Chapter 880: Kobe and O'Neal
(Because it's a 6,000-word chapter, it's a little late today, sorry, and finally I'm asking for a monthly pass and a recommended ticket)
"The second half of the game is about to start, I don't know if the New York Knicks can find a way to deal with it, for them this quarter is the time to decide the fate of this game, they must narrow the gap to within 10 points or within 5 points, otherwise it is impossible for them to beat the Chinese"
Looking at the New York Knicks who came out of the players' tunnel, Kenny Smith on the commentary bench also frowned and said, the current situation reminded him of Zhuang Fei's words half a month ago, can the New York Knicks let Kobe stay on the court in the fourth quarter, if the score difference in the third quarter of this game continues to be pulled apart, then if Kobe Bryant does not play in the fourth quarter, the New York Knicks and Phil Jackson will be greatly insulted, and it can even be said that they will become the laughing stock of everyone, It's also what makes Kenny Smith worry about a team with the best traditional center in the league right now.
Of course, Kenny Smith's worries didn't serve much use, and he couldn't have affected the two teams on the field anyway.
"Shaq, remember what I said in the dressing room, you have to be more resolute in your attack"
When the Lakers players came on the court one by one, at this time, Phil Jackson was still talking to the team's leading interior line on the sidelines, and at this time, the New York Knicks' leading interior line also nodded solemnly.
For the two, this game needs to be won anyway, especially O'Neal, who is ready to beat the Chinese after turning down Zhuang's invitation to return to the Lakers this summer. And now. If not able to defeat him. Then there is no point in leaving the Lakers.
"Phil, I'll let everyone see my determination" O'Neal finally said a little decisively, and at this time Phil Jackson also nodded secretly, at this time O'Neal is his only support, or at this time O'Neal is the only support of this team, just like in the last moment of the second quarter of the first half of the game, after the New York Knicks offense did not have O'Neal's participation, everyone was like headless flies.
"Hopefully you'll be able to take the most important step of your career," said O'Neal as he came on the pitch. Phil Jackson also thought secretly in his heart.
At this time, unlike Phil Jackson and O'Neal who were still busy discussing the next game, the Lakers head coach Zhuang Fei on the other side sat on the bench completely calmly, and the five players of the Lakers also came to the court early.
And when Webb served from the bottom line, the second half of the game officially began.
Compared with the extreme speed at the end of the first half, at the beginning of the second half, the Lakers' slow advance also made the New York Knicks fans on the scene a little uncomfortable, of course, when the opponent has already stood in a defensive position, the gap between fast advance and slow advance is not very large.
Of course, although the speed of advancement is not very fast, the speed of tactical coordination when the Los Angeles Lakers advance to the front court is still extremely terrifying. The team's No. 5 tactics for the past half season have almost reached the point of perfection, and when this team plays again, it is almost the same routine. And the New York Knicks also used the same defense against the Lakers, and Bryant once again had an opportunity outside the three-point line.
The New York Knicks or Phil Jackson still don't think Kobe Bryant can keep shooting all the time, even if the Lakers star has scored 39 points in the half, he doesn't think Kobe Bryant's shooting is better than Szebiak, of course, although the New York Knicks' defense is still selective Kobe Bryant, but the team's defensive rotation speed has risen to a level again, if the first half of the game, Kobe can have one and a half steps or even more space, then now, Such space is not big, at least now Kobe Bryant has almost made a shot, and Van Exel has already come, but although Phil Jackson compressed Kobe's shooting space, this ball is still Kobe still hit.
"Is this guy still there?" When he saw this, even Hill and Hardaway, who had been suppressing the cut under the basket, were a little surprised to look at the Lakers No. 8 who still maintained the shooting hand after the shot, and at this time Phil Jackson on the sidelines was still not very calm, if the New York Knicks' offense was open in the first half, he didn't care if Kobe Bryant could hit, he just knew that Kobe Bryant would always miss in the future, but now, with the Lakers already leading by 13 points, this ball hit, The Lakers are already leading by 16 points, you must know that leading by 10 points in the NBA is a hurdle, and leading by 15 points is also a hurdle, at this time, if he can still sit calmly on the sidelines, he will not be Phil Jackson.
Of course, at this time, even if he is in a hurry, but let him come up with a way to strangle the Lakers' offense, it is rare to catch Kobe Bryant and let Szebiak go? He didn't dare to think about it, if he really wanted to give Szzerbiak a chance, this guy could really get in. In the end, the New York Knicks head coach, who had been entangled for a long time, still gritted his teeth and persevered.
