Chapter 415: This City Needs You! (Continue to 8K!) Keep asking for a monthly pass! )
"No one, no one can do anything crazier than this!"
Barkley's exclamation in the commentary table continued, and the phrase "Sun is God tonight" seemed to be far from enough for him.
Smith on the side wanted to remind him that "Jordan once scored 23 points in a row in the playoffs", but that didn't seem right, because Jordan's scoring streak wasn't at the beginning.
Barkley's blow this time is justified and convincing.
And the score on the field, 7 to 19!
The Pistons played more than five minutes and were already 12 points behind the Lakers!
This is the largest difference between the two teams in non-garbage time since the finals!
Sun Hao single-handedly dominated the game.
One could argue that this is just the beginning, that basketball is 48 minutes long, and that a 12-point margin is nothing in the NBA.
This seems fine, but it's not entirely true, because it depends.
At a time when the two teams are evenly matched, the 12-point margin is not small in itself, not to mention that this is the beginning of the century, and this year's finals can be called a defensive battle.
And to have that advantage in the opening game was a huge blow to the Pistons' defensive mentality.
and the consequent psychological advantage that the Lakers built.
Anthony holds the ball in the frontcourt and switches his shot to a breakaway.
The adjustment worked, as Ariza's long arms were less useful in defending breakaways than in shots, and he was relatively inexperienced in defending young.
Comparing Ariza to Prince is what Lakers fans expect, but Prince has only one.
Anthony broke through Ariza's defense and made a quick shot when he saw O'Neal coming.
This ball was the right choice.
But at this moment, a figure leaped over from the weak side and slapped his shot to the rebound!
Michael Finley!
Don't think I'm an honest person!
After O'Neal won the rebound, the Lakers played a fast break, and Sun Hao was caught in the fast break and then distributed the ball to Ariza who followed up on the right side.
Ariza stopped the ball from beyond the three-point line, took aim and then shot.
"Huh!"
He made up for it and hit a three-point shot!
Not only Sun Hao, but also not just the instant kill combination, after establishing a psychological advantage, the role players of the Lakers began to play well!
This also became the decisive factor in the battle of Tianwang Mountain.
The scorching situation predicted by fans did not materialize, and the Lakers, led by Sun Hao, took the advantage in the opening game and continued to expand that advantage.
By the end of the third quarter, they had stretched the score to 20 points!
Although the Pistons tried to fight back in the final quarter, the reality was that God was on the side of the Lakers as Barkley described, and instead of shrinking, the score was getting bigger and bigger.
In the end, the Lakers defeated the Pistons 101-71 on the road in the battle of Tianwang Mountain.
After winning this game, they not only took a 3-2 lead in the big score, but more importantly it was a psychological advantage.
The Pistons' unbreakable defense was broken clean by them this time.
This allows them to return to Los Angeles with incredible confidence to play Game 6.
Sun Hao was undoubtedly the biggest contributor to tonight's victory, and he played the strongest fight of his career.
He scored 19 straight points in the opening game and contributed 24 points in the first quarter and 45 points in the third quarter!
If it weren't for garbage time in the final quarter, he would have won the first 50+ of his Finals career.
But the 45 points in the third quarter of the finals is also unique in the history of the NBA.
You must know that even Jordan, the highest score in the finals is only 55 points.
Many may wonder if the highest score, Elgin All-time's worst uncrowned supergiant Baylor's 61 points is also.
After the game, the Lakers, who already knew the result, walked to the locker room with a relaxed pace after shaking hands with the Pistons.
Sun Hao didn't leave in a hurry, he waited on the field for a while, and when Scarlett came down, he kissed Scarlett in front of the media.
The post-match press conference was attended by Sun Hao, O'Neill and Phil Jackson.
"A great victory, a great performance, does this performance of yours have anything to do with Scarlett's presence?"
The Scarlett shot given by the photographer before the game, and the kiss between Sun Hao and Scarlett after the game, made it difficult for reporters not to ask.
"Of course, her presence at the competition was a huge encouragement for me."
Sun Hao's answer made everyone at the scene be fed a wave of dog food.
"I'll buy all the away tickets for Scarlett next season."
