Chapter 555: Chapter 393 The Correct Use of Smash Parker

“`

“Arrogance” was Kwame Brown’s most noticeable trait and the word most frequently used to describe him.

During his time with the Bucks, following Yu Fei to two consecutive championships led him to boastfully claim to be the second best center in the Eastern Conference and the best in the League, proclaiming that Little O was no match for him and even boldly stating that he had blown Duncan away in the Finals.

Some people started to say: It was precisely because of this character that he became a bust.

But this cause and effect is wrong.

It was because Brown had become a bust that he grew arrogant; even before reuniting with the Bucks and Yu Fei, he had already become the spokesperson for “the biggest draft bust in history.” Such denigrating trauma needed to be compensated and Fei provided him with a way to mend his psychological shadows, which was to boast about himself.

However, everything that Fei said he would do, he did, whereas for Brown it wasn’t always the case, but as long as he believed he had done it, that was enough.

Little O, disadvantaged in the paint and taunted by Brown, was naturally unwilling to accept this, aggressively initiating pick-and-rolls as soon as he got to the frontcourt, followed by a beautiful roll and pointing to the sky.

Kidd immediately threw a lob pass.

But the ball was intercepted by Yu Fei mid-flight.

“Big Fei!!!!!” Little O felt his friendship with Big Fei was over.

Yu Fei led the counterattack, and such a fast-paced game was not suitable for the Lakers, since besides Walton, their starting players were no longer young.

The SuperSonics switched to offense, with almost the entire team participating in the fast break.

Yu Fei arrived in the frontcourt drawing the defense, then casually threw the ball backward.

“How did he see that?!!!” exclaimed the Lakers’ home commentator as Kwame Brown, entering the frame, jumped with full force, caught the ball with both hands, and immediately completed an alley-oop dunk that maximized the effect of the defensive counter.

Brown’s pretentious demeanor caused a sudden surge of boos in the Staples Center.

Despite being disliked by thousands, Brown relished it, as this was usually what Fei experienced on away grounds.

“Hate me, I don’t care about your thoughts!” Brown shouted defiantly.

“This is not your home court.”

Tasked with guarding Kobe was Yu Fei.

With Brown wreaking such havoc, Kobe, of course, wouldn’t just take it.

“It can be,” Yu Fei replied.

Kobe started his first isolation play of the night.

Yu Fei kept his center of gravity low, relying solely on his wingspan to interfere.

Unable to shake off the defense, Kobe had no choice but to increase the difficulty for himself to create shooting space; the move was beautiful, but the trajectory was off.

It missed.

Yu Fei returned to the basket while Brown boxed out, and the SuperSonics’ counterattack resumed.

The game shifted from the Lakers’ opening rhythm to the SuperSonics’ pace.

The Lakers’ defense focused on Yu Fei, but he had yet to take a shot that evening.

In the frontcourt, Yu Fei aggressively broke through Walton’s help defense, encountering a double team one step inside the free-throw line; the Lakers tried their utmost to contain him as if to distinguish him from Kobe.

Such a costly defense could limit Fei’s offense, but Yu Fei’s passing was something the Lakers couldn’t contain.

Durant received Yu Fei’s pass, and unguarded, he shot a three-pointer.

“Swish!”

5 to 7.

The SuperSonics took a 2-point lead over the Lakers.

Phil Jackson saw it happening and was anxious inside.

Something was wrong.

Yu Fei, known among coaches for ball dominance, was expected to have a selfish style. Meanwhile, as the primary ball-handler during his tenure with the Bucks, he had demonstrated excellent passing skills. Now, when the media compared him with Kobe, there was a sharp perspective.

Frye can make the people around him better, and Kobe can’t.

And they had a case in point.

Yu Fei had guided Kevin Martin from a draft failure to becoming an All-Star in his second year and had pointed the way for a mature rookie like Roy, even willingly sharing the ball to help his growth.

In Kobe’s case, they saw no such examples.

Jackson was all too familiar with such criticisms.

Before Jordan won championships, that was how people belittled him, saying he wasn’t as good as Magic Bird, who could elevate his teammates, while Jordan couldn’t. Jordan’s retort was, “I could also make James Worthy and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar great.”

Yu Fei’s case was more convincing than Magic Bird’s.

Because Martin and the current Roy were not established stars; they grew into stars alongside Yu Fei.

The difference was substantial.

Now, the content of the game was similar.

Kobe was an offensive powerhouse, while Yu Fei was using his passing to invigorate his teammates.

This man, averaging 31 points a game, hadn’t even taken a shot yet!

Isn’t he interested in showing off in this MVP showdown?

Kobe didn’t seem selfish; he was simply playing his role in the Triangle Offense.

Since the Lakers’ Triangle Offense was driven from the outside, his role was no different from Jordan’s back then.

“`

So Kobe’s task was to score 30 points every night, along with grabbing 5 rebounds and dishing out 5 assists.

But facing Yu Fei, Kobe tended to take matters into his own hands.

Like in a subsequent play, Kobe ran out to receive the ball and, facing Yu Fei, faked with a jab step before pulling up for the tough shot.

“Swish!”

No problem at all, that was the role he played in the Triangle Offense.

Yu Fei’s response was to set a screen for Roy, cover for Durant, then cut out to receive the ball, and instantly pass it to the charging Marion.

Marion dunked for the score.