"I don't believe you can still enter" Although there is some comfort in his heart, the head coach of the New York Knicks looked at the Chinese on the side, and he wanted to know why this Chinese dared to take Kobe Bryant as the main point of attack in one game, and where did this Chinese's confidence come from. But even if he wanted more, he probably wouldn't be able to figure it out.
"Kobe Bryant's shooting rate today is really high" Barkley looked at Kobe Bryant, who hit three points again, and said with some amazement, and at this time, Kenny Smith on the side also nodded, Kobe's hand in this game is simply so good that it is against the sky, as long as there is an opportunity, almost all of them are in, this is no longer in a good state to explain, it is a miracle, at least compared to the previous Kobe, this is definitely a miracle-like performance.
"Maybe it's like Coach Z said, maybe Phil Jackson really didn't use this scoring guard well" At this time, Kenny Smith also remembered what Zhuang Fei said not long ago, and thinking that half a month ago, Zhuang Fei had only let Kobe Bryant play three quarters. He didn't just think it was just the Chinese and Phil Jackson's vindictiveness now.
"If you talk about who in the league has the best use of players. I'm afraid no one can compare with this Chinese," the trump card commentator of TNT also sighed and said.
Although Kenny Smith was still amazed by Zhuang Fei's ability to use players at this time. But at this time, the New York Knicks' offense began, and after the start of the second half of the game, the Lakers still adopted the strategy of the second quarter of the game, everyone shrank under the basket, and the two people highlighted a little control of the perimeter.
This strategy is also one of the main reasons why the Los Angeles Lakers were able to play the New York Knicks like this in the first half. O'Neal was also very hesitant to face the three-man defense inside, and in this case, the team could only rely on the littering of Van Exel and Marbury, and was finally pulled away by the Lakers.
It's just that the first New York Knicks' offense in the second half was different from the first half, because O'Neal was more resolute in asking for the ball inside, even if he was surrounded by three Lakers players at this time.
"Stephen, pass!" In the face of O'Neal's roaring ball, the Lakers players on the court were also stunned, and at this time, even Marbury on the periphery was a little stunned, although it was said at halftime. The manager's instructions were to hit the ball inside no matter what, but the coach's instructions were instructions. Is it appropriate to pass the ball at this time, this is a three-person bag, of course, Marbury didn't want to hold the ball and not let go, he was really worried that O'Neal wouldn't be able to deal with it, but seeing O'Neal with a determined face, Marbury finally threw the ball high, and the next scene stunned everyone in the audience.
O'Neal received Marbury's high throw with his right hand with one hand, and leaned directly sideways to get away from Webb, and in the face of Grant Hill and Szebiak, the leading players of the New York Knicks, who came up from the side, actually got up directly to complete the sideways hook shot, and when the basketball came out of O'Neal's hand and bounced twice on the basket and finally turned in, the whole court was deadly, and after a moment of dead silence, the audience was in an uproar again, and finally the sky above Madison Garden Square was full of roars and applause.
"There is a person hanging on each hand on the left and right hands, and there is a person in front of him, and he can still shoot and hit in such a situation, this guy is amazing" At this time, Marbury, who was still hesitating whether to pass the ball to O'Neal, was also sluggish for a while after seeing this scene, and finally woke up and wiped the cold sweat on his forehead, this is a real one-on-three.
Of course, although Marbury was shocked at this time, this is also for sure, although he has been teammates with O'Neal for a long time, he has not seen O'Neal's offensive style, and there are other New York Knicks players who are also shocked, and like Marbury, these players are also shocked and suddenly feel that the confidence that disappeared not long ago has come back again, because they see the hope of winning again, because now their Optimus Prime is still alive and not dead.
"Kenny, this guy is so good, he can still play three now" Barkley in the commentary bench looked at his old rival and said with some surprise, and Kenny Smith on the side also said.
"I hope O'Neal's goal can bring confidence and boost morale to the rest of the New York Knicks, there is still a 14-point difference, and there are 13 points left after O'Neal's foul and free throws, such a point difference is not an untraceable score if the New York Knicks can be resurrected in time" At this time, Kenny Smith's mind was also active again.
