Soon, the Trail Blazers ushered in the fifth to last game of the season, against the Los Angeles Lakers.
"Hello, viewers, this is TNT. I am Kenny Smith, the commentator for today's game. Some people may be curious about where my colleague Charles Barkley has gone. Uh... It's hard to explain, so let's not talk about him!
In this game, we invited the famous glider Clyde Drexler, a veteran of the Portland Trail Blazers!
Honestly, Clyde, do you think the Lakers have a chance to win this game? "
Drexler immediately said after listening to Kenny Smith's words: "It is true that Kobe and his Lakers have reached the edge of the cliff. They are only 0.5 wins away from the eighth place. If we talk about this game, It is very likely that they will miss the playoffs directly. I think it is time for them to fight hard!
But...
Then again, the Trail Blazers' performance this year exceeded everyone's expectations, including me. Although they are still very young, no one will question their strength, especially the luxurious lineup configuration inside ~ Wang Zelin + Aldridge The combination almost leads the league.
Compared with Dwight Howard, I think Wang Zelin was the number one center in the league in the 2012-13 season. As long as they win this game, the Trail Blazers will sweep the Lakers in a single season for the first time in team history. To be honest, I've been looking forward to this moment! "
The butt determines the head. As a legend of the Trail Blazers, Drexler always promoted his home team during the communication with Kenny Smith.
After listening to Drexler's analysis, Kenny Smith continued to speak.
"Clyde, you said that Wang Zelin + Aldridge's inside combination is the best in the league. I choose to reserve my opinion on this point.
On the other hand, the Lakers' interior lineup is also extremely luxurious, and Howard has played in recent games, which makes people feel that he has got rid of the back injury. At this stage, Dwight is still the league's number one center! "
Apparently, Kenny Smith doesn’t quite agree with Drexler’s statement.
"Okay, don't talk nonsense, let us tell the facts!"
The starting lineups of both teams are as follows.
Visiting Lakers: pg Steve Blake, sg Kobe Bryant, sf Earl Clark, PF Pau Gasol, c Dwight Howard
Home team Trail Blazers: Same old, skip...
Judging from the strength on paper, the Trail Blazers clearly have the upper hand at the 1st and 3rd positions. Whether it is Steve Blake or Earl Clark, they are all little-known little players. If it were not for the aging of some of the Lakers' main players, As a result of constant injuries, it is impossible for the two of them to become the Lakers' starters.
After comparing the two, the only advantage the Lakers have is Kobe, so Terry Stotts gave the order during the pre-game meeting: Get Kobe at all costs!
The game on the field started soon.
Wang Zelin and Howard jumped the ball in the middle circle, and the latter lost again. The Trail Blazers took the lead in gaining the offensive ball.
Both sides had twin towers at the same time, and everyone's eyes were on players No. 36 and No. 12. Another collision between the two was a highlight of tonight.
Wang Zelin just received the ball in the low post, and Pau Gasol defended him. Who would have thought that Howard quickly yelled: "Go away, I can deal with him alone!"
Yes, good intentions are regarded as donkey liver and lungs.
Pau Gasol walked away helplessly.
"You know what, Dwight, I love you so much!"
"What?"
"Every time I meet you, I always get a beautiful piece of data, and I believe this time will be no exception."
"..."
Howard's face turned black instantly. Wang Zelin took advantage of the situation and pushed back. He took a step back and turned over to shoot a jumper. Howard reacted immediately and rushed towards Wang Zelin, but unfortunately the ball had already been thrown.
"Uh-huh!"
The Trail Blazers took the lead.
"Look, what did I say? This is coming..."
After scoring, Wang Zelin also waited for Howard to hit the baseline kick and rushed to the Lakers' position with him.
"You're just a talker, I'm not afraid of you!"
Howard said with a fierce look on his face.
"But you just can't help it..."
Wang Zelin smiled.
At this time, Kobe caught the ball at the top of the arc, made a gesture to pull away, and after his teammates pulled to the outside, he suddenly started to pass Matthews and went straight to the penalty area.
But Batum, who was in the high position on the left, reacted very quickly and immediately came over to cover the defense. Kobe quickly turned around and passed the defender cleanly. Wang Zelin wanted to make a defensive step, but was held back by Howard.
In the end, it was Aldridge who took the initiative to meet Kobe.
"drink!"