At this moment, O'Neill, who was on the side, suddenly picked up the microphone in front of him and said.
'We'll be winless away from home.'
To the curious gazes of the others, he added.
Well, what Phil Jackson thought about in the game, O'Neal thought of it with him, and told it in advance.
These words also caused everyone at the scene to laugh.
"Don't ask me why I'm only away, there's Scarlett's exclusive seat at the Staples Center."
And O'Neill's words added that this laughter was mixed with some envious applause.
Because of Sun Hao, this is really the whole Lakers' pet Scarlett.
After the press conference, Sun Hao and O'Neill walked together in the direction of the locker room.
"When are you going to marry Scarlett?"
O'Neill opened his mouth and asked Sun Hao.
The matter of Scarlett and Sun Hao has been excavated and exposed by the media when Scarlett frequently appeared at the National Route Center Arena in the United States.
Not to mention acquaintance, even if it is a formal relationship, it has been more than three years now.
After all, it was only four years since he and his wife Shanni realized that they had been dating.
You can't talk about love for too long, and if you talk about it for a long time, marriage will eventually become a formality.
"It's coming."
Sun Hao said with a smile.
"I have a suggestion that if we can win a championship, you propose on victory night, it would be cool."
O'Neill's mind has always been active, and he says what he wanted to do but didn't do.
Sun Hao glanced at O'Neill after listening.
When Scarlett came with a diamond ring before, he wanted to wait until next season's opening championship ring, and he would use the championship ring to propose.
Imagine replacing a diamond ring with a championship ring, and that unprecedented practice must make extra sense.
But what O'Neill said is also a solution.
After all, the intersection of Scarlett and basketball is also because of him, and the significance of the championship ring is somehow inferior to the special moment on championship night.
Choose one of two options.
O'Neill saw Sun Hao's reaction and knew that he would listen to what he said, so he reached out and patted Sun Hao's shoulder.
"I'm looking forward to seeing that scene."
Sun Hao nodded after listening.
The two options spanned an entire offseason, but they had one premise in common: the Lakers had to win this year's championship.
After an eight-day road trip, the Lakers returned to Los Angeles with a 3-2 score.
There are still two days left before the start of the sixth game, but the Los Angeles media have not been idle for a moment, and they have already blown Sun Hao into the sky.
scored 19 points in a row in the opening game and 45 points in the third quarter, what Sun Hao has done is no longer chasing Jordan, but already surpassing.
It's a pity that Sun Hao is not surnamed Yang, otherwise he would have gotten a new nickname full of metaphysics.
Coupled with O'Neal's recognition of Sun Hao's status as the boss of the team, in fact, not only the media, but also the city of Los Angeles is blowing Sun Hao.
On the streets of Los Angeles, you can see new graffiti, which is clearly Sun Hao shooting three points or dunking.
You can even see that many cars are tattooed with Sun Hao's figure.
Basketball is not the number one sport in the United States, but it is in Los Angeles.
"The darling of Los Angeles" is the best description of Sun Hao now.
It can even be expected that if Sun Hao helps the Lakers win another championship, his influence in Los Angeles will reach an unprecedented level.
The sixth game of the finals is highly anticipated.
The fans were extremely excited when they entered the stadium in the evening, and many fans even wore the championship jerseys of the Lakers when they won the championship before.
"We're going to lift the trophy tonight!"
"Los Angeles is going to have a new era of basketball!"
"We've got G6 and we're going to win tonight!"
……
As fans say, G6's Sun Hao has never disappointed, they are not only full of confidence in this championship, but also in the team's victory tonight.
The Lakers players were calm.
They still remember O'Neal's speech before Game 5 against the Mavericks.
To underestimate your opponent until you finally win the game is to dig your own grave.
Before the game, the players were making final preparations in the locker room when there was a commotion at the door.
When they all looked up at the door, they were a little surprised by the people who appeared.
The people who came in were Kupchak and Old Bass.
Old Bass was in worse health than before, but his face was red now.
You can tell he's in a pretty good mood right now.
He came in and shook hands with Phil Jackson first, then walked up to O'Neill and Sun Hao respectively, and took the initiative to chat with them.
