So I am the god of basketball?

Barkley made up his mind. In the third game of the series, which was also the first game for the Lakers back at home, he proved it in his first round, holding the ball on the wing and "eating" Mourning with his back to the basket.

Mourning is very confident in his core strength. But he is not so confident when facing Barkley. He has tried Barkley's big butt before, and how should he describe the feeling he has... It's like he is a solid wall, and Barkley's big butt is like a drill. No matter where it drills from, it can always drill a hole in your body and make your center of gravity unbalanced.

This feeling is not just his, but the entire inside line has this feeling. There are really not many inside players who can withstand Barkley's big butt.

However, although he was a little nervous, he still fought hard. After several confrontations, Mourning found that Barkley's strength did not seem to be as overbearing as before. He immediately lowered his center of gravity, stood firmly on his feet, and started to confront Barkley head-on.

But at this moment, Barkley suddenly made a "turnaround jump shot". Mourning used all his strength to grab the ground and could only watch him complete the shot in front of him.

The ball hit the frame.

"..."

Mourning didn't even dare to look at his teammates because Barkley had just made him look stupid.

But this was not the end. Barkley continued to exert his strength in the following rounds, constantly punishing Mourning with his "back-to-the-basket singles" near the bottom corner.

George Karl looked at the situation and for a moment he couldn't think of how to change the formation.

Because in the past season with the SuperSonics, it was quite rare for Mourning to suffer on the defensive end.

In the current league, even Shaquille O'Neal, who just won the regular season MVP, could not gain a clear advantage against Alonzo Mourning. So the regular season record between the SuperSonics and the Heat is 1 win and 1 loss. Both sides have ways to win the game.

So after some hesitation, the Supersonics began to double-team Barkley.

And this is exactly what the Lakers hope to see. After all, in this way, Meng Lang's "nuclear weapon" can be released more thoroughly.

Of course, the Supersonics can also double-team Meng Lang.

But double-teaming two people at the same time in one game was enough to break down the Sonics' defensive formation.

The Lakers' offense during this period can be said to be the easiest since the Western Conference Finals. It seems that they are facing the Clippers instead of the SuperSonics.

The 8-point difference was quickly established.

After making the decision, George Karl chose to double-team Meng Lang, leaving Mourning to find a way to deal with Barkley on his own.

There was nothing wrong with this choice. After the first half, Barkley's physical condition began to deteriorate. In this way, Mourning had the ability to mediate with Barkley. However, the advantage had already been established. Even though Barkley could not play the offensive presence in the second half as he did in the first half, the Lakers still defeated the Supersonics by 9 points and won the third game of the series.

The score was 2 to 1.
In this game, Barkley scored a new Western Conference Finals high of 25 points, which was also his highest single-game score since entering the playoffs.

But after this victory, the Los Angeles media was not so happy.

The reason is also very simple:
The X-factor in this game was Barkley.

But it remains to be seen what effect this X factor will have in the next game.

Barkley's performance on the court in the second half has shown that Barkley no longer has enough physical strength to support the entire 48 minutes.

As for how to deal with such a person and limit him, George Karl, as an old coach, does not need anyone to teach him.

That was a one-time "X factor" that wasn't enough to give the Lakers a bigger advantage.

The outcome of the next game is still unclear.

Sure enough, as the Los Angeles media expected, in the fourth game of the series, George Karl and the Supersonics adjusted their defensive strategy against Barkley in a timely manner. They were no longer so targeted, but instead limited him through more confrontation on the defensive end and paying more attention to consuming his physical energy on the offensive end.

The effect was still very obvious. Barkley, who was still able to perform well in the first quarter, saw his shooting percentage plummet in the following quarter, from 5 of 3 in the first quarter, to 4 of 2 in the second quarter, to 4 of 1 in the third quarter, and to 3 of 0 in the fourth quarter.

A clear downward trend.

After solving the problem of Barkley, the Lakers' offensive firepower is actually similar to that of the Supersonics.

The two teams were deadlocked until the last moment, and the score was still very close.

With 30 seconds left, the Supersonics took the lead, but this lead made George Karl so nervous that he didn't even dare to speak and clenched his fists tightly.

99 to 98, they were only leading by 1 point.

With such a big difference in points and such a short time, all he could think of was...

This is Meng Lang’s stage!
Maybe tonight will be another “Legendary Night” for him.

Well, he wouldn't think so of ordinary people. The last person who made him think so was Michael Jordan. Now, the man standing opposite the Supersonics is the second Jordan. No, maybe even more terrifying than Jordan, because he killed Jordan...

The audience also stood up, waiting for Meng Lang to complete the scene they had in mind.

After continuous dribbling, Meng Lang got rid of the defense, paused outside the three-point line, allowing the backup defender to rush over immediately, and then went straight into the three-point line and made a jump shot. When the ball was shot, the red light on the backboard lit up, which was a signal that the 24 seconds were up.

Meng Lang made an extreme shot and scored a goal.

The moment the ball went in, the entire Lakers stadium cheered.

Of the 30 seconds, Meng Lang left the Supersonics 6 seconds.

This is also the least time he can leave for the Supersonics.

George Karl requested a timeout. After the timeout, the Supersonics originally wanted to grab two points, but the Lakers guarded the three-point line very well. The Supersonics, who had no chance, wasted about 4 seconds. The helpless "Glove" finally forced the ball and then shot a three-pointer against Kobe.

The ball was in the air and the buzzer sounded to signal the end of the game.

This ball will determine the life or death of the Supersonics.

From the moment the ball went out, Gary Payton's eyes seemed to be on the ball. I don't know if his strong eyes affected the flight of the ball, but the basketball went straight through the basket.

Go in, go in!

