At the beginning of the second quarter, the Lakers got the Warcraft back, protected the penalty area, and sent Jamison, Meeks, Clark and Blake at the same time.
There are traces of this lineup, and it is based on how Magic uses Warcraft, a one-star, four-star play style.
However, since there is no organizational forward like Turkoglu, the style of play is more single than that of the Magic.
For the Rockets, McHale did not choose to leave Jeremy Lin or Harden on the court as usual. Both of them were in average condition today.
Especially Shu Hao, who was blocked by Warcraft three times in the first quarter. He was almost stunned by the hating. Every time he closed his eyes, the image of Warcraft winking and wagging his fingers was the only one.
McHale chose to let Livingston play 1, retaining Butler who performed well at the end of the first quarter. The other three were Motel, Parsons and Delfino.
McHale made a wise choice. In the second quarter, Livingston succeeded in back-up Blake three times in a positional battle, and Butler was able to seize the counterattack opportunity and score a layup.
Looking back at the Lakers, Warcraft's back surgery ultimately had a big impact on his low post. His finishing efficiency at the basket has degraded to the same level as DeAndre Jordan.
The post-up efficiency is low, the Rockets do not help defend, and the other Lakers have no independent offensive capabilities. The Lakers' offense is like a pool of stagnant water.
The more I fight, the less confident I become, and the more I fight, the more uncomfortable I become.
In just 3 minutes after the start of the second quarter, the Rockets blasted a 13:2 wave. The Rockets relied on Butler and Livingston and the bench gangsters to overtake the score.
During this period, Bickerstaff called a timeout to make adjustments, but unfortunately had little effect.
Since the timeout is useless, the only choice is to make substitutions.
During Warcraft's free throw, Bickerstaff made substitution adjustments.
Get back Kobe and Gasol in advance and replace Jamison and Clark.
Kobe walked onto the court, his face was ashen, and he kept murmuring in his heart:
Is this the number one center in the league? You can't hit a back shot, and free throws are equivalent to mistakes. You are just a fool with well-developed limbs and a simple mind. You are far worse than O'Neal.
While he was cursing in his mind, the Warcraft in front of him missed another two free throws. This time, Kobe became even more angry, and his eyes did not hide his dislike for Warcraft at all.
The Rockets attacked, and after Livingston handed over the ball, he once again came to his familiar low post, asking for the ball with his back, preparing to single Blake again.
This time Kobe Bryant stepped back to help defend, and Livingston was in such good shape that letting Livingston play alone would be like giving away points.
Although Livingston is at the No. 1 position, he is as tall as a traditional small forward. Faced with Kobe's attack, Livingston did not panic at all. He passed the ball to find Delfino, who was facing Kobe and was left open at this time.
The Lakers' defense rotated quickly, and Meeks quickly covered up the defense. Delfino was very patient and did not force the shot. He continued to move the ball to Butler who had a better chance.
"The Lakers' defense has changed this time. Kobe still has a high IQ, and he chose the timing of this double attack very well.
The Lakers' defensive rotation was also good, blocking the two shooters Delfino and Parsons. Butler had a chance. This can be given, but Butler's shot was inaccurate. "
Yang Yi was giving simultaneous commentary.
Butler is indeed inaccurate, shooting only 30% from three-point range this season, but that was before today.
After Xu Xin used "Realize Talent" on Butler, everything changed. In this morning's three-point contest, Butler made 26 of 30 shots and won the runner-up.
After Butler caught the ball, he looked at the floor, took a deep breath, raised his head, jumped up, and took the shot. The whole set of actions was done in one go. It lost the sluggishness of the previous shot and was quite smooth.
"Uh-huh!"
The basketball went straight into the net and made a crisp sound.
Three point hit!
"Butler took the shot and protected the rebound, ah, it went in."
Yang Yi didn't expect Butler to score this goal, but as an excellent commentator, his ability to respond to changes and make up for it has already reached its peak.
"There was nothing wrong with the Lakers' defensive choice. They let the opponent's least accurate shot go, but they just made it."
Kobe ran forward and looked up at the score screen, 42:34.
He only rested for 5 minutes. Why did the Lakers fall behind by 8 points? Huo Moode, you are such a jerk!
Kobe gritted his teeth and wished he could kick World of Warcraft's ass right now.
Butler, who was guarding him, had a look of astonishment on his face. I haven't even gotten up yet. Why are you so angry?
Blake handed the ball to Kobe. After receiving the ball, Kobe put the ball behind him and threatened with a probing step.
Butler lowered his focus and remained unmoved by Kobe's triple threat.
He doesn't need to retreat. With his explosive power and lateral speed, he is confident that he will not be passed by Kobe in one step.
Seeing this, Kobe slowly stepped up to the right, and at the same time, his upper body quickly feinted to the left. Butler subconsciously moved sideways to Kobe's left side.
Kobe seized the opportunity and quickly passed Butler with a cross-step. Facing Motel who was protecting the frame under the basket, Kobe made a fake layup on the side near the basket. Motel raised his arms and jumped vertically to prepare to block.
Kobe glided in the air for a distance, pulled the stick backhand for a layup, and the basketball spun into the net.
42:36.
"The Lakers still rely on Kobe. When Kobe went to rest, Warcraft and his substitutes were beaten by the Rockets' substitutes. The coach called a timeout, but it didn't work. There was no other way. Just replace Kobe and the boss came up and it was effective."
Yang Yi explained.
The Rockets once again handed the ball to Livingston and played in the low post. This time Kobe marked him personally and Blake went to Delfino.
"Good guys, two guards with the best low-post skills in the league are going head-to-head. Let's see how Livingston handles it."
After Livingston got the ball, he sensed that Kobe was very close to him, and then dribbled the ball, trying to gain space to shoot through confrontation.
Kobe was very familiar with this. He withstood the first blow hard, and quickly retreated from the second blow. Livingston suddenly exerted force this time, but only hit the air. He lost his balance and staggered.
"Beep!"
The referee's whistle sounded and there was a walking violation.
Livingston looked back at Kobe, who had a bad smile on his face:
"Hit me from behind? You're still young!"
"Kobe defended this ball very well. He is very experienced. As soon as he pulled his chair, Livingston immediately lost his way."
Yang Yi said it very humorously.
The Lakers attacked, and Warcraft reached for the ball in the low post. Kobe ignored Warcraft and made a three-pointer.
"Bang!"
After missing a three-pointer, Warcraft looked frustrated and did not fight for rebounds.
Fortunately, Gasol relaxed his arm and scored the ball, making it a second offense.
42:38.
The Rockets attacked, and Livingston received the ball with his back. This time he did not choose to continue to challenge Kobe. Instead, he attracted the defense by himself and passed it to Butler who came in through an air cut.
Warcraft was closest to the basket. Facing Butler who came in from the air, he should have stepped forward to cover, but instead he stood there and watched Butler dunk with both hands.
Bickerstaff saw the strange behavior of Warcraft and quickly made a pause gesture to the referee.
