Chapter 97: Alzheimer's Free Throw

He Zhongqiu ran quickly to the basket, but O'Neal was too fat, and he could only run to the top of the arc despite his hard efforts to catch up.

Lakers power forward Samaki Walker, who had just run to the right waist position, quickly ran to the basket, and Kurt Thomas appeared in an open space.

At this time, Ellis, who had just reached the center line, quickly passed the ball to Kurt Thomas. Kobe, who was nearby, immediately made up for the defense. Thomas then passed the ball to Alan Houston outside the three-point line. Houston jumped calmly and hit a three-pointer.

"8:10, the Knicks lead by 2 points," said Kenny Smith.

"The emergence of Wolverine makes up for the Knicks' offensive threat under the basket and in the low post. Because of his presence, the Knicks now often get opportunities on the outside," said Magic Johnson.

"In fact, Wolverine's offensive skills under the basket are average. His dunks are certainly good, but his layup skills are not good. His low-post footwork is not very good, which limits his layup skills and offensive skills under the basket." Barkley analyzed.

Magic Johnson said: "Even if his offensive skills under the basket are average, but with his physical fitness, he can still perform above his level."

"Yes."

Kenny Smith nodded and said: "Wolverine has strong low-post confrontation ability, terrifying jumping ability, excellent catching ability, and strong aerial confrontation ability.

Therefore, even if his pace and skills are not very good now, he can indeed play offensive games under the basket that exceed his technical level.

As long as he gets to the basket, even if he doesn't have the ball in his hands, the opponent will feel his threat and create opportunities from the outside."

Barkley had to nod and said, "So among all the main players in the league, he has the highest percentage of offensive shots under the basket, and his shooting percentage is only lower than O'Neal."

During an offense-defense transition, passing by the Lakers bench, He Zhongqiu noticed a man in a suit and tie who seemed to be taking a nap.

He knew this guy, the former head coach of the Bulls. He had seen him coach Jordan in games when he was a child on TV. His name was Fei'er.

He was a little confused. At that time, the coach would always stand when directing the game, full of passion, and blew a whistle from time to time. How come he was like a castrated boar, completely without any passion?

“Huh!”

On a whim, he blew a loud whistle at Zen Master Phil Jackson.

Phil Jackson seemed to be dozing off, but he was not. When he saw Wolverine whistling at him, he didn't react for a moment.

"Hahaha, is Wolverine provoking or teasing Phil Jackson?" Spike Lee fell down in his seat laughing.

At this time, Phil Jackson reacted and spread his hands towards He Zhongqiu with a question mark on his face.

"Hey, Fei'er."

He Zhongqiu greeted.

"Hey, Wolverine."

Phil Jackson responded with a smile.

With three minutes left in the first quarter and the score at 20:20, O'Neal and Kobe were both substituted out.

前九分钟，奥尼尔5投3中，造成了贺中秋一次犯规，2罚1中，得到了7分2篮板2助攻1失误2犯规。

科比出手不多，3投2中，得4分4篮板1盖帽。

贺中秋和阿兰休斯顿也被换下场，他前面3投2中，1罚1中，得5分3篮板1抢断1犯规。

From the last three minutes of the first quarter to the first three minutes of the second quarter, within six minutes, both sides were half substitutes and half main players.

In the fourth minute of the second quarter, both sides replaced their main players at the same time. The score was 27:27, still tied.

Magic Johnson said: "The weakness of the Lakers' aging bench lineup was exposed. Among the six substitutes, only Robert Horry scored two points with 3 of 1 shots, and the other five did not score a single point."

Kenny Smith went on to say: "But unfortunately, the Knicks' bench lineup was also average. They didn't seize the opportunity and performed even worse. Five players played and didn't score a single point in total."

After coming on the court, Kobe and O'Neal stepped up their offense, with greater momentum than in the first quarter, and gradually began to lead the Knicks.

Kobe made 7 of 5 shots and 6 of 3 free throws in a single quarter. He beat Alan Houston with inside and outside shots and scored 14 points in nine minutes.

O'Neal made 8 of 4 shots and 4 of 2 free throws in a single quarter. He also caused He Zhongqiu to foul twice and slapped He Zhongqiu once under the basket. In nine minutes, he scored 10 points, 1 rebound and 1 block.

Led by the OK combination, after the second quarter, the Lakers led by 55 points, 45:10.

Alan Houston made 3 of 2 shots under Kobe's defense, including a three-pointer, and made 2 of 0 free throws, scoring only 5 points.

The madman only made 3 of 2 shots in this quarter, including a three-pointer and a free throw, scoring 6 points.