"Is Scarlett here tonight?"
And what Old Bass asked Sun Hao caused the players to laugh.
Sun Hao was also a little embarrassed by what Old Bass said, and nodded with a smile.
"The Lakers are the proudest part of my life, and they were, and they are."
After greeting Sun Hao, Old Bass turned his head and looked around the opening of the locker room.
He's obviously here tonight with a mission.
"You may not know how much last year's loss affected this team, the whole league is waiting to see the jokes, they will say, 'Look, L.A. is finally finished,' and even I thought the team was going to have a torturous rebuilding period, but your performance slapped everybody, including me, and it's not like that, L.A. is still going to be the champion."
Sun Hao nodded as he listened, firstly, because it was the first time he had heard old Bass come to the locker room to say this; The second is that there is really nothing wrong with what Old Bass said, especially for him as a traverser.
Historically, the Lakers fell apart after the F4 failure, and although the elder Buss kept Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles with a sentence of "boy, I'm sorry, I can only give you so much according to the rules, but I hope you can understand, I really want to give you more", but the Lakers were followed by a long period of rebuilding and sinking.
Even during that time, the Lakers could only rely on Kobe Bryant to support themselves to retain the last dignity of the giants.
If it weren't for the robbery that got Big Gasol in hand, I don't know how long that situation would have lasted.
But when Buss Jr. brought Sun Hao to the Lakers last summer, everything has changed dramatically.
If the Lakers can really win the championship this year, then the Lakers will not discuss any rebuilding period, but how many championships the instant killing combination can win, and whether they can help the Lakers complete the championship overtake of the Celtics.
The Celtics now top the NBA list with 16 championships, while the Lakers have just 14.
"You've shown all the qualities that I know you need to have for a championship, you've beaten all the best teams in history, and now you know the last step and I'm looking forward to seeing you finish it."
Because of the background he said, he could fully hear the old Bass's expectations for this championship.
"When I came over a while, Mitch told me that you usually have a unique way to boost morale."
Old Bass said, clenching his hands into fists and raising them forward.
There was a shout in the dressing room, and the players all stood up one after another, and then moved the ball closer to the hand of the elder Bass.
Old Bass took them personally to shout slogans, and it really made sense.
"Lakers Championship!"
Including Phil Jackson also came over on a rare occasion at this time.
All of them clashed their fists together and shouted the most uplifting words.
Tonight, they'll be champions!
The Staples Center was already full, and fans looked at the door of the locker room from time to time, looking a little impatient.
When the Lakers players appeared at the entrance of the players' tunnel, the scene naturally erupted in cheers.
The champion in their minds, it's coming!
Stern also appeared at the Staples Center.
When it comes to match point in the finals, it means that there may be a championship award ceremony, and he will naturally arrive.
However, eagle-eyed fans will find that Stern is missing a person by his side.
Adam Mosaic, who had been with him all the time, was gone, leaving only Tetum with another assistant.
However, this change is only clear to those inside the NBA headquarters.
Because of the constant conflict of opinion with Stern, and the fact that Tytam is becoming more and more important to Stern, Mosaic has left the NBA to work in the NFL after feeling that his future is uncertain.
This kind of personnel change is not uncommon in the American sports scene, and there are personnel changes between the executives of several major sports leagues from time to time.
Sun Hao didn't understand, if he knew, he would definitely laugh.
Mosaic, this guy in history, took over Stern's destruction of the NBA, and this turn to scourge the NFL is completely a matter of joy!
Of course, he didn't have time to pay attention to this at this time.
He carefully placed a bag of boxes under the bench as he entered, and told the staff behind him to keep an eye on it.
He has made the final choice of those two plans.
After the warm-up, the scene quickly entered the opening ceremony.
Both teams continued to use the same starting line-up from the previous game.
After the opening ceremony, both teams started one after another, and the sixth game of the finals was about to start.
"Toot!"
As the referee blew the whistle, O'Neal dialed the ball back to the Lakers half, and the G6 of the finals officially started!
In the first round, Sun Hao and Ma Long blocked and dismantled, and Prince and Rashid both pounced on Sun Hao.
