manynovel Chapter 70 73 Wins, 9 Losses! The Strongest Team in History is Born! [Please Subscribe]
Chapter 70 73 Wins, 9 Losses! The Strongest Team in History is Born! [Please Subscribe]
Chapter 70 73 Wins, 9 Losses! The Strongest Team in History is Born! [Please Subscribe]
"Bang!"
With a muffled thud, Webber's raised elbow struck Lin Ze squarely in the chest. Then, he pressed his shoulder against Lin Ze and exerted force. After this impact, Webber was not satisfied and quickly pressed against Lin Ze again, then slammed his elbow down once more.
After another muffled thud, Webber did not continue to press Lin Ze's defensive space this time, but instead turned around and tried to drive to the basket.
But Lin Ze, who had withstood two heavy blows from Webber, was not about to let him score so easily.
Those two blows weren't for nothing!
Lin Ze didn't complain to the referee, because that's how it is these days; complaining won't get you a whistle, it will only make the referee...
Your opponents, and even your teammates, look down on you and think you're a complete coward.
Lin Ze quickly moved sideways to block Webber's offensive route again, forcing Webber to turn around again, but this also put him in the Lakers' trap.
Shaquille O'Neal is here!
Lin Ze and O'Neal sandwiched him under the basket, one on each side. In this situation, even with Webber's historically great vision, he couldn't pass the ball out. Lin Ze seized the opportunity and slapped the ball away from Webber's control.
Lin Ze himself didn’t know if it was a foul, but he was very clear: if the referee didn’t call it, then it was a good play!
The only downside was that although Lin Ze successfully stole the ball, the Lakers were unable to launch a fast break and had to resort to half-court offense again.
Lin Ze pressed close to Webber and launched into a tirade: "Those last few moves were pretty powerful! I bet you're the fiercest woman in all of Sacramento! No wonder they call you Queen!"
"Fuck you!" Weber cursed, then reached out and placed his hand on Lin Ze's waist, his fingers tightening as if he wanted to give Lin Ze a hard slap.
But Lin Ze had already anticipated what he was going to do. He turned his arm and slapped Webber's arm away, while simultaneously using the momentum to swing his elbow backward.
On the other side, Kobe, who had just gotten past his defender and was rushing towards the inside, keenly noticed that Lin Ze had successfully shaken off the defense and immediately passed the ball out with one hand.
Lin Ze didn't disappoint Kobe after receiving the ball. He started his run and drove straight towards Divac, easily scoring 2 points with a one-handed layup!
"You prefer to be in the back?" After scoring, Lin Ze couldn't resist mocking Webber again: "Ladies in the back, it's hard to imagine what kind of position that is."
"Lin!" Weber said grimly, "Don't think I'll let you off so easily!"
This time, Webber simply positioned himself at the edge of the three-second zone to call for the ball, intending to back down Lin Ze!
But when Webber was about to elbow Lin Ze hard and then drive to the basket, Lin Ze changed his tactics!
Lin Ze, who had been clinging to him and fiercely and fearlessly taking his attacks each time, suddenly played a trick when he was about to fight back again. He pulled out a chair and took two steps back.
Caught off guard, Webber immediately lost his balance and staggered a couple of steps before the referee blew his whistle.
"Traveling violation!"
After that play, Lin Ze defended against Webber's attacks for several consecutive possessions! He did the same throughout the first half of the game, and Webber simply couldn't beat him.
11投3中，8分3篮板3助攻4失误。
These are the statistics Webber delivered against Lin Ze in the first half of the game.
As the team leader, Webber should have stepped up to save the team when all other offensive options were shut down, but unexpectedly he was completely locked down by Lin Ze!
"Lin's defense is really underestimated!" Wilmarcus, now known as the number one Lin fan in the country, said sincerely. "At the beginning of the season, I thought he had good awareness and quick footwork, and could be a perfect part of the Lakers' defense."
"But now I think he has top-notch one-on-one defensive ability, and from any perspective, he should be in the discussion for the All-Defensive Team of the Year."
"He deserves a place!"
Smith added, "If there's anything that drags down Lin's defensive rating, it's definitely his defensive stats. His defensive stats are mediocre. If you don't watch the game and only look at the stats, you'd easily think Lin is a terrible defender."
"But if you watched the game, if you saw everything he did, you'd know how important his defense is to the Lakers!"
