Chapter 468: The opponent is confirmed
Although they won the battle of Tianwang Mountain, it does not mean that the Lakers can advance to the finals 100%, and the Spurs will definitely not accept the elimination of the ending. It's not the case in the history of the NBA that a team has lost the battle of Kings Mountain and ended up making the cut, and no one can guarantee that the Spurs won't be next, at least Chang Wei believes they have what it takes.
Sure enough, when the game returned to San Antonio, the Spurs, who were unwilling to be out of the game, showed their strong strength, and Popovich decisively put all the GDP into the starting lineup, and it was clear that he wanted to fight on his back. For the Spurs, it makes no sense to think about how to play Game 7, and if they lose Game 6, then the whole season is over.
The Spurs, who added a point of possession, played the team offense they excelled at, and Duncan didn't need to be the inside like he did in the previous game, which also helped him conserve energy and get more playing time. The Lakers players were taken aback by the Spurs' strong start and by the time they came to their senses, they were already eight points behind, much to the dissatisfaction of the Zen master, who had planned to take the lead in the first quarter, but now it was the opponent who had the advantage.
Although the Lakers set off a counterattack, Ginobili's breakthrough made them very uncomfortable, whether it was the experienced Payton or the physical Kobe Bryant, there was nothing they could do with his weird serpentine breakthrough, and they could only watch Ginobili continue to attack the basket, and then fold his body directly in mid-air to complete the layup, or pass the ball to his teammates.
The Spurs have a very good home record this season, so they returned to the AT&T center and were fearless against the Lakers, leading 35-30 at the end of the first quarter, leaving every expert who follows the game dumbfounded. On TV, the TNT commentators held their heads in their hands and shouted "unbelievable" and something like that, Chang Wei picked up the remote control and turned down the sound a little with a blank face, he really couldn't stand the fuss of these commentators, it was normal to lead in the first quarter.
But soon Chang Wei couldn't calm down, and the Spurs still suppressed the Lakers in the second quarter, because at this time, the Purple and Gold's on-court lineup lacked Payton and Malone, and they had to recover their strength on the bench.
This makes the confrontation on the field return to the state of the GDP war OK combination, and perhaps add a Szzebiak, and he can only have a little presence at this time. While the Lakers' F4 looks luxurious, it is not the case for Szczebiak, who was originally the team's third leader, but now it is estimated that he will have to drop two more.
Kobe and O'Neal are indeed very strong, but the GDP combination is not weak, especially Duncan, although he entered the industry much later than O'Neal, but he is not at all behind in the one-on-one on the inside, and even has time to limit Kobe Bryant who bursts into the inside. The two sides are basically in a state where no one can defend the other, but the Spurs' offense is a little more disciplined, and the GDP does not choose to keep the ball in their hands because they are so good, and they are happy to pass the ball when their teammates run out of gaps.
In the angry and helpless eyes of the Zen master, the Spurs continued to lead 57-51 at halftime, and although the advantage was still not very large, it was enough for them. The battered Lakers failed to make any waves in the second half, and they accepted the end of being equalized by their opponents again, and the game was dragged into a tiebreaker.
When all the numbers on the timer were reset to zero, Chang Wei couldn't help but sigh in front of the TV. Going into a tie-break in a series is a huge pressure for any team, and their bodies can be extremely tired. Regardless of which team advances, the Pistons are the ones who benefit, as long as they don't relax in training.
Reaching the Finals is quite important for both the Spurs and the Lakers, so the tie-break battle is full of sparks from the first second, and physical confrontation is everywhere, and if it weren't for the referee's control, it might have been fought a long time ago. Their rivalry was also reflected in the scoreline, with the two teams alternating leads, and the difference did not exceed seven points at the maximum, whether on the spot or in front of the television, everyone who followed the game had to hold their chests lest they suffer a heart attack.
In the first quarter, the two sides fought to a 28-all draw; In the second quarter, the Spurs edged up 51-50. It can be said that the two sides were evenly matched throughout the first half, and neither wanted to fall one step away from the finals. Although the two historical coaches of Zen Master and Popovich gave the players a good lesson at halftime, the Spurs and Lakers still played inextricably in the second half, and neither of them could squeeze the opponent to death in one wave, which naturally left the opponent with hope of a reversal.
With 17 seconds left in the game, the score was still tied at 92, but now that the ball is in the hands of the Lakers, they can run a successful tactic to directly kill the Spurs. The Zen master called the last timeout of the game, and after arranging the tactics for the players, Malone teed off near the halfway line, and the time was still more abundant for the Lakers.
However, the Spurs are not vegetarians, and they are not far from the other four players of the Lakers, hoping to interfere with their catch, and Bryant had to come to his own half to barely receive the ball. Not a single person in the entire Staples Center was still in their seats, and everyone stood up excitedly, waiting for the home team's attack in the final 17 seconds.
Bryant's receipt of the ball in his own half undoubtedly disrupted the previous Zen master's arrangement, but now that the Lakers have not taken a timeout, he believes that the players can handle everything, or it will be overtime. Kobe Bryant came to the top of the arc while protecting the ball, and the Spurs' number one outside defender, Bowen, has been holding him up consciously or unconsciously, ready to make a steal at any time.
Seeing the number on the timer rapidly decreasing, Kobe Bryant had no intention of passing the ball out at all, and didn't even let O'Neal or Malone come up to cover himself. He forced his way through Bowen with a feint, made a quick stop near the free throw line, and pulled up to make a shot, with only 1.2 seconds left until the end of regular time.
Dodging Duncan's big hand from the defense, Kobe Bryant twisted his body and threw the ball in mid-air, and when the ball was still in mid-air, the time had run out, which meant that it was the last shot in regular time. When Kobe Bryant landed, he still maintained the action of shooting, and in everyone's eyes, after the basketball knocked on the back edge of the basket, he still obediently drilled in, and the score of the game was fixed at 94-92, and the Lakers got another Finals spot.