Chapter 25: The Strongest Opponent

  In the last game of November, the Lakers lost 99-101 to the Jazz on the road and suffered a two-game losing streak.

  Deron Williams scored 24 points and 11 assists, Boozer also got 22 points and 10 rebounds, Kirilenko had 14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocks. Kobe Bryant shot 10-24, scored 31 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, Odom got 18 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists, but they still lost the game.

  The Lakers fought hard against the Jazz but couldn't win, and it will be even more difficult in Boston. They need to fight harder in the next game, or a three-game losing streak will greatly hurt their morale and ranking on the scoreboard. The Celtics had a day off and are well-rested, having the upper hand both physically and mentally.

  The Lakers only have one physically strong player, and that is Ye Feng, who came from Los Angeles. After meeting "Zen Master" Jackson, Jackson clearly stated that he would give him a lot of playing time, and he wanted to help the team as much as possible.

  Team members arrived at the hotel in the middle of the night, and it wasn't until the next day that Ye Feng greeted them. At lunchtime, he sat with Baynam, who looked listless, and said softly, "Looking at your expression, playing away games continuously is really tiring."

  "Of course I'm tired, you haven't had to play back-to-back games yet and your playing time has been short. Wait until you've flown with the team a few times and you'll know. In today's game, the coach criticized me again, saying I didn't play tough enough." Bynum looked around, making sure no one was coming over, before continuing: "I couldn't even get the ball, how am I supposed to play tough? Kobe shot so many bricks in the third quarter and he still wouldn't pass it to me."

  Yue Feng watched the game and knew that the opponent was guarding the league defense. In this case, it is very difficult for the inside line to position itself. The Lakers' attacking focus is on Kobe, so naturally they will not arrange tactics to create single-handed opportunities for Bynum. Throughout the game, Bynum only shot 9 times, making 4 shots and adding free throws to score 9 points. He also only grabbed 5 rebounds, which was the aspect that Jackson was least satisfied with.

  Baynes laughed: "The Celtics' center Perkins is just a blue-collar worker, I don't know if the coach will attack him more with me as the core."

  "Don't underestimate him, Perkins is quite strong." Ye Feng said with a smile.

  Perkins isn't just strong, he's also very intimidating in appearance, with an old face full of the vicissitudes of struggle for the working class people, as if the entire NBA owes him money. On the defensive end, he is also very skilled, not easily swayed, and doesn't jump randomly, which gives people a clumsy feeling on the floor, but actually he jumps quite high and can deliver big blocks every game.

  Baynes still can't contain Perkins now. Yefeng remembers that in the 2010 Finals, Perkins had a hard time defending Baynes, scoring 6 points and 1 rebound in Game 5, and 2 points and 4 rebounds in Game 6. Although Baynes was injured at the time, Perkins' defensive role was also very obvious, if not for Perkins getting hurt in Game 6, it's hard to say who would have won the championship.

  That night, Ye Feng was a guest at North Shore Bank Garden Stadium with his team.

  Many teams have some fancy moves when their stars take the field, but none are as formal as the Celtics' player introductions.

  The players gathered at the substitute seats, with only the green lights representing the Celtics remaining in the arena, and the big screen in the center of the court playing a wonderful collection of the three giants. The players took turns appearing on stage according to their strength, substitutes and starters, and when introducing who, the spotlight shone on who. Garnett sat coolly at the substitute seat, bumping fists with his teammates one by one. Rondo was the fourth from last to appear, followed by Ray Allen, Garnett was the second from last, and finally Paul Pierce, who had been playing for the Celtics all along. They gathered together, shouting and punching, with a domineering aura of looking down on others.

  The Lakers players were low-key when they took the field, and only when Kobe was introduced did the audience give a little applause.

  The Celtics' home play-by-play announcer is the legendary "Cornbread" Cedric Maxwell and his longtime partner Sean Grande.

  The two hosts introduced the main players of both sides, and even Kobe couldn't say he had an advantage over Pierce. They thought the Celtics would win this game without a doubt.

  In such a home atmosphere, the mentality of visiting players can be easily affected. It is said that there was once a rookie who was so nervous before playing against the Celtics that he had diarrhea and ran to the bathroom several times.

  Kobe's expression was serious, staring at the basket, moving his wrist. In this game, he didn't want to lose again. As soon as Kobe entered the league, he encountered the peak O'Neal and tasted the joy of winning. Because he was used to winning, his desire to win was extremely strong.

  Lei Feng sat on the bench, watching Radmanovic daze off, his mind wandering. He knew that staying with the Lakers was a done deal, he just didn't know how many playing opportunities he would get. If Radmanovic went skiing during the All-Star break and got injured, would he have a chance to start? He understood the future but wouldn't remind Radmanovic. People all have their own interests, and it wasn't good for him to remind him; if he said something now, the other person wouldn't be grateful, they would just feel like they were being jinxed.

