Chapter 270: Pre-Game Deployment
Lamar is now at a point where he can decide his fate, and if he can step over, he will surely surpass his mentor Magic Johnson and become one of the greatest players in NBA history. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info
Lamar never cared who his opponent was, or who his opponent was, he only knew that any team that came to his door was a sacrifice that he was about to become his men, and it made no difference.
Perhaps in Lamar's eyes, the Trailblazers are no different from the Hornets and the King of Sacramento, the only difference is that one is destroyed and the other is about to be destroyed.
Of course, Lamar is also deeply aware of the power of this comeback Portland team, and every player in his team has been carefully selected by the team's management over the years.
The current Portland uniform party is extremely powerful in Lamar's eyes, and it can be said that their vision is out of the name of the NBA. First O'Neal Jr. (who has been traded to Indiana), a high school player who has never even played in the NCAA, has now become one of the most formidable interior players in the league, what does he rely on? When AI, Kobe, and Marbury were among the players who entered the league in the same year, he was just patiently polishing his edges and corners on the bench in Portland. He was just beginning to emerge when his peers were famous, but now his achievements are no worse than those of the high-flying geniuses, and he is a giant under the basket, and no one can throw wild on his head.
Next is the roaring Tianzun Wallace, this is a problem player with a bad record and disobedience, but under the tutelage of Portland head coach McTDunleavy, he has become one of the best offensive power forwards in the league, especially since he has both strong shots under the basket and three points on the outside, I am afraid that Garnett is slightly inferior to him in terms of overall quality, after all, Garnett will not pull to the outside to shoot three-pointers.
Scott Pippen, everyone knows who it is! Even if he is old, he is still a strong group of outside defenders, and even some of the best attackers in the league such as AI, Kobe, and Carter can't help but have a headache when facing him.
Steve Smith, a marksman who even the basketball god Michael Jordan can't help but admire.
Stoudemire, such a small man, many people like him don't have a chance to stand on the battlefield of the NBA, but here he has gradually become one of the best point guards in the league.
In addition, there are role players such as Bunch Wells, Atkins, Sean Kemp, and Campbell on the bench in Portland, and he can send two completely different starting lineups in an instant if he wants.
In contrast, the Lakers are inferior, Kobe Bryant is injured and will have a little time to recover, the inside big man Grant and the outside main player Lamond are suspended, and Phil Jackson is once again in a stretched dilemma, but fortunately he still has the two trump cards of Shaq and Lamar firmly in his hands, and he always believes that there is nothing on the court that the interior super combination of Shaq and Lamar cannot do.
Before the game, Portland head coach McDonleavy showed confidence in an interview!
"It's a bit of a problem for us to play away from home in the first two games during the Western Conference Finals. But that's nothing, it's a regular occurrence for Portland. ”
"Just like we did when we knocked out the San Antonio Spurs, it wasn't difficult for us to win. After all, judging from the current overall strength of the team, we are still above the Lakers, Kobe's injury is good news for us, although I also regret it, but everything must be based on the overall interests of the team, I believe we will win, and then return to our home court to solve the Lakers!"
McDonleavy's words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake in Los Angeles, and instantly angered all the fans who supported the Lakers, who couldn't accept that McTDunleavy, who had suffered a crushing loss here a year ago, could say such things this year.
Lamar was the first to respond this time, and McDonleavy's evaluation of the overall strength of the Lakers made him angry!
"He wants to get a win? Unfortunately, he can't get anything, after those two fights. He will have to flee back to Portland in despair, and we will defend the glory of Los Angeles to the death. ”
Regardless of how the two men argue, many pundits agree that Portland is more likely to win the best-of-seven Western Conference Finals!
After all, everyone knows the impact of Kobe's injury on the Lakers, Portland is strong now, and another point is that Scott Pippen did a good job in the regular season against Lamar's offense, but I don't know if he can slow down Lamar this time.
During the regular season this season, Portland played in Los Angeles twice, and McDonleavy failed to fulfill his desire for revenge, and both times he and his team fell to the same person, and that person was Shaq O'Neal!
