553: Round of the Essence
Chris. Paul used his abilities to the extreme, and made smart choices. Solid scoring, clear passing, ferocious defending......
In this league now, the point guard who can be more versatile than Paul is almost extinct.
Among the point guards of the new era, there is a retro one like Wall. Although he has great speed and organizational skills, he has a weak projection.
There's the new Westbrook and Rose, who have explosive physicality and unbeatable ability to attack the rim, but their shooting and playmaking don't look like a guard at all.
There are also Rubio's skill trees that are crooked, except for passing, other skill points are not added.
None of them, however, were as comprehensive as Paul. To say that he is the No. 1 point guard in the league is no exaggeration!
Paul played so well today, more than wanting to win, he couldn't forgive himself.
He can't forgive himself for playing so badly in the last game, and he can't forgive himself for not leading the team out of the ordeal like a leader.
Again, Paul hates losing more than he likes to win!
So, all the unwillingness and grievances in his heart were vented today. He had long wanted to hit the championship, but the league called off his alliance with Kobe.
But so what? Paul wants to prove to the world that even if he is not in the Lakers and does not rely on Kobe, he can still win the championship!
This season, hardly anyone thinks the Clippers are the favorites to win the championship. But Paul doesn't care, he knows that the championship is not given by others, but by himself!
For the second half, Paul was still confident. Griffin scored 20 points at halftime and the form was already fed. He also had 17 points and 7 assists in the half, and it was no problem to get a big double-double today!
The Grizzlies' defense is not as terrible as imagined!
After the Clippers win against the Grizzlies, Paul believes that the whole world will look the other way at them!
Paul walked onto the pitch excitedly, he didn't even bother to rest, he just wanted the second half to start quickly.
Paul glanced at the stands at Federal Express Arena, and he noticed that Grizzlies fans were staring at him with a look of fear.
Paul enjoyed this gaze very much, and the omnipotent grizzly bear was scared sometimes!
But in the next second, the eyes of the Grizzlies fans lit up, and their expressions changed from horror to laughter!
On the other side, Link is out!
"Damn! Get you done with it today! "Paul bitten, Grizzlies idol, will no longer exist after today!
"At the start of the second half, the Grizzlies had their biggest crisis since the playoffs! With 8 points down at half-time, it's time to test their strength! Barkley rubbed his hands in anticipation and caused a little trouble for the Grizzlies, which is like the playoffs!
Both teams have reinstated their starting lineups, and Paul thought the Grizzlies would change lineup and bring on a more flexible Tobias. Harris plays the number four position. However, the grizzly bear was not led by the nose.
In the third quarter, it was still the Clippers who attacked first, Paul was gesturing while pushing, and he was now full of confidence!
It was as if he was not facing the league's most efficient defensive team, but just a fish belly.
Since you don't change people, then fight until you change people!
Paul passes the ball to Griffin and then quickly moves around the right mid-range to regain possession!
This time, Paul broke through. He just had to sit back and wait for Randolph to chase him down, and then split the ball to Griffin to shoot.
But after Paul got up, he found that Randolph was still clinging to Griffin in the middle distance, and he had no intention of making up for it at all.
Paul quickly looked at Gasol again, and similarly, Gasol was standing in the three-second zone and wrestling with Jordan Jr., competing for the position of grabbing the board, and he had no intention of making up for the defense.
"Gave up resistance? Look down on people less! Paul then suddenly stopped and jumped over Conley's head!
Conley's defense was already outstanding, but Paul's offensive form was even better today. One-on-one single defense, it's really hard to contain him.
"Brush!"
The goal was like a depth charge, which hit the confidence of many fans. 10-point difference, this is the biggest deficit the Grizzlies have experienced since they played the playoffs this year!
"Chris. Paul's goal is still an understatement, what happened to the Grizzlies today? Where is their league-leading defense? ”
"Their defense has been there and all you can say is that today Chris. Paul was destined to be a winner. ”
Paul shook his fist proudly, a 10-point difference, and this is the result of the single defense of Lao Tzu!
"Did you learn? Brother, have you understood all the tricks today? After waving his fist in celebration, Paul did not forget to "talk" with Link.
As Paul squirted and walked back triumphantly, Link's playful tone came from behind him.
"Hey, Chris. Do you want me to show you my list? You're in 5th place on the MVP leaderboard, and I'm at 2nd place! ”
The smile on Paul's face disappeared in an instant, he was going to bloody Memphis today!
The Grizzlies attacked, and Link was much more aggressive than in the first half. He said that Paul would return one when he entered, but he didn't say that by pretending to be forced on his teammates.
Barnes was on the sidelines, and he allowed Link to score 15 points in the half today, and the defense was far from successful.
Link's eyes were very cold, like a butcher ready to slaughter an animal, and he didn't see any mercy.
He first passed the ball to Gasol in the high post, and then immediately cut in!
But after getting to the basket, Link didn't ask for the ball, but suddenly sprinted to the right corner. Iguodala, meanwhile, came running from the other side and formed a crossover with Link in the bottom corner.
Barnes and Crawford were distraught, and they didn't know who to follow for a moment, and they both hesitated for a second.
