Chapter 316: Slaughtering the 'Shark'

The Rockets relied on Big Ben's key rebounds in the final moments, and after defeating the Trail Blazers, the somewhat exhausted Rockets had a good rest for a day, allowing the Rockets players to recover their physical fitness and spirit.

The day before the game against the Lakers, the Rockets players gathered again, and the Rockets who returned to the training court were in very good shape after a day of rest.

Before the start of training, Mark? Jackson teased Big Ben: "Hey, I said Ben, that sentence you kid said to reporters after the game that day was so cool, wow, I didn't know you kid could say such a thing, I admire you so much." ”

Listened to Mark? Jackson's teasing, Big Ben wasn't angry, he knew what kind of virtue this old guy was, Big Ben made Mark white? Jackson glanced at him: "Mark, there are still many things you don't know, if you know everything, I will definitely choose you as the president of the United States." ”

Garnett, who was on the side, heard this, covered his eyes and said in a mournful voice: "Oh my God, I can't imagine now, if Mark becomes the president of the United States, let a bastard who knows how to look at beautiful women and make beautiful women all day long enter the White House, it will definitely be a disaster." ”

The Rocket crowd imagines Mark at this time? Jackson sat at the president's desk in a suit and with a smile on his face, and couldn't help but burst into laughter again.

Mark? Jackson stood aside with an embarrassed face, looking at his unscrupulous teammates, he was really out of line. Jokes aside, the Rockets' next opponent, the Los Angeles Lakers, is not a joke that can get through. Although Lao Tang looked at his players on the sidelines with full confidence, the preparation before the game should not be sloppy.

Tang didn't care about how his players trained, which was the other members of the Rockets' uniform team, and he was now discussing specific tactics with his assistant coach Brooks against the Lakers.

Lao Tang looked at the Lakers in silence and the specific analysis of the personnel now. At this time, he knew that the Zen master was also studying the tactics and personnel of the rockets, and was studying specific tactics for their subsequent games.

Lao Tang was silent for a long time, and sighed: "Scott, I don't know how to deal with this big guy on the Lakers' interior now, you have to know that there are really very few people in the league who can withstand this person now." “

"Yes, teacher, there is really no one who can suppress this 'shark' now." Brooks also sighed and continued: "Now this 'shark' is in his prime, his lethality under the basket is so huge, we have to find a way to limit it, if we don't have a corresponding way, then even if we beat the Lakers, we will spend a lot of energy, if we use too much energy, then our Finals this year will be very difficult to play." ”

"Yes, and this year's O'Neal is still a little unhappy with the rocket, it can be said that seeing the kid Rocket has a tendency to run wild, which is very headache." Lao Tang leaned against the sand and rubbed his temples vigorously.

Brooks also smiled wryly: "Teacher, now that we have lost Hakim, the thickness of our interior line is much worse, and maybe we have to go through a 7-game battle." ”

"You're right, Scott, whether it's Muhammad, Little Mark, or Big Yao, they can't catch up with Hakim in terms of experience, experience, and psychology." Lao Tang is also worried about this matter: "Besides, I don't know if Hakim will be able to return to the ring next year." ”

"Actually, teacher, I have an idea, I don't know if I can use it." Brooks slurred a bit of his thoughts.

Old Tang looked at Brooks a little strangely: "Scott, you say, every suggestion is good now." ”

Brooks froze and said with some embarrassment: "I have a shortcoming in Shaq, and I think his shortcoming may be of some use to us in the game against the Lakers." ”

Lao Tang thought for a while, and said with understanding: "What you are talking about, O'Neal's free throws, right?" ”

Brooks didn't squeak, just nodded, Lao Tang saw Brooks's expression, and knew that he had guessed correctly, now Lao Tang already knew his disciple's ability very well, and it was not surprising that he proposed such a tactic.

Old Tang thought for a long time before he spoke: "It's worth trying, but if we really come up with such a tactic, it is estimated that Shaq will have the heart to kill you and me." ”

"Teacher, I'm not the coach of the Lakers, I'm the coach of the Rockets now, everything has to be done in the interests of the Rockets, he has that idea, I don't care." Brooks crossed Erlang's legs and shrugged his shoulders meaninglessly.

"You're right, tomorrow morning, during the routine training, I'll tell the stinky boys that the main implementation is Muhammad, Little Mark and Da Yao, and the outside benches will also implement such tactics." Lao Tang was silent for a while, and said in a very firm tone.

Looking at Lao Tang, who had already made up his mind, Brooks was also very happy, one of his suggestions could be accepted by his teacher, and he also felt that he had taken a big step forward on the road of coaching.

When Lao Tang laid out his new tactics to the Rocket players the next day, the Rocket players' eyes widened one by one. But everyone knows that there is no way to deal with the Lakers' 'sharks' with such tactics, and who is so difficult to deal with.

And Mark? After Jackson learned the news, he burst into laughter, the Rockets players were very strange, could it be that this kid Mark has an opinion on the coach's tactics.

