Mountain Peak System: a Path to NBA-Chapter 571 - 189 He Has Already Entered "The Zone" (Today is also 1 update!)_3
But as long as he can still play, he will never stop his climb to the Mountain Peak.
In the second quarter, after resting for only two minutes, Kobe proactively asked Jackson to put him back in the game.
To ensure that the Warriors could take the initiative during the lineup rotation phase, in the first quarter, while Qin Yue led a mixed lineup to contend with the Lakers’ main team, he also left the opportunity for staggered actions to Nash.
Kobe couldn’t just watch the Warriors take advantage of the staggered opportunity Qin Yue created for Nash during the lineup rotation phase to widen the score gap.
"I can’t match his team-leading ability," Kobe said to Jackson. "He can lead a bunch of substitutes to play equally against our main lineup; that’s something I can’t do."
"To defeat the Warriors, I must always stay on the court."
Upon hearing this, Jackson, who shared this sentiment deeply, looked at Kobe with a face full of emotion and said, "We can only rely on you, Kobe."
At Staples Center, Kobe first returned to the court.
In response, Warriors coach Mike Malone instead turned into the Zen Master on the opposite side, responding with calmness, and only put Qin Yue back on the court with five minutes left in the second quarter.
On CCTV, when Qin Yue was on the field, Zhang Weiping said, "Mike Malone finally brought Qin Yue back on; he sure isn’t in a hurry!"
Why would Malone hurry?
To be honest.
In Malone’s view, the Warriors had already established an enormous lead in the first half.
Although such a lead would not be reflected on the scoreboard temporarily, as the game progresses, Malone was confident that the ever-energetic Qin Yue would surely lead the Warriors to victory in this game.
On the court, as soon as Qin Yue got on, he used the Drag Step to shake off Odom’s defense.
Then, noticing Little Gasol had already taken a stance in advance, Qin Yue dribbled out to the perimeter and tried a three-pointer to get a feel for his shot.
Swoosh!
On the sideline, James instantly showed a look of envy at Qin Yue’s opportunity to shoot through technical advantage.
Compared to his own Bald Lion Cold Arrow, which has gained some fame in the basketball world...
Qin Yue, who can always shoot freely on the court, quietly made James feel the insurmountable technical gap between them.
However...
While personally experiencing Qin Yue’s strong dominance, James’s self-confidence, which had been shattered, was rebuilt.
Because by watching in person, James found out that apart from technical aspects, where he was worlds apart from Qin Yue, he could basically do everything else Qin Yue could on the court.
"Richie, you know, this game restored my confidence,"
James said to Richie Paul beside him: "It made me certain that with more suitable teammates, I can surely prove myself again!"
James knows very well...
Things Qin Yue can do that he can’t, he doesn’t need to demand himself to do.
Moreover, with the changes in next season’s NBA rules about traveling and the combination rule...
In that more offensive-encouraging future era...
In James’s view, the technical gap between him and Qin Yue is bound to narrow further.
So, as long as he can continue to enhance his historically strong physique and find teammates who can complement his shortcomings, he can completely switch lanes to catch up with Qin Yue.
Meanwhile, at Staples Center, Qin Yue probably couldn’t have dreamed that after returning from injury, besides inspiring Kobe, he even indirectly helped James regain confidence.
Before the first half ended, the Lakers, with a chance for the final shot, were controlled by Kobe.
Old Bell actively double-teamed the position where Kobe held the ball with 8 seconds left on the Lakers’ offense clock.
It was a double-team with impeccable timing and route planning.
However...
Kobe, who always harbors a competitive spirit to challenge Qin Yue, suddenly spun away and attempted a fadeaway.
Swoosh!
On the scene, Kobe’s difficult three-pointer before halftime ignited the whole arena in an instant.
But just as the home fans rose up to chant "MVP" for Kobe...
Because Kobe’s early shot left the Warriors with 2.4 seconds of offensive time...
Thus, noticing Curry’s eager-to-catch-and-display-backcourt-three expression, Qin Yue decisively passed the ball to Curry.
Then...
As Stephen Curry flung the basketball from the Warriors’ backcourt towards the Lakers’ half-court, the audience that was chanting "MVP" for Kobe fell into dead silence.
Swoosh!
This was Curry’s backcourt SHOW.TIME.
He flung an incredible buzzer-beating three-pointer from the Warriors’ backcourt!
Thus, with the end of the first half, 68 to 65.
The Warriors, thanks to Curry’s miracle three-pointer, entered the second half with a 3-point lead.
Throughout the first half, Kobe, who scored 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists for the Lakers, even while panting back to the locker room, couldn’t understand why luck was on the Warriors’ side.
Without a doubt, Curry’s backcourt three-pointer before the first half ended dealt a severe blow to the Lakers’ morale.
Only...
Was Curry’s backcourt three simply due to luck?
Qin Yue didn’t know.
But he knew that if the same situation occurred next time, he would still choose to pass the ball to Curry.
After all, it was a win-win deal—if Curry made it, he would get an assist, and Curry would score an incredible buzzer-beating three-pointer.
What if Curry missed it?
Well, sorry... 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦
Under the current era’s rules, Curry would just have to add another missed three to his stats.
"Nice job, Stephen!"
Back in the locker room, rubbing Curry’s head, Qin Yue laughed.
Upon hearing this, Curry, who only made that backcourt buzzer-beater in the entire first half, instantly breathed a sigh of relief.
Because he thought Qin Yue would blame him for his poor performance that night.
"He didn’t forget about your missed open shots in the first half,"
And next to him, after pulling Curry to the side and prohibiting anyone from disturbing Qin Yue, Jack said, "He just entered a state that belongs only to him."
After a pause, Jack explained to the puzzled Curry: "I am convinced, from the moment he walked back into the locker room, he was already in ’The Zone’."
...
PS: There’s only one update today. Sorry, due to this period’s cervical acupuncture therapy, which still has nine days left besides today, and after acupuncture, massage, and IV drip each day, Ah Qiao gets home very late, so please bear with the updates during this period, dear readers!