This approach shows one thing: after the last game, Brown has tacitly acquiesced that Prince can't guard Sun Hao.
So at the beginning, he gave Sun Hao a double VIP package package.
To be able to make this historic defensive Pistons team do this, Sun Hao is definitely the first one this season.
Sun Hao gave the ball to Ma Long, who broke through the basket with the ball.
But the Pistons showed a more aggressive defensive attitude than ever before, and Anthony, who was assisting in the defense on the weak side, was stunned to interfere with Malone's shot.
And when Malone's shot smashed out of the frame, Big Ben struggled to jam O'Neal and let Anthony collect this defensive rebound again.
Even Rashid, including Rashid, has returned to the basket with his long arms outstretched, and even if Anthony can't get it, he is sure enough to protect this defensive rebound.
When the Mavericks were cornered, Kobe and Nowitzki showed their best, and the Pistons are now the whole team!
At this moment, O'Neill held his breath and slammed into his big book, and after jumping, he scored directly through the big book!
"Bang!"
The whole basket shook as it shook.
It's too late for Rashid to grab it!
The scene erupted in cheers.
O'Neal's opening performance was too much in line with their expectations!
After slaughtering the Pistons in the last game, they wanted to see the Lakers win the game in one go!
"Huh!"
Looking back, Anthony singled Ariza head-on, and there was also a quick stop after the breakthrough!
Just like Maddie broke Prince's defense and Sun Hao broke Prince's defense before, Anthony finally broke Ariza's defense in the most critical game!
Although Anthony's ability is relatively slightly worse, Ariza's defense is also worse than Prince's!
Sun Hao was caught again, this time he didn't give the ball to Ma Long, but directly to O'Neal.
O'Neal jumped up to catch the ball and leaned his back against Ben, and turned around before Anthony came over to make a small hook shot!
When O'Neill began to use technology without strength, Big Ben seemed to be helpless.
Saying that he can defend O'Neill alone is actually the strength to fight against that, and the rest is to win and blow.
O'Neal is more limited by Rashid's defense.
It's a pity that Sun Hao and Ma Long blocked and dismantled, and Rashid went to flank Sun Hao.
Anthony, a triple threat to pick up the washing machine maneuver past Ariza to the basket, and O'Neal after the shot.
Compared to Kobe, Anthony has a stronger physical confrontation, and he has a higher success rate in scoring in this kind of basket confrontation.
"Bang!"
But it turned out that Anthony was thinking a little too much, and after O'Neal knocked him out of his center of gravity, he reached out and flew the ball out of the field.
Atrocious!
The opening offense and defense, I don't know if it was the match point game, or the old Bass went to the locker room before the game to say that, O'Neal opened the game in such a good state.
Old Bass in the VIP box couldn't stop laughing.
Looking at the big shark that was still raging, he suddenly felt like he was back a few years ago, when he was still very "young".
The Pistons sent the ball out on the sideline, and Anthony missed the ball again.
There is only one Kobe, and the kind of "you risk yours, I vote for mine" is not something that anyone can do.
O'Neal picked up a defensive rebound under the double Wallace's bag, then turned around and threw the two straight away.
O'Neal's form at the beginning was definitely the best since the series.
Well, Sun Hao and O'Neal blocked and dismantled in the front court, and after dismantling Sun Hao received the ball in the air, O'Neal shark came out of the water and smashed the ball into the basket with one hand in the air.
The atmosphere at the scene has exploded.
Is this an instant kill combo wheel battle?
In the last game, Sun Hao opened to kill the Quartet, and this time it was O'Neill's turn to turn over the river and the sea?
"Huh!"
Billups also scored a three-point shot at the top of the arc!
And in the next round, O'Neal received the ball again, and Anthony had already shrunk to the basket in advance.
This style of defense is a bit similar to the previous Spurs' double-pack tactics against the Lakers, except that the two packs have time intervals, which allows others to rotate the defense through the help defense.
When O'Neal gave the ball to Finley in the bottom corner, Rashid stepped in to help.
Finley shook his head and took a step forward, but Rashid was too defensive, and he came back from behind to give interference.
