First in scoring

Chapter 511 509. You have a base but no attack? I have the strongest high school student in history!

Zhang Yang and Kobe were not only the focus of the fans at the scene, but the players of both teams also focused their attention on them after entering the venue.

Of course, their teammates have very different ideas.

Wolf King and Ji Bugong: Boss, just glare at him and don’t go up to him to get angry. You can’t win the argument with Zhang San.

Xiao Fei's thoughts were written on his face, and Xiao Duncan was secretly thinking: The third brother is here! The old blacksmith will be pissed off!
Surprisingly, the two did not quarrel before the game, but looked across the technical table. The players of both teams followed their line of sight and looked at...The Lord of the Rings!

At this moment, no words are needed, the smoke of gunpowder filled the stadium...

The time came to 8 o'clock in the evening and the game began.

The starting lineups of both teams remained the same. Okafor beat Kwame Brown to win the jump ball, and the Bobcats attacked first!

Zhang Yang carried out the first attack, passed Kobe, rushed to the right elbow area, suddenly grabbed the ball, changed direction and stepped to avoid Garnett, took another step to the left side of the basket, avoided Kwame Brown's block with a backhand and made a layup!

Looking back, Kobe played against Zhang Yang alone. He slowed down after reaching the free throw line, turned sideways and moved closer to Zhang Yang who was returning to his original position. After the confrontation, he grabbed the ball, turned over, and shot a fade away jump shot... and it hit!
Seeing the surprise flashing across Zhang Yang's face, the old blacksmith said: Humph, I didn't expect Ben Mamba to copy your moves so quickly!

Zhang San: A 30-year-old blacksmith has learned the minimally invasive skills of a 35-year-old old blacksmith?

Zhang Yang was not surprised to be "learned" by Kobe. After all, he had always learned from others in the past. For example, in the second round, he learned a lot from Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson and Bibby in person. In the finals, he fought Kobe for four games in a row and learned a lot from how to use confrontation while moving. However, this was the first time that someone had learned from him in person.

However, as long as Kobe learns it, he can use it during the finals. Zhang Yang doesn't think it's strange. This is the playing style that Kobe adjusted according to his declining physical fitness after minimally invasive treatment. It's already the 35th day since the finals started. God knows how many times Kobe has secretly practiced these days.

It's just that Kobe's technique of slowing down, collecting the ball, and turning around for a jump shot is so similar to Zhang San's technique of slowing down, collecting the ball, and stepping back for a mid-range shot, doesn't it mean... ?
At this moment, the TV commentator is saying that Kobe learned Zhang Yang's skills, and he has a reason and evidence. The TV director cuts the close-up video as evidence...

Zhang Yang and Kobe both played beautifully in the first attack of the game. They seized the opportunity when the opponent was double-teaming and made layups with European steps, and used their solid basic skills to create a rhythm difference and make turnaround jump shots based on their hard power, showing their excellent competitive state. The match point battle officially began.

In the first few rounds, the Bobcats played well on offense, shooting 6 of 3, plus a free throw and a cut-in jump shot that caused a foul and two free throws, scoring 9 points. However, the pressure on Carlisle on the sidelines increased because the opponent shot 7 of 4, including a three-pointer by Kidd, and he also scored 9 points!
Just as the Bobcats had analyzed and predicted in their prep meeting the afternoon before, the Lakers returned to their regular defense and made no adjustments.

The Lakers' defense will have fewer possibilities because of this, but it will also return to the way it was in G1 to G3. Garnett and Kidd, two big guys who can provide backup defense and tandem defense, are the best in the league in terms of forward and guard single defense ability. Coupled with a top center who can protect the rim, there are no obvious weaknesses!
Carlisle no longer has to rack his brains to figure out how to make targeted offensive adjustments, but he also loses space to operate.

He felt a little regretful, shook his head and put the pressure aside. In that case, he would just have to compete with his own strength and the team members' ability to respond independently!

The opponent has Ji Bu Attack, but he also has the strongest high school student in history!

...

After the two teams competed against each other at the beginning, they tacitly slowed down their offensive momentum and entered a tug-of-war.

The Lakers focused on not making mistakes and playing basic defense like they did in G1 to G3. The Bobcats were actually the same, focusing on solid defense like they did in G2 to G4.

The defense of both teams seemed unremarkable and mediocre, but for the Lakers, who have the strongest defensive lineup, and the Bobcats, who have one of the best rotation defenses in the league, this is their most terrifying defense.

