When the main forces of both sides went down, some problems could still be seen.

Speaking of which, the Lakers' overall roster may indeed be poor when looking at the data alone.

Throughout the regular season, except for O'Neal, Kobe and Fisher, the three absolute main players, whose statistics are relatively beautiful, none of the others scored double-doubles.

The best small forward Fox, as the team's No. 3 position, averages only 9 points per game, while Devin George, who is next in line, only averages 6.9 per game, but is already the fifth on the Lakers' scoring list.

Further down, including the main front Samaki Walker, he only averaged 4.4 points per game, and the other benches only averaged 1-3 points per game.

Looking at the data alone is indeed a big difference compared to the supersonic bench, after all, the supersonic season's running and rotation this season have made most of the benches have at least 4 points per game, but when it comes to the game, you can understand that the data does not represent everything.

It's an opportunity to exercise, so even if it's garbage time, they're running tactics with each other, but the supersonic side has no guidance from Lin Dong and Payton, and the substitute's play on the court can't see the slightest shadow of running and bombing, the offensive end is just blindly seeking speed, and the defensive end is just blindly pressing, which looks fierce, but in fact, there is no essence of running and rotating defense at all, the overall mess, personal strength is not outstanding, and there are many mistakes.

El Watson, who the SuperSonics originally planned to cultivate, was actually disappointing in his overall performance since the whole season, and was not very suitable for the run-and-bomb tactics, and the team actually gave him a lot of opportunities to lead the team in garbage time during the regular season, but he was completely overwhelmed, and the entire second half almost purely relied on big center Pedragher to guard the basket, plus Iguodala had a decent 3-pointer, in order to barely resist the Lakers' offense.

On the other hand, the Lakers, without Payton, Lin Dong, and Sakuragi Hanamichi, are still quite easy to play a triangle offensive system, and more importantly, the experience of Lakers players is obviously a lot stronger than that of the supersonics.

After all, this supersonic team is still too young, first-year students, second-year students, and the only one who is a little useful in the bench except for Pedla, but Wenbeck has already fallen out with the team in the second half of the season due to lack of playing time and getting into a trade turmoil, and his contract just ends in the summer market this year, and it seems that there is a high probability that he will jump out of the player contract and seek a new owner as a free agent, so there is no need for him to go up and waste valuable training opportunities in this kind of garbage time.

The final score was fixed at 88:112.

The 44-point difference when the main players left the game was chased back by the Lakers' bench lineup, and they only lost by 24 points in the end.

This kind of garbage time training, the significance is still not small, to discover the team's hidden and potential problems, to find room for improvement, you can't just point to a few main forces to build a dynasty.

At present, several substitutes trained by the team's main team are too young and inexperienced, and they can barely rotate when Lin Dong and Payton are on the floor, but they have no ability to play tough battles and cannot be entrusted with heavy responsibilities.

Bob is a shrewd manager and knows the ball, and as the team and the home fans celebrate the victory, he has written a lot of things in his notebook......

In addition to the five Tigers who have already secured the starting lineup in the team, only Pedrager is really available, and there is only one Iguodala who is available and worth cultivating.

Everyone else, pretty much on the list he wanted to replace.

Needless to say, with the current relationship with the team, he will definitely test the free market after the playoffs, which is tantamount to wasting the team's assets, and it is irretrievable.

Desmond is actually not bad, but because of the rise of Sakuragi Hanamichi in the second half of the schedule, his strong ability to make up for mistakes has allowed him to gradually sit in the team's start, which makes Desmond dissatisfied, and his contract still has a year to expire, but if you consider that after the contract expires, the dissatisfied Desmond may follow Wenbeck's example and jump out of the player contract to seek free agency.

So in order to get the most value for the team, it's best to use as much as you can during this playoffs, let him play some value, and then trade it in the summer trade market and trade him for some valuable chips.

As for the rest, Earl Waters and Vladimir can only remain on the watch list, while the others are directly on Bob's trade list.

