Chapter 547: The Man Who Was Cruel to Himself
Kobe Bryant is not a humorous person. He couldn't understand Yang Mo's ridicule, so he replied stiffly: "I'm not gay, I'm straight!"
Yang Mo could only shake her head helplessly at Kobe Bryant's lack of a sense of humor, and said unhappily, "Do you think I, who's constantly involved in scandals with Hollywood beauties, would be attracted to you? Why do you feel so good about yourself?"
Yang Mo grumbled, turning to receive the ball from Jeffries. Then, he slowly advanced. Kobe Bryant was caught off guard: "Why did I intend to lash out at him, but he ended up making fun of me? Is it easy for me to shoot a three-pointer?"
Kobe Bryant had originally thought his ridiculous three-pointer would boost morale, or perhaps even give Yang Mo a bit of a slap on the wrist. But Yang Mo veered off the topic and spun it into homosexuality. How could that actually boost morale?
Kobe Bryant shook his head, thinking that Yang Mo's ability to change the subject was too strong. He had no chance of getting any good result with his words, so he could only hinder him more physically.
As Yang Mo slowly crossed half court with the ball, Kobe immediately moved in close, while Atast also looked eager to try. They were still adhering to Phil Jackson's double-team policy.
But for Yang Mo, the double-team was useless. He'd slowed down to cross half court simply to buy his teammates time, to avoid overexerting them. That was all. And now that his teammates were already past half court, why did he still slow down? Why not just unleash his speed?
At that moment, Yang Mo sprinted fiercely towards Kobe's defense, not even making a fake move. Kobe Bryant accurately captured the direction of Yang Mo's sprint, but his body couldn't keep up with his mind. He could only watch Yang Mo pass by him. Ron Artest, who came to defend, couldn't catch up even if he tried his best. His defensive footwork had been shattered by Ben Wallace's punch in the Auburn match.
Watching Yang Mo galloping across the court, his defenders barely able to keep up, Phil Jackson couldn't help but feel a sense of despair. He thought this was his best chance to strangle the Knicks, but instead, Yang Mo had outmaneuvered him. Yang Mo had single-handedly handled the defense. He hadn't even called a pick-and-roll.
Undoubtedly, this is a sad story.
For the first time, Phil Jackson felt his brains couldn't match his physical prowess. He looked back at his players, thought, and decided not to make any substitutions. He knew they wouldn't do any better. Now, the Lakers' roster is even weaker than the Knicks'. The league is changing so rapidly. A year ago, the Lakers were the NBA's galaxy battleships, but now every team has a Big Three, and they're Mesozoic Big Threes. Last year's underdogs can now field several All-Stars.
The Lakers must make changes. Kobe Bryant is getting older day by day. If the ball possession structure is not changed, the playoffs may be very bad!
Phil Jackson sighed. He'd already felt this during last year's playoffs, even though they'd won the championship. But... the fatigue on the perimeter was already worrying him. And that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was, with the perimeter's fatigue, the inside wasn't getting much play. The insiders still weren't getting much ball possession, and Bynum seemed to have reached the limit of his talent. At 26, he was already declining. If this continued, the Lakers' inside and outside play would be ruined. By then... the defeat would be crushing, and even he would be powerless to reverse the situation!
If I were management, I would definitely trade Kobe Bryant while he still has trade value.
Phil Jackson sighed, and he couldn't help but dream again: "How wonderful it would be if I had Super Yang under my command. My intelligence plus his skills, we're definitely going to sweep the championship."
Phil Jackson missed Yang Mo, but Yang Mo didn't miss him. In Yang Mo's mind, even without Phil Jackson, he could still win. It was as if he could easily score right now. After escaping the double-team, he quickly reached the three-point line. As he reached the line, he briefly assessed his teammates' positions, and after finding no particularly good scoring opportunities, he took off and shot... swish!
A precise three-pointer pierced the Lakers' net.
The fans in the stadium couldn't help but hold their breath, as if they had been slapped in the face.
At this time, Yang Mo turned around and said to Kobe Bryant with a smile: "Hey, man, see, a three-pointer is nothing special. I won't be as proud as you. Only people who have never seen the world will make a fuss and think it's amazing!"
After teasing Kobe, Yang Mo actually yelled to the surrounding fans: "What do you think, was this three-pointer great?"
