Sprewell tightly guarded Kobe, his defensive pressure was as significant as that of Mutombo, but Ray Allen and Yu Fei would not let him struggle alone.
Ray Allen allowed Payton, whose outside shooting was off, a large cushion, always ready to double-team Kobe.
Though Yu Fei was out of reach, he used his athletic ability and long arms to squeeze O'Neal's interior space, disrupt Fox, limit Kobe's passing, and clog up the lanes.
Karl rarely admired his players, but Yu Fei was someone who increasingly surprised him the longer he coached.
Though they had never specifically trained for the Pistons Iron Barrel Formation, Yu Fei naturally found his role in the Bucks' version of the Iron Bucket Formation—he was the Bucks' Tayshaun Prince.
Generally, the Pistons would have Prince guard Kobe, but Karl didn't do that because Yu Fei had not yet proven his defense against top-notch wing stars.