Thanos

Chapter 76 Christmas Battle
12 month 16 day.

Ye Heping's first game back was against the king.

Five teams in the Pacific Division: Lakers, Suns, Kings, Warriors, and Clippers.

According to NBA regulations, the Kings and Lakers only have 3 regular season games a season.

(Take the Lakers as an example.

The 15 teams in the Eastern Conference play 2 games each.

There are 15 teams in the West, 14 teams are removed from the Lakers, and 4 teams are removed from the same district to get 10 teams.

15*2+10*4+4*3=82。

That's how the 82 regular-season games are distributed. )
In this game, Ye Heping proved his worth.

He defended Peja throughout the game, allowing the latter to only score 13 points and 5 rebounds, shooting only 32% from the field, and 5 of 1 three-pointers.

In addition, Cook, who was regarded as a defensive loophole in the first three games, suddenly broke out and scored 15 points and 7 rebounds off the bench.

Kobe focused on the offensive end and easily scored 31 points, 6 assists and 12 rebounds.

The two defensive loopholes of Atkins and Butler did not seem obvious, scoring 15 and 14 points respectively.

In short, Ye Heping came on the stage, and all the Lakers players felt a lot more comfortable.

There are people on the rebound, someone on the shot, someone on the defense...

And Ye Heping himself only had 8 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks, making him the most inconspicuous of the main players.

……

12 month 17 day.

The Lakers play the Wizards.

Ye Heping was used by Tang Shuai to defend Arenas, the boss of the Wizards and point guard.

Arenas still scored 30 points, but took 31 shots and hit just over 30 percent.

……

12 month 20 day.

The Lakers fight the Grizzlies again.

The old coach Hubie Brown didn't know why, but he went directly to the intensity of the playoffs.

The two teams engaged in a hand-to-hand fight.

At 17:16 in the first quarter, the Lakers led by 1 point.

Bryant received key care, James Posey, Sean Battier took turns close.

And as long as Kobe breaks through, the Grizzlies will be flanked by at least three people.

Kobe Bryant made 3 of 1 shots, which was horrible.

But what was even worse was Pau Gasol. He made 2 of 0 shots in the first quarter.

At halftime, 38:36, the Lakers only led by 2 points.

At the end of the three quarters, 56:52, the Lakers led by 4 points.

The fans watched it very painfully. The two teams fought hard, and the FedEx Arena became a blacksmith's shop.

The fourth quarter is even more outrageous.

Within 3 minutes, neither team scored a goal.

Kobe Bryant and Gasol were not even able to find a chance to make a phone call.

However, the role players of the Grizzlies are very powerful. Battier made two three-pointers, Mike Miller scored 5 points in a row, and Posey made a mid-range shot.

The Grizzlies scored 13 points in a row and launched a wave of 13:5 attacks.

61:65, the Grizzlies lead by 4 points in turn.

Seeing this situation, Tang Shuai made decisive adjustments, no longer let Kobe blindly break through to find opportunities, but let others try to score.

The adjustments took effect immediately.

Cook hit a three-pointer, Butler hit an emergency stop jumper, Ye Heping made two mid-range shots, and the Lakers hit a wave of 9:0 attacks.

70:65, the Lakers won with difficulty.

The combined score of the two sides is 135, which is not even as good as the score of one side in the small ball era. The defensive intensity is simply outrageous.

加索尔全场18投5中，命中率27.8%，拿了14分7篮板3助攻。

科比16投2中，命中率12.5%，拿了11分6篮板8助攻。

The core data of both sides is appalling.

On the contrary, Ye Heping performed well, making 9 of 7 shots and shooting 77.8% from the field. He scored 14 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals and 5 blocks, almost a double-double.

The tougher the battle, the better Ye Heping's performance.

And as CIC gets better and better, it almost becomes a bug.A 206 cm striker, as fast as a defender, especially accurate mid-range shots.

You use the outside to defend him, the speed is enough, the height is not enough.You use the inside to defend him, enough height, not enough speed.

Fortunately, Ye Heping can only throw open balls, but will not attack independently, which makes many coaches breathe a sigh of relief.

……

On December 12, hit the Hornets.