Both sides did not dare to play too aggressively on the offensive end for fear of making mistakes. The Lakers did not want to be like in G1, where they were blown up by the opponent due to a careless team offensive coordination; the Bobcats also did not want to follow the old path of the Lakers in G1, and both teams played with extreme restraint.

This earned the Lakers praise from the commentators.

The Bobcats were leading 3-1 and had a huge psychological advantage, so it was normal for them to be patient and play it safe.

The Lakers are on the brink of losing the championship, and are facing a dangerous situation that no team has ever turned around since the establishment of the NBA.

The last team that trailed 1-3 in the finals was also the Lakers. In F4, the Lakers' offense and defense collapsed in G5. They fought and dug holes everywhere, not only scoring only 45 points in the first half, but also the Pistons, whose highest score in the first four games was only 4 points, scored 91 points in the first half and were slaughtered in the match point battle.

But this time the Lakers stabilized. Kobe's choice to initiate the offense, Kidd's control, and Garnett's transfer were all praised by the commentators.

Both teams were patiently waiting for the other side to make a mistake first, but this tug-of-war lasted until the end of the first quarter!
At this point in the game, not only had the two teams' team defense reached its best condition, but their offensive coordination was also the same. The head coaches did not "make trouble" and focused on lineup rotation and playing time allocation. They all played an excellent team performance and did not give the other side any chance!
With one minute entering the first quarter, the Bobcats led the Lakers by one point, 1 to 25. It was the Lakers' turn to attack. Kobe received the ball in the high post and made a gesture. Kidd and Gasol Jr. were ready to receive the ball and retreat. Garnett and Shannon Brown were ready to rush. Kobe turned around and faced Hill, starting with a three-threat shot, leaning forward... pulling back, stepping back and shooting a mid-range shot... and it hit!
There was nothing Hill could do about it. Kobe used several new tricks tonight, all of which he learned from his third brother.

Hill admires Kobe for this. In order to become stronger, this guy never considers the so-called "face". He can ask Payton for help and is even willing to seek advice from Stockton and Nash. McGrady, who has a good relationship with him, has been exploited a long time ago. It is rumored that Kobe also specially studied the step-and-change direction skills of the sophomore genius No. 2 pick Durant, although he did not learn it... It was not a surprise to him that he learned from Zhang Yang during the finals.

As for Kobe being able to use it after just a few days of learning...it's not a complicated trick. Hill is also a player with extremely solid basic skills, and he can imitate new techniques very quickly. It's just that his current physical condition does not support him to use it in NBA-level games.

In the offense-defense transition, Zhang Yang ran to receive the ball, faced Kobe's pursuit and defense, leaned back like a horse-riding archer, and shot with a little space between his front and back feet... and it hit the target!
27 to 26, Zhang Yang responded to Kobe's mid-range shot!
In the last attack of the first quarter, Kidd used up the time and threw the ball directly to Kobe who ran out. Facing Hill's pursuit and Zhang Yang's flank defense, Kobe turned around and drifted back to make a three-pointer, scoring 5 points in a row and leading the Lakers to overtake the Bobcats by two points with a score of 29 to 27 and end the first quarter.

After the intermission, the Lakers, who attacked first in the second quarter, created a three-point opportunity in the bottom corner, but Shannon Brown missed the open three-pointer. Zhang Yang turned around and received the ball on the right side of the top arc and made a pull-up shot. Yan Ye was within inches of Kidd and hit a three-pointer, responding to Kobe's singles again across the quarter.

Kidd has no choice either. Ariza is resting, and he wants to create a few minutes of rest for Kobe on the defensive end. Zhang Yang has an attitude of 'I will definitely attack this ball'. Currently the twin towers in the interior are Kwame Brown and Gasol Jr., who are close and will be passed by. If they are not so tight, he will be outnumbered by Yan Ye. He will definitely choose to defend against the breakthrough. After all, he just came back from the intermission. Maybe Zhang Yang needs to accumulate his touch?

Facts have proved that Zhang San is as unreasonable as the old blacksmith.

After the official timeout in the first quarter, Kobe only shot once in more than four minutes. At the end of the quarter, he made two consecutive shots. Zhang Yang was just as domineering after returning from the break.

Kobe and Zhang Yang both scored 5 points in a row. After Zhang Yang hit the three-pointer in response, the two of them tacitly entered the team cooperation mode.

