With O'Neal off the court, Stan Van Gundy paired up with Haslem to guard the inside.
Kobe held the ball in the frontcourt with the help of a pick-and-roll, misplaced the ball in the penalty area, and with Haslem assisting in defense, he made a difficult layup and scored the ball.
"Uh-huh!"
"Beep!"
The first assistant referee's whistle sounded, 2+1.
Without O'Neal's guarding, the Heat's defense in the penalty area is indeed weaker.
Kobe walked to the free throw line with firm eyes and a cold fighting spirit all over his body.
Although the team was already trailing by nearly 30 points and there were only a few dozen seconds left in the third quarter, he obviously did not give up the game.
O'Neal's departure has obviously given the Lakers hope of a comeback, even if this hope is very slim.
"Uh-huh!"
Kobe, who stepped to the free throw line, also made the extra free throw and successfully scored 3 points.
With this 2+1, Kobe has scored 35 points tonight, the highest on the team, which is almost the same as Lin Fei's 39 points.
However, Lin Fei's 39 points only counted 9 shots, 9 of 9 three-pointers, and 12 of 12 free throws. In terms of efficiency, it can be said to be the highest in history.
Kobe's 35 points took 28 shots and hit 13 goals, including 8 free throws.
For Kobe this season, tonight's offensive efficiency is already very good.
Even though Lin Fei worked very hard to defend Kobe Bryant alone, he also showed a strong ability to defend against Kobe Bryant alone, but tonight Kobe Bryant was like going crazy and couldn't hold it back.
Looking back, the Heat attacked and Jason Williams advanced with the ball.
Without O'Neal, the Lakers' defensive energy is more concentrated on the outside, which makes it difficult for Lin Fei to catch the ball.
In addition, after all, they were leading by 26 points, and the Heat's main players began to become mentally lax.
Jason Williams broke through and passed the ball to Haslem, who avoided Odom and jumped directly for a dunk.
But in the diagonal stab, there flashed a strong and healthy posture, with clenched teeth and cold eyes, it was Kobe the Black Mamba.
"Snapped!"
Kobe suddenly jumped up with his long arms to cover the sky, and directly misplaced Haslem to block the shot with a diagonal shot.
The basketball bounced off the steel backboard and was taken down by Odom, and the Lakers quickly launched a counterattack.
At this time, there were only the last 9 seconds left before the end of the third quarter.
The Lakers' counterattack came very quickly. Although Lin Fei was chasing Kobe, Caron Butler quickly got rid of Battier, rushed into the frontcourt, received a pass from Odom, and flew into the penalty area. It was a fast break dunk.
"Boom!"
Lin Fei ran back from the baseline to receive the serve, then turned over and quickly threw a shot from far away at the buzzer. The red light came on and the basketball missed the frame.
The third quarter is over.
Originally, there was no need for Lin Fei to shoot such a very difficult long shot at the end of the quarter. After all, he had a 100% hit rate before.
But now that there is an opportunity and the ball is in hand, no matter how difficult it is, Lin Fei's first choice is to shoot, and even this kind of super long shot of more than 24 meters,
Lin Fei's shooting percentage in the game can also reach about 33%, and he can score one after almost three shots. It is really terrifying.
You must know that many players' three-point shooting percentage from normal distances does not reach 33%. Kobe's three-point shooting percentage in the new season is only 33.9%.
Heat (89): (65) Lakers.
After O'Neal left the field, under the leadership of Kobe, the Lakers chased for 5 points in less than a minute, narrowing the 29-point difference to 24 points.
But it is still very difficult for the Lakers to recover 24 points in the final quarter, even if Wade and O'Neal will not play in the final quarter.
But at least with O'Neal's injury, the Lakers fans at home saw hope that tonight's Christmas game would turn around in the final quarter.
In the visiting team's locker room, the team doctor was still massaging Wade's knees and calves while he was lying on the bed.
Wade's knee has obvious contusions. Although there is no structural damage, for the sake of safety, the team doctor still recommended that the Heat coaching staff let Wade rest for 1-2 weeks.
O'Neal was not completely stepped on by Chris Mihm. He just stepped on the edge of the opponent's instep. His ankle was only slightly sprained and he can return in the next game.
"We are leading by 24 points in the final quarter. With Lin here, we can't be reversed by the Lakers. It seems that this kid will hit 50+ points in another game tonight!"
Watching the live broadcast of the game on the TV screen on the wall, Wade, who was lying on the bed, was full of envy. He had never scored 50 points in a game in his career!
O'Neal was more concerned about Wade's injury and advised:
"Dwayne, you kid, please take it easy in the future and don't take your body too seriously, especially your knees. This minor injury is a lucky one!"
"If you keep playing with such an explosive style, there will be big problems sooner or later. Take Xuelin's example. I feel he can play in the league for at least 20 seasons!"
Wade shook his head and sighed: "If I could practice shooting as accurately as Lin, even half as accurate as him, I wouldn't have to work so hard. My style of play is really hard to change!"
