I just play ball

Chapter 431 Never Underestimate the Enemy
The Kings attacked, McClemore took the ball to the right wing, facing Kobe's defense, his crotch changed hands and shook.

D'Antoni had previously emphasized the need to increase the pressure on the ball handler, and Kobe stepped forward and pressed close.

McLemore changed his right hand behind his left hand, passed Kobe in one step, was intercepted by Landry, and he hit the ground sideways to pass the ball.

It's a pity that Reggie Evans' reaction was a little slow. He stood upright and waited for the basketball to bounce back into his hands. Landry, who turned around and returned to the defense, pounced on the basketball, caught the ball in his hands, and stood up straight to make a long pass. .

Cheers sounded in the arena, and Reggie seemed unwilling, and he stretched his hand into Landry's arms to fight for it.

The referee's whistle sounded, and Reggie was called for a foul, giving the Lakers the right to the ball in the backcourt.

Landry shrugged his shoulders and spread his hands. Anyway, the fast break didn't start, which was equivalent to giving away a free foul, and the Kings made two turnovers in a row, successfully proving that they deserved to be ranked fourth on the turnover list.

The referee walked to the sideline with the ball, Landry caught the ball and threw it to Li Yue, and the Lakers started to attack.

Walking to the left at 45 degrees, Li Yue raised his hand and lightly tossed the basketball, passing it to the left waist.

As soon as Kobe received the ball, Guy double-teamed before he could turn around.

Kobe hit the ground and passed back, Li Yue caught the ball and took off, making a three-pointer without hesitation.

bass!The basketball went into the net hollow, and the Lakers led 9-2.

Kobe nodded slightly to indicate that this kind of ball must be shot, otherwise the king will only shrink and double-team unscrupulously.

The Kings attacked, and Collison took the whole way to the left for a 45-degree three-pointer. He took the initiative to keep a distance from Li Yue, patted the ball and waited.At the same time, McLemore started from the left corner, and with the help of Cousins' positioning screen, he threw Kobe away and rushed to the free throw line.

Bryant squeezed through the screen to catch up, just in time to see the basketball bounce off the ground and fly towards Cousins.

Opportunity is at hand, Bryant slammed the brakes, rushed to the basketball to create a double-team.

Unexpectedly, Cousins' two big hands were like iron pliers, he hugged the basketball tightly and turned forward suddenly, facing the double-team, he forced a sprint, and entered the paint area with two 'kicks'. Gobe ​​interferes with the jump.

Beep!The referee blew his whistle and called Gobert for a thug foul.

The basketball hit the basket and fell, and two free throws were not too bad.

Gobert's pace was a little slow just now, and he couldn't control the hand he had already stretched out.

There were boos everywhere in the arena, Cousins ​​stood on the free throw line, made two free throws, and the Kings chased 4-9.

The Lakers attacked, Li Yue dribbled the ball to the right wing, and Kobe got stuck in the short corner with his back.

To be honest, Kobe’s position is very good, but Gobert was emptied in the free throw line area. Cousins ​​clearly underestimated Gobert’s mid-range and long-range shooting ability, and must be punished, otherwise it will not be conducive to a better offensive, and it may also lead to Gobert’s confidence reduce.

After making up his mind, Li Yue threw the ball to the free throw line, 'ignoring' Kobe's left hand that had been raised high.

Gobert received the ball, hesitated a little, and seemed to wonder why the ball was given to him.

Kobe clapped his hands and shouted: Quick shot.

Gobert made a shot in response, but the basketball hit the basket and rebounded, and sighs suddenly came from all around the arena.

Cousins ​​grabbed the rebound and landed it to Collison, and the Kings counterattacked.

The two cooperated at the top of the arc, and Collison took the opportunity to get rid of Li Yue, took a big step, and made a sudden stop to shoot two points.

The basketball hit the basket and fell, and Mike Malone raised his hands to express his doubts. When did Collison make such a snap shot?

Covington got a defensive rebound and went all the way to the right wing of the frontcourt. At this time, Kobe was already locked in the right waist.

But Kobe is still with McClemo and Cousins, and it seems that he is particularly afraid of Kobe's back.

In this case, the passing display is not a good choice. Covington followed Kobe's gesture and turned his attention to the left half.

Just about to make a move, the referee suddenly blew his whistle and called Cousins ​​for a foul by pushing.

Cousins ​​had a single mind, but he didn't deny it, and walked towards Gobert honestly.

