basketball never sleeps

Chapter 323 This is how we Lakers are.
On December 3, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the Lakers hosted the Warriors.

"Ball! Ball! Ball!"

Kobe, with his back to Stephen Jackson, used his elbow to pry away the arms that were clinging to him, while anxiously calling for the ball from Paul at the top of the key.

Paul noticed that Al Jefferson, who was lurking on the baseline, was subtly moving towards Kobe's direction, while Yao Ming on the other side also seemed to be returning to defend the paint, his brows furrowing slightly.

He hasn't passed the ball to Kobe in four consecutive possessions, but now is not a good time to pass it.

Luke Walton signaled a pick-and-roll, drawing Kwame Brown out of position. He had been paying close attention to the game and knew what tactics Paul was going to execute, so he cleverly led Barnes, who was guarding him, along the baseline toward the paint.

Faced with the sight of one side being completely deserted, Yao Ming could only secretly lament his predicament. He then tried his best to spread his arms wide, like a giant panda, attempting to scare away the invading enemy with his larger surface area.

Baron Davis tried to get around the screen, but his agility couldn't compare to Paul's athleticism at his peak.

Paul naturally got an open shot, and Yao Ming stepped forward. Kwame Brown, who had developed a tacit understanding with Paul, switched to a pick-and-roll. Yao Ming, who had just moved up, noticed Kwame Brown's unusual movement and, without much thought, pulled back and turned to help defend Kwame Brown.

Paul seized the open shot and took it decisively.

boom!
The basketball hit the net, and Al Jefferson caught the rebound.

The Warriors' counterattack began instantly. The Lakers fought back and blocked the Warriors' transition offense. However, Yao Ming received the ball in the elbow area, faked a shot, broke through, and strode into the paint. He dribbled behind his back, turned his back, swayed left and right to create space, raised his hand for a layup, and easily scored.

The referee blew the whistle, and the Lakers called a timeout.

The Zen master stood calmly on the sidelines, arms crossed, chewing gum; clearly, he wasn't the one who called for a timeout.

"FU*K!"

A furious shout came from the court. Paul didn't need to look to know who was yelling. The burning gaze seemed to be trying to scorch his skin, but he didn't care. He believed that his decision just now was flawless, and whoever had the problem was the one with the problem.

Back on the sidelines, the coaching staff remained silent, and the players, both standing and sitting, were so intimidated by an invisible pressure that they dared not utter a sound.

"What the hell were you doing just now? Why didn't you pass me the ball when I asked for it? How many times has this happened? Do you even want to play basketball anymore?!" Kobe tried his best to control his temper and questioned him in a communicative tone.

"Playing basketball isn't just about watching you play alone. Do you even know the tactics? We practice so many tactics all the time not just to play house with you!"

Paul wasn't intimidated by Kobe's aura; he was a third-grader, no longer the obedient second-grader he once was.

"Do you even know whose team this is? The fourth quarter strategy is to pass the ball to me. If you don't understand, then get off the court!" Kobe's face was cold, and his temper was almost out of control.

"Why should I go down? I'm playing the right kind of basketball. The team isn't your team alone, and victory isn't your victory alone..."

Paul was about to speak again, but the Zen master, who had been silent all along, interrupted him.

"That's enough, all of you shut up!"

"The game isn't over yet, we're still behind in the score, are you guys arguing here to admit that we've already lost the game?"

"Still play the triangle offense, run plays, give the ball to Kobe first, and pass it out to him when he doesn't have an opportunity. If you have any conflicts, you can resolve them yourselves after the game. You can argue all you want, but now just focus on the game!"

The two stopped fighting, but Kobe kept staring intently at Paul, while Paul turned his head to the side.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was sitting on the bench due to injury, witnessed all of this and was feeling a bit of a headache.

Is there something wrong with the feng shui of Los Angeles?

Before coming, he thought that with his friendly relationship with Kobe, plus his lack of desire and ability to compete for the top spot, there would definitely be no more power struggles like during the "OK 1.0" era.

Who would have thought that once he and Kobe were out of trouble, Paul stepped in again.

Fisher, who just returned from the Jazz this season, said he's into it.

It's back, it's all back.

That's right, that's how we Lakers are.

Kobe's rebellion against Shaq was brewing for four years, only taking concrete form after the OK team won their first championship, while Paul only needed five games.

赛季初科比因为脚踝扭伤缺席了9天，在此期间保罗带队4胜1负，个人场均21分12助攻。

Although grand principles tirelessly tell people to seek self-confidence within themselves, the truth is that self-confidence needs to be cultivated and proven.

