Kobe stared at Old K on the TV, feeling great pressure filling his chest and feeling unhappy.
He had always hoped to finish his career by the side of Old K. When Old K got old, he would lead the team, but unfortunately, Old K betrayed him.
Off the court, he and Lao K still have the closest relationship, and he is still Lao K's little brother, but on the court, the opponent he wants to beat the most now is Lao K.
He is very clear about Old K's dream. He hopes to create a dynasty in the Suns, so he must defeat Old K and break Old K's dream. Only in this way can he prove that Old K is wrong.
"Shaq, I will pass the ball to you, but you must ensure that your damn weight is controlled under 150 kilograms, otherwise you will not catch a ball from me, I promise." He was very serious and serious.
Said to O'Neal.
When O'Neal heard the word weight, he felt guilty, but when he thought about defeating his destined opponent, Old K, his determination became stronger. He nodded quickly and said: "Don't worry, my tonnage is now controlled at 150 kilograms.
I will keep it under 150 kilograms."
Compared with ordinary people, his weight loss is actually very simple. He only needs to control high-calorie foods while maintaining daily training and competitions. Eating and drinking excessively is the only reason why he cannot control his weight.
After the All-Stars, he was under the supervision of the team. He no longer had access to those foods. He hadn't touched Coke or hamburgers for a long time. His weight did return to 150 kilograms. At least whether he can maintain it depends on his perseverance.
With his appetite, if he eats a full meal and drinks a large bottle of fat water, he will gain at least two kilograms.
In the Rose Garden, returning to the visiting team's locker room, Lao Wang checked the time and saw that the Nets' game was almost over. He turned on the TV on the wall and tuned to the ESPN channel. It happened that the game over there was over and the Nets defeated the digital team.
He paid attention to Dayao's statistics, 31 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, 2 turnovers and 4 fouls, shooting 52.3% from the field, which is a good performance.
"Old K, there is a high probability that the Nets will enter the finals in the Eastern Conference," Nash said.
"Probably." He nodded.
"Steve, you don't take too many shots. You can shoot a few more three-pointers. Whether it's Bunchy Wells or Derek Anderson, their defense is actually average." He added.
Nash smiled and said, "I will take action if I have the chance."
He nodded and said: "If you and Marion can both get 20 statistics, I can focus more on the defensive end."
What he said was sincere, because these little bastards are not good at defense, and his defensive pressure is much greater than his offensive pressure.
"Old K, I will work hard. I will definitely be able to score 20 points in the future, and you will be under less pressure." Stoudemire promised, patting his chest from the opposite side.
"There are three 20-year-olds in the starting lineup. By then, I won't have anything to do. Do you want to push me to the bench to play as the sixth man? Amare, I'm not that old yet." Lao Wang
Complain.
"hey-hey……"
Xiaosi was startled, touched the back of his head, and laughed.
"Haha..." The locker room burst into laughter.
On May 5th, the media commented on the two second-round games last night and made their own predictions for the series.
"Old K has transformed from a siege machine to a defensive gate, playing a suffocating defense. If the Trail Blazers cannot break through this gate, the ending of the series will be worrying!" New York Sports.
"The Suns made too many mistakes and other players' offensive efficiency was low. Once Old K is unable to play the same defensive performance as last night, the Trail Blazers will have the advantage and win the series." Los Angeles Daily News.
There are many media that are optimistic about the Suns and Trail Blazers, and there is no one-sided situation. However, the media all talked about Lao Wang's defensive performance, but none of them touched on the offensive performance, which is very strange.
This phenomenon was discovered by Barkley. In an interview with the media in the afternoon, he said: "Many media believe that if Old K cannot play the same defense as last night, the Suns will lose the series.
There are also many media who believe that if the Blazers cannot break through Old K's defensive gate, the Blazers will lose the series.
Everyone is talking about how powerful Old K's offense is, but they all fail to mention Old K's defense.
So can I understand that these media believe that there will be no problems with Lao K's offense, and that his offense will be as strong, stable and efficient as before? This kind of tacit understanding of the media, this tacit understanding of Lao K's offense
, very interesting!”
On this day, Lao Wang rested in the hotel and tried his best to restore his physical fitness in preparation for the G2 game.
In the evening, the other two games started, and he watched the game between the Mavericks and the Lakers.
"This little dried fish has indeed lost some weight."
Lao Wang stared at O'Neal on the screen. His body shape had changed significantly. He didn't look too bloated anymore, and he was obviously more active on the court.
He has beaten O'Neal in various periods, starting from 127 kg to 160 kg some time ago. He believes that the sharks he encountered during the last two of the Lakers' three consecutive championships gave him the most headaches.
At that time, O'Neal's weight was around 150 kilograms. He had speed, explosive power, physical strength, was very flexible, and even had certain fast-break ability. He didn't dare to block him after he charged forward.
