"BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA!"
Delta Air Lines Center, the first round of the playoffs between the Lakers and Jazz, G3, is about to start here.
After the Lakers starting players came on the stage, the Jazz fans at the scene immediately chanted in unison and put pressure on the Lakers players.
Even though Jazz legend Karl Malone played as the Lakers' starting power forward, the fans at the scene did not stop cheering.
Obviously, Jazz fans know very well that the Jazz this season has reached a critical moment of life and death.
If they cannot hold on to victory in this game, the Jazz will be completely eliminated by the Lakers, and it is very likely that they will be swept!
The gap between No. 1 in the Western Conference and No. 8 in the Western Conference is too big!
Facing a super team like the Lakers and a civilian team like the Jazz that relies on Sloan's support, it's hard to win.
However, after G3 started, the Jazz fans at the scene immediately ignited their hopes.
I don’t know if the Lakers players were really frightened by them, or if the plateau climate in Salt Lake City had an impact on the Lakers players. In short, the Lakers performed poorly in the first quarter.
"It seems that the brothers have released a lot of pressure! But what's going on with this guy Kobe?"
As a member of the Lakers, Dunn naturally understands why Malone, who has been in Salt Lake City for so many years, has to start "adapting" to the climate of Salt Lake City again.
It's been like this in the starting lineup, and it may be even weaker on the bench later on.
What surprised Du En slightly was that Kobe was the first to leave after the previous banquet.
Which blacksmith shop is better in Los Angeles?
Everyone who understands understands, and those who don’t understand don’t ask.
In short, Kobe shot 1 of 5 in the first quarter, which scared Duan to pass the ball to Fisher, who came on the bench, and did not dare to pass the ball to Kobe again.
16 to 23, the Lakers lost by 7 points in the first quarter and did not get better in the second quarter.
Du En performed a little better, but Jackson suddenly adjusted his playing time. He only played 5 minutes with a substitute in the second quarter, and Du En went to rest first.
Whoever gets hot will end the game, Du En also saw it, Jackson was cooperating with Sloan to play tacitly.
The playing time of the Lakers' main players has been reduced to a certain extent, and the Jazz's defensive intensity is not as strong as in the first quarter.
It can only be said that no one can remain unmoved and remain alone in front of millions of tickets at a home stadium in the playoffs.
Master Zen is the head coach, but he will inevitably be influenced by the management.
It's no wonder that Jackson won so many championships with the Lakers and insisted on leaving immediately after the contract ended, even Aunt Jenny.
“If there’s a tacit ball, why do people keep getting swept?”
Du En doesn't know much about it, so he can only slowly observe and learn, and accumulate experience in the playoffs.
83 to 91, G3 between the Lakers and Jazz was much faster than G1 and G2, almost half an hour earlier.
After the Lakers lost to the Jazz by 8 points, all members quickly returned to the hotel to rest.
It's not like losing in the regular season - either the Zen master leads everyone to meditate to relieve the pressure of the game.
Either there is an important game to be played next, and the Zen master has to say something serious and profound that goes straight to the heart and inspires the morale of the team.
Since nothing happened, the Lakers players were happy and relaxed. They returned to the hotel and took an early rest.
Anyway, after checking into the hotel for the away game, the Lakers team leader adopted closed management of the players.
In addition to listening to music and playing games in each other's rooms to pass the time, the players can only go to bed early.
Time soon came to April 27, at the Delta Air Lines Center, G4 between the Lakers and Jazz started again.
The Lakers players, who looked like they had just arrived in Salt Lake City and were tired of traveling and traveling, finally showed the level they should have.
However, the Jazz players who had just won a victory were full of energy and refused to give in at all.
Therefore, you should be cautious when considering your next round of opponents in advance.
With O'Neal scoring 11 points in the first quarter, the Lakers beat the Jazz by 26 to 24, temporarily beating the Jazz by 2 points.
In the second quarter, Jackson also made new adjustments, allowing Kobe, who only scored 2 points on three shots in the first quarter, to come out with Duan to lead the bench.
This season, Duane and Kobe are undoubtedly the best wing combination in the league.
Although it has not reached the level of peak Jordan and Pippen, it is enough to make other teams in the league drink.
Sloan also knew the power of Duane and Kobe being on the court at the same time, so he could only enter the mode of controlling the main force in advance and continue to compete head-on with the Lakers.
However, in the defensive counterattack led by Du En, the Lakers still seized more opportunities and widened the point difference to about 5 points.
Halfway through the second quarter, Malone and O'Neal returned to the court. The Jazz, who were not physically strong enough, were immediately defeated by the Lakers.
O'Neal was as vigorous as he was in the first quarter, not at all as sluggish as he was in the previous game, refusing to move like a salted fish.
As the shark splashed on the basket again and again, not only the Great Pyrenees, but also other Jazz inside players were beaten by O'Neal.
54 to 46, O'Neal scored 21 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks in the first half, helping the Lakers gain an 8-point lead.
In this game, Kobe, still under the arrangement of Zen Master, continued to lead the bench with Du En at the beginning of the third quarter.
Relying on Durn to attract the defense, Kobe finally stepped up and took over the game. He made 5 of 7 shots in a single quarter and 3 of 4 free throws. He scored 13 points, laying a solid foundation for the Lakers to win G4.