"More importantly, he's smart enough!" Wilmarcus said. "He's completely different from some players who would disregard the team's overall defense for a block or steal. Lin's defense is absolutely correct."
"He'd rather forgo a steal than lose his defensive position; he'd rather miss a block than give his opponent an easy opportunity to jump and shoot. This kind of defense doesn't yield many statistics, but its effectiveness is absolutely outstanding."
"All coaches would love this kind of defender! He won't lose his position, and he won't sacrifice the team's defense for the sake of stats."
"If Lin's defense has any flaws, it's that he's not very good at dealing with those bull-like inside players. His strength and power are still a bit lacking."
"But the Lakers have Shaq, a bull-type center. Just leave it to Shaq. Shaq is the league's number one bull, no, the number one tyrant," Smith said. "Which team in this league has two bull-type centers?"
With praise from the two commentators, Lin Ze continued his blockade and suppression of Webber in the third quarter.
The Lakers maintained a large lead throughout the game.
The Kings have no consistent scoring threat or ability to cause the Lakers continuous trouble.
The score difference between the two sides naturally widened.
By the end of the third quarter, the point difference had reached a staggering 29 points!
The suspense of this match has completely disappeared!
As time went on, the fans at the scene began to get restless; they couldn't hold back any longer.
"TO BE NO.1!"
It's unclear who started it, but the Lakers' newly announced slogan quickly resounded throughout the arena. The fans couldn't wait; they knew it was tonight!
After tonight, we will be number one!
Time flew by, the Lakers' lead grew larger and larger, and the fans came up with more and more creative antics.
They started doing the wave, and cheers echoed throughout the stadium.
They started shouting that they wanted John Sally.
One minute they're shouting, "Bring Devin on!"
Jackson played along with the fans, letting whichever water cooler they wanted to see show off its skills.
Finally, the fans, having been repeatedly satisfied, began to push their luck.
66
"We want Phil!"
When the fans shouted like that, the big screen in the arena naturally focused its camera on Jackson, who was sitting in the audience.
The old man smiled, shook his head, and waved his hand. Seeing that the camera was still pointed at him and wouldn't move away, he actually started to loosen his tie!
Then he started unbuttoning his shirt, as if he were really going to go on stage.
At this moment, as the old man's number one confidant, Lin Ze naturally had no choice but to start his work!
He somehow found a jersey and handed it to Jackson, and thoughtfully helped Jackson take off the suit that Jackson hadn't even planned to take off.
Lin Ze's actions naturally drew cheers from the fans in the stadium, bringing the game to a climax.
We want Phil!
In response, Lin Ze could only say: Cherish the days when you can laugh and shout "We want Phil!"
In a few years, when you shout like that again, a silly little mustache will be coming.
"5！4！3！2！1！"
With five seconds left in the game, the entire Staples Center erupted in cheers. All the fans, including Jack Nicholson, stood up, watching the numbers on the timer and counting down together.
When the final buzzer sounded, all the fans roared and cheered wildly.
Record broken!
And they broke the record one game ahead of schedule!
73 wins and 8 losses!
Starting tonight, the best record in the league's regular season belongs to the Los Angeles team!
However, compared to the fans, the Lakers players were much calmer, and even the Lakers' official organization did not prepare any celebration ceremony.
Preparing brand new T-shirts before the game was all the Lakers had to do.
After all, having the best regular season record in history is a great honor, but only if the Lakers win the championship this season!
If they fail to become champions in the end, then this record will become a joke.
Therefore, in order to reduce the pressure on the team and to avoid damaging their reputation beforehand, the Lakers' management chose not to open champagne at halftime.
At the very least, champagne will not be opened in public during the first half of the event.
"That's the spirit of a champion team!" Wilmarcus summarized after the game: "Regular season champion, great! But without a championship, you're nothing!"
"The Lakers maintained their composure and calm; now, let's see how they fare in the playoffs!"
"If the Lakers win the championship, they'll have plenty of time to celebrate!"
"If they don't win, then at least tonight's lack of excessive celebration will prevent them from being too embarrassed."
"Congratulations!" On the court, Webber, who had just been at odds with Lin Ze, now had a smile on his face, patted Lin Ze on the shoulder and congratulated him: "A great achievement."
What happens on the basketball court should be resolved on the basketball court.
There's no need to remain tense after the match.
"We're having a celebration party later, wanna come?" Lin Ze also sent an invitation to Webber with a smile.
