Chapter 505 Lakers' Tactics (Two in One)

The Lakers have long been accustomed to the lengthy opening introduction of the Supersonics. Everyone just waited quietly. Even until Lin Dong appeared, there was no ripple in the hearts of the Lakers.

For four years... Every year, the Lakers fell to the Supersonics in the playoffs. Except for the seventh game against the Wizards in the first season of the Supersonics, it was almost always the Lakers who created the biggest trouble and obstacles for the Supersonics.

The matchup between the two teams is almost always regarded as the final finals. If it weren't for the Cavaliers this year, the two teams would probably be the final battle of the season.

All of this has long branded the two teams as fateful enemies.

The Lakers can't understand what the mentality of the Supersonics is, but at this moment, what lingers in the hearts of the Lakers is an absolute burning war.

Kobe Bryant closed his eyes and rested, turning a deaf ear to the noise in the God Arena.

Lin Dong was the reason for his defeat and success. That guy brought him a three-year-long nightmare, but he also helped him take the last step.

Lin Dong is unsolvable, the cooperation between the inside and outside lines of the Supersonics is also unsolvable... Kobe and the entire Lakers team have long heard enough of such arguments on the Internet.

In fact, there is indeed no solution. Limited by the Lakers' current lineup and Nash's "sieve" on the defensive end, even Zen Master Phil Jackson could not come up with a way to limit the inside and outside lines of the Supersonics at the same time.

But...

Beep!

As the referee whistled to remind the main players of both sides to enter the court and prepare to start the game, Kobe Bryant slowly opened his eyes.

At this time, his eyes no longer had the disguised depth of the past, nor were they the bluffing of the weak facing the strong.

Instead, they became bright and sharp!

Just like a sword, an extremely sharp sword, although it is still, it can still make people feel its sharpness.

Both sides have entered the court at this time.

Lakers starting lineup: point guard No. 17 Steve Nash, shooting guard No. 8 Kobe Bryant, small forward No. 1 Doug Christie, power forward No. 7 Lamar Odom, center No. 11 Yao Ming.

Sonics starting lineup: air guard No. 20 Gary Payton, shooting guard No. 9 Andre Iguodala, small forward No. 23 Lin Dong, power forward No. 10 Sakuragi Hanamichi, center No. 7 Tyson Chandler.

Lin Dong and Kobe stood together naturally, attracting the attention of the whole audience and even various cameras. The attention they received obviously exceeded Chandler and Yao Ming who were preparing for a jump ball.

"Hi, good condition." Lin Dong smiled and took the initiative to greet Kobe. This guy's change seems to be really big, different from the dead end he got into before, and different from the chaos on both offense and defense and ball possession this season.

It seems to be a breakthrough.

"It seems that this season has gained a lot."

"Everything is to defeat you." Kobe responded calmly.

"Have you thought of a way to deal with our inside and outside connection?"

"No." Kobe looked at Lin Dong and suddenly grinned: "But we have our own way."

I thought this sentence would make Lin Dong a little confused, but I didn't expect to see a smiling face that was not surprised, as if he had already guessed the Lakers' tactics: "That's your only way."

Kobe smiled slightly.

Want to disturb me again?

But now I am no longer the Kobe Bryant before.

When I abandoned the confusion of the choice of "shield and sword", when I sharpened the rusty sword, when I walked a road to the extreme again, these mental interferences no longer played any role.

It doesn't matter whether the Supersonics know the Lakers' tactics or not, or whether they are just bluffing.

The tactics have been determined, there is only one, just execute it to the end!

Kobe did not respond to Lin Dong's words, but just said lightly: "Come on! Lin!"

——Lin! Lin! Lin! Lin!

The cheers at the scene were also pushed to a peak by the fanatical Seattle fans when the whistle was about to sound.

In fact, it was not only them who were climaxing, but also the media and the league were about to climax.

