LeBron James, your house got robbed.

Chapter 143 The Ubiquitous Palace Intrigue

11 month 13 day.

The Los Angeles Times broke the bombshell early this morning.

The Lakers have fired head coach Mike Brown, and assistant coach Bernie Bigstaff will temporarily take over.

When Chen Shuo saw this message, the public opinion had already spread to the whole of the United States.

The Lakers lost all their preseason games and had a record of 1 win and 4 losses in their first five regular season games, with their only win coming against the struggling Pistons.

Of the four opponents they lost to, only the Clippers and Mavericks were considered strong teams. The Jazz and Trail Blazers were both rebuilding teams, struggling to even make the playoffs.

The results of this super F4-team galactic battleship are certainly not satisfactory.

The Lakers have many internal problems, including injuries, team cohesion issues, and management chaos, but the head coach is naturally the most suitable person to take the blame.

The head coach has always been the first person to take the blame when the team has problems.

Even if Mike Brown is a good coach, he still has to step down at this point.

Moreover, Brown's idea of ​​creating a superstar version of Princeton was never favored by the media and fans, so his dismissal is understandable.

The most heated debate has never been about whether Brown should be fired.

Instead, it's about who will be the Lakers' new head coach.

Janet Buss did not immediately jump out to push her boyfriend, Phil Jackson, to the top.

He later stated after being cornered by the media, "Phil has always been a part of the Lakers; he understands the team's DNA."

Jenny spoke with great restraint.

Chen Shuo could roughly guess what Jenny was thinking.

Old Buss was no longer able to handle team affairs, and the decision-making power for basketball operations was completely handed over to Jim Buss.

Jenny's forceful push will only backfire, arousing Jim's vigilance and opposition.

Therefore, Jenny spoke gently, trying not to offend Jim, while subtly stirring up memories among Los Angeles fans and building momentum for the Zen Master's return.

If Chen Shuo were a Los Angeles fan, it would be hard not to have all sorts of thoughts.

Phil Jackson won five championships with the Lakers and had great chemistry with Kobe, Gasol, and Artest.

Phil Jackson's strength lies in his ability to balance relationships between superstars as a head coach.

From any perspective, the Zen master is the most suitable choice.

This is also the consensus in the league: Phil Jackson will return to Los Angeles to lead the Lakers.

Chen Shuo tapped the table lightly.

Many people have probably overlooked the key issue.

As the undisputed leader of the Lakers, Kobe did not stand up for Phil Jackson at this time.

This can certainly be explained as a player fulfilling their duty.

Leave the professional matters to the management; the players just need to focus on playing on the court.

But this is the NBA.

This is a commercial league where star players have unprecedented influence.

The Lakers have four superstars, and Howard and Nash are both new additions, so it's understandable that they shouldn't be making public statements.

Gasol has always followed Kobe's lead.

Therefore, Kobe is the only one of the Big Four who is suitable to stand up and make a statement, and he should stand up and make a statement.

But Kobe chose to remain silent and neutral.

Neutrality is biased.

If your enemy chooses neutrality, it means they are on your side.

Your friend choosing neutrality means they are biased towards the other party.

This makes Kobe's attitude quite intriguing.

That evening, the Knights' bus drove into Madison Square Garden.

Chen Shuo saw the latest news on his phone.

[WoJ: Lakers will meet with Phil Jackson tomorrow]

If all goes well, we should have a result in the next couple of days.

Madison Square Garden.

The knight's arrival was met with a warm welcome.

Madison transformed into a sea of ​​orange, exerting immense pressure on the Cavaliers players.

Paul became the focus of attention for New York fans.

Even Spike Lee on the sidelines didn't let Paul off the hook: "Chris, you better hold on a little longer today."

"Otherwise, I'm worried the game will become garbage time very early on."

Chen Shuo glanced at the excited Spike.

This is not difficult to understand.

The Cavaliers started the season with two wins and two losses, and in their last game they suffered a heavy defeat to the Nets.

The Knicks, on the other hand, are in hot form this season, starting with a strong five-game winning streak and even defeating the formidable Pacers.

In the latest ESPN power rankings, it has climbed to second place.

As Chen Shuo passed by, he casually remarked, "Do you remember Miller's performance here?"

Spike Lee's face darkened.

Paul made a quick return to the court, his finger still wrapped in bandages, but during warm-ups, his mid-range jumpers from the sweet spot were still incredibly accurate.

It seems the injury to the finger isn't too serious.

Chen Shuo casually took the Knicks' starting lineup from Kerr.

The lineup of Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd, Andre Iguodala, Carmelo Anthony, and Marcus Camby looks star-studded at first glance.

In fact, the effect is quite good.

Stoudemire is unable to play due to a knee injury.