He Zhongqiu didn't take many shots in this quarter, making 4 of 2 shots and 2 of 1 free throws, scoring 5 points, but he grabbed 4 rebounds, blocked O'Neal's attacks several times, and gave the Shark a big block.

In the third quarter, O'Neal ran out of energy and was defended by He Zhongqiu, who made only 5 of 2 shots. He couldn't get to the basket and all his shots were close to the basket. He didn't take any free throws and scored 4 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

But Kobe started to show his strength in this quarter, taking 13 shots and making 9 of them, with a hit rate of 69.2%. He made 3 of 3 three-pointers and 1 of 1 free throws, scoring 22 points in a single quarter. Together with the 18 points in the first two quarters, he scored 40 points in three quarters.

For the first time, He Zhongqiu personally experienced the crazy performance of the world's top superstar. He scored points in just one quarter, which he might not be able to get in the entire game. This explosive scoring ability stunned him.

With the help of Kobe's crazy offense, the Lakers scored 37 points in a single quarter, while the Knicks only scored 22 points. After three quarters, the score was 92:67, and the Lakers led by as many as 25 points.

"Kobe is in great shape, the Lakers will definitely win." At the end of the third quarter, Magic Johnson said very happily and confidently.

Barkley hesitated for a moment and then said, "Knicks leader and mid-range shooter Alan Houston is not someone who can stand up at a critical moment. His willpower is far inferior to Kobe's. What you said seems to be right."

"Let's see if the madman can stand up. He has a crazy energy. This is the Knicks' only chance." Magic Johnson said.

In order to make the commentary more exciting, Kenny Smith wanted to sing a different tune. At this time, he said: "You seem to have overlooked one person. The Wolverines have not exerted their strength in the first three quarters. Now the score is 14."

"Him? No, he's not exerting himself. His current scoring is close to his average points per game."

Barkley shook his head and said, "It's okay for him to have some violent dunks to attract popularity, but you can't count on him to make an effort to catch up. Kenny, I can bet with you that you might as well count on the king of mid-range shots to stand out."

Magic Johnson said: "Kobe played like crazy today, especially in the third quarter when the Lakers led by as many as 25 points.

The Knicks don't have a guy with explosive scoring ability, and even if the Wolverines' offense is twice as strong, he still doesn't have explosive scoring ability."

"is it?"

In pursuit of show effect, Kenny Smith said with a provocative look.

Magic Johnson couldn't help but say, "Let's put it this way. Not to mention him, even O'Neal in his prime didn't have the ability to score 25 points in a single quarter. Inside players don't have such explosive scoring ability, only outside players have it."

"How about a bet?"

Kenny Smith leered at Magic Johnson provocatively.

Ignoring the stubborn Kenny Smith, Magic Johnson looked at Barkley with a headache to see what this guy would say.

Barkley chuckled and said, "This is between you two. I won't interfere. But I have a suggestion. The loser should kiss the donkey's ass."

"vomit!"

Magic Johnson and Kenny Smith simultaneously made vomiting gestures, then burst into laughter and never mentioned the bet again.

Madison Square Garden seemed very quiet. The excitement when He Zhongqiu dunked over O'Neal and smashed the backboard in the first quarter had faded away, and many fans were even leaving the venue.

On the Knicks bench, Don Cheney decided to give up the game, but someone disagreed.

He Zhongqiu stepped forward and said, "Coach, since we are going to give up anyway, why don't I lead the substitute lineup to give it a try?"

Don Cheney did not refuse. The last quarter was garbage time and the substitute players could play however they wanted. He nodded.

This is when the final quarter begins.

On the Lakers side, O'Neal has played for 27 minutes and has not yet returned to the court.

Kobe played 30 minutes and started at the start.

The other four are backup forwards Medvedenko and Robert Horry, rotation forward Devin George, and the Lakers' 02 first-round pick No. 20, guard Kareem Nash.

For the Knicks, He Zhongqiu played 27 minutes in the first three quarters, playing on and off the court with O'Neal, which was close to his average playing time, but he came on the court at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

The other four are Hannington, Li Nailon, Charlie Ward and Madman.

He Zhongqiu faced Medvedenko, a role player who was also an undrafted player like him and had the same height as him, 208 cm.

The Knicks attacked, He Zhongqiu entered the basket, and the 115-kilogram Medvedenko blocked him and was crushed directly.

"The strength and confrontation ability are completely on a different level." Barkley explained quickly.

Anyway, the team had given up, and Charlie Ward, who had the ball, didn't care about anything. When he saw Wolverine enter the basket, he threw the ball directly in.

"boom!"

