The Lakers couldn't afford to lose this game, and the players were on the court to defend themselves. Ariza had a very good run in this series, successfully limiting Durant and making his shooting a little uncomfortable, but he was also replaced with two fouls for overly aggressive defense, and replaced with Fisher, and Bryant returned to the shooting guard position.

With 3:10 left in the first quarter and 20-22 and the Bobcats trailing by two points, D'Antoni called a timeout.

Chauncey Billups was also more active in this game, scoring six points.

"Kevin, good job. As long as Ariza is down, you should be better off. D'Antoni said.

Durant made 0 of 4 shots and scored 2 points only on free throws, and his black face was a little red when he heard the coach say this.

Ariza's offense is average, and the defense is really tight. It's hard for Durant to get easy shots, unless it's a teammate covering or breaking through with the ball, and the Bobcats are still playing Billups on the outside today.

The best performer on the Lakers' side is Caron Butler, who also relies on his teammates to break through the offense and currently has eight points.

"The Lakers' defensive moves are big enough, so don't be so gentlemanly. Brook (Lopez) down, Marcus (Camby) on. The defense must keep up. D'Antoni looked at Hayes and said, "Chuck, you defend Gasol." Don't let him get inside easily, I'm sure you can disrupt his rhythm and change the defense as soon as the opponent breaks through. ”

"Okay. If he finds his shooting touch, then make a substitution. Hayes laughed. Despite being 15 centimeters taller than him, Gasol is confident.

Today, Lopez's defense and pick-and-roll were not very successful, allowing Gasol and Barrett to attack the basket frequently, and D'Antoni saw that Lopez was playing a little depressed, so he replaced him.

Playing against Gasol is good for Lopez's growth, but if he is abused too much, there may be some problems with his self-confidence.

Whenever the Lakers score, the fans on the sidelines will let out thunderous cheers, and although the Bobcats are strong, they are also villains when they get to the opponent's home court. Lopez singled Bynum twice and did not score, and the fans booed neatly, and Lopez, who was not used to being booed, was affected.

Was it a matter of agreement? The fans booed and cooperated so tacitly. Hayes just thought it was funny. Even so, the Lakers don't want to beat the Bobcats. ’

"Chuck, step up your offense. We don't score too little inside and it's not good to play like that. D'Antoni said.

"Chauncey gave me a pass, and I had too few shots in my first two games. Triangle offense, I go to the low post to ask for the ball, Kevin runs. Hayes said.

Defensive holes Hayes has to make up for them, and if there is a problem in offense, he's going to step up. That's what he did with the Bobcats.

On the ESPN commentary bench, Joan Barry commented on the game just now. "The Lakers' offense is dominated by the inside, and the Bobcats are the opposite, the offense is all from the outside, but today they didn't shoot very well. Hayes still regards grabbing rebounds as his top priority, and has grabbed three frontcourt rebounds so far, 2 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, and his performance today is still very eye-catching, I really don't understand why a person with a height of 198cm can grab so many rebounds. ”

"He's just quick to react. Rodman can't compare to him more than judgment. In this regard, he is the first in the league, plus he is strong. But I don't think Hayes is a good way to play. Magic Johnson said, and he had a different opinion. I don't think Chuck played well enough in this series and gave the offense to Billups, and as the leader of the team, the Bobcats shouldn't have used him as a blue-collar rebounder. D'Antoni's goal should be to control the backcourt rebounds and play the fast break, but the Lakers are quick to defend and the Bobcats are difficult to play on the fast break. The Lakers' defensive strategy is relatively successful. ”

The game resumes.

Hayes reached low on the right side for the ball, and it was Bynum who defended him.

Bynum and Gasol are both tall and long-armed, and Hayes relies on strength to squeeze into the basket and score easily, so he can only rely on technique. Gasol has to put most of his energy on the offensive end, so the burden of defending Hayes inside falls on Bynum's shoulders.

Billups hoisted the ball high to Hayes and ran to the baseline. Hayes leaned back and didn't touch anyone, and he immediately realized that Bynum wasn't on guard.

'He hasn't played much in the low post in the first two games, will he do it this time? Bynum thought to himself, he also studied Hayes's game footage, and if he got too close to Hayes, he would probably turn around. He stepped away half a step away and tried to block after Hayes made a move.

Hayes dribbled back and turned. Bynum took a small step forward, Hayes took a step with his left foot, dribbled the ball under his right crotch to his left hand, accelerated with the ball with his left hand, swept into the three-second zone in one step, and took the second step past Bynum, and hit the hook with his left hand! 22 to 22.

Johnson, the magician in the commentary seat, said: "With a hook on the left hand, Chuck has improved a little bit again. He didn't seem to be able to shoot with his left hook hand before. ”

Hayes often practiced his left hand, and often used his left hand to use utensils when eating and writing. This made his left hand more and more flexible, and he developed a terrifying sense of balance. He can shoot with both hands, which makes it more difficult for opponents to defend.

The Lakers attacked, and Billups followed Fisher. Fisher's offense relied mainly on shooting and relying on strong physical breakthroughs, and the means were very single, and Billups had an easy time defending him. Fisher handed it to Kobe, who was ready to hoist the ball to Gasol.

This time he was a little hesitant. Because the defender was replaced by Hayes. Although Gasol is nearly a head taller than Hayes, Kobe Bryant has a feeling that Gasol must not be able to handle Hayes.

'Pass on, Hayes is not omnipotent, Paul will shoot, I don't believe Hayes will defend down. Bryant thought about it for a moment, but still hoisted the ball in.

