Chapter 189 Kobe: If you can't do it, I'll do it

2:5, Lakers attack.

The Postman moved to one step inside the right corner, and He Zhongqiu stood in the low post on the right wing, one step outside the paint area.

When O'Neal entered the basket, Mutombo did not defend him head on, but instead went around him and defended from the side.

"One-on-one under the basket." Barkley shouted excitedly.

At the top of the arc, Josh Howard waved his hands and tried his best to block the passing angle between Payton and the basket according to the requirements of the defensive tactics.

Payton can pass the ball, step back and lob it, and pass the ball easily.

However, he also absolutely believed that if he did so, before his ball fell into O'Neal's hands, the extremely fast Wolverine would have completed the double-team under the basket, and even intercepted his pass with his terrifying bounce.

So he passed the ball to the Mailman who had a small opening.

The postman received the ball and He Zhongqiu quickly returned to defense, but he pushed the ball with both hands and hoisted it into the basket.

He Zhongqiu stopped suddenly and turned around, rushing to the basket. He turned very quickly and started even faster.

At this time, rookie Josh Howard double-teamed the defense again according to the tactical requirements, this time under the basket.

At this moment, the Knicks formed a three-on-one situation under the basket.

"It's over!"

Buckley shook his head.

No matter how fast the Wolverines got back to the basket, no matter how fast rookie Howard double-teamed, they couldn't stop the Shaq from catching the ball.

As long as the Big Shark receives the ball under the basket, even God cannot stop him from attacking the basket.

When it comes to dominance under the basket, Shaquille O'Neal is the best in league history.

But at the critical moment, Mutombo broke out.

He immediately stepped up his defense, forcing O'Neal to use his elbow to push him away in order to get space to catch the ball.

This means the Sharks can only catch the ball with one hand.

"Snapped!"

In the fierce confrontation under the basket, the Big Shark failed to hold the ball firmly and jumped.

Although he immediately regained control of the ball with both hands the next moment, He Zhongqiu and Josh Howard had already reached the basket by then, and he lost the opportunity to play one-on-one.

"One against three, let's do it!" Kenny Smith shouted excitedly.

At this time, O'Neal, holding the ball with both hands to his chest, took a short breath and squatted down with his knees.

The next moment, an extremely ferocious beast soared into the sky.

Mutombo and Josh Howard, who were close to each other, were knocked away at the same time and staggered outward, with the latter even being knocked over.

"Let me in."

With the adrenaline coursing through his body, O'Neal jumped up, raised both hands holding the ball, raised them above his head, and prepared to smash it into the basket.

On O'Neal's right side, He Zhongqiu jumped with all his strength and jumped a head higher than O'Neal.

He moved his claws fiercely towards the basketball that had just appeared above O'Neal's head and was exposed to his sight.

"Crack, click, click..."

After the baseline, the flashbulbs started flashing like crazy.

"Take it!"

Just as O'Neal was about to smash the ball with all his might, an extremely powerful force, a force more powerful than his own, pressed down on the basketball.

At this time, his tonnage advantage no longer existed because he was in the air.

He was frozen in the air in front of the basket by a powerful force.

The explosive power that could not be released was suppressed in his body, making him feel like vomiting blood.

The next moment, he was knocked down to the mortal world by the five fingers of Buddha like the Monkey King and pressed back to the ground.

"Oh ho!"

Madison Square Garden erupted in loud shouts and cheers, and was completely boiling.

"Di!"

The referee's whistle sounded at the same time.

"Oh ho!"

The media reporters behind the baseline were clicking their shutter buttons frantically and screaming in excitement.

"Ha ha……"

Zhang Heli and a group of Chinese reporters laughed excitedly.

Behind them, the Knicks cheerleaders were full of hormones. They excitedly raised their beautiful legs high towards Wolverine and shook their weapons desperately.

"Oh oh oh……"

"God, the Shark's double-handed slam was held down by Wolverine?"

Barkley and Kenny Smith looked the same, with their heads in their hands, expressions of disbelief and disbelief on their faces.

"In this offense and defense, Shaquille O'Neal, the Great Shaquille who had the greatest dominance under the basket in history, was dominated by Wolverine." Barkley shouted excitedly.

"Single defense proficiency has accumulated to 3000 and is now upgraded to level 85."

On the rim, He Zhongqiu pulled up Josh Howard and shouted in his ear, "Rookie, good job. Keep it up next time."

"Yes, boss."

Josh Howard nodded excitedly.

"Old Mu, great defense!"

