Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

Chapter 832 832 526 Shelter

?Chapter 832: Chapter 526: Shelter Chapter 832: Chapter 526: Shelter A 10-point difference is what Phil Jackson refers to as a five-shot difference; making a comeback isn’t easy.

LeBron adhered to his playing style, holding the ball, seeking opportunities, and choosing the best solution.

But Kobe’s style of play would never be as rational as LeBron envisioned.

Rational play was not what Kobe believed in.

Just as LeBron’s breakthrough was affected by the Supersonics’ sudden joint defense, he passed the ball to Kobe.

Then, Kobe took over.

At that moment, LeBron felt at ease.

Joining the Lakers meant that LeBron no longer had to fight alone as he had before; he knew he could trust Kobe.

However, relationships between people are far more complex than the cursory assistance between strangers.

Kobe made two consecutive shots, and the Supersonics responded with a three-pointer from Durant.

Then LeBron felt the need to take on more responsibility and decisively drove the ball inside.

However, Fei always managed to, along with others, suddenly double team him on the way, making it hard for him to enter the paint.

LeBron could only choose to pass the ball.

Luckily, his teammates hadn’t lost their touch due to the game’s constant, aggressive defense.

Mike Miller scored a three-pointer.

The Lakers slowly caught up, and to restrict scoring, both teams consciously intensified their defense, which in turn made scoring tougher.

Both teams’ scoring efficiency plummeted in the middle of the second quarter.

That was especially true for the key players.

Fei and Durant, Kobe and LeBron; they all had been playing from the start without a second’s rest, continuously attacking, defending, and pressing. Even if they could persist, a decrement in shooting accuracy due to fatigue was inevitable.

With five minutes left in the first half, Mike Bibby used a pick-and-roll to shake off the defense, and then a jump shot reduced the difference to five points.

The Supersonics substituted Durant and DeAndre Jordan for Roy and Chris Bosh.

The fully recharged Roy and Bosh immediately made a visible impact on the game.

Fei relinquished his organizing duties and watched as Roy successively called out Big Z.

The Lithuanian could not cope either; Roy’s calls were not as aggressive as Fei’s because his offensive level had not yet recovered, so the calls were more about strategically moving the opponent’s center, but Big Z was already jittery.

This was the result of Fei’s continuous basic training on the centers since the start of the game.

Big Z first committed his second personal foul, then acted like a zombie, completely unresponsive to Roy’s varied breakthroughs.

Thus, Roy drove to the basket and scored a layup.

The difference widened to 11 points within a few minutes.

Seeing Big Z becoming a new weak point, the Lakers quickly substituted him for Little Pau Gasol.

But for the Supersonics, switching Big Z with Little Gasol was merely exchanging one weak point for another; they could still exploit the fifth position screen to break through the Spaniard’s defense.

Fei was called out by Coach Lu for a rest before his last call.

The freshly substituted Little Gasol, full of energy, attempted to defend, but the speed difference between him and the front line was too much to overcome.

Even without Fei accelerating to full speed, Little Gasol had to resort to fouling to stop him.

Little Gasol’s hand tangled with Fei’s ball-handling hand, and the referee quickly blew the whistle.

It was the Spaniard’s fourth foul of the night.

Following this foul, seeing the considerable lead, Coach Lu decided to rest Fei.

On the Lakers’ side, Kobe was also substituted out, leaving LeBron to control the game.

This was actually an opportunity for the Lakers to catch up.

With neither Fei nor Durant on the court, the Supersonics had just Roy as the ball-handler and Bosh as the offensive core.

LeBron made a determined move, charging forward, coordinating with outside shooters like Bibby and Miller, and indeed, he saw effective results, while the Supersonics continued to exploit Little Gasol’s issue with accumulating fouls, avoiding defensive pressure points targeting this weakness.

Chris Bosh, who had been suppressed by Little Gasol on the five spot, expressed relief, Little Gasol tread carefully on defense, fearful of being called out, and these negative factors inversely affected his offensive touch.

Thus, whatever points LeBron and his shooters managed to score were promptly given back at the defensive end.

ABC’s Doug Collins said, “I fully understand the predicament of the Lakers. With their current roster, sweeping the league, centers like Marc Gasol have never become a fatal issue.”

“Since Frye applied specific pick-and-roll tactics at the Bucks that turned traditional centers into a defensive disaster, related research has been progressing,” Collins explained, “Many big men from the ’90s and early new millennium were phased out, and there are those like Yao who successfully transitioned. Marc is also a survivor, but his ability to survive is because his technical characteristics are adaptable to today’s game style, and defensive problems in most cases are not fatal because he himself is an outstanding defender. The Lakers still have Kobe and LeBron who can solve most problems, but tonight, Frye’s strategy has challenged this perception.”

“Frye’s endless pick-and-roll offense broke down the Lakers’ centers. Once Marc Gasol is taken off the court, the Lakers face the situation of having no one available inside,” Collins seriously said, “This could not only be a turning point tonight, but also could shift the entire series.”

On the court, Bosh’s performance was on the rise.