The originally predicted 60 million viewership had been reached half an hour before the game started, and now when both sides were in place, the number of fans watching the live broadcast through various channels across the United States had reached a full 80 million. It looked like they were going to break 100 million directly!

The viewership exceeded 100 million... God, in the history of the United States, except for the NFL and the Olympics, no other event has ever completed this, but today we are going to make history!

Doris and Barkley in the ABC live studio also seemed particularly excited. Of the 80 million viewership, ABC alone accounted for 47 million. Many people came for the big mouth Barkley to kiss the mountain lion with his tongue, and Doris and Barkley, the beauty and the beast combination, had already become ABC's signature figures. The huge viewership was half the credit of the two of them, and promotion and salary increase were definitely a piece of cake.

"Faced with the invincible Lin Dong and the invincible Supersonics' inside and outside linkage, what tactics will the Lakers use to defend? Not to mention that this is an almost impossible task, what's more terrible is that the Lakers still have Nash's defensive loophole. The outside line can't block the Supersonics' 3 points, and the inside line can't face tall people like Sakuragi Hanamichi and Chandler. Even if the Supersonics focus on Nash, it will be enough to make the Lakers unable to resist." Barkley praised the Supersonics as usual, especially after Sakuragi Hanamichi rose in the last round of the series, the Supersonics made up for their only shortcoming in the inside offense, which made Barkley really feel that the Lakers had no chance.

"They can attack! The Lakers' offensive ability is also very strong."

Doris argued with reason. She has read a lot of posts on the Internet during this period and consulted some professionals. It's a pity that even these professionals can't provide her with an idea to praise the Lakers, so she had to think of one at random.

But this made Barkley burst into laughter: "Play against the Supersonics? My God, little Doris, you probably don't quite understand the meaning of the Supersonics' average score leading the second place by 19 points in the past few seasons. No one in this league can play against this Supersonics, and no one in history, even if the 96 Bulls come, there is no chance! And..."

Barkley looked at Doris with interest, his eyes involuntarily stayed on her majestic and unrestrained career line: "Our little Doris probably forgot how she milked the Grizzlies into the grave in the last round of the series."

Doris wanted to roll her eyes when she heard it. She used to tease Barkley about kissing the donkey's ass, but now it seems that her crow's mouth in the last round of the series will not be acceptable to Barkley for the time being.

Doris raised her head and chest with a bit of dissatisfaction: "Watch your game!"

Beep!

While the two were talking, the whistle on the court had already sounded, and the basketball was thrown high into the air.

The game begins!

Chandler and Yao Ming, who were in charge of the jump ball, jumped up at the same time.

The huge difference in height and arm span, especially without excessive weight gain, Yao Ming's jump ball is still top-notch in the league, and Chandler has almost never won a jump ball against him.

At this time, Yao Ming slammed the basketball in the direction of Odom in front.

At this time, the one defending Odom was Sakuragi Hanamichi. Facing this defensive expert who has already joined the ranks of the league's giants, Odom, who is all-round, did not dare to be careless. He immediately passed the ball to Nash and turned around and ran madly to the front court.

Payton immediately rushed towards Nash and tried to defend him, but before he could stand in the defensive position, Nash had already accelerated and rushed up after receiving the ball.

This is a point guard with speed and flexibility. His ball-holding ability is very strong and his speed is also top-notch in the NBA. Although Payton is experienced, his speed is half a point behind. In addition, he was caught off guard because he was not stable. At this time, he could only barely hang on Nash's side and could hardly cause too much obstruction to his advancement.

Fast break!

It can be seen that the Lakers entered the game very quickly at this time, and it was not just one or two people. Driven by Nash's rhythm, the follow-up speed of the whole team suddenly increased.

Yao Ming was the slowest. Although he started from the center line, he had just reached the 3-point line at this time.

Kobe and Odom had already rushed into the free throw area at this time, and Doug Christie sank to the bottom near the left baseline. However, in just two or three seconds, his attacking posture was fully revealed, and he was full of threats.

