I just play ball

Chapter 3
"Don't!" Barkley waved his hand again and again, "I really like what happened in the last few seconds. It was an inspirational and imaginative story, but if Li Yue continued to play, everything would become worse, as if You are walking on the road and see an extremely beautiful figure from the back, and you rush up to look at the front with full expectation, but you find it is very ordinary, and you may even be frightened.”

"So you still insist on the point just now? Do you think Li Yue can't defend Paul George?" Ernie asked.

Barkley nodded: "Of course, Paul George is the Pacers' main attack point, and Li Yue's continued appearance is completely negative."

"I thought so before." Kenny said: "But from another perspective, the Lakers scored a total of 19 points throughout the fourth quarter, 13 of which came from Kobe. The defensive state is very poor, they urgently need another scoring point, they can try Li Yue."

"I agree with this opinion." Ernie opened the data sheet, "Judging from the data of the Los Angeles defenders this season, when Li Yue is on the court, the defenders' offensive efficiency is much higher than when he is off the court, but he himself scored very few points. , which shows that he is good at creating opportunities for his teammates, and his style of play is also very selfless, which fits perfectly with the current state of the Lakers."

...

Lakers bench.

D'Antoni had just finished arranging the overtime tactics, and he didn't signal to disband but stopped and pondered.

The atmosphere was a bit weird, and it was difficult for the players to ask questions and make eye contact with each other.

Just as the players were about to leave on their own, D'Antoni suddenly raised his finger and pointed at Earl Clark: "You go to the 3rd position and focus on defending Paul George's shots."

Hearing this, Li Yue's heart sank, realizing that he made two free throws and tied at the buzzer and hadn't changed anything.

Perhaps in the eyes of others, it was all just luck, just being selected by the Pacers, just making 2 of 1 free throws, and just picking up a rebound.

The pressure on the Lakers to enter the playoffs is so great. There are only 5 minutes of overtime. One or two rounds may decide the outcome. How dare a normal coach put him on it? .

A three-pointer is already earned. At least he has played in a game in his NBA career and achieved a tie.

Thinking of this, he smiled.

Seeing him like this, Kobe patted him on the shoulder, Nash winked at him, and Howard gave a thumbs up.

"Lee, that shot just now helped us a lot. Let's see what happens next. If there is a suitable opportunity, I will arrange for you to play again." D'Antoni added, as if to comfort him.

Li Yue understood what he said, and the meaning still needs to be garbage time.

...

In a blink of an eye, overtime began.

The big screen in the center of the stadium shows the lineups of the two teams: point guard Nash vs. George Hill, shooting guard Kobe vs. Sam Young, small forward Clark vs. Paul George, power forward Gasol vs. West, center Howard vs. Hiber special.

The referee walked to the middle circle, raised the ball with both hands and pushed it up gently. Hibbert touched it first and moved it back vigorously.

Hill picked it up and took it to the front court. After some running, George took the ball from the right wing and put on a three-threat pose.

Seeing this, the Pacers players opened up space one after another, and the fans booed wildly.

With his left foot as the axis, George continued to test with his right foot, suddenly stepped down the ball, and rushed towards the inside.

Clark hurriedly chased him sideways, but was pulled half a body away in an instant, and he couldn't reach the ball from behind with his hand.

Seeing this, Gasol and Howard quickly shrank to the basket, and George immediately collected the ball and pulled it out.

Boom!The basketball hit the circle and entered the net, and the score of the two teams became 100 to 102.

Howard picked up the basketball and retreated out of bounds, Nash caught the ball and advanced, and the fans cheered loudly.

After several consecutive screen runs, the Lakers failed to get a good shot.

Nash retreated to the top of the arc and raised his hand for a pick-and-roll, but Howard was like a pile of stones, showing no sign of moving.

Gasol moved his feet and wanted to lift up to cover, West went around to block, and the two started a hand-to-hand fight under the basket.

Nash turned his head to look for someone, and found that Kobe was entangled with Sam Young in the corner, and turned to give Clark a look.

Seeing this, Clark rushed to block Hill, and Nash took the opportunity to dribble and break through.

Hill dodges through the screen, double-teams with George, and makes a close call at the same time.

Nash remained calm in the face of danger, strode the ball back, and easily distributed it to Clark.

With five seconds left on the shot clock, Bryant sprinted to the top of the arc and Sam Young couldn't catch up.

But as soon as he ran to the position and raised his hand to ask for the ball, Clark had already taken off.

when!Basketball hits the basket and hits the iron.

Hibbert grabbed the rebound and threw it to George, who was about to come down. Clark chased after him.

The two rushed all the way to the free throw line, George collected the ball and started, and Clark followed closely.

Beep!The referee blew his whistle for a foul.

At the same time, the basketball hit the board and rebounded into the net, and George scored 2+1.

There was a sigh in the Staples Center.

George made a steady hit and added a penalty. The score of the two teams became 100 to 105. D'Antoni requested a timeout.

...

Inside the TNT studio.

Kenny laughed: "Clark's defense is terrible, and the offensive options are also frustrating."

Ernie nodded slightly: "Just now there are five seconds left in the attack clock. Although it is very short, he should pass the ball to Kobe who ran out of space."

Barkley looked slightly embarrassed: "Maybe I didn't see Kobe move, now I can try Li Yue, at least it won't be worse."

"That may have to wait a little longer... The Lakers will use a three-guard lineup this time..." Kenny spread his hands helplessly.

...

On the Lakers bench, Li Yue sat at the end, watching the dynamics of the court attentively.

In the previous timeout, D'Antoni arranged for Jodi Meeks to be the shooting guard, and the task of defending George was given to Kobe.

With his rich experience and strong aura, Bryant's defensive effect is quite good, and George made two consecutive shots.

But when it was the Lakers' turn to attack, George tried his best to prevent Kobe from receiving the ball, while other Pacers players continued to fight hand-to-hand.

The point difference failed to narrow, but further widened.

Li Yue looked very depressed, but he also understood that after Artest left the field, the team was very struggling in lineup rotation.

However, in his opinion, it is very simple to crack the Pacers' defense, just make more use of cover moves.But Howard was not happy to play pick-and-rolls. Kobe, Nash, and Gasol were seriously exhausted. Jodi Meeks, the only player who could run, didn't know how to run. Simple things became extremely complicated.

Seeing that the end of the game was getting closer, Li Yue felt restless.

"It was hard for me to score three points but lose the game. The UC editorial department couldn't write that I helped the team win."

"Will the coach be offended if I volunteer? Will Meeks be embarrassed?"

"If the coach asked me to play and I failed to perform well, wouldn't it be embarrassing and I might be scolded by the fans."

After much deliberation, Li Yue became more and more irritable, wanting to take the initiative to apply but lacking confidence.

Another whistle sounded, and the Lakers requested a timeout again.

At the same time, Li Yue made up his mind: try it no matter what, otherwise you may regret it for the rest of your life.

He got up and walked to D'Antoni and said directly: "Coach, I want to..."

(End of this chapter)