The longest river

Chapter 179 Good Friday

O'Neal's eyes widened like saucers.

He couldn't believe the words that came out of Yang Shuai's mouth.

He thought he heard wrongly.

Indeed, his previous apology lacked sincerity.

But this time, even though he had already taken the initiative to make amends, Yang Shuai still hurled insults at him.

And it was a direct personal attack!
Is this right?
In the Lakers' offense, Sabonis successfully positioned himself to get in front of O'Neal this time.

His massive size really made it difficult for O'Neal.

The Lakers shifted their offense to the weak side, executing a Jones pin-down play.

However, Yang Shuai successfully anticipated the Lakers' tactical intentions. He rushed out from the other side of the pick-and-roll, directly disrupting the tactical plan.

Van Exel had no choice but to drive past Anderson to the basket, successfully drawing a foul from Anderson.

Anderson's form this season has indeed been a bit poor.

Van Exel made both free throws, giving the Lakers a 7-2 lead.

The Trail Blazers advanced to the frontcourt, and Yang Shuai continued to reach for the ball, then continued to run pick-and-rolls with Sabonis.

This time, after the pick-and-roll, he drove straight down the side and took another mid-range shot over the retreating O'Neal.

Jones struggled to get around Sabonis's screen, but his desperate dive still couldn't give Yang enough interference.

Yang Shuai jumped too fast after breaking through.

"Shh!"

The basketball swished into the pocket again.

"It must be exhausting to have a useless teammate like you!"

After landing, Yang Shuai continued speaking to O'Neal.

"Negative energy from Shaquille O'Neal +447".

This time, O'Neal finally realized that Yang Shuai's overtures were completely unappreciated.

He was instantly enraged.

Since Yang Shuai is being ungrateful, then don't blame him for being impolite.

When he got to the frontcourt, he put all his weight on Sabonis and then gestured for the ball.

However, at that moment, the Trail Blazers immediately surrounded him with three players.

O'Neal was forced to pass the ball outwards.

However, this time his pass was noticeably less composed than before, and Yang Shuai seized the opportunity to leap and steal the pass.

Under the watchful eyes of Los Angeles fans, Yang Shuai landed like an arrow released from a bow, sprinting to the frontcourt for a signature tomahawk dunk.

A stir broke out in the arena; the Trail Blazers were clearly well-prepared tonight.

As Yang Shuai retreated on defense, he faced the Lakers' bench, and Kobe Bryant, in particular, made a gesture of flexing his muscles with both hands.

That immediately piqued Kobe's interest, but unfortunately Harris didn't even bother to look back at him.

O'Neal held back his anger and couldn't vent it, so he continued to hold his position against Sabonis in the frontcourt.

But the Trail Blazers continued to double-team, forcing O'Neal to pass the ball out again.

Although this didn't directly result in a turnover, the pass wasn't well-placed, and Fox didn't have a direct opportunity to shoot.

These two rounds contrasted sharply with the opening.

It was clear that O'Neal's mentality fluctuated after being trash-talked by Yang Shuai.

Fox passed the ball back to Van Exel, who tried to pass it to O'Neal but found the opportunity was not good. In the end, he drove to the mid-range and took a shot, but this time he missed.

Sabonis turned around and grabbed the defensive rebound, then passed the ball directly to Yang Shuai.

After Yang Shuai arrived at the frontcourt, he continued to run pick-and-rolls with Sabonis.

He looks like he's got O'Neal figured out tonight.

At this point, Harris couldn't sit still any longer; he stood up and made tactical gestures to the players on the court.

Horry was pulled to the far post by Wallace and couldn't help defend, but Van Exel at the top of the key could come over to help defend.

The Trail Blazers can force the ball out of O'Neal's hands, and the Lakers can do the same to force the ball out of Young's hands.

However, Yang Shuai reacted faster than O'Neal. Before Sabonis could set a screen, he used his explosiveness to get past Jones and drive to the vicinity of the free throw line.

O'Neal finally stepped out to defend, but was then frozen in place by Yang Shuai's fake shot.

Yang Shuai hopped over him like a wooden stake and scored with an easy underhand layup before Horry could help defend.

7:8.

The Trail Blazers have taken the lead!
Yang Shuai scored all of the Trail Blazers' points, and all of them were scored against O'Neal!
O'Neal made a gesture of goodwill towards Yang Shuai before the game, and this was Yang Shuai's response.

"You can never be the best center, because the best center will never be a defensive black hole."

As Yang Shuai walked back, he glanced at O'Neal with a disdainful look.

"Negative energy from Shaquille O'Neal +996".

O'Neal looked furious, clearly having been completely outmaneuvered.

There's a story behind this. After being swept by Hakeem Olajuwon, O'Neal was so defeated that he questioned his life and went to Olajuwon to ask, "Will I never become the best center?"

Hakeem Olajuwon, of course, couldn't answer that kind of question; he could only offer encouragement.

But now Yang Shuai has given that answer.

No, you can't.

You fucking can never! O'Neal turned around and, disregarding everything, finally turned and drove into the paint.

