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Chapter 249 A Sword's Frost Chills Fifty Provinces
Over the years, every time Kobe faced the Warriors, he felt like he was fighting a boss with an incredibly thick health bar and various stages.

Take this match as an example.

If we consider the Warriors' use of their defensive lineup to engage in a physical, half-court battle with the Lakers in the first quarter as one phase, then...

Now, the Warriors, with Curry and Qin Yue still playing together, have entered the second phase.

The most distinctive feature of the Warriors at this stage is...
If the opponent cannot consistently match their offensive level, then if either Curry or Qin Yue has a breakout performance, the Warriors are very likely to launch a run and take the game away at any time.

Kobe knew very well that if they wanted to see the Warriors' final stage, which was Qin Yue's "god form," the Lakers, as the challengers, had to find a way to get through this stage.

So Kobe, who had previously focused his energy on defending Qin Yue, took action.

On the court, the Lakers' offensive possession.

The three-threat player receives the ball and uses a shoulder fake.

Kobe dribbled to his right and tapped the ball in, sinking a three-pointer.

44:45.

Back to the point, the Warriors have possession of the ball.

Kobe, who took the initiative to switch with Paul on defense, successfully bypassed Qin Yue's high wall when the Warriors launched a high pick-and-roll.

Why was Kobe Bryant, at 33 years old, still selected for the All-Defensive Second Team?
In this round, Kobe gave his answer.

On TNT, watching Kobe successfully lock down Curry on the court, Shaquille O'Neal couldn't help but remark, "No matter how many years pass, this guy's defense remains as tenacious as ever."

At that moment, almost instantly, the image of Kobe Bryant from the 2000 Western Conference Finals flashed into O'Neal's mind.

Years later, many people only remember that the Lakers emerged victorious in that Game 7.

Few people know that in that decisive Game 7 against the Trail Blazers, the Lakers, who were down by 15 points in the third quarter, relied on someone to pull off the comeback.

But O'Neal won't forget.

Because on the court at that time, he was so anxious that he had even mentally prepared himself for the Lakers to be eliminated.

Until Kobe, like a black mamba, relentlessly clung to his opponents on the court and led the Lakers to gradually narrow the score gap with one successful defensive play after another.

Indeed, on that night when O'Neal struggled to receive passes from his teammates due to the opponent's intense defense, shooting only 5-for-9 from the field and scoring 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists on 8-for-12 free throws, the Lakers narrowly escaped defeat thanks to Kobe's invaluable defense.

In that game, Kobe scored a total of 25 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 blocks for the Lakers.

It's fair to say that without this game, the Lakers wouldn't have had the subsequent dynasty.

Therefore, even though the truth is hard to hear.

But without Kobe, could Shaq really have won those three consecutive championship rings?

However, at Oracle Arena, Kobe locked down Curry, while Pau Gasol on the other side was powerless against Qin Yue.

The three-threat maneuver involves catching the ball with one hand and feinting with his shoulder.

Use a probing step to place the ball and accelerate towards the inside.

Qin Yue scored again with a strong attack under the basket, making it 44-47.

"Don't be discouraged, he can't make every shot." In the Lakers' paint, Kobe patted Gasol on the back and encouraged him, "As long as we can maintain our offensive success rate, he'll have his moments of missing."

This is different from the Kobe who was strict with himself and others.

Time and experience have taught Kobe how to be a team leader.

Furthermore, it also taught Kobe how to continuously inspire his teammates' potential.

In a high-intensity basketball game, excessive complaining will only cause teammates to become more and more nervous on the court, and eventually lose themselves.

On the court, it was the Lakers' turn to attack.

He dribbled into the Warriors' paint from the high post on the left wing.

And he found Gasol through a brilliant bounce pass.

At that moment, Kobe Bryant delivered a perfect assist, helping Pau Gasol regain the confidence to face Qin Yue.

"He's human too," Kobe said to Gasol as they retreated on defense. "No one is perfect."

Kobe Bryant, the "ordinary man," had an outstanding performance in the latter part of the second quarter.

Although Kobe only scored 8 points in the second quarter.

However, from the perspective of the game, almost every offensive play by the Lakers in the latter part of the second quarter was initiated by Kobe himself.

Thirty-three-year-old Kobe knew very well that he could not be like the twenty-seven-year-old Kobe, performing like a god every game and helping the team win by scoring high points.

Moreover, the NBA has now entered the Qin Dynasty era.

