Chapter 460: Lakers' Counterattack
A 41-point lead at halftime practically spelled doom for the Lakers. However, Yang Mo remained cautious in the locker room. Facing his already reveling teammates, he offered sober advice: "Guys, this isn't the time to celebrate. The Lakers' strength is beyond our reach. We must play steadily and maintain our lead. If we lose the game under these circumstances, we'll be the laughingstock."
Yang Mo's words calmed the celebrating Knicks players a little: Yes, if they were leading by 40 points and still got overturned, they would definitely be the laughing stock. No one wants to be the laughing stock, and they are certainly no exception.
Likewise, the Lakers didn't want to be a laughing stock, so in the silent and grim Lakers locker room, Bynum was the first to stand up and challenge Kobe Bryant: "We can't go on like this. We are the defending champions. We can accept defeat, but we can never accept such an ugly defeat!"
While Bynum's words didn't name anyone, the target was obvious. In reality, this also signified a younger generation seizing power. Within the Lakers' front office, differing perspectives emerged. Some favored continuing with Kobe Bryant as the core, taking advantage of Kobe's prime and the potential for two more championships. Others believed Bynum should be the core, given that he was a dominant center and had already begun to demonstrate his dominance.
The reason why Bynum dared to challenge so openly is that he must have the support of senior management behind him, otherwise he would not be so brave.
Kobe Bryant frowned at Bynum's outrage. He knew Bynum's motive: he was simply trying to gain the core position. But there was no way Kobe would give it up. So, after a moment's silence, he stood up and said slowly, "The game isn't over yet, and no one knows who will win."
"We're trailing by 41 points. Do you think there will be other losers besides us?" Bynum stared at Kobe and asked loudly.
Facing Bynum's harsh questioning, Kobe suddenly laughed: "Oh, good, you finally have some momentum of an inside player, and you are finally no longer the little brat who cried when I scolded you. But your momentum is misplaced. This is the Lakers locker room. Since you said the Lakers are doomed to lose, then you should not play in the second half. Just sit on the bench and watch me win the game."
"Okay! I want to see how you win." Bynum said this viciously and sat down on the seat next to him.
Seeing Bynum's behavior, Phil Jackson shook his head repeatedly, and several managers from the front office sighed helplessly. Bynum was still too young after all. He was the one who started the fight, but Kobe still managed the situation. In the end, he even agreed to sit on the bench. Could anything be more foolish than this? It seems that he is not a leader who can handle such a big responsibility after all!
Indeed, if Bynum were a more dominant player, he would have definitely pushed back, benched Kobe, and played hard himself. Even if they didn't win, management would have given him a thumbs-up. But he didn't do that. Instead, he was provoked into not playing. This essentially shows that he lacks the heart to be a leader, and even less the perseverance to overcome any obstacle head-on.
In this respect, he was at least a billion galaxies away from Yang Mo. When Yang Mo was on the Miami Heat, veteran players scrambled to side with him, but he forged ahead with his own team of just five. Yet, relying on these five players, he gritted his teeth and delivered victory after victory, ultimately forcing the veteran players to defect. When he was with the Knicks, he was even more ostracized by the head coach and the original players. But what did he do? He simply sidelined the head coach, ostracized those who dissented, and encouraged those who followed him to prosper while those who dissented perished. Ultimately, he even slapped those people in the face with his performance!
This is what a leader really needs to do.
Obviously, it is not enough to describe Bynum as a leader or core player.
After Kobe easily dealt with Bynum, he walked up to Phil Jackson and said very sincerely: "Sir, I want to win ."
"Huh?" Phil Jackson was a little surprised. He frowned and looked at Kobe in disbelief, then asked, "Don't you want to beat Super Yang in drawing fouls?"
"I want to play the right way." Kobe answered very firmly.
"Very good," Phil Jackson nodded. He was very satisfied with Kobe's attitude. At that moment, he truly recognized Kobe's maturity. He smiled faintly and said, "41 points is indeed a huge deficit, but it's not unrecoverable. We still have 24 minutes. We only need to defend them 20 times to win again."
