Chapter 344: I'm willing to be cut all over, I'll pull Kobe off the horse
The Lakers' counterattack was fast but uncoordinated.
After Paul and Howard picked and rolled, they quickly moved down the line and were entangled by Fanshie. He passed to Webster outside the three-point line. Webster was experiencing a nightmare in his career at this time. Arenas entangled him and sprayed him wildly.
Trash talk.
Arenas is very good at controlling mentality.
Webster's shot even just touched the net, and the basketball was picked up by Fanshie.
Webster is a good boy. He was drafted out of high school. He had always played tepidly before. After joining the Lakers, in front of so many big brothers, he ushered in unprecedented space, and his shooting percentage skyrocketed.
However, what he met tonight was Arenas.
Arenas is a role player now, but he was once a superstar. He was very good at changing his mentality and made honest kids uncomfortable.
Fan Xi held the ball at a slow speed through half the court, and then continued to hand the basketball to Yao Ming in the high position.
D'Antoni found out strangely that the Clippers now play less like a triangle offense and more like Princeton.
After they took down Nowitzki, Yao Ming became the core.
This is so strange.
No one could have imagined that the Clippers would be so bold as to let an injured player who had retired once come up as the core.
Howard and Gasol switched defenses, and he had to stay in the paint. He clearly knew that the paint was his base.
Gasol came up to defend.
Yao Ming didn't take him seriously at all.
In his own words, Gasol can't defend him no matter in the international arena or in the NBA.
Even now Yao Ming is dragging his legs to play ball.
It is worth mentioning that Yao Ming's idol at the time was Sabonis, known as the roof of the world. When Sabonis arrived in the NBA, his legs were almost useless, but he still played at an All-Star level.
No one knows how strong Sabonis was at his peak.
Just like now no one knows how much gas is left in Yao Ming's tank.
The Lakers don't dare to gamble.
So, they watched Yao Ming deal the cards easily and pass the basketball to the wing...Leonard and Arenas had just completed a closing screen for Fanxi. Fanxi easily escaped Paul's pursuit, and after receiving the basketball, he shot...
…shua!
Fanshie is an excellent three-point shooter.
Everyone must face up to his ability without the ball.
The Lakers became passive.
But Paul is still accelerating.
But his acceleration did not allow the Lakers to complete the fast break, because Fan Xi pressed the whole court, slowing down his speed and helping Yao Ming return to the half court to build defense.
Paul went to the free throw line and took a floater.
Missed.
The basketball was won by Yao Ming.
After halftime, Fanci passed the ball to Yao Ming, and Pau Gasol made a shot.
Yao Ming takes action...whoops!
Easy.
7:0.
Little climax.
Kobe then took the ball and he made a beautiful wing attack. He shook Leonard away with his shoulder, which was very wonderful. Then he shot backwards and missed.
The game changed sides, Yao Ming dealt the cards, and Arenas hit a 3-pointer.
He trash-talked Webster.
Beep!
The Lakers requested a timeout.
They had to pause because it was already 10:0 at the start of the game.
This was a direct hit.
Yao Ming once again performed as a surprise player.
At this time, Charles Barkley said on TV: "I remember that when Yao Ming first entered the league, he was thin, and I concluded at the time that he could not adapt to the NBA. But later, he impressed me.
With the help of Norwich, he completed his transformation. At that time, his steps under the basket were very beautiful, and he also had the offensive ability to face the frame. In fact... I remember that he often had five or six assists at that time."
"At that time, I thought he was going to be a combination of Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing, maybe with a little bit of David Robinson thrown in. But then Jeff Van Gundy rebuilt him and he became a no-go
heavy weapons."
Charles Barkley is very familiar with Yao Ming. He once kissed a donkey's butt on a nationally broadcast channel because of Yao Ming.
When he recalls it now, it still smells like burnt donkey shit. "If Yao had been playing according to the route designed by Rudy Tomjanucci, would his achievements have been higher?"
"After all, the NBA does not need heavy centers less and less, and the pace is getting faster and faster."
"Perhaps his career will be longer as a result?"
