable shooter. Bosh's transformation into a space four was not successful. Now he is playing against the times and has no small ball style at all.
As long as the Lakers are firing on all cylinders, how can they resist?
James called on Hamilton to pick and roll him, and after breaking through, he distributed the ball to the opponent.
After the defense change, Hamilton actually faced off against Yu Fei.
He needs cover from another teammate.
After several attempts, even though Hamilton got an open shot, this shooter with a three-point shooting rate of nearly 40% missed the open three-pointer.
Yu Fei turned around and collected the long rebound.
The Lakers retreated quickly, which was undoubtedly the arrangement of the coaching staff.
Because this lineup has no way to put pressure on the rebounds, it can only retreat quickly without giving the defense a chance to counterattack.
They are urgent and fast, but the supersonic speed is slow and ruthless.
The two sides showed completely different styles.
"There's no need to rush."
Yu Fei said reassuringly.
Yu Fei said, calling Durant to pick and roll.
Durant brought out Jamison, and James chose to switch defense, letting Jamison defend Yu Fei.
Because Yu Fei has not scored in a sports game for several minutes, maybe his touch is not good now, Jamison might be able to do it. The beautiful fantasy only lasted for five seconds. Yu Fei made a sudden step and broke through Jamison, right behind the opponent. Scored a jump shot.
Seattle's lead was back to 10 points.
Subsequently, the Lakers relied on Kobe's personal ability to force a three-pointer from the outside.
Alonzo Key's defense has done its best, but Kobe is the kind of person who scores goals in the most unreasonable way, and then makes you feel that there is a trace of legitimacy in his play.
Yu Fei patiently channeled the offense, using this pick-and-roll and that screen. Suddenly, the ball was given to Bosh who was passing down.
Kobe stood under the basket, ready to protect the basket.
But in front of the passing inside line, it is difficult for the defender to protect the basket.
Bosh gave Kobe enough respect and did not choose to force a dunk. Instead, he used height to put the ball into the basket.
This was his 20th point tonight, in addition to 8 rebounds. This was his best performance in the Western Conference Finals.
The Lakers struggled to pull away from five points. Kobe wanted to score another difficult goal, but as expected, the rebound fell into James' hands.
James stormed to the basket, causing Bosh's defensive foul.
James made both free throws, but then the Lakers failed to succeed in two outside three-point attempts. The Sonics seized the opportunity to counterattack, and the point difference suddenly widened to 12 points. After that, James took the initiative to try an outside three-pointer, but still missed. However, he saw Kobe desperately grabbing a long rebound, then passed it to Hamilton, and continued to shoot three-pointers.
This time they hit, but it wasn't the way they wanted to score when they put together this lineup.
Consecutive missed three-pointers and lucky offensive rebounds are of course a blessing for the team that dares to take three-pointers. The more three-pointers and the more long rebounds, the easier it is to escape the control of the inside. It all depends on personal position selection. and prediction.
However, some problems have loomed.
Yu Fei has played as a ball-carrying core and five outsiders for many years, and he knows very well what is wrong with this system.
There are two main problems, the routine is rigid and the endurance is difficult.
A system created by one person cannot be complex, and there are almost always several routines used over and over again. This is a rigid routine.
Difficulty in battery life is another issue.
It's deeper, more obscure, more subtle than the first question.
Because it is not essentially a basketball issue, but a management choice issue.
With a big ball-holding core, if you want to play a five-out strategy, you need enough shooters. This is what the Lakers have always done. But the problem is that although other teams do not have as good offensive resources as they do, they can easily obtain defensive resources.
For example, the Sonics are not a team that relies on defense, but when pure offense can't win, they turn to defense. Tyronn Lue shortened the rotation like a madman, allowing Yu Fei and Durant to play more than 40 minutes in each game, and even reused Alonzo Kee, who was almost abandoned under George Karl, with strong defense but technical skills. A rough, energetic player.
The Sonics have maxed out their defensive resources. Large forwards like Yu Fei and Durant, who are nearly 210 centimeters tall in shoes and have a wingspan of 220+ centimeters, can often use their physical conditions and movement speed to simultaneously attack in certain areas when defending. Take care of your opponent at two points.
Therefore, when players like Hamilton or Jamison get open, they are not completely open because of the interference from the Sonics' spiders.