After the game started in the final quarter, Stan Van Gundy asked Lin Fei and Jason Williams to rest on the bench for a while.
The huge advantage of 24 points makes the Heat coaching staff feel confident, and they have become bolder in hiring.
The Lakers side is completely different. Tomjanovich and Kobe have reached a consensus to take advantage of the injury of two of the Heat's generals in the final quarter to launch a final counterattack.
After three quarters, Kobe had played 33 minutes, but he still didn't take a minute's rest in the final quarter. This was obviously a desperate attempt to reverse the score.
Without Lin Fei's defense and matchup consumption, Kobe's energy on both ends of the offense and defense seemed to instantly increase. When he came up, he flew on the defensive end to steal Damon Jones's pass.
During the counterattack fast break, backup shooting guard Shanton Anderson hit the layup with a strong layup.
"Uh-huh!"
"Beep!"
The ball went in again and the buzzer sounded, 2+1.
The person who called the Heat's defensive shooting foul this time was still the first assistant referee. He is a white man in his forties named John Osman. He has been on the NBA referee staff for five years.
Several calls made by the first deputy referee tonight were quite controversial, which also made the referee Stephen Jiawei a little dissatisfied and confused.
However, the Lakers were so far behind at home, and it was understandable to take proper care of the referees, so Stephen Jiawei didn't say much.
"Uh-huh!"
Kobe went to the free throw line and hit the extra free throw. He scored 38 points tonight, plus 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. His performance was quite comprehensive.
Regarding Kobe, many Lakers fans are worried about the future of the team, but there are also many fans who are loyal fans of Corvo and believe that Kobe can quickly grow into a super shooting guard like Jordan.
The Heat's Big Three were not on the court at the same time, which instantly caused the team's offensive level to drop several notches.
Damon Jones passed the ball to Haslem in the low post, who missed Odom's shot and the rebound was protected by the Lakers.
Kobe came to the offensive end to face substitute Shandon Anderson again. This time Damon Jones took the initiative to double-team Kobe, but still could not restrict Kobe's fadeaway jumper.
"Uh-huh!"
again.
In less than a minute, Kobe scored 5 points in a row, leading the Lakers to quickly catch up to 19 points.
Staples Arena was filled with cheers and screams from the home Lakers fans, and many fans even shouted MVP!
"Looks like there's a chance of a reversal. Corvo is going crazy and no one can stop him!"
"Are the Heat so calm? Why don't you go to the woods quickly?"
"Are you sure Dwayne and Shaquille won't play again tonight? Lin also played a lot of time after the third quarter. After all, he is an Asian player. No matter how good his physical fitness is, he is much worse than a black man. He probably needs at least 3 minutes of rest. !”
"Come on Corvo, score quickly! It's already 40 points now. It seems that scoring 50+ won't be a problem!"
"The Heat are entirely supported by the Big Three, and the other substitute players are really not that good!"
Lin Fei and Jason Williams, who were sitting on the bench of the Heat, were not too nervous.
Although Kobe quickly started chasing points on the court, the two still believed that reappearing after the break could stabilize the team's situation.
Head coach Stan Van Gundy also has no intention of letting Lin Fei play early and will at least let him rest for 3-4 minutes.
But the Heat players and coaching staff clearly underestimated Kobe's determination to chase points.
Battier still missed the open three-pointer in the corner. The Lakers protected the rebound and counterattacked the fast break. Kobe, who was in high spirits, shot a chasing three-pointer directly from the outside.
"Clang!"
Although the ball missed, the long rebound was caught again by the rushing Kobe, who jumped up from the defender and scored an explosive dunk from his own investment.
"Boom!"
The Heat's substitutes were obviously stunned. Damon Jones's baseline serve was also intercepted by Caron Butler. The assist was placed at a 45-degree angle on the right side of Kobe's three-pointer.
"Uh-huh!"
Three points finally came.
Although Kobe Bryant scored 45 points tonight, he did not shoot well on three-pointers. This was only the second three-pointer he hit tonight.
With Kobe's explosive performance of scoring 10 points in 2 minutes, the Lakers went on a crazy 10:0 run, and the point difference was quickly caught up to only 14 points.
Stan Van Gundy finally couldn't sit still anymore and quickly called a long timeout.
On the timer, there are still 10 minutes and 02 seconds left before the end of the final quarter.
Heat (89): (75) Lakers.
Since O'Neal was kicked off the court at the end of the third quarter, the Heat have not scored a point, and the Lakers led by Kobe Bryant blasted a terrifying 15:0.
There is no other way, Stan Van Gundy can only let Lin Fei and Jason Williams play early to stabilize the team's situation.
In front of the live commentary desk, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith also applauded for the renewed suspense of victory in this game:
"There is no doubt that Kobe is one of the best shooting guards in the current league. He is better than Allen Iverson in terms of comprehensiveness on both offense and defense!"
"Kobe Bryant scored 45 points tonight with a shooting percentage of over 50%. Judging from the current situation, Peter Pan is likely to have a crazy performance of 50+!"