In the confrontation, they could not do anything to the opponent. Afflalo, who replaced Hill, could not cause much interference to Kobe, and Kidd was at a disadvantage in height and athletic ability, and he could not stop Zhang Yang who was in good form just by relying on skills and experience. The two big men in the first team with two double-doubles faced each other directly, which might have more variables, but it would inevitably bring greater consumption. Kobe had better physical strength, but the Bobcats had better lineup depth, with 11 rotations and the Lakers had 9 rotations. Since G2, every game against Kobe has been a rotation defense... In special stages like before and after the official timeout and at the end of the quarter, it is okay to attack fiercely, but it is not a wise move for both of them to prolong the battle line when there is no chance to blow up the opponent in one fell swoop.

This trend will eventually depend on personal ability, and they don't want to be unable to swing by that time.

It was another see-saw battle. In the next 11 minutes and 50 seconds, the Bobcats scored 26 points and the Lakers also scored 25 points. With the three-pointer that Zhang Yang made at the beginning, the Bobcats responded to the Lakers with 29 points in a single quarter!
At the end of the first half, the Bobcats overtook the Lakers by two points with a score of 56 to 54 and entered the halftime break!
...

Back in the locker room, Zhang Yang asked Vincent for the statistics and found that their data was very close to that of the opponent. They both made 21 shots and 7 free throws. The only difference in the number of goals was that the Lakers made 5 three-pointers, while the Bobcats made 7. Felton, Afflalo and Brad Miller all performed well in three-point shooting tonight, making a total of 5 three-pointers.

The defensive data is quite different. The Bobcats had 6 blocks in the first half, while the Lakers had only 5. However, the Lakers had 7 steals and made the pass go out of bounds, while the Bobcats had only steals and made the pass go out of bounds. However, the two teams only had turnovers in the first half, which is amazingly low! Almost no mistakes!
科比首节13分、第二节8分，半场打了21分钟，16投8中、其中三分球4中2，加上3中2的罚球拿到20分。

Zhang San scored 9 points in both quarters and played for 20 minutes in the first half. He made 13 of 6 shots, including 5 of 2 three-pointers, and 4 of 4 free throws for 18 points, which is a little lower than Kobe. He and Kobe both had a lot of assists, 4 in the first half, but he also had 3 blocks when he retreated to defend, two of which were got when Brad Miller was protecting the rim, which greatly reduced the defensive pressure on his teammates inside. When Kobe defended him alone, he did a good job of limiting his shots, but his assist defense was not as good as his.

Whether it's the team or the matchup between him and Kobe, they are evenly matched.

The situation was so tense that he became even more excited. This was exactly the finals he had been looking forward to!
He thought of the words in the movie Highlights of Humanity that caused him to be criticized by Atlanta fans and possibly ousted. When the Lakers stick to basic defense and do not take the initiative to attack or reveal any flaws, the three big stars of the Hawks are really the most suitable to disrupt the Lakers' defense.

The three of them have almost all the offensive methods of perimeter players. They can play singles, pass the ball, and cooperate. Moreover, they are all very strong in the playoffs. They are more suitable for sniping the Lakers than the Nuggets. The Nuggets' defense is almost non-existent. The Hawks not only have three big stars, but also are ranked as the top four defensive teams in this year's playoffs with the Bobcats, Lakers, and Bulls. However, the Hawks have a fatal flaw - although their offensive ceiling is high, their lower limit is extremely low, even lower than the Bulls with Yao Ming + Hinrich's combination of inside and outside.

Zhang Yang ate a few slices of whole wheat bread to replenish his energy. After a while, when his teammates returned to the locker room, Carlisle emphasized some necessary points on both offense and defense, and then left time for the players.

Zhang Yang actively discussed with his teammates, and together with Hill and Brad Miller, helped his teammates to refine the adjustments to be made.

In fact, the situation was so tense that many players on the Bobcats were under great pressure, and there was also the goal of "preventing the finals from returning to Charlotte"... But seeing Zhang Yang enjoying it, they felt a lot more relieved.

And with the three best tactical minds on the team helping them sort out what to do, they have to think a lot less...

After the intermission, the Zen Master sent out the combination of Fisher, Kobe, Ariza, Garnett, and Gasol Jr., and Carlisle sent out the combination of Felton, Zhang Yang, Afflalo, Millsap, and Okafor.

The third quarter started with the Lakers attacking first.

After Fisher finished his advancement, he passed the ball to Kobe. Kobe was ready for a fast break, but just as he was about to receive the ball, he was blocked!