Of course, the manipulation of the team is only the business of Bob, the team manager, and it is impossible to show any emotion to let the players know.

What was more important for the players was the second game.

No matter what plans everyone on the team has for their future, they obviously have a high degree of unity in stopping the Lakers, a three-time championship team.

After all, no matter whether you can stay in the SuperSonics next year, winning the Lakers in this round of the series is at least an invisible boost to your value.

Now that he has easily won the first victory, it is the time when the confidence of the whole team has increased greatly and they are united, and the atmosphere in the team is so good that even Desmond, who secretly competed with Sakuragi some time ago for the starter, has great enthusiasm for the game.

…………

Since G1 and G2 were only one day apart, the team only did some simple training on the second day, basically gathering to run, shoot a few baskets to find out how to feel, and then mainly discuss the tactical arrangements and changes of the next second battle.

Thanks to the successful use of psychological warfare in the first game, the OK combination not only made everyone's first victory extremely easy, but more importantly, it hid the package content that the SuperSonics had prepared for the Lakers before the game.

This also made the tactical arrangement extremely easy.

McMillan smiled and said: "I looked at Shaq's expression in the second half, and I felt that it had come back to the senses, and with a day of calm and mental work on the team, the Lakers in the second game will return to normal." ”

"But first, G2 is still our home field, the home advantage and the big lead are in us, and second, even if Shaq puts his mentality and reunites with Kobe, due to the previous estrangement, the chemistry between them will not be strong immediately, so we still have the momentum and mentality advantage, so let's chase after the victory."

"It's still the same way it was before, and Payton is in charge of blocking Kobe."

Payton smiled and patted his chest and didn't say much, but everyone could tell on his face his confidence and desire to win.

He has already done this in G1, and on the surface, it seems that Peyton's data is not very good, but in fact, the credit for G1's victory, Peyton's credit is not under Lin Dong.

When Kobe Bryant was on the court, Payton stared at Kobe Bryant, and the effect was quite good, preventing the point guard, who has been among the top scorers in the league, to a 30% shooting percentage and scoring in single digits.

And when Lin Dong is pressed by Kobe, organize the team's offense, and when Kobe is not on the court, Payton is responsible for blocking the Lakers' outside line, 4 blocks and 5 steals in a single game, and the contribution on the defensive end is no less than his former peak moment, the 34-year-old veteran basically did the dirty work alone, but gave all the scoring and limelight to Lin Dong.

Those who know the game know that as the real backbone of the current supersonic team, Payton is worthy of the title of the uncrowned king of the supersonic team, and he is also the real core figure of the supersonics' current defense.

This supersonic soul doesn't ask for data at all now, and he may not even force FMVP, he just wants to win a championship with his own hands!

"Lin Dong is responsible for the offensive organization and key ball handling, O'Neal, who adjusts back to his mentality and also follows the team to review the game, will have an extra layer of vigilance, and will not be so easy to be fooled by fouls, we have to fight with them to score, and create more kills on the outside, this will be a tough battle."

The scoring champion in the regular season, among the best rookies in history, can even face Kobe Bryant and O'Neal to play one or two, and also play 2+1.

In terms of offensive ability alone, Lin Dong may be regarded as the strongest in the NBA at present, and he is young enough to ...... his outside line

Frankly speaking, only the supersonic themselves know that this guy has been hiding!

Everyone looked at Lin Dong, but Lin Dong just smiled and nodded.

I have too much aura on my body...... In particular, G1's single-handedness against Kobe Bryant and O'Neal not only made SuperSonics teammates, fans, and maybe even the entire league stunned and re-recognized themselves.

But to be honest, only after trying it himself, Lin Dong understood that he didn't really have the ability to fight the two.

That 2+1 is already a bit reluctant for me, and the extraordinary play also has a little luck component, that kind of ball, which can't appear a few times in a game, and even if you let yourself copy it under the same conditions, it may not be guaranteed to be played.

