The Lakers don't double-team... In fact, the current Lakers can't afford to double-team Duncan. He Xi Meng on the perimeter just had a small outburst, and David Robinson in the paint is also eyeing them covetously. No matter which player the Lakers pull from their perimeter to double-team Duncan, it's easy to cause the entire defensive line to collapse. Therefore, the safest approach now is to rely on AC Green's individual ability and experience to try and one-on-one contain Duncan today...
But unfortunately, with "no passing options," Duncan quieted down and went for a post-up. He faked a move and turned to face the basket. AC Green was caught off guard by Duncan's feint, his center of gravity shifted prematurely. Duncan seized the opportunity, caught the ball, then took a step and used the glass for a layup, easily scoring.
Well, He Xi Meng took care of Duncan, and after Duncan finished, the Lakers fans were starting to get a headache.
On offense, the Lakers continued to follow Coach Harris's instructions, firmly passing the ball to Shaq O'Neal in the paint. He Xi Meng loudly reminded David Robinson, "Defend a bit tougher..."
David Robinson's defense was never soft! Why would He Xi Meng give that reminder?
David Robinson reacted immediately. Unable to stop O'Neal's turn and drive, he deliberately fouled, hitting O'Neal's shooting arm along with the ball...
The referee's whistle blew. O'Neal stumbled, and after finally regaining his balance, he turned and glared at David Robinson, who had fouled him hard.
David Robinson then extended his hand to the referee, accepting the call, his expression calm as water, ignoring O'Neal's anger.
If you can't defend him, send O'Neal to the free-throw line – this has gradually become common knowledge among the league's interior players.
Just now, He Xi Meng's shout was a reminder to David Robinson: "When you need to foul, just do it..."
O'Neal stepped up to the free-throw line, nervously cradling the ball. Honestly, with the half not yet over, O'Neal didn't need to be this tense. But Shaq couldn't control his emotions. For him, standing at the free-throw line felt like a naked clown, exposed in front of thousands of fans, to be gawked at... To address this, O'Neal had even seen a psychologist privately, trying to find the source of his inexplicable tension.
The doctor O'Neal saw was a baseball fan who didn't typically watch basketball. Therefore, he was unaware of O'Neal's usual demeanor. Psychological treatment often requires finding the root of the problem. So, to help O'Neal find the source, the psychologist spent hours talking with him, digging into O'Neal's childhood history from top to bottom. O'Neal talked about everything from accidentally wetting his bed as a child, to his first time stealing an apple from a neighbor, his first time playing basketball, his first girlfriend, his first time losing his virginity...
In short, they had a rather pleasant conversation, but they couldn't pinpoint which "hidden trauma" from which specific "incident" had caused O'Neal's "nervousness" at the free-throw line.
Coincidentally, this doctor had a colleague over for a visit. This colleague was also a seasoned psychologist and a loyal Lakers fan. He saw O'Neal leaving and asked the doctor, "What was O'Neal here for? Is he having psychological issues?"
Normally, as a psychologist, one should maintain patient confidentiality. However, the two were close friends, and the doctor was at his wits' end trying to find O'Neal's problem. So, he shared O'Neal's troubles with his friend, hoping for some insight.
As a result, after hearing the doctor's sharing, his friend burst into laughter, leaving the doctor bewildered.
After finishing his laugh, the friend told the doctor, "Don't waste your efforts! O'Neal's problem isn't caused by psychological trauma, but simply because he's terrible at free throws! Every normal person gets nervous when they do something they're bad at... Being nervous is normal; not being nervous would be abnormal..."
"You mean?"
"O'Neal's free-throw shooting is atrocious! He lacks confidence, hence the nervousness. That's all there is to it... His mental health is even better than that of a healthy person..."
"Uh..."
This doctor had earned three hours of consultation fees from O'Neal, but the second time, he wouldn't dare take O'Neal on again, fearing O'Neal might beat him into a vegetative state if he found out the truth...
Stepping up to the free-throw line again, even at his own team's basket, O'Neal nervously wiped sweat from his temples. The first shot, after a few awkward bounces, went in!
O'Neal grinned, rubbing his hands excitedly, as if two made shots were already beckoning him... However, for the second shot, the arc was too high and the range too short. The ball barely kissed the front of the rim, almost resulting in an airball...
David Robinson immediately secured his position against O'Neal to prevent him from getting his own rebound, while Duncan outmuscled AC Green to comfortably secure the ball.
He Xi Meng took the ball and pushed it up the court. Harper began to interfere with him relentlessly. Duncan couldn't stand it and created a small moving screen for He Xi Meng, helping him advance past half-court with relative ease.
As they moved into the Lakers' half, Duncan started to move inside the three-point line, and Harper immediately stuck to him again...
He Xi Meng called out to Duncan. Duncan initially thought He Xi Meng wanted him to set a screen right there. To his surprise, He Xi Meng tossed the ball over and then accelerated, cutting to the basket empty-handed!
Duncan immediately understood. He Xi Meng wanted to execute a pick-and-roll, a "wall" type of play!
Duncan caught the ball and, without pausing, made a bounce pass ahead of He Xi Meng's path. He then set himself in place, allowing He Xi Meng to cut into him and using his body to block Harper, who was chasing He Xi Meng, right in front of him.
Harper loudly urged AC Green to switch defensively, but the quick-developing play between He Xi Meng and Duncan was executed so suddenly during their movement that AC Green had no time to react. By the time he abandoned Duncan and turned to chase He Xi Meng, He Xi Meng had already driven into the paint and was right under the basket, chasing O'Neal's heels.
O'Neal turned to block He Xi Meng, and Kobe flew in from the weak side, also attempting to block him.
He Xi Meng executed a signature Manu Ginobili-style serpentine drive, changing direction rapidly left and right. His first step dodged O'Neal's turning block, his second step evaded Kobe's flying block, and with his final step, he spun the ball reverse-handed off the glass for the score!
Of course, after scoring these two points, He Xi Meng, as expected, fell to the ground, sending the photographers at the basket into disarray.