Chapter 95 No Pressure with Shaquille
Alright, let's jazz this up a bit and make it sound more like something you'd read in a casual, slangy web novel.
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The Jazz got a game plan to handle Shaq: double-team him down low, have the wing guys crash the paint to swipe at the ball, and keep one dude on him inside. When Shaq gets doubled, he kicks it out to the perimeter, but Ron and Rick keep bricking their open shots.
Bryon's on Kobe one-on-one. He's a beast on defense, with years of experience guarding MJ, so he knows how to lock down this kind of player. He’s all up in Kobe’s grill, making it tough for him to even get the ball.
Jerry’s got a rep as a hard-nosed coach. His playbook is mostly pick-and-rolls and kinda stiff, but under his watch, the Jazz are tight-knit. Their offense and defense are on point, making up for any individual weak spots with solid teamwork.
The Jazz's game plan is clear: let the role players shoot while clamping down on the stars, stopping the Lakers' big names from going one-on-one.
In the triangle offense, if you double the stars, the role players get open looks. If they hit their shots, Jerry can live with that. But the Lakers' role players are choking, missing threes and mid-range shots, making the home crowd groan.
Mark Woodson sighed, "Man, Ron's really showing his age. His offensive game is shot. He can't hit the broad side of a barn or drive and dunk anymore. The Lakers should think about putting Alaric in sooner."
Tom nodded, "Yeah, at least with Alaric, the perimeter won't be wide open, but Phil's probably got his own ideas."
It wasn't until 3:15 that Phil called a timeout and switched things up, subbing Alaric in for Ron.
Ron went 0-for-4, all open looks, no points, two boards, and two dimes. He was struggling on D too, with John using pick-and-rolls to create mismatches, making Karl face Ron while he handled the inside. John went 3-for-2, including 2-for-2 from deep, scoring 6 points, 2 assists, and 1 steal.
The Lakers were down 12-19. Phil knew his squad's offense was sputtering, but after seeing the Jazz's strategy, he worried Alaric's defensive flaws would get exposed, so he waited until Olden had two fouls before making the switch.
During a dead ball, the Jazz also made a move, bringing in Greg Ostertag.
With Kobe on the floor, the ball's in the stars' hands. He and Shaq are the main threats, with Alaric's job being to bring the ball past half-court and wait for his chance beyond the arc.
There was a lot of buzz about Alaric today. The Salt Lake City media was hyping his six threes that buried the Blazers. After the sub, John stopped doubling Shaq and stuck to Alaric like glue.
Alaric wanted to play like he did in college, moving without the ball, running circles, cutting in and out. He only ran one play, not only failing to get a pass but also hearing assistant coach Kurt shout from the sidelines, "Alaric, quit running around."
Running around? If he played like that, he could gas John out in half a game! Alaric thought to himself but still followed the coaching staff's orders, standing obediently beyond the three-point line.
John's already 38 this year. Even though he was a physical beast back in the day and has a pilot's license, his condition has inevitably declined. If the Lakers set up off-ball movement for Alaric, he could really wear John out. But Phil ain't doing that; this is Shaq's team, and the strategy is all about the triangle offense.
Alaric was pretty much invisible on the court for three minutes, no shot attempts, only once using his speed to blow past John, drawing the interior defense and dishing to Shaq for an easy dunk, earning one assist.
The Lakers trailed 16-24 at the end of the first quarter, with Shaq and Kobe each scoring 6 points. They started the game way too sluggish.
Alright, let's give this a more laid-back, slangy vibe.
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Jazz center Greg Ostertag is a 7'1", 286-pound giant who moves like molasses. Alaric figured if Shaq pulled him out for a pick-and-roll, it’d be a cakewalk.
But after Phil called a timeout, the game plan was still the same old triangle offense. No using Alaric, no Kobe-Shaq pick-and-rolls. Phil didn’t even bother with the tactics board, just said, "Spread out and feed Shaq in the low post."
Alaric cursed under his breath: "Seriously, where’s the legendary coach? Just look at Greg Ostertag’s size; he’s only good for defending Shaq. You wanna force a low-post play? Did you get a kickback when Ostertag signed that fat contract with the Jazz?"
Phil sometimes screws up, setting up weird plays and calling timeouts at odd times. Only he knows what’s going on in his head.
In the second quarter, Phil leaned heavily on the starters. When trailing, he likes to keep one star on the court, worried that if both Kobe and Shaq sit, the other team will pull away, making it harder to catch up.
Kobe took a breather while Shaq and Horace kept battling inside, with Devean, Isaiah, and Alaric filling out the lineup.
Finally, some good news for Alaric. Phil, who seemed a step behind last quarter, switched things up, letting Shaq move to the middle for a pick-and-roll with Alaric. Alaric would drive to create mismatches, drawing Ostertag to switch, then dish to Shaq in the middle.
In Alaric’s past life, after Shaq joined the Heat, he often ran this play with Dwyane Wade. It was simple and effective, saving Shaq’s energy and boosting Wade’s confidence. Shaq’s size made his screens super effective. Wade often used them to shake off defenders for easy pull-up jumpers. Even if the opponent’s big man switched in time, Wade had a high chance of blowing past them.
After setting the screen, Shaq would usually cut to the basket. Once he got the ball on the move, it was hard to stop him without fouling. Even if he didn’t cut, Shaq could facilitate from the high post, finding teammates with passes. He even racked up triple-doubles with assists during his Heat days.
The key to this play is Shaq’s willingness to come out and set screens, which depends on his mood. Even the head coach can’t force him. Tyronn and Derek didn’t get this treatment last season.
Alaric felt pumped just thinking about it. Playing guard for the Lakers with Shaq around? No pressure.
The Jazz lineup: Jacque Vaughn, Quincy Lewis, Bryon, Donyell Marshall, Greg Ostertag.
The Jazz had the ball. Bryon got a pass from Jacque, posting up just inside the left three-point line.
With Jeff Hornacek retiring in the summer, Bryon had to step up, posting up Devean and turning for a jumper.
Last season, Bryon had career-high stats with 14.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.6 steals, shooting 44.6% from the field and 39.6% from three. He got better with age, developing ball-handling skills and becoming more confident offensively.
But Bryon picked the wrong guy this time. Devean’s got crazy physical attributes, hard to push around, and insane hops. This time, Bryon’s turnaround shot got swatted by Devean. Quincy scooped up the ball and nailed a three from a 45-degree angle, with Isaiah failing to keep up. The ball went in. 16-27.
The Lakers’ turn: Alaric brought the ball up, with Shaq setting a screen for him at the top of the key.
Jacque, standing 6 feet tall and weighing 189 pounds, with average speed, tried to go around Shaq’s massive frame from the inside, aiming to block Alaric’s driving lane.
Big mistake, 'cause Alaric’s favorite move wasn’t driving; it was draining threes.