Kobe roared angrily, ignoring Aldridge in front of him, and jumped up without fear. The basketball flew past the latter's fingertips and fell into the net. He staggered when he landed and almost fell.
"oh!"
The Rose Garden Arena was in uproar.
The 1.98-meter Kobe actually knocked the 2.11-meter Aldridge away, which made the fans very dissatisfied.
Why don't you dare to be cruel?
So cowardly!
"Beep!"
Aldridge's thug fouled, and Kobe made an extra penalty.
"Performance from the Black Mamba! He contributed 2+1 as soon as he came on the field. It can be seen that Kobe has a strong desire to attack today!" Kenny Smith's commentary sounded at the scene.
"Shh!"
The scene was followed by boos, and the tens of thousands of Trail Blazers fans performed extremely well.
Hopefully they clearly underestimated the cold-bloodedness of the Black Mamba, and this level of booing was nothing more than encouragement to him.
"Shua~"
The extra free throw was made and the Lakers took the lead by one point.
The boss's performance caused a burst of cheers from the Lakers bench.
Looking back, Wang Zelin caught the ball in the high post, made a fake shot and passed the ball to assist. Aldridge stood under the basket and dunked successfully, which was considered a return.
In the recent two games against the Spurs and the Jazz, Aldridge's condition has improved, so the players decided to give him more ball play and try to adjust his condition before the playoffs.
The Lakers played very hard. Before the game, Kobe warned everyone with a serious face: We must win the game tonight, we can't lose anymore, and whoever dares to hold us back will feel better.
After half a quarter, Kobe took turns educating Matthews and Batum on the offensive end. He made 3 of 4 shots and 3 of 3 free throws in the half, scoring 9 points and 1 assist...
But it’s not like that!
Wang Zelin and Aldridge took turns bombing the Lakers penalty area. The two scored 11 points and 5 rebounds together, helping the Trail Blazers to stop the Lakers with a 4-point lead at 17:13 and enter the official timeout time.
During the timeout, D'Antoni continued to arrange rotations and offensive tactics, while Kobe sat aside with a dark face, minding his own business.
How can he still lag behind despite being like this? How else can he win?
Everyone can see that the fundamental reason why the Lakers are lagging behind is that there are too many loopholes in perimeter defense, especially at the No. 1 position.
After half a quarter, Lillard got 3 assists through simple sudden points, not counting indirect assists. Steve Blake couldn't guard Lillard at all.
I hope Kobe doesn't blame his teammates too much, because he knows Steve Blake's level is there, as long as they try their best.
What he hates most now is time!
Time took away his youth, causing his inevitable peak period to gradually decline. He hated feeling weak.
For the Trail Blazers, coach Terry Stotts saw the players playing so well and didn’t make too many arrangements. He learned from Rivers and drank chicken soup for his soul, because he knew that what the players needed at this time was encouragement, and Not with a straight face.
Through the half quarter just now, we can especially see the way the Lakers, or Kobe Bryant, played tonight.
Unlike some previous games where they organized their teammates first, they did the opposite and attacked fiercely from the start.
In addition to being anxious about the regular season results, it is more because both Kobe and D'Antoni know that the Blazers have too many points that are difficult to prevent, and blindly wasting time is just chronic suicide.
Instead of waiting for death, it's better to take a gamble on Kobe's touch.
From the current point of view, D'Antoni made the right bet. Kobe's touch is indeed great, but he ignored one of the most critical points, that is, No. 24 is no longer young, and he cannot be as good at both ends of the offense and defense as he was when he was young. Ruled for a long time.
While seizing the offense, the defensive efficiency will definitely decline.
…
After the timeout, the Lakers attack.
The two teams are still starting lineups, with Batum guarding Kobe Bryant, Aldridge guarding Pau Gasol, and Wang Zelin and Howard engaging in hand-to-hand combat under the basket.
Steve Blake just dribbled the ball across the center line, and Kobe came up from a 45-degree angle from the right to respond, as if to say: "Give me the ball, and I'll take you home."
Steve Black was used to this. After handing the ball over, he ran to the baseline and squatted, silently shouting "Boss 666!"
Different from the last time he opened the singles, Kobe made gestures this time and asked Pau Gasol to pull out the three-point line for a pick-and-roll.
The two deserve to be old partners who have won two consecutive championships together for many years. Pau Gasol used a high-quality pick-and-roll, which happened to catch Kobe's cool spot, and he suddenly reached the free throw line and succeeded in a mid-range shot.
