NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

49: 50!

With 4 minutes left in the second quarter, the difference between the two sides was only 1 point!
By this point in the game, old Nelson's messy defensive lineup had already been replaced. The old man knew too well what were surprise troops and what were conventional weapons.

You only need to use the surprise troops twice! If you keep seeking credit, the surprise troops will be defeated.

So in fact, with more than a minute left in the first quarter, Nelson replaced Mourning, who was obviously unable to run. Although Mourning only played for a few minutes in the first quarter and did not score a single point, he grabbed 1 rebounds and 1 blocks, and his role on the defensive end was like a pillar of support!
He completed the task perfectly and was one of the biggest contributors to the team's recovery! Nelson fulfilled his promise and made Mourning play to his value in the game.

Mourning also fulfilled his promise. He was indeed ready at any time and anywhere, just waiting for the coach to call his name!
Along with Mourning went down were the other three players except Lin Tian, ​​which means that old Nelson took down four more people at the end of the first quarter. The ones he took down again were the other three main players of the team and Barnes, a guy with unlimited energy.

In fact, if Nelson was not worried that the team might collapse once Lin Tian went there, he would definitely take Lin Tian away as well and let him rest for a while.

But unfortunately, this is the finals, and old Nelson doesn't want his team to fall into the passive situation of falling behind by 10 points again.

We must be cautious!
Nelson's prudence naturally brought about a stable transition for the team. Even in the second quarter, when Lin Tian went to rest and Stoudemire and Anthony led the team, the Knicks did not collapse or fail to hold on.

As the coaches on both sides continued to rotate, players from both sides went up and down, and the formation was constantly adjusted.

However, the Knicks had already used 10 players before the end of the first half, and except for Ariza and Sweetney, the rest of the players had already played.

Old Nelson wanted to give it a try tonight! He wanted to see which players were ready and could be used more in the next game, and which ones failed to work after one try, so he didn't need to have any illusions about them anymore.

Although the Lakers were also constantly replacing players, they only had 8 players on the court.

Apart from the five starters, only three players, shooter Sasha Vujacic, who was selected at the end of the first round in 04, small forward Luke Walton, the son of a famous player, and backup center Ronny Turiaf, had the opportunity to play.

Just looking at the names of these players, you will know why many people think that the strength of this Lakers team has actually declined compared to previous years.

Compared with Horry, Fox, Shaw and other strong players, the Lakers' bench now is definitely old and young, and there are really not many people who are trustworthy.

In other words, O'Neal was really fierce in this year's playoffs, and Kobe was really ruthless in the regular season, so the Lakers were able to hold on to their record and make it all the way to the finals.

But at this point in the season, Jackson can only hope that Kobe and O'Neal will perform at their best and can only hope that these two can lead the team forward!

There is no need to hold back, but you must give it your all!

At this point in the game, Kobe only rested for 2 minutes, and O'Neal only rested for 3 minutes! The minimum playing time for these two tonight must be more than 40 minutes.

At this moment, Kobe has dribbled to the frontcourt again. He is now playing at the No. 1 position. There is nothing he can do about it. Apart from the unreliable guy Fisher, the only other player on the team at the No. 1 position is the even more unreliable Simash Parker.

Jackson would rather change his clothes and go on the court himself than let Parker play at this time.

It would be better for Jackson to change his clothes and go on stage instead of letting him go on stage!

Now, Kobe can only organize it!
The remaining four players on the team are Vujacic, Prince, Turiaf and O'Neal.

Kobe took the ball and faced Lin Tian at the top of the arc. These two good friends who had trained together in Los Angeles faced off again in the finals!

But this time Kobe did not force the shot. Instead, after taking a look, he passed the ball to the right corner!

The person who received the ball was the sharpshooter Vujacic who was selected by the team last year!

After Vujacic got the ball, Turiaf quickly got to the position and helped him block Houston who was rushing over to defend, giving Vujacic a very good opportunity to shoot!

"Shh!"

After a crisp sound, Vujacic did not disappoint Kobe and made the three-pointer with just a raise of his hand!
The Lakers took the lead again.

Looking back, Houston got the chance for a mid-range shot but failed to make it. After the rebound was protected by O'Neal, the Lakers came to the frontcourt and after a series of cooperation and passes, the basketball came into the hands of Vujacic again.

This time, Vujacic was at a 45-degree angle on the wing. After receiving the ball, he took a 3-point shot without hesitation!
"Shh!"

After a crisp sound, Vujacic made a 3-pointer! It was a string!

And these two 3 points were just the beginning.

Seeing Vujacic making three consecutive points, old Nelson immediately replaced Wallace to target this shooter who was mediocre in other aspects except for his shooting and shooting volume. As expected, Vujacic was immediately stagnant again and did not get any chance to shoot for a long time.

