Chapter 481 God's Pick and Roll Returns

Ryukawa lowered his center of gravity and was ready to face Nash at the top of the three-point arc.

The stiffness of his body had not completely dissipated, and his nervousness had not been completely relieved, so that he could not even open the zone.

But at least his will had been forced back to the court.

Who would he pass to?

He subconsciously analyzed in his mind.

The Lakers' opening ball was often given to Kobe, but facing Lin Dong's defense and Kobe's choice to sink to the bottom, it was undoubtedly unlikely to pass in that direction.

Yao Ming had a better chance under the basket. Against Chandler, Yao Ming had an absolute advantage, so the ball was likely to be given to Yao Ming. Would he lob the ball from the air, pass it on the ground, or break through to attract Chandler's double-team and then pass it to Yao Ming?

While he was still thinking about this, he saw Nash holding the ball to the three-point line without even thinking about it, and he just stood up.

A faint smile flashed across Nash's face.

The so-called passing is more important than attacking, that's just because I didn't have much authority to shoot when I was in the Mavericks.

Although the Lakers' strong inside line doesn't require me to break through the basket, after all, the Lakers' basket is really too crowded.

But if you think you can't attack because of this, you are wrong.

Don't forget that although I took fewer three-pointers in the Mavericks last season, my hit rate was as high as 40.5%!

And facing this guy who is still a little stiff, facing his defense that is one step open, facing the Sonics who regard me as an offensive "loophole" that does not need to be focused on...

Huh!

The basketball draws a beautiful arc in the air.

This ball came too suddenly, not only completely beyond Rukawa Kaede's expectations, but also his slightly stiff body at this time did not keep up with the thinking of his brain.

Rukawa Kaede stood stiffly in place, only had time to turn his head and look at the basket behind him.

Swish!

The basketball went into the net, the three-pointer was scored, and the Lakers got off to a good start, leading 3:0!

——Nash! Nash! Nash!

——The Lakers must win! The Lakers must win!

The move of grabbing a three-pointer right away obviously made the entire stadium, which had been warmed up, excited, and cheers continued.

Rukawa looked at McMillan on the sidelines with some concern, but saw the coach standing on the sidelines with his hands folded, and he didn't mean to say anything.

It seems that he didn't blame himself... He secretly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, but then he immediately tensed up.

This is not the time to relax, Nash has a three-pointer!

He was too far away just now, and his body was too stiff. Otherwise, with the 6-centimeter height difference and arm span advantage, even if he was one step away, he could still interfere with the opponent's shot.

Focus! Focus!

He slapped his face hard.

The ball belongs to the Supersonics.

Facing the Sonics' offense, the Lakers' defense was obviously not "position to position."

Yao Ming was in the basket, Kobe was guarding Lin Dong, Odom was following Iguodala, Doug Christie, the small forward, was targeting Payton, and Nash was guarding Rukawa Kaede.

The Lakers' defensive thinking was obviously very clear.

Odom could completely lock down Iguodala's perimeter with his height advantage. If Doug Christie faced Payton, his level of defense last year was enough to lock down all the changes that a veteran like Payton could bring to the team. Even Payton's pass might be blocked, in order to create trouble for the Sonics' offense from the point of holding the ball.

Yao Ming under the basket was a standard mobile Great Wall, controlling the rebounds and being able to help defend any Sonics player who dared to attack the basket at any time while keeping an eye on Chandler.

Doug Chris watched Payton's pass in front, creating the first trouble for Lin Dong's offense, and Yao Ming's help defense under the basket. With this echo, Kobe, who was on the best defensive team last year, had the confidence and opportunity to block Lin Dong's attack.

At this time, Lin Dong was running, but Kobe followed him closely. The white-hot state he showed as soon as he came on the court made it difficult for even a strong Lin Dong to get rid of him easily.

Doug Christie was always paying attention to the passing route between Payton and Lin Dong, and then adjusted his defensive position to block in the middle.

Observing both front and back is a very difficult challenge for defenders, but for this iron-blooded striker who was on the defensive team last year, it is easy to do, and Yao Ming under the basket is also always paying attention to Lin Dong's running position.

It seems that Kobe and Lin Dong are fighting one-on-one, but in fact it is 0.5+0.5+1!

The targeted tactics made Payton not choose to find the passing route to Lin Dong in the first time, but look to the other side.

Rukawa!

The hidden outside ace of the Supersonics was also facing Nash, who was 191 cm tall, 6 cm shorter than him, and was known as the "kaleidoscope of offense and ten thousand people's defense".

In addition, Nash had just scored a goal before, and it was more appropriate to give this guy a chance to regain his confidence when Lin Dong had no chance.

At this time, Lin Dong led Kobe to the right side, and the left side had become the weak side of the Lakers' defense, and no one had the opportunity to double-team Rukawa.

Payton looked in the direction of Lin Dong, and the basketball in his hand flew towards Rukawa.

The opportunity came!

The moment Rukawa received the ball, his breathing seemed to stop at this moment.

Although his body was still tense, the skills of three-point shooting from the outside had already penetrated into his bones through daily training.

He catches the ball and bends his knees at the same time, and the next second, his body explodes and starts to pull up.

What is the most difficult three-pointer to defend? It's fast!

The extreme shooting speed is enough to make any defender unable to make corresponding defensive moves.

But Nash in front of him is obviously not an ordinary defender...

Nash is indeed a loophole on the defensive end, but that is only relative to his weak physical confrontation.