How could the Hornets, already 2 wins and 22 losses, beat the Lakers.

In the end, 109:89, the Lakers ushered in a big victory, and by the way, another wave of 4 consecutive victories.

It is worth mentioning that J.R. Smith was very kind to Ye Heping. He took the initiative to invite Ye Heping to dinner before the game and obeyed Ye Heping's words.

Ye Heping was a little confused. Is this the well-known nba player?

Could it be because the princess hugged her back then?Thinking of this, Ye Heping couldn't eat anymore.

In short, Ye Heping returned and the Lakers won four consecutive victories, so many voices disappeared.

……

In a blink of an eye, it was the end of 2004.

And the most important holiday for Americans is coming, Christmas.

Ye Heping didn't feel anything, he and Tao Jia were still living their usual lives.

But the streets and alleys of Los Angeles have begun to be decorated, colorful and very beautiful.

General shops and companies are also closed for a holiday!
NBA players do not have this opportunity, they still have to fly and play games all over the world.

The NBA also ushered in a major event: the Christmas game.

This year, the league arranged two Christmas games.

Pistons vs Pacers.

This would have been a strong matchup in the East, but at the moment it lost focus.

The team's three main players are all suspended, and the Pacers are led by a 39-year-old Thunderbolt Miller. What suspense is there in the game?
So another Christmas game has caught the attention of basketball fans around the world.

Lakers vs Heat.

If Green Kai is the old enemy of the Zijin, and the Spurs are the enemy of the Lakers in the new century, then the Heat are the enemy of the Lakers this season.

There are simply endless topics between the two teams.

OK turned against each other, the sharks traveled eastward, didn't O'Neal want to beat Kobe and make Lakers owner Buss regret it?
Doesn't Kobe want to beat O'Neal to prove that he is the right choice?

What was once the strongest duo in history is now the worst enemy.

In addition, the Heat's starting small forward Eddie Jones is nicknamed "the man Kobe used as a backup for him". Yes, he was the starting shooting guard for the Lakers, and Kobe was a backup for him.

The Lakers sent him away just to give Kobe a place. Guess if Eddie has any objections to Kobe.

Heat general manager "magic operator" Pat Riley used to be a Lakers player and was a teammate of "Marshal" Wilt Chamberlain and "logo man" Jerry West.

During the coaching period, he led the Lakers to form "Showtime" and won four championships for the Lakers, but in the end he was forced to abolish by Magic Johnson and all the players. Do you think Riley has any hatred for the Lakers?

Lakers players Odom, Butler, and Sr. Grant used to be Heat players, and they were reduced to bargaining chips in exchange for O'Neal. Do you think they hate the Heat?
……

In short, this is a love-hate relationship that can't be finished in three days and three nights.

But everyone knows that Kobe and O'Neal are the biggest highlights tonight.

One is still the league's No. [-] center, and the other is vaguely the league's No. [-] shooting guard.

From the perspective of later generations, it is inevitable that O'Neal and Kobe will turn against each other. The two personalities can no longer tolerate each other. The most important thing is that the salary of the Lakers cannot accommodate the two giants.

But looking at it at the time, it was a pity that OK's rivalry, if they were still together, would they win another championship, two championships, or even a dynasty.

本赛季，奥尼尔场均出战34.1分钟，22.9分10.4篮板2.7助攻0.5抢断2.3盖帽。

All the statistics have fallen to the lowest or second lowest in his career, and his 46.1% free throw percentage is even more outrageous.

But he also shot 60.1 percent from the field, a career high.

He is still the most dominant center in the league.

科比场均40.7分钟，27.6分5.9篮板6助攻1.3抢断0.8盖帽。

(Scoring is not a career high for Kobe, he averaged 30+ once and 28+ once)

Just putting these two pieces of data together is picturesque.

The Lakers have 20 wins and 5 losses, and the Heat have 21 wins and 7 losses. The two teams are also the strongest teams in the league, which fully demonstrates their ability to lead the team.

(In real history, the record of the Lakers this season is also passable. Before Tang Shuai retired from illness and Kobe was injured, the Lakers also entered the playoffs steadily.)
(End of this chapter)