In the pre-match team preparation meeting, McDonleavy made a point of strengthening the defense against Shaq, and never allowing him to get an easy shot, and Rasheed Wallace could wrap Shaq with Sabonis if necessary, and even use shark slashing tactics.
If you want to talk about Shaq's understanding, Rasheed Wallace is absolutely the most vocal in the Portland team, he is responsible for the whole process of assisting Shaq in the four games of the regular season, and the battle has not really decided the winner so far, he once cut Shaq to the explosion, and was also beaten by Shaq's back ********, speaking of which, in the end, he still lost, and his side is two to defend one!
But today's game is different, Kobe Bryant's absence due to injury has cast a shadow on the Lakers' players in their hearts, Shaq is certainly strong, but he is just one person, can he really beat Portland's five tigers?
What's more, Grant, an important big man on the inside, will also miss the Lakers' next game because of suspension, so once Lamar and Shaq are out of the game, who will deal with Wallace? Chris Anderson? He is only 23 years old, he is still a rookie, will he be Rashid's opponent? Robert Horry, since last year's injury, his form has taken a sharp turn and he is not as positive as usual.
Before the game, Phil Jackson once again emphasized the tactics of using Shaq as the absolute core in the locker room, in fact, he can only count on Shaq now!
Lamar is a good player, but he is still a little younger after all, his physical strength is simply not enough to support the whole game, and today he has to play against one of the best interior offensive players in the league, and at the same time, he has to be distracted to help Harber take care of Scott Pippen, which alone is enough for him, and Phil Jackson does not expect him to give the team much help on offense.
"Every single one of us has to do our best today, Kobe Bryant is injured, Grant and Lamond are suspended! The people outside are not optimistic about us, they think we must not make it through Portland, and like the Chicago Bulls a dozen years ago, we will not escape the fate of going home to fish. Standing in front of his teammates, Shaq looked at everyone with sharp eyes, and he began to exercise his authority as the boss of the team, to boost the morale of his teammates before the game, a job he is now getting more and more comfortable with.
When everyone's attention was focused on him, Shaq changed his words and said loudly, "But now we have a chance, a chance to prove to everyone. Beat Portland and Portland! Get a ticket to the Finals! Tell everyone who looks down on us that we're not the Chicago Bulls, we're the Los Angeles Lakers, and we deserve to be bigger than the Chicago Bulls! Portland Portland is just a pebble on our way to success, and today, at the Staples Center, we're going to crush them completely. ”
Shaq's words reinvigorated his teammates, who had been demoralized a little because of Bryant's absence, and yelled loudly to give Portland Portland a good look and beat them in the game.
Phil Jackson looked at the high-spirited Shaq, and he was also very relieved, he always felt that it was a very right thing to be the head coach of Shaq!
Then he looked at Lamar, who was standing next to Shaq without saying a word, but was equally enthusiastic, and smiled with satisfaction!
Now his new disciple Lamar also has all the potential to become a superstar and a successful leader!
It seems that his choice is right, Lamar has a completely different leadership temperament from Kobe, Kobe Bryant is a role model, and can let his teammates around him fight for victory with him, but he is too arrogant and harsh, and he doesn't understand forbearance. But Lamar is different, he knows when to stand by and when to step up!
Unlike the Lakers' tragic and exhilarating pregame preparations, McDonleavy's Portland are as methodical as they are in everything they can, just as their dull style of play.
"Our goal in this game is to get a win and fundamentally demoralize the Lakers, and if we do that, we'll win. Now that Kobe Bryant is injured, this is a great opportunity for us, and the Lakers' offense will definitely focus on Shaq and Lamar. ”
Saying that, Dunleavy paused, and looked at Rashid and Scott Pippen, who were sitting together: "Rashid, Scott, your task today is to keep an eye on Shaq and Lamar, and you must not let them have any chance to make an easy shot! Scott, as long as Lamar breaks through, you will go to cover him, if necessary, be ruthless, don't worry about fouls, as for Chauncey, as long as you don't give him a chance to shoot in an empty space." (To be continued.) )