To put it bluntly, the ability is simply not enough to crush the OK combination, if it weren't for Payton desperately helping himself stop Kobe, the tactics of forcing O'Neal away later would not have been so smooth.

It's not a bad thing for an enemy to misjudge their own strength, but if a teammate misjudges too, it's not necessarily a good thing.

Admittedly, this gives the supersonic teammates more confidence in themselves and motivates them to move forward in many cases.

But the enemy's targeting of himself will inevitably increase exponentially, and once he encounters his own strength, the belief established for his teammates will also collapse, which will double their confidence.

It's a double-edged sword, right......

"As for the defensive end of the line...... McMillan looked at Chandler and Hanamichi Sakuragi, as well as Pedrager and Vladimir: "20 fouls, 40 free throws, enough for that big shark to drink a pot!" Haha, just be careful not to get kicked off by the six. ”

"No problem!" Sakuragi Hanamichi was so excited that he was the first to tweet and preemptively agreed: "Rest assured, leave it to me!" ”

"Don't be too confident." McMillan laughed and said, "As long as you're the shortest and lightest, you have to be fierce in fouling Shaq, otherwise he can hang you to the basket, that guy rushes up like a prehistoric beast, but it's not as easy as you think." ”

"Look down on me." Sakuragi Hanamichi immediately rolled up his sleeves to show off his Hong biceps: "It's not like I haven't played against him in the last game, he hangs me to try?" Definitely drag him down! ”

Everyone laughed, but Peyton pinched his apprentice's muscles and teased him, "Yes, it's a bit harder than I was back then." ”

"Tsk! Lao Pei, am I obviously harder than you! Sakuragi said unconvinced.

"What did you say!" Others laughed: "As the only virgin in the team, if you don't have a boss, then you will be miserable in the future......"

This season, Sakuragi Hanamichi has undoubtedly grown the fastest in the team, far better than Iguodala in the same class, but his height does not continue to grow after reaching 204 cm, but it has always been a pity for Lindon, Payton and McMillan.

There is no problem with measuring bone age, nutrition can keep up, and gaining muscle and weight was once stopped for him, and the weight did not continue to gain wildly, but it just stopped growing, this thing can't be explained by science, and there is no way to do it.

However, 204 cm, it is estimated that it will be about 205 when the bones are almost closed next year, and the traditional interior center is definitely not to think about it, but as a big front, you can still look forward to it, after all, although it is no longer taller, but the athletic talent has been completely preserved, if it really grows to 210, then it can still have the current flexibility, but it is an unknown.

So about two months ago, McMillan had already positioned Sakuragi as the ultimate position: a flexible power forward who leaned towards defense and rim protection.

Strength training has been done, it seems that although he is a little thin and short compared to Chandler, this guy's lower body strength is amazingly strong enough, and the brute force is amazing, even if he wrestles with Chandler, it is basically only five or five, if there are a few more rounds, he can even beat Chandler by two games with endurance.

Coupled with his excellent defensive instincts, this is also a bit of a height difference, otherwise if he were to play against O'Neal, maybe the effect would be better than Chandler's.

McMillan is also more and more fond of this apprentice now, and interrupted everyone's heckling with a smile: "The home advantage can't be wasted, and as long as you win G2, the gap between Shaq and Kobe Bryant that was barely repaired in order to win may crack again, and it will be the time when we completely establish the victory, so ......"

McMillan reached out, and Payton was the first to take it, followed by Lindon and Brent......

More than a dozen hands overlapped each other, and the will of the whole team was connected for the common goal, in order to climb the peak of the OK combination that was once rumored to be unsurpassable by the league.

Together, confidence is unprecedented.

"Supersonic wins! Come on! ”

April 28......

Although it was only a one-day gap, because the main forces of both sides did not fight to the end of the mountain in the first game, the physical strength remained abundant, making the state of the supersonic team look quite good.