In addition, they have already gone through fierce physical confrontation before catching the ball, and every time they catch the ball, it is unlikely to be in a comfortable position, because there will be unexpected interference on the passing path. With the blessing of various negative factors, a normal hit How accurate can a shooter with a 40% rate remain in this situation?
This is the paradox brought about by the five-out and wide-open system led by the ball-carrying core. In order to play this system, you must tilt a large amount of salary cap towards shooters and space-based inside players. Then you will lack defensive resources. You cannot use the same method to target your opponents and can only trust the shooter. However, under high-intensity pressure, even people like Curry will miss a few games in a series. Competition, what about those so-called sharpshooters?
This is a choice and a trade-off.
The builders believed in the ability of the ball-carrying core and invested everything in his spacing.
But now, when the space points cannot bring the expected benefits, what if the stars can only rely on singles?
The Lakers are guarding expectations that don't know when they will be fulfilled, while the SuperSonics play every ball step by step.
Sitting in the fifth row of Staples Center is a Sports Illustrated writer named Gary Smith.
Nine years ago, he was on vacation in Seattle and accidentally watched a high school basketball game. Fry Yu entered his field of vision from that day. Soon after, he wrote an article for Fry - "The Chosen One" .
Smith still vividly remembers what the subtitle of that article was: Frye Yu’s destiny was not just to become the greatest basketball player ever from the state of Washington, but to change the world. Will the pressure of celebrity get the best of him first?
From the current perspective, this article is like a prophet's prophecy. He captured the image of a superstar before he became a superstar in amazing strokes.
Now, Smith watched the young man from a distance.
He dribbled, broke through, the crowd booed, and LeBron James' block nearly blocked his shot, but he adjusted his arc and...
The referee blows the whistle!
The ball went in!
The man slipped to the ground and shouted: "It's so easy, LeBron, can you defend?"
James' celebrity friends are angry.
"Master Dog" Snoopy jumped up and yelled: "Don't be too arrogant, Nico! You damn @!￥!￥"
"Kiss my ass, Snoopy!"
"Wait until our lake wins this game, damn you!￥￥"
"What are you afraid of? LeBron has already tried it for you."
It's hard not to laugh at Smith, who, nine years later, is still as aggressive as ever.
With a few minutes left in the third quarter, the Sonics now lead by 9 points.
The two sides went back and forth from then on until the end of the third quarter, and the 9-point gap did not move at all.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Lakers noticed that the Sonics replaced Bosh with DeAndre Jordan, but the number of people the Lakers could replace was very limited.
Since the offense did not start in the third quarter, they chose to move James to the fourth position in the fourth quarter, then replaced Artest and replaced him with Mike Miller to enhance the shooting threat from the outside.
The game is back to the beginning.
The Lakers looked for three-point opportunities from the outside, while the Sonics took advantage of their opponents' weaknesses inside to attack continuously.
Kobe shot a three-pointer, James also shot a three-pointer, and both Hamilton and Miller also attempted three-pointers. But ironically, it was James who hit the three-pointer who was the most unstable.
When the two sides insist on increasing their defensive intensity and turning the game into wrestling, making each other unable to find their shooting touch, Artest's three-pointer can only be regarded as a consolation prize.
The Sonics also couldn't find their shooting touch. Yu Fei missed a roll call jump shot and Durant's outside three-pointer missed the basket. Considering the situation on the court, considering the confrontation, and considering their playing time tonight, now we are looking for Not feeling good seems to be a doomed thing.
But they have a better chance.
When Yu Fei found that his shooting touch could not be sustained, he went inside.
His layups and passes gave the Lakers a headache.
James tried to do the same thing, and he did.
His breakthrough is unsolvable for anyone. Only zone defense and flanking attacks can limit him.
However, the inaccuracy of the outside shooters brought big trouble to his breakthrough.
Supersonics can safely put speed bumps on the road.
James' several breakthroughs were only successful twice, one was a layup and the other was an assist to Jamison for a score.
Six minutes into the fourth quarter, the game got rough.
Yu Fei's breakthrough layup was affected by Artest's rough confrontation, and he even slipped when he landed, but no foul was called, and the players fought for the ball on the floor like beasts.
