In the last few minutes of the second quarter, the Lakers took up the offensive banner on the 24th. When surrounded by multiple players, he chose to use his body to fight fouls and try his best to kill.
Finally, at the end of half-time, the score between the two sides became 54:55. The Los Angeles Lakers still maintained a slight one-point advantage with Kobe desperately attacking the basket.
But when Kobe came off the court, the Lakers players didn't have much joy, but still looked heavy.
Because they know that Kobe's style of play will not last long, and the Lakers' situation is still very dangerous.
How difficult it is to win a victory at the Rose Garden Arena and end the losing streak!
…
Wang Zelin and others returned to the locker room, feeling ashamed when they thought that the team was still lagging behind.
Their goal this year was to rank first in the regular season and win the NBA championship, but they were actually suppressed for a full half-time by an aging Lakers team.
shame!
What a shame!
Kobe scored 11 points in the first quarter. The Trail Blazers' defensive work was pretty good at the beginning of the second quarter, but then, Kobe seemed to have found a way to crack it. Even in the face of double-teams, he was still able to use his own way to defeat the enemy. The Blazers got the score on their head.
It's been said that the Los Angeles Blacksmith is old, but just based on his performance just now, this guy still has the offensive firepower of the league's scoring champion.
the reason is simple.
Because Kobe no longer has to attack and defend both ends like he did a few years ago. First of all, his physical strength does not allow it.
Therefore, he only needs to selectively reduce his concentration on the defensive end. When he focuses solely on offense, the bloodthirsty Mamba is destined to be unstoppable.
On the surface, the Trail Blazers' wheel battle did not achieve the expected results, but was actually a bit worse.
Take Matthews, for example, who has already been fouled 4 times in just halftime. Batum is not much better, having already been fouled 3 times.
The Trail Blazers' two perimeter defenders were completely defeated by Lakers No. 24 today.
However, Terry Stotts has always believed that time is a sharp blade that leaves no trace. As long as a human being is alive, it is impossible to resist the natural laws of birth, aging, illness and death.
In such a battle, Kobe actually had few truly effective methods on the offensive end today. Most of his outside shots were overhead shots, which were of average efficiency. Of the 17 points he scored in the second quarter, 11 of them came from free throws. of……
He really didn't believe that Kobe's style of play could last until the end of the game, and he could defeat all the Trail Blazers players, even if he had the ability.
Even Shaquille O'Neal, who was famous for his inside lethality back then, didn't have the ability to defeat all the players in the same position on a team.
Terry Stotts roared loudly in the locker room, not blaming the players, but pouring chicken soup for the soul, giving the players sufficient confidence, and at the same time making everyone as excited as possible.
But even so, even if the entire locker room was filled with Trist's voice, Matthews couldn't hear it.
Now his mind is filled with images of Kobe scoring in front of him.
Matthews only got 4 points and 1 rebound today. He was far better than usual, but he got 4 fouls. If he continues like this, he will probably have to leave the game before the third quarter is finished.
It's one thing to know that the opponent is strong, but it's another thing to be beaten.
Obviously, Matthews is now on the verge of collapse. I saw him covering his head, trying hard to get the images out of his mind.
Wang Zelin noticed something strange about Matthews, so before playing, he patted his teammate on the shoulder.
"Remember what there is a saying? Even though the ax is small, it can cut off the hardest oak tree after many chops..."
"Man, don't be intimidated by Kobe's offensive firepower. In fact, whether it's you or Nicholas, it's not that easy for him to score. Continue to defend every time. Don't worry, we will win this game. !”
Wang Zelin smiled at Matthews and then stepped onto the field.
Wang Zelin spent the whole night surrounded by his opponents. On the offensive end, he must face the defense of Pau Gasol and another Laker inside, and at the same time, he must also take into account various assist defenses. But even so, he still responded to all opponents with his performance.
16 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks in the half. Yes, Wang Zelin achieved a double-double in just half time.
Matthews took a deep breath and patted his chest. Even the second-year rookie didn't give up. What reason did he have to think about it?
Just think more than do more!
That's it!
…
"After the game, we saw that the Trail Blazers' lineup remained unchanged. To be honest, their second position, Will Matthews, has committed too many fouls and is not suitable for playing." Yu Jia said.
"Actually, whether it's the Trail Blazers' foul problem on the outside or Kobe's physical reserves, everyone has reached a point. At the critical moment of this protracted battle, whoever can survive this hurdle will usher in the dawn of victory."
