As the referee blows the whistle, the game begins.
Garnett's jump ball was easily better than Jordan's. Starting in such an important game, Jordan was visibly nervous and his reaction to the jump ball was half a beat too slow.
But sometimes being nervous is not a bad thing. Being nervous can keep you alert and focused.
‘Old Fish’ Fisher dribbled the ball across half court, and the Suns defended a pseudo-zone defense in the first round, with Nash at the top of the key and Chen Yan on the wing.
'Old Fish' didn't even do a feint, he hung directly to the inside to Garnett. This was the tactical arrangement of 'Zen Master' Phil Jackson before the game. The Suns' inside line was their weakest link, and Diaw was not tall enough and DeAndre Jordan was
Don't have much experience.
Garnett dropped the ball with his right hand, took a dribble and jumped in. Jordan saw Garnett intending to attack and rushed forward. Garnett found Camby with an inside pass, and the latter caught the ball and took a step in.
Successful dunk with both hands!
0 to 2.
DeAndre Jordan exposed his lack of experience in the first round.
"Watch your own man!" D'Antoni yelled unceremoniously from the sidelines.
Jordan lowered his head like a kid who made a mistake and accelerated toward the offensive half. Chen Yan had predicted this situation before the game. The Lakers would definitely attack the Suns' weak inside line tonight, but the Suns could not focus all their defensive attention.
Put it inside, so Kobe can easily open it.
Sun attack round.
Nash was playing half-time. Jordan was at the top of the arc and actively stepped forward to cover. Fisher used his experience to get around the screen in advance. Nash made a quick change and walked in the opposite direction of the screen!
Derek Fisher moved slowly laterally, and Camby jumped too far. Nash accelerated to get rid of the defense and then made a lowhand layup!
2 to 2.
Nash started the game very resolutely in the first attack. He understood that he had to shoulder more responsibility on the offensive end when Stoudemire was not on the court.
The Lakers attacked, and this round the Suns used a semi-forward defense to prevent Garnett from easily catching the ball in the paint.
Garnett is not a heavy inside man. When he saw his opponent change his defensive strategy, he immediately reached the free throw line to catch the ball. Diaw immediately followed, and the free throw line was also within the range of the "Wolf King".
‘Wolf King’ Garnett did not take a shot, but started a triangle offense with his teammates. He supported the free throw line, Walton dropped to the corner, and Marcus Camby squatted in the low post.
The Lakers were not in a hurry to let Kobe participate in the triangle offense at the beginning. Phil Jackson's task for Kobe at the beginning was to cover the bottom of the offense and 1v1 after the tactics started unfavorably.
The 'Zen Master' didn't want Kobe to exert his strength too early. Against a strong team like the Suns, it would be difficult to determine the outcome without playing until the last few minutes. By then, the physical advantage would be reflected.
Garnett hit the ball to Camby in the low post. Jordan was a clueless young man, but Camby's offensive ability was worrying, and he couldn't get any advantage from him.
Walton immediately cut along the baseline, caught Camby's pass and started to cut in. He cleverly used the screen of Camby and the basket to hit a reverse layup.
4 to 2.
Walton has a high IQ and can execute Phil Jackson's triangle tactics very well, which is why 'Zen Master' put him in the starting lineup tonight.
"When the sun attacks, it still falls behind."
"This is what the Lakers want to see. As long as they maintain the success rate of their offense, the Suns will not be able to counterattack, and their threat on the offensive end will be greatly reduced."
Nash held the ball at the top of the arc and called a pick-and-roll. The routine was exactly the same as in the previous round, but this time the person helping him create a wall was replaced by Chen Yan.
Fisher did not go around the screen in advance in this round. After the pick-and-roll, the Lakers switched defenses. Kobe faced Nash, and Fisher kept up with Chen Yan, who was running without the ball.
Nash moved to a 45-degree angle outside the three-point line, opened up the offensive space, turned around and passed the ball to Chen Yan, allowing him to challenge Fisher one-on-one.
Fisher was badly beaten by Chen Yan in the Western Conference Finals last year. Lakers fans have been clamoring for a point guard switch all summer, but no good candidate has been found. Now it seems that the nightmare is about to happen again.
Chen Yan dropped the ball from the right, took a quick step, and immediately changed direction and switched the ball-holder to his left hand.
Without any tricks, Chen Yan passed the 'Old Fish' in one step after an unpretentious crossover.
Fisher tried his best, he tried his best to keep himself from falling...
Garnett quickly came out to cover up the defense. Chen Yan had already anticipated that Fisher would be targeted by "Zen Master" Phil Jackson. His countermeasure was to let Garnett cover up. Garnett was flexible enough, both in terms of height and wingspan.
It can also restrain Chen Yan very well.