"The Glove" himself couldn't believe it. It was only when other players of the Supersonics reacted, rushed towards him and knocked him to the ground that he was sure that all this was true.

He defeated the Lakers with a three-pointer!

The noise at the scene turned into silence at this moment.

They reluctantly accepted the reality of being overturned in the end, and accepted the big score of 2 to 2. "So far, Gary Payton's three-point shooting percentage in his career has not even reached 30%. Do you think you are unlucky to be defeated by such a three-pointer?" This was a question a reporter asked Meng Lang after the game.

Meng Lang said without even thinking: "The fact is, the ball went in and we lost. I won't dwell on whether this ball was luck or not. Moreover, it has become a masterpiece of Gary Payton's career. I think everyone knows this. This is not a team that can be easily dealt with. Just like the big score now, for me, how to win the next decisive game is what I should consider more!"

In fact, what the reporter didn't say is that this season Gary Payton averaged 31.4% of his three-pointers in the regular season, and 33.2% in the playoffs. Although this three-point shooting percentage is not outstanding, it is already above the league's level. Such a guy's three-point shooting will not make people feel that it is luck.

It’s just that Gary Payton gives the outside world the impression that he can’t shoot accurately.

Just like when a shooter completes a buzzer-beater with a dunk, it’s easy to feel that it’s just luck…

But a win is a win.

Barkley was frustrated again. In his opinion, if any of his shots in the fourth quarter had gone into the basket, they would have had the last laugh in the game.

He was holding Meng Lang back again, which made him feel very uncomfortable.

What made him feel even worse was that he couldn't find any way to solve the current predicament. His physical strength was not enough to support him to play for the entire 48 minutes, and he had to admit it even if he didn't want to.

But on the plane to Seattle, he didn't expect Chuck Daly to sit next to him and say to him, "Man, do you still want to be the winner of the game? This is a difficult thing to do, but... there is a way!"

Chuck Daly's words were somewhat bewitching, as if he was a weird uncle tricking a little girl into eating a lollipop.

Barkley said, "Get rid of those useless nonsense, Chuck. Now I am willing to do anything to win!" He knew very well why Chuck Daly didn't tell him the solution directly. Because he was afraid that he couldn't accept it.

But now, he just wants to win.

He will do anything to win.

Sure enough, Chuck Daly gave him an answer that he didn't expect: "It's actually very simple, Charles. As long as you are willing to step out from the bench, I believe you will still be our winner in the next game!"

Is this going to make him a substitute?
To be honest, if someone had told him when he had just entered the league that his last season in the league would end as a substitute, he would never believe it, because his proud self-esteem would never allow him to do so.

But at this moment, looking into Chuck Daly's eyes, Barkley had almost no hesitation. He nodded and said, "Okay, Chuck, let's do as you say. I believe this will be a good change!"

If Barkley cannot help the team after coming out of the bench, he may not even want the championship ring and simply choose to retire.

He can accept the reality of "clinging to someone powerful", but he cannot accept winning the championship ring without making any contribution. This is his last bit of self-esteem.

Let's put it this way, he doesn't want to win a championship in a lineup that can win without him...

He hadn't thought about Chuck Daly's plan.

But if doing so can help the team win the next game, then he is willing to do it.

This is the realization of a veteran in his “last season”!
The next day, when Chuck Daly announced the result in front of everyone, everyone was stunned because they really didn't expect Barkley to agree to Chuck Daly's request.

This also includes Meng Lang.

As for how embarrassing it is for a regular season MVP to play as a substitute, just look at what happened to Allen Iverson. He would rather not play than be a substitute.

This is a player's ego.

In order to win, Barkley abandoned his self-esteem.

It just so happens that you can often see such things in the 90s...

In order to defeat the Pistons, Jordan started the "Breakfast Club"; Mourning suffered from "kidney failure" for the Heat and had to have a kidney transplant; even a scum like the "Smiling Assassin" Thomas, you should have heard the story of how he limped onto the court and led the team to win the game.

From the perspective of 20 years later, these people's actions were problematic because they were basically self-harm.

This is even more true from the perspective of "goat".

The reason we can’t win the game is not because I don’t have stronger teammates, but because our opponents are stronger than us?
Isn't it enough to just find stronger teammates?

There is no need to improve oneself, let alone the four words "sacrifice oneself". I have never heard of it.

Now, when Meng Lang looked at Barkley, he suddenly thought of this style that was unique to the 90s.

To what extent can you sacrifice for the team's victory...

Buckley's answer:

Go be a substitute!

This is undoubtedly a shot in the arm. When Barkley does this, it is also an inspiration to others. If they don't repay Barkley's sacrifice with a victory, it would be useless.

Looking at the rising momentum of the Lakers, Chuck Daly also smiled with satisfaction.

This is another reason why he put Barkley on the bench.

The game day soon arrived, and the media also saw the news that Barkley took the initiative to play as a substitute. Before the game, many people surrounded Barkley. They all wanted to know how this decision came about. Barkley said truthfully: "Chuck talked to me once, and I gave the answer. It's that simple!"

He said it simply, as if it was a trivial matter.

However, Bill Walton announced the result of the game before the game started: "In my opinion, the Lakers will definitely leave the home court of the Supersonics with a smile today."

For these two teams of similar strength, the home field factor will not cause too much interference.

but……

The team's momentum and belief will definitely become the weight on the scale of victory or defeat.

Sure enough, just as he expected, the Lakers played a very tough attack and defense at the beginning of the game, which allowed them to get an 8-0 start. This start was also the smoothest start for the Lakers in the past many games.

George Karl had to call a timeout and make adjustments to the team.

But the game has just started, he can't make substitutions at this time, right?

Therefore, it is more of a verbal reminder, without any real measures. (End of this chapter)