After the warm-up, the Lakers team returned to the locker room.
Head coach Scott called all the Lakers over again.
Looking at the young faces of Clarkson, Dinwiddie, Harris, Boban, etc., Scott was full of pressure.
Scott focused his attention on Zhao Chen and Kobe, and then his expression became better.
"Raise our speed and don't lose ground with them."
"Organize attacks for Zhao and Nikolai, and create one-on-one opportunities for Zhao..."
"Kobe defends Manu, don't let him score smoothly."
...
Scott kept emphasizing the precautions for this game, and everyone listened attentively.
The Spurs' lineup is too old. The Lakers' main tactic is to speed up, and keep speeding up!
After the coach finished speaking, Zhao Chen stood up and shouted:
"Victory will be ours."
"Must win!"
"Must win!"
"Must win!"
The players surrounded Zhao Chen in the middle and shouted loudly one by one.
The Spurs were hailed as a team that had a chance to upset the Lakers, which made everyone in the Lakers unhappy.
This unhappiness will be vented on the court.
After a while, the appearance ceremony began!
Zhao Chen and Kobe high-fived and hugged every player on the field! !
Barkley shouted in the commentary box: "The Lakers have entered the playoffs again after a season, and they are once again charging towards the championship."
Smith asked: "Charles, what do you think the game situation will be like tonight?"
Barkley said: "The Spurs have to lower their tempo, while the Lakers have to increase their tempo. The Spurs will not let the Lakers' transitions and three-pointers come easily."
Smith said: "So do you think there is hope for the Spurs?"
Barkley said: "There is definitely hope, but whether it can be grasped is another matter, haha."
Barkley hates Spurs...
While the two commentators were boasting, the DJ at the scene also shouted Zhao Chen's name!
Zhao Chen swapped the order of appearance with Kobe Bryant in the playoffs and made his final appearance! !
This season, Zhao Chen has conquered the Lakers fans here, and he has made them his most loyal fans.
Lakers fans were shouting crazily.
"Zhao, come on!"
"Kill them, they can't guard you."
"Get G1 and give them something nice to look at."
.....
Zhao Chen stood on the court after high-fiving his teammates.
Standing on the court, Zhao Chen closed his eyes and patted his heart with his right hand. Zhao Chen quietly felt that the playoffs were coming again.
Last year, he won the championship, and this year, he has the same goal.
Competing in the playoffs with the championship as the goal! !
"Los Angeles is going crazy for Zhao Chen!"
"This is a treatment that Zhao Chen cannot enjoy in Lahoma, Ohio. There is Durant there, but he is the only one here!"
Barkley and Smith also marveled at the cheers given to Zhao Chen by Lakers fans!
On the field, Zhao Chen also opened his eyes.
There was a fierce fighting spirit in his eyes.
Zhao Chen did not use his fiery touch. He felt that it was not necessary to deal with the Spurs tonight.
Two minutes of adjustment time after the long playoff ritual.
After a while, the starter stayed on the field.
Lakers starting lineup: Zhao Chen, Kobe, Covington, Tucker, Jokic.
Only one rookie, Jokic, allowed Scott to feel comfortable using him as a starter in the playoffs. All other rookies were on the bench.
Not every rookie will get a chance, and some rookies will be excluded from the regular rotation after the veterans come back!
Of course, none of this is set in stone, and Scott will need to adjust the lineup based on circumstances.
Spurs starting lineup: Parker, Danny Green, Leonard, Duncan, Bonner.
Ginobili sits firmly on the bench.
Beep! !
With the referee's whistle, the game officially started.
Jokic lost the jump ball to Bonner.
Parker took the ball and advanced, and Zhao Chen pressed directly.
Zhao Chen has played in the playoffs and is very clear about the criteria for the playoffs.
General physical contact is more tolerated in the playoffs.
Zhao Chen's reputation as the best stealer is not exaggerated. Parker couldn't get rid of the pressure after turning around continuously. He felt huge trouble.
After a difficult half, Parker gave the ball to Leonard.
Defending Leonard is Covington.
Leonard's offense has not yet reached its peak, and Covington can limit him.
Leonard failed to pass one-on-one. The Lakers showed their defensive strength on the outside. Leonard had no chance. He lobbed the ball to Duncan inside.
The perimeter defense composed of Zhao Chen, Kobe Bryant, and Covington made Popovich feel challenged.
Duncan sat low and beat Tucker.
Duncan's physical talent has declined rapidly, but his experience and skills remain.
Duncan has advantages in terms of tonnage and height.
"boom!"
"boom!"
He hit Tucker continuously, and Tucker retreated one after another.
Duncan turned around and feinted one step forward in the three-second zone, and Tucker jumped forward and was fooled.
Duncan's pivot foot remained unchanged, and the other foot completed the rhythm adjustment, easily picking up the basket and scoring.
2 to 0.
Duncan's basic inside skills are still solid.
Bonner has the ability to shoot three-pointers and can pull Jokic out, leaving Jokic unable to help defend the inside.
"Switch defense, Nikolai, you go to guard Tim." Zhao Chen immediately made on-court adjustments after seeing this round.
It's not that Tucker's defense is poor, but that Tucker can't guard big men like Duncan who are good at taking advantage of mismatches.
The disadvantage of Tucker playing power forward is that he is too short. Maybe ordinary power forwards cannot eat him, but Duncan is more than enough to eat him.
"Duncan is the Spurs' advantage. The Spurs need to make good use of this advantage and take away other points, so that they can have a chance." Zhang Weiping said.
"Tucker is a player who is very active in defense and has a low center of gravity, but his height is a disadvantage in the interior." Xu Jicheng said.
"We all know these characteristics. If the Lakers put him in the starting lineup, they will naturally have his reasons." Zhang Weiping said.
Lakers offense.
Tucker sent the ball to Zhao Chen.
Zhao Chen accelerated and pushed forward, but Leonard also came to interfere with Zhao Chen, forcing Zhao Chen to slow down.
Zhao Chen used his back to protect the ball past half-court, and then Zhao Chen gave the ball to Jokic at the top of the arc.
Jokic is an important connecting point for the Lakers.
After Zhao Chen gave the ball out, he ran towards the baseline. Then he made a reverse run to get rid of Leonard and walked back to the top line to find an opportunity to catch the ball.
Tucker helped Zhao Chen block the pursuing Leonard.
Jokic's eyes seemed to be observing other positions, but the pass was immediately passed to Zhao Chen who ran out.
Zhao Chen found a tiny gap, caught the ball at a 70-degree angle, bent his knees, kicked off the ground, and took the ball with his palms!
The textbook pose of a shooter in one go!
The spin of the ball is perfect!
"Uh-huh!"
2 to 3.
Zhao Chen! ! !
The DJ was calling Zhao Chen's name.
"A textbook shot, running position, preparation for catching the ball, force technique, and shooting posture. Zhao Chen showed good basic skills."
"The Spurs knew they had to defend Zhao Chen's three-pointer, but they just couldn't."
"With Zhao Chen's style of play, you don't know whether he is holding the ball or not, or whether he is making a breakthrough or a three-pointer."
Zhang Weiping and Xu Jicheng discussed Zhao Chen's first round of attack.
Zhao Chen's offensive skills seem very simple, but every detail includes the use of various basic skills.