Finley's shot was deflected, Big Ben struggled to push O'Neal out of the box, and Anthony grabbed the defensive rebound.
The Pistons advanced to the frontcourt, and Anthony took advantage of O'Neal's lack of return for the Lakers' defensive foothold, and directly forced Ariza to the basket and made a defensive foul on the latter.
After Anthony hit two free throws against interference, the Pistons overtook the score!
"Their spiritual attributes are very strong."
This opening also convinces Kenny Smith of the commentary seat.
It's really rare for a team to just lose 30+ to its opponent in the finals, but it can get back to the game immediately in the second game.
But that also shows just how resilient this Pistons team is.
"They have five kopecks."
Barkley followed up with a slightly loud-mouthed remark and made a very vivid analogy.
This made both Smith and Johnson laugh.
But there is nothing wrong with this, Kobe Bryant here is an adjective, which represents a strong spiritual attribute.
Then, at half-time, the two teams were tied at 43!
The Pistons pushed their tenacity to the extreme, and the problems that had arisen on the Lakers' side were repeated.
O'Neal started the game with a blast, showing great dominance on both ends of the floor, but at the same time his energy was depleting at a rapid pace.
And Sun Hao may have started to attack for a long time in the opening game, or maybe the energetic performance at the beginning of the last game was a bit consuming of character, and the performance in the first half was relatively average.
He scored just 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting in the half.
This kind of performance made some fans worry about whether Sun Hao would repeat the performance of the third game.
Their fears were faintly felt in the second half.
The Pistons still defended Sun Hao with high pressure, and against O'Neal, they appropriately reduced some defensive intensity.
Brown realized that O'Neal's fitness was a huge problem.
The Lakers were in a passive situation in this quarter, and to add insult to injury, in the third and fourth quarters of the bench, Starkerhouse on the Pistons' side also began to fire at all.
By the three-and-a-half point mark of the fourth quarter, the Pistons had a 10-point lead over the Lakers at 74-64.
At this time, Horry missed a three-pointer from the outside, McDyce grabbed a defensive rebound, the Pistons played a defensive counterattack against the Lakers, and Stackhouse scored two more points on a fast-break layup.
The Pistons are playing well, even their worst fast-break layup.
Phil Jackson stretched out his hand to call a timeout, and the margin on the court was already 12 points!
Speaking of which, this is a bit of a retribution, in the last game, Sun Hao scored 19 points in a row to help the Lakers take a 12-point lead at the beginning, but in this game, the Pistons took a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter.
The scene couldn't help but feel agitated.
With this score, the opponent is the Pistons again, and it seems that the tie-break is already eight or nine times out of ten.
However, the format is a good thing for them at this time, because if it is 2-3-2, the tiebreaker will also be played on the Lakers' home court.
And speaking of which, this year's playoffs are so intense, but there has never been a tie-break, if you play a finals tie-break, it will also be very exciting.
After the timeout, Phil Jackson replaced Sun Hao in advance.
O'Neill's physical consumption was too great and he couldn't play in advance, although Sun Hao's condition was not particularly good tonight, he could only choose to believe Sun Hao.
Just before Sun Hao came on the court, O'Neill pulled him.
"Don't forget what you're going to do tonight, what you've prepared."
Sun Hao sat next to O'Neill, and what he put under the bench O'Neill knew very well what it was.
Sun Hao nodded.
Just as he turned his head, O'Neill grabbed him again.
And this time O'Neill did not speak directly, but looked at him very seriously, and was silent for a while before speaking:
"L.A. needs you, and the city needs you."
Sun Hao was stunned for a moment.
Compared with the previous sentence, O'Neill's sentence is more touching.
And O'Neill looked up as he said this.
Sun Hao also involuntarily followed and looked up.
Unlike the momentum and anticipation at the beginning, the Staples Center is now a little quieter, and the mood of the fans is more worried and lost.
Although, as they thought before, there is still a chance to tie seven, and the tie-break is also played at home.
But that's already thinking about the worst of the situation, and then finding comfort in the worst.
Who wants to do that if they don't have to?
And Old Bass.
Old Bass was not in good health and took the initiative to go to the locker room to boost morale.
