Chapter 85 [What about the good rain man against the magician? 】
The Lakers' home game against the SuperSonics was originally an ordinary regular season game, but it attracted much attention. The ratings of this live broadcast on ESPN were astonishing, comparable to the first game of last year's Western Conference Finals between the Spurs and the Rockets.
"Magic" Earvin Johnson has been one of the biggest stars since he entered the league. Even if he retires, people's attention and discussion about him have never diminished.
Because he retired after being diagnosed with AIDS, he is the only one among the big-name NBA stars. Chamberlain is said to have slept with 20,000 women. If you calculate it, it means that he has slept with one woman every day for a whole year. He has had two bed partners for more than 30 years.
...No one has AIDS.
Magic's move last year also surprised countless people. The pillar of the Lakers dynasty, kneeling down to beg another player to come back? This is true. Magic made such a move in Jordan's documentary.
Now that Magic is back, SuperSonics power forward Sam Perkins wants to kneel down when he sees that he is playing against him.
The magician, who is 206cm tall, has grown into a fat black man of 116kg. This is not the point. The point is that Perkins is really scared. He does not mean to discriminate against anyone. It is a normal psychological reaction.
A normal person would definitely be under a lot of pressure when facing a person carrying a deadly virus. Not to mention that Perkins would have to have a physical confrontation with this person on the court?
Where is Rain Man's promised matchup against Magic? Hurry up and let him play!
Why is it like this? You look at me and say you have decided, why is it like this? You hold an umbrella and leave before the rain stops...
When the Lakers attacked, Magic and Seidel-Treiter played a pick-and-roll in the middle and then chose to cut. Seidel distributed the ball. Magic received the ball and easily squeezed out Perkins with his huge body. He took three slow steps to get to the basket for a layup.
Score .27 to 21.
On the offensive end, Perkins couldn't let go when facing Magic. He stood conscientiously in the left corner. He didn't want to cut to the basket and tried to avoid physical confrontation.
The pick-and-roll between Snow and Irvine was ineffective, one had no sharp breakthrough, and the other had no shooting range. Snow tried to break through but failed, and passed the ball to Schrempf for a single.
Schrempf broke through the frame under George Lynch's defense, forced a layup, and was blocked by Campbell under the basket. If a center with no range like Irvine is on the court, the opponent's heavy center can do whatever he wants.
Huddle close to the penalty area and defend.
The Lakers' offense once again focuses on Magic.
This time, Magic took the ball and broke into the basket after a pick-and-roll. He attracted the support of the blue-collar center with the same name and then passed the ball to Campbell from close range. The latter dunked the ball with one hand and scored .27 to 23.
The arena was buzzing with excitement, and the home fans stood up and applauded. Although Magic gained weight, he still played well, much better than people predicted before the game.
George Karl looked a little depressed on the sidelines, as the important central defense was useless. He guessed what was going on. Perkins wanted to avoid physical contact with Magic as much as possible. The two were of similar height, and his weight was already
If you are not as good as a magician, how can you prevent this?
During the SuperSonics offense, Schrempf singled out Lynch in the low post on the left, forming a triangle with Snow and Perkins. He squeezed Lynch twice and turned to the baseline to shoot a jumper, avoiding the block and hitting. 29 to 23.
Schrempf's singles can provide firepower for the bench, but the Lakers' offense has just begun.
Magic and Seidel played a pick-and-roll again, and Snow bypassed the screen from the inside of the three-point line to pursue. Seidel's experienced sideways movement made a time difference and hit a jumper three-pointer with slight interference from Snow. 29 to 26.
Perkins did not help defend out of the penalty area, but Snow pursued the defense very actively, a little slower.
SuperSonics offense, Schrempf received the ball in the low post, Seidel suddenly retreated to press and double-team Schrempf with Lynch. Schrempf took advantage of the situation and passed the ball out to the outside. Snow's nearly open shot on the left side missed.
Magic grabbed the backcourt rebound.
Snow now feels that Yang Jian's advice to him is correct. Three-pointers are too important.
He can defend and organize well, and he can integrate into the team once he has practiced throwing towels and three-pointers. The opponent will leave role players open to double-team the star. He often has good shooting opportunities, but unfortunately he did not make the shot this time.
The Lakers' positional battle continued with pick-and-rolls. Magic provided support from the high post. Eddie Jones ran out of the perimeter under Campbell's cover. Askew was blocked and unable to catch up. Magic's outstanding passing awareness immediately delivered the ball.
