Bulldozer of the NBA’s Restricted Area

The current score in the finals is 1:2, with the Bulls temporarily leading by one game.

Everyone knows that the Bulls are strong, but even if the Lakers are 1 point behind, their performance in these three games still shocked the entire league.

This was achieved all the way up to eighth place in the Western Conference, which means that the Lakers' opponents on the way to promotion were all teams ranked higher than them. They first defeated the first Jazz, and then the second Rockets. What happened next? Are you going to be tough with a bull? There will be back and forth?

I have to say that the Lakers are ranked more than eighth, but the problem is that there are still many surprising things about the Lakers.

The first is the rejuvenation of players.

Kobe, Ben, Fisher and even Knight were all rookies in the first grade of 1996. Kobe was a high school rookie and Ben was an undrafted player. The two of them became the main players. Fisher and Knight had relatively little time. , but he is indeed a player on the Lakers roster.

Then there is the new lineup.

Rookies aside, Li Shengli and Crotty joined the Lakers in the new season. Ceballos, the former leading scorer in the team, was traded for Horry. These three are not rookies but are 'newcomers' to the team.

Except for Nick, Eddie, and Campbell, most of the rest are new teammates, so the turnover rate in this newly formed lineup is astonishingly high, and under these circumstances... this team can actually make it all the way to the finals. , 'unbelievable' doesn't seem to be able to express some people's surprise.

However, the surprise was far from over.

The G4 battle against Crotty is rematched, and it will be difficult for the Bulls to replicate the effect of the second half of the G3 battle.

Cole still has the touch. While Jordan can create space for him, Cole's touch also creates singles opportunities for Jordan. But the problem is that the Lakers Crotty returns and the Bulls' virtuous cycle is gone.

Can Crotty guard Jordan?

Purely speaking of one-on-one, Crotty really can't do it, and I guess not many people can. But if you add it to the Lakers' defensive system, they only have strong glue and defense against shots. Things after Jordan's breakthrough are left to Li Shengli's internal connection to handle. , and this is how Harris arranged the G4 battle.

Although the suppression of Jordan was not exaggerated, it still had obvious results. The focus advantage the two teams competed for was very small. Even if the Bulls with Jordan's problems were still a strong team, they were only a strong team.

It's the Lakers.

With Li Shengli and Kobe's internal connection, the Bulls' defense was helpless and the situation took a turn for the worse. Li Shengli scored 28 points, 20 rebounds, and 6 assists, while Kobe scored 32 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. , the two cores teamed up to score 60 points.

This fourth game was the first time in this round of finals that the team's main force showed an obvious decline in form.

Of course, it was the Bulls who declined, not the Lakers, and the result was quite tragic... Jordan's 28 points were not too few, and Pippen's 15 points were not too many. In addition to the two of them, Rodman also had problems with his rebounding, because Kobe was in good shape. , Campbell's offensive role was reduced, so Harris put the personnel at the fourth position to fight against Rodman, and at the same time, he also 'received' Jordan who was put in by Crotty on the offensive end.

It goes smoothly to the end, but everything goes against the wind!

Due to the ebb and flow of each other, this game also became the largest point difference among the four games in the finals.

The Lakers ended the game with a 17-point lead, making the score tied at 2:2. What was surprising was that the Lakers' suppression in this game was a bit unreasonable.

To put it simply... the Lakers found a relatively safe way to temporarily suppress the most important link in the triangle system and reduce Jordan's efficiency; but the Bulls had no way to defeat Li Shengli. This time Jordan fought for 47 minutes. He left the show at the last minute, almost in despair.

…

Then comes the fifth game.

The further the finals progress, the more the two sides reveal their tactical arrangements. Basically, everyone knows the opponent's style of play, and what they strive for is their state and willpower. The fifth game was a bit embarrassing...

In the first two games, Jordan defeated Crotty, Campbell, Fisher, and Harper one after another.

In Game 5, Jordan was so aggressive that he even gave up on himself. Before the game, fans across the United States were horrified because Jordan had a fever with the flu and was supported by Pippen when he entered the game. However, he was stuck in a 2:2 tie. The fifth game, this is too fatal.

To be honest, Li Shengli didn't know whether to cry or laugh when he saw Jordan.

Jordan is no longer young. He plays with all his strength in every game, but at the most critical moment, he gets food poisoning. This is like a joke. The most direct result has already appeared... Jordan 5 in the first quarter Scored 4 points on 2 shots, and the Lakers led by 13 points in one quarter.

Although Jordan recovered in the second quarter, the problem was that the Bulls' opponent was not the Jazz or the Rockets, but the Lakers, who defeated these two teams. In the second quarter, the Lakers expanded their 13 points to 16 points.

You know, there are very few core advantages that the two teams compete for.

An explosion in one quarter is enough to affect the outcome of the game. The first quarter is a foreshadowing. Jordan gradually regained his form, but it was a little late, and the entire game was suppressed by the Lakers.

Played the entire game.

This is the easiest game for the Lakers in the Finals and even this playoffs! !

To put it bluntly, it's really a bit unwinnable, but to put it another way, this game always involves unexpected risks, just like Crotty's injury, there is really no reason for it.

In this case, Li Shengli took the initiative to reduce his playing time, playing only 31 minutes, 20+12, and then handed it over to Big Ben and Knight for rotation.

Although Harris agreed with this point, he did not relax and used Kobe as the only offensive core.

Although the effect is not as good as Li Shengli's presence, it is still no problem to play against a Bulls in this state, and even Crotty was eliminated. After all, Pippen, Rodman, and Cole were at their lowest point, and they had to defend Jordan. It also seems unnecessary.

The end result can be imagined.

With a big score of 2:3, the Lakers took the lead and got the match point advantage before the three home games were played, but Li Shengli didn't even understand...

Jordan did have food poisoning, but what about the others?

Pippen shot 5 of 17, Rodman had 2 points and 7 rebounds, and Kerr had 0 points in 24 minutes?

This was like giving away the fifth game and the match point with his own hands. I'm afraid that Phil Jackson, despite all his calculations, didn't realize that all the bad things happened to him overnight, right?

…

The Lakers now have a huge advantage in seizing the match point, even if there are two Bulls home games behind them, and the G6 game is likely to be the last game to decide the finals. All the pressure is on the Bulls. This is the Bulls before the finals. Something never imagined.

On the contrary, the Lakers were very relaxed, packing up and flying to Chicago, which has been in the spotlight of the United States these days, and Harris was very alert before the game this time...

joke?

What happened to the bull due to an accidental food poisoning?

It just so happens that there is a 'habitual offender' in his team. Fisher had the same problem at the beginning, causing Kobe and Crotty to get food poisoning. If this happens again, and Kobe and Crotty fall together, then there is no need to play the game, Harry Si wanted to kill Fisher.

Fortunately, under strict defense, the Lakers did not have a backyard fire before the decisive battle, and on the night of June 13, everything on both sides was back to the starting point.

It's just different from before.

Although it is not a tiebreaker, this time it is a match point game. The two teams have complete lineups and are ready to go. The victory will definitely be determined by one battle.

If the Lakers lose, there is not much chance of winning in the tiebreaker. After all, this is the Bulls' home court.

If the Bulls lose one game, it's gone, and Jordan can only watch Li Shengli reach the top for the second time in front of him.