The Whip of the God of Basketball - Chapter 340

Los Angeles is sunny in June, and it has entered a prosperous tourist season. Santa Barbara Beach is full of tourists from all over the world. There are wealthy people from South America, middle-class families from Oregon, family travelers from East Asia, and couples from other parts of California. In short, summer is the most beautiful season here. After all, everyone loves Los Angeles and the City of Angels.

It’s just that the Los Angeles Lakers who participated in the Finals didn’t feel good. On June 9, the Lakers returned to sunny Los Angeles from the overcast Boston, but with a big score behind 0:2, they couldn’t get brighter anyway. . After losing to the Celtics by a big score in the first game, Shaquille O’Neal broke out in the second game, scoring 44 points in a single game, but they are still no match for the Celtics’ super integrated play. In North Shore Garden, the Lakers had no chance and were suppressed from all to the end. In the end, they also lost the second game of the finals with 79:87.

In the finals 0:2 behind, in the history of the NBA, only the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977 have ever made a big comeback. Jackson also said in an interview on the 9th that the Lakers still have a chance, “Now we are back in Los Angeles. , To be honest, I hope we can go to Boston again. After all, we haven’t won a victory there.” In fact, the Lakers haven’t won at North Shore Gardens for three consecutive years, since Fox Leon came to After the Celtics.

There are two good news for the Lakers. One is that they are back at home. The other is that in the second game, the Celtics’ main small forward and core player Paul Pierce sprained his right ankle. Missed the third game. The bad news is that the Lakers started to have conflicts with the starting problem.

In the second game, Phil Jackson still insisted on using the four kings’ starting lineup, but Gary Payton’s performance was still terrible. Except for some shining points at the beginning of the first game, he was always beaten. The match-up Arenas exploded, the offense did not shoot from outside, the defense could not keep up with Arenas’s footsteps, even the trash talk could not affect the opponent-Arenas did not attack him at all.

Even in the second game, Payton only walked through the opening and the second half. Once the rotation begins, he may not be able to make it for a long time. Even so, Payton still occupies a considerable amount of playing time. Some Lakers have won three consecutive championships. Members of the period began to complain that such a player who did not contribute should not be given so much playing time.

Frozen three feet is not a day’s cold. Payton did not show his due value and strength throughout the regular season. In contrast, Malone has been respected by everyone. His strength on the court and attitude off the court are worthy of the same. A former superstar and MVP player. This kind of contradiction broke out at this point in time, and it really made Phil Jackson feel crazy.

He spent an entire season balancing the relationship between the players, but in the end he still failed to suppress the outbreak of conflict. It was not just this that gave him a headache, but also the relationship between Kobe and O’Neal. After the second game, there was almost no communication between the two, whether in front of the media or back to the hotel or back to Los Angeles. Make Jackson extremely worried.

But Jackson himself is also a mud bodhisattva. It is difficult to protect himself, because this year will be Jackson’s last contract year with the Lakers. Jackson can be sure that regardless of whether the Lakers can win a championship this year, he will leave the Lakers in all likelihood. This made him think of the end of the legend in 1998. It was also full of contradictions, and it was also the sunset, and finally relied on Michael Jordan’s magical performance to draw a perfect ending to everything.

So Michael Jordan is the **** of basketball, Kobe Bryant wants to be such a god, Phil Jackson also hopes that he is such a god, but from the current situation, Kobe is far from it.

The next day, June 10, match day, for the fans in Los Angeles, they still have hope in their hearts, even if they are behind 0:3, they will still support their team to fight to the last minute of the final game. At the Staples Center, tickets for this game have long been sold out, and fans lined up at the gate early to wait for the opportunity to enter the stadium. Compared with the fans in Boston, the fans in Los Angeles have less fanaticism and more enjoyment. The result of the game is very important, but they enjoy the game more.

So Bostonians do whatever it takes, and Los Angeles people like Show-time.

At six o’clock, more than an hour before the start of the game, the Lakers players had already warmed up. Everyone in the locker room cheered each other up. Jackson laid out a little bit of tactics. He had no thoughts about preparing for the game carefully. , It all depends on the performance of these old guys.

But when he was on the court, O’Neal took Jackson to the toilet, a place suitable for talking about some private issues, along with Fox, Derek Fisher, three veterans of the three consecutive championships.

“I think it’s better for Derek and Rick to start. They are more familiar with my style of play and more adaptable to the triangle attack, so that they can play to the greatest extent.” O’Neal stood in a small toilet like a meat mountain. It is huge and suffocating as if it fills the entire space. And his words also made Jackson feel oppressed.

“What do you mean, Shaq, come to teach me how to coach?” Jackson glared at O’Neal and asked, he could not tolerate the authority of his coach being challenged.

“In this way we still have a chance to win, we just want to win, and then make some comments.” Rick Fox interrupted, he has always been quick to talk. He had a starter in the first game, but was soon replaced by the younger Devin George.

“I don’t need you to teach me how to win. Don’t forget that I taught you how to win!” Jackson was angry. At the same time, the bad situation made him say something that he wouldn’t normally say.

“But we are at stake now,” Fisher said softly, and it seemed that he was not reluctantly pulled into O’Neill’s force.

This kind of force is meaningless. O’Neal can’t keep Jackson from letting him out of the toilet. In the end, Jackson insisted on his starting lineup, F4 plus German-George~www.mtlnovel.com~ For Jackson, Compromising the players is the biggest failure of a coach, because it will make the players feel that they can play according to their wishes instead of following the coach’s arrangements.

However, Jackson soon heard bad news. Half an hour before the start of the game, the Celtics issued an announcement indicating that Paul Pierce would appear in the starting lineup for the third game.

After a sprained ankle in the fourth quarter of the second game, relevant reports have always pointed out that Pierce is likely to miss the third game or even the fourth game. This is undoubtedly a great benefit to the Lakers and also encouraged the Lakers to a certain extent. Morale.

But near the start of the game, Pierce was able to participate in the game again, and Jackson began to suspect that this was a Celtic smoke bomb at all.

Before the game started, Fox Leon was interviewed by reporters on the sidelines and was asked why Pierce appeared in the starter of Game 3 and whether there was any problem with his ankle.

“I don’t know, but Pierce said he must play, so I have no choice but to let him play.” Leon’s answer was extremely unprincipled, and it seemed that he did not consider Jackson’s feelings at all. I don’t know how Jackson would feel when he heard his explanation. (To be continued.)