"Kobe and Chen will definitely compete against each other, so they must be prepared first and control the penalty scale. The intensity of this game will be very high."
Before the game started, the head referee of this game, Joey Crawford, pulled the bottom line referee and the sideline referee aside to explain.
What Joey Crawford meant was also what David Stern meant. The president knew that sparks would fly between the two on the court, so he specifically told Joey Crawford to pay attention to the penalty scale and not to ruin it.
This Christmas war is the focus of everyone's attention.
After the players from both sides briefly greeted each other, the game officially started.
Garnett won the jump ball, and the ball just fell into Kobe's hands. Kobe took a step forward and handed it to Fisher.
After halftime, Fisher played a pick-and-roll with Camby and broke through to the left. Camby did not follow the pass after the break, but stood a short step outside the free throw line. The "Zen Master" arranged a tactic to let the penalty kick start.
Nate goes to storm.
However, Garnett was entangled by Diaw's half-circle and was unable to catch the ball for a while. Fisher turned around and quickly distributed the ball to Camby in the high post.
Camby hesitated for a moment, then saw that Stoudemire didn't pounce on him, so he raised his hand and took a long two-point shot.
Camby's shot was a bit weird. It looked like a crooked machine gun. It was obviously a normal right-hand shot, but he insisted on putting the ball on the left side. In order not to block his sight, he had to raise his elbow to the sky.
, looks very awkward.
I don’t know if Camby’s shooting coach didn’t teach him basic basketball theory like three 90 degrees when he was a kid, but it’s more likely that he deserted when he was taking lessons when he was a kid.
"Whoa!"
2 to 0.
Although his posture is unsightly, Camby has a certain mid-range shooting ability, and he is the type who dares to shoot if you dare to let him go.
When the Suns attacked, Stoudemire held the ball in the high post and continued to test and then took two strong steps. After the confrontation, the master made a layup and hit the board, returning Camby's one.
2 to 2.
Camby is a well-known center with poor confrontation ability, but he has excellent body shape and wingspan, and has amazing jumping. He has very strong defense and assist defense capabilities. He likes to put outside players into the penalty area and block shots on them.
He can't guard against a big man like Yao with strong back-up ability, but Stoudemire's favorite is an inside line who faces the frame and attacks.
This shot was very difficult. Stoudemire won applause from all the fans after making the shot, and the Suns bench also stood up and applauded.
The first attack of both sides went smoothly. Fans thought it was a scoring battle after watching these two goals, but no one expected that this was the only sports goal scored by each side in the first 3 minutes.
Camby then tried two more mid-range shots, which were good opportunities, but both ended in a blackout. This made Camby very humiliated, and those who didn't know thought he was blinded by his first shot.
The Suns felt really bad tonight and couldn't pick up their rhythm, but luckily the Lakers were also in ridiculous shape.
In the first quarter, the two sides scored an ultra-low score of 21 to 20. If the team names were hidden and the fans looked at the score, they would think it was a Christmas Day battle between the Spurs and Pistons.
Chen Yan scored 7 points on 2 of 5 shots in a single quarter, and Kobe scored 5 points on 1 of 6 consecutive shots with free throws.
Both of them were out of shape. During the first quarter of the game, the camera kept showing Swift in the audience. Many fans also had their own interpretations of the directing operation. They relied on their intuition and experience as men to judge that Chen Yan was not in good condition.
It has something to do with Swift.
Vanessa didn't come to watch the away game, otherwise the director would most likely have given her a few close-ups.
Ariza and Laja Bell are the only two happy players of the two teams. Ariza feels that Chen Yan’s missed shot is because his defensive pressure is too strong, while Laja Bell feels that he can lock down Chen Yan without using his claw hand.
Kobe is gone...
The biggest pride of a top defensive player is to see his opponent's players being cold and unable to score points, which is even happier than when they score high points.
The Christmas war turned into an iron fight, and the excitement was not as exciting as fans expected.
Barkley even joked: "The players of the Lakers and Suns have magic. They turned Christmas into Blacksmith's Day."
The fans did not expect that this game would become so dull. The only thing they are looking forward to now is that the players on both sides can pick up their game in the coming days, especially Chen Yan and Kobe.