"Oh, if only Dwight was willing to be a pick-and-roll, it would be useless to lose that body..."
While returning to defense, Kobe looked at Howard with confusion in his eyes. It was clear that the latter could do pick-and-rolls, and was even one of the best big men in the league at doing pick-and-rolls... but he chose to sacrifice the advantages and disadvantages, and kept clamoring for the ball. The team increases its own low-post singles tactical arrangements.
Don't you have any ideas in mind?
Do you think you are No. 36 across the street? Do you have someone who can do that?
He is extremely detailed, but he always likes to say, "My penis is big, you have to bear with it!"
Howard was stared at with fury, and the idea of low-post singles that had just arisen in his mind suddenly weakened a lot.
It’s better to defend well first, make Kobe happy, and talk about singles later.
At 17:15, there were two points left to equalize.
The Blazers' offense continued their ferocious play inside. After the first quarter, the point difference had been widened to more than 10 points.
Wang Zelin also continued his characteristic of "definitely breaking out when he beats the Lakers". He scored 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block in 11 and a half minutes. He was just one steal away from filling up all five data columns.
In addition, Aldridge also played well, with 8 points and 2 rebounds. The two scored 18 points in the paint, accounting for half of the team's first quarter score. They directly turned against the visitors and completely dominated the Lakers' penalty area.
Under the leadership of the inside duo, the Trail Blazers scored in the first quarter. 14 of 22 shots, 2 of 4 three-pointers, 4 of 6 free throws, scoring 34 points with extremely high efficiency! It is about 10 points higher than the average single quarter score in previous games.
The Trail Blazers led the Lakers by 11 points 34:23.
A true warrior dares to face the bleak life and the dripping blood...
Ahem, I'm talking about the current Lakers.
One thing to say, the Lakers actually didn't play badly, making 10 of 21 shots, 3 of 5 free throws, and scored 23 points... The only thing worth complaining about is that the three-pointers are a bit eye-catching, with 0 of 3 shots and a 0 shooting percentage.
But considering that the Lakers' average points per game this season is only around 101 points, they have already played to the level they should...cannot afford to be inferior to their opponents.
After all, the Lakers are now a remnant team, and the overall strength of the team is not as good as it was at the beginning of the season.
Nash is old and has a defensive vulnerability, but he is a two-time regular season MVP winner. His organization and court control alone are not matched by many in the league.
Steve Blake is too far behind Steve Nash after all!
When his opponent has some strength, he really can't attack and can't defend...
In addition, the Lakers' small forward position problem has not been solved since last season. They are able to reach the fringe ranking of the playoffs now, thanks to Kobe Bryant's hard work.
5 of 7 shots, 12 points and 2 rebounds in a single quarter, Kobe was enough to carry, but comparing the lineups on both sides...even if it wasn't at home, it was still a back-to-back...
My heart went cold instantly!
…
At the beginning of the second quarter, Tristo City was not willing to replace the main players who were in excellent condition. They played really well.
"Let me say a number~~~20 points! At halftime, I hope to see the score difference exceed 20 points...
Answer me loudly, do you have the confidence to do it? "
Coach Tristos waved his hand and the starting five continued to play.
"have!"
+5~
For the Lakers, Pau Gasol was replaced by Antawn Jamison at the power forward position. Otherwise, the other four players remained unchanged.
If nothing else, Kobe and Howard should play more than 40 minutes tonight.
People who are 34 or 5 years old still dare to do this. No wonder there will be problems in the playoffs.
Wang Zelin was a little sad about what happened in the future.
"Come on, what are you thinking about?"
Batum stepped forward and patted Wang Zelin's butt. This kid was good at everything, but he had to change his habit of being in a daze from time to time.
"knew!"
…
At the end of the game, the Trail Blazers controlled the rhythm very well and did not let the Lakers get a chance to take the lead.
At 113:106, the Lakers lost the crucial back-to-back by 7 points.
The reason why the point difference was recovered to within 10 points was entirely because the coaches of the two teams spent most of the final quarter arranging their troops and pecking each other on the court. This prevented the Lakers from losing so ugly.
After this battle, the Lakers have fallen behind Mosaic by a full victory margin. They are getting further and further away from the eighth position in the Western Conference. I don't know if they still have a chance.
Everything depends on the result of the match between Mosaic and the Suns tomorrow night. If the latter wins, there is suddenly a slight possibility.
But if the former wins, there will basically be no chance.
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