Knicks head coach Mike Woodson moved Anthony to the power forward position, which to some extent concealed Anthony's defensive weaknesses.

If a power forward really wants to take on Melo one-on-one, it won't be so easy to deal with.

Carmelo Anthony's main defensive weakness is his lack of lateral movement, making it difficult for him to defend against agile forwards. In addition, his attitude and effort are not good enough these days.

If you get passed over, you get passed over without even reaching out.

Hidden in the fourth position, he can deliver a good performance in both low-post defense and rebounding.

In terms of perimeter defense, the Knicks typically have Iguodala guard the opposing ball handler, applying significant pressure at the perimeter.

This relieved the defensive pressure on the inside.

Although Kidd's legs are slower, his defensive level is still up to par.

Aside from small, agile guards, Kidd can still switch on defense for positions 1 through 3, and even delivers very positive defensive efficiency.

Coach Woodson's matchup was also quite cunning, having Kidd play the small forward position to avoid the disadvantage of speed and to take advantage of Kidd's size and physical strength.

This lineup, under Woodson's guidance, has indeed achieved an upper-middle level of defensive efficiency in the league.

Of course, this is also an advantage of Stoudemire not playing, since having one defensive liability on the court is completely different from having two.

Once Stoudemire returns, Anthony will have to return to the small forward position, and no matter how hard the rest of the Knicks try, they won't be able to salvage the team's overall defense.

On offense, Felton is a competent playmaker; he can initiate pick-and-rolls and pass the ball to Melo.

Kidd continued his role from his time with the Mavericks, playing the part of a 3D point guard and setter.

This also completely solved Melo's predicament of not being able to receive the ball.

Chen Shuo noticed Shumpert on the injury list.

Shumpert is an excellent one-on-one defender. After his return, he can lead the defense against the opponent's ball handler, which will free up Iguodala and allow the latter to fill in the gaps and clear the way on the field.

After Paul decided to return yesterday, Chen Shuo no longer participated in the team's tactics.

They were determined to watch Paul and the coaching staff work out and struggle together.

Therefore, Chen Shuo deliberately avoided today's pre-match meeting.

At this moment, he also looked at the field with great interest.

"The referee's whistle blew, and Chandler, facing Camby, almost missed the jump ball."

Even in the twilight of his career, Camby's jumping ability was still not much worse than Chandler's.

Paul receives the ball, dribbles with one hand, and uses the other hand to direct his teammates' movements.

Even Spike Lee on the sidelines remembers this gesture.

"They're going to set a screen."

Chandler set up a screen in advance, and Paul dribbled the ball to the left, leading Iguodala.

As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Iguodala sidestepped Chandler, subtly giving him a push with his hand.

Paul did not take advantage of this opening to shoot a three-pointer.

The opportunity was fleeting; Iguodala had successfully bypassed the screen and was now back on Paul.

Chandler smoothly turned and set another screen, leaving Iguodala with no space.

Paul dribbled in the opposite direction and finally broke free with the help of a second screen.

Paul and Chandler's pick-and-roll chemistry is amazing.

They knew what the other was going to do with just a glance.

Chandler didn't rush to the basket, and Paul immediately understood that Chandler was going to set up another pick-and-roll.

After getting rid of his opponent, Paul dribbled to the free-throw line, keeping the ball in play while observing Chandler's movements.

Chen Shuo could tell that Paul still wanted to pass the ball to Chandler who was making a run down the court, but Iguodala was very careful on his way back and blocked Paul's passing lane.

Paul had no choice but to pull up for a mid-range jumper over Camby.

Cambi made a quick save.

The ball narrowly missed Camby's fingertips and landed safely in the net.

Chen Shuo shook his head.

Paul underestimated the Knicks' defense.

The pre-game meeting must have mentioned the Knicks' improved defense.

But Paul was still affected by that 58-point massacre.

They always treated the Knicks as a weak team that could be easily beaten.

Looking back.

Felton also initiated a pick-and-roll.

Paul squeezed right through the screen, disrupting the pick-and-roll.

To be honest, even if Felton gets past Paul, Chandler still has a chance to defend two players on one-on-one.

Felton's shooting is inconsistent, and he needs to be in the paint to finish, so he can't pull Chandler out of the paint too much.

Felton's pick-and-roll was disrupted, but he didn't panic. He dribbled in the opposite direction and passed the ball to Kidd at the top of the key.

Kidd received the ball without stopping and quickly bounced it to Anthony.

Garnett lowered his center of gravity and placed one hand on Anthony.

Anthony slowly turned around with the ball, facing Garnett, and kept probing with a triple threat.

Everyone knew that Anthony was going to shoot.

With Chandler in the paint, even James can't penetrate, and Melo won't walk right into the trap.

Garnett knew that too.

