Basketball's No. 1 Anti-Fan

Chapter 267 Admiral Owen can kill BOAT
After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups of both sides were announced one after another.

Lakers: Jeremy Lin, Kobe Bryant, James, Frye, Varejao
Cavaliers: Irving, Hansen, Tucker, TT, Bargnani

After entering December, Bargnani has snatched the team's starting position from Hawes with his stable performance.

The three giants of TNT also came to the scene of this focus battle.

Before the game starts, they are also analyzing the situation of tonight's game.

"From a strength perspective, the Lakers are a stronger team than the Cavaliers. The Cavaliers' wings cannot limit LeBron's damage." Kenny Smith made a rational analysis.

"You seem to have forgotten that Han is also a wing," O'Neal reminded.

"He can't stop both Kobe and LeBron. It's a multiple-choice question," Smith reminded.

"Then who can stop Han?" Barkley asked a soul-searching question at this time.

"Kobe," Smith replied.

"Did the 36-year-old Kobe defend Han all night?" O'Neal also asked.

"Or let LeBron try?"

Before Barkley finished speaking, cheerful laughter broke out from the commentary booth.

Just then, James walked to the technical table to prepare for his daily magnesium powder toss.

But soon, he was stunned by the scene in front of him.

Because the staff at the technical desk found some white cloth from somewhere and covered the electronic equipment, as if he would damage those things by throwing magnesium powder.

And the fans in front of him were throwing magnesium powder at him with a monkey-like expression.

Finally, he picked up the bottle of magnesium chalk and simply poured some on his hands and rubbed it, then turned around and went on court.

Players from both teams have already entered the court, with Kobe and Hansen facing off directly.

"It's not easy playing in Cleveland, is it?" Kobe looked at Irving with a smile.

"Better than you are now." Han Sen said and looked at James.

Although Irving's speech showed low EQ, there was actually nothing wrong with what he said.

If someone is willing to play with James, James will definitely stay in New York instead of going to Los Angeles.

On the contrary, what James said is that I must be respected. Everyone is an independent individual. Why should others respect you?
Respect is something that you have to earn yourself, not ask for from others.

Valanciunas passed the ball back to half court, and the Christmas game officially began.

When James went to the Lakers, some fans were concerned about his compatibility with Kobe.

In fact, the answer to this question was already there after Paul joined the Lakers.

Kobe can play without the ball. In fact, as he gets older, he will be more inclined to play without the ball for physical reasons.

However, Kobe's first off-ball movement tonight did not create any chance.

He was being watched closely by Han Sen.

Hansen's current defensive strength is enough to limit peak Kobe, let alone the 36-year-old Kobe.

Seeing that Kobe had no chance to run away, James directly called on Varejao to play a pick-and-roll.

The Cavaliers chose to double-team, but James and Varejao had a good understanding and passed the ball to each other. Varejao received the ball and made a quick layup to give the Lakers the lead.

Although James struggled a bit when playing against Western teams, he returned to the familiar Eastern Conference and suddenly found himself in his comfort zone.

Hansen did not hold the ball at the beginning of the game, but let Irving play.

Irving changed direction, passed Jeremy Lin and rushed to the inside, and scored a layup before Frye's help defense arrived.

The Cavaliers' inside line is not strong, but the Lakers are not much better.

After Varejao was pulled to the outside by Bagnani, Frye was not enough to support the team's inside defense.

James continued to hold the ball, and this time he directly called on Valanciunas to come up for a screen and roll.

The Cavaliers did not continue to double-team James, who accelerated past Bargnani and rushed straight into the inside. After pulling the ball high, he was about to perform his signature tomahawk dunk.

There was a burst of exclamations at the scene.

Just as James jumped, Hansen came to assist in defense under the basket.

When James pulled the ball to the highest point, his hand also touched the basketball.

"Oh!"

James' hand slammed down on the rim, but the ball in his hand had already flown out of the court.

The scene was quiet at first, and then erupted into overwhelming cheers.

Han Sen actually blocked James' most proud tomahawk dunk!

James also looked incredulous, and only Han Sen spread his hands.

It seems that James still doesn't learn his lesson. He did the same thing during the Cavaliers' first training session!

What? The video was confiscated? Then perform it again on the spot!
"Kenny, it's not a multiple-choice question!" Barkley said to Smith in a louder voice in the commentary booth.