But this second is enough for Link to get space to shoot!
Gasol's continuum got the ball to Link, and Barnes was still hesitant to jump and block.
Being caught flying by Link, Barnes has had enough.
Barnes was hesitating, Link wasn't! He made a three-point shot very decisively and didn't get any interference!
Basketball is like an intercontinental missile, hitting the target with precision!
Three-point hit, Grizzlies are closing the gap!
"Damn, why don't you push it up!" Paul quit and lashed out at Barnes on the court.
Barnes had no choice but to swallow his anger. This ball is indeed defeated by him, and it is useless to reason with anyone,
"Hmph, it's tenacious!" After scolding Barnes, Paul muttered to himself again.
Of course, he knows that Link is only nine votes away from MVP this year. But in Paul's opinion, but that's the regular season MVP, and it has nothing to do with the playoffs!
Paul repeated his old trick and tried to disrupt the Grizzlies' defense with his offensive threat. This time, he handed the ball to Crawford and then pulled himself to the right side, hoping to help Crawford open up space.
But the black and white bears were not pinned down at all, and when Crawford broke through, the black and white bears blocked in time, making the super sixth man deflated.
Paul was furious, and now the grizzly bear is ignoring himself. Well, I'll regret it!
But before Paul can make the Grizzlies regret it, the Clippers will have to fend off Link's counterattack.
This time, Link deliberately set up cover for him early in Conley's new process. The purpose of this cover is very simple, to force the opponent to change guards! If you don't change, Conley can have a direct impact with an acceleration.
Paul knew this, and he was eager to play against Link for once! As a result, Paul actively changed his guard. Barnes went to guard Conley, and Paul crossed in front of Link.
The audience is boiling!
"This is the first matchup between Paul and Link in this match, let's see who will die!" Kenny. Smith stood up directly, and the best part of the playoffs began!
Sure enough, after the transposition was formed, Conley handed the ball to Link as soon as possible.
Link has an absolute height advantage over Paul from outside the three-point line.
"Let's get it back!" Barnes yelled at Paul that he didn't want to see Paul in a bitter battle.
"No, I'll take care of him!" Paul replied forcefully, this is not the first time he has made a small defense.
"No, you should listen to him. Hitting you in the wrong place makes it look like I'm a bully. Link joined the conversation between the two, and of course, it wasn't a good thing to say when he spoke.
"Let's wait until you score a goal, rookie!"
Anyway, Link's dribbling from beyond the three-point line is getting faster and faster, which is a precursor to his breakthrough!
Paul is waiting for him, he is 1.83 meters, Link is 2.03 meters, and his height is indeed too bad. But if the defense is based only on height, the Thabit that the Grizzlies once drafted will not be watery.
Paul's plan was simple, hold Link at the moment of his breakthrough, and then wait for the opportunity to make a steal!
Wouldn't it be easy for a defender to grab a striker?
Link really accelerated, and Paul posted it as soon as possible. Although he is a point guard, he is not afraid to take on the physical confrontation with the No. 3 player.
"Bang!" The two collided violently, but neither was moved. It can be seen that Link and Paul are already ruthless!
"It's now!" After Paul fended off Link's onslaught, he immediately stepped in and prepared to pull the ball.
But just as his fingertips were about to touch the basketball, Link dribbled the ball behind his back!
"What!?" Paul was shocked, in such a sudden situation, with physical contact, he could still complete the back change so quickly?
Paul has robbed countless people with this trick, but none of them have been able to dodge so perfectly!
Link had already taken precautions, so he reacted immediately. If Paul had looked closely at Grant. Hill's dribble breakaway highlights in his prime, wouldn't have been surprised by what Link did.
Link pulled the ball behind his back and dodged Paul's very chicken steal.
And Paul, because his center of gravity was too far forward, and he hadn't touched the support point he expected, he rushed out directly, stumbled under his feet, supported the floor with his hand, and almost fell!
The audience was amazed, Link actually shook Paul away!
"Incredible getaway! It's the first time I've seen a number three player shake a number one player out of the way! O'Neal applauded, NBA players are actually not weak on the dribble, including O'Neal.
This Big Mac, which people have the impression of only smashing dunks, is actually very scary at the level of dribbling. All kinds of butterflies wear flower steps, and O'Neill can also give you a whole set.
But whether you can do it under high-intensity defense is another matter.
Link, on the other hand, is undoubtedly very comfortable with the rhythm of dribbling under high-intensity defense.
Dangling Paul away, Link went straight to the penalty area. In Blake. Under Griffin's blocking, Link changed hands in the air and made a layup, in an extremely gorgeous way, and got Paul and Griffin at the same time!
Of course, in an instant, the double-digit difference was narrowed to only 5 points!
Paul gritted his teeth, this goal was a shame for his career! He has always been the one who shook others, and no one else has ever shaken him away!
What's more, Huang Fei is still a striker with a height of more than 2 meters!
Paul is righteous here, and Link doesn't forget to add fuel to the fire, "You're only fifth, you're a bottom!" ”
As he spoke, Link gave a thumbs up, then downward!
Now, Paul wants to beat up Link.