The Lakers trailed by 14 points midway through the first quarter before Lakers head coach Phil Jackson requested a timeout.
Many people know that "Zen Master" doesn't like to call timeouts. In many cases, the situation has changed a lot, but Jackson just sits firmly on the Diaoyutai and does not call timeouts, which makes people anxious. Some people explain that this is Jackson letting the players take control.
During the game, I was familiar with how to adjust in big situations, so I didn’t scream on purpose.
In a parallel world, Jackson established dynasties three times with the Bulls and Lakers.
Jenny Buss commented: "Many people think that Phil is sleeping on the bench, but in fact Phil is using everything to gain strength and control the game. He is actually meditating on how to gain calm and withstand the storm on the game field.
, he wants the players to play well on their own at critical moments. At the same time, the players will actually look to the bench, and they will get calmness from Phil, which will help them play well. This is the truth.
, is his unique way of resisting pressure."
After winning the game, Jackson's decision to not call a timeout seemed unfathomable, and the star's ability also appeared to be very powerful. However, the Lakers were pressed by their opponents to beat Jackson without calling a timeout, and continued to be pressed after calling a timeout. This was purely a lack of tactics.
No matter how the Lakers adjust, the SuperSonics will remain unchanged in response to changes and resolutely attack around O'Neal.
Brad Miller went off to take a break after committing two fouls, and Mason also stepped outside the three-point line to cover. After Lewis came off the court, veteran Terry Mills stepped outside the three-point line and was responsible for catching and shooting three-pointers.
O'Neal is not an all-around star, and his size destined him to have deficiencies on the defensive end. In fact, O'Neal was stronger during the Magic era. He was not so fat and more agile at that time.
In a parallel world, O'Neal's main enemy during his time with the Lakers was Karl Malone, because he couldn't deal with the Jazz's pick-and-roll. Everyone recognized that the SuperSonics' pick-and-roll was better than the Jazz's.
The SuperSonics led 36-23 in the first quarter. Yang Jian scored 9 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists.
The Lakers mainly relied on O'Neal to score. Kobe was flanked as soon as he reached the low post, making it difficult to get a shot.
At the beginning, Kobe Bryant saw that Payton was getting a little angry on defense, and felt that Yang Jian was looking down on him. As a result, Yang Jian assisted with double-teams, which made his head hurt, and he distributed the ball to Harper and Brian Shaw, who came on the bench.
He also couldn't shoot accurately.
In the second quarter, the SuperSonics used the simplest and crudest tactics.
Payton took a break, and Yang Jian continued to play without taking a break, guesting as point guard and leading the bench. The other four players were Dell Curry, Cuttino Mobley, Stephen Jackson, and Mark Blount.
On the Lakers side, O'Neal and Kobe Bryant didn't rest either. Jackson planned to let the OK team play the entire game and wait until the game was no longer suspense before resting.
Once you reach the Western Conference Finals, you mainly rely on stars, and rotation is of little significance.
The SuperSonics still have the upper hand. On the offensive end, Yang Jian mainly holds the ball and plays pick-and-rolls. He can also run without the ball and rely on screens to catch and shoot on the weak side or hold the ball in singles.
Stephen Jackson can organize attacks from outside the three-point line in the middle, catch the ball and shoot. At the same time, Mobley and Curry can also run without the ball. Yang Jian is good at observing teammates' movements and passing the ball, and he is very flexible.
The Lakers' offense doesn't have that many tricks, and they focus on one-on-ones.
Yang Jian defended Kobe Bryant tightly, and the strategy was the same as in the first quarter without the need for teammates to double-team. O'Neal caught the ball and hit the basket, and Blount immediately fouled and sent him a free throw.
Blount's job is to screen and foul, and don't have to worry about anything else. After he received two fouls, he went off the court and took a rest. Mason came up and played like this again. When Mason came on, the team was dead. Once the Lakers attack, the SuperSonics
Grab the backcourt rebound and immediately launch a counterattack.
After Payton rested for a while and joined Schrempf on the court, the Sonics' ball movement became better. The Lakers lacked excellent organizers, which has been a weakness in recent years.
Two of the Lakers' three point guards are guest players, and they are both 198cm tall. Fisher is not an excellent organizer either. He dribbles the ball through half the court and waits on the outside to catch the ball and shoot.
The SuperSonics led 68 to 45 at midfield, completely suppressing the game just like in the previous series.