SuperSonics center Irvin failed to defend, and Jones caught the ball and hit another three-point jump shot, 29-29.
During the SuperSonics offense, Schrempf was double-teamed again in singles, but he still passed to Snow from the outside. This time Snow was more prepared for the shot, but unfortunately he never practiced long-range shots well, and only about 40% of the hits were made during training.
Wow, it's time to strike again.
This is not a problem with his mentality, but simply a lack of ability. When he was in college, Snow rarely shot from mid- to long-range, and he never practiced hard.
Magic grabbed the rebound in the backcourt. With his current weight, it is definitely not possible for him to make a fast break. He is very good at grabbing rebounds when stuck.
During the Lakers position battle, Magic continued to pull out to play pick-and-roll with his teammates. Seidel broke through with the ball, attracting Perkins to switch defenses and passed the ball to the center. Snow also chased the defender, and Magic easily hit the mid-range shot from the high post.
29 to 31.
In the second quarter, the Lakers' morale was high, and the cheers from the home fans became louder and louder. They launched a 12-2 attack wave, and the starting point of each attack was Magic.
George Karl asked for a timeout, knowing that he had to make substitutions and adjustments. A timeout could also slightly lower the opponent's morale.
He asked Yang Jian on the sidelines: "Yang, is it okay if I let you play a little longer today? I need you to defend the point guard and guard the magician when encountering a pick-and-roll switch, and don't let him easily enter the penalty area."
"Of course it's no problem." Yang Jian was waiting for this moment of limelight. He was the person in the team who was least afraid of being infected by the magician, and he was full of confidence.
Aaron Miles said: "George Karl called a timeout very timely, and there was obviously something wrong with the SuperSonics' defense. Magic's first game back was much stronger than people expected, and he got 4 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in a short while.
All the Lakers' points in the second quarter were related to him, and Seidel's three-point opportunity was also covered by him."
Jack Carter said: "Young was replaced after a short rest, and Askew took a rest. Young is now a trump card in George Karl's hand, which can stabilize the morale of the army. The SuperSonics did not replace Payton and
Kemp, the coach may want Young to be the core of the team's offense."
Aaron laughed and said: "I don't think so, he is already one of the core players. If he doesn't play, the Sonics' offense will become unsmooth and there will be too many one-on-one challenges."
The length of playing time is the easiest way to judge a player's strength. People who can play for a long time must be outstanding. The SuperSonics need Yang Jian to play without the ball, and he is the only one in the team who can do this well.
.
When the SuperSonics attacked, Snow dribbled the ball across half court to organize. Yang Jian first ran from the right baseline to the left, and then circled out at full speed. Irvin screened Eddie Jones in the corner of the penalty area.
Yang Jian made a circle, received Snow's pass from outside the three-point line on the right, ran two steps to the right 60 degrees, half-turned and leaned back to shoot a three-pointer.
He gained a lot of space through running, and his shot was fast and steady. Eddie Jones was more than one step too slow to reach out. The ball drew a beautiful arc and hit the net hollowly. 32 to 31.
"Beautiful, Yang hit his fourth three-pointer of the game, his hands are so hot!" Jack shouted.
Aaron said: "Yang shows off his power as soon as he comes on the court. The Lakers must strengthen their defense against him. The two inside players on the field are not moving fast and cannot switch defenses. They have to rely on Jones to catch up."
Campbell had no intention of changing defense, so Johnson stood on the baseline and followed Perkins, and the SuperSonics formed a very wide formation.
When the Lakers attacked, something unexpected happened. Yang Jian was responsible for guarding point guard Seidel, and Snow defended Eddie Jones. Seidel broke through with the ball, and Perkins switched defenses, while Yang Jian defended Magic in the middle.
This prevented him from easily cutting into the penalty area.
Seidel saw the fierce blocking in the middle and did not pass the ball to Magic. He made a small breakthrough and missed a layup. Perkins got the rebound and made a long pass. Yang Jian turned around and got rid of Magic in an instant and rushed halfway.
Catching the ball on the field, calculating the distance and taking a stance, smashing the ball with a tomahawk and scoring!
Yang Jian beat his chest and roared, 34 to 31.
Lakers fans all felt a little bad. The Sonics' tactics were designed for counterattacks. After the mismatch, it was impossible for Magic to keep up with Yang Jian...