With a little arrangement, the Lakers re-kicked off in the frontcourt.

Li Yue received the ball at the top of the arc, then threw it to Covington, strode down, and went straight to the left waist.

Kobe raised his head, and with the help of a cross screen, he easily rushed to the top of the arc, received a pass from Covington, and went straight to the basket.

Li Yue caught the ball and jumped up high, and hit the layup casually.

That thought, Cousins ​​swooped in and brutally nailed the big hat.

The Kings bench stood up and cheered, and Cousins ​​caught the basketball and pushed forward himself.

He rushed all the way to the top of the arc, and facing Gobert's defense, he actually made a cross-body front change and easily completed the breakthrough.

This is not Durant's kind of stick, but a strong man with unicorn arms, the visual impact is too strong.

Li Yue came back to his senses and hurriedly retracted the pincer attack, but it was too late, and Cousins ​​fully started his three-step layup.

After trying to take a risk, he was unsuccessful. The basketball rebounded into the net, and the Kings chased 6-9.

The Lakers attacked, and Kobe ran the ball across the center line and threw it to the top of the arc.

Li Yue received the ball and held it flat, shaking his head to signal his teammates to go to the free throw line and set down.

The Lakers have failed to win several rounds in a row. This time it is best to break the scoring shortage and avoid a low momentum.

Landry and others understood, and ran to the bottom corner or short corner, leaving only Kobe to stay in the left elbow area.

Li Yue hit the ground to pass the ball, and Kobe took the ball and bent his shoulders to make a strong attack on McClemore.

Beep!The referee whistled and called Kobe for an offensive foul on the grounds that he raised his elbow to open the way.

There were boos everywhere in the arena, Kobe just shook his head slightly, walked forward slowly without too much entanglement.

The King kicked off from the sideline, and Collison raised his hand at the top of the arc to ask for it, but Cousins ​​threw the ball to the left wing of the frontcourt.

McLemore rushed the ball and seemed to want to rely on his positional advantage to score easily before everyone else.

But he forgot that Kobe once had a half-court chase.

I saw Kobe speeding up suddenly, chasing McClemore all the way to the basket, and following McClemore to take off.

It didn't form a block, but McLemore was forced to change to a gliding rod for a layup, and the degree of difficulty increased sharply.

boom!The basketball hits the board and falls.

Landry picked it up, turned around and threw it to the center line, and the Lakers launched a counterattack.

Li Yue took the ball to the left wing, and with the idea of ​​breaking the scoring shortage, slowed down and organized the attack.

Kobe followed up and set up, backed McClemo on the left elbow, and Li Yueqing threw the pass.With the previous hollow three-pointer deterrence, Gay did not dare to close the double-team, Kobe continued to step and shake, turned around and took off to make a mid-range shot.

when!The basketball bounced off the hoop.

McLemore picked up the rebound and quickly took it to the left wing of the frontcourt. He voluntarily gave up Cousins' screen and shot Kobe head-on.

bass!The basketball went into the net hollow, and the Kings tied the score.

The Lakers attacked, Li Yue took the ball to the right wing, raised his hand and threw it to the bottom corner.

Covington received the ball and held it high. He wanted to pass it to Kobe at the waist, but Kobe was pinched by McClemore and Cousins.

Gobert was unguarded, Li Yue and Kobe shouted reminders at the same time, and Covington made a long pass.

Gobert took the ball and took a quick step. As soon as he reached the basket, he was intercepted by Cousins.Gobert bent down to hit the ball to borrow strength, Li Yue said in his heart that it was not good, this ball should be played high, how can he compete with Cousins?

Sure enough, Gobert put the basket and hit the iron.

Landry rushed to get the offensive rebound, and put the basket against the three strong men of the Kings.

Snapped!The thugs sounded.

The referee blew his whistle and called Reggie Evans for a thug foul and gave him two free throw opportunities.

Taking advantage of the referee's arrangement, Li Yue and Kobe went to the sidelines to discuss. They underestimated the enemy before, and the king was more difficult to deal with than imagined.

"Their strategy is very obvious. Taking advantage of Gobert's poor long-range shooting, they double-teamed me without any scruples." Kobe put his arm around Li Yue's shoulder, "You can't deliberately give up the offense, do you understand me?"

