49:53, this is the score of the first half of the two teams, although the Lakers have been pressing the Rockets, but under the stubborn resistance of the two inner and outer cores of Atai and Yao Ming, the Purple and Gold Army did not take much lead.

In the first half of the game alone, Yao Ming cut 14 points and 5 rebounds, especially in the short battle with Bynum in the first quarter, the little giant won with three shots, and the scrappy Bynum did nothing after scoring that hook, if it weren't for Yao Ming supporting the Rockets' interior line, Adelman would have broken out a long time ago.

Compared with Yao Ming, Artest, the former best defensive player, seemed to play more brilliantly today, shooting 5 of 8 in the half, 2 of 3 three-pointers, and 2 of 3 free throws, totaling 14 points and 2 rebounds. In addition to being so powerful on the offensive end, the Beast has also not forgotten that he relied on the strong defense he started with.

The boss's performance today was average, with 11 points in the half and a shooting rate of only 44, and Artay's defense limited the play of the great god to a certain extent. The Lakers' interior line was the protagonist of the first half, Gasol scored a game-high 17 points in the half, and although Bynum lost to Yao Ming in heads-up, he still relied on his physical fitness to complete two beautiful air catches under Li Chen's deliberate planning several times.

As for the Big Apple, who has always been good at surprising people, his performance today was also tepid, with 7 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds, and he couldn't find a good way to face Battier's close defense.

The reason why the Lakers can lead at halftime depends on their overall strength, even if one or two people are temporarily out of shape, but this is still not something that the uneven Rockets can compete, and the lack of a Maddy who can deter on the offensive end makes the Lakers more flexible on the defensive end.

"That's it for rockets!" The old monk said, "This is already their best state, and we are still just warming up, so you know what I mean, right?" ”

The poor performance in the first half made Kobe Bryant not in a good mood, and he thought that the old monk's words were said to him, and the boss was a little excited about this. "Coach, the defense on the opposite side was too tight in the first half, I had a problem with my hand, but believe me, it will improve in the second half!"

The old monk waved his hand, since Kobe Bryant said so, then he obviously didn't understand what he meant, the old monk explained a little helplessly, "Kobe, I'm not talking about you, the state of the whole team today is average, although it is not a good thing, but this is a normal situation, everyone has a bad state, you don't have to blame yourself at all." ”

There is a reason why the old monk admires Li Chen, because in most cases, he always seems to be smarter than the average person, and the emotional intelligence that does not match his age is destined to have a smooth career for him.

"Kobe, Artest is in super good shape today, it's great that you can maintain this form, after all, defense depends on physical strength, I don't believe he can play like this in the second half."

Li Chen is convinced of his judgment, no matter how strong Artest is, he is also a person, he has his limits, the second half is the time to test the rockets, and the consequences of physical exhaustion will inevitably appear on them at that time.

The younger brother's explanation made Kobe Bryant figure it out a lot, "You're right, he can't last long with that kind of defensive intensity, even if he finishes this game, but the next game is still long, not to mention that even with Atai's play, the Rockets still haven't taken the lead!" ”

The old monk who was always watching from the side felt a lot about this, although he didn't know if Li Chen's attitude of keeping himself out of the matter was right. But it is undeniable that it is precisely because of this much-criticized professional attitude that this guy can see more thoroughly than the average player.

"He has his own way, a road that no one has ever walked!" The old monk secretly reminded himself that he could only bless Li Chen's future.

The person concerned did not know what the old monk was thinking, and he tried to boost the morale of the team in his own way.

"Guys, we were able to lead in the first half, so let's work hard to solve them early in the second half! If we are going to sweep, what better way to show our resolve than to break them in the first game? ”

Li Chen's words on the one hand showed that the state of the party was not good enough, and on the other hand, it also pointed out the gap in the strength of the two teams, and he believed that the momentum of the sweep would cheer up such an arrogant guy.

The younger brother's words made Kobe Bryant thoughtful, he clapped his hands and encouraged his teammates, "Guys, cheer up and overthrow them, a group of guys who can't even beat Jazz, what qualifications do they have to be arrogant in front of us!" ”

"Hey, don't talk about Jazz!" Odom snickered on the side, "Originally, it was already very sad that people were swept away by us, but now we have to keep revealing other people's scars, isn't it a bit too inhumane!" In my opinion, we still have enough energy to bully the Rockets, so they can break through the second round, and this season can be considered a success! ”

Ariza, who has an honest surname, is very unaccustomed to Odom's bullying mentality, "Bah, because you just said humane, I don't think bullying Rocket is humane." Of course, that's not to say we have to sympathize with them, you know, if they find out that we haven't done our best, I'm guessing they're probably going to cry, because they've only made it through the second round this year! ”

"Then let them cry!" The timeout was almost up, and the boss stood up and prepared to enter, "We are not members of the World Peace Organization, since the Rockets dare to come to Los Angeles to challenge us, then they should be ready to go home!" ”

Li Chen first responded to the boss's call, "I agree, enter our Western Region finals, let them find a place to cry!" ”

An Zhu's slogan was more thorough, and the defeat to Yao Ming in the first half made him a little sullen, but it was good for the team to take the lead, and Bynum seized the opportunity to mock viciously, "Let them cry and go back to Houston!" ”

This kind of slogan was most effective in boosting morale, and the unscrupulous team members shouted after Bynum.

"Cry them!"