"No!" Weber rolled his eyes and refused outright.
You guys are celebrating breaking regular season records? What the hell am I supposed to do that?
Although the Lakers' management did not prepare any public celebrations, staff members still collected the game ball early and had the entire Lakers team sign it. Then, everyone took a group photo with the basketball in the locker room.
In the future, this basketball will inevitably be placed in the Lakers' museum display room.
Jerry Buss, who almost never comes to the team but is involved in team management, also came to the Lakers' locker room tonight and gave a speech.
Of course, the most exciting part of his speech was when he said that Hefner, the founder of Playboy, would be joining the party that night with his Playboy Girls.
The moment those words were spoken, the entire locker room erupted in cheers, as if they had won the championship that night!
Even for some fringe players, winning a championship wouldn't change much, but the chance to spend the night with a Playboy lady might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
What happened at the party that night when the Lakers beat the Kings is not important at all. After all, apart from some participants saying it was the best night of their lives, there was nothing special about the night.
Following that night, the Lakers officially announced that seven players—O'Neal, Kobe, Lin Ze, Rice, Harper, Fisher, and Green—would miss the team's final regular season game due to injury.
By rotating seven players at once, Jackson is giving the Lakers' starters, who have worked hard all season, a few days of rest.
Even Jackson himself backed out, claiming he had a severe cold and leaving the coaching duties for the final game to Mendes.
Between the game against the Kings and the Lakers' playoff debut, there were a full five days, which was an extremely important and rare rest period for the entire Lakers team.
After all, once the playoffs start, they might not have any time to rest at all.
The playoff matchups are one game after another!
As for the result of the Lakers' final regular season game?
unimportant.
While the Lakers were resting, many teams in the league were fighting tooth and nail in the final days of the regular season to secure a better ranking and a playoff spot!
For example, the Spurs, Suns, and Jazz in the West all had the same record on the last day of the season: 52 wins and 29 losses. These three teams were ranked 3rd to 5th in the West.
They all aspire to be the third seed so they can avoid the formidable Lakers in the second round. In the final game of the season, all three teams will undoubtedly fight tooth and nail.
Logically speaking, the Spurs should be the most advantageous team, as they have the best head-to-head record. If they have the same record, they should be ranked first. So, if they win their last game, they will be third!
But the San Antonio team isn't really in the mood to fight for third place right now.
Just a few days ago, their team's star player and last year's Finals MVP, Tim Duncan, suffered a serious meniscus injury due to a collision, ending his season prematurely!
San Antonio's dream of defending their title ended before it even began.
For them, their regular season seeding is no longer important. Without Duncan, they have no chance of winning the championship. The aging David Robinson may be able to dominate in a few games, but he has long lost the ability to sweep through a series and lead his team to the next round.
The Spurs' season can be said to be over prematurely.
In this situation, the Spurs, with their morale completely shattered, suffered a crushing defeat in their final regular season game, ultimately finishing fifth, while the Jazz finished fourth, becoming their opponent.
The entire city of Salt Lake City erupted in cheers, believing they had secured their place in the second round.
The Spurs, who originally aimed to defend their title, have now become an easy target in the eyes of others.
In addition, the Kings, who were originally ranked eighth, reversed their direct rivals, the SuperSonics, in the last game of the regular season, and successfully rose to seventh. They avoided the Lakers, but their opponent is still a strong and invincible team.
Portland Trail Blazers!
With both battles for position now concluded, the Western Conference standings have been finalized.
1.洛杉矶湖人73胜9负2.波特兰开拓者60胜22负3.菲尼克斯太阳53胜29负4.犹他爵士53胜29负5.圣安东尼奥马刺52胜30负6.明尼苏达森林狼50胜32负7.萨克拉门托国王45胜37负8.西雅图超音速44胜38负另外，如今西强东弱的格局还没有彻底成型，东部也并不像未来那样几乎毫无竞争力。
Although the Eastern Conference no longer has super teams like the Lakers and Trail Blazers, and if the tables were to be moved to the West, only one team from the East would be in the top half of the standings, and only five teams would make it to the Western Conference playoffs, they still managed to close out all the suspense until the very last day.
Similar to the Western Conference, the Knicks, 76ers, and Hornets all had the same record on the final day of the season, and they would have to rely on the final day's crucial matchup to determine who would prevail.