Kobe secretly yelled that it was not good, and pressed his body to the left to speed up the ball receiving action, but he lost because of his short arms...

Zhang Yang's fingertips touched the ball first and then he poked the ball out!

Kobe Bryant's action of pressing forward to catch the ball was not enough to control his strength, and he jumped out half a step. Zhang Yang passed from behind Kobe, rushed forward, grabbed the ball before Kobe turned around and caught up with him, and launched a counterattack!
Kobe tried to steal the ball but failed, but he forced Zhang Yang to slow down when dribbling from behind. Kobe retreated to the three-point line first and did not stay at the top of the arc to defend Zhang Yang. The other two outside players of the Bobcats also rushed over. Afflalo was entangled by Ariza, but Fisher failed to stop Felton.

If he blocks the ball, he might be dribbled past, and there will be no one defending the basket, so he will lose two points; if he presses forward, he may not be able to interfere successfully, and he may lose three points, or Felton may grab the offensive rebound and lose two points; if he doesn't press forward and protects the rebound, the opponent may not be able to make the shot, and he will have to prevent the counterattack caused by this mistake... Kobe instinctively made the best choice.

But the best choice does not always bring the best results. Zhang Yang stopped outside the three-point line, received the ball, and made a three-pointer!

Felton rushed into the paint and heard a "shit". The old blacksmith cursed? How rare! Why do you feel so happy?

Oh, it was because the lead reached 5 points, and definitely not because someone broke the defense.

The score was 59 to 54, and cheers and groans were heard at the same time.

Fisher ran back and received the ball, passing it to Kobe who was in a blocking stance.

This way of receiving the ball means that Kobe has given up the idea of ​​playing fast.

If you want to play fast when facing Zhang Yang's defense, you have to reduce other actions, such as blocking when receiving the ball, which would make it possible to be pressed again. Zhang Yang's quick reaction made Kobe dare not take any more risks.

Then he can only go forward against the defense. Kobe is not afraid of this, even if the opponent is also a defensive boss. A quick attack is just an offensive option for him. The offensive choice was wrong and the ball was intercepted by the opponent. After all, it is not a big deal. It's just a bit embarrassing, but it's not like he has never been embarrassed before.

What really made him unable to hold back his curses and increased his pressure was that the score difference had reached 5 points, and at least two goals were needed to catch up. He originally thought that after scoring a goal at the beginning of the second half to tie the score, he would continue the tug-of-war, wait for the opponent to make mistakes, or fight for the key ball at the end.

But it’s no longer possible now. We must find a way to plug the holes caused by these two goals and not let the opponent turn these 5 points into a ‘fixed score difference’.

He has studied the Bobcats' playoff games this year many times, especially the series between the Bobcats and the Hawks. Once the Bobcats gain an advantage and maintain it, the Hawks are doomed. In the few games the Hawks were able to win, the best thing they did was not letting the Bobcats maintain an advantage of more than 5 points for a long time... Of course, for any team, maintaining a lead is a huge advantage, but the Bobcats' defense of 'team first, individual second' is too stable, and they are particularly good at taking advantage of this.

With a determined mind, Kobe leaned sideways to Zhang Yang, turned around, passed Zhang Yang who was pressing forward to block his turnaround shot, broke into the inside, took a step to the left on the right side of the three-second zone to avoid Millsap who was defending, grabbed the ball, took two steps in a row, and jumped with the third step, facing Okafor's block and making a layup... Hit!
The whole audience was amazed by this ball. Whether they came to support the Lakers or Zhang Yang, they were all shocked by Kobe's waist. The female fans envied Vanessa...

The attack came down hard, Kobe retreated and focused on defense. He blocked the ball and, relying on the breakthrough just now, had the opportunity to tie the score with one goal!

But Zhang Yang did not ask for the ball for a one-on-one play. Felton passed the ball to Okafor in the low post. Okafor turned around at a 45-degree angle and made a hook shot... which hit the backboard!
Old Blacksmith: Zhang San, why are you so steady? When Ben Mamba was your age, he was fighting with the Sharks for shots. How can you just give up your unlimited shooting rights?

Feelings of envy, jealousy and hatred suddenly welled up in my mind.

But he had to admit that this was the best choice for the Bobcats who already had a "fixed advantage" of one goal. The center's scoring was used to withstand pressure in the regular stage. The Lakers would not double-team Okafor, but leave it to the center to defend alone. Duncan, who played in his second peak period, and Okafor, who had all-round skills, had the conditions to score.

