NBA: I am the god of basketball

Chapter 168 Wang Chao Playing Like Kobe
Wang Chao's score in the first quarter was not high, not only did not make the Lakers feel at ease, but even more uneasy.

It is the third year that they have played against Wang Chao. In the previous seasons, the Lakers had to play at least 8 games against the Magic, two games in the regular season, and at least six games in the playoffs or finals.

It can be said that apart from a few teams in the West, such as the Rockets, Spurs, and Suns, the Lakers know the Magic best.

As the arrow of the Magic's offense, Wang Chao is naturally the key research object of the Lakers. They know very well that Wang Chao's scoring is impossible to limit. No matter what method is used to defend him, this guy can rely on various A way to achieve the goal of scoring.

Therefore, the Lakers' defensive strategy for the Magic is to cut off the connection between Wang Chao and other teammates as much as possible. Wang Chao can get high scores, but the other players of the Magic must not be able to play.

The other players of the Magic team under the one-star four-shot system all have extremely accurate three-point shooting percentages. Once they feel hot, it will be too late!

Now the Magic team sent a very bad signal to the Lakers in the first quarter. Under Wang Chao's go-between, several starting players played well, and the two sides fought evenly. But in this case, if Wang Chao starts to play How can the Lakers hold on?
Such fears quickly became reality.

In the second quarter, as Jamal Crawford came on the stage and took over the ball, the Magic began to attack the Lakers.

Wang Chao and Crawford took turns holding the ball to break through and hit the basket, which increased the pressure on the Lakers inside the twin towers. Crawford's dribbling and speed are among the top guards in the league, although the finishing efficiency at the basket is not very high High, but his speed still gives many centers a headache.

And Wang Chao was even more troublesome. Artest, who was in charge of defending Wang Chao, was surprised to find that Wang Chao's playing style today was very similar to Kobe Bryant. But he can still score all of these extremely difficult attacks!
With the blessing of walking in the air, Wang Chao's ability to stay in the air and the interference resistance of forced shots in the air have been greatly improved, and he can play like Jordan and Kobe.

Wang Chao has to admit that the Curry-style three-pointer is indeed very powerful, and its lethality and deterrence is unique in the league. , the middle distance is the truly kingly move that can be finalized.

This is also one of the reasons why Curry failed to win the FMVP in the first three championships, because in such unconventional occasions, the efficiency of forced three-pointers will indeed be seriously affected when encountering the opponent's strict defense.

Although the FMVP of the Warriors' first championship has a huge shady existence, no matter what reason Iguodala can get the FMVP, it can't be justified, but what the opponent seizes is that Curry's performance during the finals is far worse than usual.

In the subsequent second and third championships, it was even more natural for the FMVP of the finals to be won by Durant. Even if Durant's superb performance during the finals was based on the fact that Curry attracted the Cavaliers' focus on defense, Durant It is an indisputable fact that Rand's mid-range shots without misses in the game and his final shots at critical moments are all indisputable.

Durant does not have the ability to stay in the air like Jordan and Kobe, but the advantage of height and wingspan makes him completely comparable to the effect of the former when shooting.

Wang Chao's static talent is not as good as Durant's, and he is slightly inferior to Jordan and Kobe in jumping and staying in the air. However, the combination of the two also makes Wang Chao have a strong dominance in this field!

In the second quarter of the game, Wang Chao made 10 of 6 shots and 3 of 3 free throws. Although he didn't make a three-pointer, he scored 15 points in a single quarter. With Jamal Crawford's 8 points, the Magic team In the second quarter, the score was 29:22, and the two teams ended 57:48 at halftime, with a difference of 9 points.

During the intermission, when Kobe walked towards the player tunnel, he still couldn't help looking at Wang Chao on the other side, his eyes full of doubts.

Although Wang Chao's style of play is rare, he did it in this playoff series against the Celtics. It's just that watching the game video and seeing it with his own eyes is a completely different feeling.

Kobe just felt incredible. When did Wang Chao's ability to stay in the air become so good?He can actually attack in the way he is best at, and his hit rate is not lower than him.

