The Whip of the God of Basketball

As two teams with the most luxurious lineups in the league, the Lakers and Celtics have completely different lineup characteristics, just like they did in the years when they faced off in history. The Lakers always have a giant center inside, which gives them a natural advantage on the offensive end, while the Celtics always have a team advantage in the forward group or the defender group.

The Lakers often rely on a certain super player in the backcourt to fight against the Celtics' wolves in the backcourt. In the 1960s, it was Jerry West, in the 1980s, it was Magic Johnson, and this year, it is Kobe's turn.

Kobe also thinks so. In the Western Conference Finals, Kobe had decisive performances in the fourth and sixth games. He scored more than 40 points in both games, helping the Lakers defeat their old rivals, the Kings. Kobe, who had been having bad luck all year, finally found his form after the playoffs.

The three-pointer just now gave him the confidence to continue attacking. Since Fox Leon came to the Celtics, every time the Lakers played against the Celtics, Kobe would feel quite uncomfortable. This year, he was clotheslined by Chris Anderson in Staples and ultimately lost. game. This made Kobe feel even more angry and ashamed. In a media interview before the finals, Kobe rarely said that he would teach the Celtics a lesson.

After all, Kobe has been targeted too much in the competition in recent years. This stubborn and competitive young man does not allow himself to be humiliated by his opponents again and again, not to mention that this opponent is the Celtics. .

After making this three-pointer, Kobe entered attack mode. He began to hold the ball on the outside to show off his flexible and superb offensive skills. Reed, who was guarding him, seemed to be obviously slower than half a beat. Even if he tried his best to catch up with Kobe's rhythm, Kobe could still hit jumpers in difficult situations.

"Kobe, passed Reed from the center and hit a jump shot! This is the eleventh point he scored in the first quarter!" Brin marveled at Kobe's continuous scoring, obviously without double-teaming, Reid has no way to deal with Kobe's hot hand one-on-one.

"Let's see how the Celtics responded. Garnett passed the ball to Pierce. Pierce took the ball and went to the right. P.J. Brown's pick-and-roll, step-back jump shot... the ball also went in! 22:21, Kay The Celtics overtook the score again." When Pierce hit this mid-range shot, the Celtics overtook the score again. Although Kobe felt hot, Pierce was also full of firepower.

The fans were excited by such a fierce and exciting backcourt battle. Even David Stern, who was sitting on the sidelines watching the game, stood up nervously for a while, frowned and shook his head for a while, knowing that Stern was watching the game. He always smiles and acts impartial like a Buddha statue. He rarely really acts like a fan.

However, fans who have watched a lot of the game should easily find that both sides are not performing like usual at this time, especially the Celtics. Pierce rarely attacks with all his strength in the first quarter. So far he has got He scored 10 points, accounting for nearly half of the team's points. As for the Lakers, Shaquille O'Neal hasn't scored yet, which is extremely rare.

Leon has returned to his seat, tapping the armrest with his fingers. In his opinion, the Lakers' performance is not particularly normal. On the contrary, everything about the Celtics is under his control.

Before the game started, Leon told Pierce to find his offensive feeling as soon as possible, and it was best to maintain his firepower in the first quarter. The reason is simple. The small forward is the weak link of the Lakers. Whether it is Fox, Devin George or Walton, there is no way to compete with Pierce. In the finals, it is very important to get the upper hand. With the Lakers having O'Neal's super strength, if players cannot step up quickly to lay a solid foundation, it will be very difficult to keep chasing.

This is the lesson Leon learned from last year's finals. When facing the Spurs last year, Duncan started to output wildly from the first quarter of the first game, establishing an advantage in one fell swoop. The Celtics followed behind and were exhausted, and were finally dragged down by the Spurs' defense. die.

But Leon did not expect that the Lakers did not use O'Neal's point, but took the lead in activating Kobe, and instead let O'Neal do a return run on the court.

"This is not normal. What did Jackson think? O'Neal has not touched the ball for nearly two minutes, and more importantly, Malone rarely touches the ball." Leon looked at the Lakers' offense, and Fisher came up after halftime. When the ball was handed over, Kobe faced Reid with the ball and passed the ball to Fox. O'Neal was trying to get a position inside. P.J. Brown went around fiercely. Fox hesitated and did not pass the ball, so he passed it back to Kobe. Kobe took it. The ball was shot directly from outside the three-point line.

