noveldrama
Chapter 785 785 512 Need Time_2
Chapter 785 785 512 Need Time_2
?Chapter 785: Chapter 512 Need Time_2 Chapter 785: Chapter 512 Need Time_2 However, Yu Fei charged into the basket and slammed down a dunk to score a 2+1.
Kobe wanted to respond, but after the timeout, his touch wasn’t as hot as before, and he missed his shot under Yu Fei’s stiff defense.
Yu Fei returned under the basket to collect the defensive rebound, the Lakers quickly retreated to defense, but he strolled leisurely to the front court, facing Kobe, pointing to a spot one meter in front of the Lakers LOGO.
The meaning was clear: I’m going to shoot from there, are you going to defend it?
If someone else had done this, Kobe would have thought it was just a bluff, but this was fucking Yu Fei.
Kobe promptly stepped forward, but still a step too late.
Yu Fei gathered the ball, raised his hand, and launched an ultra-long three-pointer.
“Bang!!!!!”
“Ohhhhhhh!!!”
The spectators in the Staples Center couldn’t help but gasp.
Commentators from major television networks began to heap praise on Yu Fei.
As the spiritual leader of the Yu Fei fanfare, ABC’s Doug Collins made the most explosive comments, “When we talk about the greatest of all time, what are we talking about? I’ll tell you, you’re talking about Frye’s game! He brings a whole new standard to the greatest players in history! Who can revive a dying team? It’s Frye! Who can you pat your chest and guarantee ‘this person can do anything’? It’s Frye! Who can boldly claim in front of Kobe that his offensive abilities are stronger? Baby, it’s Frye! The end-all of professional basketball is Frye!”
Superstars, through the packaging of sponsors and the promotion by media professionals akin to bards singing of legends, naturally garner a golden reputation.
But that golden reputation can be shattered.
Kobe just needed to take a trip to Eagle County, and James only had to announce his decision live on television for all the efforts the forces behind them had invested to be in vain.
But on Yu Fei, none of these potentially deity-diminishing events had occurred.
Not only that, he seemed more divine by the day.
Even as a visitor, his performance earned full accolades because this city, belonging to Hollywood, welcomed the best performances in the world.
The Hollywood stars present felt it most keenly, for the peak moments of their acting careers were not just when their films were box office hits, but also those scenes in their roles that earned acclaim.
Rocky ending the Cold War, Spider-Man using his body to block, Ross and Jack at the ship’s bow saying, “If you jump, I jump”… These scenes provide an emotional value hard to find in reality, and professional sports are popular because top athletes can abundantly provide this emotional value.
Scarlett’s companion, Don Cheadle, was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor a few years ago for his outstanding performance in “Hotel Rwanda,” a pinnacle of his career, and now, watching Yu Fei from a distance, he could feel Yu Fei’s on-court performance giving the audience no less than what current Hollywood A-listers could deliver.
“Will the Supersonics win?”
Scarlett, never interested in ball sports, got engrossed and asked Cheadle.
“Hard to say.” Cheadle replied, with limited basketball knowledge, “But Frye will not lose no matter what.”
Cheadle meant that even if the Supersonics lost, Yu Fei would not lose.
This was the conclusion drawn by someone with little understanding of basketball, based solely on the player’s fame and influence.
Ironically, ‘losing but not losing’ reflected the history of professional sports to date.
It’s a medal for the losers, a mockery for the winners, you lost, but it seems like you didn’t, you won, yet it feels like you didn’t. Even if you lose now, you might win in the future based on stats, and even if you win now, you might lose everything later for various reasons.
Half a minute later, Yu Fei allowed Kobe a gap, inducing him to break through, then caught up from behind to deliver a big block, and in the defensive counterattack, assisted Alonzo Gee in scoring a slam dunk.
The 13-point gap was reduced to 5 within less than two minutes.
The Lakers asked for a timeout.
Just moments ago, they were inches away from a big victory, now it seemed like they were back to square one.
Jackson was immensely disappointed.
Because this lead was produced by the Triangle Offense, if they could win with it, although it wouldn’t persuade James to accept the system, it would at least prove his philosophy was right.
But now, Yu Fei had nullified all their previous efforts with his individual capacity.
A five-point lead had no powers of persuasion.
Jackson glanced at James; the Emperor was ready to take the court.
Kobe said, “Frye playing like this is good for us.”
“Exactly,” James said, “One person cannot change the overall situation.”
On the Supersonics side, Coach Lu didn’t expect Yu Fei to not only hang on to the game but also close the gap to 5 points.
Is this what it feels like to coach a superstar?
When you can’t handle it, just let them do their thing?
Coach Lu, as a rookie coach, was profoundly impacted, but the Lakers soon showed that they were not going to watch Yu Fei play alone until the end.
Jackson had coached Jordan and seen how the Detroit Pistons used to play Jordan. The so-called Jordan Rules applied today have many tactics that are no longer viable, and he doesn’t have the luxury of time to study a defensive system specifically against Yu Fei.
No matter how basketball evolves, double-teaming the ball handler is always the best option.
Right now with players like Gee and DeAndre Jordan on the court for the Supersonics who don’t pose a shooting threat, doubling has no downside.
When the Lakers resorted to double-teaming again, Yu Fei knew that his opponents were getting desperate.
That tactic was nothing new; Yu Fei immediately passed the ball to Gee.