The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 414 - 202: Kobe, stop talking trash to Su Wan!_5

Chapter 414: Chapter 202: Kobe, stop talking trash to Su Wan!_5

Phil Jackson’s "peak-shifting strategy" had worked without a hitch, and was effective.

With 3 minutes 45 seconds left in the second quarter, they had managed to tie the score. Rick Carlisle didn’t hesitate, at this moment, he went straight to the "Small Lineup".—Originally, it was planned to let Foster play to wear down Yao Ming a bit before switching to the "Small Lineup", but Phil Jackson had Yao Ming start early in the second quarter, which rendered that step unnecessary.

When Yao was on the court, the "Small Lineup" wasn’t as effective at containing Kobe; at least it wasn’t easy for him to shoot under the basket. He could pass the ball to Yao Ming to assist him in finishing the play, or to set up an "assist".

In front of the Pacer’s "Small Lineup", Yao Ming was like a "Primordial Monster", grabbing 3 frontcourt rebounds just in the second quarter.

But the "Small Lineup" would gradually show its effect on wearing him down, and the harder he played, the more pronounced the effect would be.

As a result, with about 3 minutes left in the second quarter, Yao Ming was substituted out again.

In fact, speaking of Yao Ming’s playing time, with the first quarter and the second quarter combined, he had already been on court for 17 minutes. If this time was extrapolated to the whole game, that would be 34 minutes. Moreover, Phil Jackson wouldn’t likely let Yao sit out half of the crucial third quarter, so in the end, his playing time would definitely exceed 37 minutes.

For a 7’5" giant, playing that long in the high-intensity battleground of the finals, you really can’t say he has poor physical fitness.

Unfortunately, facing a team like the Pacers, the Lakers needed Yao Ming to be in a "Physical Monster" state.

Otherwise, no matter how intense the earlier play or even if they were leading, the Pacers could use the time Yao wasn’t on the court to gain a leading score.

At half-time, the Pacers had once again a 6-point lead.

Watching the Pacers regain the lead, Charles Barkley’s eyes were filled with lingering thoughts: "Now it seems that both teams have their own periods of advantage; it’s just a matter of which side can capture their performance peak and push it further!"

Kenny Smith had a differing opinion, "The Lakers are undoubtedly the more passive party because their time of advantage is completely in the Pacers’ control."

His words turned out to be prophetic for the Lakers.

In the second half, the Pacers reverted to their regular season lineup, beginning to constantly drain Yao Ming’s physical fitness.

Their aim was clear: to reduce the strong periods of the Lakers and to bring the game more quickly into the Pacers’ rhythm.

Phil Jackson could only employ a "delaying" tactic, also known as...

Kobe, go!

The Lakers switched to Kobe’s one-on-one mode, and on the Pacers’ side, Su Wan, who had been slightly subdued by Kobe in the first half, responded vigorously this time around.

Phil Jackson watched Su Wan, who invariably became stronger in the second half, and his gaze grew increasingly resolute.

After this game, he would need to have a serious talk with Kobe!

Having witnessed an oddity like Michael Jordan, who could boost his competitive spirit and become even stronger by picking fights, he was certain that there indeed exist a few players in the world who can escalate their performance like that.

Moreover, Su Wan could enter "The zone" as Michael Jordan had described.

And if truth be told...

His frequency was far higher than Michael Jordan’s!

He couldn’t help but speculate boldly:

Su Wan’s "The zone" was absolutely related to whether the opponents would trash-talk him or not.

It’s like how Jordan would burst into peak form when faced with criticism, or Kobe would explode after going to court...

Su Wan was also of that "easily provoked" nature.

And just now, he had personally seen Kobe relentlessly trash-talking Su Wan, the scene of their exchange.

Then, in the second half, Su Wan’s performance was like a different person’s, pushing hard against Kobe!

In the first 8 minutes of the third quarter, it was almost entirely a "battle of the gods" between the two, with Su Wan scoring 9 points, and Kobe even more impressively, 11 points. But for the Pacers, even if Su Wan scored 2 points fewer than Kobe, his task was accomplished.

Because Kobe was tired... fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

His efficiency was on the decline, and at this point, the Lakers had to turn over the ball to Yao.

And the Pacers successfully sapped Yao’s energy.

Yao Ming was already known for the saying "first three quarters superstar," and after being ruthlessly drained, his performance in the fourth quarter was less than stellar, resulting in 1-for-2 free throws in the last 5 minutes.

But one couldn’t blame him, because by then, Yao had been on the court for over 33 minutes, and by the end of the game, his time would come to 38 minutes... exceeding his regular season court time.

Now, every step he took on the court was exercise with added resistance.

to 91, a 15-point difference; after a tense struggle, the Pacers held onto their first home game.

After the game, Phil Jackson found Kobe, speaking very earnestly, "Kobe, if your goal is the championship then... stop trash-talking to Su Wan!"