The ball went in, a three-pointer, and another three-pointer, Kobe's 14th point in the first quarter. After scoring the goal, Kobe shook his head helplessly, as if there was nothing he could do about his own touch.

At 22:24, the Lakers led by another two points. At this time, there were less than 10 seconds left in the first quarter. This was the Celtics' last offensive opportunity in the first quarter. Leon called a short pause to lay out the tactics for the final attack.

The Lakers also took this opportunity to make substitutions. O'Neal and Malone both took a rest and put on the bench, but Kobe remained on the court.

"On the last offense of the first quarter, the Celtics replaced Chris Anderson and Bell. Anderson served, Pierce lobbed the ball inside, and P.J. Brown received the ball and made a layup! 24-all tie!"

The Celtics' last offense used a very simple tactic. Anderson fired a pass from the sideline. P.J. Brown stood near the free throw line and set a screen for Pierce. After Pierce ran outside and received Anderson's pass, Brown made a pass. Reverse running cut, Pierce dropped the ball, and Brown received the ball and made a layup.

After the goal was scored, the two sides were tied. In the last three seconds, the Lakers missed a three-pointer from the backcourt, and the first quarter ended.

"The first quarter of the game ended, and the two sides were tied. Kobe and Pierce became the backbone of the team in the first quarter. Kobe is from Philadelphia, and Pierce is from Los Angeles, but now one of them is on the West Coast and the other is in the Northeast. , life is so unpredictable. Of course, I must admit that the Lakers' performance in the first quarter surprised people, especially Kobe's sudden explosion. The Celtics seemed to have not yet exerted their full strength, and Pierce played prematurely. But other players, especially their defense, have not yet shown the intensity and level of the Eastern Conference finals. You know, in the Eastern Conference finals, they beat the Pacers like high school students." Breen analyzed the two games during the first quarter. The team's performance in the first quarter.

At this time, Leon made some changes to the lineup, and an idea gradually began to form in his mind, but he still decided to observe the time of one more quarter of the game, and it would not be too late to wait until the third quarter to see the results.

At the beginning of the second quarter, both sides sent out substitute lineups, but Kobe still stayed on the court, and Leon also put Pierce in the lineup. The two players who competed with each other in the first quarter continued to lead the way in the second quarter. Against a group of substitute players.

However, the Celtics' substitutes are much stronger than the Lakers' substitutes. Their second team has been tempered for a long time. Posey, Anderson, and Bell are all players with distinctive functions and strong defense. Anderson, in particular, was a powerful weapon against the Lakers. As soon as he came on the court, Phil Jackson felt a jump in his temples, just like when he was with the Bulls in the late 1980s and saw Rodman play against the Pistons.

The two sides launched a wonderful offensive battle. Kobe and Pierce showed a very high level of competition. Once the team needs it, they can immediately stand up and score to relieve the pressure on the court. The score between the two sides also increased from 24:24 to 33:33. It can be said that the two played evenly, and the team's score was evenly matched. After that, the two sides began to rotate, and the main players returned to the court one after another. They fought all the way to the end of the second quarter. The Celtics ended the game with a one-point lead over the Lakers at 51:50. Half of the game.

"The first half of the game is over. A wonderful duel, a heroic confrontation between the Lakers and Celtics. Kobe and Pierce dominated the first half. Kobe scored 23 points and 2 assists, while Pierce had 19 points and 5 assists. 6 rebounds. I think in the second half, we will definitely see a more intense confrontation, because both teams are good at defeating their opponents in the third quarter." The first half of the game was obviously quite intense, but the fans and commentators There is a feeling that "both sides haven't exerted their strength yet", as if it was Pierce and Kobe's one-man show.

At this time, in the Celtics locker room, Leon stood in front of the tactical whiteboard and said to all the Celtics players: "The Los Angeles Lakers are drinking poison to quench their thirst. We will try our best to knock down the opponent in the third quarter. them."

"Eternal knockout," Leon added.