Yang Jian played the entire first half, making 6 of 10 shots, 2 of 5 three-pointers, and 2 of 2 free throws. He scored 16 points, 7 rebounds, 12 assists, and 1 steal.
Zhang Lili said: "Yang Jian is going to have a triple-double today. Under his leadership, the SuperSonics play with clear thinking and very reasonable ideas."
Sun Zhengping said: "O'Neal's MVP this year should really belong to Yang Jian. O'Neal cannot drive his teammates like him. If Yang Jian plays the whole game, he may be able to score a triple-double of 301,020."
Zhang Lili said with a smile: "Although O'Neal has obvious physical advantages, no matter how many points he has to score, it won't work if his teammates can't open up. The SuperSonics didn't double-team O'Neal and deliberately let him play in isolation. If they couldn't guard him, they fouled him and sent him free throws. He was in the first half
He made 4 of 12 free throws per game, which is a very low shooting percentage.”
O'Neal was afraid of the "shark-killing tactic" and the more reluctant he was to get to the free throw line, the more he failed to make a shot. He was under greater pressure than usual against the Sonics because he knew that his failure to make a free throw would hurt his morale and possibly lead to a full-out victory.
All bets are lost.
Even if O'Neal performed normally at the free throw line, his shooting rate was only about 50%, which is nothing remarkable. It can be said that poor free throws directly affected O'Neal's historical status. In a parallel world, he did not practice well until he retired.
If O'Neal's free throw shooting is as good as Yao Ming's, then he will be the most unstoppable inside killer in NBA history, even if he has no shooting range.
The Lakers lost to the SuperSonics by a huge margin in the regular season, and Jackson couldn't think of any way to adjust. The triangle offense mainly relied on star players playing in isolation, and the Lakers' lineup couldn't use very complex tactics.
The key is that the Lakers can't defend. Jackson's team has always been able to play a very high defensive efficiency and has a clear division of labor.
Kobe was extremely depressed. He became the biggest backdrop on the court, and the gap between him and Yang Jian was very obvious.
Even if Yang Jian mainly plays in singles, it will be difficult for Kobe to guard him. Yang Jian is not willing to challenge Kobe in a one-on-one match. Regardless of whether he has the ball or not, he will look for big men to cover him and look for mismatched breakthrough opportunities.
As soon as the Lakers double-team, Yang Jian passes the ball and is willing to create shooting opportunities for his teammates. Without double-teaming, Yang Jian can break through and has a higher success rate in small attacks. Big men cannot keep up with his speed.
Yang Jian is recognized as the fastest player in the league, and Iverson is also slightly inferior. The two have never won against Iverson.
In the third quarter, the SuperSonics sent out their starting lineup. The Lakers changed two people. Donyel Marshall and Fisher came on, and AC Green and Harper rested.
The Lakers did this to add two outside shooting points and spread the formation further. In the first half, the Lakers only made two three-pointers in total, all of which were made by the substitutes. Brian Shaw and Rick Fox each made one.
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Jackson Jackson knew very well that if the team didn't shoot well from the outside, it would be impossible to defeat the Sonics by just hitting two-pointers.
Because of Yang Jian's super high winning rate, almost all teams in the league are studying the magic ball theory. Only a few die-hard coaches still insist on letting players attack the low post, believing that it is more efficient to shoot closer to the basket.
The Lakers attacked first, and O'Neal pulled up to the high post and played a pick-and-roll with Kobe.
The emergence of Yang Jian has increased the tacit understanding of the OK group. Now the relationship between the two is very good and there is no conflict. They are willing to cooperate just to defeat the common enemy Yang Jian.
With someone covering him, it's easier for Kobe to show his strength.
Yang Jian retreated to bypass the screen to prevent the penetration but not the shot. Kobe took a step laterally and made a 70-degree pull-up three-pointer on the right side. Yang Jian did not jump, but stepped forward and stretched out his hand to interfere slightly, but the interference was ineffective, and the ball went in. 68 to 48.
Kobe did not celebrate after the goal. He was not in the mood. He just hoped to guard Yang Jian in the next round.
The Lakers were so far behind that they had to hit seven consecutive three-pointers to take the lead, and they still had to defend against the Sonics who didn't score in a row.
Kobe knew as soon as he thought about it that this was an impossible task.
In fact, if the point difference between the two sides no longer widens in the future, thank God if the Lakers can lose less. A disastrous defeat in the first game will seriously affect morale. How can we win this series? Moreover, Yang Jian is likely to produce super statistics.
All the Lakers players couldn't help but think of this and couldn't control their thoughts...