Ultimately, although Iverson scored 47 points to secure the victory for his team, Houston and Sprewell combined for a total of 62 points.
The score was 3 points, securing the Knicks' final victory.
Ultimately, the Knicks successfully gained the upper hand in the battle for third place and secured the third spot.
The three-way battle between the Pistons, Bucks, and Magic is equally thrilling. The Magic are one game behind the Pistons and Bucks, but they have the advantage of playing against each other. If they win and either the Bucks or the Pistons lose, the Magic will advance to the top eight and eliminate one of the teams from the playoffs.
Unfortunately, on the last day of the season, although both the Pistons and Bucks lost, the Magic also failed to recover and lost as well!
The combined losses of these three teams have given this battle royale a somewhat dark humor, leaving people wondering whether they are fighting for a playoff spot or trying to win the lottery.
But regardless, the Eastern Conference standings have already been determined.
1.印第安纳步行者56胜26负2.迈阿密热火51胜31负3.纽约尼克斯50胜32负4.费城76人50胜32负5.夏洛特黄蜂49胜33负6.多伦多猛龙44胜38负7.底特律活塞42胜40负8.密尔沃基雄鹿42胜40负至此，东西部排名全部出炉，16支晋级季后赛的球队在短暂的休息之后，就将展开一对一的搏杀！
The most intense and exciting playoffs, and the ones fans have been eagerly anticipating, have officially begun!
In addition, with the end of the regular season, the individual statistical leaders have all been determined.
Shaquille O'Neal won his second scoring title with an average of 28.9 points per game, surpassing Allen Iverson. Dikembe Mutombo won the rebounding title with an average of 14.1 rebounds per game. Alonzo Mourning also topped the leaderboard with 3.7 blocks per game, Jason Kidd with 10.1 assists per game, and Eddie Jones with 2.7 steals per game.
Lin Ze, with an average three-point shooting percentage of 43.7%, became the player with the highest three-point shooting percentage in the entire league!
Of course, the data only counts players who take more than 10 shots in a single season; otherwise, those guys who only take 1-2 buzzer-beaters would dominate this list.
Furthermore, Lin Ze averaged 2.9 three-pointers per game, making him the NBA player with the most three-pointers per game in a single season.
Of course, this excludes the two seasons from 1995 to 1997 when the three-point line was shortened, since even Lu Dan shot 50% and 42.7% three-point percentages in those two seasons, respectively.
Even including those two seasons when the three-point line was shortened, Lin Ze's average of three points per game this season would still rank third in history, only behind Dennis Scott and George McLeod in 1996.
From this perspective, it is not an exaggeration to call Lin Ze the strongest shooter in NBA history this season!
Absolutely high quality and quantity!
Besides Lin Ze, who has basically secured the Most Improved Player award this year, the 0K duo have also delivered their best performances to date.
Shaquille O'Neal, who led his team to the best record in history and won his second scoring title, won Player of the Month for three months this year. He had already secured the MVP award before the All-Star Game even started. The only suspense was whether he could become the first unanimous MVP in history.
Jordan, with 72 wins, was 4 votes behind. What about Shaq, with 73 wins?
As for Kobe, he continued his consistent improvement throughout his career this year, averaging 21 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game. In addition to his more refined and comprehensive offensive skills, Kobe's biggest improvement this year has been in his defense!
He has now become the Lakers' number one defensive anchor on the perimeter, and some even believe that Kobe has surpassed Gary Payton, Kendall Geer, Kirsty Pippen, and others, and is now the NBA's number one perimeter anchor.
It's worth mentioning that, thanks to Lin Ze's addition, the Lakers have not only won 6 more games this season than before, but they have also scored 5 more points per game, and their average point differential has increased from 8 points to 9.3 points.
However, with the addition of Lin Ze, a scorer averaging 20+ points per game, the scoring statistics of most Lakers players have declined.
For example, both O'Neal and Kobe averaged about one less point per game than they originally had, while Rice and Horry were affected even more.
Rice was originally averaging 15.9 points per game, but he is only averaging 10.1 points per game so far this season. Horry is in an even worse situation, having completely fallen out of the Lakers' rotation.
There's nothing we can do about it. His playing style is almost exactly the same as Lin Ze's. He also relies on defense, three-pointers, and high basketball IQ to make his way in the league.
But clearly, the current Lakers team is far stronger than the Lakers team Lin Ze remembered.
