The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 513 - 222: Su Wan’s Three-Year Plan, and Kobe Did It Too_4

Chapter 513: Chapter 222: Su Wan’s Three-Year Plan, and Kobe Did It Too_4

The long-awaited "Lakers vs Celtics" showdown is on!

It ignited the entire League in an instant.

Although, globally, it’s not as popular as last season’s Pacers vs Lakers game,

it really put the previous few NBA Finals to shame.

The first game of the Finals took place at the Lakers’ home court.

The original 2008 Finals were between the Lakers and the Celtics.

The outcome was a Celtics victory, 4-2 over the Lakers.

There were many reasons for the loss, including Kobe being constrained, and one point was Paul Gasol being dominated by Kevin Garnett.

Being the same type of "skillful power forward", in front of the "Wolf King," Paul Gasol could be described in two words:

Softie!

In fact, the biggest reason the Lakers were able to defeat the Celtics in 2010, aside from Perkins leaving due to injury, was that Paul Gasol had toughened up. Facing Kevin Garnett, he was no longer weak, but instead had the upper hand.

In the first game of the Finals, Paul Gasol’s soft style of play had not changed yet.

But by Paul Gasol’s side this time was...

Yao Ming!

During the Eastern Conference Finals, Perkins had become a key player in limiting Zach Randolph, but he struggled against Yao Ming, as his height was not particularly great for a center.

Yao Ming twisted his body and slammed dunked right over him.

He had no way to counter it.

Kevin Garnett had to help cover Perkins, and this allowed Gasol to face less targeted defense.

Operating at the high post, orchestrating passes between Kobe and Yao.

The power of the "triangle offense" was fully exhibited in this Lakers lineup.

Kobe and Yao Ming both positioned on the strong side, with Paul Gasol distributing the play based on "strong side" and "weak side," providing the best opportunities for individual plays.

Rivers stood by the sideline, watching the Lakers’ offensive style grow more and more familiar, then realized, isn’t this exactly our Celtics strategy?

The only difference was that Kobe had a more explosive scoring ability than Pierce, and Yao Ming’s under-the-basket assaults were more menacing and reliable than Kevin Garnett’s.

Ray Allen became the only strength for the Celtics against the Lakers.

But even the younger Ray Allen couldn’t save the team, and now he was even less capable.

to 90, an 11-point margin, the Lakers easily took the first game of the Finals.

When the final buzzer rang, the cheers almost blew the roof off of Staples Center.

Winning the game was joyful, but beating the Celtics was even more thrilling!

The long-standing grudge between these two teams was clear to any fan with even a slight understanding of the League.

For fans on either side, stepping on the other to claim the Championship Trophy was doubly sweet.

The second game of the Finals was next, and the Celtics began to clamp down on Yao inside...

This was a strategy to let one Lakers’ strength free while concentrating on limiting another.

In the 2004 Finals, the Pistons had won using this tactic against the "F4" Lakers team.

They limited Shaquille O’Neal’s opportunities and eventually kicked the Lakers out 4-1.

But at this point, Kobe was no longer the young punk who wanted to lead but lacked the skill; he had become the League’s most explosively scoring two-guard after that "Divine Enthronement season."

Thibodeau’s trials weren’t going to pressure Kobe.

At the end of the game, Kobe scored 39 points, helping the team to a 98 to 86 victory, a 12-point win over the Celtics.

The series went 2-0 for the Lakers.

The next games would move to Boston.

The Los Angeles media joked, "Hopefully these Celtics can hold on, don’t let the Finals end in Boston!"

Six years after their last championship, the Los Angeles media preferred to see Kobe lift the Championship Trophy at his home court.

Rather than in that chilly, constrained place in Boston.

Unfortunately...

Tears in triumph; in the third game of the series, the Lakers were off their game and lost to the Celtics 90 to 83 by a seven-point difference, bringing the series to 2-1.

Then the Celtics continued to change their defensive setup, targeting Yao proved useless, so they targeted Paul Gasol, the "hub."

As a result, the Lakers’ offense wasn’t as smooth.

Yao Ming and Kobe both considered giving the ball to the other, more reliable player—Yao Ming in this case. If it were any other five, Kobe wouldn’t trust him as much on offense, waiting to take over in the final quarter.

But sometimes, that isn’t a good thing!

The Celtics grabbed another game, evening the series at 2-2.

The Los Angeles media wasn’t laughing then.

Luckily, in game 5 of the series, the "King Mountain Battle," Kobe adjusted in time, playing much more decisively.

Paul Gasol’s movements were very calculated.

Since they targeted him so heavily, he started moving around the high post, clearing out the basket area.

Yao Ming grabbed a whopping 18 rebounds along with a "double-double" of 18 points in that game, completely emptying the Celtics’ frontcourt.

Perkins committed four fouls but still couldn’t stop Yao’s overwhelming presence inside.

Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m