The first punch that shocked the basketball world

Milwaukee mornings are characterized by the damp chill typical of the Midwest.

Inside the visiting team's training facility, the Lakers were practicing tactics.

This is the last game of their Eastern Tour. After playing the Bucks, the whole team can fly back to Los Angeles to rest.

After warming up with the rest of the team, Lin Fei stood outside the three-point line and adjusted his breathing.

On D'Antoni's tactical board, Lin Fei's name was firmly fixed in the small forward position.

This season, the Lakers have changed their starting small forward three times.

Antoine Jamison is a formidable offensive force, but his defense is like a paper sieve.

Earl Clark can run and jump, but his three-point shooting percentage is only 33.7%, and his ability to draw defenders from the outside is almost zero.

As for Artest, his average of 12 points and 5 rebounds looks decent, but his field goal percentage is just over 40% and his three-point percentage is less than 35%. His once-proud lateral speed is now easily outmaneuvered by young forwards.

The reason for keeping him in the starting lineup is simply to build on the chemistry he's developed with Kobe and Gasol.

D'Antoni tried countless combinations, but none of them worked.

In the last game against the Celtics, Lin Fei's performance was like a ray of light shining in front of him.

His three-point shooting is accurate enough, his defense is tough enough, and his physical attributes are fully capable of keeping up with the intensity of the NBA.

Taking over from Artest became the most logical answer in his mind.

Lin Fei himself knew that on this team with Kobe, he, a so-called swingman, could never play the shooting guard position in his lifetime.

Locking him up at the small forward position and playing a good role player is his only way out.

When he returned to the hotel last night, he did only one thing over and over again.

Watch the game footage and analyze Artest's movements frame by frame.

In Lin Fei's eyes, Artest's defense is no longer top-notch, but the veteran's experience is invaluable.

If Kobe receives the ball at the right 45-degree angle, he will definitely drop to the left baseline corner, not stay at the 45-degree angle.

That was Kobe's usual safe zone when he was double-teamed.

When Kobe had the ball at the free-throw line, he would position himself at a 45-degree angle on either side, never dipping to the baseline.

Passing through the bottom corner has a long route and a high risk of error.

These details may seem simple, but the situation on the field changes in an instant. Being able to hit the right spot every time relies on muscle memory honed over years of playing together.

Lin Fei played professional basketball for over a decade in his previous life, so he could figure this out in a single night.

The survival rule for role players has always been simple: figure out what the stars are thinking and run to the positions they need to be in; that's much more useful than blindly scoring 20 points yourself.

In the morning training session, Lin Fei mainly practiced spot-up three-pointers and help defense.

The Lakers' offense doesn't allow role players to handle the ball.

With Nash and Kobe as the backcourt duo, and Gasol positioned at the high post as the playmaking axis, Lin Fei only needed to do one thing—run into an open space and shoot the ball.

Halfway through the practice, Nash walked over with a smile: "Try more pick-and-roll cuts in the game. As long as you can shake off your opponent, the ball will definitely be in your hands."

Lin Fei nodded.

He understood what Nash meant.

This season, Kobe's frequency of driving to the basket has decreased by 30% compared to his peak, and most of his scoring comes from mid-range jump shots from both sides of the free-throw line.

With Howard sidelined due to injury, Gasol tends to bounce out after pick-and-rolls, leaving plenty of open looks under the basket.

Of Artest's 12 points per game, nearly half come from layups.

If I can master this move, it will be like having another reliable scoring option.

He thanked him and immediately started practicing pick-and-roll plays with Nash.

In actual games, Nash wouldn't frequently run pick-and-rolls with him.

With his current speed, even if he's mismatched against the opposing small forward, it would be difficult for him to beat them one-on-one.

However, the practice and coordination during training will allow Lin Fei to find the rhythm of the air cut more quickly.

On the sidelines, D'Antoni crossed his arms and looked at the two men, tapping his fingers lightly on the clipboard.

After yesterday's game, he had a short meeting with lead assistant coach Mark Scott and defensive assistant coach Greg Foster.

Foster praised Lin Fei highly, saying that the Lakers' defensive toughness is what they lack most right now, and that he will definitely be useful if given more playing time.

Scott nodded, saying that although he was still raw on offense and occasionally ran into the wrong position, the Lakers weren't really counting on him to score anyway, so he was still usable.