The ranking of the entire West has also changed, to some extent, due to Lin Ze's appearance.
But Lin Ze was unaware of these things, and he didn't care.
All he knew was: Now that they're stronger, the Lakers must win the championship this year!
otherwise----
Without him, the Lakers can win the championship; with him, the Lakers cannot win the championship. Doesn't that make him a cancer?
Then, the Lakers got their playoffs and their first opponent.
Seattle SuperSonics!
The Seattle SuperSonics, led by Payton, were a top powerhouse in the 1990s. They had at least 55 wins for six consecutive years, and three of those years they had more than 60 wins. They even made it to the NBA Finals and at one point defended Jordan to the level of Kobe.
It's worth noting that, looking at Jordan's six NBA Finals appearances, he had some truly legendary performances in the other five.
Against the Lakers, he made 12 consecutive shots and a super big layup; against the Trail Blazers, he set an NBA record for most three-pointers made in a half and had that sarcastic shrug; against the Suns, he averaged 40+ points and had four consecutive 40+ point games; and his two wins against the Jazz included a game with the flu and a legendary game-winning game.
But in the series against the SuperSonics, Jordan played like an ordinary superstar, without delivering any truly historic performances.
However, the SuperSonics are no longer what they used to be. The departures of Shawn Kemp and George Karl, and the acquisition of Vin Baker due to alcoholism and overeating, have led to his complete loss of physique and poor performance.
Even though Payton has been playing at his peak and getting playing time, he can't carry the team alone. Last season, they didn't even make the playoffs, and this year they barely made it in.
这个赛季，佩顿打满82场常规赛，出场41.8分钟，场均24.2分9.8助攻6.5篮板，并且能以34%的命中率场均投中2.2个3分球。
All of these statistics represent career highs for Payton!
This season, 32-year-old Payton has definitely burned out, but even with his burnout, he could only barely lead the team into the playoffs.
The rest of the Supersonics team is simply too mediocre.
Although Vin Baker successfully lost about 10 kilograms this season and his average stats returned to 16 points and 7 rebounds, his field goal percentage dropped to a pitiful 45%, even lower than Payton's.
Even after losing 10 kilograms, Beck still looks fleshy and overweight.
Twenty years later, Vin Baker won the championship as an assistant coach for the Bucks. Back then, Baker looked leaner and healthier than he does now.
What's even more frustrating is that Vin Baker is now the only player on the SuperSonics team worth mentioning besides Payton.
The rest, whether it's Brent Barry or Ruben Paterson, are just ordinary role players.
In terms of roster, the SuperSonics were completely outmatched by the Lakers!
And who is the most excited player on the Lakers in this series?
It's not about O'Neal facing off against his old partner, the 36-year-old "Cobra" Grant, nor is it about Lin Ze facing off against Beck, who is arguably the biggest sieve at the power forward position today.
Kobe!
This guy was cheering for the Kings on the last day of the season. He hoped the SuperSonics would fall to eighth place and that he could personally end his feud with Patterson!
This bastard actually dared to call himself the Kobe terminator.
Jackson was well aware of Kobe's personality and thoughts, and he also knew that Patterson simply couldn't defend against Kobe in his prime.
Not to mention the current SuperSonics' frontcourt duo, one old and one fat, a veritable Seattle double leak, exactly the kind of opponent Kobe's penetrating style of play loves to face.
He even deliberately poured hot oil on Kobe's anger over revenge.
"If he still dares to call himself the Kobe terminator after tonight's game, then he should never play basketball again, Kobe."
"There will be no place for you in this locker room anymore!"
Lin Ze immediately followed up: "If this guy still dares to call himself the Kobe terminator after this game, I'll look down on him."
"That's so embarrassing."
"Lin, what did Michael do back then?" Jackson looked at Lin Ze, gesturing for him to fan the flames again.
Lin Ze cleared his throat and said, "Before Game 4 of the 1996 Finals, Michael went to the SuperSonics' locker room. He walked right in, stared at Payton and Hawkins, and said, 'Which of you is going to guard me tonight?'"
"I don't care who it is, I'm just here to tell you guys to wash your asses clean when you take a shower later!"
At this point, Lin Ze shrugged and stopped talking, simply staring at Kobe.
With a "whoosh," Kobe stood up from his bench.
Judging from his appearance, this guy most likely wants to cosplay his idol and go to the Supersonics' locker room to say hello.