In this round, Hansen was defending Kobe and James alone.

Smith smiled and shook his head.

Hansen did not have the ball at the beginning of the game, which made him seem that his desire to play tonight was not that strong, but the desire to play is not only about offense, but also defense.

The Lakers didn't have much time to attack, and Kobe had to clear the ball after it was sent out from the sideline.

Kobe Bryant challenges Hansen in a classic showdown.

However, Kobe's shot with his back to the basket was blocked by Hansen, and the ball hit the front of the basket and missed.

Han Sen said Kobe was old to stimulate Kobe, but now, he is really old.

The drop in speed made it difficult for him to find a comfortable shooting space when facing Han Sen.

In the transition from offense to defense, the Lakers adjusted their defense. Frye followed Bargnani to the outside, and Varejao switched to defend TT.

Seeing this, Irving called on TT to set a pick-and-roll.

Lakers head coach Scott was shouting for a double-team on the sidelines.

It was impossible for Irving to pass the ball, but he accelerated and passed through before the double-team formed!
Varejao tried hard to defend behind him, but Irving jumped up and made a reverse layup to score.

This ball was a complete performance and instantly lit up the stadium.

Irving made both of his two consecutive shots at the start of tonight, and his touch looked pretty good.

Kobe continued to try to play without the ball, but now he really couldn't get rid of Hansen.

He could only pull Han Sen to the weak side to prevent Han Sen from blocking James like he did just now.

This time, James did not call for a pick-and-roll. Instead, he let Varejao sink to the bottom and then backed up Tucker in the high post.

The Lakers use Frye as the starting power forward, and their offensive space on the court is as large as that of the Cavaliers.

James lowered his center of gravity and back-to-backed Tucker, then quickly turned around and broke through.

However, he obviously underestimated Tucker, and the ball was poked by Tucker when he turned around.

Although the ball was not directly broken, it was out of his control and rolled forward like a bowling ball. At this time, a figure rushed towards the ball quickly, and with an extremely skillful movement, he pushed the ball in front of him and controlled it in his hand.

It's still Irving.

Irving was not just hot tonight, he was also very focused.

After controlling the ball, he ran forward on the Hot Wheels.

Generally speaking, a player's speed after controlling the ball will be slower than that without the ball, but Irving's historical level of man-ball integration makes him seem to be no slower at all.

However, after losing the ball, James went at full speed and chased Irving frantically from behind.

According to the rules, the ball just now counted as a steal by Irving. Considering the verbal battle between the two before the game, he must not let Irving complete the fast break.

In the end, Irving was one step faster and jumped up to shoot.

James, who was behind him, saw that he could not catch up and could only reach out to push Irving.

Irving took a quick lob shot before being pushed out, and his excellent fingertip ball-control ability made the ball draw a small parabola before falling into the basket.

The referee's whistle sounded at this time, indicating that James had committed a pushing foul.

Owen landed, slid backwards for a long distance and sat on the ground.

After seeing the ball go in, he rarely punched and roared.

It can be seen that he is also holding back a lot of energy tonight.

There is no way he didn't see what James fans said criticizing him. He is just selfish and rebellious, but when it comes to being competitive, he is not weak at all.

The Quicken Loans Arena was already in a frenzy.

The protagonists of this Christmas game were supposed to be Hansen, Kobe and James, but unexpectedly, the person with the most dazzling performance after the opening was Irving.

Han Sen also came to the front court at this time, reached out to pull Owen up from the ground, and then reached out to touch his head.

What Smith said is actually not wrong. In terms of strength alone, the Lakers are stronger than the Cavaliers.

If the Cavaliers want to win this Christmas game tonight, the key is still on the defensive end.

So of course he is happy to see Irving step up on the offensive end, because that way he can devote himself to defense.

Irving also made the free throw and scored 7 points in a row at the start of the game.

The Cavaliers also lead the Lakers 7-2.

I wonder if Curry, who has been reading Romance of the Three Kingdoms this season, is watching this Christmas game. If he is, he would have said: I have General Irving, who can kill BOAT.

Kobe finally ran out to catch the ball, and he hit a mid-range shot despite Han Sen's interference.

Although his speed and other aspects have declined as he has gotten older, his signature strong shooting ability is still there.