For a long time, there are very few scorers who can make the paranoid Kobe admire. Jordan is one, and Iverson and McGrady are barely counted. Now there is one more Wang Chao in this list.

In the past, Kobe's impression of Wang Chao was mainly on his accurate three-pointers. Although Wang Chao also gradually developed his mid-range and ball-holding breakthrough skills, he did not reach the top level after all.

But now, with the top-level ability to stay in the air, Wang Chao's lethality in the mid-range and restricted areas has reached an unprecedented height, not inferior to Kobe himself.

This makes paranoid people like Kobe who don't admit defeat quite admire.

Relying on 15 points in the second quarter, Wang Chao scored 21 points at the end of the half, which was evenly matched with Kobe Bryant, but the Lakers have already begun to fall into a disadvantage.

In the third quarter, the Lakers failed to narrow the score. Instead, the score was further stretched to double digits because of the Magic's frequent firing from outside the three-point line.

The twin towers on the inside were unable to play a role due to Howard's strong ability to protect the frame. Kobe could only continue to rely on his personal ability to score and lead the team forward, but what he had to face was Afflalo and Trevor Ariza, two top players in the league. The defenders took turns to serve, and at the beginning he could score with his personal ability, but as the game progressed and his physical strength was consumed, Kobe's efficiency began to decline, and the Lakers were even more unable to sustain the crazy bombing of the Magic.

The game entered the fourth quarter, and the situation deteriorated further. At 5 minutes and 47 seconds into the fourth quarter, as Wang Chao and Howard made a three-point long-range shot one step from the three-point line after the pick-and-roll, the point difference between the two teams officially came to 20. points or more.

Seeing that the recovery was weak, the Lakers began to replace the main lineup.

This is only the first game of the finals, and it is still an away game. The Lakers have already made psychological preparations before the start of the game. The outcome of a game does not directly affect the final battle. The game has just begun.

Wang Chao paddled to help his teammates score in the first quarter, and started to exert strength in the second and third quarters. In the end, he scored 37 points, 6 rebounds and 11 assists, becoming the biggest contributor to the Magic's winning start.

Howard has 16 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocks. Except for the first quarter, there are not many offensive shots in the next few quarters, but his contribution on the defensive end, especially the defense at the basket, is crucial. It is also one of the main contributors to the Magic's ability to win.

Except for the two members of the super magic combination, the outside shooters of the Magic played very well. Nelson made 6 of 3 three-pointers, Afflalo made 5 of 2, and Channing Frye made 3 of 2. In general The Magic played exactly what they wanted in the first game, and if the next game can continue this style of play, there is no problem in winning the series and winning the championship.

湖人队这边，科比最终得到43分5篮板6助攻，但湖人队其他球员的发挥都很一般，面对钱宁.弗莱防守的加索尔16投7中得到21分8篮板，但拜纳姆在霍华德的防守下仅有6分7篮板入账。

球队最佳第六人奥多姆的发挥更加糟糕，3投1中，全场只有3分5篮板1助攻。

In fact, Odom's performance in the playoffs this season has been unsatisfactory.

In the previous games, he averaged only 9.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2 assists per game. Although his performance was not bad, he was not excellent either, especially compared to Jamal, the sixth man of the Magic who averaged around 18 points per game during the playoffs. . Crawford compared.

In fact, many people can clearly feel that Odom's devotion and concentration in the game are obviously insufficient, he often loses his mind, and his professional attitude is also questioned.

This has always been the main reason for restricting Odom's achievements in the league as a "left-handed magician".

There are also many people who attribute this to Odom's wife Khloe Kardashian. After all, as a well-known NBA star harvester, few NBA stars who are related to the Kardashian family can do well in the league. , even Harden really ushered in the explosive period of his career after breaking up with Khloe Kardashian and won the regular season MVP.

But in fact, the main reason is Odom himself. This is a player who does not have much desire to win and hard work. For him, the NBA is just a job to make money. Whether he has a championship will not affect his money. Why are you so desperate?