Jordan's final shot in the 1982 NCAA final made him believe he had a destiny. During Shaq's injury recovery, Kobe brought himself into Jordan's shoes with a series of crazy shots. Now, Paul has also seen through his own path in 5 games.

He no longer needs to be anyone's vassal, assistant, or underling; he already possesses the strength to become a core member.

Therefore, he adjusted his role, comparing himself to Mo Wen during the Heat's championship run, and positioned himself as the core person in charge of organization.

Kobe and O'Neal corresponded to Wade and Shaq on the Heat, one responsible for scoring and the other for the paint.

Isn't it perfect?
Later, Paul suffered a finger injury and was forced to miss 6 games. Under the leadership of the new OK combination, the Lakers had a winning percentage of only 50%, with a record of 3 wins and 3 losses.

The method of controlling variables has been proven mathematically.

Paul knew that waiting another year or two to mature might have been a better option, but as that American poet said—

If I had never seen the sun, I might have been able to endure the darkness, but now, the sun illuminates my loneliness, making it even more desolate.

Besides, Kobe did the same thing.

He's just imitating what others are doing now.

The game on the court continued, and just like the OK combination before, the conflicts and disagreements did not affect the cooperation between Kobe and Paul.

Paul doesn't like the triangle offense, but he can still play it because Kobe had a lot of energy left today since he didn't take many shots earlier.

The Warriors took advantage of O'Neal's absence to continue their aggressive attack on the paint with high efficiency. After the timeout, Kobe made two incredible shots to keep the score close. Paul's ability to weave around Kobe and coordinate with his teammates also prevented the Warriors from focusing all their defensive resources on Kobe.

The game remained deadlocked until the very end, with 4 seconds left and a 2-point deficit. Paul made a crucial steal, snatching the victory back from the hands of the Warriors.

Kobe naturally assumed he would take the game-winning shot, as did Phil Jackson and the Warriors.

With Paul and Pietrus guarding Kobe, Yao Ming stood like a gatekeeper under the basket, and Paul should have passed the ball directly to Kobe.

But looking at his teammates who were almost completely open, Paul hesitated for half a second.

"Give me the ball!"

Kobe couldn't get the ball; he could only pull it to the mid-court line. Four seconds was a bit rushed, but it was enough for him to launch an attack.

Paul nodded at him, and just as he was about to pass the ball, he suddenly flicked it across to Radmanovic, who was lurking in the bottom corner. Kobe's eyes widened, a surge of immense anger engulfing him. He suddenly understood how that fat guy had viewed him back then.

Swish!
Radmanovic made the three-pointer... but the referee blew the whistle, he stepped out of bounds, it should have been a long two-pointer.

There are 2.5 seconds left on the clock.

Kobe stared intently at Paul, while Paul looked back at him with pride.

The Warriors didn't call a timeout, so the two players didn't remain deadlocked for long.

Both players were extremely eager to win, so neither let their guard down, urging their teammates to tighten their defense.

2.5 seconds isn't enough to launch a full-court offensive play without a timeout, but a tied game is enough for Baron Davis to make some bold offensive moves, such as a three-pointer from midcourt.

"Bang! Bang! God, the ball's in! Baron Davis hit a three-pointer from midcourt, he's sealed the victory for the Lakers! A midcourt buzzer-beater, unbelievable!" The commentator on the sidelines let out a sharp, explosive shout.

The game is over, but some things are just beginning.

The league officially stipulates that each team should allow players 15 to 30 minutes to shower after the game, after which the locker room should be opened for interviews.

But the Lakers did not follow this rule today.

Fisher, who has grown from a young fish to a veteran, is quite experienced in this. He invited the team's press officer and assistant general manager who specializes in handling miscellaneous matters, and used an internal team meeting as an excuse to drive away the reporters waiting outside the locker room.

The reporters were disappointed; their super sense of smell told them they should use their super imagination instead.

That evening, the news headline "Lakers infighting: Kobe and Paul's locker room erupts in heated argument, suspected to have escalated into a physical fight" appeared on Los Angeles media websites.

In reality, Kobe and Paul did not get into a physical fight or engage in a heated argument. At least in front of their teammates, they both showed considerable restraint. Although their voices were somewhat agitated, the content remained confined to basketball matters.

This didn't last long, because Jeribas and the Zen Master, who had heard about it, stepped in to "quell" the conflict.

"Although their arguments can bring a lot of attention to the team, I don't want them to follow the same path as OK. Paul is still young, Kobe is still in his prime, and with the two of them, Jermaine, and you, I believe we can at least win another three-peat, right?"

