Bulldozer of the NBA’s Restricted Area

At this time, Phil Jackson on the sidelines and Li Shengli on the court were both thinking about one thing, and that was the significance of O'Neal's persistence until now... What can be clearly seen is that O'Neal is really tired. He has played 40 games so far. minutes, the power of the offensive end was greatly reduced, and the remaining role on the field was to sit in the penalty area and contain Li Shengli in single defense.

O'Neal's offense can't be beaten!

But Garnett... he can still continue to fight!

Li Shengli gasped and figured out the key, so he glanced at O'Neal and Garnett, and then at Phil Jackson. Phil Jackson immediately knew that he and Li Shengli thought of each other, and they didn't waste a moment. Let Knight warm up on the sidelines and prepare to enter the court.

…

"There is action. The Celtics' defense hasn't started to change yet, but the Lakers... Tyrese Knight, the backup center, is warming up. Is he going to replace Lee?"

"No, not necessarily!" Barkley was a little worried about Li Shengli's state, and continued: "Now that O'Neal's state has declined greatly, the effect of Lee's continued defense against him will only be this, and it cannot continue to expand. It is better to let Knight take over. With one head, let Lee go against Garnett to maximize Lee's current role."

"Then O'Neal will be automatically liberated? It is indeed difficult to play against Lee, but against Knight, O'Neal, who played for 40 minutes, is not something that Knight can withstand. Phil Jackson is going to... "

"A bet is a bet. He is betting that O'Neal's offensive improvement will not be as significant as Garnett's decline. Overall, it can slow down the opponent's scoring growth. However... this is only a change on the defensive end. It may be useful, but the offensive end still needs to be improved. Let’s see how Celtic react.”

As soon as Barkley and Smith finished talking in the studio, the Celtics called a timeout because Li Shengli, the front foot, had already hit a wave of 3-for-3 in a row and had to be curbed. When the two sides returned to the court, Knight Also later joined the lineup.

Celtic attack again.

Garnett was cursing just now, but when he saw Li Shengli chasing after him with a livid face, he could only secretly curse in his heart... Damn it, Li, why do you always bully me? Damn, you are always trying to defend me. How many times has this happened?

At this time, the Celtics' offensive inertia was still there. Defender Burrows naturally passed the ball to Garnett. Garnett was very unhappy. As soon as his temper got angry, he turned his back and prepared to forcefully eat Li Shengli. It was just embarrassing. Yes... he was blinded by all the unexpected turns and jump shots he had expected. He was so pushed that he could barely stand on his feet and was unable to make any movements at all.

Damn it?

Is this horse riding a joke?

Garnett felt...if Li Shengli didn't want to leave the penalty area too far, he might not have been able to push him into Boston's harbor, and had no choice but to pass it to Pierce.

But Pierce was also in trouble. After trying hard to get rid of Crotty, he was immediately blocked by Li Shengli's help. In the end, he had no choice but to give it to O'Neal, and O'Neal cursed in his heart when he got the ball... You two bastards, why did you think of giving it to me when you ran out of time? !

So, O'Neal hit him from the low post, and Knight mustered up all his strength to fight.

If they were all in full physical strength, it would be useless for two Knights to lie on O'Neal, but it is different now. O'Neal doesn't have much time and can't advance quickly. He can only force the shot under Knight's interference before he enters the penalty area. After a successful hit, Li Shengli turned around and grabbed the rebound.

…

Good effect? !

Li Shengli saw that this wave of defense took almost 24 seconds, and finally allowed O'Neal to take a two-point shot outside the penalty area, which truly achieved the defensive effect the Lakers wanted, and immediately changed sides...

The inside combination of Li Shengli + Knight?

This is the Lakers' first offense after the substitution!

The defender facing Li Shengli was still O'Neal, and from the mid-range to a 45-degree angle, when Li Shengli turned over and took off... O'Neal and Garnett rushed over, and Pierce went straight to Knight, who was missed.

It's difficult to take a jump shot. If you pass the ball to Knight, it will be intercepted!

The processing and interpretation of this moment is very important. When Li Shengli saw Pierce moving, he immediately guessed that Crotty was behind him, probably parallel to him, so the ball was passed to Crotty without thinking. Crotty watched the opponent's defensive counterattack and passed it to Kobe.

At this moment, the Celtics' defensive formation was in complete chaos.

When Kobe got the ball, he was open, and he jumped up and shot... With a bang, the Lakers scored another 2 points, beating the Celtics to sweat and making the Garden Arena a bustle.

…

Things are getting better!

Phil Jackson calmly observed the game on the sidelines, but did not relax his frown, and the same was true for Li Shengli on the court, because the current gap was still 8 points, and even if he caught up at the last moment, it would not be guaranteed.

Several rounds followed.

The momentum of the Lakers became stronger and stronger... Li Shengli took the starting point of the attack. Whenever there was any sign of an offensive move, O'Neal and Garnett would immediately block it. After all, they were afraid that Li Shengli's 3-for-3 front foot would continue, and Li Shengli's point ball It became the key.

Knight is the first choice. Although sometimes the connection between Li Shengli and Knight will be cut off, the Celtics need to pay a defensive force to cut off the connection between Li and Knight, which gives Kobe an opportunity outside. , and it doesn't matter even if he steps back to the first step, because as long as O'Neal and Garnett don't double-team, Li Shengli's jump shot can still be hit.

There has been progress on the offensive end, and the defensive end has also shown results.

Li Shengli followed Garnett closely. Garnett couldn't do the first wave of shots, even if he went around the screen, because if he got rid of Li Shengli, he would still encounter Artest, so it was difficult for Garnett to beat him. Likewise, Pierce is also very difficult, and the Celtics' offense can only be left to O'Neal.

…

All offense and defense are in effect, and 8 minutes have passed in the final quarter.

In the first 4 minutes, the Lakers chased from 14 points to 10 points, and in the next 4 minutes, they chased from 10 points to 4 points. According to this comparative efficiency... In the last 4 minutes, the Celtics could not defend. Live the last 4 points.

For a moment, the entire Garden players were wailing, but Phil Jackson on the sidelines was very excited, and even West was stunned... Because he was able to adjust to the current situation, Li Shengli, who was good at offense and defense, took the greatest credit, and even if It was amazing that West was still able to play well after 44 minutes of fierce fighting.

…

As for the Celtics.

It may only take 8 minutes to go from heaven to hell. No one expected that the final quarter could be played like this, and in front of them... the existence of Li Shengli made them unable to do more on the defensive end, because Li Shengli was double-teamed and others took action. , If Li Shengli is not double-teamed and Li Shengli takes action, someone will be able to take action smoothly no matter what.

Since the defensive end can't do it, the only way is to use offense to delay the last 4 points and 4 minutes. When the Garnett and Pierce brothers are beaten, O'Neal can only take action.