Chapter 176: The Struggling Opponent (1/3)
The teams that came down from the floor with the Lakers' emblem were happy with their own game. The Lakers showed a very strong defense as soon as they came up!
However, the fly in the ointment is that the big shark has already committed 2 fouls at the beginning of the game. This is the last thing they want to see. Jackson immediately received a foul after the warning and felt a little angry.
But it immediately turned to sighing. The players came back from the court, and the Clippers didn't feel like they had anything to lose. You O'Neal can continue to play, the defense is good, but the game is fast~
"Margety, you'll play in a moment. The opposing Mime should play the No. 4 position for a while, and then we can use the speed to break through the Lakers' defense, and Cassel and Mobley are ready to shoot on the outside......"
The race has just begun. Dunleavy is still more confident in his team. Although the media also said that this season's Lakers seem to be back to their previous form. Not only did they add Odom! And the relationship between Shaq and Kobe Bryant seems to have eased a bit.
If such Lakers want to win, they will have to make more fuss here in the big sharks first! "Shark slashing tactics" are a must! And although the "Jordan's Rule" of the year has worked for the current Kobe, it also has a lot of danger!
First of all, O'Neill is better to be 6 fouls, and when there is no particularly strong player on the field, the two teams are not easy to clash. And also to ask the players to be careful not to get hurt.
Once such a tactic is arranged, it is possible to kill 1,000 enemies and lose 800 of yourself. In the end, the opponent of the next round is cheaper!
"Zhou Yang, come here" The Lakers players all looked at the first-grader after hearing this. I didn't expect him to play so quickly in the playoffs!
"The opponent is not low in grabbing rebounds. And O'Neill is now being substituted again. What's next? ”
The players were waiting for Phil to continue. None of them wanted to continue with the coach.
"The players who are still attacking from the outside provide a high level of firepower. Kobe, I've got you covered with this. Under the basket, Zhou Yang and Odom did everything possible to protect the rebounds. Zhou Yang, cooperate with your teammates on the field......"
It was a bit risky to let him go up early this time, but when it came to choosing between Mime and Zhou Yang, he felt that the latter was more exciting. Because although Mime sometimes plays hard, he can basically only play as a bench under a lineup like the Clippers.
In terms of strength, it is relatively ordinary. Compared with Zhou Yang, who is on a rapid rise and has good abilities at this time, it is obvious that Jackson wants to use the latter.
The Clippers originally thought that after O'Neal went down, it should be Odom and Mime playing on the court! No matter how bad Mime is, it's the year to fight! There's nothing wrong with coming up and topping. But they never imagined that Zhou Yang would appear in the playoffs so soon!
"The Lakers really dare to use people," Margeti said to Mobley as he tucked his jersey in.
"Jackson is good at using soldiers, and Kobe Bryant was not very old back then, and he won the championship the same. So it's better to be careful," is 31 years old, and Mobley is still more cautious in this regard. He actually heard jealousy in Margety's words.
It is estimated that players who are not particularly optimistic about it now are generally difficult to receive such cultivation from the head coach in the NBA!
"Keeping an eye on your runs and avoiding injuries is something you need to focus on now. And also! Don't add to the chaos," Kobe Bryant reminded him as he walked up to Zhou Yang after he got on the court.
"Okay, I'll pay more attention," Zhou Yang reminded Kobe Bryant harshly, and did not have any dissatisfaction. The Black Mamba looked back at Zhou Yang, then nodded slightly.
After a whole regular season run-in, Kobe Bryant didn't have much of a good impression of Zhou Yang. But the cooperation and the tacit understanding that gradually formed in the game still made him willing to remind him a little in training and at some times.
Either way, the current Zhou Yang is a member of the Lakers. In the game, the coach also uses him more heavily, that is, the teammate he often meets on the field. Kobe Bryant's goal this season is also clear, which is to lead his team to another championship!
For this reason, he talked a lot about it with Jackson. Sometimes it's the night call to ask some tactical questions. Sometimes you just open your mouth and ask in the training gym or during the day.
