NBA: I just want to play soy sauce, you let me win the championship

Chapter 183 Standing on the Edge of a Cliff
The minor disturbance at halftime did not affect the mentality of the Kings players.

However, I don’t know if it was because of Kobe’s training. The Lakers players, who were a little distracted in the first half, showed great defensive enthusiasm in the second half.

Right, this is like a team competing for the championship!
Um?champion?
Of course, winning the Western Conference championship will give you the league championship for free.

No one really thinks that the Nets in the Eastern Conference can really make waves!

The Lakers replaced Fisher and replaced Fox with Kobe Bryant guarding Bibby.

The Lakers used this trick in the first four games of the series, and the effect was average.

But this time it was different.

Previously, Bibby would give the ball to Divac, and Divac would organize it. Bibby would run without the ball, use his flexible footsteps and the cover of his teammates to get rid of Kobe, and still get a good shot.

But now, Bibby is in charge, playing pick-and-roll with Divac and Webber, and after being bitten fiercely by Kobe, the offense is not so smooth.

But Bibby can't give the ball to Divac like he did in previous games and play without the ball himself.

If we fight like this, the pressure on O'Neal will be too little.

O'Neal will be able to stand under the basket as easily as he did before, without having to worry about Bibby or Divac taking advantage of his ability to protect the basket to score in mid-range and short-range shots.

Adelman also didn't expect that in Game [-], Phil Jackson would still be able to find the critical point of the Kings' offense to counterattack.

In fact, Adelman overestimated Phil Jackson. This defensive plan was proposed by Kobe.

Since Fisher can't guard Bibby, why not let me guard him?

Anyway, Fisher's role is to dribble the ball to the frontcourt, and he has no organizational skills, so why not replace him?
Why keep this defensive colander?
Replacing Fox or George can at least improve the height of the lineup!

The Lakers took advantage of the Kings' sudden offensive sluggishness and prevented three attacks at the beginning of the third quarter. They turned back and scored two attacks by O'Neal.

At 60:66, the Lakers began to chase points.

Los Angeles fans saw this scene in front of the TV and couldn't help clenching their fists in excitement.

Have the opportunity!
There is a chance to fight like this!

But in the next round, Lu Yuanzhi slapped them on the forehead.

Don't make trouble, you have no chance!
Lu Yuanzhi pretended to cut inside, used the cover of Divac and Webb, and came out again. Before George could catch up with him, he caught the ball and shot quickly.

"brush!"

The ball crashed into the net.

Humph, you don't think that if you keep an eye on Bibby, the Kings' offense will really fail!

Have you asked me?

After the Lakers scored another goal from O'Neal, the Kings immediately made a substitution, replacing Christie and replacing him with Turkoglu.

Aren't you going to keep an eye on our offensive engine?
It’s okay, I’ll put on another engine!

If you are not satisfied, we also have Bobby Jackson sitting on the bench, there will always be something that will satisfy you!
Turkoglu's appearance gave the Kings a second outside ball-holding organization point.

The pick-and-roll cooperation between Turkoglu and Divac made George and O'Neal even more uncomfortable.

Yes, it looks weird when a big man plays a pick-and-roll with a big man, but when both of them get close to the basket, George and O'Neal feel even more uncomfortable.

Because one of the two people is bound to be missed.

Because both of them have very stable shots.

Moreover, what is more uncomfortable than Fisher guarding Bibby is that both of them have a height advantage.As long as George is not attached, the shooting interference it can provide will be minimal.

O'Neal watched Turkoglu take a slow shot from outside the penalty area, and finally couldn't help but save it. But the next moment, Turkoglu's exquisite ground pass found Lu Yuanzhi who was cutting in.

Lu Yuanzhi caught the ball and leaned on Fox behind him. His fully enhanced confrontation skills came into play. Fox's small movements behind him did not affect Lu Yuanzhi's layup at all.

"brush!"

Another two points.

"The Lakers are going to be in trouble. Their defense has holes everywhere."

"Fox can't compete with Max at the basket. As long as Max gets the ball under the basket and O'Neal is not around, it will be a very stable score."

"But if O'Neal doesn't guard, it will give Divac and Turkoglu an opportunity to shoot open."

"What's even more fatal is that both Divac and Turkoglu have wonderful passes. You can't judge their passing routes at all, and you can't cut off their passing."

"Look at this ball, Divac pretended to pass the ball to Max, but the ball flew to Webber who was missed, and Webber dunked under the basket!"

"The Lakers ignored one thing and missed the other. How dare they miss Webb? He is the real core of the Kings' offense!"

"The five players on the court of the Kings are all showing their offensive talents, while for the Lakers, the offense can only be played by O'Neal and Kobe, and the other three players cannot provide much help."

"At the end of the third quarter, the Kings fully demonstrated their offensive talent in the first three quarters of this critical G7."

"In just three quarters, they scored 96 points!"

"The Lakers' defense is useless!"

"But fortunately, they still have O'Neal and Kobe, who scored 30 points and 28 points respectively. The Lakers were able to score 82 points and cling to the score."

"To be able to score so many points in three quarters, the performance of O'Neal and Kobe can be said to be outstanding."

"But what about the other Lakers players? What are they doing?"

"If there is no third or fourth person who can step up, the Lakers will be in danger in this game."

On the TNT commentary desk, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith commented on the third quarter.

In their mouths, the game is still anxious, and it is still unknown who will win. In fact, in their hearts, they have already sentenced the Lakers to death.

In this game, the Kings were in really good shape, with an overall shooting percentage of over 50%.

At the same time, the Kings' tactical goal of speeding up the offensive rhythm was also achieved. In the first three quarters, the two teams played 85 offensive rounds.

It can be said that the Kings played everything they wanted to play.

If the Lakers want to make a difference in the fourth quarter, as Barkley and Smith said, at least two of Horry, Fox, Fisher, George and Hunter must step up to replace O'Neal and Kobe. Share the offensive pressure.

But Barkley and Smith knew very well that after these role players felt cold in the first three quarters, it was almost impossible for anyone to stand up in the fourth quarter.

If they had this ability, they would have become famous long ago or won the Best Sixth Man Award.

Do the Lakers have someone like that?
does not exist at all!
Moreover, it is not enough for one person to stand up, at least two people must stand up.

Because Lu Yuanzhi has proven throughout the series that except for O'Neal, he can guard any player on the Lakers.

As long as they are targeted by Lu Yuanzhi, these role players of the Lakers who are just starting to gain momentum will immediately stall.

The Lakers are already standing on the edge of the cliff!
(End of this chapter)