Bulldozer of the NBA’s Restricted Area

A change in one round could not alert Nelson to some subtle changes in the game.

Kobe's forced shot?

This is easy to understand. One quarter has passed and Nelson felt that Kobe was anxious.

As for Li Shengli’s unstoppable dominance in the penalty area?

This is also easy to explain, because before the game almost no one thought Bradley could stop Li Shengli. No matter which aspect it was, it didn't matter if he was being crushed. The only focus was Li Shengli's offensive rebound. After succeeding, it was transferred to Kobe's shot.

So, Nelson stood on the sidelines and reminded the players to pay attention to the Lakers' second offense, and then turned around to the Mavericks' offense.

Because the three backcourt Musketeers of Finley, Nash, and Strickland performed well in the first quarter, they were still playing in the second quarter, but this time it was obviously not as smooth as the first quarter. Artest, who was responsible for defending Finley, Stern is excellent in single defense, but what he fears is the pick-and-roll, but Crotty's appearance makes up for this shortcoming.

After Finley called his teammates to pick and roll, he immediately encountered Crotty, who was switching defenses with Artest. He couldn't break through in a single attack. If the Lakers still quickly switched defenses in the second pick-and-roll, he would have to face Artest and Kobe. Directly facing Crotty, Crotty blocked and interfered with the shot.

Boom!

The Mavericks couldn't defend their own backcourt, let alone fight for the frontcourt in Li Shengli's hands. Bradley was so squeezed that he couldn't even jump, and the rebound was taken by Li Shengli without any suspense.

However, the Mavericks' defense was very fast and the Lakers couldn't hit the fast break, but it didn't matter. Li Shengli and Kobe also cared about fast break opportunities, waiting for Crotty to push to the frontcourt and prepare to attack.

Another Lakers offense.

It is still the Mavericks' extremely targeted defense, and in this kind of defense, Bradley and Nowitzki must have a defensive front, but this time it is Nowitzki.

"Damn, is it a forced shot again?" Nowitzki, who was about to block Kobe Bryant, felt very uncomfortable. When he turned around, he saw Li Shengli beating Bradley. Bradley, who was stuck in the position, couldn't even jump unless he was given a hand. He is three meters tall, and as a result of the defeat, there is no need to think about the rebound, it is definitely Li Shengli's.

"Damn it, aren't you going to pass Kobe again?" This time Nowitzki responded to the situation and immediately looked for Kobe's position without turning around. But the problem was that there was a bang behind him, and when he looked back... Li Shengli was still playing. Bradley straightened his arms, shouldered the ball from the front, and smashed the ball into the basket. Poor Bradley staggered and was almost wiped out.

"Are you okay Sean?" Pulling Bradley up, Nowitzki asked.

"Oops, I feel like Kobe has given up?" Bradley said after thinking, "Damn, if he gives up and Lee just hits me, will I...will I die?"

"Stop joking, keep watching a few more rounds, the coach will tell us if there are any changes." Nowitzki called on Bradley to continue the attack.

…

The Mavericks' three Musketeers in the backcourt have shown a clear decline in form. Not to mention that their subsequent offenses were completely disappointing, but they were also suppressed back to a bit below the normal level, far less ferocious than the 38 points in the first quarter.

In turn, it’s the Lakers’ offense…

What surprised the Mavericks was that Kobe became more and more wild. He no longer chose to distribute the ball when being double-teamed, but quickly shot mid-range shots without being able to enter the penalty area, leaving the selection problem to Xiao. A cow.

You know, in the double-teaming operation against Kobe, the Mavericks' insiders need to be outnumbered.

It's the same whether it's Bradley or Nowitzki, and as long as Kobe guarantees not to be blocked, the result of forcing the shot is... the balance of power under the basket between the two sides is extremely unequal and crushing, because Li Shengli is inside, Under the arrangement of Phil Jackson, Green no longer moved to the high position, and cooperated with Li Shengli to control the frontcourt of the penalty area.

Although sometimes the rebound placement is not satisfactory and Li Shengli cannot grab it, after Green joined, the Lakers' interior combination has a larger area to control. Taking advantage of the offensive rebounds will give them more secondary offensive opportunities. .

If the opportunity is good, you can give it to Kobe.

If the opportunity is not good, Li Shengli and Green can score steadily.

What is the calf afraid of?

What the Mavericks are afraid of is that the Lakers are leading them by a big score. Their obvious solution now is not to let the inside combination of Bradley and Nowitzki take care of Kobe too much, and in this way... Kobe will Gained valuable output scoring environment.

…

In the first 4 minutes of the second quarter, the Mavericks' defensive arrangements were still in the decision-making period, and they did not relax their defense against Kobe too much. The real scoring data were in the hands of Li Shengli and Green, and after 4 minutes...

The offense of the Mavericks' three backcourt players was hindered, and their defense gradually became weak.

Leading by 2 points in the first quarter. In these 4 minutes, they not only gave back 2 points, but also scored 4 points from the Lakers. If they continue to play, after the second quarter, Nelson estimates that the best case scenario will be a loss of more than 10 points. In the end, A bad 20 points may not even be possible, but Li Shengli does have this ability.

So, he couldn't hold it in any longer and could only call a timeout.

There is no way, absolutely no way!

According to common sense, the penalty area is only a small area, and the position Nowitzki takes to help defend Kobe is not far from the basket. As long as the difference in strength between the centers is not too big and they can hold on for a while, it will not matter. It's possible to create a situation where offensive rebounds and secondary offense are the key to overwhelming the team.

But the problem is that he can't hold on, no one can compete with Li Shengli, not even a single move can work.

Bradley, poor Bradley, could not even hold on to Nowitzki who was two steps away to support him before he was immediately killed on the spot. More importantly, even if Nowitzki could arrive, Li Shengli won the championship this season. An unparalleled center in the league, his assist ability is comparable to that of a first-line point guard, allowing him to easily hand the ball to Kobe.

However, Kobe's second shot made it difficult for the Mavericks to form a strong double-team situation.

As a last resort, Nelson made a tactical decision, fixed the positions of Bradley and Nowitzki, and then returned to the court to play a few rounds... Whether it was Li Shengli or Phil Jackson, they knew it was a waste. After 16 minutes, Kobe's not-so-good opportunity really came.

Within 16 minutes…

Kobe scored 4 points in the first quarter, 1 of 2 shots and 1 of 2 free throws in the second quarter, and scored 3 points. His real efficiency was not high, and the total of 7 points was 44 points away from the goal of 51 points.

Then count playing time and peak efficiency time.

Kobe can definitely play within 40 minutes, but it will be difficult after 40. Physical fitness is a big problem. For the playoffs, Phil Jackson cannot let Kobe work so hard, so the real time left is 24 minutes and two full games. quarter, and the remaining progress of 44 points almost requires him to... score 2 points in one minute, which is extremely demanding.