On February 16, 1998, the Rockets challenged the Los Angeles Lakers on the road.

Before the game, the big sharks said wildly: We want to beat the Rockets on our home court and let them know who is the strongest team in the West.

Kobe Bryant also said before the game that he would not let the Rockets win a game on their home court.

Regarding these remarks, a lot of media interviewed the Rockets' players before the game, but they all received similar remarks, let's see you in the game.

With a restrained flamboyance, the Rockets scoffed at the Lakers' pre-game remarks.

There are many good things in the media, and in the report, they claim that the Rockets ignore the remarks of the Lakers and so on, intending to start a war of words between the two sides.

The Lakers reacted strongly, but the Rockets completely ignored any rhetoric.

In the end, Lao Tang came forward and said a word, let the basketball speak.

After that, he refused all interviews with the news media.

Before the start of the fight, Garnett and O'Neal punched, and O'Neal said, "Kevin, you're going to lose today." ”

Garnett said without hesitation: "Shaq, are you dreaming, if you want to win the rocket, you are still 100 years early." ”

"Hehe, then let's watch the game." After that, he turned around and went back to the Lakers half court to prepare for this game.

Garnett just shrugged his shoulders and turned around to get ready for the game.

Neither the Rockets nor the Lakers have changed their starters.

After the referee's whistle blew, the Lakers' game against the Rockets officially began.

This time O'Neal jumped to win over Garnett, and Van Axel kept the ball in control.

The Lakers' offense still started from the inside, and Olajuwon could only suppress O'Neal's offense a little, and saw O'Neal bravely crash away from Olajuwon, and ended the offense with a two-handed dunk, and O'Neal, who was taking the overlord step, arrogantly returned to his half court to defend.

On the other hand, the Rockets are still organizing their own offense calmly, Olajuwon took the ball on the inside and faced O'Neal, his body slightly tested O'Neal's center of gravity, suddenly turned around, and then stuck O'Neal behind him with a small jump, a backhand layup, and threw the ball into the basket accurately.

Comparing these two balls, all basketball fans seem to see two extremes.

If O'Neill is the most perfect embodiment of strength, then Olajuwon is the most perfect embodiment of technology.

In this way, the two major center forwards on the inside of the two sides began to fight, a confrontation between strength and technology.

On the court, O'Neal took the ball and said when he faced Olajuwon in the second match: "Hakim, why don't you retreat." ”

Olajuwon stubbornly resisted O'Neal, but it had no effect and could only retreat little by little with the power of O'Neal's back push, Olajuwon straightened his body and said: "Shaq, if I retire, you have no opponent, how boring it is." ”

O'Neill pursed his lips and thought to himself: It's good that you should retire quickly, otherwise I won't get anything from a dead old man like you.

Thinking about it, but if it should be done, O'Neal turned around and shook off Olajuwon again, and another strong dunk ended the offense.

Lao Tang looked at the anxious situation on the field, beckoned the bus over, and replaced Olajuwon, who had been tortured for half a quarter on the field.

Looking at the sweaty Olajuwon, Lao Tang said with a smile: "Hakim, how is it, that shark didn't hurt you." ”

Olajuwon panted and said: "This kid, his strength is getting bigger and bigger, and his playing is getting more and more slippery, or the stunned boy back then is easy to deal with, and now I really can't clean him up." ”

"Hehe, that's right, that kid can be said to be the future interior ruler of the league, in my opinion, in the next 5-7 years, there is no insider who can beat him, whether it is our Kevin, or the young man with facial paralysis in the Spurs, if you want to become a career, you can only step on the fat man's body in the past, otherwise it will be difficult." Lao Tang said in an appreciative tone.

"Hehe, coach, I understand what you mean, but if that big fat man wants to achieve a career, he must step on the corpse of the rocket, otherwise it will be the same." Olajuwon said in an indifferent but firm tone.

Looking at the determined Captain Rocket, Lao Tang smiled noncommittally and turned his eyes to the arena.

At this time, the inside line on the court, like two barbarians wrestling, Daba and O'Neal are gritting their teeth and stuck with their opponents.

O'Neal felt that after the Rockets switched to the bus, it was obviously difficult for him to score.

Olajuwon is already old, and with a little more force, he can be squeezed out.

But the bus didn't work, and the Chinese kid behind him was stuck behind him like a pillar.

And the bus behind O'Neill felt the same way, always feeling like a wall was constantly hitting him.