Chen Yan accelerated, jumped one step ahead of Garnett, and moved the ball to Diaw in the corner who was ready to go.
Camby is in a dilemma. If he saves the ball inside, it will be empty. Azubuike only needs to lob the ball in and the basket will be empty. If he does not go out, Diaw will directly shoot the ball open.
After weighing the situation, Camby still chose to stay inside.
After all, jump shots have a lower hit rate than dunks under the basket.
Diaw adjusted and took a mid-range shot from the bottom corner.
"Whoosh!"
No problem, the basketball hits the net.
4 to 4.
The Lakers' offensive round is still a triangle offense. Kobe stands on the top line and continues to play the role of the bottom of the offense.
The Lakers' triangle offense didn't go so smoothly in this round. The problem still lies with Camby. As a defensive gate, Camby's offensive methods are really not good enough. During the NCAA period, Camby was as famous as Duncan. In the last year of their college careers, Camby was as famous as Duncan.
, Camby averaged 20.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game, while Duncan averaged 20.8 points, 14.7 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks.
With his strong defense, Camby still won the John Wooden Award (National College Player of the Year) and the Naismith Award (Naismith College Player of the Year) in his junior year. The limelight even overshadowed his contemporaries.
The two superstars of the era, Iverson and Duncan, also had a poor performance when Camby made 4 of 18 shots in the direct dialogue between the two.
Camby's glorious college career also made Camby the second pick of the 1996 golden generation, but after entering the league, his offensive flaws were infinitely magnified, which is why he has never been able to become a top insider in the league.
But now the Lakers don't need a first-class inside man. Camby only needs to do his job on the defensive end, and leave the rest to Kobe and Garnett.
Camby couldn't find any opportunities in the paint. Kobe suddenly accelerated and ran toward the baseline. Azubuike stayed close to him. Camby was not very capable of passing the ball and did not dare to pass the ball rashly.
The Lakers' offense was at a stalemate. Kobe made a reverse run and ran around to Camby. Camby handed the ball over.
The Lakers generals understood this and took advantage of the situation to clear the entire left side for Kobe to use his back one-on-one.
Kobe beat Azubuike hard with his back. Azubuike's defense is not as delicate as that of Laga Bell, but his physical fitness and strength are better than Laga Bell. Kobe's post-up singles seemed a bit difficult. Of course,
Another very important reason that makes it difficult for him is that Chen Yan keeps advancing and retreating at a 45-degree angle from the free throw line, and may be double-teamed at any time.
In this case, it is impossible for Kobe to turn around to the free throw line, which would be equivalent to walking directly into the Sun's trap.
Kobe hit the ball three times in a row and then decisively turned toward the baseline. Azubuike had expected it, because Kobe had only this option. Azubuike moved early and got stuck in front of Kobe.
Kobe was very uncomfortable. Azubuike's prediction was successful and he could not finish the shot comfortably. At this time, there was little time left in the attack. Kobe held the basketball high, made a pivot with his right foot, took a half step to the right with his left foot, and then suddenly turned over
A very difficult fadeaway jump shot from a negative angle!
The fans at the scene cheered again and again. Azubuike shook his head and ran back to the offensive half. Kobe was indeed the ceiling of strong shooting. As long as he had a little space to shoot, he could throw any ball.
The Suns attacked and Chen Yan continued to take the ball in singles.
Kobe tugged on his shorts. He wanted to guard Chen Yan for one round, but Chen Yan had no intention of dueling with Kobe. Before the game, D'Antoni specifically emphasized that Chen Yan should save his energy.
Jordan mentioned the high-post screen, and the Lakers immediately switched defense, giving Chen Yan a chance to play small.
Chen Yan continuously moved Camby's center of gravity with his crotch. Camby is the best defensive player, but his coverage area is limited to the free throw line. Chen Yan's world is outside the three-point line.
"Bang!"
After the third crotch, Chen Yan immediately took a step back to widen the distance.
Chen Yan held the ball in his left hand, stopped his body, and immediately made a fake move of "worshiping to Buddha". Camby had a premonition that Chen Yan was fake, but his body still followed him unconsciously. The moment Camby's heart beat, Chen Yan instantly changed direction from
He rushed past him and passed very cleanly.
Textbook size and big size!
Chen Yan charged all the way to the basket with sparks and electricity. Garnett let go of Diaw and rushed forward. Chen Yan took a big step and did not hide from Garnett. He took the second step into the penalty area and then tensed up his muscles to take off.
Within the reasonable collision area, the two people collided violently!
Chen Yan's acceleration distance was very long and the impact was very strong. Garnett was hit so hard that he couldn't jump. Chen Yan lags in the air and picks the ball in with his fingers.
To be able to finish so softly under such a powerful impact, Chen Yan handled the ball very carefully.
6 to 6, both sides started the game very efficiently.
