Chapter 77: Kobe's Anxiety
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The unexpected factor of Wang Chong wiped out the Rockets' original slight advantage.
In the first quarter, the score between the two teams was 33:30, with the Lakers only trailing by 3 points.
As the game entered the second quarter, Kobe's shooting touch began to gradually improve. He made 4 of 7 shots and 2 of 2 free throws in the whole quarter, scoring 10 points, the same as O'Neal, who made 3 of 4 shots and 4 of 6 free throws. The Lakers once again scored 30 points in the second quarter, and the Rockets' firepower clearly began to fall behind.
Facing O'Neal's fierce attack on the Rockets' restricted area, Yao Ming was not to be outdone and scored 8 points with 4 of 6 shots. However, while Yao could compete with O'Neal on an equal footing, his other teammates could not.
Francis was not as efficient in the second quarter as he was in the first, making only 1 of 4 shots and scoring just 2 points with 2 assists. Among other main players, only Jim Jackson managed to add 6 points.
As a result, the Rockets scored only 24 points in the second quarter, and their slight 3-point lead in the first quarter was caught up and overtaken.
In the third quarter, things got even worse.
The Rockets' offense suddenly went silent. Francis continued his poor shooting form, making only 1 of 5 shots, and even Yao Ming went 0 for 3, failing to score a single point in the quarter.
The Rockets managed just 16 points in the third quarter, while the Lakers scored 27 points. Kobe added 11 points on 4 of 10 shots, while Wang Chong also contributed 6 points.
As the game entered the final quarter, the score difference had widened to double digits, and the Lakers' victory seemed almost certain.
Unexpectedly, Kobe followed Big Brother F's lead and went cold, making just 1 of 7 shots in the fourth quarter. Despite clearly being off his game, he continued to shoot recklessly. The Rockets seized this opportunity to launch a 12-2 run and narrowed the score to within 2 points.
At the critical moment, Phil Jackson decisively benched Kobe and shifted the offensive tactics to the pick-and-roll plays of Payton and Wang Chong, as well as O'Neal's inside scoring.
This adjustment proved highly effective.
Wang Chong's efficient performance in the first three quarters had made the Rockets wary, and they invested more defense on him. As a result, Payton took advantage of this to drive to the basket and draw fouls, scoring 4 points with 2 of 3 shots. Additionally, O'Neal forced Yao Ming into a foul and scored from free throws, ultimately securing the Lakers' victory.
The final score was 104-99.
The Lakers won the game with a 5-point advantage on their home court.
In the CCTV studio, Coach Yu sighed, "It's a pity the Rockets were just a little short of pulling off a comeback and ultimately failed to clinch a major win."
In the game between the Lakers and the Rockets, Chinese fans were naturally more inclined to see a Rockets win. After all, Wang Chong is only a Chinese American, while Yao Ming is a player who actually comes from China. However, the Lakers themselves are a powerhouse team that has won three championships in the past four years, while the Rockets are a mid-to-lower-level team in the league that has not made the playoffs for several seasons. It was already quite an achievement to push the Lakers to this extent on their home turf in Los Angeles.
"The Lakers have indeed become stronger with the addition of Wang Chong. They no longer need to rely solely on Kobe for outside offense. When Kobe's form is off, Wang Chong can take on the scoring responsibilities from the outside."
"In this game, although Kobe scored a game-high 23 points on 9 of 26 shooting, Wang Chong, who scored 19 points on 7 of 13 shooting, including 1 of 2 from three-point range and 4 of 4 from free throws, completely outperformed Kobe in terms of offensive efficiency."
"If I were the head coach of the Lakers, I'd start considering giving Wang Chong more playing time and more shot attempts."
"Even though the Rockets lost the game, the long-awaited showdown between Yao Ming and Shaq was extremely exciting. Yao Ming went 8 of 14 from the field and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line, scoring 21 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and blocking 2 shots, with 5 offensive rebounds. He was not inferior at all to the league's top center, O'Neal, who had 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks in the game..."
Overall, the outcome of this Christmas game was satisfactory for most people.
The Lakers secured a victory, and in front of all the Chinese fans, Yao Ming battled the league's top center, O'Neal, to a near draw, elevating the prestige of Chinese basketball.
The only person who wasn't too happy might have been Kobe.
In this game, Kobe made just 9 of 26 shots, with a field goal percentage of only 34.6%, almost becoming the team's biggest liability.
It's worth noting that, in this game, apart from Wang Chong and O'Neal, no other player on the team attempted more than 15 shots. However, Kobe took 26 shots without regard for the situation, nearly costing the team the victory.
At the post-game press conference, a reporter directly asked Kobe why he continued to shoot so much when his shots were not falling and how he felt when he was benched in the game's final minutes.
How did Kobe feel? He wanted to curse out the reporter with a word starting with "F," but he restrained himself.
Kobe responded to the reporter's question with a diplomatic answer, but he was clearly in a foul mood.
"Damn it..."
The Lakers currently have the best record in the league, and Kobe's scoring average is also the highest on the team, close to 23 points per game.
But despite that, Kobe felt deeply anxious because his tactical position on the team was starting to tilt toward Wang Chong.
Phil Jackson's famous triangle offense requires a player with a strong mid-range finishing ability.
During his time with the Bulls, Jordan filled this role, and during Kobe's tenure with the Lakers, he took on the same role, showcasing strong one-on-one skills and the ability to shoot immediately upon receiving the ball.
But now, the Lakers had a player more suited to be the offensive finisher than Kobe, and that was Wang Chong.
Though slightly less mobile than Kobe, Wang Chong's height, wingspan, and incredibly accurate mid-range shooting clearly made him the most suitable offensive focal point for the triangle offense.
Additionally, Wang Chong's presence as a reliable pick-and-roll shooter made the pick-and-roll plays between him and Payton one of the key strategies for the Lakers' offense.
As the regular season progressed, Kobe gradually noticed that he had fewer opportunities to handle the ball during critical moments.
How could this be possible?
After enduring so much, he had finally reached the twilight of O'Neal's career, just when he could start taking over as the main guy. Then suddenly, Wang Chong appeared and seriously threatened his tactical position on the team.
What was even more frustrating was that O'Neal, who had foresight, had already pulled Wang Chong into his faction ahead of time.
Now, Wang Chong had a great relationship with O'Neal, Payton, Malone, and others but had little off-court interaction with Kobe.
But Kobe was a rather introverted player with few friends on the team. Feeling threatened by Wang Chong, he kept his distance, and the two had little communication except on the court.
End of this chapter
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