Fortunately, Rice reacted quickly and grabbed Kobe, pinning him down: "What are you doing?"
"I'll go say hello to Patterson too!" Kobe gritted his teeth; his hatred for Patterson had reached its peak.
The last person he disliked so much was the captain of the football team who always made him the goalkeeper when he was in Italy.
"Sit down first." Rice pushed Kobe down. Just kidding, with Kobe's skills, what could he do in the SuperSonics' locker room besides get beaten up?
Although Jordan wasn't particularly good at playing, he had a legendary status.
But you, Kobe—
Standing next to Kobe and Rice, Lin Ze looked at Hubble, rubbed his face in confusion, and asked, "What's wrong, Ron?"
Do I have something dirty on my face?
"It's nothing, I just think you should think things through before you talk nonsense next time," said the usually taciturn Hubble. "If Kobe had thought more about that game, he would have found your problem."
"In Game 4 of '96, Michael played the worst game of his career in the Finals. Payton and Hawkins played better than him, and the Bulls lost by 20 points."
"Oh? I'll be more careful next time." Lin Ze chuckled.
He also realized another, even bigger flaw in the story.
In 96, he was still in college in Los Angeles. Who knows if Jordan ever went to the SuperSonics' locker room?
Hmm—I need to be more meticulous when making up stories in the future.
As the match drew near, players from both sides arrived at the stadium for their final warm-up.
On the SuperSonics side, everyone seemed pretty relaxed, and even that scoundrel Payton didn't come over to the Lakers to trash talk.
Clearly, the SuperSonics, who only managed 40-plus wins this season, knew they were no match for the Lakers. Making the playoffs was more like a job for them, and now that the job was done, all that was left for them was to go through the motions and lose to the Lakers.
This is also the result of the SuperSonics' current mediocre strength; they are reluctant to tank, but they can't improve their record.
Although the SuperSonics management was unwilling to waste Payton's final peak years, they initiated negotiations and attempts with several teams mid-season, the biggest of which was their near-acquisition of Ewing from New York.
But no matter what, that's how the SuperSonics are now.
They have a certain fighting spirit, but they are still a long way from winning the championship.
The Lakers, on the other hand, were not taking this series very seriously because they had a lot of confidence and an overwhelming advantage in strength. As a result, nine out of the ten starters on both sides had a smile on their faces.
Except for Kobe.
This guy had been staring at Ruben Paterson ever since he walked onto the court. Before the game even started, he was already right next to Paterson.
"Beep beep!" The referee finally blew the whistle to start the game. O'Neal grabbed the ball from his former teammate Grant and took possession of the ball for the first time that night. After Harper dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, he ignored Kobe, who was reaching out to him for the ball on the left, and passed the ball to Lin Ze on the right.
Lin Ze met Baker's slightly dazed eyes from beyond the three-point line, and he could even smell a distinct scent of brandy.
Lin Ze said, "You didn't drink in the locker room, did you? Don't blame me if you suddenly die on the field!"
"Hehe." Baker gave a rather lewd and creepy smile. "I didn't drink it in the locker room, I drank it when I woke up this morning."
Lin Ze was too lazy to talk to this guy who was probably drinking alcohol by now. Instead, he made a fake shooting motion, then dribbled the ball, accelerated past Baker, and easily drove to the basket.
At this moment, O'Neal backed down Grant, and there was a wide gap between Lin Ze and the basket. He easily made a layup and scored 2 points.
"Lin!" Kobe couldn't help but call out to Lin Ze.
He doesn't understand.
Before the game, we clearly agreed that he would give Patterson a good beating, so why didn't he pass the ball to him during the game?
"Don't rush, let's stabilize the situation and gain the advantage first, then we'll give you the ball so you can have some fun."
What are you saying!
Seeing Lin Ze's attitude, Kobe felt a surge of anger.
What do you mean by letting me play around? What do you mean by giving me the advantage first?
If you just pass the ball to me, how can I not gain an advantage?
Whom do you look down on?
Lin Ze didn't say anything more to the indignant Kobe; there was nothing he could do.
This was Jackson's instruction.
Not only did he give the order, but he also gave the order to Rice and Hubble.
That is, although one of the goals tonight is to let Kobe teach Patterson a lesson and vent his anger, there is no need to rush to give him the ball at the start of the game.