If it were another team, such a neat and fast fast break, even if one or two defensive main players followed them, there would eventually be one or two large open loopholes.

But this is the Supersonics after all, not only does it have a unique rotation defense, but also a deep understanding of fast breaks.

We are professional in counterattack!

Lin Dong followed Kobe closely, Sakuragi Hanamichi followed Odom closely, Payton blocked Nash, Iguodala watched Doug Christie, and Chandler was stuck in front of Yao Ming, not only trying to prevent him from entering the inside, but also blocking his 3-pointer from the outside. The last time he played against the Lakers, Yao Ming's opening 3-pointer left a deep impression on Chandler. Although he was not as tall and as long as Chandler, it was impossible for Yao Ming to easily shoot 3-pointers in front of him.

Offense is fast, defense is even faster!

The Sonics' defense is the top of the league, with absolute dominance on both offense and defense. Their three consecutive championships were not won by luck.

The only one who was not fast enough was Payton.

At this time, Payton could only try his best to block Nash's attack route, but the hasty defensive pull made it impossible for him to completely limit Nash's passing route at this time. At this time, the four people on the inside and outside lines were within his passing range.

Who to find?

Not only Payton was guessing, but all the Sonics defenders were also speculating on this point. However, when everyone had just thought of this, the Lakers had already started to move.

Kobe Bryant!

In all the Lakers' previous games against the Sonics, as long as Lin Dong was defending Kobe alone, Kobe was almost always in a state of being isolated from the team's offense.

There was no way. Facing Lin Dong's defense, Kobe's hit rate was too low. After focusing on defense in the past two years, he played a more distracting role on the offensive end, pulling Lin Dong out of the Sonics' rotation defense system instead of receiving the ball and hitting hard, but now...

Kobe went straight to Yao Ming.

Pick-and-roll?

This was the first thing that came to everyone's mind.

And the next second, the pick-and-roll was here.

Nash threw the ball to Yao Ming at the right time, Kobe immediately held off Chandler, and Yao Ming had already completed the dislocation when he received the ball. He ignored Lin Dong who was facing him at this time and jumped high without hesitation.

Pick-and-roll 3 points, a 226 cm big man's pick-and-roll 3 points!

Lin Dong's eyes condensed slightly.

He understood the Lakers' tactics...

Yao Ming didn't fall outside the three-point line because he ran slowly, but was specially brought to the high position by Phil Jackson.

What I said to Kobe before, "I know the Lakers' tactics", was not nonsense, because Nash's defensive loopholes, the Lakers really couldn't solve the defensive problems when facing the Sonics who were blooming inside and outside.

And if you encounter a problem that can't be solved, then the only way, except for solving the person who caused the problem, is to "create problems" and use problems to cover up the problems.

Given the personalities of the Lakers and Kobe, Lin Dong felt that they would most likely not choose the former, although it was simpler, more direct and effective.

So the Lakers have only one solution, that is, to play run-and-gun and attack against the Sonics!

The Lakers with Nash, the son of the wind, undoubtedly have the foundation for running and gunning. This is a tactic that Nash has promoted in another world.

In addition, the Lakers' configuration is much better than the Suns in another world.

There is no need to talk about Kobe. After realizing what he said, he has returned to the extreme path of offensive maniacs. This guy is now like a sword that has been unsheathed.

Doug Christie has a very good 3-pointer, and Odom is an all-around power forward with the ability to finish and eat cakes in all positions. This is a lineup that is extremely compatible with running and gunning.

The only one who is not compatible is Yao Ming. Although he is a giant under the basket, his movement speed is too slow, making him not very compatible with running and gunning.

So Phil Jackson came up with such a strange trick... Putting Yao Ming in a high position has two advantages.