"It turns out that Lin's defensive effect on Kobe is very good. Once he is not on the court, Kobe's explosion will be caught off guard!"
"The point difference has been chased to 14 points. After this timeout, Lin and Jason will definitely play early, but without Dwayne and Shaquille, Lin will definitely be targeted by tighter defense!"
"Can he continue his magical three-point shooting? Let's wait and see!"
On the court, the timeout came back quickly and the Heat attacked.
Lin Fei moved on the outside, summoned a roughly raised screen, misplaced the distance between him and Kobe, and faced Odom, who had switched defenses.
But at this time, the referee's whistle suddenly sounded unexpectedly.
"Beep!"
First assistant referee John Osman gestured to roughly move the screen for a foul.
He suddenly felt innocent, spread his hands, shook his head and sighed. In fact, when he was covering, his steps did move slightly laterally, but it was very hidden.
Throughout the game, with this slight movement screen, the referee will not pay too much attention to the person without the ball, so it will basically not be called.
But now at the critical moment, the referee targeted the Heat's mobile screen in the whistle blow, which surprised the players.
Stan Van Gundy, who was standing on the sidelines, also protested to the assistant referee who blew the whistle, which was obviously a home whistle.
The ball changed and the Lakers attacked. It was really difficult to guard the crazy Kobe. He faced Lin Fei with his back at the top of the arc. He kept shaking his steps, turned over and fell back in one go, and made a picturesque jump shot.
"Uh-huh!"
Another two-pointer, Kobe has scored 47 points.
"Lin, this is our home court, winning is not that simple!"
Kobe, who was retreating, kept his teeth clenched, his face covered in sweat, but his eyes were as sharp as a sword.
Lin Fei knew that he had to stand up.
On the offensive end, Lin Fei relied on two consecutive outside screens to run away from Kobe, and with the help of a fleeting opportunity, he quickly asked Jason Williams for the ball.
But the defensive intensity of the Lakers has obviously increased. Atkins entangled Jason Williams, and Caron Butler quickly rushed up to cut off the passing line and knocked out "White Chocolate"'s risky pass.
Kobe left Lin Fei behind and rushed straight to the frontcourt. After receiving Butler's pass, he entered the penalty area and threw another dunk.
"Boom!"
Although Jason Williams's passing is gorgeous, at critical moments of the game, his mental quality is still not up to the level of a top point guard, and the turnover rate of passes under double teams will also increase.
The Heat were in trouble on the offensive end, roughly related to Haslem's high elevator door screen. This time, the assistant referee whistled for a screen foul, and the ball was once again given to the Lakers.
Stan Van Gundy obviously saw the first assistant referee's intention and couldn't hold back any longer and roared directly on the sidelines.
"Watt? Do you want to brag about this too?"
Unexpectedly, the next moment, assistant referee John Osman's strange operation struck again. He directly whistled at Heat coach Stan Van Gundy on the sidelines and made a gesture: expel immediately!
Just because of Van Gundy's roar, the assistant referee directly expelled the head coach.
Van Gundy was completely stunned, his eyes widened in disbelief, but he could only throw the tactical board to the ground angrily and walk towards the tunnel entrance without looking back.
As a veteran with many years of experience, Stan Van Gundy clearly felt something was wrong with the assistant referee. This could not be a simple home whistle, there was definitely something wrong with it.
The head coach was expelled, and Spoelstra, the first assistant coach, could only coach on a temporary basis. The morale of the Heat players was obviously shaken.
On the court, the Lakers took advantage of the situation to attack again. Kobe broke through and assisted Butler in the bottom corner to hit a three-pointer.
"Uh-huh!"
The score difference instantly came to 7 points.
Two generals, Wade and O'Neal, were injured and head coach Stan Van Gundy was expelled at a critical moment. The Lakers chased the point difference to 7 points. Kobe's explosion, Lin Fei's difficulty in catching the ball on the offensive end, and the home court situation Fanatical atmosphere,
All circumstances began to go against the Heat, and interim coach Spoelstra quickly called another long timeout. He knew that the players must be calm and calm in this situation.
"Oh my god, I originally thought that the suspense of this Christmas battle would be over early, but I didn't expect it to be so exciting. In the last 8 minutes, we only had 7 points left. A reversal is definitely possible!"
"As long as we can guard against Lin as much as possible and prevent him from catching the ball and shooting, we will definitely have a chance to complete the reversal. This is a difference of 29 points at most. It would be amazing if we can really reverse it!"
Feeling the cheers and noise of the home Lakers fans, Lin Fei suddenly felt the pressure on his shoulders becoming heavier.
Wade and O'Neal are not here, and neither is the head coach. Whether he can hold on to victory at the last moment will only depend on him.
In Tianchao's fifth live broadcast room, Director Zhang was so angry at being targeted by the assistant referee that he couldn't help but said angrily:
"There is definitely something wrong with this assistant referee. He continues to whistle for our coverage. This is obviously deliberate!"
"I hope the league headquarters can conduct a strict investigation after the game. NBA referee gambling incidents have been banned repeatedly in recent years!"
(End of chapter)
