Entering December, ESPN and Sports Illustrated released the new month's strength rankings.
There is no suspense. Under the leadership of the Big Three, Gao Jinmeng's Celtics team ranks first, with a very eye-catching record of 13 wins and 2 losses.
The second place is the Spurs led by GDP, with a record of 13 wins and 3 losses, a sophisticated and stable style of play, and will never be underestimated. The only weakness is that the lineup is aging.
The third place is also in the East. It is the Magic team led by Warcraft Howard. They have a record of 11 wins and 4 losses, which confirms the saying "SuperSonics fall, the Celtics and Magic are full." Ray Allen and Lewis are the top shooters. The Gemini stars joined the Green Army and the Magic respectively and directly assisted the two goals to take off, which is referred to as a double fly.
Suns, Bobcats, Mavericks, Jazz, Pistons, Lakers...
Judging from the record, the Lakers can at least be ranked 6th, but they were squeezed to 9th place. The lack of qualitative improvement in the inside lineup is the reason why the Lakers are looked down upon. Jackson's triangle offensive tactics cannot solve everything. The problem, the key is not whether the talents inside speak well or not, but whether there are many talents in the team. Just having one Kobe is not enough.
The predicted strength rankings are nothing. They can only be used as a reference so that stars who are ambitious, have ideas, want to improve, and want to compete for the championship will not get lost when they want to change teams.
The formation of the Green Army's three giants has allowed the Green Army to achieve immediate results, allowing many teams with ambitions or no hope to make plans as soon as possible, and the transfer market has become hot.
Among them, Gasol was dissatisfied with the team last season and requested to be traded.
O'Neal, Kidd, Kirilenko, Baron Davis, Carter, O'Neal Jr., Marion, Artest, Big Ben, Larry Hughes... are also involved in trade rumors. At this time The trading market is very involuted.
The December schedule has survived the devilish schedule in November. In the new January, the Lakers tasted the beauty of the sweet schedule. They asked for 10 games, but none of them could play.
Two dozen Timberwolves, 76ers, Warriors, two dozen rotation Spurs, two dozen Warriors, Clippers, two dozen Bulls, Knicks...
With a 10-game winning streak, the Lakers reached first place in the Western Conference and second place in the league with a record of 21 wins and 4 losses.
There are 8 teams in front of the Lakers. Except for the Green Army above them, the records of the remaining teams have dropped significantly. There is only the Green Army, which has a record of 9 wins and 1 loss, with a record of 22. A record of 3 wins and 3 losses lies ahead of the Lakers.
In the December schedule, the Lakers have a sweet-then-bitter pattern. The remaining five teams are not devils, but very devils.
The Magic, the second-time Suns, the Cavaliers, and the second-time Jazz and Celtics.
"The sweet schedule has passed, and we will encounter tough battles next. If we relax, we may very well face a five-game losing streak.
Next, throw away the previous results and start again. The second place is the biggest loser. No one will remember you.
Now, the Lakers have just finished second in the league, so I hope everyone will stop being the biggest loser..."
In the Lakers' tactical room, a tough battle was about to happen, and Jackson also sprinkled a few bowls of chicken soup. Although it wasn't much, it was a must-have medicine for traveling at home.
After drinking the chicken soup, Su Bei took over the players who were playing against the Magic and began to study the players he was playing against.
It was agreed that he would lie down and stop working hard after three days. What made Su Bei depressed was that he was slapping himself in the face. Three days and three days, Su Bei still couldn't lose his previous habit.
"In the last three days, I won't change my promise. From now on, all I can do is lie down..."
Hidutkoglu!
Next, Su Bei will encounter a Turkish magician.
How about magic?
Let’s put it this way, it is said that Turkoglu has the physique of the 5th position, the height of the 4th position, the position of the 3rd position, the shooting of the 2nd position, and the organization of the 1st position. They are all misaligned and have a weird style. , it sounds magical.
“The enhanced version of the poor man’s three-point Magician, Turkoglu has found his place this season.
With the addition of Lewis, a space-based three-point shooter, and Howard entering his peak, with internal and external containment, and Nickerson, a small and reckless man who breaks through inside, the space obtained by Turkoglu's forward play is not expanded. Billions of points! "
"From averaging 13 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists per game to 20 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, although he has made great progress and reached the All-Star level, fortunately, his physical talent is still mediocre, which is his greatest destiny. , I should be able to withstand it..." Su Bei's face was solemn.
The man who led the World of Warcraft Howard to end the finals meeting on the 23rd and 24th, the top point forward in the small ball era, cannot be overemphasized.
…
December 23, Staples Center Arena.
Night falls.
At this time, the Lakers' home court was about to host a regular game against the Magic. The lights were bright and there was a sea of people.
During the warm-up, Kobe and Howard chatted about a few cents. After all, who doesn't like a happy beast, and Howard's body is also very deceiving. If they deepen their communication and chat about a few cents, they might be able to convert this. What about bringing a happy beast back to the west coast?