The re-entry of the Purple and Gold looks a little different from the last game.

O'Neill had a lot less hippie smiles on his face.

The defeat in the last game and the turmoil on the field not only made the team lose a defeat, but also gave him a severe 'reprimand'.

It wasn't the coach or the owner Bass family who reprimanded him, but his agent, Amoto.

- Do you think you threw your face on Kobe Bryant and the Lakers? You're throwing it on yourself!

- Do you know how much you have lost money by your actions? Do you know what your actions make the Bass family think of you? Do you still expect the Lakers to give everything for you?

- Four consecutive championships! That's four wins in a row, man! This is the greatest achievement of the NBA since Jordan, it is alive in front of you, just grab it, and you can lie flat for the rest of your life! You can even shout slogans to compare with the god of basketball, because the god of basketball has not made it to four consecutive championships!

- But if it's only three consecutive championships, you're only half a Jordan in the sky! You're not ruining that competitor on your team, you're destroying yourself!

- No matter how unhappy you are with that guy, no matter how you position yourself, think of your Channie, think of your unborn child, think of the cruise of your dreams, think of the moment when everyone surrendered to you! As long as you still want them, go back to the court, pair up with that guy and win this year's championship!

- As for the status of the team, the mentality and emotions, put them all away, don't let them occupy your heart, otherwise you will never become the greatest player!

Recalling the agent's painstaking words for him to counsel him all night, standing on the court waiting for the supersonic 'boring appearance foreshadowing', O'Neal turned his head to look at Kobe.

Since the game the day before yesterday, he hasn't said a word to Bryant, and at this time he actually wants to say something, and he feels that there must be room for relaxation in the relationship between the two.

But the words came to his lips and he held them back.

This guy didn't take the initiative to talk to him, why did he take the initiative to talk to him?

Just cooperate well on the court, don't care about these virtual forms.

O'Neill pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes.

The game is the game, the individual is the individual, it is so happily decided!

- Toot!

As the referee's whistle blew and the fans cheered on, G2 officially began.

O'Neal jumped to the ball first, and slapped the ball directly in the direction of Kobe, which made Phil Jackson on the sidelines feel a lot more relieved.

He knew the two hadn't spoken since the game the day before.

He actually tried to persuade Kobe Bryant to take the initiative to reconcile, but his second disciple is not a good person, and his thorns and personality outside the court are not inferior to Shaq, but he is more focused on the game itself when he is on the court.

Bryant didn't take the initiative to reconcile, although O'Neal's agent Amoto told him that Shaq was fine, but Phil Jackson was still not at ease after all.

It wasn't until he saw O'Neal jump the ball that he was slightly relieved.

But......

Experienced Zen masters are well aware that the current situation is still not rosy for the Lakers.

The simple return of the two to the court can immediately restore at least eighty or ninety percent of the Lakers' combat strength, but they have not completed the spiritual reconciliation, and the two will not be able to exert the original chemistry of the OK combination.

At the same time, just after a big defeat, the overall morale of the Purple and Gold Army is also lacking, which means that they have just entered the team's warm-up link because of the apparent reconciliation between the two.

On the other hand, the supersonics, the big win in the last game, the atmosphere advantage of the home team at this time, the whole team has already entered the playoffs to fight hard.

The difference in their competitive form will only be the most important factor in determining the outcome of this game.

After the game began, the competitive state shown by both sides undoubtedly confirmed Phil Jackson's conjecture.

Although the Lakers' offensive triangle system has been sacrificed again, it always feels a little less agile and varied.

The original OK combination that was perfect always had some disagreements on the choice of handling the ball.

Either Kobe Bryant wants to block and dismantle, O'Neal wants to sink to the bottom; Either O'Neal realized his problem just now and took the initiative to block and dismantle, but Kobe Bryant thought that the other party would not do that, and chose another route.