If Scarlett is just his personal business, then all the fans around him are the city's business.
Now O'Neal is limited by physical fitness, and the rest of the Lakers team is in average condition, and fans can only rely on and trust him.
Or as O'Neill said, the city of Los Angeles needs him!
"I see."
Sun Hao threw away all the baggage at this moment.
He doesn't want to care about scoring efficiency anymore, and he doesn't want to care about rationalization of play.
He only wants to score now, because only scoring can make the team chase points.
After the pause came back for the first attack, Sun Hao held the ball to the frontcourt, and the defender of him was still Prince.
Many future fans have complained that some teams only have 8 or even 7 players in the rotation when it comes to the playoffs.
But this was a very common phenomenon at the beginning of the century.
Because there is no huddle atmosphere, there are only a few people who can perform in the playoffs, especially in the finals.
Like the Pistons, in addition to the Five Tigers, the remaining two rotations are Starkerhouse on the guard line and McDyce on the inside.
Playing the full court is a common thing at times like these.
Of course, Jackson is relatively less extreme, using an eight-man rotation, and Sun Hao will get some rest time in the transition period from the bench.
At this time, his physical fitness is relatively abundant.
He glanced at Prince, and then directly chose the breakthrough after the start of the step.
He has only scored 13 points until now, and he is 2-of-6 from the field, which is really a game where he rarely feels sluggish.
He didn't think O'Neill's words would give him a sense of regain at once, and when he was first substituted, it would have been too mysterious.
What he can change is his own determination.
So the hand feels bad, and he has more options and more resolute to hit the basket.
Prince didn't expect Sun Hao to be so resolute as soon as he came up, coupled with the physical consumption, he didn't get stuck with Sun Hao this time, and was directly squeezed over!
McDyce pounced on the inside, and Rashid on the weak side also shrank back to defense.
But like Prince, they both underestimated Sun Hao's determination to attack the frame with this ball.
Before Rashid, Sun Hao took off to meet McDyes.
McDyce wasn't Anthony and dodged after judging that he didn't have time to block.
"Bang!"
In the cheers of the fans at the scene, Sun Hao smashed the ball into the basket with a one-handed tomahawk!
Even Phil Jackson couldn't help but pout and nod.
This ball is domineering enough!
Although it is only a 2 point, this scoring method has brought back the Lakers' sluggish momentum.
Of course, the more important thing is that Sun Hao's game temperament is different from the previous three quarters.
Lakers, maybe there's still a chance.
Stackhouse singled Christie in the frontcourt, and his breakaway pull-up jump shot was superstar-like.
"Phew!"
It's a pity that the superstar can sometimes be Kobe.
The lack of scoring consistency means that it comes and goes quickly.
Anderson jumped high to pick up the defensive rebound.
The Lakers advanced to the frontcourt, and Sun Hao broke through Prince's defense again.
But with a team like the Pistons, it's hard to succeed in them twice in a row with the same move.
When Sun Hao broke through, Anthony on the weak side had already helped defend him.
Sun Hao passed the ball to the bottom corner...... Feints!
Anthony was tricked back by him, and Sun Hao pulled back and made a layup after a hard confrontation with Prince.
Prince was also deceived by Sun Hao's pass just now, and he didn't stand in the best defensive position, so he could only try to give physical confrontation.
But he once again underestimated Sun Hao's determination to attack the frame, and the impact flew him directly out of the bottom line.
He originally wanted to interfere with Sun Hao's shooting, but it hit Sun Hao's arm directly.
But this did not have much impact on Sun Hao's shot, but the whistle of the referee on the bottom line sounded to signal a defensive foul.
"Huh!"
And Sun Hao is against a light basket and sends the ball into the basket!
After the goal, Sun Hao stood motionless on the bottom line, and then reached out and beat his chest hard.
The cheers at the scene exploded in an instant.
After Sun Hao returned to the court in this quarter, he broke through for a dunk and 2+1 for the other.
Although there is no familiar three-point shot, such a raw style of play is very exciting.
Of course, more importantly, they felt Sun Hao's existence.
When the city needed heroes, Sun Hao responded!