basketball scientist

They completed a double play against the Spurs on the road, which was a miracle for the Lakers.

There is an obvious gap in strength between the two teams. Even the experts from Warner Media, the Lakers' broadcaster, gave the most ideal prediction that the Lakers can survive 6 games. The Lakers almost defy the "pessimism" of fans around the world.

, defeated the Spurs two games in a row!

However, when he walked out of the locker room and headed to the lecture hall for the press conference, Ke Yan was not as excited as he had imagined, and his face was unexpectedly serious.

The Spurs lost all two games, but through the exploration of these two games, Popovich has forced out all the Lakers' trump cards, and found a strategy to break the "three highs" layout in the second half of G2

.

This is equivalent to a Tang Sect master who specializes in the use of poisons and hidden weapons facing off against a monk with authentic Shaolin Bodhidharma internal skills. Although the heavy rain, the Pear Blossom Needle and the Seven-Star Begonia caused some damage to the opponent, the hidden weapons are now exhausted and the poison has been cracked.

Next, we have to compare our internal strength with the other party. Isn’t that dangerous?

Although there is a hint of ominous premonition in his mind, Ke Yan definitely doesn't give up. After all, they are in the lead now. The players have put in so much effort, so I can't praise them properly and let them be arrogant and arrogant.

For a moment?

The results of the victory were enjoyed by the players and fans, while Ke Yan continued to stir up troubles where no one noticed.

Back in Los Angeles, Ke Yan re-entered the process of watching the video. The focus was on the second half of G2. Duncan used mid-range shots or face-up singles to "punish" the Lakers after the pick-and-roll.

Compared with the huge lethality at the basket, being able to force Duncan to take shots from mid-range has shown the success of the Lakers' defensive strategy. But this is an effect achieved at the expense of the team's balanced strategy. In fact, Popovich also

After 7 quarters of the game, they barely found a way to crack it, and in the second half of the fourth quarter, they forced "Duncan Horry" to intimidate the Lakers from using "three highs."

There are no tactics that can't be cracked, only lineups that can't be beaten! Everyone knows that the "Five-Star Warriors" are afraid of the top insiders in singles. Even Monroe can play Dream Green, crying for his father and mother, but looking back at the defensive end,

Any offensive point between Monroe and the Warriors is equivalent to giving up points.

The same is true for the Spurs team in front of them, which is a bit too strong for the Lakers.

...

May 19, Los Angeles, Staples Center.

Playing at home, Ke Yan felt a heavy feeling, and his mood was as depressed as the last time he played against the Spurs at home.

Oh, no, it's even more depressing than that time in the regular season.

When Popovich simply moved Brent Barry and Robert Horry into the starting lineup to crack the Lakers' three highs inside, he also put Ginobili on the bench as a back-up player to suppress the Lakers bench.

At the time, Ke Yan understood that he had "invisibly" catalyzed another "change" in Popovich's mind.

Until 2022, when Ke Yan traveled through time, Popovich was still serving as the head coach of the Spurs. Being able to fight in the coaching position for so long, one of the things that Popovich is praised for is his ability to learn. He can follow the trends of the times.

Development and rule changes constantly innovate one's own tactical ideas and make corresponding changes. This is something that many other veterans cannot do.

In the first two games of this series, the team was constrained by the Lakers' three-high formation and lost two home games in a row. But through these two games, Popovich found a way to deal with it.

Time moved Horry into the starting lineup to directly "maximize" this advantage.

Ginobili, who has a very high basketball IQ, came on the scene in the fourth minute of the game as a back-up player. His playing time was the same as that of the main players, but he had more time to express himself. More importantly, he came on the bench and the Spurs

The team’s bench is alive and well!

And after Popovich completely cracked Key Yan's formation, the Lakers' shortcomings were exposed one by one!

The most fatal point is what Ke Yan said, the Lakers lack an inside scoring point and lack of changes on the offensive end!

Whether it's a pick-and-roll, a mismatched single after the ball is handed off, or Kobe's triangle offense in the low post, or even Odom pulling the ball from the top of the arc, there is only one core of the Lakers' offense, and that is Kobe!

Only when he holds the ball or supports, contributes the vast majority of the output, and also restrains the opponent's most defensive power, can the Lakers score stably.