The ball was snatched back and forth, and finally Alonzo Key held him in his arms. Kobe beside him immediately stretched his hands to his arms, and the two scrambled again.
"!￥!#￥"
"We often say that a game is very intense, but that is usually just a description, and tonight, intense is the true portrayal."
"Frye got knocked down, Kobe Bryant and Alonzo Key were fighting, and everyone was involved in the fight for the ball. They were fighting for the ball. It's a rare game like this. You can see them. He gave his all!”
The referee called a scrum between the two, and on the ensuing jump ball, Kobe won with experience.
The game entered its final six minutes.
The Lakers trailed by 7 points.
Kobe was dribbling the ball, and James wanted to stop it, but when he saw Kobe shaking his head, he wanted to do it himself.
The scene at this moment is the same as Kobe's childhood dream.
He's on the biggest stage in the world, with the team trailing in the final six minutes and they need a hero, someone to step up.
The essence of life is competition, and competition never ends.
Kobe cleared one side of the court, then dribbled, made a quick stop, and hit a simple fadeaway jumper.
There is only 5 points difference between the two sides.
"Now is the time to decide the outcome!" Kobe shouted, clenching his fists.
You could see his teammates being pumped up by him and the Staples Center crowd cheering for their king.
Durant picked up the ball and didn't pay much attention. He was about to serve when Yu Fei in front of him said: "It seems that Kobe has understood that he can't rely on anyone in this game."
Can't rely on anyone? so what?
Durant sent the ball.
"From now on, we can only play in singles." Yu Fei dribbled the ball and said to himself, "You know, Kobe is considered the best singles player in the world."
Durant said seriously: "Not as good as you."
"He has LeBron next to him."
"I'm with you."
"And Brandon, DJ, and Zo, all of us have your back!"
Yu Fei came to the front. Now, he was not the so-called master of the empire, not the chosen one standing on the shoulders of the gods.
He has one and only one identity.
He is the face of the Seattle SuperSonics, and his mission is to continue the dynasty.
Those teammates who were once enveloped by him like floating clouds have now firmly become his supporters.
Durant pulled away to let everyone move away. Yu Fei faced James and asked before the butcher knife fell: "Do you know why I am the greatest player of all time?"
You are not.
James wanted to say this, but in the next second, Yu flew past his defense and hit the board with a throw from outside the paint area, extending the advantage to 7 points. "That was Frye's 38th point."
Scores have endless value at this moment. Yu Fei left his eternal questions, and James will never give an answer.
In any case, Yu Fei will not be the best, because the person who wants to be the best is James himself.
Think about it, he endured so much humiliation, wasn't it just for today, to get revenge on Yu Fei at this moment? The opportunity has come, now!
James broke through Yu Fei with red eyes, stopped on the right side of the free throw line, and shot with an ugly shooting posture, but finally hit.
The score difference returned to 5 points.
Yu Fei's lack of response didn't keep James waiting for long.
Ten seconds later, Yu Fei shook off James' defense at the top of the flying arc and dribbled to the free throw line to collect the ball. James did not lose his position. Jamison's defense was also timely, but Yu Fei raised the ball high and hit it in the air. It has reached a point that is beyond human reach.
The ball rotated at high speed, like a missile with a predetermined destination, falling into the basket accurately, rolling the net into a twist before falling to the floor.
This is Yu Fei's 40th point.
The Lakers' counterattack was launched by Kobe, but his offense was hindered by Alonzo Key.
Key tried his best and finally paid his fifth foul and sent Kobe to the free throw line.
Kobe made both free throws, narrowing the point difference to 5 points.
At this time, the commentators of major TV stations have realized that the stars of both sides are using singles to decide the outcome of the fifth game.
This is rare. Although stars take over the game more frequently in basketball games than in other ball sports, the more high-end the game, the stronger the teammates around the star are.
Generally speaking, this situation rarely occurs.
"The Lakers' outside shooting rate tonight was less than 30%, the shooters have been inaccurate, and Marc Gasol and other insiders cannot play. In this case, they can only believe in Kobe and LeBron. As for Seattle, I think the ball Giving it to Frye is their most efficient offensive method now.”
Kobe, who was in a hot state, wanted to continue attacking, but Alonzo Key gave him the most violent foul since the beginning of the game the moment he caught the ball.
