The Seattle SuperSonics are very strong, their record even better than the Lakers, currently ranking third in the Western Conference.
The Bullets were just thrashed by the third-to-last Nuggets in the Western Conference by 35 points, and few expected them to win tonight's game.
Even so, attendance was high tonight, with many fans coming to see the Michigan Fab Five.
Lin Yu analyzed the SuperSonics' lineup and came to a conclusion that left him amused and confused.
The Sonics' lineup was surprisingly identical to the Bullets' before Lin Yu traveled through time.
Both teams had a bulky center in the paint. The Bullets had Muresan, while the Sonics also had a white center, the 216-cm Jim McIlwain.
Both teams had two power forwards at the three and four positions. The Bullets had Webber and Howard, while the Sonics had Rainman Kemp and the German high-powered Schrempf.
The two-guards all had decent offensive abilities, but they weren't explosive scoring shooters. The Bullets had Chaney, the Sonics had Jose Hawkins.
The point guards were all All-Stars: the Bullets had the D-Day, the Sonics had the Glove Payton.
With similar lineups, the Sonics were able to finish third in the Western Conference, while the Bullets were only able to finish last. There was definitely something wrong.
After the game started and the first possession, Lin Yu immediately realized where the problem lay.
Glove Payton's defense was incredibly strong. D-Day's first pass was intercepted by Payton, who immediately led the team on a counterattack, assisting Schrempf for a three-pointer.
If Lin Yu hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed a point guard could defend to this level. His defensive pressure was so extreme that even passing the ball was incredibly difficult.
This is the strength of the only point guard in NBA history to be named Defensive Player of the Year. Gary Payton's defense is a game-changer at the point guard position.
The gap between the Bullets and the Supersonics was caused by the difference in skill between the two.
After suffering a significant early setback, the Bullets became cautious, calling for Rose to help with the pick-and-roll in the frontcourt, which allowed them to pass the ball to Webber.
Webber received the ball and initially backed up Kemp, but the result wasn't ideal. He couldn't get into a comfortable shooting position, so he simply turned around and attempted a fadeaway mid-range shot, but unfortunately, it fell short.
However, Davis, under the basket, made a great contribution, grabbing the rebound and then even setting up a second-chance play.
Davis's defense and rebounding weren't as good as Wallace's, but he had one thing going for him: his ability to attack independently. Lin Yu looked melancholic. Payton's defense was incredibly strong, and Kemp was no pushover either. He wasn't the fat kid who couldn't touch the rim due to alcoholism; he was in his prime, a formidable defender.
Kemp's All-Star vote count surpassed Webber's, and for good reason. His overall skill level was indeed superior to Webber's current level.
On the Sonics' offensive possession, Payton passed the ball to Schrempf, who fired a mid-range shot from near the free throw line.
"Pop!"
The moment Schrempf launched his shot, Mashburn raised his hand and blocked it, instantly giving Lin Yu, who had been pessimistic, a surge of hope.
If Mashburn could lock down Schrempf, the Bullets might not be without a chance of winning tonight.
Schrempf was Nowitzki's idol and even his draft pick, so the two players share similar styles. However, Schrempf lacks Nowitzki's height and, with his limited leaping ability, his shooting height is far inferior to Nowitzki's.
Jalen Rose picked up the ball and assisted Webber on a mid-range shot. Although Webber scored, it was an extremely difficult shot, nearly blocked by Kemp.
The Sonics' turn came later, and Kemp isolated Webber but failed to score, with Davis grabbing the rebound.
The two sides exchanged blows and kicks for several minutes, leaving the fans stunned. The scoreboard read 5-4. After such a long time, neither team had scored more than two goals.
The Sonics' defense was incredibly strong, and the Bullets' defense was also significantly stronger with the addition of Mashburn. After Schrempf's opening three-pointer, Mashburn blocked both of his subsequent shots.
Lin Yu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. As the head coach, he should be happy that the Bullets were playing such intense defense, but with such a sluggish game, how could Webber manage to gain stats?
He'd finally gotten the "Mark of Kindred" randomly, but it was the All-Star Weekend, so he only had the opportunity to use it in two games. Now, facing such a sluggish game, Lin Yu couldn't be happy at all.
Just as Lin Yu was feeling worried, something unexpected happened on the court.
Seeing Kemp about to grab the rebound, Davis slapped Payton's mid-range shot, which missed. Four big men from both teams scrambled for the rebound, and the ball was swiped, only to hit Kemp in the face the next second.
Kemp's nose immediately began to bleed; the blow had been quite severe.
