area51novel Chapter 52 Madison Grand Prix
Chapter 52 Madison Grand Prix
2009年2月2日，晚8:00。
Madison Square Garden, New York.
Knicks vs. Lakers.
This is a high-stakes gamble that begins on the tactics board.
In the locker room before the game, D'Antoni looked at the Lakers' luxurious twin towers lineup in the paint—Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum—with a serious expression.
This year's Lakers have a strong interior presence; the combined height and wingspan of these two players are enough to create a formidable net in the paint.
Randolph looked at Bynum's stats on the data sheet: "Coach, how do we manage this?"
"If you can't hold on, then don't!"
With a wave of his hand, D'Antoni erased the complex defensive tactics diagram completely, leaving only a huge arrow pointing towards the opponent's basket on the whiteboard.
"Listen! Don't engage in positional warfare with them, that's suicide. The moment they make a move, whether they advance or not..."
D'Antoni's gaze was fixed on Li Xiangbei, his eyes filled with fervor.
"Li! Just run! Don't look back! Don't hesitate! Run until your lungs explode!"
"We're going to turn this basketball game into a track and field grand prix!"
Li Xiangbei was fastening his golden "Rogue Generation" glasses when he heard this. He looked up and a confident smile appeared on his lips.
"Coach, my lungs won't explode."
He stood up and stretched his ankles.
"They're the ones who will blow it up."
……
Game start.
The Lakers indeed displayed championship-caliber half-court offense. Kobe received the ball in the low post with his back to the basket, drawing a double team before passing to Gasol in the paint. Gasol raised his arm and easily made a hook shot.
0:2.
The Lakers players were just about to turn around and go back on defense, some even wondering whether they should give each other a high five to celebrate.
However, the moment the basketball hit the net, Randolph didn't even wait for it to hit the ground; he grabbed it and threw it forward without a second thought.
There, a red lightning bolt had already crossed the center line!
Li Xiangbei!
He activated his power the instant Gasol made his move. The system granted him terrifying explosive power, making him like a bullet fired from a gun, instantly piercing through the entire court.
At this point, the Lakers' two big men hadn't even run out of the three-point line yet.
One against 0 in the frontcourt.
Li Xiangbei easily scored with a layup.
2:2.
In the commentary booth, Mike Breen glanced at the timer and exclaimed, "My God! The Lakers took 15 seconds to run a play and score two points, while the Knicks caught up... in just 3 seconds?! What kind of speed is that?!"
In the next few minutes, Madison Square Garden transformed into an F1 racetrack.
Kobe pulls up for a jump shot, and it goes in.
The Knicks inbound the ball, Li Xiangbei sprints, goes for a layup, and scores.
Fisher missed a three-pointer.
Li Xiangbei grabbed the long rebound, pushed the ball up the court himself, and went coast-to-coast for the win.
Lakers head coach Phil Jackson frowned on the sidelines. This rhythm was completely out of control of the triangle offense; it was practically chaos.
……
The first quarter has ended. The score is 35-34. A very high score.
But it was clear to everyone that the Lakers were exhausted. Bynum was already panting heavily during the break, and his towel was soaked with sweat.
The second quarter begins.
D'Antoni went even further, replacing all the heavy-handed big men with a group of smaller, more athletic players.
"Run! Don't stop!"
Li Xiangbei became the pacesetter for this track and field team. He not only ran himself, but also led the entire team in running.
The Lakers had no choice but to speed up their offense. Although Kobe was on fire, he was forced to run back and forth endlessly with Li Xiangbei. After each successful attack, before he could even catch his breath, he had to sprint back to chase that damn number 8 on defense.
"What did this kid eat to grow up like that?"
Kobe gritted his teeth and even tugged at Li Xiangbei's jersey during a defensive run to barely prevent him from making a successful cut.
During this phase, Li Xiangbei embarked on a frenzied scoring spree.
Fast break layups, transition dunks, drawing fouls on drives when the opponent is off-balance...
He easily scored 14 points in this quarter. All of those points were earned through running, not through any of the hard-fought positional battles.
The Lakers finally couldn't take it anymore. Phil Jackson called a timeout.
"Get back on defense! Get back on defense immediately! Stop fighting for offensive rebounds! Stop that number 8 in half court!" This was the first time the Zen Master had shown such anxiety during a regular season game.
After the timeout, the Lakers changed their strategy. Every time the Knicks took a shot, the entire team retreated on defense, denying them any fast break opportunities.
The pace of the game was forced to slow down, and it fell into positional warfare.
At this moment, the Lakers players breathed a sigh of relief. Playing a half-court game? That was the Lakers' strength, given their twin towers.
But they forgot that Li Xiangbei had a cheat code.
Li Xiangbei dribbled the ball across half-court, facing a well-positioned defensive formation and Ariza's tight, close marking.
He neither passed the ball nor called for a screen.
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With a step away from the three-point line and without any rhythm, Li Xiangbei took a straight jump!
Forced facial ejaculation!
"brush!"
Three point hit!
The Lakers players' mentality is starting to crumble.
We just ran ourselves ragged defending against the fast break, finally getting into positional play, and then you score this incredible goal? How are we supposed to compete like this?
Two minutes later.
Li Xiangbei used a double screen to cut out and receive the ball. Kobe Bryant was there to help defend, blocking the shooting angle.
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Li Xiangbei drifted backward and attacked in an extremely illogical posture.
"brush!"
Go in again!
This kind of "unreasonable" attack is even more despairing than the previous fast break.
……
The whistle blew to signal halftime.
The numbers on the scoreboard left everyone speechless.
Knicks 65: 68 Lakers.
This was the NBA in 2009; scoring 60+ points in the first half was extremely rare.
Li Xiangbei's data is even more explosive:
32 points (20 of which came from easy points on fast breaks and transition offense, and 12 from strong shots in half-court sets).
Kobe Bryant on the other side was equally impressive, scoring 28 points.
But all his points came from those high-difficulty positional battles, and every point was earned with sweat.
Sidelines.
Odom was already sitting on the floor, using an oxygen mask to breathe oxygen.
Bynum, hands on his knees, muttered under his breath, "Is this some kind of marathon? I'm not playing anymore! I'm going home!"
In contrast, Li Xiangbei...
He stood in the center of the field, hands on his hips, his chest rising and falling steadily.
He glanced at Kobe, who was wiping his sweat not far away, and a provocative smile appeared on his lips.
"Hey, old man."
"The second half...continue?"
Kobe slammed the towel to the ground, his eyes blazing with fury.
"continue!"
Intermission.
In the Knicks' locker room, everyone was busy hydrating and getting massages.
D'Antoni pulled Li Xiangbei aside.
"Li, the data analyst said, due to the first half's onslaught, the team's interior players have reached their breaking point."
"We need to change our strategy in the second half."