r18novel Chapter 611 Relying on Defense! The Knicks Also Have Their Strengths in Defense
Chapter 611 Relying on Defense! The Knicks Also Have Their Strengths in Defense
"Hey Alonzo, I thought you were already living in a retirement home," O'Neal teased as soon as he saw Mourning on the field.
"I'll definitely die later than you, because when you, you fatso, die of diabetes, I'll be carrying your coffin." Although Mourning hadn't been on the court for a long time, his mouth hadn't atrophied at all. He turned to O'Neal and said, "Haven't seen you in so long, how many championships have you won?"
"Didn't you say during the draft that you'd win five more MVPs and eight more championships than me?"
"Do you remember before the talent show you grabbed my arm and begged me, asking what you would do if no one chose you?"
"You were much cuter back then, like an adorable chubby little boy. Now you're just plain silly, a goofy, idiotic old fat man."
What do you mean by "an old man cursing someone is worth two people"?
Mourning may not be able to beat you, Shaq, but you were both rookies in the same draft class, and you can trash talk each other without any hesitation.
Lin Tian certainly didn't have time to listen carefully to the debate between the two. He quickly came to the frontcourt, then turned his back and took two steps toward the three-point line, facing Fisher. Before the help defense could come over, he suddenly turned around quickly, took a step back and jumped, and quickly scored 2 points!
Shaquille O'Neal may not be able to out-argue Alonzo Mourning, but in terms of on-court skill, he can still easily defeat Mourning!
This guy quickly positioned himself, turned around, and then slammed an elbow into Mourning's chest before turning around and hitting him with a powerful one-handed dunk!
"Alonzo, why don't you go back to the nursing home? I can prepay 10 years' worth of fees for you. The basketball court is no longer suitable for you."
"You scored 20 points in one possession?" Even though Mourning couldn't stop O'Neal, he wasn't afraid at all and said, "Only 2 points in one possession? I don't understand what you idiot are celebrating."
"You're dead tonight!" O'Neal really didn't expect his old rival from the same draft class, whom he hadn't faced in a long time, to have such a sharp tongue. He decided to shut up and use basketball to settle everything!
He has absolute confidence that he can handle Mourning!
"Alonzo, are you okay?" Lin Tian received the ball from the baseline. This time, he didn't rush to advance but instead patted Mourning on the shoulder.
"Don't worry," Mo Ning said casually. "I'm getting old, these old bones need to warm up to get back into the swing of things. Don't worry about me, you guys fight however you want. Once I'm warmed up, I'll show him what I'm made of!"
"Let me know when you're ready!" Lin Tian nodded, showing his absolute trust in his teammates. Then he quickly advanced and arrived at the front of the court in the blink of an eye.
After running a few plays, Lin Tian passed the ball to Smith on the left. Regardless of Smith's skill level, he was definitely among the top three in the entire Knicks team in terms of confidence. So when he received the ball, he pulled up and shot without thinking.
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp sound, this attack method, which he was not good at, also went in precisely.
"Call me Mid-Range Hottie!" Smith yelled excitedly, while quickly retreating to join the defensive rotation.
Fisher passed the ball to Kobe, who dribbled twice in quick succession against Wallace. But before he could accelerate and break through, Wallace unexpectedly closed in on him. This proactive defensive change caught Kobe off guard.
Although he didn't make any mistakes, his rhythm was disrupted. He could only retreat quickly to find his rhythm again. Just as Wallace pressed forward again, Kobe accelerated again and quickly passed the guy.
It has to be said that even top offensive players will momentarily lose their composure when facing a one-on-one defense of Wallace's caliber, but stopping him is really quite difficult.
Kobe drove all the way to the mid-range area, and just as he was about to shoot, Smith rushed over to help defend him. Kobe didn't force it, but instead passed the ball to Kirilenko, who was left wide open.
Before Kirilenko could even shoot, Anthony and Wallace rushed over and double-teamed him. This sudden double-team left Kirilenko in a very awkward position, and he could only barely pass the ball to Prince, who was closest to him.
But Lin Tian, who had been lurking nearby, suddenly appeared from the side, intercepted Kirilenko's pass, and started a fast break!
After dribbling the ball at lightning speed to the frontcourt, Lin Tian suddenly threw the ball into the air as Kobe retreated rapidly. Then, Lin Tian quickly dodged to the side, and a huge figure soared into the sky behind him!
Smith followed up in the middle, caught the ball in mid-air, and slammed it into the basket with one hand!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, Smith crossed his arms again in his signature "Eagle Takes Flight" celebration!
Kobe was just lucky to get there; if he had been even a fraction slower, it would have been a powerful dunk.
"Unfortunately, some people run faster than rats!" Lin Tian made no attempt to hide his sarcasm at Kobe, who had just quickly moved aside to avoid becoming a background character.
Unfortunately, Kobe was far from getting carried away. Instead, he quickly went to the baseline, passed the ball to Fisher, and then ran towards the frontcourt empty-handed.
For the next period of time, the Lakers' offense became quite disorganized!
