6-for-6 from Three

Ke Fan tossed out another question:

"Who do you think can step up?"

Yang Yi answered without hesitation. "The Lakers' three-point shooting has been a major problem since last season, and it's carried over into this one. Pope is inconsistent. Caruso and Kuzma can knock down one or two now and then, but they're still not reliable enough to make the three-pointer a regular weapon."

"Schroder's three-point shooting isn't reliable either."

"So the first question is whether Schroder can break through. The second is whether Wang Yi can step up."

"But it won't be easy for Wang Yi. He's exploded in two straight games, so the Suns will surely prepare some defensive adjustments to target him."

"The chances of him exploding again tonight aren't high."

Ke Fan smiled.

"What if—just hypothetically—Wang Yi really does explode again?"

Yang Yi replied, "If he does, that means he can still put up a high-level performance even when the other team's defense is specifically geared toward him. He'll very likely make it into the team's rotation and become a reliable source of points off the bench."

Ke Fan asked, "Couldn't he become a starter?"

Yang Yi smiled and shook his head.

"That's unlikely in the short term. As a bench player, he'll be facing the other team's reserves, which gives him a chance to put together an outstanding performance."

"But if you put him straight into the starting lineup, he'll be facing their starters. He might not be able to keep up those explosive performances."

"Think about it. A player who's barely played in two years suddenly gets pulled out and put in the starting lineup. Is his body ready? Is he mentally prepared? Is he in game shape? All of that is still unknown."

The game began at 9:30 that evening.

It was the final game of the Lakers' five-game homestand.

Fans had filed into the stands early.

And today, Movie Emperor Oscar Jack Nicholson was there too.

He had starred in The Shining and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and had won an Oscar for Best Actor.

He was also the Lakers' most famous fan.

He attended most of the Lakers' games throughout the season.

Once again, he sat in his usual VIP seat, number 124 in the front row.

He'd had the seat reserved for years.

From there, he could watch the game up close and vent his frustrations at the referees, putting pressure on them.

Now, his eyes were fixed on Wang Yi, wearing jersey number 1.

He'd followed the Lakers for more than fifty years, witnessing the team's ups and downs.

This season, James was getting on in years and had fallen to an average of just 20.1 points per game.

Thick Eyebrows was often injured, too, so the Lakers weren't ranked very high.

It seemed the Lakers had entered another decline.

But after the past two games, Nicholson seemed to see a glimmer of hope.

And that glimmer of hope had come from this man from the East.

The Lakers' poor performance this season was certainly due in large part to injuries and Old Zhan's decline.

But the team's poor three-point percentage was another important factor.

If the Lakers could solve their problems beyond the three-point line, they could still put in performances worth looking forward to.

Now, this man from the East might become an important part of changing the Lakers' performance from beyond the arc.

Of course, all of that was just Jack Nicholson's private thoughts.

It would take a few more games to determine whether this man from the East could really shoulder that responsibility.

The game began, and the Lakers' starters were:

James, Schroder, Drummond, Pope, and Caruso.

The Suns' starting lineup hadn't changed much either.

As soon as the game started, James passed the ball to Schroder and let him take the first shot.

If Schroder could get going, it would take a lot of defensive pressure off James.

Schroder drove to the basket and scored two points.

Next, James sank a three-pointer.

They'd opened with a 5–0 run. It looked like they were off to a great start.

But then the game took a sudden turn.

Booker hit two three-pointers in a row, and Paul sank a mid-range jumper.

At the same time, the Suns were still playing zone defense, just as they had in the first round last year.

There were two ways to beat a zone defense: make three-pointers or get out in transition.

The Lakers failed to get out in transition twice in a row.

As for their three-point shooting, the players on the perimeter were in the same form as before—ice cold!

Other than James's opening three, the other starters missed three straight shots from beyond the arc.

They were practically pounding the rims crooked.

At the other end, Booker was ready to erupt in the first quarter.

In just five minutes, he'd hit four three-pointers on four attempts!

After four minutes, the score was 5–14.

The Lakers were down by nine.

They hurriedly called a timeout.

In the Tencent NBA Live Broadcast Room, Meina was so anxious she was stomping her feet.

She really was stomping her feet in frustration.

When the camera wasn't on her, she frowned again and again, silently mouthing:

"What kind of play is this?!"

Ke Fan kept shaking his head.

"History is repeating itself in a startling way. Are we about to see the first quarter of last year's Game 6 all over again?"

Yang Yi shook his head too.

"In the first quarter of last year's Game 6, Devin Booker went 6-for-6 from three and scored 22 points. Today, just four minutes in, he's already 4-for-4 from three and has racked up 12 points. He's single-handedly dismantling the entire Lakers team. That scoring power is just absurd."

"Judging by the way this game is going, it looks like things are heading the same way as last year."

Ke Fan said, "Now we'll see how Vogel adjusts. Will he put Wang Yi in?"

Yang Yi thought it over, then shook his head.

"Not this soon. Wang Yi should be in the rotation today, but he won't come in this early."

In fact, just as he'd said, when the Lakers came back from the timeout, they didn't put Wang Yi in.

Coach Vogel simply had Pope chase Booker on defense and told the other players to help double-team him.

But the Lakers' offensive problems remained unsolved.

The Suns stuck with their zone defense, forcing the Lakers to shoot threes.

The Lakers' three-point shooting was still a complete mess.

With no other choice, James had to start driving to the basket early.

But with the other team packed into the paint, his drives were far less effective.

He was old now. He couldn't just blow past however many defenders were in his way, leap into the air, and slam it home over them like he used to.

These days, after driving inside, James could generally only manage a difficult layup or a turnaround fadeaway jumper.

He did score twice.

But Booker was on fire.

Even with Pope chasing him and the other players closing in, Booker still sank two more outrageous threes in a row.

He was 6-for-6 from beyond the arc!

He'd also driven in for a layup.

He'd scored 20 points in total.

He was truly on track to replicate his performance from last year's Game 6.

Halfway through the quarter, the Lakers were already down by 15.

Vogel hurriedly called another timeout.

If they fell behind by 20, it would be very difficult to come back.

The Lakers' players came off the court with grave expressions.

James especially.

He was reminded of last year's Game 6.

His memory was far better than most people's, which gave him many advantages.

For example, he could remember every play the other team ran;

he could remember what each of their hand signals meant.

But it could also be a burden.

He found it hard to forget painful moments from the past.

Those painful moments kept replaying in his mind, over and over.

Every detail felt as if it had taken him right back to that moment.