But before he could jump, Wallace grabbed him and pulled him down.

He was about to lash out when he saw it was Wallace and withdrew his hand.

Carlisle then reached out and applauded from the sidelines.

Clearly, all of this was part of his pre-match tactical plan.

They double-teamed O'Neal to force him to shoot, and when they couldn't stop him anymore, they sent him to the free-throw line.

Those who play tactics are cunning; when they want to target someone, they take care of every aspect.

"Oh, I forgot to mention earlier, the best center isn't someone who can't even take a free throw."

"when!"

"Negative energy from Shaquille O'Neal +748".

Yang Shuai's words may seem like trash talk, but they are actually all the truth.

If Shaquille O'Neal wants to become the best center now or in the future, Hakeem Olajuwon is a mountain he must climb over.

But Hakeem Olajuwon was a well-rounded player, while Shaquille O'Neal had both obvious strengths and weaknesses in comparison.

This is why he is always swept; on the playoff stage, weaknesses are points that opponents can exploit and target.

O'Neal missed his second free throw, proving Yang Shuai was absolutely right.

When he missed the second free throw, he rushed into the paint to try and grab the rebound, but his movement was too aggressive and he was called for a foul.

"Fake!"

He finally swore.

He was relentlessly attacked on defense by Yang Shuai and his offense was also heavily targeted. This was the first time this season that he had played so frustratingly.

However, Yang Shuai had no intention of letting O'Neal off the hook so easily.

Just like Luther back then, he doesn't back down when it comes to racists.

Just as he turned around, after the Lakers double-teamed him to prevent him from receiving the ball, he and Sabonis immediately made a handoff pass.

O'Neal's choice this time was also interesting. After seeing himself forced into a mismatch against Yang Shuai once again, he actually turned around in advance.

"Shh!"

However, his actions still failed to prevent Yang Shuai from scoring.

"Yes, that's it, just like an ostrich burying its head in the sand!"

And after making the shot, Yang Shuai continued to shout at O'Neal.

Having experienced last season, Yang Shuai knows that O'Neal is a coward at heart.

From this perspective, it's understandable that O'Neal would admire the strong, because you wouldn't associate that word with players like Jordan, Kobe, or Isaiah Thomas.

Only cowards would think of admiring the strong, trying to get along with them, becoming their friends, or even their teammates.

As a post-00s generation from China who has witnessed the strength and rejuvenation of his motherland, Yang Shuai certainly wouldn't have that kind of mentality.

Having received historical education from a young age and having learned about national humiliations, he knew that cowardice, admiration for the strong, and even surrender would not help you defeat your opponent; they would only make your opponent think you are easy to bully and become even more aggressive.

Yang Shuai is now intensifying his actions.

I could be one of the great powers.

"Negative energy from Shaquille O'Neal +548".

O'Neal's dark face turned a pale red due to the dilation of capillaries.

He had never felt so humiliated; it was even more humiliating than when Yang Shuai stepped over him last season.

Because compared to physical suffering, Yang Shuai's current experience strikes at the very soul, leaving the cowardly self buried deep within him nowhere to hide.

When he returned to the offensive end, he didn't even dare to ask for the ball anymore.

However, with O'Neal not wanting the ball, the Trail Blazers' defensive pressure instantly decreased significantly, as they were not at a disadvantage in their defensive matchups at other positions.

Eddie Jones, in particular, as the Lakers' core perimeter player, hasn't even attempted a single one-on-one against Yang Shuai since the start of the game.

It's not that he didn't have the opportunity, it's just that he didn't dare. After all, what really made Yang Shuai fear his opponents wasn't that he won the youngest FMVP, but that he defended Jordan until he finally fell at his feet.

With no other Lakers players having a chance, Jones could only signal to O'Neal to receive the ball and then lob it in.

O'Neal, forced to work, was a bit out of focus and almost missed catching the ball.

When he got the ball and prepared to attack, he faced another double-team from the Trail Blazers and didn't have time to pass the ball. Yang Shuai, who had collapsed into the defense, snatched the ball from his arms.

Yang Shuai received the ball and turned to launch a fast break, but O'Neal, seeing Yang Shuai, finally became angry and pushed Yang Shuai out of bounds.

The Trail Blazers' bench players quickly got up to help their star player who was being pushed over.

On the court, Rasheed Wallace had already headbutted O'Neal.

The referee blew his whistle, signaling a technical foul on O'Neal.

After regaining his balance, Yang Shuai wasn't angry. Just like when he was fouled by Jim Jackson years ago, he smiled and pointed at O'Neal to tell his teammates on the sidelines that the guy had broken through his defense.

Seeing this, Harris substituted O'Neal off the court.

Just then, Yang Shuai stopped smiling and shouted at O'Neal, who was leaving the court:

"Go find a superstar point guard to save you!"

"Negative energy from Shaquille O'Neal +999".

O'Neal did not respond, but simply walked toward the bench with his head down.

January 6, 1998, is the day the great white shark suffered its death.

(End of this chapter)