The Knicks' roster, at least in terms of raw talent like height, wingspan, jumping ability, and running speed, is definitely not inferior to the Lakers' five players. In addition, with Nelson's instructions, this group of players has invested a lot of energy and stamina on the defensive end.
They kept running and aggressively contesting shots. Although they could get beaten, the help defense from the others was also very quick! This made it difficult for the Lakers to get comfortable open shots. They often had to shoot while facing defenders. Unfortunately, the Knicks' players were all tall and strong, so shooting against them naturally reduced their shooting percentage.
But this is not because the Knicks' defense has improved much, nor is it because they suddenly have a defensive system.
Their current defense, in professional terms, is utter rubbish.
The whole team follows the ball, relying entirely on individual ability and instinctive reactions for defense; wherever the ball is, there are Knicks players.
Anyway, this group of people has unlimited physical strength, boundless energy, and amazing physical talent.
This team's defense was so effective that it actually left the Lakers somewhat bewildered.
They had never seen anything like this before... well, a high school level defensive tactic and system.
As the saying goes, "a novice can defeat a master," and the Knicks' chaotic defense actually worked wonders, preventing the Lakers from scoring on three consecutive possessions.
The Knicks capitalized on this opportunity to score another basket, narrowing the gap to 4 points!
"Staying calm! What's the rush! They're like headless flies, are you all headless flies too?! This kind of nonsense is contagious?" Jackson finally couldn't stand it anymore, stood up and yelled at the players on the court, "Look what they're doing! Observe them carefully!"
"Observe carefully before you attack! Pass the ball! Get the ball out of the way!"
Just those two sentences had an immediate effect. The Lakers players were indeed much calmer and their passing speed increased. After several consecutive passes, Prince got a mid-range jump shot opportunity on the wing. He pulled up and shot, scoring 2 points.
The Lakers have finally stabilized the situation.
The Knicks' ball then hit Mourning, who immediately pulled up for a shot from the mid-range area.
"Bang!"
This was originally his best way of scoring, but this time the basketball missed.
"Alonzo, I told you, you should be in a nursing home instead of playing basketball here!" O'Neal, who had grabbed the rebound, continued to grin and yell at Mourning, then passed the ball to Kobe, and the Lakers continued their attack!
This time, Kobe was quite sensible and passed the ball directly to O'Neal, who was holding his position in the paint, allowing him to continue his one-on-one battle with Mourning.
Although Wallace quickly helped defend, O'Neal also passed the ball quickly, to Prince on the outside, and then Prince passed it to O'Neal.
After this back-and-forth tug-of-war, Wallace dared not go to help defend anymore.
He doesn't want to be walked around like a dog.
"Bang! Bang!"
Finally getting a one-on-one opportunity, O'Neal showed no mercy and immediately slammed his fist into Mourning twice. Then he turned around and was about to deliver a powerful two-handed dunk!
"Get down here!" But this time, Mourning wasn't pushed aside by O'Neal. He timed O'Neal's jump perfectly, jumped as high as possible, and then slapped the basketball that O'Neal was about to dunk!
Although the difference in strength was still too great, Mourning did not swat the ball away directly.
But that's enough!
"Bang!"
O'Neal's powerful dunk was noticeably shorter due to Mourning's interference, and he slammed the ball directly onto the front edge of the rim.
As the basketball bounced high into the air, Mourning mustered his remaining strength, jumped again, and slapped the ball out towards the three-point line!
It wasn't that he didn't want to grab the basketball, but that he was simply powerless to do so. He knew all too well how big the gap was between himself and O'Neal. Being able to block one shot would be an extraordinary performance, let alone grabbing the rebound over O'Neal's head when he wasn't in position.
That's practically impossible!
So instead of trying to hold onto the ball, it's better to just dribble it out and trust your teammates!
The one who received the ball beyond the three-point line was, of course, Lin Tian, who reacted the fastest. He grabbed the basketball in his arms, then glanced behind him and slammed the ball between his legs and behind him!
"Snapped!"
After a loud thud, Lin Tian seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. The basketball bounced off the floor and was already in the hands of the fast-moving Wallace.
After receiving the ball, Wallace showed no greed and made a two-handed chest pass to Anthony on the other side. This pass successfully caught the Lakers' defense off guard, leaving them no time to catch up with Anthony. Anthony easily received the ball and slammed it home, adding 2 more points for the team!
Still 4 points!
The two sides then engaged in a back-and-forth struggle for another two minutes, with neither able to further narrow or widen the gap.
Then, as if he had been gathering his strength and waiting for the CD, Mourning finally unleashed his power once again!
He and Lin Tian worked together, surrounding Kobe from both sides and completely blocking his drive into the paint.
Then Mo Ning waved his hand, and there was another crisp "snap"!
Kobe's shot was blocked!
Lin Tian, who was closest, grabbed the basketball and sprinted towards the frontcourt.
He continued his relentless sprint towards the Lakers' basket, and after completely flattening the Lakers' formation, Lin Tian once again calmly tossed the ball into the air.
