“The two sides switched from Kobe and Harden’s singles at the beginning to other people also participating in the offense. Both sides’ offensive efficiency was very high.
The Lakers made full use of Gasol's passing support ability, and other players moved around without the ball to find opportunities.
The Rockets' tactics are more concise, dual-core driven, with Harden playing after Butler. The advantage is that it can greatly reduce the possibility of mistakes, and Butler can continue to consume Kobe on the offensive end. "
Yang Yi analyzed.
Jeremy Lin organized the offense, and Butler continued to run out to catch the ball and beat Kobe again.
"That's right, don't pass the ball, just play it yourself."
Kobe clapped his hands and continued to verbally interfere with Butler.
Butler took a deep breath, said nothing, accelerated his breakthrough after continuous tentative steps, did not break away from the defense, and completed the fadeaway shot against a sudden stop.
The trajectory of the ball was very positive, but the force was a little stronger, and it hit the neck of the basket and bounced out. McGee got stuck and collected the rebound.
"That's it, kid, you're still far from good. Go home and practice more."
Kobe said with disdain.
"Compared to blacksmithing, I am indeed far behind you."
Butler fought back without giving in to his old comrade in words.
The two of them were talking to each other, and the fight was very lively.
Seeing that Kobe couldn't take advantage of him, he decided to teach Butler another lesson. He got stuck in the high post and asked for the ball with his hands.
After catching the ball, he turned around and made a scorpion tail swing with ease and hit the ball steadily.
10:10.
"I can score when I want to. It's useless for you to guard me all day."
Kobe smiled brightly at Butler.
"Our manager Xu once taught me something, you are like a grasshopper after autumn, you can't jump around for a few days."
Butler responded, squeezing his neck.
"What's this thing about Qiu Hou?"
Kobe was confused, what was this kid talking about?
Butler continued to ask for the ball, fought with Kobe, turned over and leaned back to hit the ball again.
Looking back, Kobe also missed the pull-up three-pointer after taking a tentative step.
The two sides fought back and forth for several rounds, but the thunder was loud and the rain was light, and the score rose slowly.
Halfway through the first quarter, the two sides entered an official timeout at 16:16.
After the timeout, the Rockets replaced Harden, Garnett and Asik and replaced Tucker, Ariza and O'Neal.
The Lakers replaced Kobe and Nash and replaced Meeks and Blake.
Both sides are in regular rotation, and the game has entered the transition period.
Jeremy Lin controlled the ball. Facing the aging Blake, he relied on his speed advantage to break through to the basket with one-point blasts. Facing the twin towers composed of McGee and Gasol, he did not choose to go up and find an open teammate in the bottom corner. Tucker and Ariza hit three-pointers one after another.
On the defensive end, after Kobe Bryant took a break, the Lakers lost their strongest point. Gasol not only had to take on organizational tasks, but also attacked difficulties.
Tucker gave enough to fight and attack the lower plate, but Gasol's high-flying shot was not affected much, and his continuous hooks helped the Lakers stabilize the situation.
After the first quarter, the two sides battled to a score of 28:28.
"Teacher Yang Yi, after watching the first quarter of the game, what do you think?"
In the live broadcast room, Yu Jia asked questions as usual.
"The impression is that this is definitely the most exciting game after New Year's Day. The core of both sides, Harden, Butler, Kobe, and Gasol all performed well, especially Harden and Kobe. This is a battle between the strongest shooting guards in the world. The duel is a bit like Kobe’s challenge to Jordan.”
Yang Yi said with a smile that as a senior basketball commentator, he was very satisfied to see such a classic game.
"Yes, both sides are in excellent condition, and the game is open and close. It is undoubtedly a visual feast for the audience. So, Mr. Yang Yi, what are your expectations for the second quarter of the game?"
Yu Jia continues to do a good job in advocating.
"I think the Lakers should still control the pace of the game. Compared with the young guys like the Rockets, the Lakers are really older. If they continue to attack and defend so fast, their physical strength will become their biggest problem in the second half."
Yang Yi said.
"And with such a fast pace, turnovers will definitely increase. This season's Rockets are the second-highest turnover-catching team in the league, second only to the Heat. Their forward line's athleticism and scoring efficiency are very scary. .”
Yu Jia added.
The two analyzed a few sentences and the second quarter began.
Kobe and Harden took the field again after resting for half a quarter. The head coaches of both sides had a tacit understanding and the rotation methods were exactly the same.
The lineup on the field became Livingston, Harden, Ariza, Tucker, O'Neal, Blake, Kobe, Meeks, Jamison, and Jordan Hill.
Harden has the ball in his hands. In this lineup, he needs to play the role of commander and lead the team's offense.
The Rockets cleared one side to create a singles opportunity for Livingston. Livingston had to stay in position and receive the ball with his back in the low post. Faced with Blake's top defense, Livingston fully possessed his height and strength.
After Livingston faced off, he made a solid jump shot, opening the scoring for the Rockets in the second quarter.
30:28.
Blake was a little helpless. He had tried his best on this goal, but his disadvantage in static talent made him lose his temper.
"You guard Trevor (Ariza) and leave Shaun (Livingston) to me."
Kobe served a baseline pass and said to Blake.
Blake nodded and pushed forward.
Jamison came up to cover, and after the screen, he bounced out. Blake passed the ball behind his head and accurately found Jamison. As an older generation of space power forwards, he would not miss the opportunity to face a semi-open position.
Jamison opened his hand to shoot, but his shot was crooked. The basketball hit the basket and O'Neal Jr. collected the rebound.
This can't be blamed on Jamison. Tucker provided enough confrontation. He spent all his energy fighting Tucker just now, so his shots were naturally inaccurate.
Harden slowly dribbled the ball across half court and observed Livingston's movement.
I found Livingston quietly staying in the corner, and I was a little confused. When the person who was looking at him was changed to Kobe, I suddenly realized it, and then I looked for Blake's location.
Seeing Blake switch to Ariza, Harden directed his teammates to clear one side again, giving the stage to Ariza.
After receiving the ball, Ariza faced the frame and attacked, feinted a shot, took a big step to break through Blake from the left, and licked the basket with his left hand to add two more points.
"Fingerroll!"
On the bench, Jeremy Lin and Butler imitated Ariza's layup. The teammates laughed, and they had to pick on the weak. Manager Xu was right.
32:28.
The Lakers attacked, and Kobe faced Ariza's defense with the ball.
Butler and Ariza will be tasked with guarding Kobe for most of the game.
Kobe took a tentative step and accelerated to break through and attack the basket. Harden came over to help defend, preparing to swipe the defense. Kobe saw Blake being left open out of the corner of his eye and passed the ball.