Although in the fourth quarter, the Jazz were still struggling to resist, and O'Neal had been physically exhausted in the first three quarters and was already a little unable to play.
However, why is it that Sir is not at the end of his powerful crossbow and cannot penetrate Lu Zhen?
Like G2, Duane, who has learned to allocate his physical strength appropriately in the regular season, once again stood up to show North American fans the explosive physical talent of the dunk king.
When the enemy is tired, I attack; when the enemy retreats, I pursue him!
When the Jazz's main force was running out of energy, Duan punched hard, causing the Jazz fans at the scene to feel numb.
The dunks that broke into the basket time and time again made some Jazz fans scream in surprise.
Just like Westbrook in his peak period, when others couldn't run in the fourth quarter, Westbrook just went his own way and flew in the sky to play ball.
Even though Westbrook's shooting percentage is not high in many cases, watching Westbrook's games is still very shocking.
101 to 89, the Lakers have stars who can stand up and lead the team in every quarter. The civilian Jazz is naturally no match for the Lakers.
After winning G4, the Lakers and their team are about to set off and return to Los Angeles.
Before leaving, O'Neal said in a post-game interview: "I am so lucky to have Duan!
Duane, like Kobe, is the future of the Los Angeles Lakers!
We can still win three championships and we will be the best in history! "
If the Lakers were not first in the Western Conference, not a super team, and had not won three consecutive championships before, many people might think O'Neal was too arrogant, and it would be troublesome to beat the Jazz, who are eighth in the Western Conference.
However, judging from the current situation, O'Neal's wave is really not just a show of self-pity.
Kobe, Duane, O'Neal, is this lineup unable to compete with the Bulls' Big Three led by Jordan?
The OK combination is enough to win three consecutive championships. Duen was so strong in his rookie season, so he couldn't be here to hold him back, right?
Ever since, after the post-game interview was sent back to Los Angeles, many Lakers fans went out to fight with Bulls fans online, showing the momentum of the Lakers being the best in the world.
By the way, also in the post-game interview, Duane also said: "When I think of the fans in Los Angeles waiting for us, I want to end this game as soon as possible.
Like Gary and Karl, I joined the Los Angeles Lakers just to win the championship!
I was an NCAA champion before I came to the NBA. I believe that after entering the NBA, I can also become an NBA champion!
My ambitions are very big, not one or two, nor three or four...
The Los Angeles Lakers will become the league's most powerful team!
In my opinion, Phil is the best coach ever and Shaq is the best player ever! "
Duan was unwilling to go from being the best and second best player in the regular season to being the third and fourth best player in the playoffs.
Dunn does not deny that the Lakers in the playoffs are OK Lakers, but this does not prevent him from becoming the center of public opinion about the Lakers.
I had received news before that the best rookie award was about to be announced, and Duen also took advantage of the second round of the playoffs before the start to add fuel to his fire.
On April 28, the Lakers returned to Los Angeles.
When the bus arrived at the Toyota Center, we found a large number of fans at the door, who spontaneously came to greet us.
Duen saw many fans wearing his jersey, and he was obviously very popular.
However, Du En did not have time to greet the fans.
After getting the car keys and heading to the underground garage, Du En drove his car again and went home to rest for a day.
It wasn't until the afternoon of the next day that the Lakers gathered together again and began to warm up, train, and prepare for the game.
It is worth mentioning that on this night, the Lakers learned in advance about their opponent in the second round and could start studying it, which was the Sacramento Kings.
In the second half of the regular season, Webber's return did not improve the Kings' strength, but rather destroyed the Kings' chemical reaction.
As a result, the Kings, who were second in the regular season, were overtaken by the Timberwolves and Spurs, falling to fourth in the Western Conference.
However, relying on the Princeton system, relying on the full strength of the Kings, and the similarly luxurious Mavericks, they were swept by the Kings 4 to 1 and reached the second round of the playoffs earlier than the Lakers.
On the third day, that is, on the evening of April 30, the G5 game between the Lakers and Jazz started again.
Without letting go and playing at home, the Jazz are naturally no match for the Lakers.
83 to 98, the Lakers won by 15 points and easily defeated their opponents in the first round of this year's playoffs.
In the entire series, O'Neal performed best, averaging 17.8 shots per game, scoring 27.4 points, 12.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.4 steals and 2.8 blocks.
In terms of scoring data, Kobe ranks second, averaging 17.4 shots per game, scoring 22.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.6 steals and 0.2 blocks.
Duan ranked third, averaging 15.4 shots per game, scoring 20.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 10.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.8 blocks.
As for Malone, he only averaged 14.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, which is only at the starting level.
Not to mention Payton, even Fisher can't compare, averaging only 4.2 points per game, while Fisher still has 6.8 points.
By the way, just judging from the situation in the first round, Duan's influence in the playoffs is no less than that of Kobe.
This undoubtedly declares that Duan has established a foothold in the playoffs.
As long as O'Neal's condition declines, as long as Duan helps the Lakers win the championship, Duan will be qualified to challenge the position of Lakers boss!
But before that, Duan still has to win a trophy with James.
[Congratulations on winning the NBA Rookie of the Year award for the 03-04 season. You have achieved the best rookie achievement and won a lottery opportunity for the best rookie player template. Do you want to draw the lottery? 】
(End of chapter)