First, the Lakers can switch from the fast break running and gunning tactics to the high post serve system of Princeton at any time, and let a 226 cm big man serve as the team's transfer on the 3-point line. Then the operation of this team can never be blocked. This can make it easy for the Lakers to break the rotation defense tactics when the Lakers' ball handlers were double-teamed by the Supersonics at the beginning of the season.

Secondly, Yao Ming also has a 3-pointer, which is even more threatening. Not only is he tall enough and has strong confrontation, his 3-pointer is not easy to interfere with. Chandler can't handle him. He just switched defense because of the jump ball. Normally, Sakuragi Hanamichi should defend Yao Ming.

Then the Supersonics' rebounding king can be further moved away from the basket, minimizing the loss of Yao Ming leaving the inside. Compared with Odom, Chandler is still a little worse.

At the same time, although Yao Ming's movement speed is slow, if he is only asked to run from the backcourt three-point line to the frontcourt three-point line... it is equivalent to others running the whole court, and he only needs to run half the court. This is the speed that Yao Ming can fully keep up with, and he can also fully integrate into the Lakers' running and gunning system.

This is the Lakers' offensive tactics!

And if you want to go one step further in this tactic, it is like now... pick-and-roll!

There are two types of pick-and-roll situations. The first is that anyone other than Kobe, such as Doug Christie or Nash, comes to screen and roll for Yao Ming. Then, whether it is Iguodala or Payton, it is absolutely mismatched for Yao Ming. With the difference in height and arm span, Yao Ming wants to shoot 3 points, and the two can only watch helplessly except for fouling.

The second situation is the pick-and-roll with Kobe. It seems that it is Lin Dong who switches defense. It seems that Lin Dong has a chance to stop Yao Ming, but the most dangerous part is here.

If I jump up to defend Yao Ming, what should I do with Kobe who is mismatched?

Chandler will definitely be completely defeated against Kobe, and Yao Ming will definitely pass the ball to him at the first time.

But if he doesn't jump, with Yao Ming's shooting touch that ranks among the best in NBA history, and his 3-point shooting rate that he may have practiced alone... You know, if Yao Ming is not used as a tank by Morey in another world, with his basketball IQ and shooting talent, his final development direction is likely to be another Larry Bird, or even stronger than him!

Do you dare to give Bird an open position on the court?

If there is only Kobe, even if he has reached an extreme peak and reached his Olympic level, Lin Dong is still confident enough to limit him.

But now Yao Ming + Kobe, it's like there are two cups of poisoned wine in front of you, and you will die no matter which cup you choose.

Lin Dong felt a little challenge, a little interesting...

Although he can see the backhand of the two people's pick-and-roll, Lin Dong has no choice at this moment.

Seeing Yao Ming's posture of jumping out of the mismatch, Lin Dong also jumped up high at the first time, with his hands raised high to block all the space and trajectory of Yao Ming's shot.

The next second...

As expected, after "deceiving" Lin Dong, Yao Ming, who was already falling in the air, had no intention of shooting at all, but passed the ball to Kobe Bryant.

The two were close enough, not to mention Chandler, even Lin Dong could not interfere with such a pass.

Snap!

When Lin Dong turned his head in the air, the ball was already in Kobe's hand. With just a twist of his body, Chandler, who was misplaced, didn't even know Kobe's direction and center of gravity, and was directly left behind by Kobe.

Sakuragi Hanamichi rushed to the basket with three steps, and wanted to come up to fill the position, but was entangled by Odom on the left side of the free throw area.

After all, Sakuragi's specialty is defense and entanglement. It's easy for him to entangle others, but it's not easy to get rid of the entanglement of a player of Odom's level. When he finally shook off Odom with his footwork and turned to the paint area, Kobe had already jumped up at the edge of the paint area.

At this time, Kobe Bryant held the ball with both hands, his body was in a large C shape, and the momentum of dunking was ready!

Don't let him get started!

Sakuragi Hanamichi's pupils shrank instantly, and he jumped up towards Kobe.