The response to Yang Mo's inquiry was naturally a barrage of boos. How could the Lakers fans tell him that this shot was beautiful?
But Yang Mo didn't care. He had never intended to receive cheers from the Lakers fans. He asked this question simply to upset them. As for their boos, Yang Mo wasn't afraid. After all, no matter how loudly they booed, could they bite him?
Lakers fans couldn't do anything to Yang Mo, and neither could Kobe. Although he returned to half court and scored again, it was extremely difficult. Yang Mo, on the other hand, easily dunked his teammate.
Three minutes passed quickly. Although the Knicks didn't widen the gap significantly, they had successfully destroyed the Lakers' previous team system and dragged Kobe Bryant back to his lonely path.
As long as Kobe returns to his one-on-one mode, everything will be much easier. This is the only way to deal with the Lakers.
The Lakers' current situation is that Kobe is the key to their success and failure. No one else can become the most critical X factor.
Kobe Bryant is a dictatorial leader, and Yang Mo is also a dictatorial leader, even more so than Kobe. He controls not only the players, but also the head coach, the general manager, and even the entire team. No one in the Knicks dares to disobey him. Yet, he can make the entire team better, ensuring that all players have no complaints. Kobe is clearly inferior in this regard, as his dictatorial approach is to dominate the ball. Yang Mo's approach is to distribute the ball, ensuring everyone has a share. With this in mind, who wouldn't obey Yang Mo? A combination of kindness and force is the best way forward.
Soon, the second quarter began. The Lakers started to replace Barnes with Shannon Brown.
Phil Jackson tried to use this more mobile player to limit Yang Mo's pace, but the reality was that they still couldn't. When Yang Mo started moving, Shannon Brown could barely keep up with him for two steps, but after three, he was completely outmatched. Furthermore, Yang Mo was no longer the same as before. Before, if you could defend him, the entire Knicks offense would be ruined. But now, even if you could defend him, he still had an unpredictable passing skill. As long as his teammates were open, he would pass the ball accurately.
That's why he's at the top of the assists list.
Even his mentor, John Stockton, stated in front of the media: "Young's passing ability actually surpasses mine. In fact, his passing imagination surpasses mine. I'm a conventional passer, but Young is not. His imagination is unrestrained, his passes are free and unrestrained, yet extremely accurate. I believe he is the best point guard in the league today. Anyone who disagrees can challenge him."
Stockton wasn't afraid of making enemies for his students, but after he made his announcement, no one dared to take up the challenge. This effectively tacitly endorsed his claim that Yang Mo was the best point guard in the world.
It's quite ironic, really. When Yang Mo first entered the league, everyone thought he couldn't survive in the NBA, believing his short stature meant he couldn't hold the paint. But now, not only has he established himself in the paint, leaving taller players with no rebounds to grab, but he's also excelling from the perimeter. People used to say he couldn't dribble, but now no one can steal his ball. People used to say he couldn't pass, but now, even if he claims to be the best passer in the world, no one dares challenge him.
Yang Mo's NBA journey is a story of fierce battles. Of course, it can also be called a history of face-slapping. However, if we can be more private, we can call it a history of hunting for women.
In the second quarter, the Lakers still couldn't stop Yang Mo, just as no one could stop the Hollywood actress from throwing herself into Yang Mo's arms.
The Knicks successfully extended their lead to double digits in the second quarter. Entering the tunnel, Yang Mo ran into Kobe and couldn't help but jokingly say, "Hey, Kobe. You always wanted to teach me a lesson before, but you never got the chance. Now that I'm so strong, it's my turn to teach you a lesson. Haha, how does it feel to be taught a lesson?"
Kobe gnashed his teeth upon hearing this, his eyes filled with rage. He regretted that he shouldn't have taught this guy post-up play, let alone asked him to train. Otherwise, this guy wouldn't have stolen his unique skills, let alone used his unique skills to make him uncomfortable.
He was so angry that he punched the wall with his hand. Whether it was out of anger or for some other reason, his fist actually broke the fire glass... Bang! Crack!
The glass was shattered all over the floor and blood was oozing out of his fist.
Seeing this, the Lakers players quickly called the team doctor to bandage him urgently. Yang Mo said with some regret: "Okay, you win. You are indeed a paranoid person. In order to avoid being punished by me, you can even hurt yourself. You are really a man who is cruel to himself!"