In this game, Popovich reduced the pressure on Kobe. Only when Kobe breaks into the penalty area, the Spurs will have inside players to attack. They put more energy on the offensive end and maintain offensive pressure for as long as possible.

, as well as blocking other scoring points on the defensive end.

This defensive strategy allowed Kobe to shoot 16 of 33 from the field, 4 of 7 three-pointers, and 9 of 11 free throws, scoring 45 points.

However, only two players on the Lakers team scored in double figures. Finley scored 7 points in garbage time in the fourth quarter and scored 12 points in the game.

Six members of the Spurs scored in double figures, and three scored more than 15. They relied on the strength of the team to defeat the Lakers!

106:124, the Lakers lost at home, the big score came to 2:1.

...

On May 21, one day later, the G4 game between the Lakers and Spurs started.

For Lakers fans who came to the Staples Center to watch the game, this game was definitely not a good one.

Although the Lakers never trailed the Spurs by more than 10 points throughout the game, the Lakers never took a 1-minute lead from the first minute of the game. Until the end of the game, they were suppressed by the Spurs.

until the end of the game.

There was only one day between the two home games, and the players of both teams began to feel tired and in good condition.

Under such unfavorable circumstances, the Spurs, who have experienced many battles, showed stronger ability to withstand pressure and steadily controlled the situation. Ke Yan tried to change his tactics many times during the game, but still to no avail.

Kobe, who scored a total of 134 points in the first three games, was finally defeated by the Spurs in this game. He made 11 of 27 shots in the game and scored 29 points. The data was not bad, but in this matchup with the Spurs

, this output cannot drive the whole team.

At the moment the game ended, Ke Yan looked at the court with a hint of unwillingness. The 2:0 lead was instantly erased. Even if he had been mentally prepared before, it was difficult to accept it when it actually came.

If this round of duel starts on the same starting line, Ke Yan may not lose to Popovich, but the strength gap between the two teams is really too big! To paraphrase World of Warcraft players, Ke Yan is basically playing three minerals against seven minerals.

After the game, after five consecutive away wins in the playoffs and one win and three losses at home, Ke Yan was dubbed the "away dragon" by the media, which in turn teased him as the "home bug."

"If Kimi continues to maintain a 100% winning rate in away games in the playoffs, will it set a new NBA record?"

"Wake up! Until the finals, our Lake has the 'away advantage'. If Kimi really leads the team to win away games in the playoffs, our Lake will directly win the championship!"

"In NBA history, the promotion rate for winning the Battle of Tianwangshan is as high as 82%! The Spurs have the home court advantage, and our Lakers have the away advantage!"

"If Ke Yan continues to win away games, it only shows that the end of science is metaphysics~"

Although the media has led a wave of questioning of Ke Yan, fortunately the fans still support Ke Yan. Fans who are knowledgeable know the real strength gap between the two teams. Even if the Lakers lost four games in a row and were eliminated at 2:4,

It has exceeded many people’s expectations! Although most fans have expectations, they are definitely not blind.

Some fans even spoke out for Ke Yan online, hoping that the team would finalize the contract with Ke Yan as soon as possible and give this talented young coach enough respect!

On May 22, the day after G4 ended, the Spurs returned to San Antonio, and the Lakers also flew over that day.

They only have one and a half days of rest before the fifth matchup on the night of May 23. In the eyes of many, this will also be the most critical matchup in this series.

Although the Spurs have the upper hand, the team has generally controlled the situation in the past two games. Compared with the first two games, they won relatively easily. But Ke Yan is an amazing coach. In the first half of the season, he coached the team.

He has saved the team countless times in terms of "tactical arrangements" and "on-the-spot adjustments". Fans and the media still have expectations for him.

.....

The crowded AT&T Center Arena did not welcome the Lakers at all. In the post-Jordan era, only two teams broke out of the Western Conference, the Lakers 4 times and the Spurs 2 times. The two teams won 5 of the 6 championships.

, only last season's championship trophy was taken away by the Pistons. Two equally successful teams, no matter what their relationship was in the past, will definitely dislike each other after falling into a direct competitive relationship.

