The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 574 - 234: The Combination of Jordan and Kobe._5

Chapter 574: Chapter 234: The Combination of Jordan and Kobe._5

Both sides’ interior lines had tried to intercept several times, with basically all attempts drawing the whistle.

Shrewd as Shaquille O’Neal was, he immediately knew the referees’ attitude that night:

Let Kobe and Su Wan duel it out!

Nobody else interfere!

Overall, though, the Pacers’ delays and the quality of their help defense were still a notch above the Lakers’.

Kobe’s performance showed some fluctuations, and although Su Wan’s efficiency had also declined, the extent was not as great as Kobe’s.

Before the fourth quarter began, Su Wan confidently muttered to himself after seeing his and Kobe’s scoring data, "We’ve got this!"

He believed that with his score so much higher, Kobe would definitely become impatient and then enter "Lone Wolf" mode!

But there was one thing Su Wan needed his teammates to do for him; at the start of the fourth, he needed his teammates to hold the fort for a few minutes on his behalf, allowing him a breather to recover some physical fitness so that he could maintain "The zone" mode for a longer period later on.

Of course, he didn’t mention the part about maintaining "The zone," only that he needed a quick break.

Rick Carlisle gave him a look:

Got it!

Coincidentally, Phil Jackson also noticed Kobe’s severe energy depletion, directing him to start the fourth by creating space, letting the other Lakers players take the lead.

Kobe glanced at the scoreboard:

Down by 8 points!

Feeling his body’s exhaustion, he nodded in agreement. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

He and Su Wan had been duking it out until now, a crimson flush over their bodies signifying the intensity of their clash, with scratch marks proving the extent of their physical contest. The energy Kobe had expended in this game had surpassed even the amount from the night he scored 81 points by the end of the third quarter.

He had to rest a bit; otherwise, he definitely wouldn’t last until the final minute of the game.

He was in great form tonight, and as long as he had the energy, the Lakers still had a chance to win.

But if he ran out of steam, then the Lakers would have no chance at all.

As the fourth quarter officially began, Shaquille O’Neal struck hard and scored, helping his team push the 8-point deficit to 10.

Yao Ming, this time completely disregarding Zach Randolph beside him, forcibly charged against two defenders into the paint.

By his demeanor, he was also playing fiercely!

"Clang!"

"Toot!"

The shot didn’t go in, but the referee blew the whistle.

Muttering "tomato" under his breath, he walked to the free-throw line and confidently sank the shots.

The arena erupted in loud cheers.

Then, following Phil Jackson’s signal, Paul Gasol knowingly committed a foul on Shaquille O’Neal.

"Fxxk!" Realizing he was about to be "Shark Cut" again, Shaquille O’Neal looked at Phil Jackson on the bench, cursing in annoyance, "Damn it, you can only resort to these tricks to deal with me! But go ahead, let’s see who ends up losing!"

The arena filled with boos as Phil Jackson’s expression remained unreadable.

Because Shaquille O’Neal wasn’t wrong, the Lakers’ "Twin Towers" now had Yao with four fouls and Paul Gasol with four fouls.

Of course, Zach Randolph now also had four fouls, and Shaquille O’Neal himself had three fouls.

Throughout these Finals, both teams’ interior lines faced significant foul trouble.

That was why the Lakers hadn’t utilized the "Shark Cutting" strategy until now.

Now, they had no choice but to do so.

As for subbing someone in to execute "Shark Cutting," let’s not even say that Rick Carlisle would play dirty once he made his substitutions, and pull Shaquille O’Neal off the court.

Substitutions would also disrupt the whole Lakers team’s rhythm.

Therefore, Phil Jackson dared not take that risk.

Suddenly implementing the "Shark Cutting," Phil Jackson aimed, first, to buy Kobe more time to recover his energy. Second, to try and reduce the deficit, bringing the score to a more manageable number so that Kobe could have a better chance of catching up.

Seeing that Su Wan also wasn’t receiving the ball on the other end, Phil Jackson knew that Rick Carlisle was thinking the same...

Given Su Wan’s performance that night, he wasn’t sure that even if Kobe recovered some energy, he could definitely make up the 8-point deficit.

But if the gap could be closed to just 5 points, at most, within two possessions, then even if Kobe couldn’t erase it entirely, the game could still be tight until the end. And in the last two minutes, anything could happen.

Armed with over 10 championship rings, Phil Jackson was acutely aware of this.

"Clang!"

Shaquille O’Neal didn’t disappoint his "Shark Cutting."

The first shot didn’t fall.

A loud chorus of boos rang from the audience, trying to disturb Shaquille.

If he missed the second one, the Lakers could potentially cut the lead to 6 points.

"Swish!"

Nevertheless, Shaquille O’Neal withstood the pressure and hit the second free throw, reducing the deficit to 7 points.

Paul Gasol became the Lakers’ main attack in the next possession, but Randolph defended him well, preventing him from getting a good shot off.

"Ball!"

Familiar shouts and clapping rang out,

Paul Gasol hurriedly looked to the perimeter.

It was Kobe, ready to receive the pass.

Gasol quickly passed the ball in his direction, but in that moment, a figure pressed on the ball first, then sprinted downcourt with it.

The red sneakers nearly left a blur behind.

With Pacers’ number 99 on his jersey standing out prominently.

"Swish!"

Among the moans of the Lakers fans, Su Wan scored on the fast break, stretching the lead to 9 points!

He looked at Kobe, approaching from afar – no words, but his eyes full of provocation:

Come on, Kobe, don’t wait, let the grand showdown begin early!

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