Chapter 9: Dragged into a tie-break
According to the statistics after the game, Li Jie cut a triple-double of 12 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists, Kobe Bryant had 27 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists, and Gasol had 10 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists.
On the Mavericks' side, Nowitzki had 26 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, Terry had 12 points, and Kidd had 3 points, 2 rebounds and 7 assists.
The system also rewarded Li Jie with 166 game coins for his performance, which is better than nothing.
TNT Studios!
The two commentators are reviewing the game, commenting by the way.
Kenny Smith: "Charles, who do you think is the MVP of this game?" ”
Ross Barkley: "Kobe, without a doubt, he's still one of the best players in the league right now, and he's stepped up every time the team was in a desperate situation. That's why he has five rings and I don't have any. ”
Kenny Smith: "Hahaha, what about Lee, the lad from the East?" ”
Ross Barkley: "He's second on my MVP list. In fact, I'm kind of tempted to pick him Lee as the best player of the game, he doesn't score much, but he connects the whole team, and the Lakers' bench lineup is because of him to play so well. ”
Kenny Smith: "Then why not pick him?" ”
Ross Barkley: "Hahaha, because in the last round before he went off, Gasol kept him in position to get him ten rebounds. They must have communicated, it's so obvious, hahaha! ”
Kenny Smith: "Hahaha, I noticed it too, but that's fine, right?" ”
Barkley: "That's right, it's your job to get a triple-double. But a triple-double for the sake of a triple-double is a bit too utilitarian, so I only rank him at No. 2 on the MVP list. ”
……
The day after the game.
Li Kit's performance was also noticed by the local media in Los Angeles!
If he played well in one game, you can still say that he was Meng, but if he has played well in two consecutive games, he must have the strength.
Then what is there to hesitate about, blow it up!
You know, this is the second largest city in the whole country, and the media industry is quite developed. These reporters can even blow flowers like Reeves, not to mention that there is a real master now.
As a result, titles such as "Oriental Magician", "Wonder Boy", and "Asia's Strongest Defender" were brought to Li Jie's head like no money.
And their news headlines, one by one, are outrageous:
"Two consecutive super god plays, Lee will be the last piece of the puzzle for the Lakers to compete for the championship"
"The Oriental Guy Performed a Way in Staples and Gave the Away Team a Defeat"
"Lee is saving Kobe's career, and the Lakers' hopes of defending the championship are greatly enhanced"
Coach Phil's biggest achievement this season: Finding Lee at the end of the bench
At the same time, on a certain forum in Huaguo, countless family members are also discussing Li Jie's performance in these two games:
"A single quarter of 20 points + a lore, a triple-double, this is a playoffs, Li Jie is too fierce!"
"Occupy a place in the front row, Li Jie's ten-year-old fan came uninvited, and I paid attention to him when he was first selected for the primary school team."
"Please don't milk, my Jie Jie is just a rookie."
"It's just two games, don't be in a hurry to blow it, let's talk about it after this season!"
"Ten thousand blood letters, recommend Li Jie to be selected for the national team!"
……
Little did he know that there were so many people talking about him outside, and the day after the fifth race, he and his teammates boarded a plane to Dallas to prepare for the G6 race.
In addition to making money, playing in the NBA also has a little benefit, that is, you can fly for free.
Li Jie has traveled over the past few days, and the number of times he has taken planes has exceeded that of his previous life!
Because of Bynum's return, the Lakers' starting line in G6 is the same as the first four games, Twin Towers + Kobe Bryant + Ci Shiping + Fisher, while the Mavericks' lineup remains unchanged.
It stands to reason that the Mavericks should have an advantage, as the first four games have proven that the Lakers' aging roster can't defend against pick-and-rolls.
But Kobe Bryant became the X-factor tonight, he came up with full firepower, played 8 minutes in the first quarter, shot 7 of 9, scored 19 points in a single quarter, and helped the Lakers lead their opponents 35-23 in the first quarter.