He Zhongqiu turned around and bumped heads with Mutombo, then shouted loudly as well.

The cheers in Madison Square Garden lasted for a long time until Mutombo was about to serve, then slowly died down.

On the sidelines, Rick Carlisle was very happy with this defense.

Veteran Mutombo can still be used. His experience is unmatched by the Wolverines. Even if he can't defend against the Big Shark, he can still buy opportunities and time for the Wolverines to double-team.

He really admires Josh Howard's serious attitude towards defense, and he wants to give this young man more opportunities.

As for the Wolverine's defensive performance this time, he can only give him a thumbs up, and there is nothing to complain about.

Not far away, unlike Rick Carlisle who had been standing on the sidelines, Zen Master Phil Jackson had been sitting on the bench, looking at the court calmly.

Last season, Kupchak and owner Michael Buss planned a deal to trade the Sharks for the Wolverines. To be honest, he was against it at the time.

Wolverine has great potential, but no matter how he develops and improves, he can never have the dominance of the Shaq in the low post. This is a huge gap caused by tonnage.

Fortunately for him, the stupid Knicks management chose Wolverine.

Even now, even though O'Neal's two-handed dunk was blocked by Wolverine, he didn't think it was a big deal.

This kind of block is extremely rare and is unlikely to happen often. O'Neal just didn't expect it and didn't pay attention. If he were given another chance, the result would definitely be a blast in the basket or even a two-plus-one.

So he didn't even want to call for a timeout or stand up because there was no need.

What is giving him a headache now is the split of the OK combination and the aging of the lineup. The powerful four-star Lakers are difficult for outside enemies to defeat. The one who defeats this Lakers team must be an internal problem.

Nash is not bad, but what will happen if Payton and Kobe double-team him?
What's the use of Wolverine without Nash's offense, organization and passing?

But he doesn't want to do that in the regular season at all. There is no need. If the Knicks can't make it to the finals, they will not be in his eyes.

He Zhongqiu once again took up position in the low post on the right wing and did not force his way into the paint.

The one defending him was the Postman Karl Malone, a super inside player whose mobility had aged. Facing such an inside player, he was determined to use his speed to eat his opponent alive without any fake moves.

Fake moves can indeed shake the opponent and create better opportunities for yourself, but they can also easily leave time for the opponent to double-team you, which has both advantages and disadvantages.

"Squeak..."

The next moment after catching the ball, he immediately turned around and slid down with the sound of friction from his sneakers.

As expected, Postman Malone couldn't keep up with his rhythm. He turned around and took a step into the paint area, then took a step up and sent the ball off the backboard into the basket.

The offensive pace was so fast that O'Neal on the left side of the basket had no time to make up for the defense.

"Very easy! It's very easy for Wolverine to beat the Mailman one-on-one." Barkley praised.

"Both attacks in the positional battle were close-range attacks. Is Wolverine practicing his close-range shooting ability in actual combat?" said Kenny Smith.

2:7, the Lakers served the ball and Phil Jackson called a timeout.

Barkley continued the previous topic and said: "To be honest, I have been paying attention to Wolverine since the new season, and his close-range offense is already very good.

His finishing skills on rebounds are absolutely first-rate, and his low-post face-to-basket offense is close to first-rate, his post-up offense is a little worse, but not bad, and he is definitely second-rate, and his strength is much stronger than last season, so I say he will dominate the five position in the East. "

Kenny Smith nodded and said, “The offense in the restricted area is very strong. What the Wolverines lack now is the mid-range shot and the threat of mid-range offense.

If he can make up for this, his importance and threat on the offensive end will be greater, and his tactical position in the Knicks will be more important. "Barkley shook his head and said, "He has a certain ability to shoot from mid-range, and his rebounding can also be used in the mid-range area, but it's not good enough."

Kenny Smith smiled and said, "A center like him is used to high hit rates at the basket. How could he be willing to shoot those low hit rate mid-range shots?"

Barkley nodded and said: "After he has a good mid-range shooting ability, he will further increase the number of shots, and the coaching staff will also require it.

He can even create a mismatch advantage in the mid-range shooting area. His presence in the mid-range shooting area will enrich the Knicks' tactical changes."

Kenny Smith added: "From the Lakers' defense this time, the super inside combination of the Big Shark and the Mailman seems to have a problem, that is, they lack mobility."

Barkley nodded immediately and said, "Yes, we were not good enough at defending against fast breaks during the transition, and we also failed to defend against Wolverine's slipping in the positional battle.