"However, in any case, I am very happy that he now has a chance to perform in the Clippers. He has shown things that he never had the opportunity to show in Houston. Moreover, we must see that when Yao Ming has top shooters and top blue-collar workers around him,
With a top point guard, his power is really super powerful."
Charles Barkley tells the story.
If his words were translated into Chinese and broadcast on the other side of the ocean, the tens of millions of fans watching in front of the TV would definitely have tears in their eyes.
Because what he said was not only Yao's regret, but also the regret of Chinese fans.
…
After the whistle blows, the game continues.
The Lakers started to play steadily.
Kobe and Gasol completed a beautiful strong-weak side transfer, and Kobe scored a layup.
Looking back, they still couldn't solve the huge damage caused by Yao Ming.
When a super center with mid-range shooting ability and support ability holds the ball at the free throw line, surrounded by a group of elite players, the Lakers really can't capture the defensive focus.
When Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol came up, Yao Ming just held up the basketball and passed it to Leonard easily.
Leonard rushed into the paint, and when faced with Howard's defense, he made a beautiful back-turn, and then made a fadeaway jumper... His movements were not drifting, but he was indeed a stuck version of Jordan.
Whoosh!
Arrested immediately.
Although the Clippers do not have three league firsts and four superstars like the Lakers.
However, each player alone can hold up a whole sky at the right time.
It can be said that all members are elite.
The Lakers are hard to defend against.
Yao Ming played 5 minutes on the court.
Before he felt knee pain and ankle discomfort, the Clippers had already put him down to rest. Although the team doctor and Dr. Lacey said that Yao Ming would be fine playing 10 minutes now, Fan Xi still only gave him about 5 minutes of playing time.
Yao Ming was very puzzled. He jokingly said: As a capitalist, you should squeeze my labor force.
Fan Xi also answered him in a joking way: "You are just taking that little bit of basic salary, what are you doing with your life?"
When Yao Ming came off the court, the Clippers led 20:8 by 12 points.
After Yao Ming left the game, Nowitzki came on.
Nowitzki played poorly in the last game, but in this game, he hit a 3-pointer on his first shot.
He proved with practical actions: You can't expect a superstar to play two games in a row.
At this time, problems within the Lakers arose.
When any team has two sets of plans and two cores, it is bound to be chaotic.
Although this kind of chaos will become hidden under a unified goal, it will inevitably be exposed once it enters adversity.
After the first quarter, the Lakers trailed by 15 points.
After the start of the second quarter, the Clippers accelerated their offensive pace and Stephen Nash ran wildly with the ball.
Fanshie's original intention was to play against the Lakers when the team had such a big lead.
But in the end, the Lakers didn't attack.
He also failed to defend the Clippers' three-point shot.
At halftime, the Lakers trailed by 25 points.
The Clippers fans at Staples Center were extremely excited as they saw the possibility of massacring the Lakers again.
The viewers in front of the TV were also incredulous when they saw this point difference. Although the Clippers felt great tonight, they never expected to be so many points behind.
Kenny Smith even used incredible words to describe it.
Earl Johnson said the Lakers' offense was disorganized and had no central idea.
During the halftime break, Jeanie Buss, Jim Buss, and other shareholders entered the Lakers locker room at the same time. None of them could accept the result. Magic Johnson was also there constantly reminding the players to stay focused and fight tenaciously.
At this time, Kobe was furious.
He directly said harsh words to Paul and Howard: "This is my team. If you don't listen to me, you can refuse to play now."
Kobe is a ruthless person, he always has been.
When Paul showed his cards to him before, he still wanted to be gentle.
But now, the team has reached such a dangerous moment, and he can't bear it any longer. The picture is clear.
Neither Howard nor Paul expected that Kobe would say such a thing in front of so many management and shareholders, and the shareholders and management were all on Kobe's side.
At the end of the day, this is Kobe's team.
Paul and Howard have no way out. They don't have the strength to challenge Kobe.
They have a total of 0 championships, and Kobe already has six championships and two finals MVPs. What can they compare with Kobe?
In the words of Bynum, the famous former Lakers center: Kobe was already a championship before you guys came.
Kobe then asked Paul and Howard to strictly implement defensive strategies, asking them to guard their positions, not to try to show off, to follow the rules and be themselves.
