noveldrama
Chapter 822 822 523 After He Returned
Chapter 822 822 523 After He Returned
?Chapter 822: Chapter 523: After He Returned Chapter 822: Chapter 523: After He Returned The first media to report that Brandon Roy would make a comeback in G5 was ESPN. As the most influential sports medium in the United States, their sources are exhaustive.
Among them, insiders with exclusive news channels like WOJ posted the latest internal news on Twitter.
However, as one of Yu Fei’s mouthpieces, also from ESPN, Marc Stein remained silent.
This made people wonder if the news of Roy’s comeback was just a smokescreen.
Because a player who had been away from the court for half a year would need some time to systematically recover through training. Otherwise, it’s not just about whether he could adapt to the intensity of the game, but whether his technical ability had recovered, or whether he could contribute to the team.
These questions disappeared on May 27.
Roy was activated on the SuperSonics’ roster.
“This means that the Lakers will face a fully formed SuperSonics for the first time this season,” Bill Simmons wrote on Twitter, “Yes, you read that right, the SuperSonics, who have so far achieved a 5-2 record in their seven encounters with the Lakers this season, have never been at full strength.”
Simmons’s own team, The Celtics, was struggling in the Eastern Conference, but he was well aware that no team from the Eastern Conference entering the finals could stop the winner of the Western finals. Being the biggest Celtics fan and the biggest Lakers hater on the planet, he was already preparing to belittle the value of a Lakers championship.
After the SuperSonics’ charter plane landed in Los Angeles, crowds of media converged outside the airport wanting to interview them.
About Roy’s comeback, about Yu Fei aiming for 50 points in three consecutive games, about the coaching strategies headed by Tyronn Lue.
The players chose to remain silent on the media front.
Lue, however, accepted the interview.
“Brandon is in great shape,” Lue confirmed directly that Roy would be making his comeback tonight. “His return will completely free up Frye on the offensive end.”
These past few days, Lue had been looking for a strategy that could suppress the Lakers’ perimeter shooters.
Looking solely at the quality of shooters, the Lakers are likely unmatched in the league.
Richard Hamilton, Mike Miller, Eddie House, Mike Bibby, all are shooters with a three-point shooting percentage over 40%.
But it’s not all about shooting percentages.
For instance, Bibby’s primary role is as a ball-handling guard, his hot zone is at the top of the arc, while House is the sub of subs, mainly shooting from the corners on both sides. The true shooters without a weak spot are Hamilton and Miller.
However, alike as versatile shooters are, Hamilton and Miller are different. The former not only can shoot threes but also mid-range shots and can drive the ball, while Miller is a typical catch-and-shoot player.
Therefore, in terms of defense, you have to stay close to someone like Miller, continuously affecting his touch, while for Hamilton it depends on his condition that night.
The two games the Lakers won earlier, James was very good at passing, and the SuperSonics, overly eager to limit his offense, often had their defense disrupted by his drives.
Now, Lue made a bold decision.
He planned to remove backcourt players who lacked switching capabilities from the rotation, maintaining a full-switch against the Lakers.
No empty spots allowed, if you want to score, go for one-on-one.
This, in turn, put pressure on each player.
The defensive intensity of the SuperSonics needed to be consistent throughout, while the Lakers had to overcome the pressure and face the challenge head-on.
That evening, Staples Center
Any Lakers fan who had seen how the Lakers slaughtered the SuperSonics in the last game would be brimming with confidence for tonight’s game.
They believed that was a demonstration of the Lakers finding the code to victory.
When the SuperSonics entered the arena, the booing from the crowd put the first wave of pressure on them.
Yu Fei seemed to block out the surrounding noise, starting to shoot as soon as he entered the court.
Some celebrities tried to greet him, but he merely gestured: not now.
“I can now confirm that the air on the court is completely different from off the court,” Roy excitedly said, “I love standing here.”
Yu Fei immediately threw cold water on him: “If you dare to hold us back tonight, I’ll have Sam trade you to the Clippers.”
Roy retorted, “So I don’t even need to go back to Seattle, just head next door after the game?”
“Exactly,” Yu Fei said sarcastically, “A plantation owner like Donald Sterling would be thrilled to have an idiot like you, who’s willing to work his fields without regard for his future.”
Yu Fei and Roy were insulting each other, while players from both teams were warming up with their usual shooting.
Beyond that, there was no communication between the SuperSonics and the Lakers.
The mutual dislike between the teams seemed to have reached a tipping point.
Before the game started, Staples Center showcased what set it apart from other venues.
The person responsible for singing the national anthem tonight was the recently popular country pop singer Taylor Swift.
“Well, Key Arena has already lost in this aspect,” Roy humorously rallied his teammates’ spirits, “We must win.”
Little O jokingly quipped, “Unless Michael Jackson climbs out of his grave to sing the national anthem for us, I don’t see Key Arena winning against Staples Center.”
“It doesn’t need to be that extreme,” Yu Fei always thought of Taylor as a Britney Spears who wasn’t ‘controlled’ by her biological father. “Key Arena just needs to invite Britney.”
Alonzo Gee put it well: “Her damn control-freak dad would likely refuse Key Arena’s invitation on the grounds of ‘worrying about losing control.'”