The next moment, He Zhongqiu jumped up from the basket, caught the ball with both hands in the air, and dunked the ball, smashing the Lakers' basket.

"Di!"

The referee's whistle blew.

"alley-oop!"

The commentator Harry Coster let out a long hiss and roared with excitement: "It's from the show between Wolverine and Charlie Ward."

"Oh ho!"

There were about 17,000 to 18,000 people left in Madison Square Garden, and more than 10% of the fans had left, and they all started cheering.

"Two plus one, Medvedenko fouled," Kenny Smith said.

“金刚狼前三节是8投5中，6罚4中，罚球命中率66.7%。”

Barkley said this in a surprised tone: "After he changed his free throw technique, his free throw percentage rose by more than ten percentage points, from about 50% before."

"It's amazing that Shaq took his whole life to get his free throw shooting better, but the Wolverines only took one night," Kenny Smith said.

"Pfft!"

Magic Johnson burst into laughter.

He Zhongqiu stood on the free throw line, put his left hand on his waist, held the ball high with his right hand, and prepared to shoot the free throw with extraordinary momentum.

On the Lakers bench, O'Neal looked at the proud Wolverine with green light in his eyes. He was really jealous of this free throw action.

But at this moment, he suddenly turned his head and looked at the Lakers' bench, and shouted to O'Neal: "Hey, Shark, how about I teach you?"

It is undeniable that O'Neal was really moved.

"Hmph!" But he still turned his head away arrogantly and refused.

"hey-hey!"

He Zhongqiu turned his head to face the basket, without dribbling or aiming at the basket, he just threw the ball casually onto the backboard.

"Bang! Swoosh!"

With good luck, the basketball hit the backboard and bounced into the basket.

"7 of 5 free throws, 71.4%. Wolverine had real luck today," Barkley said.

"92:70, a 22-point difference," said Kenny Smith.

"Kenny, I suggest you report the score after the difference is within ten points. There is no need now," said Barkley.

"uh-huh."

Kenny Smith was noncommittal.

The Lakers attacked, and Medvedenko asked for the ball in the low post on the left wing. Devin George, who had the ball, passed it to him. After receiving the ball, he made a side hook shot.

"call!"

He Zhongqiu jumped up with the sound of the wind and made an extreme block, sending the opponent's hooked basketball into the sky.

"Oh ho!"

Madison Square Garden was once again filled with loud cheers.

"My God, how high did he jump?" Barkley exclaimed in amazement.

"What a quick reaction! And such a high jump!" Kenny Smith said at the same time.

At this time, He Zhongqiu jumped up again and grabbed the basketball. Charlie Ward ran down and took over the basketball, moving forward steadily.

Coming to the frontcourt, he entered the basket again. Medvedenko defended in front of him, but was pushed out of the reasonable collision zone by his arm.

Phil Jackson, sitting on the bench, did not give any instructions and seemed to be completely in a state of concentration.

The next moment, Old Charlie lofted the ball in again.

Under the basket, He Zhongqiu jumped to catch the ball.

Medvedenko did not jump, but moved to He Zhongqiu's side. When He Zhongqiu dunked the ball, he jumped up and slapped him hard.

"Snapped!"

"boom!"

"Di!"

Amid the fierce sound of the ball hitting the rim, the referee’s whistle sounded.

"alley-oop!"

The live commentator Bingo Boris screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Oh ho!"

Then there were cheers from the entire stadium, and consecutive alley-oop slam dunks brought the atmosphere of Madison Square Garden back to life, and it became a boiling place.

A number of Hollywood stars stood up and applauded and cheered.

Most of them also applauded and cheered for Kobe's 22 points in the third quarter. Only Spike Lee, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Alba and others cheered for the home team. They just applauded when Kobe scored a goal.

"Can you make the free throw this time?"

Barkley asked as he saw the Wolverines go to the free throw line again.

"From a probability perspective, the chance of making the free throw is very small," Magic Johnson said.

"Bang! Swoosh!"

He Zhongqiu was lucky again and made the free throw.

"10 of 7 shots, 8 of 6 free throws, the Wolverines had two consecutive two-plus-ones in the final quarter and scored 20 points," said Kenny Smith.

This time Kobe took a shot, a quick stop jump shot from the right wing, but under the desperate defense of the madman, his touch was not as hot as it was in the third quarter, and he missed once.

Li Nailong picked up the backcourt rebound and the Knicks attacked.

"ball."

He Zhongqiu entered the basket for the third time in a row and trapped Medvedenko behind him.

"Ukrainian Medvedenko is still unable to stop the Wolverines from positioning themselves under the basket," Barkley said.