"Defend! Defend! Defend!"
Kobe emphasized again and again.
Defense wins championships, this saying never goes out of style.
The Lakers' defensive ceiling is the highest in the league.
Paul, Kobe, and Howard are all current players with their own defensive systems.
If they all focus on defense, the Clippers' offense will be very difficult, and it will be difficult to create the wide gaps they could easily shoot like in the first half.
Kobe took over the locker room and the tactics. He let his familiar assistant coaches arrange tactics for him.
He knocked D'Antoni out.
This kind of thing happens all the time in the NBA.
But this is the first time in front of the management and team owners.
This fully proves Kobe's transcendent status in the Lakers.
…
"Don't think that we are stable, don't think that we are certain to win."
Fanshie said harsh words to Arenas and Kwame Brown who were fighting in the locker room. The two actually opened champagne during halftime and sprayed it into their mouths, as if they were playing a game.
Horrible adult game.
This made Fan Xi very unhappy.
He felt that Arenas and Kwame Brown were happy too early.
When Fan Xi finished saying this, the two of them immediately stopped moving and put the champagne aside.
Fan Xi's words are true to their word.
No one disobeys his authority, not only because he is the boss, but also because he is the boss.
"The Lakers' paper strength is better than ours. They can produce the theoretically strongest offense and defense in the league today. We just have the advantage of depth in the lineup. But if they wake up, we will be in great trouble even if we play consecutive games."
"Being proud and underestimating the enemy are the most taboo things. What's more, the opponent is stronger than us."
Fan Xi told them seriously.
Then he told everyone: "In the second half, we have to start with defense. I have a feeling that Kobe will not let the game continue at such a fast pace. The next step is the moment when the bayonet will see red."
"This game is crucial. If we win, we will gain an advantage in the entire series. The later their physical fitness becomes, the more likely they are to have problems. Therefore, we must first take the lead in the total score."
Fancy analysis.
Mike Brown then began to explain his defensive tactics.
The atmosphere in the locker room lost its previous relaxed and lively atmosphere, and everyone became tense and solemn.
Because there was so much desire for a championship buried in the Clippers locker room. These desires that had been suppressed in their hearts all year round made them calm down quickly and quietly wait for the dawn to arrive.
…
Beep!
The whistle sounded.
The second half begins.
The Lakers continued the starting lineup structure, except for replacing Webster with Matt Barnes.
This change of strategy announced that the Lakers entered defensive mode.
On the offensive end, Paul also became calm.
He is no longer so anxious to seek to solve the problem on his own. Under the strong pressure of Kobe, he moves within the prescribed range and uses his talents and abilities to connect.
He recognized his position.
He quickly passed a wonderful pass to Kobe. Kobe ran back just right to get the ball, and took advantage of the situation to complete the layup.
The two great superstars formed a silky synergy, and Leonard was difficult to defend, even though the Clippers made their defensive rotations top-notch.
Looking back, they also put unprecedented pressure on the Clippers on the defensive end.
Fan Xi's attack was blocked, he rushed to the paint area and took off, and was flanked by three people. Fan Xi quickly passed the ball to Jordan.
This was an extremely dangerous pass. Jordan received the basketball and was about to dunk when Howard jumped up... He had just participated in the attack on Fan Xi, and then he was able to bounce twice... He interfered with Jordan.
DeAndre Jordan turns a dunk into a floater in the air... BAM!
Missed the basketball.
This shows the defensive pressure of Warcraft.
Gasol protected the rebound and handed it to Paul.
Paul pushed forward steadily.
In the first and second half, the Lakers suddenly came to life.
Fan Xi already understood that the Tigers of the Lakers had truly woken up, and they were finally going to unleash their original energy.
If Howard unleashes his super defensive dominance in the paint, if Chris Paul outputs his assists and passing talents in full, he can be integrated into the Lakers system headed by Kobe Bryant.
Then, the Lakers must be the number one team in the league today.
Fan Xi felt a chill on her back.
At the same time, I felt bursts of joy. Fortunately, the Lakers only woke up at this time.
The Clippers have a huge lead.
And, next time... if we fight to the extreme, it's just a matter of meeting on a narrow road and the brave will win.