Phil Jackson could see that the two actually wanted to win and cooperate with each other, but they never thought of going together, to put it bluntly, they lacked the tacit understanding they once had.

This makes the Lakers not fluent on the overall offensive end, and more often than not, they are still stuck in a situation of playing alone, but the SuperSonics after entering the state are doing quite well on defense today......

Kobe Bryant's outside line was very limited by Payton, and the 34-year-old veteran completely gave up on scoring, choosing to convert all his energy to defense, and prevented Kobe Bryant from shooting 5 of 13 in the entire first half, and only scored 13 points when he hit the iron frequently.

Although O'Neill's interior line steadily suppressed Chandler, he was used by the opponent to intercept, trap and slash shark......

With Payton locking up Kobe, all the supersonic players focused their remaining attention and energy on O'Neal's passing route in addition to defense, which made it not so easy for Fisher to pass the ball to him, and in the first half alone, the pass to O'Neal was stealed three times.

And when it was hard to get O'Neal to get the ball in the low post, the supersonic was immediately sandwiched by two people at the same time, Chandler and the Japanese redhead.

These two can be regarded as power-based insiders, although O'Neal does not suffer a loss, but it is not so easy to force these two people, and in the entire first half, he shot 6 of 9 and was successfully prevented by those two people.

What's worse is that O'Neill doesn't just have these 9 'shots'.

When it was found that O'Neal's score could not be stopped, the two would take turns to foul, and the ferocious thug action made O'Neal have an additional 8 shots in addition to these 7 shots, all of which were dragged down by these two and Pedrage, who was in rotation.

In the NBA, fouled balls don't count towards shots, unless you score 2+1.

In the first half alone, O'Neal made 17 free throws......

The only thing that Phil Jackson is fortunate for is that the big shark's free throws today are quite good, 12 of 17 free throws, and the free throw shooting rate actually reached an astonishing 70% for him, making the supersonic shark slashing tactics have little effect.

O'Neal scored 24 points and 11 rebounds in the first half, which can be regarded as a top performance, otherwise I am afraid that the Lakers will be played again.

But even then, it is still on the verge of extreme danger.

Payton didn't attack much directly, his energy was focused on defense, and he didn't shoot again after shooting two mid-range irons.

The rest of the SuperSonics felt pretty average today, with the exception of Iguodala, who only came on in rotation in the second quarter, who hit two 3-pointers and scored six points, most of the others seemed to be focusing on defense today, which made their baskets seem to be not very accurate.

Fisher was quite successful defensively against Brent, who shot 1-of-4 and scored just one 2-point from mid-range.

Chandler was blocked by O'Neal in a row under the basket, and only scored 2 points on 1-of-4 shooting, while Hanamichi Sakuragi and Pedrager off the bench also only scored 1 2-pointer.

But you can't stand the pervert on the other side......

Watching Lin Dong use Payton's blocking and dismantling to make a drifting 3-point shot after a misalignment, Phil Jackson's heart was pinched.

Don't go in again, don't go in again......

He muttered silently, but he couldn't stop the damn basketball.

Swish!

The basketball was hollowed into the net again, and Lin Dong hit this first-half whistle 3-pointer, fixing the score of the first half of the two teams at 41:51.

A double-digit margin of exactly 10 points.

In the entire first half, 7 of 10 3-point shots, plus 2 mid-range and two strong pull-ups from O'Neal under the basket, and 4 of 4 free throws, this guy alone has scored a full 37 points, 1 more than Kobe and O'Neal combined!

Phil Jackson had the feeling of seeing a ghost.

Although Payton gave him a lot of pick-and-roll help and limited Kobe's defense for him, this guy's 3-point ...... It feels even more accurate than Reggie Miller!

This is something that I didn't often see from Lin Dong in the regular season, and he basically didn't average more than 5 3-point shots per game before.

The breakthrough is so sharp, and the 3 points are so accurate, what kind of scoring machine is this? And what else he won't?

(End of chapter)