D'Antoni frowned and touched his mustache unconsciously, thinking about whether to call another timeout to adjust.
On the court, Beverley saw the right opportunity, once again intercepted Gasol's baseline ball with one hand, and scored with a throw.
73:63.
D'Antoni quickly called a timeout to adjust. The Lakers generals were a little confused. They were intercepted three times in a row and walked back to the bench in a daze.
"Wow, Beverley's mad-dog defense makes the Lakers extremely uncomfortable. The Rockets' lineup is full of defensive intensity. From the outside to the inside, every point is a defensive champion."
Yu Jia sighed.
"It depends on how D'Antoni adjusts. Beverley's biting defense is very rare in this league today. Even Nash and Blake will find it difficult to adapt to this intensity immediately."
Yang Yi analyzed.
Sure enough, D'Antoni made no personnel adjustments after the timeout. The five people on the court, whether offensive or defensive, are already the strongest lineup that D'Antoni can come up with.
But there have been some adjustments in the style of play, with Iguodala organizing the offense.
Gasol and McGee double-covered to create an open opportunity for Kobe. Kobe ran empty-handed from the left corner to the right at a 45-degree angle. He received a pass from Iguodala and faced Tucker's defense. Take a mid-range shot and hit it steadily.
At 73:65, it was Kobe who stepped forward to help the Lakers stop their decline.
There's no way around it. The Rockets make substitutions every time they get a screen, and they've done their best to keep up with the defense and not miss anyone.
Xu Xin looked at the real-time data on the tablet. With 5 minutes left in the third quarter, Kobe had already scored 25 points. It seemed that he was far from reaching his physical limit.
It depends on whether Harden and Butler can fight back.
Xu Xin thought.
On the court, Butler held the ball in singles, changing directions continuously without getting rid of it. He made a mid-air shot against Iguodala, and the basketball knocked out of the basket. Gasol used his long arms to collect the rebound.
The Lakers attacked, and Iguodala once again found Kobe who came out of the screen. This time Tucker's defense change was a step faster.
After receiving the ball, Kobe saw that the shoe king was very defensive. He feinted a shot and missed Tucker. Then he turned around and stepped up to the free throw line. He leaned forward and shot from mid-range for another two points.
73:67.
Looking back, Butler called on O'Neal Jr. to cover, and passed the ball to Beverley at the top of the arc. The latter caught the ball and shot, but his shot was crooked, which was a little too hasty.
"Beverley's shooting still needs a lot of practice. It is still too unstable at this stage."
Xu Xin frowned.
"Don't worry, I see this kid is working hard and he will definitely be able to practice shooting."
Murphy said without any panic.
The Lakers' offense was still directed by Kobe. After the pick-and-roll, they faced Tucker again. He accelerated with shoulder pressure, passed Tucker and went straight to the basket. Tucker turned around, tried his best to interfere with Kobe's layup, and slapped him. A solid hit on Kobe's right arm.
Although the ball didn't go in, it sent Kobe to the free throw line.
"Do you dare to shoot a free throw with your eyes closed?"
Butler stepped forward and tried to use language to interfere. He knew that Kobe was unwilling to succumb to others and always wanted to surpass Jordan. Free throws with his eyes closed was one of Jordan's classic scenes. In his opinion, Kobe would definitely take it.
Kobe Bryant heard this, smiled slightly, and responded:
"What are you afraid of? 500,000, bet on whether I can make the shot. Do you dare?"
The pressure is back on Butler.
Butler took a breath, "500,000, that's my one year's salary after tax, it's gone."
Butler walked back without looking back.
"How cowardly."
Kobe laughed and cursed, and the two bickered for almost three quarters, but Kobe did not get angry. On the contrary, he admired this young and awesome guy very much.
With the audience booing, Kobe made two free throws.
73:69, the score difference once again returned to two rounds.
In the next few rounds, Butler held the team on his shoulders. As the person with the strongest ball handling ability on the Rockets court, he was still unable to face Iguodala's high-intensity defense.
On the other hand, the Lakers, facing the Rockets' wolf-pack tactics, reduced the number of passes and left them all to Kobe to do it alone.
Kobe focused on scoring without any distractions, and faced Ariza with ease.
With two minutes left in the third quarter, as Kobe Bryant stepped up and down and hit a layup, the Lakers took the lead, 75:77.
McHale gestured to the referee to call for a timeout.
"Butler's ball-handling offense still needs to be improved, and Kobe taught him a good lesson."
Yang Yi said.
"Actually, Butler's progress this season has been huge. This is only his third season. Compared with his peers, he is already among the best."
Yu Jia said.
"Yes, Butler can still remain stable against most defenders in the league."
Yang Yi affirmed, saying this relatively tactfully. There is another sentence that Yang Yi didn't say, which is that when facing an elite defender like Iguodala, Butler's weakness in attack ability is exposed. .
At the same time, Xu Xin, Dameng and others were also discussing this topic.
"This lineup is really good defensively, but not very good offensively."
Murphy was concise and to the point.
"Livingston also has the ability to hold the ball and defend well. He should be considered."
The glider thought for a while and said.
"Livingston's ball-holding ability is not as good as Butler's, and he has no three-point threat to occupy space on the court."
Dameng retorted.
"Then if you let Beverley come up, wouldn't he be unable to make a shot?"
Glider disagreed.
Xu Xin remained silent, listening to what the others said to each other, and everything they said made sense.
In fact, facing most teams, Butler and others' offensive abilities are sufficient, but now it is indeed time to consider the playoffs.
The two old strong teams in the Western Conference, the Spurs and Lakers, have top defenders like Leonard and Iguodala.
Although the Thunder's youth team is not particularly outstanding, Dewey and the "Swiss Army Knife" Sefolosha have good defensive abilities.
Not to mention the Eastern Heat. As long as James and Way want to defend, they are the best first-level defense, as well as "President" Battier, a well-known defensive star who has played for the Rockets for many years.
In the team, except for Harden, Butler, Jeremy Lin, and Livingston cannot guarantee their offensive efficiency when facing these people.
Especially when the talent has been used, Butler's growth rate will plummet in the next few months and return to the normal track.
"The situation will improve after Tracy McGrady returns, but I'm afraid it won't be enough. After all, Harden will collapse in key battles in the playoffs, and he will have to find another double insurance."
Xu Xin muttered to himself.
"What did you say?"
Dameng didn't hear clearly and looked at Xu Xin.
"Ah, I'm thinking of a way."
Xu Xin was vague.
"Our manager Xu is starting to strategize again. I say you guys are just worrying about it."
Murphy said with a smile.