And after the offense and defense switch, Kobe switched to defend in front of Irving.

Irving was a little excited at the moment. After seeing Kobe, he did not choose to pass the ball, but changed direction and started to break through.

Then Kobe quickly taught him a lesson.

Although he is old and his steps have slowed down, he still has all the defensive experience and skills. No matter how dazzling Irving's changes of direction and back dribbling were, he was still forced to stop in the end.

Irving was also stubborn at this time. He stepped back and shot against Kobe, but was blocked.

This scene caused a commotion at the scene.

But this is Irving now. Sometimes he will make you feel that he is already the top guard in the league, but the next second he will do something to overturn the conclusion you just came to.

Fortunately, the ball rolled out of bounds and the Cavaliers still had the ball.

There were 6 seconds left in the Cavaliers' attack time and the sideline ball was passed to Hansen.

The Lakers' double-team was decisive, but Hansen was even more decisive after receiving the ball. He forced his way directly to the free throw line in the most violent way.

By the time the Lakers were ready to retreat, it was already too late.

Han Sen jumped high, pulled the ball over his head with his right hand, and his whole body seemed to be flying over the basket.

"Oh!"

When the basketball was smashed into the basket like a blockbuster bomb, Barkley jumped up from the bench excitedly, and everyone finally realized the desire to play that Hansen had in his body tonight.

Does he want to win this year's Christmas battle?
If defense doesn't make everyone understand, then this dunk just now has already explained it all.

The large LED screen at the scene played back Han Sen's dunk.

James was also famous for his tomahawk dunk when he was in the Cavaliers, and many fans equated this dunking style with him.

But it is obvious that Hansen's dunk just now was much better than James' in terms of height and flexibility.

"Maybe this year is the most appropriate time for LeBron to participate in the dunk contest." Barkley couldn't help but joked in the commentary booth.

This dunk immediately boosted the Cavaliers' morale.

Malone also came to the sidelines at this time and signaled Hansen and Tucker to switch defense.

This adjustment was very timely, because it is difficult for Irving to play against Kobe, but if Kobe defends Irving, the person defending Han Sen will directly become Jeremy Lin.

Han Sen’s ability to break through just now was largely due to this change in defense.

Therefore, arranging Hansen to defend James can allow him to devote his physical energy to playing with the ball on the offensive end.

What? Han Sen switched to James, and he would still consume a lot of energy on the defensive end?
No! No one knows James better than Malone. James will not attack when Hansen is defending him.

In fact, this was true. After seeing Han Sen coming in front of him, James signaled Jeremy Lin to give the ball to Kobe, and then stood to one side outside the three-point line with his hands on his hips.

Kobe held the ball and played pick-and-roll with Frye. After breaking into the inside, he caused TT to commit a defensive foul and won two free throw opportunities.

Malone applauded and encouraged his players on the sidelines, and he was able to accept Kobe's score.

Kobe went to the free throw line, and at this time, Malone replaced TT with Cunningham.

This is a protection for TT, and at the same time he realized that Frye did not have any low-post threat, and the Cavaliers could use a more thorough space lineup.

Kobe made both free throws, and the score became 6 to 9, with the Cavaliers taking the lead.

After the Cavaliers advanced to the frontcourt, Hansen held the ball in the high position.

At this time, the Cavaliers' positioning was Cunningham and Tucker in the strong and weak side corners, Bargnani at the top of the arc, and Irving at the 45° angle on the weak side.

This is also the Cavaliers' star-studded post-up offense.

Jeremy Lin's expression at this time was exactly the same as Chalmers' when he was forced to defend Durant in "history".

He really can't do this job.

Although they were all yellow people, Han Sen pressed forward with his back, and the difference in confrontation forced him to lower his center of gravity.

Then Han Sen turned around and broke through, and he could only chase after Han Sen.

The Lakers' defense quickly contracted, and just before the double-team was formed, Hansen looked at Tucker in the corner, then made a long pass through the gap between people to Irving at a 45-degree angle.

Irving received the ball and looked at James who was rushing towards him to defend. He did not choose to fake a dribble, but quickly received the ball and jumped up to shoot.

James tried hard to block the shot, but the basketball passed through his fingertips.

"Shh!"

Accompanied by a crisp sound of the ball entering the net, Irving's 45-degree three-pointer went into the net!
(End of this chapter)