Kobe, who never denied Qin Yue's strength and whose goal in playing basketball was to defeat Qin Yue, naturally knew better than anyone what the Lakers' biggest advantage was in order to defeat the Warriors.

At halftime, the score was 57-59.

The Lakers trailed by two points going into the second half.

The Gasol brothers combined for 26 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks in the first half.

On TNT television, Shaquille O'Neal, who rarely spoke up for Qin Yue, commented on the first half of the game between the two teams: "The defending champions have faced an unprecedented challenge tonight."

Their inside game is so strong because of Messiah.

But now, the Lakers are able to counter Messiah's offensive impact by playing to their strengths and avoiding their weaknesses, relying on the Gasol brothers' repeated attacks and outside shooting.

If the Warriors' defense is forced to drop back in the second half, the Lakers will have more opportunities to shoot from the perimeter.

Barkley, who was surprised that O'Neal also knew about basketball, said, "If Kwame Brown had even half the skill described in his autobiography, Messiah wouldn't have had to work so hard on the court."

Compared to Qin Yue
Shaquille O'Neal, who has always disliked Brown, a jerk who lacks ability but constantly boasts about being a super center, said: "This is the kind of teammates that LeBron James envies, the Messiah has."

Let's make a hypothetical scenario: if the Warriors offered Kwame Brown in a one-for-one trade for Dwight Howard, would the Knicks' management agree to the trade?

Brown in a one-for-one trade for Howard?
Don't be ridiculous. Even if Knicks general manager Donnie Walsh were possessed by the spirit of Nico Harrison, the universally acknowledged brainless general manager, Walsh would never agree to this trade.

no doubt.

This is a match that will test the mettle of both teams' star players.

With the referees' tacit approval, the defensive level in this Western Conference Finals game was far higher than usual.

This has led to the fact that the championship-winning pieces in the Lakers and Warriors roster are destined to have difficulty performing to their full potential.

Only superstar players can maintain their usual high level of performance in such situations.

As for Kwame Brown, who only managed to shed the "flop" label thanks to Qin Yue's brilliance?

Halftime, the home team's locker room.

Brown, who always knows who the key player is in these situations, had already taken over the role of massaging Qin Yue's legs and shoulders, replacing the Warriors' physical therapist.

“That’s all I can do,” Brown said to Qin Yue dejectedly. “You know, that brother duo is really hard to defend against.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Yue nodded and said, "It is indeed difficult to defend against."

What makes the Gasol brothers so difficult to defend against?
The key is that both of these guys have developed a three-point shooting ability this season. This means that whether Qin Yue is matched up against Marc Gasol or Marc Gasol, he will be forced out of the paint by the opposing team.

During the regular season, the Warriors did try to keep Qin Yue in the paint regardless of the Gasol brothers' three-point shooting.

But in that game, the two brothers made a total of 8 three-pointers from the outside.

Moreover, the Gasol brothers both possess exceptional playmaking abilities and the capacity to create scoring opportunities for their teammates through pick-and-rolls.

So even if the Warriors manage to prevent the duo from receiving the ball in certain possessions, the two will still use their aggressive pick-and-rolls to help the team finish the offense.

In Qin Yue's view, this is definitely an inside combination that is "1+1 is far greater than 2".

Therefore, Qin Yue not only did not complain about Brown being beaten like a toy by the Gasol brothers again that night, but even took the initiative to comfort them.

"Kwame, don't think about the first half," Qin Yue said to Brown. "Just do your job and leave the rest to me."

Qin Yue understood perfectly.
Even if they could use Ben Wallace to enhance their low-post defense as they did in the regular season.

The Warriors' current roster is also unable to deal with the Gasol brothers.

After all, when Ben Wallace is on the court, the Warriors are essentially playing one less player on offense.

Furthermore, given Ben Wallace's current age, his playing time in each game is limited.

This means that the Warriors cannot use Ben Wallace as a regular weapon in this Western Conference Finals series.

Therefore, in Qin Yue's eyes, who never dwells on how to make a path passable when this one is blocked, the Warriors' primary task in the second half is still to contain Chris Paul.

So, after halftime, the Warriors adjusted their starting lineup for the second half.

On the court, Brown, Qin Yue, Wallace, Green, and Butler lined up in a row.

Steve Nash, the team's original starting point guard, was kept on the bench by Warriors head coach Malone.

Although saying this might hurt the feelings of Nash fans.

