Chapter 692: Chapter 485: The Inconceivable Final Scene (Combined)_3 Chapter 692: Chapter 485: The Inconceivable Final Scene (Combined)_3 As a supporter of James, Jackson said helplessly, “Frye’s low-post offense is superb, which is his biggest difference from LeBron at the power forward position.”

James retaliated against Durant.

Then, Durant missed a one-on-one shot against James.

But the rebound was snatched by Yu Fei.

Yu Fei, a rookie who averaged 8 rebounds per game, was able to grab so many rebounds because of his aggressiveness and excellent prediction of where the ball would land, even without anyone blocking for him.

This aspect gave him an advantage when he temporarily played as a power forward, especially in rebounding battles.

Compared to him, Artest was like a fool, only waiting for the ball to fall into his hands.

What’s more troubling for the Lakers was what happened after Yu Fei secured the offensive rebound.

The Lakers assumed Yu Fei would make a move directly at the spot, instinctively tightening their defense.

Instead, Yu Fei threw the ball lightning-fast to the corner.

Anthony Morrow’s shot flew swiftly, hitting a three-pointer.

“That guy can organize at the power forward position?”

The Lakers’ coaching staff was surprised.

They thought letting Yu Fei play power forward was a suicidal tactic by the Supersonics, not only wasting Yu Fei as a tactical pivot and an unstoppable starting point but also increasing Roy’s burden.

Now, it didn’t seem to be the case.

Yu Fei not only showed a trend of overpowering Artest at the power forward position but also liberated Durant and relieved Roy of some organizing pressure. He performed the genuine roles of a power forward–rebounding, defense, pick-and-roll–quite well.

.cO

Four minutes into the second half, the Supersonics launched a 16-7 offensive that turned the Staples Center into a library.

The Lakers called for a timeout.

“It’s time to bring up Chris’s trade,” Roy joked, “Frye is the best power forward I’ve ever seen!”

Yu Fei said, “Show some respect for TD.”

“Okay, the second-best power forward, just behind TD.”

After the timeout, the Lakers subbed out Artest, but didn’t dare to play with twin towers, simply replacing the power forward position with Luke Walton.

This adjustment effectively resulted in a lineup without a true power forward. Walton, a seasoned substitute, had a guaranteed performance level that was not as erratic as Artest’s, but this indirectly reduced the pressure on Yu Fei.

Moreover, Yu Fei’s advantage over his matchup continued to grow.

After all, Walton was much easier to play against than Artest.

Roy became a passing robot.

He completely gave up personal attacks in the third quarter; every offensive move started with finding Yu Fei.

Yu Fei would either receive the ball after a pick-and-roll or catch it in the low post.

The former created chaos at the high post, while the latter disturbed the interior.

Once chaos ensued, Yu Fei always managed to accurately find his teammates.

Morrow, closely guarded by Hamilton, rarely had a chance, but Durant displayed his essence as an offensive machine.

His connection with Yu Fei inside and outside became an issue the Lakers couldn’t resolve.

James was solely focused on Yu Fei, underestimating Durant allowed the latter to turn on full firepower in the third quarter, without James stepping up the defensive intensity immediately.

This was the “opportunity” Yu Fei spoke of.

Form, like a man’s spirit, only reaches its prime when stimulated correctly at the right time.

Durant got into his groove, undisturbed, and by the time James thought to do something, it was already unstoppable.

The impact of Yu Fei at the power forward made Karl think that if Bosh returned, they could try letting Bosh play center and Yu Fei power forward during crucial moments. Consequently, wouldn’t all five positions be able to create space with both inside and outside tactical pivots, the wing also having Durant, the underrated scoring monster, optimized for offense, defense, lineup flexibility, talent, space…everything needed.

Four minutes before the end of the third quarter, the Supersonics had already built a 14-point lead.

The Lakers brought Artest back.

Phil Jackson rejected the suggestion to use twin towers, as last season’s lesson had been painful enough.

Artest could at least wear down Yu Fei a bit with his defense and aggression. In front of Yu Fei, Walton couldn’t unleash his offensive creativity or defend effectively, being a target for exploitation, unable to secure a single rebound. With Pau Gasol facing a two-on-one situation in the paint, two fists couldn’t fight against four legs.

After this substitution, the Lakers’ disadvantages began to decrease.

Kobe made a difficult three-pointer.

James scored a 2+0 on a solo play.

Yu Fei backed down Artest to score.

Roy made a steal followed by James’s block, but Durant followed up with a basket.

Finally, it was Hamilton’s unbelievable buzzer-beating long three-pointer that allowed the Lakers to enter the fourth quarter with a single-digit deficit.

After that quarter, the Lakers had shifted from having a positional advantage to being on the back foot.

A lack of good chemistry between Kobe and James was one reason; another was Artest’s erratic performance, leading to a very weak power forward position for the Lakers.

Yu Fei playing the power forward was initially seen as a blunder.

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Now, it had become a divine move that turned the tide of the battle.

Then, there was another major oversight no one cared about–Marc Gasol, as the center, had already played for 30 minutes and was in urgent need of rest.

“Actually, the Lakers’ problem is easy to solve,” Jeff Van Gundy said with a smile before the fourth quarter, “They just need to let LeBron play power forward and then bring Andrew Bynum on to give the Spaniard a five-minute break. If all goes well, the situation will improve.”

“And if it doesn’t go well?”

“LeBron can look forward to a twenty-ninth consecutive defeat against Frye.”