And most of these shots are mid-to-long shots, including 5 of 7 three-point shots, and the situation of four backs and three irons has never appeared again.
Just asked, how to prevent Kobe Bryant, whose strength has regressed for 5 years?
On the Mavericks' side, Nowitzki was still strong, and Terry's touch was back, but they still trailed by more than a dozen points.
It completely confirms that sentence: It's not that we don't give strength, but there is a Gundam on the other side.
Li Jie also came off the bench in the first quarter, but there was little room to play, and he passed the ball to Kobe Bryant after half the dribble, and the classic "Jeba connection" was staged in turn.
After Kobe Bryant left the court, Jackson arranged for Li Jie and Odom to play with the second lineup, and he ushered in the opportunity to perform.
Because the old and slow starting five was not there, Li Jie basically only did three things after getting the ball, speed up, speed up, or ...... Speed.
Break fast at every opportunity, and create opportunities to break fast when you don't have a chance.
This makes the Mavericks players very uncomfortable, after all, many of them are veterans over 30 years old, and they can't outpace the Lakers.
And in the second half of the second quarter, the big killer Kobe Bryant came back, and the score was gradually pulled away.
At halftime, the Lakers had an 18-point lead at 62:44.
Bryant alone scored 30 points, accounting for nearly half of the team's scores.
You know, this is an away game, and the American Airlines Arena has once again become a library because of Kobe.
Those arrogant white cowboy fans in the past didn't dare to squeak anymore.
In the second half, the Mavericks changed their defensive strategy and began to wrap up Bryant.
The move worked well at first, with successive defensive successes several times, but the Lakers' twin towers stepped up in time.
Gasol and Bynum already have an advantage on the offensive end, but they struggle defensively.
After Kobe Bryant was trapped, they didn't play dead, and made kills under the basket many times, not letting the Mavericks close the score.
In the fourth quarter, Jackson sent Kobe Bryant and Li Jie on the court at the same time, and let them play blocking and dismantling, and the Mavericks' bag and clamp tactics were completely dismantled.
Because these two people have strong independent offensive ability, the Mavericks cover one of them, and the other is in an empty position, as long as the ball can be passed, there is a high probability that it will be scored.
Under the leadership of the "Jeba Combination", the Lakers once again opened the score in the fourth quarter, and the difference between the two sides was as high as 30 points, which made the game lose suspense early.
In the end, the Lakers defeated the Mavericks 118-99 on the road to win the sixth game of the series, and after losing three games first, they won three games in a row, and the current total score is 3:3.
The two sides will return to Staples in two days for a tiebreaker.
In terms of statistics, Kobe Bryant is like a god of war, scoring a game-high 45 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists. Li Jie had 15 points and 11 assists, and after cutting a triple-double in the previous game, he had another double-double. Gasol had 10 points and eight rebounds, and Bynum had 13 points and seven rebounds.
On the Mavericks' side, Nowitzki scored 25 points and 10 rebounds, and his performance was decent; John Terry had 18 points and Kidd had six points and nine assists.
……
Interestingly, a day later, the Grizzlies also defeated the Thunder 95-83 at home, also bringing the series to a 3-3 score.
In this game, Durant, the Thunder's top scorer, turned into a "cold shooter", and after scoring a three-pointer at the beginning, he made 8 shots on the outside, all of which hit the iron.
After the whole game, Durant only scored 11 points on 3-of-14 shooting, which was obviously a failure.
Wei Shao's performance was slightly better, although the three-point shooting was 1 of 5, but he scored 27 points in the whole game and shook the pot.
Harden, the bearded man who was traded in a year, got 14 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, and he had no merit or fault.
On the other hand, the Grizzlies, the black bear Randolph in the "Black and White Bears" took what he wanted on the inside, played 40 minutes, shot 12 of 22, cut 30 points and 13 rebounds, and became the key to the team's victory.
As a result, in the Western Conference semifinals, the two groups of matchups reached a tiebreaker, which made fans who like the NBA blood rush to watch.
What word in basketball could be more exciting than "tie-break"?