Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

Chapter 836 836 527 When The Chosen One Judges_3

?Chapter 836: Chapter 527 When The Chosen One Judges_3 Chapter 836: Chapter 527 When The Chosen One Judges_3 This is a choice, as well as a trade-off.

The team builders believed in the capacity of the ball-dominant superstar and invested everything in his space.

But now, when that space can’t bring the expected revenue, what’s left but the star’s solo performance?

The Lakers guard an expectation of uncertain realization, while the Supersonics methodically play every single ball.

Sitting in the fifth row of Staples Center is a writer from ‘Sports Illustrated,’ named Gary Smith.

Nine years ago, he was vacationing in Seattle and chanced upon a high school basketball game. Frye entered his radar that day, and soon after, Smith wrote an article about him—’The Chosen One.’
Smith still clearly remembers the subtitle of that article: Frye’s destiny was not only to become the greatest basketball player in the history of the State of Washington but also to change the world. Would the pressure of fame crush him first?

With today’s hindsight, that article looks like a prophecy, capturing the image of a superstar before he became one with astonishing flair.

Now, Smith watches that young man from afar.

He dribbles, breaks through, the entire audience boos. LeBron James’s block almost sends his ball flying, but he adjusts the arc, and then…

The referee blows the whistle!

The ball goes in!

The man slides to the ground, yelling, “So easy, LeBron, can you even defend?”

James’s celebrity friends are pissed.

“Yo, Snoop Dogg” jumps up screaming, “Don’t get too cocky, N-word! You goddamn @!?!?”
“Kiss my ass, Snoop!”

“Wait till my Lakers win this game, you motherfucker!??”
“What are you afraid of, LeBron already tried out for you.”

Smith finds it hard not to laugh; nine years have passed, and Frye is as aggressive as ever.

There are a few minutes left in the third quarter, and the Supersonics are now leading by 9 points.

From there, the game seesaws until the end of the third quarter, the 9-point difference unaltered.

At the start of the fourth quarter, the Lakers noticed that the Supersonics swapped Bosh for DeAndre Jordan, while the Lakers’ substitution options were very limited.

Because their offensive efforts had not paid off in the third quarter, in the fourth, they decided to move James to the power forward position and substituted Artest for Mike Miller to enhance the threat from the perimeter.

The game returns to the beginning.

The Lakers look for three-point opportunities from outside, while the Supersonics capitalize on the opponent’s weak interior to strike repeatedly.

Kobe takes a three-pointer, Artest too, Hamilton and Miller attempt threes as well. Ironically, the one to hit a three is the least stable, Artest.

This is Artest’s second three-pointer of the night.

However, someone like Artest can only deliver an unexpected heavy blow to the opposition by hitting a three-pointer at a crucial moment.

When both sides insist on raising the defensive intensity and wrestling the game into one where each team loses its shooting touch, Artest’s three-pointers are mere consolation prizes.

The Supersonics also can’t find their shooting touch. Fei’s called shot misses, Durant’s outside three-pointer goes wide off the hoop. With the current situation on the court in mind, considering the physicality and their minutes played tonight, it appears inevitable that they can’t find their touch.

But they have better opportunities.

When Fei realizes he can’t maintain his shooting touch, he heads inside.

His layups and passing cause headaches for the Lakers.

James tries to do the same, and he actually succeeds.

His breakthroughs are unsolvable for anyone, with only team defense and double-teaming capable of limiting him.

However, the poor shooting from the perimeter shooters gives his drives big trouble.

The Supersonics can confidently set up speed bumps in his path.

James’s several drives succeed only twice, one a layup score and the other an assist to Jamison for a score.

With six minutes left in the fourth quarter, the game gets rough.

Fei’s layup drive is affected by Artest’s aggressive defense, even causing him to slide to the ground on landing, but no foul is called, and players scramble for the loose ball like wild beasts.

The ball is fought over back and forth, eventually held in the arms of Alonzo Gee, with Kobe immediately reaching in to scramble for it, the two tussling together again.

“!?!#?”
“We often say a game is played fiercely, but that’s usually just an expression. Tonight, fierceness is a true depiction.”

“Frye knocked down, Kobe and Alonzo Gee tangle up, everyone involved in the scrimmage for the loose ball. They’re fighting desperately for a possession, this kind of game is rare, you can see they’re giving it their all!”

The referee calls a jump ball between the two, and Kobe, with his experience, secures the victory in the ensuing tip-off.

The game enters the last six minutes.

The Lakers are down by 7 points.

Kobe handles the ball, James wants to stop him, but seeing Kobe shake his head, he decides to take it on himself.

This moment mirrors the dream Kobe envisioned as a child.

He stands on the world’s biggest stage, with the last six minutes, the team behind, they need a hero, someone to step forward.

The essence of life is competition, and the competition never ends.

Kobe clears one side of the court, then dribbles, stops abruptly, takes a simple fadeaway jumper, and it swishes through the net.

The gap is now only 5 points.

“Now, it’s time for the showdown!” Kobe shouts, fist clenched.

You can see his teammates inspired, and the audience at Staples Center cheers loudly for their king.