This will most likely be called a block, but firstly, this is at the home court of the Supersonics, and the first ball may not be called. Secondly, even if it is a foul, pressing the Lakers' first ball is equivalent to pressing their momentum, which is also a very meaningful and valuable exchange.

Sakuragi Hanamichi's eyes were burning with flames at this time, but when he met Kobe's eyes, Sakuragi Hanamichi was suddenly shocked.

It was a pair of eyes as calm as water, even with a hint of "temptation", and at the same time, the body that stretched into a big C also hooked up in an instant, and the body was retracted in the air, and the two-handed holding of the ball became one-handed holding of the ball.

I was fooled!

He deliberately made a dunking posture just to trick himself into jumping up.

At this moment, Sakuragi even had a feeling of facing Lin Dong.

With his current defensive instinct, most attackers are not even willing to face him directly, let alone trick him into a 2+1.

But Kobe just now undoubtedly did this, the whole process was smooth and smooth, and Sakuragi Hanamichi did not smell the smell of the trap in advance.

A kind of attack was transformed into a state of returning to nature. He seemed to be able to complete any action at any time in the air... Before this, there was only Lin Dong!

It was too late to stop now.

Snap!

Beep!

Whoosh!

The sound of hand-fighting, whistle, and basketball picking sounded in the blink of an eye.

Then there was a sound... swish!

Boom, Boom, Kobe and Sakuragi landed at the same time, Kobe's eyes had a faint smile, and the latter immediately turned to look at the referee.

"The goal is valid! The No. 10 player of the Supersonics fouled, one penalty!"

"Frank!" Sakuragi raised his hand and couldn't help muttering.

Frank was the property manager of the new house he bought. When Sakuragi and Haruko just moved in, the black uncle ignored them and looked at them with sullen eyes. Later, when he learned that this red-haired Japanese was actually a famous basketball star, he became flattering again, so he was deeply despised by Sakuragi Hanamichi. In addition, the pronunciation was similar to "Fuck", and Haruko didn't allow him to swear, so Sakuragi Hanamichi changed "Fuck" to "Frank".

But when he looked at Kobe again at this time, his eyes were more vigilant.

Since his defensive skills were perfected, this was really the first time that someone other than Brother Gao had tricked him into a 2+1 in front of him.

Thinking of the scene where Kobe deliberately "waited" for him just now, Sakuragi Hanamichi took a deep breath.

It's been a long time since I was treated as a soft persimmon.

As Kobe made the free throw steadily, the Lakers got off to a good start with a score of 3:0.

God Arena naturally had no reason to cheer for the enemy team, but most of the fans sitting in front of the TV in the United States had already cheered.

"The Lakers started well, Kobe looks in shape! And..." Doris in the live broadcast room was full of excitement. She was very embarrassed by the Grizzlies' game before, but today she finally guessed it right: "The Lakers actually played a fast break! Look, I was right! The only way they can deal with the Supersonics is to attack!"

Barkley: "It's just one ball, don't get too excited, look at the Lakers' next defense!"

Supersonics' ball possession.

The Lakers' defense was very fast. When Kobe was shooting free throws, Yao Ming had already returned to the backcourt basket and set up a formation at this time.

41 zone defense, and the overall shrinkage was about one meter towards the inside line.

Now not only Lin Dong, but also Payton and McMillan on the sidelines can see the Lakers' intention.

On the offensive end, they fight against the Supersonics, and on the defensive end, they rely on gathering the inside line and betting that your outside line is not accurate!

This is also the tactic that the Grizzlies chose when facing the inside and outside linkage of the Supersonics.

Frankly speaking, this is equivalent to giving the Supersonics an outside chance. The Grizzlies have used this trick and have been proven to be very bad.

But the problem is that the same tactics produce completely different chemical reactions in different teams.

The Lakers' inside line is stronger than the Grizzlies. Odom and Doug Christie are both first-class defenders. Coupled with Yao Ming's height advantage, the Lakers after gathering are enough for them to ensure control of the rebounds.

