As the two guides said.
Kobe is very cool on the court now and plays without any pressure.
Because it is Kobe's retirement season, the Lakers coaching staff basically arranges for Kobe to play 30 to 35 minutes in every game.
Starting every game is a sign of respect for Kobe.
Kobe was carefree on the court, shooting was Kobe's business, and winning was Zhao Chen's business.
Of course, Kobe himself wouldn't play around.
After all, looking at a group of young people with great potential, it would be detrimental to their prestige if they were always tinkering.
The Cavaliers attack.
Irving picks and rolls with Mozgov.
After the pick-and-roll, Irving encountered Kobe and Zhao Chen. Irving distributed the ball to James in the middle.
James' one-handed throw.
This is not the way James is good at scoring. James throws the iron.
Covington's restriction on James cannot be said to be very good, but it can occasionally have some effect.
When James is not paying attention, Covington will force James into areas where he is not good at shooting.
In June 2013, Covington participated in the 2013 NBA draft, but was not selected by the team. He was a veritable undrafted player.
Later, he signed with the Rockets, was waived by the Rockets, and then came to the Lakers.
After coming to the Lakers, Covington has been working very hard. He is afraid that one day he will be eliminated by the Lakers.
The Lakers have too many talents. During training, Covington can feel those geniuses spying on his starting position!
Those rookies are talented, highly regarded, and have many opportunities.
But he has never been favored. If he does not seize this opportunity, the NBA may eliminate him.
Therefore, Covington must play desperately on the court in order to survive in the NBA.
Lakers offense.
The pick-and-roll between Zhao Chen and Jokic comes again. This time it is James who switches to guard Zhao Chen. Irving and JR are also pursuing Zhao Chen the most.
Zhao Chen's front and rear routes were blocked. Zhao Chen jumped up and passed the ball to Covington, who ran from a 45-degree position on the left to the right corner.
Covington catches the ball and has plenty of time to aim at the basket!
Three-point shot, no one was guarding and he hit it steadily!
9 to 19.
The Lakers' offensive surge gradually opened up the score.
The Cavaliers' offense comes again.
After James used the pick-and-roll, Zhao Chen changed defense.
Zhao Chen faced off against James' strength.
James didn't have a good chance, so he gave the ball to Irving on the outside.
Irving made a move to meet Kobe's defense and shot a three-pointer.
Irving's three-pointer missed and the rebound was won by Jokic.
Jokic grabbed the ball with one hand and threw it to Kobe in the frontcourt.
Kobe drove to the inside at high speed and passed the ball to Zhao Chen who was behind in the middle.
What Kobe meant was that Zhao Chen could rush in and dunk.
But Zhao Chen stopped outside the three-point line and directly pointed at JR who was chasing after him.
Raise your hand to convert a three-point shot! !
"Uh-huh!"
9 to 22.
In the past 5 minutes or so, the Lakers' offense was almost complete.
Tyronn Lue was forced to request a timeout!
The Cavaliers failed to counterattack, and their own defense became a sieve.
The Lakers' offense is full of firepower...
Zhang Weiping shouted: "Led by Zhao Chen, the Lakers have opened up. Their advantage is just like when they swept last season. If this rhythm continues, Zhao Chen can clock out in three quarters."
Xu Jicheng said: "Zhao Chen is an important figure in the Thunder and Lakers' two consecutive championships. His dominance in the team is also increasing with his rich game experience. Zhao Chen is becoming more and more relaxed on the court. The probability of opponents trying to upset them It’s getting smaller and smaller.”
During the timeout, both teams made substitutions.
For the Lakers, Kobe and Tucker went down to rest, and were replaced by Booker and A-Lian.
On the Cavaliers' side, Mozgov went to rest and was replaced by Mo Williams.
James was moved to the power forward position, and Love was moved to the center position. This is the Cavaliers' small lineup.
The role of Mo Williams on the court is to attack and score, and then the whole small lineup is to move the feet better.
After returning from the timeout, the Cavaliers' offense has improved to some extent.
JR and Mo Williams can shoot three-pointers from the outside.
The Lakers' style of play is still Zhao Chen's main focus on attracting defense and then distributing the ball.
Let the outsiders make open jump shots or the insides can take advantage of the situation.
After the Cavaliers' inside height dropped, Jokic played more easily.
Love is only in the No. 4 position, and his weight is lighter than Jokic. After Jokic gets the ball, he can easily make various fake moves, and then use his footwork advantage or height advantage to hit hard.
At the end of the first quarter, the score was 26-43.
The Lakers lead the Cavaliers by as many as 17 points at home.
In the first quarter, Zhao Chen made 6 of 7 two-pointers, 2 of 6 three-pointers, and 3 of 3 free throws. He scored 21 points, 7 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 turnovers.
Zhao Chen's mistake came from his passing being too fancy.
There was a ball that directly tried to pass through James' crotch. As a result, the basketball was passed through, but the route seemed to have shifted a bit.
Teammates didn't catch it.
Then the referee gave the ball to the Cavaliers.
James's face is a bit dark to begin with...
Zhao Chen suspected that the ball might have hit something and changed its route, but he had no evidence.
...........
In the second quarter, Zhao Chen rested off the court.
Booker and Jokic lead the team above, and the other three are Harris, A-Lian, and Harrell.
Rose hasn't arrived yet, and Dinwiddie is not there. Jokic and Zhao Chen must leave one person on the court, otherwise the organization and offense on the court will be impossible to watch.
The playing styles of Booker and Jokic naturally fit in well. Both of them are players who can play pick-and-roll.
The Cavaliers sent out a lineup of Irving and Love to chase points, but they clearly underestimated the ability of the Lakers' lineup.
The Lakers adopted a zone defense tactic. As soon as Irving broke through, he shrank in, completely blocking the interior.
The Cavaliers are forced to shoot from the outside.
On the road, the Cavaliers players didn't really want to shoot three-pointers, but the Lakers forced them to take outside shots.
Of course, outside shots are not without defense.
Zhao Chen referred to FIBA's defense, which limits NBA players' breakthrough ability to the maximum extent, causing discomfort when shooting.
The Lakers' offense also overwhelmed the Cavaliers.
Booker doesn't play like a rookie. He is very talented on the offensive end. He and Jokic constantly play pick-and-rolls.
In this quarter, the two scored 10 points in the pick-and-roll.
If James hadn't come to the rescue in advance to chase points, the point difference between the two teams would have been even greater.
It's not that Irving and Love are inferior in strength, but that their tacit understanding is not as good as Booker and Jokic.
At the end of the first half, the score was 51 to 71.
The Lakers' lead is still 20 points.
In the third quarter, James held the ball and rushed in again and again.
At this time, Zhao Chen stood up and confronted James again.
Zhao Chen scored 20 points in a single quarter, beating James with 18 points in a single quarter!
Zhao Chen has more offensive methods than James. The Cavaliers' defense is clearly out of shape today. Zhao Chen is like a cash machine when he hits anyone.
After three quarters, the score was 80 to 105.
The Lakers' lead reached 25 points, and the game once again entered garbage time!
