The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 412 - 202: Kobe, stop talking trash to Su Wan!_3

Chapter 412: Chapter 202: Kobe, stop talking trash to Su Wan!_3

Tinsley, particularly reliant on physical contact during his breakthroughs.

Su Wan glanced at the clock, realizing there was no time for a pick and roll; he forcefully attempted a breakthrough, stopped abruptly at mid-range, made a shot-fake, but failed to deceive Kobe. Sticking to his original plan of a "fake prayer," he instead took a direct shot.

By the time Kobe realized Su Wan was actually shooting, it was already a fraction too late.

"Swish!"

The ball smoothly dropped into the basket.

"Wow, I can’t believe that went in!" exclaimed Zhang Weiping, but what he said next surprised Yu Jia even more, "That’s exactly how Su Wan should play; the Pacers handled this round of offense very sensibly!"

Yu Jia was momentarily bewildered.

Sensible, huh? Then why did you use "can’t believe" earlier?

He couldn’t fathom how those two statements could be used together.

The Lakers continued to rely on Kobe.

This time, Kobe feigned a breakthrough and then pulled off a "lateral pass."

While such a pass would be too high for most, it was perfectly suited for Yao Ming’s height.

Foster desperately jockeyed in front of him, but due to continuously exerting force in his lower body when the ball was just within reach, he just couldn’t jump. Yao Ming completed the "pick melon" over his head and, while moving, adjusted his hand shape to make a delicate hook shot.

Two words:

Gentle!

Foster exclaimed, "Freak!"

Watching Yao Ming score and then drop back in defense, Su Wan quickly passed the ball to a cornered mini O’Neal, directing everyone to start running.

Yao Ming sped back in defense, and the Lakers quickly formed a "five-man formation," thwarting Su Wan’s fast break.

He slowly surveyed the Lakers’ defensive line.

Since the Pacers lacked a low-post one-on-one option,

the Lakers’ formation spread wide.

This ensured that even if the Pacers had a man free on the perimeter, other Lakers players could quickly cover.

From a tactical standpoint, the Lakers’ defense was flawless.

Decisively, Su Wan called for a pick and roll with Foster.

The Lakers continued their previous strategy after the pick and roll, with Kobe and Yao Ming double-teaming Su Wan, letting Foster go.

But this time, Foster immediately headed towards the basket after the pick and roll, while Su Wan bounced the ball right in front of him.

"Bang!"

Slam dunk executed.

"It looks like the Pacers specifically practiced this tactic!" Bill Walton noted with keen observation, just from the Pacers players’ movements, it was evident they were moving according to the strategy.

ABC Studio, Reggie Miller commented, "Yao Ming has one issue, he can’t bend to make a steal, hence during double-teams, it’s hard for him to intercept passes. The Pacers took advantage of this, allowing Su Wan to pass and helping Foster easily score!"

The offenses were tit-for-tat, and clearly, both coaches had meticulously planned for this match, even adapting strategies from their regular-season encounters with noticeable effectiveness.

Is this the strategic duel between "champion coaches"?

Love it, love it!

"How many viewers now? How many viewers?"

At NBA headquarters, David Stern was keeping an eye on the real-time data.

Soon, staff members continuously updated him with the latest TV ratings. Just 5 minutes after the start, the viewership had already reached 25 million!

And this was only the first game of the Finals. So many people were watching already?

Like a web novel that switches to a new map, many readers start "stockpiling" Chapters, waiting for the climax to binge all at once.

Viewership for the finals tends to increase towards the end. If the first game already drew this many viewers, wouldn’t the key finals day reach 30 million viewers?

Seriously, since Michael Jordan retired, the NBA’s real-time ratings had never seen these numbers...

Unbelievably, this season looked likely to break that record.

Of course, the attractiveness of the game was only natural, as Su Wan and Kobe could be considered the best two guards at the moment. They were like Michael Jordan and "Glider" back in the day, each from different coasts, just waiting to take the center stage for a "grand showdown"!

But the "Glider" ultimately proved to be merely a "CJB"!

Su Wan and Kobe were different...

Currently, it seemed, the two would deliver a spectacular "battle at two."

Not to mention Yao, who might currently be the league’s best "traditional five," performing what could soon be the extinct "low-post one-on-one playbook"...

Speaking bluntly, this was a real, no-holds-barred "All-Star game"!

Otherwise, David Stern wouldn’t have been so anticipative about this round of the finals.

"Bang!"

At 6:34 of the first quarter, the Lakers evidently started concentrating the ball in Yao’s hands.

After he established his position, he consecutively played one-on-ones against Foster scoring 6 points, successfully helping the Lakers to extend the lead to about 6 points.

Rick Carlisle didn’t call for a timeout, but at this moment, prepared to switch to a "small lineup."

During previous games against the Lakers, the Pacers’ "small lineup" hadn’t found the right moment to enter. But after Rick Carlisle specifically analyzed the Lakers’ playstyle, he finally conceived a very good idea.

Given Yao Ming’s physical fitness issues, Phil Jackson was very cautious with his usage.

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