But his two 3-pointers gave the Lakers a 5-point advantage, but the Lakers successfully defended it! After another fierce battle between the two sides, only the last 30 seconds were left in the second quarter!
Then, a scene occurred that shocked all the fans in the stadium and even the fans in front of the TV.

O'Neal ran out of the 3-second zone and set a screen for Vujacic on the wing. Then Vujacic shook off Wallace. Kobe's pass arrived on time. Outside the 3-point line, Vujacic received the ball and shot again!

"Shh!"

The third one!

"Oh my God! What did I see? O'Neal came out to set a screen? It wasn't for Kobe, but an off-ball screen for a rookie?" Barkley couldn't help but exclaimed: "Is this world crazy or am I crazy?"

"Maybe Jackson is crazy!" Kenny said quickly, "But his madness obviously paid off! The Lakers' lead has reached 8 points again! Can they hold on to it or even increase the score before the end of the first half?"

Before Kenny and Barkley could finish their words, the Knicks had already quickly served the ball from the baseline. After Lin Tian got the ball, he ran thousands of miles again and reached the Lakers' basket in the blink of an eye. He dodged Kirilenko with a pull-up shot and successfully made a layup.

Lin Tian's quick run narrowed the gap to 6 points again.

But he also left the Lakers a full 24 seconds of offensive time!
The Lakers were not in a hurry this time. Kobe dribbled the ball steadily across the frontcourt and directed his teammates' movements calmly. Then this guy glanced at Jackson, and after the two of them exchanged some kind of look, Kobe made a quick gesture.

Then O'Neal suddenly ran out of the inside, and the two of them did a pick-and-roll at the top of the arc. Then Kobe quickly passed the ball to O'Neal, allowing O'Neal to hold the basketball high at the top of the arc to assist.

This was probably the first time O'Neal had ever done this in his life! This was totally not his previous job.

At the same time, Kobe ran to the wing, and then he and Vujacic had an off-ball cooperation, and he helped Vujacic block the pursuing Wallace.

But Lin Tian, ​​who was chasing Kobe, reacted quickly and shouted, "Switch!"

Then Wallace followed Kobe, and Lin Tian caught up with Vujacic.

Then, Lin Tian suddenly felt a darkness in front of his eyes.

O'Neal!
This guy actually took the initiative to step forward, blocking Lin Tian sideways while passing hands with Wujacic.

Vujacic created space with one step, then pulled it up and threw it without hesitation!
"Shh!"

"Buzz!"

The whistle for the end of the second quarter and the sound of Vujacic's three-pointer going into the net sounded almost at the same time!
This crazy section is finally over!

69:60! Vujacic played the best feeling and state of his life!

Vujacic made 4 three-pointers in a single quarter and scored 12 points!
With his outburst, the Lakers ended the first half with a 9-point lead.

It doesn’t really matter whether Vujacic can continue his second-quarter performance in the second half, or even whether he can perform like this again throughout his career.

What’s important is that in the past 2 minutes, he was the focus of the entire basketball world, he was the savior of Los Angeles!
But what was most surprising was not Vujacic’s sudden outburst, but the way he outburst and the way he scored the last two goals.

First, O'Neal gave him an off-ball screen, then Kobe blocked the bait and made a feint for him, and O'Neal gave him a hand-off and a pick-and-roll. This kind of treatment, let alone the Lakers, even in the US team, I'm afraid few people can enjoy it.

As for the person who arranged this tactic...

First of all, it is certain that it is definitely not Kobe or O'Neal.

"Mad man!" Kenny said sincerely, "This is the highest praise I can give to Phil Jackson! Absolutely crazy!"

"One is the league's recognized No. 1 center and a behemoth under the basket, and the other is this year's league's scoring champion and a super scorer who is in the top five of the MVP rankings."

"Then the question is, who can let the two of them take turns to play assists and set screens? A. Michael Jackson, B. Godzilla, C. Sasha Vujacic."

"Everyone who watched the game just now can only sigh that it was crazy! Crazy Phil, but he also got a crazy result! The Lakers led by 9 points entering the second half, and everything they did was worth it!"

Barkley followed up, "Tonight, Phil was more like the 'mad scientist'! Now I'm looking forward to the second half. Can Don respond in the second half? Can anyone on the Knicks bench stand up?"

"In fact, someone has already stood up. Alonzo made a brief appearance in the first quarter. He supported the team's entire defense in a very limited time, showing people that he was at the peak of his career."

"His 2 points and 2 blocks were the biggest reason why the Knicks didn't fall behind by 10 points or more in the first quarter."

"But obviously, the Knicks need more people to step up now! They need someone who can face off against a surprise player like Vujacic!"

"Those three-point shots are not the fault of any of you." Old Nelson sat in the middle of the locker room, looking at the somewhat dull players, and said lightly: "Who would have thought that Kobe and O'Neal would continuously cover for a pretty boy whose name I don't even know how to spell."