  Backup small forward Luke Walton has not played well this season, Walton just signed a 6-year $30 million contract with the Lakers, averaging 22 minutes per game, but only scoring 7 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Three games in the NBDL have given Yue a lot of confidence, he is confident that he can do better than Walton on both offense and defense.

  After the game started, the Celtics' offense was very patient. The core players are older, they will try to control the rhythm and play a positional battle, which also allows them to quickly return to defense after shooting and ensure defensive formation.

  Rajon Rondo is responsible for bringing the ball up the court, this 6'1" sophomore point guard has been a lucky charm, not only becoming a reliable sidekick to the Big Three but also emerging as the Celtics' pace-setter on offense. His numbers have made a quantum leap from last season, averaging 10.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 5 assists and 1.8 steals per game.

  The Celtics' attacking strategy is to have Garnett set high screens, then Rondo breaks through the defense himself or passes to the Big Three. Rondo's speed ranks among the top five in the league for guards. Fisher, on the other hand, is probably among the bottom five. With this simple pick-and-roll tactic, the Lakers had a hard time defending. After Rondo passed the ball, both Pierce and Garnett have strong individual one-on-one abilities, making it difficult to defend against them.

  Ray Allen was relatively easier to deal with, he gained shooting opportunities through active running positions. However, his three-pointers made the Lakers dare not compress their defensive system within the three-second zone. As soon as the formation opened up, Pierce continuously singled out Radmanovic and scored 12 points in the first quarter.

  The first quarter saw both teams struggling with their shooting, with the Celtics leading 24-17. In one-on-one situations, the Celtics' players showed strong defensive skills, stifling the Lakers' triangle offense.

  A 7-point deficit is not a big gap, but Odom committed two fouls in the first quarter and consumed physical strength. It's not easy for the Lakers to catch up with the difference. Whether the Lakers' second lineup can hold on is the key to winning or losing.

  In the second half, Jackson sent Turiyaf on, and at halftime, he replaced him with Kwame Brown, Warrick, Vujacic, and Farmar. Both sides had substituted their entire lineup to allow their main players to rest.

  The Lakers' starting lineup can compete with any strong team, but when it comes to the substitute lineup, they are often chased by opponents for consecutive points, which is the Lakers' biggest weakness. Enhancing bench depth has been something they've wanted to do in recent years. The Celtics have several good players on their bench, including James Posey and Tony Allen, who are both excellent defensive players, while veteran Eddie House is a three-point shooter who can get hot at times.

  The Lakers' substitutes shot for three minutes, but none of them scored. The Celtics' substitutes also didn't do well on offense, but their defense was solid. The Celtics' strong defense wasn't just due to individual defensive abilities, but also the entire defensive system. The improvement in defense is largely thanks to one person - Tom Thibodeau. Thibodeau was originally the Rockets' head assistant coach and helped build the Rockets' tenacious defense with Jeff Van Gundy. Unfortunately, the Rockets didn't appreciate him, and in order to improve their offense, they brought in Adelman and his coaching staff, forcing Thibodeau out, which benefited the Celtics.

  The Celtics focused their defense on the outside, closely guarding Worton, Vucevic and Fournier. Inside, Turiak and Kwame Brown attacked the basket, but couldn't stir up any waves.

  The score was stretched to 30-17, Jackson requested a timeout. If the Lakers still want to win, someone must stand up and break through the Celtics' iron defense.

  "Jackson called Ye Feng to his side, and Ye Feng knew he was going on. Jackson said seriously: 'Ye Feng is on the field, Turiyev is down, Ye should pay attention to the opponent's power forward, when the defender breaks through, pay attention to switching defenses, defend 32 together, and guard the outside line.'"

  "Yes." Ye Feng responded loudly. This was one of his earliest appearances, full of energy, and others looked at him like a fool, only then did he realize he had interrupted the coach, and hastily lowered his head.

  "Jackson added: 'The offense will be led by Farmar and Walton, who will feed the ball to the inside, with Ye Jianlian as the main attacker!'"

  Upon hearing this arrangement, the Lakers players were stunned. Ye Feng had just returned from the NBDL and became the main attacker of the second lineup. How could the coach trust him so much? However, since the coach arranged it, they had to execute it.

  Jackson's tactics are targeted. Now the Celtics' inside players, except Garnett, are not fast, and Ye Feng has an absolute speed advantage in singles. If they fast break, Ye Feng will definitely outrun the inside players.

  "Jackson drew a few lines on the tactical board and said, "Ye, your strength is strong, your speed is even faster. Except for Garnett, no one in the Celtics' interior can keep up with you. Take out your low-post attack moves and play freely. If you encounter a double-team, find a nearby teammate to pass the ball to. Can you do that? Farmar is on the weak side, Vujacic is at the bottom corner. Brown goes high to cover, clears out the interior, and Walton runs to find opportunities. Let's go!"

  Yue Feng played as a substitute for No. 4, when he came on, the Celtics also made a substitution, and the one who came up was a fat man - Glen Davis!

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