What he can do now is to keep his center of gravity and not just let his opponent score as his own victory.

The tussle between the Rockets and Lakers continues.

On the outside, Kobe Bryant is battling Drexler.

Kobe Bryant looked at the 35-year-old guy in front of him and scratched his head a little, this guy is not slow, his steps are flexible, although he is a little older, but now it is the first quarter, physical strength is not a problem at all, this old goblin is as difficult to deal with as Jordan.

The clock was in the wrestling between the two sides, minute by minute, and the final moments of the first quarter of the game.

When the red light came on in the first quarter, the Rockets trailed by just one point at 23:24.

After a short break, the two sides began to fight in the second quarter.

At the beginning of the second quarter, the Rockets took the initiative to change, and Big Ben, Bodi Roga and Ray Allen came on the court, announcing the debut of the Rocket's fast chariot.

Under the command of Bodi Roga, the Rockets gave full play to the characteristics of the fast offense, from grabbing defensive rebounds to ending the final offense, the Rockets took very little time.

However, the Lakers don't need to follow the rhythm of the Rockets after having Optimus Prime like O'Neal.

Under Van Axel's control, the Lakers are still playing their own half-court offense.

One move and one style, continue to play the advantage of their own internal line.

However, now O'Neal's physical strength has used a huge consumption, and the rotation defense of Big Bus and Big Ben has always maintained the maximum defensive intensity against O'Neal, quickly consuming the physical strength of the big shark.

There was no way, Harris could only let the shark come down and rest.

Harris knows very well that if it weren't for O'Neal, the Rockets would have torn the Lakers to pieces.

Sure enough, it was when O'Neal was down that the Rockets launched a wave of rapid offensive.

Ray Allen confronted Kobe, and the two arguably the best shooting guards of the '96 generation started a conversation.

Kobe Bryant looked at Ray Allen and said, "Man, hurry up and attack, I'll wait to beat me." ”

Hearing this, Ray Allen laughed and said: "I said Kobe, do you think that the game is heads-up, it doesn't matter if you win or not, as long as you defeat your team, even if you score 101 points, you can only be a lone hero, and you will not win the championship." ”

"Hey, man, we're here to play, not to play tricks." Kobe Bryant gave him a blank look and lectured himself to Ray Allen.

"Hehe, good I don't play tricks. I'm going to tell you, though, that we're going to score. Before he could finish speaking, Ray Allen raised his hand with one hand, and the ball flew over Kobe's head and flew straight to the basket.

At this time, a rocket player rushed out from the bottom line, and after receiving the ball, it was a one-armed windmill, and the ball was full of energy.

Kobe Bryant looked back and saw that it was Garnett, and after the dunk was completed, Garnett made a chest expansion movement, and came up to make a chest bump with Ray Allen.

Looking at the intimate actions of Garnett and Ray Allen, Kobe Bryant could only sigh with a wry smile in his heart: Why don't I have such a partner.

In the 5 minutes that O'Neal was not on the court, the Rockets launched a wave of 16:6 attacks, which suddenly stretched the score to 10 points, Kobe Bryant was blocked by Ray Allen and Horry on the court, Eddie Jones and Van Axel hit their heads in front of the Rockets' overall defense, and the Lakers' outside trio was completely dumb.

The Lakers can only let O'Neal play again.

However, O'Neal's appearance did not have any good effect, and the two sandbags prepared by the Rockets for O'Neal took turns to fight with O'Neal.

In the midst of this fierce struggle, the second quarter of the game ended.

At 54:44, the Rockets ended the first half with a 10-point lead.

At halftime, Lao Tang said to the Rockets players very seriously: "Guys, in the second half of the game, the Lakers are bound to fight back, you have to be prepared for the worst, they are not easy to deal with." In the second half, you have to pay attention to the Lakers' outside line, and I have to keep an eye on Van Axel, this is a passionate player, and I can't let him play with a touch, you know. ”

The Rocket crowd nodded silently.

And in the Lakers' locker room, Harris also said to the Lakers' players: "In the second half, our outside line must be opened, we must reduce the pressure on Shaq on the inside, Ike, Jones and Kobe Bryant You must break the Rockets' outside defensive circle, so that Shaq has room to move on the inside, and create opportunities for Shaq, only when the inside and outside lines are all opened, we have a chance to win, do you understand." ”

"Understood." The Lakers will say yes with a bang.

The second-half deathmatch between the Lakers and the Rockets was on the verge of breaking out.

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