In fact, O'Neal was willing to help defend just now and had already started to move. He had just been blocked by Wolverine, and if he could return the block, he would be able to vent his anger. "

"Unfortunately, he was slow," said Kenny Smith.

Barkley said: "The Postman is indeed old, and his feet are not as mobile as before. His knee injury should be bothering him."

Kenny Smith smiled and said, "He's almost 41 years old. What can you expect from him? Even in his prime, he couldn't keep up with Wolverine, let alone now?"

On the Lakers bench, after the players sat down, Phil Jackson said to Payton: "Gary, you have to control the connection between Nash and Wolverine."

Gary Payton is not as angry as he was when he was young. He just wants a championship ring, so he speaks the truth:
"I know, but Phil, that guy is faster than me and his passing ability is top-notch. I can't lock him down."

Phil Jackson certainly knows this. Even the younger Jason Kidd couldn't lock down Nash, and he has even been at a disadvantage against Nash since last season. What about the aging Gary Payton?
But he still didn't plan to let Kobe double-team Nash, as that was one of his trump cards to use against the Knicks in the future.

He just ordered: "Gary, I don't need you to defend the wing, I just need you to defend the basket, just like Josh Howard just defended you, OK?"

"OK."

Gary Payton's face twitched. What kind of words are these? Comparing me with that rookie? But he could only nod.

Then Phil Jackson moved a little, came to the front of the postman, and said: "Carl, you can't keep up with the offensive rhythm of the Wolverines. My advice to you is...

Either you can hold him down and keep him out of the paint, or you can try to get him in there and surround him with Shaq under the rim.”

The postman nodded silently and hummed.

Phil Jackson didn't say anything else to the OK combination. Everything that needed to be said had already been said countless times. The OK combination also knew how to play more advantageously, so there was no need to say more.

After the timeout, the Lakers attacked.

"Bang!"

Kobe missed the mid-range shot and He Zhongqiu grabbed the backcourt rebound.

"Steve."

On the sidelines, Rick Carlisle yelled and then pressed his hands.

Nash, who was preparing for a fast break, understood and slowed down the offensive tempo and did not play a fast break.

The fast break tactics are very effective, so Carlisle doesn't plan to play it more. Playing it too much will allow the Lakers to be prepared. If they meet in the finals in the future, they will not have enough cards in their hands, which will be a big problem.

Let the Wolverines seize the rare opportunity and play more low-post offense.

This time, He Zhongqiu's standing position was a little higher, outside the right waist position.

Because this time he is not going to play a post-up offense, but a low-post face-to-basket offense that he is better at.

At the top of the arc, Payton waved his arms and his feet kept moving.

He blocked the passing angles to the basket and the right wing low post, and ignored the left and right wings, which made his defense simpler and more focused.

But Nash is not the kind of person who stands still and passes the ball. He is better at passing the ball while moving quickly.

He immediately moved quickly to the right wing, and when Payton was half a step slower, the moment the ball was pulled up, he swung his right hand inward, and the basketball flew past Payton and flew straight towards He Zhongqiu.

"Damn it!"

By the time Payton reacted, it was too late.

"Nash's pass was very bold and creative," Barkley praised.

There is nothing surprising about Phil Jackson. Nash's passing and control skills are top-notch, so it is normal that the aging Gary Payton cannot defend him.

But Payton couldn't lock down the passing angle to the basket, which was a bit troublesome.

One step outside the right waist position, He Zhongqiu received the ball and turned to face the basket, holding the ball with both hands and leaning down.

At the right waist position, the postman immediately leaned forward and took a defensive stance.

He didn't dare to rush forward to grab the ball, because Wolverine was faster and more agile than him, but his ability to fight was stronger than his, and he couldn't be defeated by either hard or soft attacks. If he rushed forward to grab the ball, he would probably be defeated immediately.

Just as he leaned down, without any pause, He Zhongqiu suddenly shook his shoulders left and right, and then quickly took the first step. With powerful explosive power, his right foot stepped to the right very quickly.

The postman's brain reacted, but his feet couldn't keep up. When he turned around, Wolverine had already taken a step forward and outsmarted him.

"What a quick first step!" Barkley exclaimed.

He is a master of low-post offense. The Wolverine's breakthrough with the ball facing the basket is exactly the same as the technical moves of super center David Robinson.

Especially the first step, which is even faster than the Admiral.

Of course, in terms of overall technology, he is still not as good as the admiral, and there is still some gap.

On the left side of the basket, O'Neal saw Wolverine breaking through with the ball and immediately moved towards the basket, but when he landed, he saw that Wolverine had already broken through the Postman.