Since both assistant coaches said so, D'Antoni naturally took it to heart.

He has always preferred a seven- or eight-man rotation and doesn't trust fringe players, but that doesn't mean he's stubborn.

Later in Houston, an assistant coach suggested that Tucker start at center and play the "death lineup," and he immediately decided to try it, which eventually became the Rockets' killer move in the decisive moments.

He never hesitates to play as long as a player can truly help the team win.

After training, the team had a quick lunch, rested at the hotel until 4 p.m., and then headed to the Bucks' home arena for pre-game warm-ups.

The Bucks' situation this season can be described as embarrassing to an extreme.

The eighth position in the East looks alright, but the winning percentage is less than 50%, and it's only because the East as a whole is tanking that it looks good.

The team's core consists of the backcourt duo of Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis. Both players are good scorers, but neither has leadership qualities, resulting in a ridiculously low offensive efficiency.

They fired head coach Skiles midway through the season.

Skiles was a hard-line coach who started out in defense, but his team had players like Ilyasova, Redick, and Dunleavy Jr. who were all strong offensively but weak defensively, and the two strikers were defensive sieves. His tactical philosophy was incompatible with the team, and in the end, he had to be sacked.

The interim coach who took over was not as good as Skiles, resulting in the team being mediocre.

If they push upwards, they'll likely be eliminated in the first round of the playoffs at most.

If they just sit back and do nothing, they can't compete with those shameless teams like the Magic, Bobcats, and Cavaliers who just lie low.

We can only win one game at a time, and we'll just get through each day as it comes.

Their starting lineup was the best solution put together by the coaching staff, and it was also a typical hybrid.

With Jennings, Ellis, and Ilyasova failing to defend, the team relied entirely on defensive stalwarts Luke Richard Mbah a Moute and Larry Sanders to clean up the mess.

Offensively, it's like a 3v5 situation; defensively, it's like a 2v5 situation. Both offense and defense are in the lower half of the league, so together it's just mediocrity.

Warm-up complete.

The players went back to the locker room to deal with pre-match matters.

As Lin Fei wiped his sweat, his phone vibrated.

It's a news brief about Sofia Green.

She said she had officially registered for the Lakers' beat reporter exam and would take the written test a week later; her words were filled with barely suppressed excitement.

Lin Fei smiled and replied: "Good luck, you'll pass easily."

...

The competition started promptly at 7:30 p.m.

With Howard still sidelined, the Lakers' starting lineup remains unchanged: Nash, Kobe, Jamison, Artest, and Gasol.

Bucks starting lineup: Jennings, Monta Ellis, Luc Mbah a Moute, Ersan Ilyasova, Larry Sanders.

Both sides were probing each other at the start.

The Lakers missed their first two shots, and Ellis's two jump shots also hit the front of the rim, slowing down the pace.

In the third possession, Kobe received the ball at the free-throw line and faced Luc Mbah a Moute one-on-one.

A simple turnaround jump shot; the basketball grazed my fingers, arcing through the net before swishing through.

After scoring, Kobe gently shook his head at Luc Mbah a Moute.

It's not sarcasm.

He just subconsciously felt that this defensive strength was far inferior to Lin Fei's.

That one-on-one match at the training facility that day left a deep impression on Kobe.

Whether a role player can establish themselves is never determined by how many points they score, but by how hard and tough they are on defense.

Jennings immediately retaliated.

His youth gave him a clear advantage when facing Nash.

With quick footwork and a powerful start, Nash, who was already the Lakers' biggest defensive liability, was blown past in one step and scored a layup off the backboard against Gasol's help defense.

This is just the beginning.

In the next three rounds, Jennings relentlessly attacked Nash.

He broke through three times in a row and scored. Each time he made a basket, he leaned close to Nash's ear and started trash-talking him.

"Old buddy, you walk slower than my grandma."

"Want me to give you a two-step pass? Is this all the two-time MVP is capable of?"

"If you can't run anymore, just retire already, don't embarrass yourself on the field."

Nash is known for his good temper, but even the best temper can't withstand such humiliation.

He was a two-time MVP back in the day, but now that he's older and can't run as fast, it's embarrassing to be outmaneuvered by this young upstart.

After Jennings beat him and scored again, Jennings leaned in and tried to speak, but Nash couldn't take it anymore and pushed him away.

Jennings leaned back and fell straight to the ground, then looked up at Nash with a smug grin.