Today, we can still talk. After all, Kobe can still teach Howard how to win a championship, but there are too many topics to talk about.
As a communication star, Odom can sleep with even Kardashian. He and Lewis, who was also graduated in 1999, can't refuse to talk for a few cents.
After all, Lewis can also teach Odom how to sign a billion-dollar contract.
Su Bei can only warm up by shooting quietly, and he will be under a lot of pressure later.
The biggest names on the Magic team are Howard and Lewis. However, after all, people from Northern Jiangsu, who have been here since 2022, naturally know that Turkoglu, an ordinary team, is the Magic. The key to the team taking off.
Without Turkoglu's support organization, Howard's IQ really can't lead this Magic team.
Of course, now that Turkoglu is still in the lineup, there will naturally be no embarrassing situation where no one is missing.
At this time, the starting lineups of both sides for tonight's match were also displayed on the big screen in the arena.
Magic 5 Tigers, Howard, Lewis, Turkoglu, Keith Bogans, Jameer Nelson.
This game will be broadcast live on TNT radio, with Barkley and Kenny Smith as commentary partners.
“This game is a 50-50 situation.
The Lakers have the league's No. 1 shooting guard, and the Magic have the No. 1 center. The supporting players around them are all a little less interesting. It just depends on who performs better on the spot.
My bet is that the Magic can win the game. Although the Magic are going through the Western Devils schedule and have lost to the Rockets and Mavericks, Howard will still have no problem cleaning up the penalty area guarded by Bynum and Odom.
As for Kobe Bryant destroying the Magic's perimeter?
What I believe more is that if Kobe cannot control his mid-range shooting percentage, he will be so tough that he will have no friends.
After all, the closer you shoot to the basket, the higher your hit rate. This is an unbreakable truth.
Howard's dominance in the penalty area is extraordinary, he is also great at rebounding, and his offense is all about attacking the basket. In terms of playing style, Howard is even better..."
The problem is that outside the penalty area, Howard is useless!
In Hong Kong, does Howard still have a way to play?
He didn't shoot, so he had no choice but to act recklessly with his body.
"Howard averages 14 rebounds per game, and he is definitely the rebounding champion this season.
However, the Magic have many problems. For example, Lewis has just joined and head coach Stan Van Gundy has just joined. The tactical adjustment cannot be achieved overnight.
I bet that the Lakers, who have been waiting for three years for a chance to regain what they lost, can win.
Bynum's talent is not weak. After all, his nickname is 'Baby Shark'. As long as he doesn't lose too much to Howard, the Lakers have an advantage on the outside, whether it's the lineup, tactics, and playing at home. We are in an invincible position with 10 consecutive victories. The advantage lies with our Lakers team. I really can’t see the Lakers losing there..."
The game begins!
Beep——!
When the whistle sounded, the referee threw the basketball high into the air. Bynum defeated Howard and scored the first offense for the Lakers.
"Are you surprised? Are you surprised? Bynum's talent is not much worse than Howard's!
To be fair, Howard just ate hamburgers for one more year than Bynum.
If Bynum is one year older than Howard, and Howard switches teams with Bynum as a rookie, Howard is very likely to not be Bynum's opponent now..."
Not a possibility, not even a certainty.
After all, since the Lakers trained Kobe, a high school student, they have suppressed the high school students they selected for two years, thinking that this is the correct way to develop.
This is why Bynum will say in the future that Kobe has hindered his growth. The Lakers really won't let him go.
If he were on the Magic team, he could completely enhance his strength in a happy mess and become a happy monster like Howard. His only weakness is that he is unreliable in tough battles at critical times.
That's too far.
On the court, Fisher controlled the ball to the frontcourt and immediately distributed the ball to Kobe, posing as an offensive three-threat.
Watching him is Keith Bogans, who came out of the University of Kentas and is the Magic's sharp perimeter defender.
"As a mediocre non-representative player of the 2003 golden generation, Bogans' talent is mediocre. His height is reported as 1.96 meters, which is actually about 193. The shooting guard suffers a lot from his physical talent. Fortunately, his body is very good. Strong, all attributes are set to Strength.
Kobe was let go, and Bogans has Howard behind him. There is nothing wrong with this choice..."
On the court, Kobe did not shoot three-pointers. He stepped forward and broke through. Bogans followed him closely. Facing Kobe's back, he withstood Kobe's back with his strong body.
Kobe knew he had hit a brick wall, so he didn't continue to fight hard and chose to hand the basketball to Fisher.
"Fisher handed the basketball to Su Bei and then played an outside screen. Fisher shook off Nelson and received the pass from Su Bei again. He chose to break through and Turkoglu had no choice but to switch defenses.
Fisher passed the ball to Su Bei and misplaced Nelson in singles. The defense of 1.99 meters against 183 meters was a natural loss. What will Su Bei choose next?
Huh?
Su Bei got up with the ball, raised his hand and made an unreasonable three-point pull-up jumper..."