The moment he caught the ball, Kobe's hand was slapped hard by Key.
"Crack!!!"
The clapping sound was so loud that Kobe almost went berserk and turned around to punch the rookie who offended him.
Key was protected by his teammates and graduated with honors.
"This is the only way I can stop him!"
Key said to Roy, who was about to replace him.
"Then you are better than me." Roy said mockingly, "I can't stop him even if I commit a foul."
Roy returned to the court with less than four minutes to go.
"Since you are determined to kill the Lakers the way Michael Jordan did, let me be your Scottie Pippen."
Roy walked onto the field and tried to show his presence with a cool line.
Little did they know that this sentence might offend Yu Fei, Jordan and Pippen at the same time.
Yu Fei and Jordan dislike each other, and Pippen will be the most offended, because with Roy's current situation, the Lakers will definitely target him as a defensive vulnerability, and it is impossible for him to guard Cojan under normal circumstances. Very little.
Even if Pippen reaches the age of 40, there is no chance that he will be regarded as a defensive loophole.
Yu Fei didn't feel anything about the boastful Roy, but he just felt that the opponent should be able to help him share the task of dribbling the ball through half the court.
But Tyronn Lue replaced not only Roy, but also Bosh.
In fact, Roy replaced Larry Hughes, and Bosh replaced Alonzo Key, who was full of fouls.
As a result, Durant returned to the third position, and the five people standing on the SuperSonics court were Yu Fei, Roy, Durant, Bosh, and DeAndre Jordan.
Among the five people, there are four spiders and one loophole, but the other four teammates all have the ability to defend one area and two areas. The defensive flexibility is full and the talent is overflowing. For the Lakers' current lineup, defense can be achieved Overwhelming talent.
As for the offensive end.
As TNT Studio's Charles Barkley said: "I can already imagine the Sonics blowing up the Lakers' rebounds."
In other words, not only can the Lakers not have any ideas about offensive rebounds, but even defensive rebounds are at risk of being blown away.
The Lakers serve again.
Kobe wanted to attack, but this time, Durant covered his field of vision with two long arms.
In the end, James got the ball.
James turned around and faced Yu Fei and wanted to name Roy, but Roy chose to double-team him with Yu Fei.
James was forced to pass to Richard Hamilton.
Under the interference of Durant's one-two defense, Hamilton shot a three-pointer in the mid-open position.
The moment Hamilton took action, he seemed to catch a glimpse of Yu Fei's face from the corner of his eye, and he was smiling.
Yes, he is laughing.
What is he laughing at?
Is it possible that the Laughing Lakers organization plans to repay the debt of the version after finally eating up the bonus of the version?
Hamilton may never understand that smile.
Because this is the curse of space basketball.
As a shooter, Hamilton has shot over 40% for the Lakers this season, but Yu Fei understands him. As a classic shooting guard, he has been a master of catch-and-shoot mid-range shots in the early days of his career. After leaving the Wizards, his opponent His outside shooting fluctuates year by year. He shot 36% this year and plummeted below 30% next year. This is a common statistic for a scorer who relies on mid-range shooting and uses three-pointers as a backup plan.
Why did his three-point shooting percentage soar to 40% with the Lakers? This is of course related to his personal transformation, but it is also inseparable from the support of stars such as Kojan. After all, in the Lakers, no one will focus on guarding him, and the pressure he faced in the regular season is different from now.
The SuperSonics did not leave him wide open spaces and required people to continue to put pressure on him. After the whole game, Hamilton's three-point shooting percentage would be 35%. He took this semi-open three-pointer in full view of everyone, and then...
"Bang!"
In the penalty area, Jordan, Bosh and Yu Fei jumped at the same time. It was impossible for the Lakers to steal the rebound from these three people.
Yu Fei grabbed the rebound and gave Hamilton a sarcastic look.
Sorry Rip, even if your outside shooting percentage is as high as 42%, in our plan, your shooting percentage is no different from 22%.
No matter how great a shooter is, it is impossible to survive the hell of physical combat. This is the source of the saying in NBA history that shooting cannot win the championship.
Yu Fei threw the ball to Roy and gave him a look.
Roy understood, suppressed the rhythm, and when the attack time came to the last ten seconds, he saw Yu flying low to jam James.