"It was me who didn't anticipate it, who didn't come up with enough game plans and responses, who wasn't good enough, who was slow to react. I apologize to all of you here. I was the first sinner in the first half."

"At the same time, I have to pay tribute to Phil. This old guy is really good. At least in the first half today, he was more like a so-called 'mad scientist' than I am."

At this point, Old Nelson suddenly smiled and said, "Okay, our time for self-examination is over. We don't need any more review and reflection. Next, it's time for us to fight back and get back our feeling!"

"Don't forget, this is our home court. We haven't lost a game here in the playoffs this year!"

"We've never lost anywhere!" Anthony raised his hand and said confidently, "It's only 9 points, coach. Arrange the tactics! We will definitely win the game in the second half!"

"This is why I like you, Melo. You are always confident." Old Nelson said with a smile: "In the second half of the game, let's not change our strategy for the time being."

"As Melo said, it's only 9 points. As long as we maintain our normal level in the second half, it won't be difficult to surpass them!"

"We only have one problem now, that is we not only have to win, but we have to win beautifully!"

"In the second half, just play as you like. You are responsible for winning, and I will be responsible for figuring out how to win beautifully!"

"Everyone, do you understand what I mean?"

After Old Nelson finished speaking, he looked at everyone again.

"The pressure is all on you, Tang!" Lin Tian said with a smile, "We will definitely win the game, but if we don't win beautifully, it's all your fault! You have to think carefully about how to win beautifully! Is that what you mean?"

"Great!" Old Nelson laughed. "The pressure is all on me. As for you, just win the game easily. Nothing can be easier than this, right?"

At this point, Old Nelson looked at his watch and said with a smile, "Well, it's about time!"

"Sasha was a hero in the first half. He saved us. If it weren't for his three-pointer, we would probably be behind now." As per convention and habit, Jackson sat on the highest table in the locker room. He looked at everyone with a serious expression.

"Except for Sasha, I was not satisfied with everyone else's performance in the first half! Very dissatisfied! Well, maybe except for Shaq and Kobe in the last minute! The screens they gave Sasha were the best screens I have ever seen in my life!"

"The names of those two covers are called 'Team'! The last minute showed me what a team is and what is the great tradition of Los Angeles!"

"But the rest of the time, Kobe and Shaq, the two of you performed just so-so, barely not holding back."

"Yes, I know you two guys have great stats. Kobe has 15 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists, but so what? Lin already has 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists! All his stats are better than yours, his shooting percentage is higher than yours, and he even has one less turnover than you!"

"You're really not as good as Lin?" Jackson looked at Kobe and said with a smile, "Do you really think you're not as good as Lin?"

Seeing that Kobe was about to stand up and refute, Jackson reached out to stop him and asked him to be quiet, then turned to look at O'Neal: "Shaq, I don't miss your data because it doesn't matter at all. I just want to know what happened in those two rounds."

"You know which two rounds I'm talking about, can you explain? Or did you also lose a kidney? Alonzo's kidney wasn't donated by you!"

"A 37-year-old guy who is missing a kidney and is 10 centimeters shorter than you can actually restrain you on the defensive end, Shaq, can you give me an explanation?"

Similarly, before O'Neal opened his mouth to explain, Jackson stopped him again. Jackson glanced at his watch, smiled and said to his players: "That's all I have to say. I won't make any adjustments in the second half of the game for the time being."

"But it's hard to say about the next games! Sasha may start the next game, and maybe I will let some unexpected people sit on the bench, but I hope that no matter what decision I make, everyone will be the same as Kobe and Shaq."

"Support me! Trust me, just like the two of them did to cover for Sasha in the first half!"

"There are no privileged players or absolute leaders on this team! We are a team, an equal team! What I want is for everyone to be united, willing to sacrifice, and then, win the damn championship together!"

"Okay, let's go play! Let's take out the New Yorkers and win the first game of the series!"

This halftime break was absolutely magical.

The head coach of the lagging team kept telling jokes. He was trying to get his players to relax, calm down, and then slowly catch up.

However, the head coach of the leading team was so serious that he didn't even smile during the half-time break. He started by knocking on the two absolute core players, reminding everyone to stay tense and to raise their concentration to the highest level and not to relax or be careless!

Two completely different ways of dealing with and preparing for the second half of the game. I just don’t know whose method is more effective and whose team will have the advantage in the second half of the game!

In the second half of the game, both sides continued to fight!
Neither side changed their starting players, and the previous ten players continued to fight on the field.

As soon as the game started, the two sides were once again caught in a fight, with the score increasing at a moderate rate.

The two sides have been fighting back and forth around a 5-10 point gap, and neither dares to be careless or relax! (End of this chapter)