Nelson Jr. rushed out to press and interfere. He didn't have Paul's prejudgment or Paul's little moves, so he could only try his best.
Nash also did it. He also defended very hard, but it was of no use. He could only bet that Su Bei's shooting pistol had no bullets.
Swish——!
Guessing wrongly, there was no reward. Su Bei raised his knife and accurately hit a three-pointer, opening the scoring account for the Lakers first.
0 to 3!
Rumor has it that Turkoglu ended the peak of Huashan Martial Arts on the 23rd and 24th because Nelson Jr. was absent due to injury. Turkoglu played the point forward and misplaced the shot. , it was with Howard that he touched the floor of the Finals.
At this time, Subei just copied Turkoglu's homework in advance. What can the 183-year-old Nelson do?
You can't stand it?
You ask Huang Ama, isn’t it Zhang Tielin?
How could it be West?
Don't ask, the question is that James regards West as a brother, but West wants to be the father of the little emperor.
As brothers West and James, the situation was originally broadened, but unfortunately, as they pushed forward, the situation naturally became smaller.
Outside the court, Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy had a very calm face. After all, letting Nelson play was originally a matter of giving points. Since it was a gift, his mood would not fluctuate much. After all, there was no suspense. .
"The Magic team attacked, Nelson brought the ball to the frontcourt, changed direction, and immediately dribbled the ball inside to break through. The speed was very fast and the center of gravity was very low. Fisher, an old fish, was very passive and could only fight and retreat.
The Lakers' defense shrank and filled the penalty area with people. Whether it was Howard or Nelson rushing in at full speed, they were all powerful weapons in the penalty area. The Lakers had no choice.
Nelson now had a choice. He chose to distribute the ball. Turkoglu caught the ball and after a moment of weakness, he broke through. Su Bei followed closely, also fighting and retreating. Howard brought it up..."
Peng——!
Su Bei felt like he had hit a wall of steel and iron. His body was so hard that he felt a slight pain. Before he could react, Turkoglu was already jumping high into the air.
With a height of 2.08 meters, Su Bei was blocked by Howard's screen again. What should he use to defend himself?
Swish——!
The basketball goes hollow into the net.
Two points scored.
2 to 3!
"This is the basic operation of Turkoglu and Howard.
Howard pulled out to screen, and then cut to the basket. Turkoglu could shoot, burst or shoot.
Howard can shoot and rebound, so the physical coordination of the two centers is really hard to guard against.
He gave Howard a shot and Turkoglu a physical body..."
Off the court, Jackson was calm. The Magic's point forward play, coupled with the inside cover tactics, were all leftover from the triangle offensive tactic.
Turkoglu is nothing more than the axis of the triangle offense, and Howard's screen is one of the three major elements of the triangle offense tactic: movement!
The Magic don't have supporting facilities yet, just a triangular offensive axis and the coordination of attack points. From Jackson's perspective, it's really rough.
However, the Magic's tactics are also very thoughtful and have something to offer. After all, Lewis is buried in the bottom corner of the three-point line. This is an All-Star shooter who dare not let go at will. The Magic's offensive tactics have room. .
The triangle offensive tactic has three elements: movement, space and change.
The Magic just lack the element of change, but relying on the players' personal abilities, their offensive destructive power is still very threatening.
On the court, the Lakers attack, and Fisher controls the ball to the frontcourt. He knows how to play without observing.
With Howard sitting in the Magic's penalty area and Lewis, the All-Star power forward, sweeping away, it was impossible to attack the paint.
Nelson, who is 183 meters tall, and Bogans, who is not famous at 1.96 meters, are the optimal solutions.
"Fisher handed the basketball to Su Bei. This time, Fisher chose to cut inside into the penalty area, and Su Bei also passed the basketball into the penalty area.
Devour
Fisher used Odom's screen to get rid of Nelson. At the same time, he received a pass from Odom. Fisher rushed to the basket and hit the Magic's back door.
Howard could only switch defenses, using the big one to defend the small one. Fisher passed the ball. Odom rushed to the basket, attracted the defense, and sent the basketball to the left. Bynum, the little shark, was already empty..."
Bang-dang——!
Bynum's entire body was hanging on the basket.
Howard's dominance in the penalty area is terrifying. However, after being transferred, Howard has no way to face the Lakers' triangle offensive tactics.
2 to 5!
"Little Nelson is a double-edged sword. With the speed of attacking 183 and the low center of gravity, just a change of direction can make the breakthrough extremely sharp.
However, those who come out to mess around always have to pay back. When it comes to the defensive end, Nelson is nothing.
We can only let our opponents execute them publicly..."
"Little Nelson rushed up, very fast, rushed to the penalty area, attracted the defense, and then threw the basketball into the sky, and Howard flew up..."
Bang-dang——!
Howard made an alley-oop, dunked with both hands, and hung his entire body from the southeast corner.
4 to 5!
The core system of Nelson, Turkoglu and Howard is still very capable offensively.
…