Roy dropkick.
The moment Yu Fei took the ball, his left half of his body hit James like a car causing an accident.
The Lakers did not forget how bad James' low post defense was. At that moment, Kobe decisively let go of Durant to double-team.
Yu Fei, with blind vision, threw the ball towards Durant behind him.
"!#￥@!￥"
Durant flashed, and Miller, who was assisting in defense, flew away. He then dribbled to the basket and glided for a dunk.
"The connection between Frye and KD!" Mike Breen shouted, "SuperSonics lead by 9 points!"
Different emotions began to appear in James's heart, and some bad thoughts were growing.
Then, Yu Fei let him go half a step.
He has room to shoot.
The fans shouted impatiently: "LeBron, kill him! Let him know you are not easy to mess with!"
"!#￥!#￥"
James' will was kidnapped. He almost couldn't believe that he could shoot and score against this yes or no opportunity, but what could he do?
James took a deep breath and pulled it up suddenly, and Yu Fei's interference came immediately in front of him.
As soon as the ball was released, he knew it was over.
This ball is ridiculously crooked!
Durant grabbed the defensive rebound and excitedly wanted to pass the ball to Yu Fei who was about to leave.
Unfortunately, the intention was too obvious, and Kobe judged it and intercepted it halfway.
Kobe took advantage of the Sonics' defense before he took a decisive shot. Unfortunately, this was his second shot after several rounds, but he couldn't find the touch and missed the target.
DeAndre Jordan protected the defensive rebound.
It's a picture that's enough to confuse anyone about basketball development.
Yu Fei has proven in Milwaukee and Seattle that space, speed, and three-pointers are the development trend of basketball games.
But why did the Sonics use a lineup with no space and no three-pointers to suffocate the Lakers?
Are long, tall, and fast also a version of the answer?
"Take your time!" Roy shouted after taking the ball from Jordan, "We still have a lot of time, hold on!"
There were less than two and a half minutes left at this point.
Roy continued to control the field.
Yu Fei, on the other hand, was competing with James for position in the low post.
From the visual effect, this looks like two strong men being pushed into a corner by a crowded bus.
James got stuck desperately, not wanting Yu Fei to get the position.
But in the end, Yu Fei pushed him behind him with his elbow, waved and shouted: "Pass the ball, he can't guard me!"
How many people stood up at this moment?
No one could give an exact number, but people like Gary Smith, who believed Yu Fei would win, stood up.
Yu Fei catches the ball, turns around, takes off smoothly, leans back, and flicks the ball.
From a genetic point of view, everyone is born by chance, survives by chance, and dies in a reasonable and reasonable way, leaving no trace when they come and leaving without a trace.
But there is a small group of people who will leave a great imprint, just like the dinosaurs from countless epochs ago who still leave fossil footprints all over the world.
This is proof that they were here.
Tonight, some are leaving a game that proves "he was here."
When the ball was scored, the score difference reached 11 points, and the Lakers suffocated and requested a timeout.
Frye will win.
This is gradually forming a consensus outside the game that his career will reach its peak this year and he will surpass all players of all time.
On this fateful night, Phil Jackson's last-minute decision ended the foreshadowing beyond time.
He gave up Artest and Antawn Jamison, and replaced them with Mike Bibby and Eddie House. In this way, the Lakers didn't even have a serious power forward on the field. , but has the ability for five people to pull away at the same time.
Jackson wants to shorten Cojan's attack distance. He hopes to use the full lineup to call the pick-and-roll so that James can go to the low post to punish SuperSonics' defensive loopholes.
Who is this vulnerability?
Brandon Roy, of course.
After the timeout ended, the world saw this scene.
After many screens and defense changes, Yu Fei and Durant were involved by Kobe and Miller respectively, but James faced Roy in the low post on the right.
"LeBron!!!!!!"
The glimmer of hope fell on the King. He faced the Sonics' weakest defensive player on the field. Even if his low post offense was not his strong point, it was impossible to miss this ball.
The live audience, hundreds of millions of viewers from all over the country and the world in front of the screen, watched him hit Roy once, twice, and then turned over and shot a jumper in the paint
"Bang!!!!!"
Jordan quickly returned to the basket to collect the defensive rebound, and the whole audience was in an uproar.