He feels that it is best for O'Neal to keep his weight in the middle of 150 kilograms, so that O'Neal can maintain dominance in the low post, recover some of his movement speed, and at the same time improve his physical condition.
The tonnage of 150 kilograms gives him a strong advantage in terms of tonnage and strength. It is very difficult for him to fight O'Neal like this, and he must use his full strength, but he cannot fight like that a few times.
In the past, when his physical fitness level was 105, he was not afraid of the 150-kilogram O'Neal and had enough physical fitness to torment the sharks. But now that his physical fitness has declined, if he encounters O'Neal like that again, he will have more headaches.
In the end, the Lakers defeated the Mavericks on the road 111:98.
Kobe scored 30 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals, with a shooting percentage of 47.5%. O'Neal scored 34 points, 18 rebounds and 4 blocks, with a shooting percentage of 57%. The OK team teamed up to defeat the Mavericks, who had a better regular season record.
After watching this game, Lao Wang became more vigilant towards O'Neal. With this piece of cat food and dried fish, he really returned to the state of a big shark.
In another game, the Pistons also defeated the Green Team.
He also watched the game occasionally and was surprised by Ben's current defensive strength. This kid is too strong. Because of his height, he has a high amount of muscle. This is one of the important reasons for his outstanding strength. In addition, the bottom line
It's very low and can be carried in the low position.
With the same strength, regardless of confrontation skills, but just the ability to hold on, he should be inferior to Da Ben because his center of gravity is too high.
On the 6th, the Los Angeles media praised the strength of the OK combination. They believed that the current OK combination, Kobe and O'Neal, are at their peak. They are no longer weaker than the combination of Jordan and O'Neal during the Knicks era, or even no weaker than the combination of Kobe and O'Neal during the Lakers' three consecutive championships.
combination of k.
"Congratulations to the return of the top shark!" Los Angeles Daily News.
"The combination of Peak Shark, Peak Peter Pan and OK will be one of the most powerful inside and outside combinations in the history of the league."
"Whether it's the Trail Blazers or the Suns, the OK combination has the strength to defeat them, and the Lakers will reach the finals again!" Los Angeles Sports News.
That night, the Suns started a G2 game with the Trail Blazers and lost.
The Suns' weak defense on the outside was defeated by the Trail Blazers' back line. On the offensive end, Marion was subpar. He only made 1 of 6 shots from the field and scored 5 points with free throws. Starting Hardaway scored 9 points and rookie Stoudemire Stoudemire 13 points.
Lao Wang scored 38 points while fully defending, Nash scored 25 points, and only three people in the team scored in double figures.
The Trail Blazers had many players working hard. From the main lineup to the substitute lineup, six players scored in double figures.
The crazy knife Bonzi Wells performed well in the G1 game. He performed even better this time, scoring 26 points and becoming the Trail Blazers' scoring leader.
Another guard, Derek Anderson, also scored 15 points, Duncan scored 21 points, Rasheed Wallace 18 points, Pippen 11 points, and substitute Zach Randolph played 27 minutes and scored 15 points on Ewing.
In the Eastern Conference, the Nets won consecutive victories at home and once again defeated the digital team led by Iverson.
Dayao performed very well, scoring 36 points, 14 rebounds, and 7 blocks, destroying the opponent's inside line on both offense and defense.
"Brother, you still need a defender who is good at attacking and defending..."
After Dayao knew that the Suns had lost the game, he called specifically to comfort Lao Wang and said: "If it doesn't work out, you can bring Kobe back to the Suns. I think he might..."
"Shut up!"
Interrupting Dayao's words, Lao Wang said angrily: "You will soon be the second overall runner-up, so you should worry about yourself. I don't need your comfort."
"Brother, I am comforting you, but you are attacking me?" Dayao said a little aggrievedly.
"I'll comfort you! You dare to say that I can't do it. You'd better reach the finals and let me shave your head." Lao Wang said angrily.
"Brother, it's too much, it's too much. I comfort you, but you want to sweep me away. It's too much!"
"Crack!"
Lao Wang hung up the phone. He felt that Dayao had gone bad and actually learned to "comfort" people. Who did he learn this from?
"Sean, what's going on with you today? Did you go to a nightclub last night, or were you with your wife? You're not in any shape at all, neither offensively nor defensively. The half-crippled old man scored 11 points." He turned his head.
Ask Marion.
When he asked, not only did Marion lower his head, but everyone else, except Nash, also lowered their heads, including Ewing.
Lao Wang looked at everyone and continued: "I put most of my energy on defense, and I can't make up for the loopholes you left. Brothers, at any rate, you can't defend well. You have to attack, but there is no such thing."
How to beat the Trail Blazers?"
"Tell me, what are you thinking about? What kind of pressure is causing you to be out of shape? Tell me." He added.