Old Bass patted the Zen Master on the shoulder, and the Zen Master nodded as if in approval, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his glasses.

He understood what Jerry Buss meant—the newly formed super team hadn't achieved anything yet, and any internal strife they were going to have to wait until after winning a championship. The age difference between Paul and Kobe meant that if the infighting broke out again, the personnel changes would probably have to be similar to those of the OK combination back then…

It must be said that the Zen Master once again disagreed with the elder Bass, and this time he still supported the older one.

Even though he wrote in his previous autobiography that Kobe was "unteachable," Paul was a bigger headache for him.

Paul is easier to communicate with and more willing to listen to the coaching staff's guidance, but he also has more ideas.

The past three three-peats not only made Phil Jackson regard the triangle offense as the gold standard, but also fostered a path dependency in him. However, the triangle offense is more of a constraint for point guards.

Top point guards tend to create open shots or simple offensive opportunities through pick-and-rolls and tactical movement, while the logic of the triangle offense is to create simple one-on-one opportunities by moving and stretching the defense.

This is a fundamental difference.

……

Unsurprisingly, the news of the Lakers' internal strife made headlines in North American sports. Even though the two players tried their best to downplay the situation at the subsequent press conference, the media quickly uncovered the shady dealings in last night's game by working backward from the details.

Kobe repeatedly asked for the ball but was refused, leading to a timeout. Their less-than-friendly communication, Paul's choice for the game-winning shot, and Kobe's almost unfiltered expression afterward all revealed the conflict between them.

ESPN's analysis of the Lakers' data this season revealed the "truth": Paul can lead the team to maintain a good record, but without Paul, Kobe's team's performance remains the same.

However, this data doesn't hold up to scrutiny, because the Lakers have only won 1 of their last 4 games due to O'Neal's recent injury. Based on this, O'Neal should be considered the true core player...

In contrast, TNT was much more direct. They directly connected with Shaq, who, being very considerate, didn't criticize Kobe. During the three-minute call, he only said two sentences.

"Yes, yes, I can understand him."

"To be honest, I feel sorry for him."

Then I laughed for a full 2 ​​minutes and 50 seconds.

His laughter was so infectious that even the professionally trained TNT trio couldn't help but laugh along with him.

Shaq's public support for Kobe in the summer led many to believe that their relationship had improved, but in reality, their communication after their separation was limited to the media.

Rather than saying Shaq was speaking up for Kobe, it's more accurate to say he was disgusted by the old Buss who had disgusted him back then.

Having won two more championships after leaving the Lakers, Shaq now has a more superior perspective, and his success gives him enough confidence to act magnanimously.

However, his magnanimity did not mean he forgave everything. He would never forget the feeling of not receiving the pass when his efficiency was clearly higher.

Who could have imagined that fate would swing back on Kobe? Using the same excuse, Kobe finally got the punishment he deserved.

……

Mo Wen chuckled as he read the newspaper article about the Lakers.

He had actually anticipated the current mess with the Lakers. Chris Paul had his phone number, and a while ago Paul even called him to ask how to become the leader of a team.

Paul is not a player who is content to be second best. As for his abilities, the original Paul was competing with Kobe for the MVP award this season.

Being with the Lakers deprived him of the opportunity to carry the team on his own, but hothouse flowers do indeed grow faster. In terms of shooting alone, apart from the paint, Paul's shooting percentage in all other areas has surpassed Kobe's, including Kobe's strongest area, the long two-point line. Paul's output is not low, and his shooting percentage is more than 10% higher than Kobe's...

Considering his height of only 1.8 meters, he truly deserves the description of being terrifyingly tall.

Mo Wen just didn't expect Xiao Pao to launch an attack so quickly, but upon closer examination, there was nothing wrong with it.

Every man wants his penis to be the strongest, but no man wants to be the strongest penis.

It's always more dignified to lay things out early and draw clear lines early on than to be hesitant and drag things out until the finals to seize power through "non-violent non-cooperation."

I checked the calendar and realized that the Christmas battles are just around the corner.

He was genuinely looking forward to the game against the Lakers. In the original timeline, the top two MVPs of the season were on the same team, a first in NBA history.

Last season, the Lakers' duo was actually quite good, but their interior defense was a bit weak. Now that they've filled the gap in their interior defense, and with the SuperSonics' interior defense weakened, it remains to be seen whether they can dominate them.

With the recent matches going relatively smoothly, Mo Wen has entered a period of stagnation. He somewhat understands how Danzi felt back then, especially craving a strong opponent to spur him on...

(End of this chapter)