NBA: This Center Is So Stable

The game was a big success, but the Lakers lost.

Chapter 316: Mobile Center

80:70!

A 10-point difference!

Cook played for less than 2 minutes, and the difference between the two teams was pulled to double digits.

There were still 6 minutes left before the end of the game.

Almost all Lakers players were anxious, and the Zen Master had a serious expression.

He looked at O’Neal, waiting for his response.

Not only the Zen Master, but also the Lakers coaching staff and other teammates looked at O’Neal.

Kobe was no exception.

For a while, O’Neal became the man with high hopes, just like during the three consecutive championships, he always stood up and turned the tide.

Tonight may be no exception.

O’Neal stood up and jumped, feeling his body function, frowned slightly, and nodded in agreement.

He could feel his current state. Although he could play to help the Lakers stabilize and serve as the mainstay in the Lakers’ restricted area again.

But it would be difficult for him to wreak havoc in the restricted area and lead the Lakers out of the haze like he did in the past.

6 minutes and 04 seconds!

The Big Shark is back!

The stadium, which was originally full of loss, seemed to have regained some vitality at this moment.

Staples returned to its original hustle and bustle.

The man they were familiar with returned to the court. Even though they were dissatisfied with the “ignorant” old man, the Big Shark, only at this moment did they realize who was the indispensable role of this team.

“Shaq!”

“Shaq!”

“Shaq!”

The hustle and bustle on the scene made the neutral fans in the stands feel a little funny.

For about five minutes, these Lakers fans kept jumping back and forth, from the people who hated O’Neal the most to the people who needed him the most.

Front row of the neutral fans’ stands.

“Dayao, what do you think of the Lakers fans? They are funny!”

“O’Neal is like a piece of trash. He is repeatedly pulled by the Lakers fans. He is picked up when he is needed and let go when he is not needed.”

The leaders of the Basketball Association who came to watch the finals couldn’t help but complain.

Yao Min was quite helpless and his tone was a little weak: “Under such circumstances, O’Neal may have a hard time playing well!”

O’Neal had also experienced these things when he first entered the league.

It’s just that his way is to break the doubts with goals again and again, so that Houston fans can turn from cynicism to cheering and celebrating.

But now O’Neal… is he still able to convince the fans with picky tastes at Staples?

···

On the court.

O’Neal, who returned to the court, was given a very clear positioning by the Zen Master.

He only needs to do a good job of pick-and-roll, rebounding and defending Wang Song. It seems that O’Neal is not responsible for many projects, just a pure defensive tool.

But for O’Neal, who was already at the end of his strength, the energy required for this simple project was far beyond his carrying limit.

After the timeout, the Lakers had the ball.

O’Neal’s return was obviously good news for the entire Lakers. Kobe took the initiative to high-five O’Neal, and the cold relationship between the two seemed to have eased.

Then in the first half, he took the initiative to ask for the ball and played pick-and-roll with O’Neal.

This was once the main scoring method of the Lakers, but after a hard fight, the effect was greatly reduced.

The first problem appeared in O’Neal’s pick-and-roll.

When the Knicks found that O’Neal’s footsteps slowed down significantly, Wang Song just gave a look to his teammates defending O’Neal, and the two began to surround Kobe who was holding the ball.

When O’Neal was about to cut in, Kobe was surrounded by two big centers with a height of 210+.

With long arms covering the sky and the sun in front of him, not to mention Kobe, who was not good at organization, even Nash would find it difficult to find teammates.

If Payton hadn’t come to the rescue in time, the Lakers’ first attack would undoubtedly have been intercepted by the Knicks’ double-team.

This successful defense not only made the Zen Master frown, but even D’Antoni on the other side clenched his fists excitedly.

Such excellent defensive cooperation, even this old man who is accustomed to the European system praised it.

Of course, there is no time to celebrate on the court.

After Payton received the ball, the ball still belonged to the Lakers.

Since Kobe could not be the starting point, Payton could only direct his teammates to run and reorganize the offense.

You can say that the “glove” of this period is old, slow, and inaccurate… But you can’t say that he organized

Incompetent.

Directing his teammates’ running outside the three-point line, and then using speed to break through Nash.

In an instant, the Knicks’ defense was torn apart by Payton.

The Zen Master on the sidelines had a light in his eyes at that moment!

Could it be that giving the ball to Payton to organize is the true answer for the Lakers?

But the Knicks’ defense gave the answer.

At the moment when Nash was passed, O’Neal rushed directly into the inside to put pressure on the Knicks, and Kobe in the other corner was also waiting for an opportunity.

For a while, the three people formed a triangle, and this attack was very Phil Jackson.

But what the Zen Master didn’t expect was that the Knicks’ response was far beyond his imagination.

Nash, who was passed by Payton in one step, was almost not stagnant at all. He did not habitually chase Payton, but rushed directly to Kobe at the bottom line.

Correspondingly, when he saw Nash being passed, Prince, who was guarding Kobe, also gave up his opponent and rushed directly to Payton.

According to this defensive pattern, Payton would have about 1 second to shoot before Prince arrived.

But what really suffocated him was that the Knicks did not intend to give him the chance to shoot at this point.

The Asian kid in the penalty area was like a wind under his legs. Just when Payton was still hesitating, he stood behind O’Neal in the blink of an eye, blocking Payton’s offensive route in advance.

The hungry wolf pounce of Prince and Wang Song left Payton with no room to survive!

Of course, this round of defense is naturally impossible to be flawless. After all, after Nash was singled out, the Knicks’ defense has undergone huge changes.

Even though Wang Song and others have made extreme adjustments to their defense, Payton still observed the gap in the Knicks’ defense.

The duel between masters happened in the blink of an eye!

Payton passed the ball directly to Huang Long and passed it to O’Neal, who was unguarded under the basket.

The precise surgical pass showed the veteran’s skills.

It was just the choice of lob, which became the biggest failure.

As we all know, lob can be said to be the slowest of all passes. If this round of offense encountered a heavy center of the same level as O’Neal, it would undoubtedly be a successful offense.

But they encountered the most mobile inside player in the league!

Then, the moment Payton lobbed the ball, he watched Wang Song, who played almost the entire game, disappear in front of him and return to the basket.

Of course, Wang Song is a man after all, not a god. After losing his advantageous defensive position, it is naturally impossible to limit O’Neal’s attack on the basket.

So, he made a move that everyone on the scene could not understand.

He decisively hugged O’Neal and sent him to the free throw line.

(End of this chapter)