What's more, Ke Yan led the Lakers to victory twice at the AT&T Center Arena. The sense of oppression he brought to Spurs fans was terrifying!

When the Lakers players came on the court, there were loud boos and curses. Sitting on the coaching bench, Ke Yan felt as if he was suddenly under a waterfall, with boos and noises pouring into his ears.

, even the faint of heart will be scared to death.

"This atmosphere is even worse than Boston~" Ke Yanyun said calmly to Hamblen beside him.

After winning two consecutive games against the Lakers, Popovich did not adjust the team's starting lineup for this game. It is still Parker, Barry, Bowen, Horry, and Duncan. The team's strength advantage allows Popovich to be more calm.

to cope with the Lakers' challenge.

After losing two consecutive games to the Spurs, the Lakers made changes. Barnes was put on the starting lineup and Diop was removed. The team's starting lineup still did not have a point guard player, and they still maintained the same lineup.

Physical advantage!

"I wonder what other tricks this guy can come up with?" Popovich said cheerfully to his assistant on the sidelines, with a look of confidence in his victory.

Ke Yan does not use the "three-high lineup" to lay out, which has shown that he has finally cracked the Lakers' strange lineup. Diop's removal from the starting lineup also means that the Lakers will adopt other strategies to deal with Duncan on the defensive end. However,

No matter what strategy, Popovich has it all! Because he has Duncan, recognized as the number one power forward in league history!

Anderson won the jump ball and the game began.

I don’t know if there are really metaphysical factors. When they came to the away game, the spirit of the Lakers became a little different. Odom, Butler, and Barnes were separated in their positions. Kobe and Anderson played the pick-and-roll.

Breaking into the basket, he used a fake move to fend off Duncan and score a layup (2:0)

Without Diop occupying the space in the penalty area, Barnes smoked in the corner and Horry carried an ashtray for him. Kobe's threat to attack the inside is also increasing!

When the Spurs attack, they usually start with Parker. Duncan pulls him out to play a pick-and-roll. Kobe and Odom rush towards Parker like tigers and work together to "cover" Parker!

High-post attack to press the ball carrier!

The "short" Parker was suppressed. Unable to dodge, he barely found a path to pass the ball and sent a pass. However, he was easily hit by Barnes, who had already been ambushing him. Almost immediately, the Lakers' third-line fast break came.

Kobe Bryant in the middle dunked easily and immediately fist-bumped with Barnes to celebrate after landing!

At this time, Popovich was not aware of the seriousness of the problem, and just thought it was Ke Yan's "inspiration". However, he did not know that this was what Ke Yan had done through observing two games and deducing it many times in his mind.

defensive strategy.

"He has never been the number one point guard, but he sent him home as the number one point guard!" This is the most awesome boast of Parker by later generations of Spurs fans. Nash, Paul, Deron, and even Curry in their childhood have all been

Parker's hands, or in front of the Spurs.

But that was Parker who was slowly trained by Popovich in the later period. The current Parker is still a sapling growing under the towering tree of Duncan, an extremely fast melee assassin who is good at rushing into the penalty area and turning away.

The defensive players put the ball into the basket in various ways. His mid-range shooting has not yet been successful, and his organization is even more difficult to talk about...

The Lakers continued to flank the ball carrier on the defensive end. Horry came up to respond. Odom and Barnes entangled Horry nearby. During the hesitation, the basketball in Horry's hand was cut off, and Barnes contributed his own share of the game.

The second steal of the game, assisted Odom for a dunk!

6:0. Many fans may have just turned on the TV and haven't realized it yet. The Lakers have begun to establish an advantage! Barkley in the commentary box was happy: "I said Kimi will definitely be able to play something different in the away game. Young

People's minds are really different! Popovich needs to think of something, now the momentum is all with the Lakers!"

"Replace with Ginobili? I think Ginobili is a better organizer than Parker!" Kenny Smith suggested.

"Substituting Barry after only one minute? I am Barry and I must not be happy." Barkley rejected Kenny Smith's proposal from the player's psychological level.

Popovich has not adjusted like this, and the situation is not that bad!

Moreover, if he really plays Ginobili in one minute, doesn't it mean that he admits that his masterful trick of "putting Ginobili on the bench" is just taking off his pants and farting?

It's not that bad!