Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

Chapter 925 925 556

?Chapter 925: 556 Chapter 925: 556 The Lakers, playing at home, were defeated at home with a series score of 0-3.

This result declared the series’ death sentence.

What’s even more heartbreaking is that this happened with the Lakers holding nothing back.

Kobe and James both played the entire game, but in the end, they still lost.

This turned the series into garbage time ahead of schedule.

The hype around “Empire Battle 2.0” came to an end here.

“I’m very disappointed,” Kobe said in post-game interviews, “I’m disappointed in myself, in the team, in the outcome. We’ve screwed up at home, no excuses.”

James put up 34 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists; he can walk out of Staples Center with his head high.

No one will say he disappeared anymore.

This was the lesson he took from his bitter defeat in 2010.

Everyone can lose, but if your stats look good enough, you can escape the blame for failure.

Just like now, everyone knows his mind has already drifted to the off-season, and he will seek the next host like a parasite as soon as the season ends.

But right now, no one can point fingers at him.

Because he looks like he’s given it his all.

Strangely, even after playing the entire game, James seemed like he still had energy to spare.

Unlike Kobe, who refused to do more interviews in the media room after the game due to cramps.

James went to the media room with dignity; even as a loser, he didn’t talk about failure like a normal loser would.

“We didn’t do a good job on perimeter defense; we need to watch more footage,” James said, uttering words nobody could criticize. “Identify the problem, correct it, and things will improve.”

The problem is, how can you improve from a 0-3 deficit?

The end of the evil empire arrived punctually two days later.

Some die-hard fans still held out hope, believing that a reinvigorated Lakers team could achieve a comeback from three down.

Only, such a miracle had never occurred in NBA history.

Wishing for the unrealistic was akin to asking God for an impossible dream.

The game began, and the Lakers played fiercely.

Moreover, their shooting was on point.

For a moment, they secured a double-digit lead.

Had their prayers worked?

Lakers fans were only happy for one quarter.

The characteristic of the space-and-pace era is its explosive scoring power.

This strength is displayed in various ways. As the league’s average three-point shots per game exceed 30, and the success rate is on the rise, many teams can demolish their opponents in a wave when they’re hot.

Similarly, if the trailing team finds its groove, it can quickly cut the lead with perimeter shooting.

The Lakers started with a hot hand, thus establishing a double-digit lead.

But such a situation isn’t sustainable.

Because they’ve lost that strong roster depth they had, by the second quarter, the Supersonics had recovered, with Fei leading the charge with threes, and by half-time, the score had already reversed.

By the end of the half, the Supersonics were ahead by 5 points.

In the second half, no matter how Kobe and James attacked, the situation was never in the Lakers’ favor.

The Supersonics could easily neutralize their offensives.

Fei wreaked havoc in the low post, Durant initiated isolation plays from the weak side, Roy and Fei’s coordination improved, and even Chris Bosh, who had been underperforming since the playoffs with a mask, found his game tonight.

Marc Gasol, good as he may be, has had a problem with speed plaguing the Lakers since 2010.

Tonight, when the Supersonics fielded a five-out lineup, one screen later, four three-point options along the perimeter left the Spaniard helpless on defense. Step out of the paint, he’s blown by; stick to the paint, and he has to watch three-pointers rain down.

It wasn’t just his problem.

This was the problem faced by all traditional centers who had practiced three-pointers to find their place in the modern era.

What is a traditional center? First and foremost, they are invariably strong in the lower body. Yao, for example, was an extreme case.

Yao’s calves were as thick as tree trunks, which gave him a natural advantage in lower body strength but also decreased his lateral mobility over time.

Lateral movement is a big challenge for traditional big men in the era of space and pace basketball.

In an era that demands players be capable of switching endlessly on defense, it’s a deadly requirement for them.

Pau Gasol relived his 2010 nightmare tonight.

The Lakers entered the final quarter with a double-digit deficit.

Their hopes grew dimmer.

Kobe couldn’t help but be reminded of the curse Fei had cast on him two years ago: “Retire with the curse that you can’t win a championship without Shaquille O’Neal!”

Now, it seemed very likely that the curse would come true.

He was not one to concede easily, but even he couldn’t see any hope in this playoff series.

The mere emergence of such a thought meant the Lakers’ defeat was certain.

What about the future?

Is there anything to look forward to?

That’s the problem. If James leaves in the summer, the Lakers might not recover in the next three years.

With Kobe getting older and no young talent besides Pau Gasol, and no draft picks, attracting star players would rely on the free market. But how many would want to fill James’s shoes?

And how many would want to play second fiddle to the difficult Kobe?

Essentially, James’s departure could spell the end of Kobe’s career.