Back from the intermission, the third quarter begins.
As if to confirm the commentators' analysis, the Trail Blazers beat the Clippers 8-4 in the first four minutes of the third quarter, leading 39-38 and stopping the Clippers.
But the 'Team Party' carnival was stopped by the Clippers before it even started.
Gentry didn't make any adjustments to the defense during this timeout. Instead, he emphasized the star's personal offense.
The Blazers' offensive climax, which relied on long-range shots from role players, was interrupted by the Clippers calling a timeout.
It would be difficult for the Trail Blazers to repeat such an offensive climax.
As for the Clippers, although the offense has been hindered since the beginning of the second half, Gentry did not stop making adjustments. If the performance was not good, he would change the offensive core combination, Bibby + Odom, Bibby + Jordan, Jordan + Odo Mu...
After changing several combinations, at the end of the third quarter, Bibby hit a three-pointer after using Matt Halprin's pick-and-roll, blowing the clarion call for the Clippers' offense!
Bibby's pick-and-roll shooting, Jordan's high post-up shooting, coupled with Li Ao's support, Matt Halprin's pick-and-roll cut to attack the frame, O'Neal's close-range containment... The Clippers' last three minutes of the third quarter were over. A wave of 9 to 2!
As Matt Halprin reversed and cut in, he received a pass from Li Ao and hit Olowokandi for a layup. After three quarters, the Clippers fell behind the Trail Blazers by 3 points from 46-49 to overtake 55-52. The Trail Blazers entered the intermission break with 3 points!
The climax finally came, and Gentry's hanging heart was relieved.
He strengthened his belief - the team is indeed very good and high-level, but he chose to be a superstar!
…
Come back from the break.
For the Trail Blazers, Maurice Cheeks sent out a combination of Derrick Anderson, Ruben Patterson, Pippen, Rasheed Wallace, and Olowokandi.
Maurice Cheeks continues to play defense, but it has not changed, and the little flying squirrel is no longer needed. There will definitely be problems with the little flying squirrel on defense.
In order to ensure defense, he didn't even let Tianzun switch to offensive mode.
Maurice Cheeks also thinks Rasheed Wallace is amazing.
Without Olowokandi, who is a top-notch rim protector and top rebounder, he would not have too many demands on interior defense, and he would not have discovered that when Tianzun was fully defending, he could defend better than Olowokandi. better.
But unfortunately, Tianzun's physical strength is not very good. He plays 35-6 minutes in a game and focuses on offense. Only about 30 minutes can guarantee the offensive efficiency. At other times, he stands on the flank for two points to contain him.
Focusing on defense, the continuity is slightly higher, but not much better.
The most amazing thing is that if Tianzun is asked to guarantee offense and defense at the same time, he can't do it! It's like there is a switch in his head, telling him that if he plays offense now, his offense is top-notch, telling him to play defense, his defense is top-notch, telling him to balance offense and defense... He will choose to play offense or play according to the situation on the court. defense.
Tonight, the Trail Blazers were able to play a defense that made Stern curse "crazy". They relied on the twin towers of Tianzun and Olowokandi. The two took turns to play, maintaining the continuity of protecting the frame. They played together and defended. The Clippers only scored 4 points in more than 4 minutes...
This is why Maurice Cheeks abandoned the Flying Squirrels in the last quarter. He knew very well that they could not beat the Clippers on offense. They could only rely on defense and could only look forward to Derrick Anderson, Pippen, Ruben... Patterson can score from the outside and looks forward to Olowokandi's tip-in.
On the other side, Gentry sent a combination of Bibby, Li Ao, Jordan, Matt Halprin, and O'Neal Jr.
This lineup played well just now, so Gentry continued to use it.
The fourth quarter started with the Clippers attacking first.
Pippen followed Jordan, Ruben Patterson followed Bibi, and Bibi made a gesture of regret for losing the South Korean market.
Jordan moved to the left side of the three-second zone, Matt Halprin went to the left baseline, and O'Neal Jr. went to the right baseline.
Li Ao came to the right side of the free throw line and leaned against Derek Anderson, receiving a pass from Bibby.
Li Ao took a deep breath.
He played the first three quarters and made 7 of 20 shots, including 1 of 3 three-pointers, plus 5 of 6 free throws, scoring 20 points.
The shooting percentage at the beginning was actually quite good. At the end of the first half, they still maintained a 50% shooting percentage. By the third quarter, they were really down.
The reason for the lower hit rate is naturally due to physical strength.
He worked hard to 'paddle', leaving more things to his teammates to do, and only doing what was necessary. But in such a high-intensity game, playing the first three quarters, even if he had top-level physical strength, was still too much.
But he can't show his fatigue!
Now this goal is very important!
The opponent was obviously betting that he couldn't make a shot, so they used Derek Anderson, a 196 cm + 89 kg 'bamboo pole point guard' to defend him.
There was a lot of pressure, but Li Ao was very calm and didn't panic!
When Bibby moved to the right corner and Matt Halprin and Jordan began to screen without the ball, Li Ao took a deep breath and bumped into Derek Anderson!
He controlled his strength very well. He didn't use too much force, just enough. His priority was to ensure the continuity of the strength in the movements.
After knocking the thin Derek Anderson back, Li Ao collected the ball, turned around, took off, faced the opponent who rushed back, and shot a jump shot from the free throw line...
The picturesque shooting movement was completed completely and smoothly. As soon as the ball left his hand, a smile appeared on Li Ao's lips.
The ball drew a beautiful arc and fell into the frame. Gentry on the sidelines pumped his fist and shouted "YES".
57 to 52, the Clippers' lead expanded to 5 points!
When the Trail Blazers attacked, Pippen, who was left open at the top arc, tried to take a three-pointer...but missed!
Looking back, Li Ao once again got the opportunity to hit Derek Anderson from the high post.
Being able to use Derek Anderson to guard Li Ao is the key to the smooth execution of the Trail Blazers' defensive plan in the final quarter.
Although Li Ao had just relied on static strength, height, wingspan, and feel to easily complete the back hit, Maurice Cheeks had given up hope, but he still had to give it a try.
There are only three things you can do, but you have to try twice.
On Li Ao's side, he was already determined in the last round. He beat Derek Anderson with a handle in his hand. This time he played more relaxedly, with more elegant back-up movements. He relied on one step to turn over and shoot a jump shot... hit!
59 to 52, the Clippers' lead expanded to 7 points!
Teammates are happy!
It's not because the point difference has widened by another two points, but because their Spider-Man is starting to get excited!
Facing Derek Anderson, their Spider-Man obviously only needs to turn around to get a chance to shoot. This was proven in the last round, but this time he chose to turn over... just like the basketball god's backwards, no Necessary, but cool!
Spider-Man hit these two goals and sounded the victory horn for the Clippers!
(End of chapter)