It's also fortunate that he's on the Lakers, and there's a paranoid like Kobe in the team. He doesn't dare to make too much of a fuss.

Of course, the problem facing the Lakers is not just Odom alone. The Magic's current one-star lineup is indeed very strong, especially with Wang Chao, a top shooter comparable to Curry, on the outside. mountain big.

This is really too different from the level of the Magic that should have been the Lewis version in the original history.

输掉第一场比赛的湖人队在两天后的比赛中进行一番调整，成功的在6月6日的二番战中104:94搬回一城，将总比分改写为1:1。

这场比赛科比的发挥很一般，全场20投8中只有21分入账，可是湖人队双塔却齐齐发威，保罗加索尔25分11篮板，拜纳姆20分6篮板7封盖。

Howard, who completely suppressed the two inside in the last game, was targeted by the Lakers in this game. Kobe continued to attack the frame with the ball and made fouls, but the referee blew his whistle every time, which caused Howard to fall into a foul crisis early and stayed off the court. He spent more time on the field than on the court, and finally was sent off with 6 fouls in the middle of the fourth quarter. His personal data was only 14 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks.

The Lakers' tactics against Howard were very successful, causing the Magic to miss inside. Without Howard, the Lakers' Twin Towers teamed up to score 45 points. Even though Kobe played slightly worse, he still won the game.

It's just that this move can only be used once.

On June 6th, in the third game of the series, Howard learned the experience and lessons of the previous game. This game was played very carefully. Some defenses with foul risks would rather give up strategically than watch the opponent score. Take a risk. Although this move made Howard's defensive ability at the basket slightly decline, he managed to control the number of fouls in the entire game to less than 8 times.

With Howard on the court, things immediately changed.

上一场还耀武扬威的拜纳姆这场比赛在自家主场9投仅3中，得到9分7篮板，加索尔也只有13分10篮板4助攻的数据。

Kobe's performance in this game was not satisfactory. Efflalo and Trevor Ariza, two perimeter defensive experts, took turns defending Kobe while discussing and exchanging experience.

Afflalo was later admitted by Kobe himself as one of the most difficult defensive players to get rid of, so he was dubbed the "Kobe Terminator". A teammate for a period of time, he knows Kobe's technical characteristics very well.

When Kobe met these two guys, he had a bad luck. The defensive styles of the two were completely different, and they defended Kobe alternately. Even though he was stronger than anyone in his life, Kobe felt a headache when facing the defense of the two. What's more, even if you pass the outside defense and rush into the inside, you have to face Howard's supplementary defense, which can be said to be full of pressure on the offensive end.

It can only be said that Kobe deserves to be Kobe. Even in the face of such a high-intensity defensive pressure, he still scored a team-high 29 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. He only made 29 of 10 shots and a 34.5% shooting rate. What are you wearing...

For the Magic, Wang Chao scored a game-high 34 points, Howard scored 17 points and 13 rebounds, and Crawford scored 21 points. Together they won the game in Los Angeles and the score came to 2:1.

The Lakers who lost the game immediately regained their strength. Kobe, who only made 29 of 10 shots in the last game, rebounded strongly in this game and beat Afflalo and Ariza. He made 22 of 10 shots and 11 of 6 three-pointers. Scored 33 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists, and his three-pointers are almost comparable to Wang Chao.

The Lakers won the fourth game 96:92. The two teams were evenly matched, and the score was tied at 2:2.

However, with the G5 Magic in the finals, they beat the Lakers by 113 points 97:16, took the lead in winning the Tianwangshan battle, and rewritten the total score to 3:2. The situation began to favor the Magic.

In the first five games, although the two teams won and lost each other, Wang Chao's performance was as stable as ever. Compared with Kobe, whose shooting percentage was fluctuating under the defense of the Magic team, Wang Chao's shooting percentage was consistent. They are all stable at around 50%. In 5 games, they averaged 33.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game. The performance must suppress Kobe, who averaged 30.8 points, 6 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game and shot 41% from the field.

For a team, what a stable and efficient player represents is self-evident.

(End of this chapter)