In response, Lin Ze could only say: "That old fox Phil is as dirty as if he took his brain out and rolled around in the slums of Zimbabwe for three days."
Sure enough, as soon as Lin Ze said that, Kobe's anger could no longer be contained. When Patterson was trying to get position, his defense was so fierce that it was as if he had seen a heretic paladin, and he wanted to tear Patterson to pieces.
"Fuck! You dare ask for position? Who gave you the right, you bitch? You dare to fucking ask for position and want to play one-on-one with me?" Kobe's words were already tinged with madness: "Gary, give him the ball! Give it to him! Let me see how this thing plays one-on-one with me!"
Payton, who was organizing the offense with the ball, naturally heard Kobe's words and then turned to look at Patterson.
Even in the playoffs, even knowing that Patterson would be completely outplayed by Kobe, an old-school player like Payton would still pass the ball to Patterson as long as Patterson dared to respond!
But as a result, Patterson didn't even look up and make eye contact with Payton. Instead, he wanted to get away from Kobe and stay away from him. He didn't have the courage to take the ball and go one-on-one with Kobe. He just wanted to stay away.
Payton's lips curled down slightly again, then he spotted Baker's position and smashed the ball straight in.
Baker received the ball in the low post, then pushed back with force, and immediately turned to try and shoot a layup.
But Lin Ze completely anticipated his movements and thoughts, perfectly maintaining his defensive position and movements, extending his arms, and successfully disrupting Baker's shot.
This isn't too difficult. After all, Baker, who was once known for his agile and fast footwork and solid low-post technique, is now at least half as slow as he was at his peak. His once-proud and varied footwork now looks like slow motion to Lin Ze.
Alcohol has completely destroyed this former four-time All-Star player.
After O'Neal grabbed the rebound, the Lakers' second offensive possession still didn't target Kobe. This time, O'Neal easily overpowered Grant and successfully hooked the ball in before Payton could help defend, scoring 2 points.
Not only did the Lakers not look for Kobe on their first two offensive possessions, but in the first seven minutes of the game, Kobe only took one shot in total, a putback after grabbing an offensive rebound. The rest of the Lakers seemed to have planned it all out...
Okay, they had it all planned out.
They didn't pass the ball to Kobe.
Kobe, who was holding back a lot of anger and eager to vent it, was really about to explode, wanting to kill Patterson on the court as soon as possible.
Two other things added fuel to the fire for Kobe's mood.
One was that he was completely isolated from the team's offensive system for 7 minutes, but the Lakers led by 8 points and completely controlled the rhythm of the game.
Secondly, after being intimidated by him at first, Patterson now seems to be showing signs of wanting to retaliate.
Who told Kobe to score only 2 points in 7 minutes of the game?
If you get 2 points, then no matter how intimidating your aura is, people won't be afraid of you.
In particular, during one of the SuperSonics' offensive possessions, Patterson received a pass from Baker, faked a move, and then suddenly accelerated to break through. Although he couldn't shake off Kobe at all after getting to the basket, he still managed to jump against the defense.
Then Kobe's defense twisted his body so much that he couldn't see the basket at all.
He could only rely on instinct to throw it casually to avoid being forced into a traveling violation.
And then, just like that, the basketball miraculously swished through the hoop, and Patterson scored his first field goal of the night!
Patterson immediately became excited, roaring and shouting wildly!
He felt he was capable.
He unleashed a torrent of profanity at Kobe. If they weren't on the court, Lin Ze suspected that this guy would have excitedly pulled down his pants and wiggled his ass in front of Kobe.
At this moment, Lin Ze, who had the basketball, called a timeout from the baseline to the referee. Then, as everyone returned to the bench, Lin Ze winked at Jackson.
Jackson understood what Lin Ze meant.
That's about it, Kobe has reached his limit.
If they keep suppressing it, Kobe will explode and start hitting someone—yes, Kobe will get beaten up.
He is definitely no match for Patterson.
Jackson immediately began making arrangements.
"Shaq, Lin, take a break." Jackson paused, then looked at Kobe, who was practically exploding with anger, and said, "Next, we'll give the ball to Kobe!"
"You can do it, right? Otherwise I—" Lin Ze would naturally deliver the final blow to Kobe at the crucial moment.
"Shut up!" Kobe snapped impatiently. "I'll kill him!"
As the timeout ended, Kobe led his team onto the court, while Lin Ze and O'Neal sat on the sidelines.