Old Tang looked at Mark? Jackson was also a little unhappy, and said in his heart: If you kid has an opinion, just say it, what are you laughing at on the side, is it a problem to laugh at my tactics.

Mark? Jackson is also a transparent person, looking at the old soup that has changed color, and quickly explained: "Coach, I'm not questioning your tactics, I'm just thinking that Shaq's free throws are really ugly, if I see such funny things in the game, I don't know if I can survive on the court, it's really funny." ”

The Rockets remembered O'Neal's unique free throw posture, and there was another burst of laughter.

Lao Tang was also a burst of sorrow, and said in his heart: These stinky boys can really have fun by themselves. Not to mention, Shaq's shooting posture is really good.

The atmosphere before the Rockets game was still very good, nervous and tense, but the Rockets won the championship for two consecutive years, and they also pulled Jordan off the altar, I have to say that the arrogant momentum of the Rockets now has made them not afraid of any opponent.

The Western Conference Finals of the 99-oo season were played between the Rockets and the Lakers, with the Rockets having home-court advantage and the first game being played at the Rockets' home Sky Arena.

Before the start of the game, O'Neal stared at the fish bubble eyes, looking at Da Ben who was preparing him to jump the ball, and Da Ben felt a little hairy in his heart, but Big Ben has also experienced countless big players, and this kind of gaze can't affect Big Ben's heart. However, no one will be happy to see who such a big man of more than two meters and ten meters looks at.

Big Ben didn't say anything, but O'Neal spoke first: "Ben, you won't be our opponent, your Rocket myth is destined to end at our Lakers' hands." ”

"Oh, yes." Big Ben's answer was indifferent and tinged with contempt.

Looking at such an attitude, O'Neal's heart burned with anger, and he shouted in a low voice: "What do you mean, Ben, look down on the Lakers?" ”

Big Ben said in a very sincere tone: "Shaq, you must know that basketball is played, and it is said by mouth. ”

"You ??????" O'Neill just wanted to continue talking, but the referee on the side was not happy, so he heard the referee say very seriously: "Ben, Shaq, remember that you are playing now, not in the salon, the game will start right now, what do you have to say, what are you saying after the game, okay?" After speaking, he glanced at the two of them with fierce eyes, both of them were trembling, they all knew that whoever they offended on the field of play could not offend the referee, if they really offended them, then you don't even know how to die.

The referee looked at Big Ben and O'Neal's already docile eyes, nodded with satisfaction, and the basketball was thrown into the sky, and the first game of the Western Conference finals between the Rockets and the Lakers began.

O'Neal's power is really huge, and a few strong hits in the Rocket's inner line in a row make Big Ben a little overwhelmed, after all, the gap between the two in height is really too big.

The difference in height by ten centimeters, the difference in strength, all this is magnified in basketball.

However, the Rockets are still competing with the Lakers by relying on their tacit cooperation. In the fifth minute of the first quarter, Mohammed was substituted, and his replacement for Big Ben kept an eye on O'Neill inside.

Before going on the court, Brooks whispered in his ear: "Muhammad, after you get on the court, you will commit a foul and die, and you must not give O'Neal a chance to play '+', you know?" ”

Muhammad nodded, signaled that he understood, and then came on the field with a fierce face.

The opportunity came quickly, O'Neal once again held the ball with his back, and the shark was still ready to hit the inside according to the previous style of play, and then either dunk or hook.

However, this time he was not so lucky, it was still very easy when he hit the back, Muhammad was really not an opponent for O'Neal, a few backs to the basket, O'Neal was about to play a hook when he was slapped on the arm by Muhammad behind him, and there was a crisp sound of 'pop', even the audience sitting on the sidelines heard it, and this time it was very heavy, and O'Neal's arm was swollen when he saw it.

O'Neill let out a painful 'snort' and turned his head to glare at Muhammad, who raised his arm to signal his foul behavior.

The referee also came up immediately and awarded Mohammed a foul.

O'Neill could only look at Muhammad with an innocent face, and he couldn't say anything, because after all, he directly admitted his foul behavior.

O'Neill whispered in Muhammad's ear: "Boy, be careful with me. ”

Muhammad shook his head indifferently and looked at O'Neill and gritted his teeth. But you can't go up and beat people up, it's not a street court now.

O'Neal could only hold back the pain and walk to the free throw line to start the free throw. However, the pain in the arm was not so bearable, and after adding that this blow was deliberate, O'Neal was directly knocked out by half of the free throw level.

Sure enough, O'Neal missed two free throws and went back to his own half-court defense with a black face.

And the rocket relies on the thunder? Allen scored two points with his shot, and Kobe, who was in charge of defense, directly bumped into Muhammad, who was mentioned as a high blocker.

O'Neal, who was beaten very painfully, still wanted to continue the attack, but the ball still did not score under the interference of Muhammad, and the rebound was directly taken by Garnett.

O'Neill could only go back to defend with a black face again, he knew that it was still the same as just now, and the pain in his arm still affected his touch.