Of course, it wasn't a serious injury, or even a minor one, and would probably heal in half an hour or an hour. However, the court had a rule requiring players to leave the court after seeing blood. Kemp could only glare at Davis before reluctantly leaving the court.
The referee didn't even blow the whistle for Davis, because, by any measure, there was no suspicion of a foul.
The referee called an official timeout, and both players left the court.
"Coach, this is incredible! My best steak and wine were well worth it."
Jalen Rose whispered to Lin Yu after leaving the court.
Lin Yu was stunned. Could it really be the presence of Guan Erye and Hong Tianwang? Did eating foreign meat really work? That didn't seem possible. How could they possibly do such a petty theft?
Regardless of whether it was a manifestation or not, Lin Yu silently thanked Guan Erye and Hong Tianwang. Kemp's exit couldn't have been more timely. If he hadn't, Webber would have struggled to achieve significant stats tonight.
"When you return to the court, give the ball to Chris. We need Webber to make the difference while Kemp is gone."
Lin Yu whispered to Jalen Rose.
The official timeout ended, and the game resumed.
Without Kemp, the Sonics had no one capable of containing Webber.
Furthermore, the speedster was completely locked down by Payton, leaving him with no chance to shoot. Mashburn had a mental block on offense, and wouldn't take a shot unless absolutely necessary. Davis was a blue-collar player, at best, responsible for grabbing offensive rebounds and running second-chance plays. With Jalen Rose receiving instructions from Lin Yu, Webber became the Bullets' sole offensive option.
Webber was firing on all cylinders, draining mid-range shots one after another, gradually building the Bullets' advantage.
At this point, Lin Yu didn't really care about winning or losing the game. He just wanted Webber to score more points. As long as Webber could improve his stats, losing the game wouldn't matter.
Sonics coach George Karl watched helplessly as Webber dominated the court, unable to do anything about it. With Kemp injured, the only players he could use to match up against Webber were either Schrempf or the 36-year-old "Cadillac" Terry Cummings.
Not to mention being 36, even Cummings in his prime wasn't known for his defensive prowess; he couldn't defend Webber.
It wasn't until midway through the fourth quarter that Kemp managed to stop the bleeding and return to the court. Unfortunately, with a 20-point deficit, the Sonics were powerless to recover.
"The truth!"
"The truth!"
"The truth!"
As soon as the final whistle sounded, cheers filled Verizon Arena.
Webber exploded for 56 points and 11 rebounds tonight, breaking his own single-game scoring record and topping the season's single-game scoring list. Scoring 40+ points in two consecutive games is also a remarkable feat.
Lin Yu was stunned. "The Truth"? Isn't that Paul Pierce's nickname? It seems Pierce hasn't even entered the league yet.
Seeing Webber raise his arms and enjoy the cheers from the fans, Lin Yu suddenly remembered that Webber's nickname was also "The Truth," a direct comparison to Pierce's.
Speaking of this, we can't avoid mentioning Shaquille O'Neal. In 2001, Pierce's Celtics played against the Lakers. In that game, Pierce played brilliantly, scoring 42 points on 13-of-19 shooting. After the game, Shaquille O'Neal grabbed a Celtics reporter and exclaimed, "Pierce is the Truth."
You have to understand that Webber has already taken over the nickname "Truth." O'Neal's actions are purely an insult to Webber. The Lakers faced the Kings in the playoffs in the previous two seasons, and Webber caused the Lakers considerable trouble, especially in the first round of the 2000 playoffs, when Webber nearly led the Lakers to a first-round exit.
O'Neal's ability to annoy people is no less than his dominance under the basket. He could pay teammates to beat up Kobe Bryant, taunt McGee to tears, and shatter Dwight Howard's morale...
Lin Yu sighed inwardly. After O'Neal's actions, decades later, everyone knew Pierce was the Truth, but who knew the true Truth was actually Webber?
"Ding, game over, 'Seal of the Jue' begins."
"Designated Player for this game: Chris Webber made 21 mid-range shots and 3 three-pointers, for a total of 24 shots, gaining 8 random attributes."
His mid-range shot increased by 3 points, and his three-point shot by 2 points. It was definitely a good use of his talent.
Webber's mid-range shot soared to 93 points, and his three-point shot soared to 90!
Lin Yu felt increasingly distressed as he thought about it. "Mark of Kindred" had arrived at the wrong time, coinciding with the absurd All-Star Weekend, and it only took effect for two games!
If it lasted for four games, and Webber had a bit more luck, his mid-range shot wouldn't reach 100, but at least 98 would be within his reach.
Once he reached 98 mid-range shots, combined with his top-tier physical talent, he'd be like Michael Jordan, eight centimeters taller!