At the same time, the three masters gathered in the inside line, which can not only prevent Sakuragi Hanamichi from eating cakes, but also prevent Lin Dong's breakthrough.

This is a gamble, betting that the Supersonics' outside line is not accurate, betting that the Supersonics will always miss!

The Grizzlies can't gamble like this not only because they don't have enough control over the inside, but also because they don't have an effective way to score. Even if they occasionally gamble on the Sonics' missed shots, they can't use this to catch up.

But if the Lakers' run-and-gun is added, it will be different...

Lin Dong understands.

On the offensive end, they will attack the Sonics, and on the defensive end, they will defend the basket and rebounds, letting the Sonics shoot from the outside. Nash roaming on the outside and Doug Christie who can rush out at any time will interfere slightly. As long as the Lakers guarantee a good rebound, the Sonics' outside hit rate will definitely be controlled.

Then let them see the Sonics' outside line!

Payton received the ball from Iguodala at the baseline. Just as he was thinking this, he saw Lin Dong running and making a gesture to Payton for the ball.

Payton was slightly startled, but he passed the ball to Lin Dong as soon as possible.

Lin Dong smiled.

It's not that he doesn't believe in his teammates' 3 points, but why should he follow the rhythm designed by the Lakers?

You want to slow down and fight a positional battle on the defensive end, but I insist on fast break; you want a fast break, but I insist on slowing down your offensive rhythm.

Staring at people or the ball is not the best. On the court, you have to stare at the rhythm!

If the Lakers want a fast break, let them see how fast it really is.

The faster it is, the easier it is to make mistakes, and the faster it is, the more it requires skills.

When it comes to speed, the Supersonics are never inferior to anyone!

"Fast break!"

Lin Dong shouted and rushed at high speed.

Sakuragi Hanamichi rushed to the basket at the first time. The supersonics, led by Lin Dong, suddenly accelerated and swept away the Lakers. The sudden speed and momentum made the Lakers players involuntarily.

With such impact, ordinary people would think of attacking the inside.

But for Kobe...

He had long given up the defensive method of predicting Lin Dong's thinking. That game had already awakened him. Don't try to defend Lin Dong alone, and don't try to guess his thoughts.

Only by returning defense to instinct and holding a goal of "interfering with the hit rate" can the only effective defense against Lin Dong.

Kobe left the zone defense lineup without hesitation and headed towards Lin Dong. After all, that guy's long-range 3-pointer is too terrible. When you think he is rushing to attack, it is often when he chooses 3 points.

Kobe's choice is timely. Lin Dong really planned to score 3 points just now.

However, there are ways to play without defending your own 3-pointer, but if you defend it, that's another story...

Kobe's defense seems to have gotten rid of the misunderstanding he had before and has become purer. This kind of defense that counters the opponent's moves certainly raises the lower limit of defense, but at the same time it also affects the upper limit of defense...

To deal with this, it's better to go to the extreme than to play tricks.

Let you see new moves!

A gleam of light flashed in Lin Dong's eyes, and the speed of rushing forward did not decrease.

The two of them entered the face-to-face melee position in the blink of an eye, just like two cars driving at high speed are about to collide with each other, but the next second...

Huh!

Lin Dong's body suddenly fell down, and his center of gravity was lowered.

Super low body breakthrough?

Kobe made a judgment immediately, but when his body also lowered the center of gravity to block to the left, he saw that Lin Dong actually changed direction while lowering the center of gravity...

But at this time, he was like a motorcycle bending, and his height of more than 2 meters was now lowered to less than one meter!

The center of gravity is so low... He could only go at the highest speed, and it would be difficult to even stop, but he could actually turn around with the ball in such a situation!

Kobe's pupils suddenly shrank, and then he felt a hurricane passing through his armpits.

He changed direction at a very low speed without slowing down!