On the right side of the basket, He Zhongqiu took a step forward and suddenly jumped up, holding the ball in his right hand like an axe, and chopped towards the basket with all his strength.

O'Neal was not convinced. He had just been blocked by Wolverine, and this time he wanted to get back at him, so he jumped up hard under the basket.

But, he got one thing wrong.

With a tonnage of at least 160 kilograms and an age of nearly 32, his bullet height and speed are simply not up to par with He Zhongqiu.

"Crack, click, click..."

In the media seats behind the baseline, the flash lights flashed wildly again.

"boom!"

The next moment, He Zhongqiu, who was a head taller than O'Neal, chopped down his right arm fiercely, pressed down O'Neal's arms, and slammed the ball into the basket.

"Oh ho!"

The ferocious sound of the ball hitting the basket created a powerful shock wave, which instantly made all the Knicks fans impulsive and burst into huge cheers.

O'Neal was then knocked down by He Zhongqiu and staggered two steps. If Mutombo hadn't helped him, he would have been knocked over.

"Oh ho!"

Barkley screamed and shouted excitedly: "Wolverine attacked the low post, first broke through the mailman, then cut in and dunked over Shaquille O'Neal. He gave an excellent violent performance.

At this point, he shouted again: "This time, Wolverine won again. He dominated the Lakers' restricted area and dominated Shaquille O'Neal."

"Charles, you are really not afraid of trouble!" Kenny Smith said with great joy.

"What are you afraid of? O'Neal can't beat me." Barkley said proudly.

"Ha ha……"

"If you can't, then I'll do it."

Seeing that O'Neal suffered losses at the hands of the Wolverines on both offense and defense, Kobe, who didn't want to lose, started to hold the ball more often to attack.

Rick Carlisle put Josh Howard and Bonzi Wells on the outside to intensify the double-team on Kobe.

The main position they are responsible for double-teaming is inside and outside the three-point line, that is, the long two-point and three-point areas.

Once Kobe breaks through the double-team and enters the middle two-point area, He Zhongqiu will provide backup defense.

With this kind of defense, there will definitely be loopholes. Payton will get an open space. If Nash defends Payton, Devin George on the left wing will get an open space again.

So Rick Carlisle asked Bonziwells to press the ball to create opportunities for Howard's double-teaming.

At the same time, Josh Howard was asked to double-team, and the first double-team position was to block Kobe's left side and cut off his passing angle with the top of the arc and the left wing.

Howard is a rookie after all. Even though his defensive attitude is very good, he still makes mistakes from time to time, allowing Kobe to pass a lot of open balls and giving Payton and Devin George some open spaces.

However, this tight wing defense tactic also limited Kobe's offensive firepower, making it difficult for him to play and unable to perform at an explosive level. As a result, the Knicks gradually widened the gap.

The key point is that the Knicks' defensive tactics of concentrating on double-teaming him instead of O'Neal stimulated Kobe's extremely strong competitive spirit.

Rick Carlisle's psychological warfare worked. Kobe subconsciously believed that the Knicks considered him a greater threat, so later in the game, he only focused on his own offense and continued to shoot even though he missed shots.

Phil Jackson then adjusted the offensive tactics, letting Devin George strengthen his ball-holding offense, hoping to take advantage of the mismatch by using the big man against the smaller one over Nash's head.

Unfortunately, Devin George's ability to attack with the ball is average, and he is a convulsive player on the offensive end, with poor breakthrough ability. Even facing Nash's almost non-existent defense, he is unable to launch a devastating attack. A few intermittent goals are of no benefit to the overall situation.

Later, they tried to let Karl Malone and O'Neal play together, but Rick Carlisle still insisted on defending O'Neal alone, with He Zhongqiu watching the Postman, preventing them from playing in the low post.

The most important thing is that there is still no coordination between the OK combination. Kobe and O'Neal play their own games and are unable to bring out the power of 1+1 greater than 2 of the inside and outside core combination.

At the same time, after Rick Carlisle replaced Mutombo, he did not let He Zhongqiu defend, but instead started the meat shield and foul tactics against the Sharks. Coupled with He Zhongqiu's assist defense, O'Neal also had a very uncomfortable time.

In the end, 92:102, the Knicks won 11 consecutive games at home.

By the time the game was over, Madison Square Garden was in an uproar.

Only Alan Houston in a suit and tie was a bit embarrassed. Without him, the team can still defeat the powerful Lakers. What difference does it make with or without him?
(End of this chapter)