But Anthony still used a step-back to create space for himself to shoot, and he pulled up for a jump shot that went in.

This is the ball of a superstar.

Anthony's matchup against Garnett was actually somewhat of a mismatch.

Chen Shuo remained expressionless.

There are more and more teams in the league with one big and four small players.

Adam Silver will certainly take other measures to accelerate the arrival of the small-ball era.

The roles of offense and defense have reversed.

Paul didn't speed up, slowly making his way across the halfway line.

However, in this round, Chandler stayed in the Ghost position and was not moved up.

Leonard and Garnett set a screen, and he got into position on the strong side.

Iguodala was very close, his long arms outstretched, trying his best to prevent Paul from passing the ball.

Paul handled this situation with ease.

His gaze was fixed on Garnett, but his hand struck the ground, delivering the ball to Leonard in the waist position.

Paul then quickly moved to the corner.

Iguodala hesitated for a moment, but still chose to stick with Paul, believing that Kidd could defend Leonard.

Chen Shuo clasped his hands together and became serious.

One-on-one, with no help defense.

Leonard lowered his center of gravity and began dribbling with force, while simultaneously using his legs to generate power.

As the basketball was slammed down, the body collided with Kidd, and the supporting hand pressed down on Kidd's arm.

Once, twice, three times.

Kawhi Leonard's fundamentals are extremely solid; even after repeated confrontations, he still maintained steady control of the ball.

Kidd's physique is ridiculously tough.

Even though he's almost forty, he still holds his own against Leonard.

It's worth noting that Leonard is 10cm taller than Kidd, and he even gained weight this summer.

that's it.

Leonard managed to create a tiny opening, turned forward, leaped high, and flicked his fingers down, sending the ball crashing down onto the rim.

The basketball made a metallic clanging sound as it hit the rim, and after several impacts, it reluctantly went into the basket.

That's Kawhi Leonard's style of playing one-on-one.

Despite the brutal, hand-to-hand combat, he maintained his balance and executed the shooting motion like a robot.

Paul and Leonard high-fived in celebration.

His gaze swept over Chen Shuo on the bench.

Chen Shuo clapped his hands without making a sound.

He understood that Paul was trying to befriend him.

In this silent competition, Paul realized that Chen Shuo was the key.

So he passed the ball to Leonard, whom Chen Shuo valued most, thus making his stance clear first.

This is indeed Chen Shuo's bottom line.

He can disregard tactical maneuvering.

Let Paul and the coaching staff deal with this for a while, and ultimately decide based on the results.

But Leonard's development is his bottom line, and also his trump card for this year's playoffs.

As long as neither side crosses the line.

They can experiment freely in the first twenty games of the season.

The first quarter of the game was quite exciting.

For the Knicks, Carmelo Anthony was on fire, and with Felton and Kidd also getting the ball, they quickly entered "unstoppable mode".

On the Cavaliers' side, Paul also contributed several brilliant one-on-one plays after setting picks and rolls.

Leonard had a stellar performance against Kidd, shooting 40% from the field in five one-on-one possessions.

Chen Shuo was quite satisfied.

In a one-on-one situation, as long as he doesn't face a defensive stalwart like Iguodala, Leonard has a fighting chance.

Even if it's less efficient, at least you can make moves to develop your offense and accumulate badge experience.

The key to improving your shooting percentage isn't in the accuracy rate, but rather in the amount of production you can generate.

About six minutes into the game, the official timeout was initiated, and the referee blew the whistle to stop the match.

Tyronn Lue gave each of the players a high-five.

"here you go."

"That was awesome!"

The pause has ended.

Due to Paul's limited playing time, the Cavaliers substituted their rotation lineup ahead of schedule.

Lowry, Green, Leonard, Battier, and Draymond Green were all substituted, except for Leonard.

Last season, the Cavaliers' rotation consisted of Paul and Chandler as one pair, and Garnett and Thompson as another, each leading a transitional period.

When Paul left the court, Chandler naturally followed suit.

Garnett, due to Chen Shuo's requirements, also had a strict time limit, so Thompson was also substituted off the court.

Due to a shortage of players, the Knicks did not make any substitutions after the timeout.

The Cavaliers' massive roster changes clearly caught the Knicks off guard.

Felton and Iguodala didn't immediately assign their defensive assignments, and both of them stayed in the attacking third to defend Lowry.

Danny Green, on the other hand, secretly slipped up to the frontcourt.

Seeing this, Lowry threw the ball forward to Draymond Green, who quickly found Green, who was ready in the corner.

Faced with such a huge open space, Green did not hesitate at all.

With bow drawn and arrow nocked, a single shot is fatal.

The entire offensive round took only 6 seconds.

While their offensive styles on the court aren't exactly the same, they're practically unrelated.

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