The Rockets took advantage of this opportunity again and scored a goal, and a smart air cut by Horry, coupled with Bodiloga's missile-like pass, the Rockets once again tore apart the Lakers' defense.

The Rockets' offense threatens the Lakers all the time, but the Lakers' offense is completely weak, because O'Neal is controlled by a series of fouls by the Rockets, O'Neal is also a human, and he also knows the pain, Muhammad's moment has not let O'Neal recover until now.

And the Lakers' blind strong play on the inside line also caused the Lakers to have a single offensive means, and other players could not take greater responsibility, and the Lakers began to fall behind.

At the end of the first quarter, Phil? Jackson has already seen such a thing, Phil with a deep frown? Jackson said to O'Neal, who was back on the sidelines, "Shaq, you played really badly in the first quarter, you know? ”

O'Neal, who knew his performance in the first quarter, nodded with annoyance, and then explained: "Coach, you must know that when I was playing in the first quarter of the game, I was beaten very hard by Muhammad, and now it hurts, and now it is a little green, I think the Rockets must have done it on purpose, I was injured, and the threat to them is much smaller." "It seems that O'Neill is not a fool, and there are a few people who can play in the league who are fools.

Phil? Jackson watched very clearly from the sidelines, but as a championship-level coach, he naturally has his way of solving problems, the Zen master thought for a while and said: "I know, you know your thoughts now, man, but you are not alone on the court, Shaq, basketball is a whole comparison, I think you should know this, in the next game, what I want to see is you passing, not you alone under the basket non-stop singles, when you feel unable to score, your teammates may have a way to beat the opponent, Know what I mean? ”

O'Neill nodded a little heavily, he is also a smart person, and he is constantly reflecting on himself.

Sure enough, after the start of the second quarter of the game, the Rockets suddenly saw that the shark began to pass, and he was no longer focused on playing alone, and this kind of defense brought a lot of trouble to the Rockets' defense.

Kobe Bryant and Rice were both top-level scorers, O'Neal and Green were responsible for controlling the rebounds, Harper was responsible for receiving, and the Lakers pulled back little by little after the start of the second quarter.

Lao Tang watched the change of form on the field from the sidelines, which was a bit unexpected to him, and Lao Tang, who was frowning, also brought a lot of pressure to the fans at home.

Tiger continued to appear behind the Rockets bench players, looking at Lao Tang's appearance, Tiger smiled slightly: "Rudy, don't worry, believe in your own players." ”

Listening to his boss's comfort, Lao Tang's sad face squeezed out a smile: "Boss, thank you for your comfort, but the form on the field is very bad, and our attack is blocked." ”

"Do you want to strengthen the attack if the attack is blocked, we have players on the bench, there are a lot of good attacks." Tiger has a lot of confidence in the Rockets' players.

Lao Tang was also stunned, and then slapped his head hard, and said with some self-deprecation: "It seems that I am really old, and others have reminded me." After saying that, he shook his head with a wry smile, waved his hand and called Da Yao and Saullius to replace Muhammad and Hori.

The two of them took the advice of this old soup and put on the field. After the two of them are tasked with attacking, constantly attacking, although Da Yao's defensive ability is still very poor, but in terms of offense, the current Da Yao has a bit of a Bug flavor in the future. Combined with the continuous shooting of three muskets in the backcourt of the Rockets, the Rockets still did not let the Lakers take advantage of anything in the second quarter of the game.

O'Neal walked back to the player's tunnel with some helplessness, today he could only watch that country kid shoot in front of him again and again, and he didn't have any way, that kid's hand was really good.

After the break, the pain in my arm was reduced a lot after treatment. O'Neal, who had recovered a lot, wanted to vent the anger he suffered in the first half to the second half, but it was a vicious foul by Muhammad, and he hit O'Neal's injury in the first half again, which suddenly made O'Neill explode, and the blood-red-eyed O'Neill punched Muhammad, but Muhammad, who had been on guard, screamed miserably, and fell down with O'Neal's fist.

Seeing his teammates being beaten, Garnett rushed between the two of them with a single lunge, roaring and yelling at O'Neal: "Shaq, you bastard, what do you want to do, do you want to fight?" I'm with you. ”

Garnett, who looked at the angry bullfight, and O'Neill, who calmed down when he saw Muhammad fall to the ground, were also a little stupid. He knew that he was calculated, but O'Neill's temper was also very explosive, and when he saw Garnett like this, he also yelled: "That kid on the ground is a shameless liar and thief, look what he has done to my arm." He stretched out his arm.

However, it is impossible for the referee not to punish him, because O'Neal hit first, and under the strong intervention of the referee, O'Neill and Garnett were separated.

O'Neill was sent off directly, looking at O'Neal who was a little gloomy and leaving the field, a smile appeared on the corner of Tiger's mouth on the sidelines, and he thought to himself: It seems that the shark cutting tactics appeared in advance.

The Lakers who lost O'Neal, the morale of the army, even if Kobe Bryant tried his best, the Rockets still won the first game.

9:8

Rockets: o Lead the Lakers.