Phil always took the trouble to explain to him some tactical principles and what the corresponding players need to do in this tactical system. In some cases, he will also point out the mistakes he made in some of the tactics he made in previous years.
Zen Master was very pleased with the attitude that Kobe Bryant showed when he heard him, and at the same time, he was looking forward to how far they can play in the playoffs this season. Kobe Bryant didn't come to find fault, he listened carefully to every important point that Jackson said, and then thought, and if there was a problem, he would raise it on the spot and communicate with the coach.
For newcomers, in the playoffs they just want to score a few more points. This kind of mentality makes it easy for them to be replaced by the manager immediately.
And now, Zhou Yang seems to be okay in terms of mentality.
After returning from the game, Devin dribbled the ball over the half court, and after Kobe Bryant got the basketball in the front court, he calmly made a jumper in the face of the two-man bag! 10:3! The Lakers can basically win this game now as long as they control the situation!
Cassel passed the ball to Brand after half court, and the latter directly knocked Zhou Yang to the ground and then let Odom receive a foul! After 2 free throws, the team quickly returned to defense!
"It looks like the Clippers are going to win the game with free throws tonight~" Odom immediately laughed after Kobe finished speaking!
Smush passed the ball to Zhou Yang after half-time. I still have some pain in my chest just now.
After dribbling a few times, Margeti suddenly rushed over! Zhou Yang pretended to force a layup, and when he had already jumped, he quickly passed the ball to Devin who ran to the bottom corner! The latter immediately jumped up and hit a three-point shot!
"This ball can be passed!" Devin excitedly patted Yang on the shoulder next week, and happily said~It's a wonderful feeling to be able to receive a pass from a teammate and score in the playoffs~
For some teams, in addition to looking at the performance of their players in the regular season, playoff statistics are also important. If a player's playoff stats are okay, or even close to his good performance in the regular season, then the player's value immediately increases.
For players like Kobe Bryant and O'Neal who don't have to deliberately perform in the playoffs, the surprise is the blue-collar players of those teams. They need to increase their value over a period of several years. Otherwise, it will be a low price to play in other teams until retirement.
"He's got a good ball quotient and he's more calm when he handles the ball. The team needs such players on the field," the Zen master said to Vincent as he watched the game.
The Lakers don't have anything to say about their combat power now, and they can play well in rebounding if they control it well. But now it's a question of whether there will be a "glue" type player in the game to make the Lakers play more smoothly.
Unsurprisingly, the next opponent is Spurs. How will the Lakers play then? They don't care what players you have. As long as the Spurs are open, it will be difficult to beat them!
Carman immediately got the basketball back and singled Odom successfully! It was the first time the Clippers scored points in the game without making free throws...... The shouts of the fans at the scene were high!
When Zhou Yang got the basketball, he vaguely heard fans shouting his name! This is the first Asian player in the league to make the playoffs right now! Yao Ming's Rockets had a poor season and finished 10th in the West and missed the playoffs.
So in such a situation, everyone pinned their hopes on Zhou Yang! After the regular season, Yao Ming also congratulated Zhou Yang in an interview on being able to enter the playoffs with the team!
Brand quickly rushed over to defend Zhou Yang, and rushed directly in the face of a tough opponent!
At first, the opponent thought that Zhou Yang was going to pass the ball, but this time it was different! After the sudden change of direction and shaking off the opponent, Zhou Yang jumped up directly and hit a long-distance 2-point shot! At first, Bryant wanted him to pass the ball.
But when I saw his attitude, I didn't say anything. Zhou Yang got his first score in the playoffs!
......
23:18! In the final minutes of the first quarter, the Lakers' shooting percentage dropped, and the Clippers didn't get much better. Zhou Yang looked at such a score and thought to himself that the NBA score at this time was really not high.
After 10 years, a game will score about 30 points at every turn. The fans at the scene were more happy! The strength of my own team is still there.