In the second quarter, the two benches faced each other. The bench players on both sides had a slightly higher shooting percentage than the starters, but not much higher. The main players returned after a few minutes, and the short rest did not make them feel hotter.
Kobe continued to use jump shots from both sides to find touch, while Chen Yan changed his combat strategy and used impact power to cause damage inside.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Kobe continued to hammer the rim of the American West Arena, and his head was more than a little stronger than Chen Yan, otherwise he would not have said that even if he missed 20 shots, he would take the 21st shot.
"Zen Master" Phil Jackson also acquiesced in Kobe's use of shots to find touch. The whole team was in poor condition. At this time, it was a good tactical choice to let the star player find touch.
Chen Yan's breakthrough to the basket to cause damage seems more rational, but the effect is not much better. Garnett and Camby are both the league's top rim protectors, and there is a defensive champion Ariza next to them. If not,
It's very difficult to break through their defenses in a positional battle if you add up your speed.
The inaccurate shooting caused the Lakers to shrink their defense very deep. Their big man only had to sit back and wait for Chen Yan, which further made the Suns' game more difficult.
In the second quarter, the efficiency of both sides was still not high. D'Antoni simply made a big move and replaced Jordan and Barnes. If the shooting rate is not good, the rebounds and the second offense can't be lost, right?
But even with DeAndre Jordan and Barnes on the rebounds, the Suns still couldn't beat Garnett Camby.
Garnett and Camby are the two best rebounders in the league. Garnett led the league in rebounding for four seasons from 2003 to 2007, and Camby ranks among the top ten in the league in rebounding all year round.
Not to mention these two, even if Stoudemire is added, he can't beat the Lakers' inside combination. Stoudemire has never averaged more than 10 rebounds per game in his career.
If the Suns continue to focus on rebounding and second-chance attacks, they can already admit defeat in advance. This is equivalent to using one's own shortcomings to touch other people's strengths.
The Suns only scored 19 points in this quarter, and the Lakers only scored 24 points. The two sides battled to 45-40.
During the halftime break, D'Antoni changed his tactics. He believed that the Suns played too tight tonight and would suffer a slow death if they continued to play like this. It was better to let go of the defense and let the Lakers take more shots to gain more rounds.
D'Antoni admitted that his strategy was a bit of a gamble, but he was right. The Lakers still showed no signs of recovery in the second half. They were all in trouble in the first three offenses, and the Suns took the opportunity to launch three waves of counterattacks and hit two of them.
The most exciting one is Chen Yan's one-stop European step reverse dunk after grabbing the backcourt rebound!
Seeing this goal, the already stunned home fans suddenly became energetic!
This is what they want to see when they buy tickets and go to the venue!
Chen Yan also kept roaring into the audience, responding to the cheers of the fans.
Chen Yan's dunk had a refreshing effect, and the home fans chanted "Defense" in the next defensive round.
This strategy is a bit desperate. If the Lakers happen to find their offensive touch in the second half, they may take away the Suns in one wave.
Kobe was also stimulated by Chen Yan's wonderful goal, and fought in singles against the noise.
Raja Bell used a regular defensive posture to stand behind Kobe. Kobe's efficiency tonight convinced him that he could defend this ball.
Kobe held the ball in the triple threat. After two consecutive fake shots, he suddenly moved the ball to the right. Laga Bell was in front of Kobe. Kobe took a step with his right hand and then stopped the ball at the free throw line and feinted. Laga Bell was calm and did not be fooled.
, Fisher ran to the wing to connect, but Kobe had no intention of passing the ball.
Kobe used his left foot as the axis and turned in the opposite direction.
Mamba moves?
No, Kobe threw the ball hard toward the backboard at the moment he turned around, and then quickly cut inside.
Garnett worked very tacitly to block Stoudemire behind him, leaving no one to defend him and allowing Kobe to fly freely!
"Bang!"
Kobe completed the self-throw and dunk without interference!
Laga Bell didn't react at all and stood there watching Kobe's performance.
The Lakers bench threw up the towel, and Kobe stared at Chen Yan angrily. This throw and dunk was a response to Chen Yan's European step back dunk.
Chen Yan was not to be outdone. Before Nash had even passed the half, he waved his little hand for the ball countless times.
The fans were excited and the game suddenly became interesting!