Kobe was patient and when the Lakers attacked, he continued to break through. If the opponent did not double-team him in advance, he would try to get closer to the basket before shooting. If the double-team came quickly, he would pass the ball to teammates who had a chance. These teammates performed well in receiving the ball tonight.

In the next two rounds, Kobe scored another goal and passed the ball to Garnett for a mid-range shot, which Garnett also made. However, Okafor on the opposite side turned around and made a close-range jump shot at the baseline, received the ball, turned around and made a fake hook move, then turned forward and leaned forward for a layup to avoid Garnett's block...all went in!

This was not a sudden decision by Zhang Yang and Felton to let Okafor handle the pressure. It was an idea proposed by Zhang Yang during the halftime break. If the Lakers failed to score in the first attack of the third quarter and they scored, they would play like this. Zhang Yang was originally prepared to take on the task of handling the pressure himself, but Okafor took the initiative to volunteer, saying that if Gasol started in the third quarter, he was confident that he could score the ball. So when Zhang Yang saw that Kobe had a tendency to play a fast sneak attack, he decisively attacked...

65 to 60, when the team needed to score goals steadily to withstand the pressure, Okafor held on!

It was the Lakers' turn to attack again. Zhang Yang, Okafor and Millsap cooperated and forced Kobe to pass the ball to the empty Garnett. Garnett received the ball and made a mid-range shot... It missed!
Fierce attack VS pressure resistance, the longer the rounds drag on, the greater the pressure on the shooting player. Duncan Jr. was calm enough to withstand the pressure, but the Iron-Blooded Wolf King has always been lagging in this aspect, and this time he was so lagging that the shooting angle was crooked!

Millsap and Okafor were in position, Zhang Yang grabbed the defensive rebound and launched a counterattack!

Kobe, Ariza, and Garnett cooperated in retreating and did not give Zhang Yang a chance to chase for a three-pointer. Afflalo's wing cut was also blocked. Garnett also returned to the basket and successfully pressed the opponent into a positional battle, but the position was messed up and Gasol Jr. had not retreated yet!

Zhang Yang passed the ball to Millsap who was cutting to the basket. Garnett could only make up for it. Millsap lobbed the ball to the right side of the basket... Okafor rushed into the inside and slammed it with both hands!
67比60，山猫队领先优势来到7分，奥卡福和湖人队打了个8比6！

The Zen master crossed his hands together and made circles with his thumbs. This was his movement when he was thinking. He felt that he had suffered a huge loss this time!

He also didn't expect that Okafor could withstand the pressure brought by Kobe!
But he still controlled his expression. He couldn't panic at this time. He let Kidd suppress the offensive momentum and slow down. They had only played a few rounds in the third quarter. He couldn't rush...

At this time, the person sitting next to him stood up. The Zen Master looked up and saw, "Oh, it's Kidd. Want to get closer to observe the game? Can I see more clearly with just these two steps...Who? Kidd? Wow! I forgot that it was Fish on the court!"

The Zen Master looked towards the court suddenly, and saw Kobe Bryant shooting a three-pointer facing Zhang Yang... The ball hit the rim with a "clang" and bounced back towards the front of the basket!

Zhang Yang took two steps back and grabbed the defensive rebound before Garnett, starting a fast break!

Seeing this, Kobe ran back quickly. After retreating to the three-point line, he ignored the people on the two wings. When Zhang Yang slowed down and took a step, he pounced on him and blocked Zhang Yang!
However, the speed and distance of Zhang Yang's stride after slowing down were determined based on the timing and distance of Kobe's pounce, and he gave a little more distance, so the take-off point was more than one meter away from the top arc!
Judging the distance for chasing shots was one of the things Zhang Yang focused on when he first started practicing this technique, and it has already become an instinct!

Kobe tried his best to block the shot, but the ball still went out more than ten centimeters in front of his hand!
He could only hope that Zhang Yang's ultra-long three-pointer, which was about eight and a half meters away from the basket, would miss. However, when he landed and turned his head, he saw that the ball hit the basket near the neck, bounced a little, and then spun into the basket!

Felton had already rushed to the three-point line. There was no one under the basket. The three inside players of both teams had just passed the center circle, and Gasol had not even come out of the three-point line. Zhang Yang shot even more fearlessly and hit a three-pointer from a very long distance!
After the ball fell into the basket, the whistle sounded immediately and the Lakers called a timeout!

(End of this chapter)