"Fisher, Wharton, you'll be on the field in a minute. Keep the lead, let's play in the second half" Jackson also saw that the game was easier than he expected. So in the second quarter, Xiaoyu and Luke were replaced.
"Selke, you replace Kaman. The other party's form has slipped. And their team doesn't have a lot of experience as a substitute. So let's shoot more in the next games! If we are still behind in this quarter, then it is estimated that we can only give the other side a victory."
Dunleavy didn't expect the Lakers to be able to play to this extent after letting Zhou Yang come up. The mentality is not very good. But he couldn't say anything. The second quarter started immediately, and he was shocked when the Lakers players got on the court. What does that mean?
First-grader Zhou Yang and third-grader Luke talked a lot after they came to the arena. They were still there talking. Wharton thought about the entire first quarter of the game......
He thought of a lot of good changes, and some changes in the original Phil's tactics might have an effect. And here, Kobe Bryant, he still doesn't dare to communicate too much with him. But he went to the break, and Odom was on the inside, and now the only player who is more flexible is Zhou Yang.
"The two of us can cooperate well, it doesn't matter who gets the points. The point is to disrupt the rhythm of the opponent for our team, which will help us in the next game......"
"Okay, tell me what you want to change" Zhou Yang heard that he was disturbing the other party's rhythm, isn't it just making trouble~ He is willing to do this~
Jackson didn't plan to pay much attention to the game itself. The opponent should get the main players of the team in the second half! When the Lakers relax because they played well in the first half, then the game becomes very complicated.
Zhou Yang and Wharton chatted there when they played. The Zen master was still relatively relieved about this, and the two nimble minds were especially Wharton, and his thoughts felt that it was a pity to be an athlete now.
When the season is over, Phil plans to talk to Luke about his plans for the future. Or just become an assistant coach of the Lakers~ with him! With such a young man by his side, I feel that there will be a lot of new ideas for work.
"I'll pass you the ball and you choose to attack"
"Gone?"
"It's gone. That's all, isn't it too obvious for the two of us to organize the team~" Luke said to Zhou Yang with some smugness there.
"Big brother...... It's the playoffs! Don't make trouble," Zhou Yang said to Wharton very seriously at this time.
"When the time comes, it's going to be like this, it's coming," Wharton said and pushed Zhou Yang.
At this time, Margeti ran towards Devin with a black line, and he withdrew his gaze from Zhou Yang and Wharton. Are these two guys ignoring the Clippers?
After Brand quickly got the basketball, he faced Zhou Yang with a powerful dunk! The Clippers are really in a hurry! Their overall feeling has become very serious!
Wharton took the basketball straight and dribbled to the frontcourt. Basketball soon came to Zhou Yang. While everyone was waiting for Zhou Yang to pass the ball, it was too late for Margeti to pounce after discovering that something was wrong!
Three-point board into the basket! The scene immediately erupted in fierce cheers! The Zen master also nodded there. Wait for the next game to hope that Zhou Yang and Fisher can relieve the pressure on Kobe and O'Neal.
Being scored three points by the other party for no reason made the Clippers very unhappy! Mobley took Selke's serve and returned a three-pointer straight up frontcourt!
"Are you still fighting like that?"
"They don't know you're going to be the main attacker next, so you're going to be safer, Fisher, pass him the ball in a moment" The team knows that Luke is usually close to the Zen master.
And not just because Wharton's father and Jackson were friends. Phil was intrigued by Wharton's ideas and some tactical deductions. If he's a seasoned veteran, it's better for him to organise and lead the team.
But with such a ability to think of several steps, he is now so young!
Luke didn't say much to Zhou Yang either. Now he knew it would work. Because the other party probably wouldn't have thought that Zhou Yang would attack. That's enough!
When the other party thought that Fisher would suddenly release cold arrows, the basketball came to Zhou Yang again! In Brand's place, Zhou Yang wanted to get a foul and successfully played 2+1!
Dunleavy saw this and immediately glanced at Jackson. Then he fell into contemplation. He didn't know if that was what Jackson meant. If he really arranged it like this, he would be too bold!