This time, Zhang Lili was not biased and said expressionlessly.
The two sides changed sides and fought again.
Lakers offense.
From outside the three-point line on the left wing, Nick Young shot a three-pointer over Batum.
When he took the shot, nine other players rushed to the basket at the same time...
"Uh-huh!"
A three-pointer was hit by a cold arrow.
"Yes!"
There was quite a stir and some supportive voices.
That's right, after all, they are the Los Angeles Lakers, and they are the Black Mamba, after all, Kobe Bryant. There are also a large number of fans coming to cheer them on in this away game.
"Shet!"
Batum stopped sprinting back and cursed on the spot.
Why did you hit the magic ball again?
What kind of god is this guy No. 0?
Doesn't this kind of offensive method generally only appear on Lakers No. 24?
A three-part series of questioning suddenly appeared in Batum's mind. He really wanted to grab Lakers coach D'Antoni's neck and ask him how he arranged his tactics.
In fact, when Nick Young took the shot, both D'Antoni off the court and Lakers No. 24 on the court were both cursing in their hearts at the same moment. But as Nick Young hit a three-pointer, the water splashed up, and the two of them burst into laughter.
Don't worry about what Nick Young's brain circuit is like, just scoring a goal based on his ability is a good goal!
When Nick Young returned to defense, he celebrated by opening his arms and embracing the entire audience.
This move made tens of thousands of home fans itch with hatred, and a tsunami of boos instantly swept through the entire arena.
At first, Kobe was a little worried about whether Nick Young could withstand the pressure, but it turned out that the latter still looked embarrassed...
Come on, don't worry about it, this guy's mind is not that big.
Trail Blazers offense.
Lillard rushed to the frontcourt, looked around at the top arc, and found that Wang Zelin had penetrated into the basket from the bottom corner, and immediately threw the ball into the sky.
"boom!"
Successful alley-oop dunk.
"Bounce ~ Blind Karaka!"
"Wang~ze~lin!!!"
The home DJ roared heartbreakingly.
Wang Zelin ran to the backcourt unhurriedly, not forgetting to make a listening gesture along the way, as if to say: Where is your voice? I can not hear!
The next moment~
"king!!!"
The cheers at home once again shocked the hearts of every Lakers player.
In this situation, Wang Zelin really wanted to imitate a contemporary King of Thirteen, jump on the technical stage, and shout to the audience, "This is my horse!"
No, now is not the time. The best time to pretend to be 13 is when the Lakers are completely unable to counterattack.
There are many classic cases in the NBA, and there are even more tragic cases. He doesn't want to become a negative example who pretends to be 13 but gets fucked instead.
Offense and defense transition, the Lakers attack.
Kobe Bryant arrived in the frontcourt under constant harassment from Matthews.
Seeing Wang Zelin moving near the free throw line and not entering the low post, his brows became more and more furrowed. This was because he was determined not to let him break through.
At this time, Pau Gasol was looking at him in the low post on the left wing, with Aldridge next to him.
"Whoosh!"
After two steps closer, his ball couldn't be passed.
At the same time, as if by telepathy, Pau Gasol was cuffed and Aldridge completed his turn and drove to the basket.
At the moment when the ball was passed, Wang Zelin, who appeared again, noticed his opponent's intention, turned around directly, and pounced in the direction of the ball.
As soon as he turned around, the ball flew over his head.
After another step, he jumped.
Pau Gasol dove into the paint and jumped when he saw the ball coming.
But at this moment, he caught sight of the arrival of Pioneer 36 out of the corner of his eye, which made his heart tremble.
But now the arrow was on the string and he had to shoot it. He grabbed the pass flying from the side with both hands, gritted his teeth and pressed down.
"Snapped!"
Wang Zelin pressed his left palm firmly on the basketball, pulled it down, and used the huge inertia of his sprint to knock Pau Gasso to the floor with the ball.
"Bang!"
With a muffled sound, Pau Gasol fell heavily to the floor, but the basketball was firmly in Wang Zelin's hand.
"Yes!"
Amidst the fierce cheers, countless palms in the rose garden began to wave.
"Time to fight back!"
Wang Zelin bent down and turned his head. With a roar, he threw the ball toward the Lakers half with one hand. Lillard finally received the pass and scored another dunk.
"Oh ho ho ho!"
The scene was boiling again.
"Ahem..."
Lying on the floor, Pau Gasol saw a fierce face above and a pair of eyes as calm as water while coughing violently.
It's as if the shocking grab just now was nothing in the eyes of the latter?