His stats read 0 points, but he had 2 rebounds and 4 assists.

Meanwhile, Kobe had 4 points and nothing else.

Next, Kobe cut to the basket looking to dunk but was disrupted by Brown. Yu Fei pushed the counterattack, which was thwarted by Kidd. The game turned into a fast exchange of offense and defense as Kidd suddenly burst for a layup, Roy answered with a jump shot, Kobe, facing a double team, did a spin move and step-through to score, and Yu Fei, finally taking a shot from the top, responded with a jump shot of his own.

The Lakers’ passing led to a turnover, Supersonics defended the counter well, and their trailing three-pointer missed. Kobe grabbed the rebound and wanted to catch his opponents off balance. However, his offensive inclination was too obvious, and Yu Fei suddenly exploded in action; his jump was not high, but his speed was rapid–a perfectly timed shot block.

As Yu Fei had held back on his leap, the moment he landed, his legs had more power than Kobe’s, and his acceleration was quicker.

In just an instant, Yu Fei had already pounced on a loose ball.

Kobe tried to catch up, but Yu Fei didn’t give him the chance, maintaining top speed all the way to the frontcourt for a ferocious dunk.

“Big Fei is getting started.”

Having coached Yu Fei for many years, Karl knew all too well Yu Fei’s rhythm in offense.

Whenever Yu Fei was ready to take over the offense, Karl could feel it.

“Smush,” Karl called out to Death God Parker, “prepare to sub out Brandon.”

Parker made his way to the sidelines.

Kobe noticed him.

Before tonight, Kobe didn’t know this guy had gone to play for the Supersonics.

Looking at him, How had he not been eliminated by the NBA? What was wrong with the league?

Thinking about Smush Parker’s time with the Lakers–his rashness, his poor decision-making, his low basketball IQ, his frequent tantrums and unrepentant attitude after mistakes–his presence deeply exemplified how those poor Lakers teams squandered Kobe’s prime years.

Kobe remembered the failures of the past few years, a period that could be dubbed “the era when Smush Parker was the main point guard of the Lakers.”

This caused his mood to fluctuate; he didn’t want to go back to the past.

So he disrupted the tactical rhythm at the top of the key, demanded the ball from Kidd, and pulled up directly over Yu Fei.

“Swish!!!”

Miraculously, Yu Fei could feel Kobe’s resentment.

“If the Supersonics eventually do move,” Kobe gestured towards Parker, “It’ll be his fault!”

From Kobe’s perspective, he was definitely hoping the Supersonics would stay. True to Kobe fans, they appreciated it for sixteen days, but that was no reason to speak about Parker like that.

Yu Fei couldn’t help but get physical in response.

He had been careless, thinking that being the top player in the league gave him free rein.

Yes, the top player in the league carries weight, but not the most weight. In the NBA, it’s the Lakers’ Whistle Power that holds the ultimate clout.

In an instant, the whistle blew, and the referees called Yu Fei for an off-the-ball foul. He paid it no mind, only wanting to let Kobe know, “I won’t let you talk about my teammate like that.”

“One day, you’ll wish he wasn’t your teammate,” Kobe predicted like a philosopher.

Parker subbed in for Roy, signifying a change in the Supersonics’ gameplay.

Yet the clueless Parker questioned Yu Fei’s recent off-the-ball foul, “Big Fei, did you see how excited I was to enter the game?”

Yu Fei was beginning to understand Kobe, though he wouldn’t admit it out loud.

“Shut up, Smush. Give me the ball and then get the hell out of the way!”

Yu Fei took the ball and as he crossed half-court, Kobe’s grudge against Parker gave Yu Fei another reason he must win the championship this season.

What impact would it have on Kobe if he could lead Smush Parker to a championship? He was already imagining what kind of trash talk Parker would utter when he next saw Kobe. Just imagining that scene made Yu Fei think not so poorly of the guy.

Kobe assumed a defensive stance, ready to battle it out with Yu Fei.

However, Yu Fei signaled with a gesture that gave Parker pause.

Hadn’t Big Fei just told him to clear out?

He didn’t understand why Yu Fei changed his mind, but in the Supersonics, only one person’s commands were unshakable.

Deciding to obey, Parker ran to set a pick-and-roll with Yu Fei.

This was followed by Kwame Brown’s double screen, leaving the Lakers’ defense in disarray. They didn’t know who to guard because Yu Fei was just as likely to score himself as he was to feed Brown or pass to Parker.

Kobe blatantly ignored Parker and chased after Yu Fei.

Yu Fei rose high and tough, shouldering Kobe into the air. Little O, still harboring a grudge from earlier when Yu Fei foiled his plans, quickly came over to help on defense, looking to settle the score.

But Yu Fei’s layup turned into a no-look behind-the-back pass mid-air, one of his signature passing moves. His large stature and hands, combined with his exceptional vision and passing ability, always allowed him to make no-look one-handed passes that most point guards couldn’t pull off.

Parker caught the pass and cut in, scoring over the descending Kobe with a floater.

Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only

“What was it you used to say about me?” Parker taunted Kobe, “You need to be careful on defense, but what happens when it’s your turn?”

This was the first time Yu Fei had seen Kobe’s defense broken: “Shut the hell up!”

Huh…

Quite unintentionally, Yu Fei had found the correct way to use Smush Parker.

Vote