As he spoke, Phil Jackson stood up with the help of a chair, then staggered to the tactical board, drawing a tactic while saying, "The Knicks have indeed become much stronger after acquiring Super Yang, and this year's trade has also made a qualitative leap in their defense. But their shortcomings are also as numerous as stars. When they use a defensive lineup, the only one who can take the initiative to attack is Super Yang. And when they pursue offense, the only one who can defend is Super Yang. If they want to play defense and offense at the same time, then... they are bound to be crushed by us who are both offensive and defensive. So... our next strategy is to focus on defending Super Yang, play our normal rotation, and gradually erode their lead. This is not difficult, as long as you work together!"
After analyzing the Knicks' shortcomings, Phil Jackson focused on his lineup: "Next, Ron, you and Shannon Brown will go after Super Yang. Especially Shannon Brown, you have the toughest task. Your speed, weight, and strength are the closest to Super Yang on our team. You must create . And Ron, you must show a fearless spirit and use your body to stop his attacks again and again. As for Kobe, you need to reduce the number of times you appear as an attacker and become more of a facilitator. I think you, Lamar Odom, and Pau Gasol can play a brilliant offensive combination. This is the only key to our victory. Do you understand?"
"Understood!" The five players whose names were called by Phil Jackson nodded at the same time and responded in unison.
"Okay, everyone, calm down. Next, let's go take back our lost territory!" Phil Jackson said this slowly, then walked back to his seat and sat down.
Although Phil Jackson did not act very passionately or shout out encouragement, his simple words instantly filled the Lakers players' hearts with confidence and gave them the courage to fight back.
There is no way. Phil Jackson has reached that level. This is the confidence of the meritorious coach. The so-called thunder in the calm lake is probably like this.
Soon, the game resumed. When Yang Mo returned from the third quarter, he looked up and saw that most of the Lakers fans had already left. The once-packed Staples Center was now empty. Clearly, Lakers fans did n't relish the thought of their home team being slaughtered. Those who remained were essentially Yang Mo's die-hard fans. In other words, the tide had completely turned; Staples Center was now Yang Mo's home turf.
"Hey, Kobe, look, all your fans have left. They are so kind that they can't bear to see the brutal killing." Yang Mo couldn't help but tease Kobe Bryant. He just wanted to stimulate Kobe in this way.
Unexpectedly, Kobe just smiled faintly and replied calmly: "They will regret it. They will miss the most classic comeback victory."
"A comeback?" Yang Mo couldn't help but chuckle and continued to attack, "Don't dream, buddy. You should hurry up and compete with me to see who can draw more fouls. That's the reality."
Yang Mo was still trying to provoke Kobe into a desperate situation, but this time Kobe didn't respond. Instead, he turned and walked towards Wilt Chandler, showing that he was unwilling to defend Yang Mo. Seeing Kobe walk away, Yang Mo was a little surprised. Then, he found Shannon Brown standing in front of him.
Seeing Shannon Brown, Yang Mo finally understood that the situation had changed! The Lakers were planning a strong counterattack!
When he realized this, he was about to warn his teammates to be more careful, but it was too late. Ron Artest suddenly rushed forward and blocked Douglas's path with his strong body. Douglas was about to pass the ball when Kobe sprinted by, like a Black Mamba, and snatched the ball from his hands with a fierce and swift move, then quickly launched a counterattack.
Seeing Kobe get the ball, Yang Mo quickly chased after him. As soon as he caught up, Kobe slowed down his pace, bent down, and slowly dribbled the ball. Moments later, the Lakers' main force was on their way. Once everyone was in position, Kobe decisively called for a screen for Artest. Using the gap in the pick-and-roll, Kobe found a gap to get away from Yang Mo and quickly darted toward the three-point line. Yang Mo quickly pursued him. Kobe suddenly stopped at the free throw line. Before Yang Mo could react, he had already passed the ball to Gasol in the paint. Gasol caught the ball in a comfortable position, dribbled past Milicic, and then tossed it high into the air. Lamar Odom, on the other side, soared into the air and slammed the ball into the basket!
boom!
Very beautiful goal!
Unfortunately, this dunk did not win much applause because the Lakers fans had already left.
drop!
Yang Mo didn't hesitate and called a timeout, even though there were less than 25 seconds left before the game started!
