Reborn in the 96 golden generation

Chapter 14 Becoming a Substitute Core
The starting lineups for the two teams are as follows:
Lakers: Van Exel (point guard), Eddie Jones (shooting guard), Kersey (small forward), Robert Horry (power forward), Shaquille O'Neal (center).

Suns: Kevin Johnson (point guard), Chapman (shooting guard), Ceballos (small forward), Williams (power forward), Mayer (center).

The Lakers' starting lineup is a bit strong offensively and defensively weak. Except for O'Neal, the other four have the ability to shoot from the outside. It seems that Harris is going to implement the "one-star four-shot" tactic to the end.

The two players inside the Suns both have strong defensive capabilities, and the starting lineup looks more balanced offensively and defensively.

After the halftime scrimmage, the Lakers got the ball.

Van Exel dribbled the ball through the half court and passed the ball to O'Neill near the three-second zone immediately.

After O'Neal holds the ball, he dribbles with his back while observing the surrounding situation. If the opponent double-teams, he will immediately pass the ball to an open player outside. If the opponent does not double-team, he will force the inside.

Unexpectedly, the Suns did not double-team against O'Neal, but defended one-on-one.

Therefore, O'Neal used the flexible and quick "shark turn" to smoothly enter the opponent's penalty area, ready to forcefully dunk.

Mayer, who mainly defended him, was experienced despite being short in height and weight, and pressed down with both hands to block O'Neal's strong line.

In the end, the basketball in O'Neal's hands was forced down. Of course, fouls were inevitable, and O'Neal won two free throws.

Standing in front of the free throw line, O'Neal wiped his forehead while patting the ball. As a result, he missed both free throws and was grabbed by the opponent for a backcourt rebound.

The Lakers' offense was equivalent to a mistake, and nothing was achieved.

Harris off the field couldn't help shaking his head and sighing. He originally wanted to give full play to O'Neal's inside advantage through this game, but he didn't expect that the opponent would rather adopt foul tactics than let O'Neal easily succeed.

Kevin Johnson attacks with the ball. Although he is only 1.85 meters tall, he has a strong breakthrough ability and a good passing awareness.

Using the agility and speed unique to small players, he quickly broke through the Lakers' outside defense and went straight to the inside.

When the Lakers were attracted to the inside defense, they quickly passed the ball to the outside.

After a few passes, the outside player quickly made a pass, and then Ceballos took the knife and scored a three-pointer.

This is the current tactical play of the Suns. They do not have an absolute core player, but they can find good scoring opportunities through continuous breakthroughs and continuous transmission of the ball. Everyone can become the final terminator.

In contrast, the Lakers' style of play seems a bit dull, mainly relying on O'Neal's strong inside play and Eddie Jones' outside breakthrough to revitalize the team's offense.

If this style of play catches up with the "OK" combination at its peak, it can still destroy the city, but the strength of these two brothers today is obviously far from it.

Fortunately, the Suns are just a fringe team in the playoffs, and their strength is not very strong. Therefore, the score of the two teams in the first two quarters is still that the Lakers are ahead of the Suns with a slight advantage of "40:38" by two points.

Lakers number one star Shaquille O'Neal scored 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks despite his poor free throws.

"Mr. Kareem, what's your comment on O'Neal's performance in the first two quarters?"

At the commentary seat, a commentator wearing rimless glasses asked the "Skyhook" beside him.

"Although O'Neill is very lethal in the interior, his attack range is still limited to the vicinity of the penalty area, and his attack methods are relatively simple, relying more on extraordinary strength."

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar commented bluntly.

"Then what do you think, if O'Neill plays against you at your peak, which one is stronger?"

The narrator then asked with great interest.

"I think the two of us are not the same type of players, and there is basically no comparison."

Abdul-Jabbar replied tactfully.

"I heard that the Lakers have newly signed a talented young man from China, Wang Zhizhi, who may appear in the third quarter. What are your expectations for his performance?"

the narrator said.

"Asian players are generally weak in physique. I am afraid that it will be difficult for them to adapt to the fierce confrontation in the NBA for a while. I don't have high expectations for him. I think Wang Zhizhi's ability to stand on the NBA court is a kind of victory."

Jabbar smiled slightly.

The commentator was right. After the halftime break, Harris was indeed going to replace Zhou Yu. Center Campbell and point guard Byron Scott also came off the bench.

Obviously, Zhou Yu's position is power forward, which is his preferred position, because if he plays center, he has to take on more defensive and rebounding tasks.