Gasol felt like he was facing a wall behind him, and his back couldn't squeeze in at all. Gasol wanted to play Lopez to the middle, but Hayes blocked his breakthrough path and pushed him out.

Gasol already knew in his heart that Hayes would not let him enter the interior easily, and if he wanted to get in, he could only break through. Gasol flickered, then turned to the bottom line. Hayes saw the opportunity to reach out his right hand and slap it on the basketball, and the ball touched Gasol's leg and went off the baseline.

Bobcat gets the ball.

"You're too slow." Hayes walked past Gasol and smiled.

The Bobcats attacked, Hayes fell low again to ask for the ball, and the defender of him was still Bynum. Hayes received the ball and turned to the middle, bent his knees, and leaned back with the ball with both hands.

'Step-back jumper? It's not that easy! Bynum immediately judged that Hayes was going to make a step-back jumper. Took a big step forward and jumped up the cap.

Hayes just leaned back, and the man didn't jump. He tilted his toes and retracted his center of gravity, jumped forward and hit Bynum, pushing the ball out with his left hand. The basketball hit the front of the board, and Bynum fouled.

After hitting the free throw, it was 25-22. Hayes scored five straight points.

"Don't jump head-on when you cover him, he'll make a foul." Gasol reminded Bynum.

Back defensively, Hayes defended Gasol again. Gasol knew that Hayes could not get him, but he was very uncomfortable to defend because he could not find the usual attacking rhythm and could not get into the box.

This time he picked up the ball and opted for a turnaround jumper. The moment he jumped, he could feel Hayes nudge him around the waist. Hayes kept one hand on Gasol's waist as he defended. It's just that if it's so lightly held, the referee won't blow for a foul. When Gasol jumped, Hayes quickly moved half a step forward, pushed Gasol hard with his left hand, and raised the jump block high with his right hand.

The referee's attention was focused on Gasol's shot and Hayes' blocked right hand, but Hayes' push with his left hand was the key, directly pushing Gasol's ordinary jumper into a step-back jumper. Although he couldn't even touch Gasol's chin with his right hand after jumping, this push disrupted Gasol's shooting rhythm and the shot was deflected.

Camby grabbed the backcourt rebound.

'This bastard makes small moves. This scene was clearly seen by Kobe. But the referee can't do anything if he doesn't blow it. Hayes defended and immediately rushed forward, with Camby handing to Billups. The latter passed to Hayes, and Wallace was on the heel. The Bobcats formed a fast attack, playing 2 of 3 in the frontcourt.

Hayes pushed forward in the middle with Butler in front of him, he looked in the direction of Wallace on the right and slapped the ball to the ground with his left hand. This is a standard ground-hitting pass. Butler subconsciously stretched out his hand to block the passing route, but the ball did not pass, and Hayes smashed it to the ground, which was not small, but it bounced straight up. Hayes pushed the ball straight out with his right hand with a "Dragon Ball Release" action, and Billups on the left side cut inside to receive the basketball, and scored the basketball under Kobe's defense. 27 to 22.

The Lakers attacked again, Kobe Bryant didn't pass the ball to Gasol, he couldn't bear it anymore. Hayes's small movements are very hidden, and the referee may not blow when he sees it. Gasol can't get into the basket and only rely on mid-range shots to ensure efficiency, after all, he is not Nowitzki. At this time, Kobe Bryant felt that he had to step up.

He took the ball with one hand and pretended to pass, shook it in front of Durant, and started to break through to the interior in one step. Kobe Bryant's pace was already a lot slower than in the previous two years, and as soon as he passed Durant, Wallace immediately blocked him and let Butler go. Bryant's right-handed pass to Butler on the weak side was handed over. Butler hit a 27-24 shot from the spot.

The Bobcats unhurriedly organized a positional attack, and Billups handed the ball to Hayes again. Hayes was again in the low post this time. Bynum stared intently at Hayes.

If you still do the same thing, I'll be able to cover you." Bynum tensed his muscles and waited for Hayes to make a move. Hayes took the ball and dribbled twice to the middle to get the ball, and the man was already near the free throw line. Bynum was very close, and he was happy that he didn't let Hayes squeeze under the basket and that he had a tendency to take it out. When I looked closely, I saw that Hayes had no ball in his hand.

Durant made an off-ball screen for Billups on the weak side, and Billups shook off Fisher and slipped to the basket. Hayes saw the opportunity and turned around and gently slotted the ball away with his right hand. Billups catches the ball and hits a backhand layup. Kobe Bryant couldn't cover it again. 29 to 24.

The Bobcats played the offense**. Fisher dribbled across the half court and blocked Durant with his near-circular body, and Bryant immediately dribbled along the left three-point line after receiving the ball and made a pull-up jump shot at a 45-degree angle.

Billups made up for the defense, he knew that if his height was slow, he would not be able to cover Kobe, so he jumped immediately after two steps of changing defenses, and the timing was just right. The right hand blocked Bryant's three-point shot.

Hayes is getting ready to applaud on the inside! I saw Kobe Bryant's right arm swing his elbow hard when he landed, and smashed it on Billups's head, Billups fell to the ground, because this was the action when he fell after shooting, the referee's attention was on the basketball, and he didn't whistle immediately, Kobe picked up the basketball, shot again, and hit a 3-pointer...... At this time, the assistant referee signaled to the referee that Billups was on the ground, and the whistle blew!

(To be continued)