This time, the one who stepped out from the crowd and leaped high was Wallace. This guy with explosive physical abilities grabbed the basketball with both hands and slammed it into the hoop!
"boom!"
After another loud bang, the score difference between the two sides narrowed to 2 points!
"Give it your all! Let's hold this ball! Then we'll take the lead!" Lin Tian clapped his hands frantically, reminding his teammates to strengthen their defense. Tonight, they were going to rely on their defense to turn the tide!
"Leave it to me! Let those idiots in, I'll teach them a lesson!" Mourning, who had just delivered two bloody hats, was now brimming with confidence, pounding his chest and roaring.
come on!
"Do you really think you're still 25?" When the team encountered difficulties, O'Neal once again came to the paint and reached out for the ball.
The Lakers' perimeter players passed the ball back and forth several times, eventually making the Knicks' already chaotic defense even more disorganized. Then, Fisher bounced the ball to O'Neal.
After this sprint and chaos, no one had time to help defend O'Neal, giving him a considerable amount of space to go one-on-one.
"Bang! Bang!" Just like before, no nonsense, just a direct and forceful attack! O'Neal wanted to show Mourning just how big the gap was between them now!
But this time was different; Mourning held on!
God knows where he got his power from, God knows how this guy managed to do it this time, but he withstood O'Neal's attack this time.
With two consecutive shots, Mourning showed no sign of backing down, gritting his teeth and flexing all his muscles, completely shutting O'Neal out of the three-second zone.
"Come on, Shaq! Is this all you've got? You're practically in your grave yourself, aren't you? What the hell are you arguing with me about!" Seeing that O'Neal didn't launch a third attack, Mourning immediately seized the opportunity and unleashed a torrent of abuse at him.
But this is exactly what O'Neal has been waiting for!
Taking advantage of Mo Ning's distraction while he opened his mouth, he immediately exerted his strength and stabbed Mo Ning a third time.
"Bang!"
O'Neal's blow was powerful and heavy, almost at full strength. Mourning couldn't withstand such an impact. He couldn't make a sound and was almost knocked out of his seat by O'Neal's full-force impact.
The bad news is that Mourning has lost his defensive position and the energy to continue defending. After all, he had a kidney transplant, which caused a significant decline in his form and energy.
He is no longer on the same level as Shaquille O'Neal.
But the good news is that Mourning withstood the first two hits!
He wasn't immediately attacked by O'Neal, and those two attacks bought his teammates enough time to help defend.
For example, just as O'Neal was about to pull up after blocking the third shot, Lin Tian had already arrived once again!
Mo Ning, a seasoned veteran, had already stood firm when he saw Lin Tian approaching, but immediately looked as if he had been punched in the air and staggered backward again.
That stumble was absolutely crucial.
In a brilliant move, Mourning blocked the baseline referee's view, and Lin Tian's slap landed perfectly on the spot.
"Snapped!"
No one could tell whether the ball or the hand was hit, but the referee didn't see it, so he didn't call a foul!
O'Neal looked aggrieved and angry; judging from his expression, he had definitely suffered a loss.
If you were to ask Shaquille O'Neal right now, he'd probably be angrily complaining, "That bastard didn't even get the ball, he hit it all on my hands!"
Lin Tian, on the other hand, remained calm. Having successfully stolen the ball, he quickly dribbled it towards the frontcourt.
If you were to ask Lin Tian right now, he would innocently reply, "That shot hit the ball the whole time! If it had touched O'Neal's hand, I would have eaten the ball on the spot!"
As for who is right?
If the referee didn't call a foul, then Lin Tian was right!
In the blink of an eye, Lin Tian had dribbled the ball back to the frontcourt. He originally wanted to stop suddenly outside the three-point line and make a quick three-pointer, but Kirilenko's wingspan was simply too exaggerated. He spread his arms and completely blocked Lin Tian's shooting angle.
This forced Lin Tian to abandon his attempt to shoot directly, allowing him to accelerate again after a stop and rush towards the three-point line.
Kirilenko, Prince, and Kobe were on high alert and simultaneously collapsed the paint to try and catch up with Lin Tian. But as soon as they stepped into the free-throw line, they saw the basketball fly out again.
The basketball flew past the ears of the three players and landed outside the three-point line at the top of the arc.
That's Anthony standing there!
After getting the basketball, this guy didn't hesitate, nocked an arrow, and took an open three-pointer!
"Whoosh!"
After a crisp sound, the Knicks still managed to score the 3 points!
They've overtaken them!
After switching to this lineup, the Knicks successfully took the lead! They erased a 10-point deficit in less than half a quarter!
Although their one-point lead only lasted for 20 seconds, Kobe quickly regained the lead with a floater, but at least the two sides were back on equal footing, and the 10-point deficit was now a thing of the past!
The Knicks have emerged from their most difficult situation.
This time, the Knicks surprisingly changed the course of the game with their defense!
For a long time afterward, the two sides were evenly matched, neither able to gain the upper hand or widen the score gap.
The two sides traded blows back and forth, playing from the latter half of the first quarter all the way into the latter half of the second quarter! (End of Chapter)