At this time, the Zen master was there thinking about the current style of play of the Lakers and what Wharton's passing meant. The big moment came in the second half, and now he doesn't even worry about his team being overtaken in the second quarter.
At this time, the Clippers already didn't know how to play. The Lakers are now good at Odom and Fisher, right? Why didn't they make a move and let Zhou Yang, this year's rookie, play?
Mobley thought about it and passed it straight into Margeti's hands. The latter thinks that the Lakers are also dragging with them now, and it is estimated that the current strength in all aspects is not very high. So thinking of this, I rushed directly to the basket without Kassel asking for the ball, intending to go to the basket.
Zhou Yang didn't say a word when he saw this, and the past was a bloody cap!! If this hits Margeti's face, it is estimated that it will be bloodied at that time! Margeti was so frightened that he sat on the ground! It came so suddenly!
Before he could get up, Wharton had already run to the front court and passed the ball to Fisher, who got up and scored a three-pointer! The margin went from 3 to 9 points. Jackson was there watching the game seriously at this time. What's going on, could it be that the Lakers can knock the Clippers off the bench with a few benches?
Mobley asked for the ball and immediately returned a three-pointer in the face of Fisher and Wharton's bag! Mobley's performance in this game was relatively consistent. He knew that if Kobe Bryant came up, his offense might not be effective. It's a good choice to do it now!
And the Clippers at this time are already in danger! In the face of a lineup like the current Lakers, if they can't play, this game will really have to be explained! A few rounds later, it turned out that the Lakers' current playmaker is that third-grader Walton!
Now in his third season, Luke is now playing calmly on the field. If you don't have a lot of shots, pass the ball out and try to get an assist!
Margeti and Kassel exchanged ideas and went straight to Wharton, who was dribbling the ball. It didn't take long to break the ball. After Brand got the basketball, he passed the half, and Mobley then rushed to get his ball and jumped up for a three-pointer!
"Luke! Don't dribble too long! Fisher didn't see it right, and the other party had already found out about the Lakers' style of play and immediately said to him.
After Zhou Yang took the basketball again, he stood in front of Margeti with the ball in one hand! This time it's supposed to be this kid's pass!
When Zhou Yang wanted to pass the ball, he found that Brand had already come, and he immediately jumped up and shot a three-point shot without any choice at this time! This kind of score is actually quite shocking.
When the Clippers saw this goal, their morale was hit to a certain extent. Maybe they can't really win this game.
"If you go to the Bulls, I estimate that Zhou Yang can become the main force of the Lakers~" The big shark sat next to Kobe Bryant at this time and said lightly.
'I left the team, along with Smush and Fischer. But if you leave the Lakers, Odom and Zhou Yang will play very well~ Maybe we may have to leave the Lakers"
Bryant looked at the game and shook his head slightly. The team has worked on both of them this season. That is, until now, they have not been given a clear explanation. Whether to stay or negotiate or be traded next season.
Faced with such an attitude of the team, the two of them can only focus on the game.
35:29! Dunleavy had already figured out how to play the next game. It's up to his team to play. In the first half of the game, as long as the Lakers still played and led them, then this game would not have to be played again.
Mobley didn't have a three-pointer this time, and Selke scored a jumper after getting the basket!
Devin's long-range 2-pointer misses Odom gets the rebound! I was capped off by Brand when I was about to go to the basket! Margeti got the basketball and rushed straight to the front court and passed to Cassel, who hit a three-point shot!
The Lakers are stalling for time here, and the Clippers players on the floor are already fighting! I didn't expect the game to be like this. These players are going to fight with the Lakers' bench! But now they have no choice!
If they can win the Lakers in this game, the pressure for them in the next game will not be very great!
After Fisher's three-pointer was missing, Mobley rushed in to get the rebound and dribbled to the frontcourt! Seeing this, Jackson got up from the bench and came to the sidelines to watch the game. The Clippers are going to get on the ground!