Bulldozer of the NBA’s Restricted Area

At this time, due to the problem of touch, both sides are still adjusting the players on the field, but the problem is that not scoring or scoring is not necessarily a problem of touch. Both sides are defending like they are risking their lives, and no matter how they make substitutions, they cannot improve efficiency. , and the score at the end of the first quarter was 17:18, with the Celtics leading by 1 point.

The score in this single quarter was low, but not so low that it was incredible.

Li Shengli's personal score was only 6 points, but the bad shots from both sides produced too many rebounds, so in addition to 6 points, he also had 8 rebounds and 5 blocks. O'Neal's first quarter statistics were 6 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks. cap.

In comparison, O'Neal is 3 worse in rebounds and 2 worse in blocks.

It's just that Phil Jackson on the sidelines didn't think it was suppression, because the Celtics' rebounding was not like that of the Lakers. Garnett shared a lot of this data, and the lack of blocks was because the Lakers were afraid of O'Neal + Garnett. This is the league's top interior defense, and the lineup in the first quarter was biased.

So strictly speaking, Li Shengli and O'Neal are still neck and neck.

Losing by 1 point in the first quarter is acceptable to the Lakers, but what cannot be accepted is... If they are still this efficient and wait until both sides have reduced defensive intensity due to physical reasons, the result will be disastrous, because in the second quarter, Kay The Celtics' three giants must take turns and rest at staggered times. The three giants will be able to play for a longer period of time than the two-core team.

Although the game is definitely not played by stars, every player on the court is very important, but when the situation cannot be opened up, the only thing that can be relied on is the personal ability of the stars. Without this effect, no team will give them a shot. Several times the salary of ordinary players.

The Celtics can guarantee that two of the Big Three will be on the court at the same time and can be matched as they please.

But the Lakers can't. Li Shengli and Kobe are in a difficult situation. This kind of ultra-high-intensity game is played according to the best time of 42 minutes. These 42 minutes cannot be synchronized because Phil Jackson wants any time and is on the court. One core, so the Lakers are bound to have about one quarter of single-core time, and by then...

The only single-core combination is Crotty and Artest who have defensive characteristics.

Green and Horry are old and injured. Fox's offense is easy to target. Fisher can play critical minutes. Tyronn Lue cannot pin his game hopes on the newcomer who has no explosive power. The backup center Knight can go to the fourth position, but his slow speed can't suppress Garnett.

As for now, when everyone's efficiency has dropped, the only thing the Lakers can do is to grab time and score in the paint, which is exactly what the Celtics think too.

So the inside line in the second quarter simply exploded.

Li Shengli and O'Neal were fighting against each other every minute, so it was unlikely that they would do anything wrong.

As for Artest, he is obviously much shorter in the paint. When he lowers his head, it is his feet and when he raises his head, he is a person. His only advantage is that he has a strong body and slams into Garnett crazily. Garnett has never liked playing inside. , and his height advantage was wiped out, he couldn't hold it in any longer, and immediately started spraying Artest, which just happened to increase Artest's bloodthirsty characteristics, and he became more and more ruthless.

…

"The situation is not very good!" In the TNT studio, Kenny Smith was stunned.

"That's right, go all-in and play in the paint. Pierce has already started to rotate. Next, Garnett, who is suffering from Garnett, will also come out!" Barkley's guess was correct. At 6 minutes in the second quarter, Garnett He also took a break, "If the Lakers can't gain an advantage in this quarter, then..."

"How can we have an advantage?!" Smith frowned and said: "Did you see that Pierce is back again? He is going to rush into the penalty area. O'Neal couldn't hit it just now, but now he may not be able to defend it. Lee is about to be unable to defend it. Quickly Look... Artest is probably slow, and the Lakers are now on Green."

"But, the problem is that Mike Carter, who is supporting Garnett on the Celtics, doesn't move very much. He and O'Neal are positioned on the left and right sides. Even if Green can block Pierce's strong breakthrough, how can he distribute the ball? What's worse is that if Green loses his position and can't stop Pierce, then Lee will have to guard not two, but three. Although this time is very short, Kobe can lead people to rush over, but no matter how short it is, There’s enough time!”

"Damn, do you think I didn't see it?" Barkley said angrily: "The problem is too big now. The biggest problem is that Lee's defense is more difficult and physically demanding. Don't look at McCarty's just average The backup power forward, but if Garnett comes back in the third quarter, the situation will be worse than it is now."

As soon as the two of them finished talking, the game resumed.

The balance of power could still be maintained in the first half of the quarter, but as Pierce finished his rest and staggered the time with Garnett, the Lakers' situation immediately collapsed. This was the result of both Li Shengli and Kobe being present. Although the Lakers' efficiency has improved, it is far from satisfactory. Not as big as the Celtics' improvement, Pierce poses a serious threat.

As a result, as soon as the first half was over, the score difference went from being evenly balanced for one and a half quarters to rapidly widening in the last half. The Lakers had already lost by 7 points before entering the second half.

…

"At the beginning of the third quarter, Garnett and Pierce are here, and O'Neal is also there. The Lakers' situation can't get any worse!" Barkley said worriedly.

"Not necessarily, right?" Smith said slowly: "Charles, have you ever thought about how much time O'Neal has left? If Lee can beat the time difference when O'Neal is not around, then..."

"Impossible, I feel like these two people want to jump on the horse and die on the court today. There is no problem you mentioned at all. You have to know that O'Neal doesn't have any rings yet, but Lee opposite him already has five. Can you Imagine how anxious O'Neal is?" Barkley understands the pain of not winning a championship. Being a role player may not necessarily have such a big obsession, but the problem is that being a core player does, and sometimes... having hope is not A good thing, hope tortures everyone with desires, and O'Neal is tortured to the point of going crazy.

"Then the Lakers just have no chance?" Smith asked.

"Also, there is hope... No, it is still possible. As long as there is no collapse in the third quarter, we can still catch up in the fourth quarter. The defense at that time cannot be like the first three quarters. That is the last possibility."

…

In fact, every time they encounter opponents, the Lakers basically expand and consolidate their scoring advantage in the third quarter.

But this time when meeting the Celtics, it turned out to be... to stabilize and not collapse. However, this is difficult to do because the Lakers' lineup encountered the biggest bottleneck and shortcomings today.

With full pressure on the inside, Crotty and Artest's defensive performance was limited.

However, in terms of internal strength comparison, the Lakers are no longer a first-line inside combination with Li Shengli + Green or other teammates last season, but the Celtics' O'Neal + Garnett are one of the top combinations in the league, both at their peak. , Even Robinson + Duncan cannot compare with it.

So after the entire third quarter, the point difference was forcibly opened to 13 points.

Neither Li Shengli nor Kobe Bryant could stop the situation, and at the same time, the Garden Arena roared loudly, celebrating this hard-won great victory in advance.

…

"Charles, what did you just say?"

"I said the Lakers should keep from collapsing in the third quarter!"

"If we lost by 7 points in the first half, does losing 6 points in the third quarter count as collapse?"

"Forget it!"

"Then this one..."

"It's not over yet!"