Chapter 838: Being Chased for Points Isn't Scary (6k)_4

Chapter 838: Chapter 261: Being Chased for Points Isn’t Scary (6k)_4

Just now during that offense, when Kemp caught the ball at the free throw line, he could’ve shot directly but instead tried to drive in for a dunk on Zhang Hao.

Twice he attempted to dunk but failed, and his opponent managed to get 5 points instead. Using the teacher’s calculation in school, one back and forth and they lost 10 points in these two rounds!

The fans only saw Kemp being bullied by Zhang Hao, but as the head coach, George Karl called a timeout and pointed at Kemp’s nose to scold him.

This old man isn’t considered a good guy, he’s irritable, foul-mouthed, and harbors naughty ideas, but the players usually don’t pay attention to his mischief.

The SuperSonics players have gotten used to it, and even Kemp with his fiery temper can only endure it, since the other party is the head coach.

On the other side, Del Harris was quite satisfied with tonight’s start but still noticed areas for adjustment, so he substituted O’Neal for George Lynch to enhance the offense.

…

After half a month, O’Neal takes the court again!

All his teammates are excited, including Zhang Hao, because with O’Neal there, they don’t fear Payton backing down in the low post.

Furthermore, there’s no need to let Kemp cut in like before when the system would deem Kemp Zhang Hao’s responsibility to defend…

Even Zhang Hao felt lucky with those two successful blocks just now.

But a block is a good play.

The live audience and SuperSonics players felt their heads spin seeing O’Neal come onto the court.

Kenny Anderson, Zhang Hao, Barkley, O’Neal — what an all-star lineup!

The SuperSonics didn’t make a substitution; George Karl just wanted to scold and disrupt the opponent’s rhythm a bit, but they put on O’Neal.

However, O’Neal’s first ball after coming in was a disaster!

After about 20 days of rest, O’Neal’s weight soared from 132 kilograms to 140 kilograms. Payton continued to pick and roll with Kemp, and Doug Christie switched to guard Kemp, mainly to stick close to Kemp’s shot. With O’Neal on the court, of course, they’d try to channel the cutting player towards O’Neal.

O’Neal’s added weight is beneficial for rim protection, as his future weight over 140 kilograms could still earn him a spot on the All-Defense Second Team and second place in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

However, no matter how astonishing his athletic ability is, gaining 8 kilograms affects his movement. He’ll get used to it in the future, but he hasn’t yet. He’s still using his past defensive habits, waiting for the opponent to reach position before pressing forward to block, but he’s just a bit slower in movement.

Kemp seizes the opportunity, spins for a layup… as he releases the ball, O’Neal knocks him down.

However, Kemp has a soft touch, and the ball he releases falls into the basket, the referee whistles, the basket counts, and Kemp will get an additional free throw!

With Kemp’s made free throw, the SuperSonics shrink the deficit right after their timeout down to 4 points, and a seemingly dangerous situation suddenly doesn’t seem so perilous.

During the short timeout, George Karl was so focused on scolding that he didn’t make any adjustments, and the timeout ended, Kemp’s first offensive play upon returning was a direct drive to the basket, not a tactical arrangement, but a venting of emotions, resulting in a successful shot!

As a fellow top player, Kemp’s offensive intuition is quite keen, and he quickly realized that the just-returning O’Neal had a flaw on defense.

This is an opportunity! Kemp doesn’t care to compete with Zhang Hao; he immediately discusses with Payton during the retreat.

The Lakers couldn’t imagine that with O’Neal on the court, a team without a top Center would mainly attack the inside, but that’s exactly what was happening today, and they truly couldn’t defend against it!

In a few rounds after, the Lakers’ offense wasn’t problematic; O’Neal posed the greatest threat, entering and exiting the key, forcing the SuperSonics’ defense to contract, changing from previous mid-range and close-range defensive dominance to close and coverage of the basket.

But they got crushed in basket defense!

At 8 minutes and 44 seconds into the first quarter, the SuperSonics, leveraging double-teams drawn from inside attacks, passed out to Schrempf, who hit a three-pointer, giving the SuperSonics a 20-19 lead, overtaking the Lakers by 1 point!