The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 571 - 234 The combination of Jordan and Kobe._2

Chapter 571: Chapter 234 The combination of Jordan and Kobe._2

The Pacers are about to unleash their big move!

Phil Jackson might not have anticipated their change in formation.

Following Shaquille O’Neal out was Paul Gasol, who had better mobility.

It was a better choice to have Yao Ming defend Zach Randolph under the basket.

This was the adjustment the Lakers had been making since Game 4 of the series, and it had been very effective, except...

"Zach moves towards the three-point line, Yao doesn’t follow immediately, Chauncey passes..."

"Zach doesn’t hesitate, catches and shoots right away!"

"The ball..."

"Scores!"

Bill Walton shook his head helplessly as he watched the Pacers start with a three-pointer, "The Lakers’ inside line is really in a bind now!"

In the face of pick-and-rolls, if Paul Gasol doesn’t switch and follow the shooter, then Zach Randolph would easily score one-on-one under the basket.

But if he does follow, Zach Randolph’s three-point shooting would be too much for Yao Ming to handle.

Barkley’s eyes conveyed a sense of sentiment, "Who would have thought, Zach actually became a trump card on the court in the last two games of the Finals!"

From a "team cancer" to a "Finals x-factor"...

Zach Randolph just switched from New York to Indiana!

Just look at Phil Jackson’s frowning face!

The Lakers counterattack, Zach Randolph positions himself on the right side of the Reasonable Collision Zone, one foot inside the "Three-second zone" and the other outside, ready to withdraw his foot to avoid a "defensive three-second" violation, putting maximum pressure on Yao Ming while also being in the optimal position to challenge Paul Gasol’s catch and shoot, no matter where he is on the same side.

Gasol was thoroughly frustrated by him.

Yao Ming tried to catch the ball, then quickly passed it to Fisher, who had just received the ball when Kobe, as if he had seen a ghost, hurriedly circled behind him for a "hand-to-hand" reception.

No choice, letting Fisher hold the ball under such circumstances was like giving the other side an extra possession.

On the offensive end, Fisher only had three moves:

One was to pass the ball to Kobe, another was to feed the inside line, and the last was to catch and shoot a three-pointer.

He lacked the ability to handle the ball.

Even thinking about skills like "breakthrough pass" was out of the question.

That’s why Kobe was in such a rush to get there.

The very next second after getting the ball, Su Wan stuck to him like glue, no matter what "three threats" Kobe made, Su Wan stayed close, forcing him to put the ball down quickly.

Kobe simply powered through from the right side, but after causing Su Wan to shift his weight on the first break, he quickly turned back 360 degrees, not only with a great range of motion but also adjusting his center of gravity on the fly, and when facing the basket again, he went up for the shot.

This reminded Su Wan of someone:

Nick Young!

To be fair, Kobe had a bit less of a floating sensation than Nick Young, mainly because he was much heavier.

But the movement was still very smooth.

Su Wan kept his outstretched hand in front of himself.

However, Kobe had already found his rhythm, and the ball dropped steadily into the basket. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

"Great shot!"

"That’s Kobe for you!"

Inside the CCTV-5 studio, Zhang Weiping thoroughly enjoyed the shot.

But the feeling of satisfaction wasn’t just because of Kobe...

It was also because of Su Wan!

Next up, the Pacers’ offensive round.

Billups continued the pick-and-roll with Shaquille O’Neal, with Ariza providing help defense, directly forming a double team with Paul Gasol against Billups.

"The 2004 Finals MVP" decisively passed the ball to an open Anthony Parker on the wing.

Kobe, seeing such a wide open space, had no choice but to leave Su Wan to cover for Ariza’s defense.

At the same time, Ariza quickly moved in front of Su Wan.

But Su Wan caught and shot immediately, against Ariza, precisely sinking the ball into the basket.

"Good shot!"

Zhang Weiping shouted again.

This round of the Finals was definitely satisfying for him.

Especially the shootout between Su Wan and Kobe.

In the past five games, whenever Kobe scored, Su Wan would respond.

And when Su Wan scored, Kobe would immediately ramp up his own scoring.

The one-on-one between these two was the most enthralling Zhang Weiping had seen in the many Finals he had watched.

The most important point...

The two had such a rich selection of shots!

Kobe had many techniques, all coming together harmoniously, and mostly played with the ball due to his role on the team.

But Su Wan had a variety of offensive means.

On and off the ball, eleven offensive maneuvers, other than "Back Attack," he would showcase each one in turn on court in every game.

Let’s put it this way, the two truly represent two extremes at the shooting guard position.

Kobe was somewhat like a second "three-consecutive-championship" period Michael Jordan, while Su Wan was more like the Jordan in the first "three consecutive championships."

Each had a championship-winning style, but their display on the court was quite distinct.

Yet...

With 2:14 left in the first quarter, Kobe received a wide pass from Ariza, did a shooting fake, fooling Su Wan into jumping, took a step forward with the ball, and went for a "jump shot," hitting a two-pointer;

With 2:45 left in the first quarter, Su Wan shook Kobe’s center of gravity continuously, and after a "Thrust Step" probe, he went for a straight pull-up jump, scoring a long two-pointer;

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