Pointing at Hardaway, he said: "Anfernee, start with you."
Both Hardaway and O'Neal have competed for the position of boss. They were Jordan's successors when they were in glory. They were still the core when they first came to the Suns. After being seriously injured again, they were no longer good. Now under the gaze of Old K, they feel great pressure.
, opened his mouth, but couldn't speak for a moment.
Lao Wang saw that Hardaway was silent and then looked at the others. He really felt that his teammates were under a lot of psychological pressure, which he didn't understand.
He usually doesn't put any pressure on these guys. He doesn't ask for regular season record, and he doesn't ask for their poor defense during games. Where does the pressure on these guys come from?
"Forget it, that's it for today, we'll talk about it when we go back tomorrow." He stood up and walked to the bathroom without saying a word.
As soon as he entered, the pressure suddenly disappeared and everyone could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.
An hour later, Lao Wang and Nash went to the post-game press conference.
"Steve, why do you think they didn't perform well?" Lao Wang took the opportunity to ask Nash.
Nash has been thinking about this issue and said: "Probably, your expectations for the playoffs are too high. Everyone feels a lot of pressure. We all want to play well, but some of us can't let go."
"this?"
Lao Wang frowned.
This is true. He has no requirements for regular season record, but he does have requirements for the playoffs, and they are very high, because he only has a three-year fixed period. If he cannot win the championship this year, it may be more difficult in the future, under the pressure of the league.
, it is almost impossible to build a dynasty with three consecutive championships.
Assistant coach Scott Scales, who was walking in front, looked back at Lao Wang and said: "Old K, you just came back this season. Our lineup can be said to have been rebuilt this season and is still a bit immature.
It takes time to grow.
Stoudemire is still a rookie, Joe Johnson is only in his second year, and his skills still need to be refined. Hardaway is too injured to be entrusted with important tasks. Their performance will definitely not be very stable. You should understand this.
Marion didn't have so much pressure when he played in the playoffs before. In the past few years, the Suns had no mission or idea of winning the championship. They could just play casually without pressure.
But now it’s different from before. If the team wants to win the championship and encounters a strong team like the Trail Blazers, he will be under greater pressure than anyone else, because he is the only person on the team who can defend well besides you, and he is also the second best player in the regular season.
You should be able to understand scoring points, being under too much pressure, and not performing properly."
Lao Wang nodded helplessly and said: "I understand."
There is nothing he can do about this. He is not a psychology expert like Duncan, and he does not know how to make psychological adjustments to his teammates.
D'Antoni said at this time: "Old K, don't worry, they only played two games in the second round. The further they go, the situation will get better after they adapt to the pressure."
Another assistant coach Frank Johnson said: "Sean's performance in the playoffs has actually been worse than in the regular season. In the 2000/01 season, his shooting percentage in the playoffs was only 37%. His offensive methods were very monotonous.
, air cuts, open shots, and no ability to attack with the ball. Once the opponent strengthens their defense, the efficiency will drop significantly."
"Pippen also worked hard tonight, playing 33 minutes and exerting strong defensive pressure on Marion." Scott Skiles said.
D'Antoni said: "They lost the first home game and they were absolutely desperate for the second home game. In fact, Old K, if we can win an away game, the situation is still good. The initiative is still in our hands. Go back and seize our two
Just play at home.”
"Um."
Lao Wang nodded.
He now discovered that not only was his teammates' mentality problematic, but he was also the same. He only lost an away game, so his reaction was a bit big!
But it is actually a normal thing for the team to lose to the Trail Blazers, because comparing their strength, their lineup is stronger than the Suns. Their complete defeat in the regular season is the best evidence.
After such self-analysis, he felt that his mentality had indeed changed. After winning the G1 game, he took it for granted that he would continue to win. How could this be possible? Unknowingly, he was drifting away!
After attending the press conference, Lao Wang returned to the locker room. His teammates were ready. Stoudemire was carrying his bag, Joe Johnson was carrying Nash's bag, and everyone left the locker room.
After getting on the bus and waiting for it to start, Lao Wang, who was sitting in front, stood up and said: "Brothers, I have arranged a party tomorrow afternoon at my villa. Everyone brings their family or girlfriends to attend."
"Oh, boss, this is a good arrangement." Xiaosi shouted happily.
"Boss, I heard that when you were here, you would arrange a pool party for every playoffs, and each person would send two girls, all of whom were Hollywood starlets and models. Why didn't we?" Marion shouted.
Lao Wang laughed and said: "Then you have to work hard to play the game, because only the championship is qualified to enjoy that level of party."
"Oh, brothers, let's go all out for the party and the beauties in Hollywood!" Marion immediately screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Oh ho..."
There were a lot of strange screams on the bus, and the smell of male hormones suddenly became stronger.