Old Charlie didn't hesitate and passed the ball again.

This time, the Lakers players on the field couldn't help it, and immediately began to shrink their defense when Charlie Ward passed the ball.

He Zhongqiu jumped to catch the ball, and when he landed, Robert Horry had already dived to the left, small forward Devin George had already dived to the right, and Kobe dived down from a high position.

The madman on the right wing and old Charlie at the top of the key were both waving at him for the ball.

But at this time, he did not pass the ball as he had already gained momentum. Instead, he suddenly turned left and used his powerful strength and low-post confrontation ability to force three people aside and gain a little space.

The next moment, Medvedenko, Robert Horry, and Devin George put their six arms on He Zhongqiu.

"Ouch!"

He Zhongqiu took a short breath, then held his breath and jumped up with all his strength. Like a Tyrannosaurus Rex, he broke through the blockade of six arms and rushed into the sky.

"Di!"

At this time, the referee blew the whistle.

"boom!"

The next moment, with the sound of a loud blast from the rim, Medvedenko and Robert Horry fell down and both rolled over under the basket.

"Yeah yeah yeah..."

"Oh oh oh……"

The two live commentators began to scream wildly.

"boom!"

Madison Square Garden seemed to explode in an instant, with boiling shouts sweeping everything and everyone waving their arms and cheering.

"Another two plus one, three consecutive two plus one, Wolverine is playing crazy, this is the craziest quarter of the game since he entered the NBA." Kenny Smith shouted excitedly.

"I bet Phil Jackson can't sit still." Barkley said with a smile.

"He's already stood up." Magic Johnson shook his head.

Kobe, who had just rushed to He Zhongqiu, was stunned. He looked at Wolverine hanging on the basket, then at the two teammates lying at his feet, and suddenly a strong desire to fight arose in his heart.

"Hold him down, don't let him gain any momentum." He clenched his fists.

At this time, Phil Jackson's voice rang out from the sidelines: "Shaq, it's your turn."

He looked back at the sidelines and saw the skilled Shan standing up from the bench, and he suddenly felt unhappy.

"It's just an 8-point lead, and we still have a 17-point lead. Phil Jackson, don't you trust me that much?"

Regardless of what Bryant thought, O'Neal replaced Medvedenko, then backup guard Brian Shaw replaced Kareem Nash.

When the Lakers made substitutions, the Knicks of course also made substitutions.

Don Cheney saw that He Zhongqiu had scored 8 points in a row and wanted to give it a try, so he replaced Alan Houston and Kurt Thomas and let the madman go down to rest for a while.

He Zhongqiu stood at the free throw line with his left hand on his waist, looking very proud, and raised the ball with his right hand.

"This free throw is so cool."

Bingo Boris said in the live commentary booth.

"A hundred times cooler than O'Neal's Alzheimer's free throws." Harry Coster nodded.

These words rang out in Madison Square Garden, and then the entire arena fell silent.

"..."

O'Neal, who was looking at Wolverine with envy and jealousy, widened his eyes and asked, "What did I just hear?"
"Hahaha……"

The next moment, the fans who reacted burst into laughter. The entire Madison Square Garden was paralyzed with laughter. The laughter spread from the audience seats to the court. Even Kobe, with a stern face, couldn't help but cover his face. Even the referee squatted down with laughter.

In TNT's live studio, Barkley and three other commentators had collapsed on their chairs with laughter and were too busy to continue their commentary.

Only two people didn't laugh. One was He Zhongqiu, he didn't understand, and the other was O'Neal, he felt like a knife in the heart.

O'Neal, who was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, turned around and rushed to the commentary stand, which scared Harry Coster so much that he hurriedly got up and ran straight out of the stadium.

This farce wasted two minutes before the scene quieted down. After O'Neal returned to the court, He Zhongqiu started shooting free throws again.

"Bang! Swoosh!"

Luck came and he made the free throw again.

"92:76, the Wolverines made three consecutive two-plus-ones and scored 9 points in a row, while the Lakers didn't score a single point. Now the score difference is still 16 points." Kenny Smith said.

"Now that O'Neal is on the court, Wolverine can no longer get such a good opportunity under the basket," said Magic Johnson.

"Shark's physical condition is not good enough, so we can play fast break." Barkley said.

Magic Johnson nodded, but said, "But Wolverine has also played for a long time. His physical fitness should not be much better than that of Shark."

Barkley shook his head and said, "Wolverine played with O'Neal and played for 27 minutes in the first three quarters, but his physical fitness is definitely stronger than O'Neal. O'Neal is too big."

(End of this chapter)