In the NBA, a league full of "beef cattle", Nash is 191 cm tall, but only weighs 82 kg. No matter who he faces, he will almost be crushed. No matter what kind of attacker, as long as he faces him, a little confrontation can squeeze Nash away.

But the problem is that Rukawa is a shooter... What's more terrible is that the offensive method he chooses is not a breakthrough, but a three-pointer.

At the same time, Nash is only 6 cm taller than him, and Rukawa is also a short man in this position!

Nash jumped up immediately. Based on his prediction of Rukawa's choice, Nash's jumping speed even felt a little faster than Rukawa's.

Although he had the advantage of height, wingspan, and jumping burst, Rukawa was still surprised by his super-fast shooting.

Even though Rukawa's shooting height was definitely higher than Nash's, the big hand was always firmly sealed in front of Rukawa's eyes, blocking his sight and his heart.

So fast!

Whoosh!

In a flash, the basketball had already slipped out of his hand instinctively, but the momentary distraction and accident made Rukawa lose his confidence in the past 3 points, and he looked towards the basket nervously before landing.

But when the basketball drew an arc in the air... Bang!

The basketball hit the basket, just like hitting Rukawa's uneasy heart, making his body instantly stiffer.

The next second, Yao Ming steadily squeezed Chandler to grab the rebound, and the Lakers counterattacked fast break!

Kobe took the lead and ran back, Lin Dong followed immediately, and Nash shook off the still stiff Rukawa Kaede and followed up, forming a two-on-one in the frontcourt instantly!

Yao Ming passed the ball directly to Odom, and Odom passed it to Doug Christie. At this time, Nash and Kobe's running positions had separated on both sides, so Lin Dong could not take care of them and chose to follow Kobe.

Doug Christie passed the ball directly to Nash on the left, a mid-range shot without hesitation.

The ball went in again, 5:0!

Less than 30 seconds after the start, the smooth offense like mercury pouring down the ground had already made the fans in the entire Staples Center completely climax.

——Nash! Nash! Nash!

——Hahaha! That No. 11 is indeed a big loophole for the Supersonics!

——Which guy said Nash can't defend before? Stand up now if you have the guts!

Amid the crazy noise, Rukawa's heart had already fallen to the bottom in an instant.

He was hit by Nash on the defensive end, and was blocked by Nash on the offensive end, and the three-pointer that was blocked was his most proud shot. This...

He couldn't help but look at McMillan on the sidelines again, fearing to see an impatient or disappointed face, and even more afraid to see McMillan walk to the referee's seat.

Fortunately, McMillan did nothing.

He stood on the sidelines with his hands folded, his face full of indifference.

There were many considerations for choosing to release Rukawa in this game, not just because the Supersonics needed to fight against the Lakers.

This was also a test for him.

Although this was Rukawa's fourth year in the league, in fact, this guy played in the lower league for one year, and for more than two years he had been sitting on the bench of the Bobcats and Supersonics.

Although he is a fourth-year player, he is actually a complete rookie who has just entered the court. Therefore, in addition to the loopholes in the Sonics' rotation defense, what this guy needs to make up for is his mentality on the court, which is the most important thing for a professional player besides skills.

Worrying about gains and losses? Poor performance?

Normal, after all, this guy has been eager for this opportunity for a long time. I will give him time in the first half to adjust himself, but if he can't get out of it after one or two quarters, it means that his ceiling is here.

... As for the troubles on the court at the moment, McMillan ignored Rukawa Kaede's worried eyes, but turned to look at Lin Dong on the other side.

Beep!

The Sonics sent a baseline ball, and Payton crossed the center line with the ball.

Before Doug Christie's defense was in place, Lin Dong responded immediately.

The Lakers took the lead when he came up, and his morale was obviously hit.

We have to give Rukawa a chance, but unless we plan to give up the game, we have to keep the rhythm first.

Lin Dong could feel that Kobe seemed a little different today than before. Under his unimaginable concentration and silence, he seemed to have a big surprise for himself.

Let's see what you are hiding!

He rushed directly to Payton's ball holding position.

God pick-and-roll?

All teams in the league are already familiar with this move of the Supersonics.

Doug Christie immediately got between the two of them, blocking the misaligned route, and then blocked Payton's left side, but just as he shifted his center of gravity, Lin Dong suddenly braked and turned to go straight to the basket.

At the same time, Payton had lowered his center of gravity and rushed out in front of Christie.

Payton's breakthrough was just not as fast as before, but he was not incapable of it. If he still couldn't break through such a large defensive area, he might as well go home and feed his children.

There was no super speed and physical confrontation, it was a complete psychological warfare, but in just a blink of an eye, Lin Dong and Payton had already broken through the Lakers' outer defense and rushed to the basket from both sides at a pinch angle!

Kobe chased Lin Dong, and Doug Christie chased Payton. Both of them were hanging behind him but couldn't stop him.

Yao Ming in front moved slightly towards Payton while holding Chandler. The next second, Lin Dong and Payton, who crossed almost completely at the same time, had completed a pick-and-roll and passed by.

Pick-and-roll misalignment, the ball was in Lin Dong's hands!

Yao Ming instinctively thought of this and raised his hands to block Lin Dong. Kobe, who was chasing Lin Dong, and Christie, who was already on the same side, instinctively surrounded Lin Dong at the same time.

Three-on-one, I don't believe you can make it!

But the next second, while Lin Dong attracted the firepower, Payton rushed out of the encirclement and turned around, and easily jumped up from the free throw line.

Swish!

The basketball went into the net steadily, and the score on the electronic scoreboard jumped slightly, 5:2.

God pick-and-roll, reappearing in the arena!