noveldrama
Chapter 991 991 578 Belief in the Process_2
Chapter 991 991 578 Belief in the Process_2
?Chapter 991: Chapter 578 Belief in the Process_2 Chapter 991: Chapter 578 Belief in the Process_2 “`
But Pau Gasol couldn’t truly rely on his inside advantage to change the course of the game.
Because Yu Fei hadn’t forgotten how he called out Pau Gasol by name years ago, rendering him unable to take the court.
In the context of space basketball, the Spaniard’s weak ability to defend pick-and-rolls was ultimately his Achilles’ heel.
Yu Fei started targeting Pau Gasol with play calls, and his presence quickly diminished while afterward, Blake Griffin broke free, rampaging beneath the hoop like a griffin.
Yu Fei called a pick-and-roll, tossed the ball into the air, and dunked as he jumped.
Moreover, Yu Fei wasn’t only assisting Griffin with slam dunks, but he was also frequently attacking the basket himself, drawing fouls from Pau Gasol repeatedly, causing the Spaniard to be benched early on.
Without their inside pivot, the Lakers began to show their age, Kobe’s shooting was off from the start, but does that mean he wouldn’t play? No, playing through a cold spell is also part of the Mamba mentality.
His ice-cold shots clanged chaotically off the rim, Yu Fei kept grabbing defensive rebounds and passing them to the frontcourt, where the primed Greek Freak exploded in full speed.
The Clippers only took half a game to change the fans’ opinion on site.
Some celebrities whispered amongst themselves in the front row.
What they discussed the most was— “The Clippers’ game is more entertaining to watch.”
Tonight’s Clippers team was like the United States Dream Team on the international stage, relying on their overwhelming athleticism to continuously deliver spectacular dunk shows.
Blake Griffin, in particular, caught everyone’s eye. Having been schooled by Yu Fei, he no longer rejected those so-called “monkey tricks.” With the addition of strong teammates, he was no longer the prime target of the competitors’ defense. The Lakers’ power forward simply couldn’t stop him, and when Marc Gasol was taken off due to too many fouls, the inside became Griffin’s playground.
He goes in whenever he wants, comes out whenever he wishes, and delivers the ball into the basket in any posture he desires.
Griffin completed 7 alley-oops alone, Yu Fei in half-court play slammed 4 breakthrough dunks, and Giannis Antetokounmpo also contributed with 4 end-to-end fast break slams.
“I sincerely suggest the Clippers change their name; they should not be called the Clippers, but the Exploders—oh my! Their game is truly a visual shock. If you’re a basketball fan, you absolutely cannot miss such games!”
Said Stephen A. Smith, the famous voice of ESPN, on Twitter.
The suspense of the outcome rapidly dissipated.
The Clippers crushed the Lakers with their talent, while the Lakers tacitly switched into “old timers” mode.
Kobe played as he wished, his shooting percentage wasn’t high, but his moves were elegant. He took 29 shots and made 12, scoring 32 points with 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Even though the Lakers lost by 22 points, every fan who watched the game felt it was worth the visit.
After all, tonight’s dunk show by the Clippers could easily be edited into an amazing highlight reel.
At the end of the game, the Staples Center erupted in rare cheers, a treatment the Clippers rarely enjoyed there.
“Frye, the number of dunks you guys made tonight is insane, can this kind of performance continue?” a reporter asked after the game.
“Why not?” Yu Fei clearly knew how to quickly build popularity, and the most direct method was to enhance the entertainment value of the game, with dunks being undoubtedly one of the best ways to do so. “The height of the basket hasn’t changed, and the athletic abilities of Blake, Giannis, and I won’t disappear after tonight. Our dunks will only increase in number.”
What followed was a series of chain reactions.
The Clippers clinched five of the day’s top ten plays, with Griffin accounting for two, Yu Fei one, and Antetokounmpo two. Subsequently, the four-minute dunk highlight reel of the Clippers against the Lakers went viral online.
The media started to pay attention to the changes in the Clippers team.
Bill Simmons, the journalist who claims to be the world’s number one Celtics fan, now lives in Los Angeles. He claims that moving to Los Angeles was for work, and Boston will always be his home. Despite living in Los Angeles, he resolutely refuses to buy Lakers tickets but is instead a long-time season ticket holder for the Clippers.
However, this season ticket holder of the Clippers was also one of the propagators of the notion of the “Clippers’ Curse.”
Now, after watching the game footage between the Clippers and the Lakers, he said: “For tonight, I think the Clippers are the most attractive team in the entire league!”
Mainstream media followed suit.
“Los Angeles Times” commented after the city derby last night: “The most impossible thing in this world is watching the Clippers completely surpass the Lakers team. But if even Frye joining the Clippers can happen, what else is impossible? It’s time to change your view on the Clippers!”
Clippers owner Ballmer also came out to capitalize on the buzz, saying he loved the name “Exploders” and would seriously consider the possibility of a name change.
If the first game of the new season could determine the overall trend of the season, then the Clippers were like a bullish stock, showcasing endless potential.
NBA history is not short of examples where entertainment value alone has successfully boosted game attendance.
To say nothing of the distant past, the Nash-era Phoenix Suns was a team that played “small ball” in the “Big Ball Era,” gaining widespread attention with their fluid offensive style.
And those teams that brought real shock to their home court without exception all had top-notch dunkers.
The Suns had Stoudemire, and the Clippers had Griffin and Antetokounmpo.
Plus, Yu Fei himself is also a player with many highlights.
His dunks are just as entertaining, and if a dunk reel were made for him, it would be no less impressive than those of professional dunkers.
“`