"LeBron, what are you doing?"
"How could you miss this shot? LeBron? How could you miss this shot?"
"Oh my god, why don't you give it to Kobe? Why don't you let Kobe fucking hit this shot!"
"We're doomed!"
There was an air inside Staples Center that felt like someone was going to die suddenly.
Yu Fei dribbled the ball to the frontcourt. Without waiting for his teammates to get into position or checking whether the opponent's defense was in place, he suddenly stepped back to collect the ball, and a super long three-pointer flew out of his hands.
"Ugh!!!!"
"Fry's 45th point! The point difference has reached 14 points!"
In his ninth year as the Chosen One, he was about to reach the top. He never imagined how loud the roar would be and how excited he would be.
Yu Fei turned around and desperately stuck to Kobe, forcing the Lakers to hand the ball to James and let him attack.
Then, the Lakers can only do the same thing, Bibby controls the ball, and then others create low-post opportunities for Kojan, but the SuperSonics cannot allow Kobe to get single opportunities in the low post.
So, it was James who came to that position again.
Is the stadium still a sanctuary at this point?
Kobe wanted to know what James was thinking, but he and others only saw the basketball player with the best physical fitness in the world ringing the dying bell for the Lakers with a soft and weak jump shot when hitting the opponent's weakness behind the back. Voice.
"Bang!!!!!"
Catcalls, screams, curses.
"Damn it Nico!" Snoopy roared, breaking through the defense. "You will never be better than Fry that stinky dog Nico!!!!"
Yu Fei's figure appeared in front of James. He jumped up and grabbed the rebound, and then quickly advanced forward.
He stopped two meters in front of the three-point line at the top of the arc. This is the secret that has led the Lakers to this day, and it is also the reason why the Lakers ended up like this tonight. The three-point shot is so fascinating and represents the secret of future basketball, but in the end, It only surrenders to the people who created this era.
Nine meters away from the basket, Yu Fei raised his knife and hit a chasing three-pointer.
The point difference rose to 17 points at this moment.
Yu Fei is only 2 points away from scoring 50 points in three consecutive playoff games.
At this time, there are less than 70 seconds left in the game.
Mike Breen said: "We can say in advance, congratulations to the SuperSonics for winning this crucial game!"
Then, unwilling to give up, Kobe furiously dribbled the ball from the backcourt to the frontcourt and forced a goal.
The score difference returned to 15 points, but the trend was over.
Roy controlled the field steadily, and the game time dropped rapidly from 55 seconds.
With 10 seconds left in the attack time, Yu Fei took the ball outside the three-point line on the right side.
The person guarding him was Kobe.
"Do you like this result, Kobe?"
Before the Chosen One made the final judgment, he asked his opponent a question.
Kobe gritted his teeth and said nothing.
Nine years ago, when Yu Fei helped his high school win the state championship, a middle-aged woman entered their celebration party. The woman said to Fei: "When I watch you compete with other players, I feel like Looking at my son.”
Now, Yu Fei is no longer the boy who aroused the blood affection of middle-aged women. He has become something greater than everyone who had high hopes for him in the past.
"Please forgive me...but when I talk about Fry, I get so emotional...my heart...is filled with so much...joy..."
The words of Yufei High School's principal on the night of championships echoed in Gary Smith's mind.
He started to break through Kobe.
"He will transcend the game...and give the world...unprecedented heroism..."
He ran through Kobe's defense, rushed to the basket, ignored everyone, and even when he was exhausted, he still jumped up and looked down at his opponents.
Then he dunked with all his might.
The audience fell into a dead silence, as if suffocated.
He sneered and pointed at Kobe: "Retire with the curse of being unable to win a championship without O'Neal, Kobe."
"As for you!"
He didn't even bother to look at the king who buried the Lakers' hopes.
"Just live with this shame!"
The game is over, the score is 118 to 101.
This is Game 5, and the series score is 3-2.
But no one believed the Lakers would stand up in Game 6. Their spines have been broken, like a beast that has lost its claws and teeth.
Some failures will be remembered forever, just like some successes will become eternal.
Sports Illustrated will sum it all up in one sentence in its next issue: Frye won.
PS: There was originally a "post-match interview", but my back hurts so much that I really can't write today. Feel sorry.
(End of chapter)