basketball boulder

Chapter 64 Not expressing a position is also an attitude
The battle was broadcast live on TNT.

They sent ace commentary partners Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley.

Also invited special guest Steve Kerr.

Before the game, the trio was doing pre-match analysis.

Kenny said: "There is no doubt that the Lakers are stronger."

Barkley: "But Malone's absence has made the Mosaic team a little bit more likely to go down."

Cole made a specific analysis: "If Malone doesn't play, the strengths of the two teams are almost the same. Center Yao Ming vs. O'Neal, backcourt Mobley + Francis vs. Kobe + Payton. The performance of the stars is crucial, but other than that In addition, the front line confrontation is also an important determinant of this Christmas battle. Jim Jackson + Rafonso Ellis vs. Devon George + Medvedenko, to see who can provide more fire support and flank protection for the main force, It will also determine the final outcome of the game.”

Drip!

Game start.

O'Neal won with a jump ball and the Lakers went first.

O'Neal hit Yao Ming inside, and then turned around with his back to throw the shot, which was missed by Yao Ming's interference.

Medvedenko overwhelmed Ellis to grab an offensive rebound and made a tip-up.

Medvedenko is a very capable player, and veteran Ellis is a bit overwhelmed.

2: 0.

Mosaic attack.

Bryant went straight up to defend Francis.

Francis broke through and gave the ball to Jim Jackson. Jackson missed the shot under George's interference.

Devin George is taller and in his prime, and has an advantage over smaller forward Jim Jackson who is downhill.

In just one round, Li Lei judged that even if the Lakers lacked Malone, the forward line was better than the Mosaic team.

Sure enough, in the following games, Medvedenko and George were able to help O'Neal with dirty and tiring work inside, and helped Kobe and Payton make up and assist defense outside, and their performances were very eye-catching.

The two veterans, Jackson and Ellis, are powerless, and it is not easy to complete their tasks.

At the end of the first quarter, at 22:18, the Lakers led by 4 points.

In the second quarter, Francis burst into form and led the team to tie the score.

In the third quarter, Yao Ming also performed well, leading the Mosaic team to turn defeat into victory.

End of three quarters, 60:64.

The Mosaic team instead led by 4 points.

The data of Yao Ming and Francis are also better than those of O'Neal and Kobe.

Barkley therefore asserted: "The Mosaic team has a greater hope of winning."

Kenny would naturally stand opposite Barkley and support the Lakers.

This can arouse discussion among fans.

Kerr then stated that he also supported the lagging Lakers.

He stated his views.

Although the Lakers are behind, their role players have taken on enough tasks. O'Neal and Kobe are not tired and have sufficient physical fitness.

On the other hand, the Mosaic team, their role players have been crushed, almost relying on Yao Ming and Francis to play in the first three quarters, and these two players may not have enough stamina in the fourth quarter.

Li Lei nodded again and again, Cole's words still make sense.

Li's father and Li's mother didn't believe it: Dayao and Francis couldn't make it through the fourth quarter in just one game?
For a normal game, Yao Ming and Francis would naturally have no problem holding out for four quarters.

But the problem is, the opposite is the OK combination!
Yao Ming was defending against O'Neal. It is not an exaggeration to say that one round of defense against O'Neal costs more than three rounds of defense against other players.

Francis didn't defend Kobe directly, but Jackson and Mobley have been beaten by Kobe all the time. Francis had no choice but to help defend and supplement the defense, which was not a small waste.

Sure enough, the fourth quarter started.

Yao Ming's turnaround jump shot was a lot shorter.

Kobe rushed into the mosaic paint, pulled the bar to avoid three dunks.

Neither did Francis' mid-range pull-up jumper.

O'Neal pushes away Yao Ming and dunks with both hands.

The state of the core of the two sides is completely different.

At the beginning, the Lakers overtook the score, and then gradually widened the gap to establish the victory.

In the end, 88:81, the Lakers won the Christmas War.

It can be said that Yao Ming and Francis were held back by role players.

But it's also worth noting that the Lakers' role players are bad enough.

In order to make up F4, the Lakers simply don't have the money to sign any good role players, only George and Fisher are okay.

As a result, the Mosaic team's role players turned out to be worse than the Lakers.

Whoever saw Lafonso exploded Ellis.

Anthony I don't know anything but the name Carter.

Jim, I'm Jackson, a veteran signed by Morey's minimum salary.

There is no worst, only worse.

……

The next day, Li's father and Li's mother returned to Los Angeles, and Li Lei also drove to the American Airlines Center arena.

After parking the car, Li Lei went to the locker room with rice cakes.

Along the way, Li Lei shared a portion of rice cakes with the staff he met.

Li Lei prepared a lot of rice cakes, these things are not worth the money, but they are also heartfelt.

Some people ate it on the spot and raved about the rice cakes.

After changing in the locker room, Li Lei started training alone. He was the first player to arrive today.

Afterwards, the players arrived one by one, practiced, chatted about the holiday, and gave each other presents.

Not long after, Cato arrived, holding a newspaper in his hand: "Stone, have you heard? Something happened to the Mosaic team."

Li Lei shook his head, he didn't have the habit of reading newspapers in the morning.

There are no smart phones these days, and the news is basically dependent on newspapers, so the flow of information is not fast enough.

Cato said: "I heard that Steve is dissatisfied with the current lineup of the Mosaic team and asked the management to trade or sign some truly powerful role players before the trade deadline."

Li Lei was not too surprised.

Last night's game has clearly exposed the poor role players of the Mosaic team.

It's okay for you to be a poor role player, but it's too much to be worse than the Lakers.

It's normal for Francis not to accept it.

Li Lei asked, "What did the management say?"

Cato: "Morey is very angry! It is taboo for players to meddle in the management. He reprimanded Steve for being unruly in front of everyone."

Li Lei nodded, looked at Cato, and waited for the follow-up.

Cato continued: "Steve is a face-saving person, how can he bear it? He directly blasted, saying that Morey didn't understand basketball at all. He would do nothing but scratch the basic salary and save money for the boss. The two broke out. Intense quarrels, so much trouble!"

Li Lei took the newspaper in Cato's hand, flipped through it but found no relevant news: "How do you know about this?"

Cato is proud: "I have played in Houston for several years, and there is my eyeliner there. The Mosaic team hides this matter very well, and outsiders don't know."

After saying this, Cato suddenly realized something, and became depressed again.

Li Lei: "Did Yao Ming make a statement?"

Cato: "Yao did nothing, acting like an outsider."

Li Lei nodded: Not expressing a position is also an attitude.

Since Yao Ming didn't dissuade Morey from quarreling with Francis, he just hoped that the Mosaic team could make a change.

After all, from Yao Ming's own point of view, he also hopes to have better role players, so that he can achieve results.

Who likes to lose?
(End of this chapter)