But that night, the 38-year-old Nash was indeed no longer able to match the intensity of the game.

On TNT, Barkley bluntly stated, "Steve really needs to consider retirement. This season, his contributions to the Warriors on the court are getting smaller and smaller."

According to Barkley, if the Warriors need offense, they can pair Curry and Qin Yue together.

As for situations like now where defense is needed?
Sorry, even Nash at his peak was completely unrelated to defense.

In the third quarter, the Warriors launched the first attack.

This defensive lineup, lacking space, meant that Qin Yue had to shoulder a greater scoring burden.

On the left wing, Qin Yue feinted past Gasol, but was immediately double-teamed by multiple Lakers players. Instead of passing the ball to Butler, who was standing near the baseline, he chose not to pass it.

During the regular season, Butler's three-point shooting percentages from the two corners were 22.5% and 24.5%, respectively.

What does this hit rate mean?
This means that even if Qin Yue passes the ball to Butler and he dares to shoot, the Warriors will most likely give the Lakers a rebound.

However, Qin Yue, whose path forward had been blocked by the Lakers players, was facing his most dangerous moment in this offensive possession.

On CCTV, Zhang Weiping, sweating profusely with anxiety, exclaimed, "This is bad! This is bad! Qin Yue is going to lose this ball!"

Did Qin Yue really lose that ball, Coach Zhang?
Deep within the Lakers' defense, a figure who had been virtually invisible for the past two seasons suddenly provided Qin Yue with a passing lane that only Qin Yue could see.

Admittedly, this is a game where only superstar players can maintain a high level of performance.

But in such a match, players who can adapt to the intensity of the game and relieve pressure on superstars are often referred to by fans as:
—The key figure.

Mr. Green stepped up in this round.

At the top of the arc, he squeezed past Klay Thompson, received a pass from Qin Yue, and while his body was still shifting in the air, Green hit a three-pointer!

When the ugly duckling really did turn into a swan.

TNT's Smith, who is most empathetic to role players like Green, joked: "The Lakers should be careful. Since the beginning of 2012, Dan's three-point shooting percentage has been an astonishing 47.5%."

The Lakers then went on offense.

It's Green again.

On the wing, Green, who had successfully anticipated Paul's passing route to Klay, preemptively shoved the ball into the frontcourt.

Then, he rushed towards the landing point of the basketball like a madman.

The past two and a half years of preparation and the Warriors' patient waiting for Green have suddenly transformed into the "Grimm's Fairy Tales" that Qin Yue has been longing for.

North Carolina captain Danny Green slammed home a dunk.

57:64.

At the scorer's table, Mike Brown, worried that the Warriors would gain momentum as a result, called a timeout at the start of the second half.

On the Warriors' bench, Brown, who once thought Green could only play in the NBDL, was the first to apologize to Green, saying, "Dan, please accept my apologies!"

Meanwhile, in the stands, Warriors president Larry Riley, who had wanted to cut Green until last year, slapped himself hard in the face.

Who says minor characters can't prove themselves on such a stage?

The timeout ended, and Kobe assisted Gasol for a layup.

Warriors' offensive possession.

When Green started running all over the court under the cover of Brown, Wallace, and Butler.

The atmosphere at Oracle Arena was completely ignited by this role player.

run!
Keep running!
The opportunity is about to arise, Dan!
Slightly to the left of the arc, Green lived up to expectations and created an opportunity that would only be considered an "open shot" within the Warriors' ranks.

In fact, Klay was not out of position even the moment Green received the ball.

But the next second, Green still resolutely took the shot from the outside.

This is a shot that Qin Yue has been reminding him of constantly over the past two and a half years, a shot he must complete in order to survive with the Warriors.

Take off, stay in the air, shake your wrists.

Swish-!
On TNT, as Green swished through the net with a three-pointer, Smith exclaimed, "Hooray! Who would have thought that just when we were all guessing which superstar from both teams would step up, it would be Danny Green, this nobody, who changed the course of the game?"

A single sword, its frost chilling fifty provinces.

On the court, Green, who had scored 8 consecutive points for the Warriors, suddenly rushed towards Qin Yue like a madman.

Then, after the chest bump, Green said with tears in his eyes, "Give me the ball, buddy! From now on, I won't miss a single shot!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Yue nodded.

"No problem, Dan."

……

P.S.: I just had a C-section yesterday, so today I can only kneel down and beg for forgiveness from my godfathers, all of you, in my spirit form.

(End of this chapter)