When he appeared on the field, Zhou Yu saw a familiar figure from the opposite Suns team, that is the future "triple double king" Jason Kidd, while the rookie Nash, like Kobe, was still sitting on the bench.

At the beginning of the third quarter, the Lakers had possession of the ball. After Byron Scott took the ball across half court, he looked around at his teammates' positions. Zhou Yu knew in his heart that he was about to pass the ball.

Among the Lakers, Zhou Yu and Byron Scott's cooperation is considered the most tacit, so as soon as he made a simple gesture, Zhou Yu immediately pulled to the top of the arc knowingly to do a pick-and-roll.

After successfully blocking Kidd, Zhou Yu quickly ran to the other side and received a pass back from Byron Scott.

At this time, there was almost no defense in front of him. The opponent's backup power forward seemed to have never expected that Zhou Yu, who was 2.14 meters tall, had the ability to shoot three-pointers, so he didn't catch up in time.

Zhou Yu seized the opportunity and shot a three-pointer without hesitation. At the moment of the shot, he felt that the rhythm and touch were excellent, and the shot was probably made.

Sure enough, after the basketball crossed a high parabola, it hit the net with a crisp sound!
"43:38", Zhou Yu hit a three-pointer as soon as he came on the field, which suddenly expanded the point difference between the two teams to 5 points.

This three-pointer quickly detonated the audience, and the cheers and screams of the fans gathered into a huge sound wave, which made Zhou Yu fully feel the frenzied atmosphere at home.

On the next ball, the Suns passed Kidd's wide passing vision, and the "alien" Sam Cassell, who was located outside the three-point line, got a shot.

Cassel also shot a three-pointer without hesitation, as if in response to Zhou Yu's three-pointer just now.

It's a pity that his shot strength was a little weaker, the basketball bounced out of the basket, and the rebound was grabbed by Campbell.

The Lakers took advantage of the Sun's unsteady foothold to make a fast break, and Zhou Yu followed suit.

Byron Scott originally wanted to pass the ball to the Lakers approaching the penalty area, but he couldn't help being a little surprised to see Zhou Yu also running over.

At this time, there was nothing around Zhou Yu, and the two Suns' chasing players ran to the vicinity of the three-second zone.

Byron Scott finally passed the ball to Zhou Yu who was catching up. Zhou Yu made an emergency stop and shot another three-pointer in a coherent manner.

With a crisp sound of "唰", the basketball hit the net hollow again!

"46:38", Zhou Yu's two consecutive three-pointers have widened the point difference to 8 points.

The Lakers' home court was detonated again, and many fans shouted the words "Wang Zhizhi" in jerky Chinese.

In fact, the reason why Zhou Yu's two three-point shots are so calm and decisive is largely due to the meticulous training in the "basketball superstar growth system".

Take the three-pointer as an example, the system is divided into multiple training subjects such as "fast break three-pointer", "open three-pointer" and "retreat three-pointer". Require.

Therefore, Zhou Yu will be more comfortable and unruffled when he is in danger.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the head coach of the Suns quickly called a long timeout, preparing to rearrange tactics.

Zhou Yu, who returned to the bench, celebrated with high-fives with his teammates while pouring mineral water into his mouth.

Leaning sideways, he saw O'Neill's unkind eyes. It was obvious that Zhou Yu quickly changed the anxious situation after he came on the field, leaving O'Neill feeling ashamed.

"Wang, you are so good, I should learn from you with humility."

Kobe rushed over and congratulated Zhou Yu with envy.

Zhou Yu couldn't help being taken aback. This didn't seem like Kobe's style of speaking. Even when he met Jordan, he once dropped the cruel words of "If we fight each other, I will definitely blow you up".

During the timeout, Harris took the tactical board and began to rearrange his tactics. Originally, he planned to use Byron Scott as the core to lead a group of substitutes as long as the situation on the field was maintained.

But Zhou Yu's amazing performance made his eyes shine, and various tactics began to lean towards him.

Specifically, it is to let Zhou Yu pull to a high position to support and become the starting point of the offense of the entire bench lineup, and other players use interspersed running positions, blocking people to cover, and pick-and-roll cooperation to find fighters.

In fact, this tactic has been practiced many times in team practice games, but Harris has not made up his mind. After all, Zhou Yu is still a fledgling rookie, and it is still unknown whether he can take on this important task.

(End of this chapter)