In the face of this 2+1 opportunity, O'Neilga hit free throws, and at critical moments, free throws will never be an obstacle for him, even if his career free throw shooting rate is only half. After O'Nealga's free throw, the score of the two sides also came to 13 points. At this time, Phil Jackson on the sidelines was a little relieved, because it seems that the New York Knicks are about to return to normal, as long as O'Neal is normal, then the New York Knicks can be normal.
Of course, now Phil Jackson once again sees the opportunity for the New York Knicks to chase the score back, not only because O'Neal's 2+1 hit but in the next Lakers offense, before waiting for the team's cooperation to play, Kobe Bryant directly faced Van Exel after receiving the pass at the first time, and Kobe Bryant almost didn't have any shooting space. It's obvious. Van Axel has consciously taken a step further. At this time, if Kobe can distribute the ball to Hardaway who has cut out, then Hardaway is a mid-distance without defense, but in the end, Kobe still chose his own personal attack, of course, this ball, failed to hit.
And at this time, Phil Jackson, who was watching all this on the sidelines, also showed a smile on the corner of his mouth, and the best opportunity for the New York Knicks finally came.
"Damn. This guy is too strong" Webb, who was leaned on O'Neal's shoulder again and then took a step back, saw that the big fat man in front of him was also helpless, not that he didn't work hard to top people, in fact, he couldn't move at all, and this time, after Webb was pushed a step away, he almost faced the situation last time again, but this time it was different, even Hardaway who was protruding on the periphery was also recycled, and for a while, O'Neal's front and back were all surrounded by Lakers players, and it was in this case. The New York Knicks big man still has one on the left and one on the left and one on the front. At this time, Madison Garden Plaza could clearly hear O'Neal's struggling roar when he barely completed the hook, and with the roar, the basketball he reluctantly threw out climbed on the basket twice again and finally climbed into the basket.
This time, O'Neal is one against four, the same thing, this time it is still 2+1, and O'Neal scored again, and the difference between the two sides came to 10 points, which is a hurdle, and at this time, when I saw that the New York Knicks had chased the score, the fans of Madison Garden Square fell into madness again, and at this time, even the general manager of the New York Knicks in the stands was dancing excitedly, O'Neal's two attacks were too domineering.
"I wonder if O'Neal's two shots will have an impact on the Lakers' confidence?" Kenny Smith, who was on the commentary bench, also said with a smile on his face, this is the meaning of a traditional center, this is what the Lakers do not have, and this shortcoming of the Lakers is infinitely magnified by the league's first traditional center.
"It's been a long time since I've seen O'Neal attack like this, it's too domineering," Barkley said with some excitement at this time.
Just like these two commentators thought, O'Neal swaggered out of the Lakers' basket after scoring the goal, and the five players of the Lakers were a little helpless to look at the back of O'Neal leaving, and in the end, these people also shook their heads a little helplessly, for Hill and Webber, it is not possible to lose confidence, but it is helpless that is certain.
"Kobe, are you okay" Of course, compared with Hill who returned to normal with a little sigh, Kobe Bryant on the side was even more impatient, in the face of Hardaway's concern, Kobe Bryant's face also changed, and at this time, Hardaway and other Lakers players who saw this scene were also worried, if this guy really went crazy like just now, the Lakers would be really tragic. And just when the Lakers players were thinking about how to deal with Kobe Bryant, who was becoming more and more impatient, at this time, they saw that Zhuang Fei, who had been sitting on the bench, had come to the side of the court.
"Kobe, believe in your teammates' passes, believe in your own shooting, believe in what I say to you, this game can be won by both you and our team" At this time, Zhuang Fei did not say anything big, and he also did not shout something loudly to the court, but seemed to remind Kobe with a smile.
And at this time, Kobe, who was still impatient because of O'Neal's sudden outburst, saw the smile on Zhuang Fei's face at this time, his now extremely manic psychology was also a little calmer, and finally saw Zhuang Fei stretching out his thumb to him with great confidence on his face, the extremely childish Lakers guard head was also quickly excited, and the resentment in his heart was also swept away, and at the same time, he took a long breath under the gaze of the Lakers players and Zhuang Fei, as if he was changing his mood, And the other Lakers players and Zhuang Fei, who saw all this, also settled down a little.
"Coach, I know what to do, I will definitely win this game" Looking at this Chinese who trusted him extremely much, Kobe Bryant also said with a firm face at this time, just now he was indeed mentally unbalanced because of O'Neal's performance, but at this time he also quickly switched.
