Chapter 91: Complete Victory!
Alright, let's give this a more laid-back, streetwise vibe:
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So, dirty fouls come in two flavors. A Level 1 dirty foul is all about unnecessary contact, like when a defender purposely shuffles side to side, making heavy contact with the offensive player, and then some. A Level 2 dirty foul? That's when things get real rough, with excessive physical contact, usually involving some serious collisions and follow-up actions.
Both types of dirty fouls mean the other team gets two free throws and the ball back, what we call "two shots and possession." If you pull a Level 2 dirty foul, you're outta there, ejected on the spot. And if you rack up two Level 1 dirty fouls in one game, you're also getting the boot.
Damon didn't get kicked out for just one foul, but Mike benched him anyway.
Mike's not into players trying to adjust their game on the fly to protect their star status; if you're not playing well, you're riding the pine.
The home crowd was ticked off. Damon’s pulling in $11.25 million this season, while Alaric’s making peanuts in comparison. When they went head-to-head, Damon got schooled. What a joke!
The Trail Blazers are gunning for the championship, but they got shown up by their arch-rivals in the first game. They’ve got four players making over $10 million each, with a total payroll of $87.39 million, the highest in the league, and they still couldn’t stop the Lakers’ second-round rookie, Alaric. Total letdown.
Alaric nailed the free throw, making it 80-70, his 24th point.
The Lakers still had the ball. They inbounded it, and Greg Foster got it at the high post, then dished it to a moving Alaric.
Alaric set up a pick-and-roll with Horace on the side, shook off Greg Anthony, stopped at the 50-degree mark, and took a mid-range shot, which was a bit off thanks to Rasheed’s light interference.
The Trail Blazers went on the attack. Rasheed set a pick-and-roll with Steve, Steve drew Horace into a switch and passed the ball to the basket. Shawn used his size to muscle past Greg Foster, squeezed into the paint, and missed a close-range shot.
Greg Foster snagged the defensive rebound and passed it to Alaric. Alaric pushed the ball up the court, crossed over to the right, stepped back before the three-point line, and drained a three-pointer over the newly subbed-in Greg Anthony.
The 6-foot-tall Greg Anthony, a ten-year NBA vet, tried his best to jump but couldn’t block it. Alaric shot with confidence, adding a bit of fadeaway.
The more he shot, the hotter his hand got, and it went in clean!
83-70, Alaric’s 27th point, and he’d already hit six three-pointers tonight!
The Trail Blazers were lost. Last season, they were used to the Lakers’ triangle offense and weren’t afraid of grinding out the half-court game. Even when Scottie got hurt and left the game, they relied on the system to make Kobe uncomfortable. But when Alaric came on, the Lakers switched it up, using pick-and-rolls and fast breaks, simple and effective.
In this era, all teams played at a slow pace, believing defense wins games. But Alaric, being a reborn player, wasn’t into the slow half-court game. He modeled his playstyle after Isaiah Thomas, Stephen Curry, and Damian Lillard, which seemed nuts in 2000.
The Trail Blazers had to keep grinding out the half-court game. Shawn set a pick-and-roll in the middle, Alaric and Greg Foster double-teamed Greg Anthony, and Greg Anthony passed the ball, leaving Shawn open at the high post.
Greg Anthony aimed and missed a mid-range shot with no one guarding him. Horace grabbed the rebound.
Alaric brought the ball up, and Mike shouted from the sidelines, "Double-team him, don’t let him shoot!"
By now, even the fans could see Alaric’s style. If a small guard was on him one-on-one, he’d keep shooting.
The Lakers’ bench players couldn’t be left open either. Steve double-teamed nearby, and Alaric passed the ball. Brian caught it on the left side and nailed a three-pointer.
86-70, Alaric’s third assist.
In last year’s Western Conference Finals Game 7, Brian hit 3 out of 4 three-pointers, helping the Lakers advance, which brought back bad memories for the Trail Blazers players and boosted the Lakers’ morale.
Alright, let's give this a more chill, streetwise vibe:
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The Trail Blazers were on the move, passing the rock around, and Shawn found himself wide open in the middle again. He took a mid-range shot and bricked it, even with no one guarding him. The ball had a flat arc and bounced far. Alaric snagged the rebound and started a fast break, dishing the ball to the middle after drawing the defense.
With a big lead, the Lakers were feeling no pressure. Horace, trailing behind, got the ball in the middle and took a three-pointer, but missed. Alaric crashed the boards and knocked over Greg Anthony, picking up a foul. He had a little push in there, and the ref caught it.
During the dead ball, the Lakers' dynamic duo, Shaq and Kobe, came back in, replacing Brian and Greg Foster, while Alaric stayed on the court.
Mark Woodson chimed in, "Alaric might look skinny, but he's got some fight in him. He shows some grit now and then."
Tom added, "If he drops 30+ today, it'll be a perfect debut."
With Shaq back, the Lakers shifted to low-post offense, and Alaric didn't get much of the ball. But Shaq was looking out for him, drawing the defense and feeding him the ball.
At 6:49, Alaric got a pass from Shaq and missed a three-pointer.
At 5:34, Shaq grabbed a defensive rebound and launched a long pass to Alaric. Alaric took it and went one-on-one with Greg Anthony, forcing a layup and drawing a foul. He sank both free throws, hitting his 29th point.
At 3:11, Alaric ran a pick-and-roll with Horace in the middle, drew Rasheed into a switch, and dished it. Horace nailed a mid-range shot over Greg Anthony, giving Alaric his fourth assist.
In the last two minutes, with a 20-point cushion, the Lakers subbed out all their starters except Alaric, giving him a chance to shine. Alaric stole a lazy pass from Greg Anthony and made a fast-break layup.
The game wrapped up with the Lakers winning 109-86 on the road against the Trail Blazers.
Shaq was the star, hitting 14 of 20 shots, 8 of 16 free throws, racking up 36 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 4 blocks.
Alaric played 28 minutes, making 11 of 16 shots, 6 of 9 three-pointers, 3 of 3 free throws, scoring 31 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, 1 steal, and committing 3 fouls with no turnovers. The low turnovers weren't because of his playmaking skills but because he kept it simple, playing like a shooting guard.
Kobe had an off night, hitting 4 of 11 shots, 0 of 1 from three, 6 of 6 free throws, scoring 14 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, with 6 turnovers and 4 fouls. Only three Lakers players hit double figures.
Damon also played 28 minutes, making 3 of 13 shots, 0 of 1 from three, 1 of 1 free throws, scoring just 7 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, and 3 steals. Alaric didn't match up with him much; Damon mostly faced Kobe's defense. But just looking at the stats, you'd think Alaric totally outplayed Damon.
Rasheed was the best for the Trail Blazers, hitting 11 of 17 shots, 2 of 2 from three, 2 of 2 free throws, scoring 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists. Without him, the Blazers wouldn't have lasted till the final quarter.
After the game, a lot of Blazers fans were still booing the Lakers, especially when the players walked into the tunnel. The fans looked ready to rush over and confront them. The cameraman caught a funny moment: Shaq had one arm around Alaric and the other hand out, acting like a bodyguard protecting Alaric as they left.
Shaq laughed and said, "You were amazing today. If you were here last season, we wouldn't have needed to play seven games against the Blazers."
"I was just on fire today. Can't promise I'll do this every game," Alaric said modestly, but inside, he was pumped.
He felt like he'd been stuck in a time loop for nearly two years. If it were him right after being reborn, even with the whole Lakers team setting him up, he wouldn't have scored much. Now, he felt that winning Rookie of the Year over Damon was no big deal.