The new generation is better than the old generation!
There are talented people from all over the country!
Pau Gasol thought about how his rookie season was unparalleled. He had the last laugh in the competition with the talented rookies of the same class, and won the only opportunity in a player's career to win the Rookie of the Year award.
Nowadays, he seems to have been reduced to the exclusive background of countless talented newcomers, which can't help but feel a bit sad.
Wang Zelin stood in front of Pau Gasol, glanced down, and turned around without leaving any trash talk.
The Lakers attacked, and Nick Young, who was somewhat advanced, once again faced Batum's close defense and made a strong shot, and hit the three-pointer.
Wang Zelin grabbed the rebound. At this time, there was no one guarding the Lakers penalty area. He threw it directly. Lillard did not take a second shot and performed a one-handed dunk again. When Kobe turned around to defend, it was too late.
58:58!
The Blazers finally tied the score.
"It seems that the Lakers failed to overcome this hurdle after all. After two rounds of offensive attacks, the Blazers succeeded in counterattacking twice. If the Lakers still have nothing to gain in the next round, I think the balance of victory will definitely begin. tilt."
Yu Jia smiled.
At this time, everyone knew that the next person in charge of the Lakers' offense must be No. 24 - Kobe Bryant!
It can only be him!
Coming to the frontcourt, Kobe did not take possession of the ball immediately. Instead, he waited until halfway through the attack time before taking the ball from Steve Blake in the low post on the right.
At this time, other teammates have already pulled away, and there are still 11 seconds left in the attack time.
Without any hesitation, Kobe made a decisive move after catching the ball.
Because he knows very well that as long as he waits for another 1 to 2 seconds, the Trail Blazers will definitely send another player to double-team him. Instead of facing a 1VS2 situation, it would be better to face the current 1VS1.
But to his great surprise, Matthews actually reacted and interfered very timely. Kobe used force twice in the air and leaned back slightly, barely escaping the block.
Seeing that the shot was in vain, Matthews felt frustrated at first. Even though his defense was so good, he still couldn't guard Kobe.
But the next moment ~ Duang!
The sound of hammering, which was extremely annoying in the past, is now like the sound of nature, making Matthews turn from sadness to joy in an instant.
Am I on guard?
This ball was still blocked by me!
Kobe was unwilling to give in. In his opinion, it was a huge waste to miss a rare open opportunity!
Well, only in the eyes of the Black Mamba, 1-on-1 single defense is regarded as an open position.
But no matter what, the goal was not scored after all. The rebound was protected by Wang Zelin and handed over to Lillard.
frontcourt.
Aldridge caught the ball in the low post and faced Jordan Hill's defense. He turned over with his trademark straight-arm shot and the basketball hit the basket.
At 60:58, the Trail Blazers took the lead by 2 points.
Everything is as Yu Jia said, excessive physical energy consumption in the first half to cause damage and fouls is not without cost. When Kobe cannot guarantee the offensive failure, that is when the Lakers' decline is fully revealed.
On the next shot, Kobe forced Matthews to the basket. As soon as he took the shot, Wang Zelin pinned it on the backboard.
"The King's fourth block tonight! He blocked Kobe's offense and the Lakers' hope of counterattack... The King passed the ball! Super long-distance connection... It was Lillard again, he completed the finish at the basket !”
Suddenly, the score difference has reached 4 points.
The Trail Blazers are gaining momentum, while the Lakers, on the other hand, are showing signs of being overwhelmed.
This is also true.
At the end of three quarters, the Trail Blazers scored 34 points in a single quarter and limited the Lakers' scoring to 11 points, 88:66...
The Trail Blazers were too far ahead, and all the Lakers players on the field lost any energy.
In the fourth quarter, the main force went all-in, and both sides tacitly agreed that all substitutes would come on.
Everyone on the Lakers bench felt as if a huge boulder had been pressed down on them. Their bodies were tired, and their hearts were even more tired. How could anyone look around and feel confused.
The same is true for Lakers coach D'Antoni, perhaps even more so.
He came to Angel City in high spirits last season, thinking about how to lead the F4 team to win the first NBA championship in his professional coaching career. He had even thought about how to win another championship after winning the first championship. 2nd, 3rd...
He wants to become a true NBA coach in Los Angeles, this world-famous city of Angels.
Now it seems that he is overthinking.
D'Antoni took one last look at the Blazers players who were still celebrating in the center of the court, and then withdrew his gaze:
The water in Angel City is too deep and I can’t control it! It’s better to run away next season.