Looking at Kobe Bryant and the Lakers players who were heading to the front court, Zhuang Fei, who was standing on the sidelines, also smiled and nodded before sitting back on the bench again, while Phil Jackson, who had been paying attention to the scene here, frowned. Because the roar he was expecting didn't happen. And he expected that Zhuang Fei's accusation against Kobe did not appear. It seems that this Chinese still has a great deal of trust in that kid. When he thought of this, Phil Jackson was also pleasantly surprised.
"I'll let you know that your trust in that kid is the biggest mistake of your life" The head coach of the New York Knicks also whispered when he finally thought of this, and at this time, just after he whispered, what happened on the court made the corners of his mouth twitch again.
"Beautiful three-pointers, beautiful passes, beautiful teamwork, Bryant hit another three-pointer, and it was his thirteenth three-pointer of the game. The Lakers once again stretched the margin to 13 points, and Kobe Bryant's hand was still there, and this time he didn't take the ball anxiously anymore and took the shot"
In the face of the roar of his partner, Kenny Smith also shook his head helplessly, the Lakers' cooperation with this ball is indeed beautiful, and extremely patient, in fact, the first time Kobe Bryant took the ball, it was the same as the last time he failed to shoot, Van Exel dug a hole for him, but this time the Lakers' leading player did not jump, but returned the ball to Webber's hand again. When the Lakers played a second match, the New York Knicks' almost Finals-strength defense was finally out of the loophole. And this time Bryant once again caught the hole.
"It's really a terrible team, a team without a center, but it's the first time I've seen a team with such patience and strength in positional offense, and it's not for nothing that the No. 5 tactic is considered by many people to be the first tactic of positional offense, but Coach Z and the Lakers' trust in Kobe Bryant is even more amazing" And at the end, Kenny Smith also said with some emotion, you know, when Van Exeld dug a trap for Kobe Bryant just now, the other Lakers players had offensive opportunities, But in the end, the offense was still transmitted to the best, and there was only less than 5 seconds left for the offensive time, and the Lakers team finally passed the offensive opportunity to Kobe Bryant's hands, you know, Kobe Bryant alone accounted for more than half of the Lakers' offensive opportunities in the whole game, this kind of situation where the whole team serves one person, he has never seen it in the NBA, and this game Kobe and O'Neal are completely different, one is the whole team for him, and the other is for the whole team.
"If the score has been so anxious, then it will be extremely bad for the New York Knicks" Finally, Kenny Smith also worried about the New York Knicks again.
And Phil Jackson, who was on the sidelines at this time, naturally knew such a thing, especially when he saw Kobe Bryant happily celebrating with his teammates when he hit this three-point shot, it stabbed his heart deeply, you know, when he was in the Lakers before, Kobe Bryant would never be like this.
"Hmph, do you want the whole team to serve one person? Is this your team basketball? No matter what, I'm going to prove you wrong" At the end, Phil Jackson also suppressed the sting in his heart, and his face became firm again, Kobe Bryant is still not a player who can take on big responsibilities in his heart.
But at this time, Zhuang Fei didn't pay attention to what Phil Jackson was thinking, after Kobe Bryant hit the key three points, Zhuang Fei also stood up and stretched out his thumb to the court again, and at this time, the Lakers players on the court also returned to normal again.
"Four-person bag, or four-person bag, huh? O'Neal passed, Odom had a three-point opportunity, shot, shot, beautiful, and the New York Knicks hit the first three-pointer of the second half"
"The Lakers' offense is still extremely patient, it looks like they're still looking for Kobe, Kobe Bryant received the ball, faced Van Exel, Kobe shook it, and then stepped on the three-point line and hit a long-range shot."
The current game is very anxious, the two teams that have all returned to normal are all in a tug-of-war, whether it is the Lakers or the New York Knicks are being hung in one breath, the New York Knicks are looking forward to chasing the score to within 10 points, and the Lakers are hoping to maintain such an advantage, especially the performance of Kobe Bryant and O'Neal is even more amazing, although the two are not in place in this game, there is no doubt that this section is a duel between the two.
"Wonderful, so wonderful, the third quarter of the game ended, the Los Angeles Lakers temporarily led by 10 points 110-100, after three quarters of this game, Kobe Bryant has scored 63 points, this is the craziest individual offensive performance I have ever seen, 63 points in the third quarter, 16 three-pointers in the third quarter, the perfect scoring guard"
"But O'Neal was just as good, with 40 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists, and it was only in the third quarter."
"As everyone expected, this is a Kobe and O'Neal match" (To be continued.) )