I don't know how the Rockets will feel when they hear this slogan from their opponent, but one thing is certain, they are almost overwhelmed, and the Lakers have shown much more strength in the playoffs than they imagined. Adelman looked at the state of his players, and he had to admit that it was really difficult to beat the Lakers!

At the beginning of the second half, the lineup sent by the Lakers first made Adelman's heart cold, isn't this a clear intention to stab the Rockets to death?

In fact, the Lakers' lineup has not changed much, except for the original four starters, the old monk replaced the sluggish old fish with the better physical strength and faster Farmar, it is obvious that the Lakers are repeating the old tricks, and the three wins in the regular season have given them enough experience.

Yao Ming is a crucial point for the rocket, as long as this little oriental giant is dragged down, the rocket will not have any room to turn over. And the way to beat Yao Ming down is also very simple, as long as he is exhausted to death, running at the same distance, a behemoth like Yao Ming obviously has more physical strength, although Bynum is also very bloated, but An Zhu has an innate advantage.

Compared with physical strength, the yellow race is obviously not as good as the black man with developed motor nerves, and Bynum is much younger than Yao Ming, and more importantly, Bynum's tasks in the Lakers system are far less heavy than Yao Ming's. The old monk's goal for his disciples is very simple, just protect the rebounds and do a good job of defense, as for the offense, the Lakers, who have a large number of scoring experts, do not count on Bynum's score.

The lively performance in the first half came at the cost of a rapid physical depletion, and Yao Ming quickly tasted the consequences.

The rhythm of the Lakers' instantaneous mention made him have to run back and forth with his opponent, and what is even more helpless is that such a run is sometimes meaningless, before Yao Ming can pass, the attack over there has been completed, and the poor little giant has to turn around and run back, after all, the Rocket's offense can't do without him.

Adelman hopes that Little Black Bean can pull the rhythm down, but it is clear that the young and impulsive Brooks can't do that. Even as Adelman called a timeout over and over again, Brooks, who turned around and forgot about it, quickly got lost in the atmosphere that the Lakers had deliberately created.

It's not that the Rockets haven't tried to replace Yao Ming and play small ball on the opposite side, but some things can't be done by thinking about it, although the Princeton system also advocates the free offense of players, but the premise is that players must have a certain strength.

Looking at Kobe Bryant and Gasol in the opposing lineup, as well as the all-round Big Apple, Adelman really doesn't have the courage to let such a role player continue to play.

After some entanglement, he still sent Yao Ming, and the only person the Rocket could believe in at the critical time was him, and the psychological quality of the little giant has always been commendable, of course, this is only a critical time, in the most critical such as the last shot, Yao Ming's performance is not satisfactory, even if he is often the most stable scoring point of the Rocket in the fourth quarter.

After a short break, the little giant performed well in the first time he first played, scoring for the Rockets through his skillful scoring skills in both offenses, but everyone knew that it was just the desperate resistance of the little giant, and soon, he was at the limit.

The little giant can't run, and the high-speed pace of the game will inevitably bring a decrease in the hit rate and an increase in rapid counterattacks. It can often be seen on the court that the players on the Lakers' side grabbed offensive rebounds, and under Li Chen's rapid organization, the Lakers quickly adjusted their offensive formation, and Yao Ming had not even reached his defensive position at this time.

Without Yao Ming's rocket, the emptiness of the interior can be imagined, no matter how strong Artest is, he can only limit the boss's shooting rate, but when Kobe Bryant picked up the ball and burst in, even the beast did not dare to be strong, because of the decline in defensive efficiency caused by physical problems, he was very worried about whether his defense would become the direct fuse of the great god 2+1.

When the best defensive player hesitates, it proves that the shackles that bind the gods have been opened, and in the absence of Yao Ming on the Rockets' interior line, Kobe Bryant's scoring is surprisingly simple.

Bynum domineering dunk! The boss made a sharp stop after bursting inside, but the ball unfortunately bounced out of the basket, but the little giant, who had run out of strength, was no longer as strong in protecting the rebound as before, and the long-awaited An Zhu finally seized the opportunity. Leap up and grab the rebound, then wreak havoc on the opponent's basket with Tarzan's overwhelming momentum.

"Being young means having an advantage, I don't believe that grinding can't kill you!" When pouring the basketball into the basket, Bynum gloated that Yao Ming's strong singles in the first quarter had always made him angry, and when the opponent was in trouble, An Zhu had no reason not to take advantage of the fire.

"Sure enough, as the coach often says, karma", Bynum even remembered the Zen principle that the old monk said, "If it weren't for you bullying me so red, you wouldn't be in this situation now, although you are stronger than me in offensive strength, but I also have the advantage of physical strength!"

"Rocket is about to cry, isn't he?" Feeling that the overall situation had been decided, Li Chen even had the leisure to joke with the boss, "What do you think of Adelman?" ”

Kobe Bryant looked at the little brother's eyes, and Adelman's face was very ugly at this time, perhaps dissatisfied with the performance of the Rocket players, or resentment of the old monk's conspiracy. It's no wonder that the Zen master's move is indeed ruthless enough, what he is targeting the rocket's high-intensity use of Yao Ming at any cost and the dependence on it, straight into the heart of the rocket, Adelman has no power to fight back.

The boss's mood is very refreshing, the first game is so relaxed, it is conceivable that there should be no big problems in the following games, it can be said that the Lakers' qualifying situation has been very good, and the boss looked at Adelman's expression playfully.

"I don't know if Rocket is crying or not, but I'm sure our Mr. Adelman is about to cry!" (To be continued.) )