Li Yue nodded to express his understanding. The logic is very simple. Covington, Landry, and Gobert have no ability to attack with the ball, and Covington is not so stable in three-pointers. Just put it in the basket.

Therefore, it is necessary to open up the situation through breakthroughs and long shots, and then help Kobe reach the record.

The referee blew his whistle to remind them, and the two returned to their respective positions.

Cheers sounded in the arena, Landry made two free throws, and the Lakers led 11 to 9.

The Kings attacked, Collison dribbled the ball across the center line, raised his hand and threw it 45 degrees to the left.

Cousins ​​waited sideways to catch the ball, and suddenly put the ball straight into the paint.

Gay caught the ball with his back and turned back, but Covington had quick eyes and quick hands, and held the basketball firmly with his left hand.

Perhaps it was because of his lack of strength, but Guy didn't realize it, and continued to jump, even wanting to play a backhand dunk.

The basketball flew to the bottom line, Landry took the first step to catch it, and the Lakers launched a counterattack.

Li Yue took the ball to the top of the arc, and with the help of Landry's cover, he diverted and moved to the left.

Reggie switched defenses and moved laterally to intercept, Gay squeezed through the cover to catch up, forming a flank attack in some areas.

Landry disassembled and moved laterally, received a pass from Li Yue, turned around and turned right again.

At this time, Kobe happened to use Gobert to cover his right elbow, catch the ball and take off to make a mid-range shot.

bass!The basketball was hollowed out, and the Lakers led 13 to 9.

In this attack, they didn't find Kobe immediately. The Kings defense seemed to lose their focus, and they couldn't even defend against a simple roll-cut screen. But Mike Malone got up from the bench immediately, and seemed to have noticed something.

The Kings attacked, and Gay brought the ball to the left wing, probably trying to get back to the previous field. There was no need to cover, and he broke through to the short corner directly against Covington.

The basketball crashed into the net, 13 to 11.

The Lakers attacked, Li Yue dribbled the ball across the center line, raised his hand and passed to the left wing.

Covington received the ball and continued to change hands under his crotch, pretending to make a strong shot, but turned around and passed back.

Li Yue received the ball and moved along the sideline, and hit the ball to the left short corner while running.

Kobe caught the ball with his back, turned back and broke through immediately, faced McClemo and chased him closely, stopped and pulled the ball and turned forward.

Guy shrunk to double-team, Kobe slowed down and changed his rhythm, dodged easily, and stuck his back to the position, then raised his head and hands to aim at the basket.

Cousins ​​jumped up to block the shot, Kobe stopped his movement, and waited until Cousins ​​landed before taking a steady jump to shoot.

Gay didn't try to take a back shot, the basketball was hollowed out, and the Lakers led 15 to 11.

The announcer announced loudly, but it was a pity that Li Yue's assist was not counted.

The Kings attacked, and Collison slowly dribbled the ball forward, crossing the center line and throwing it to the top of the arc.

Cousins ​​received the ball, turned around and then turned to the right waist, Gay took the ball and hit Covington with his back.

Li Yue shrunk towards the paint area, and seeing Guy turn forward with the ball, he decisively moved laterally to double-team.

Landry also joined in, forming a three-person encirclement in an instant, but perhaps it was the previous strong shot that gave Gay endless courage, making him know that there are tigers in the mountain, but he prefers to go to the tiger mountain, and he insists on carrying the three-person encirclement to take off and release the basket.

when!The basketball hit the hoop and fell.

Covington picked up the rebound and passed it to Li Yue, and the Lakers launched a counterattack.

While running, the referee suddenly blew his whistle and called Gay a technical foul.

Li Yue stopped the ball when he heard the sound, and looked up at the large central screen. It turned out that Guy clapped his hands and complained to the referee. He should have called a foul just now, but the referee seemed to think that action was threatening, and used his power to fight back on the spot.

"He sent two fouls for nothing, almost triggering free throws for ordinary fouls. No wonder the Kings have famous coaches and good players, but they can only get 50% of the record, and the mistakes are exaggerated." Li Yue felt emotional.

Kobe had already scored 10 points. In order to ensure the goal of achieving at least 36 points, it was natural for him to execute a technical foul free throw. Amid the MVP cheers from the audience, he made it easily and the Lakers led 16 to 11.

After the free throw and continued to attack, the Lakers kicked off from the sideline of the backcourt. Li Yue took it to the top of the arc and handed it to Covington who was raised.Landry then ran to block Collison with a wall, and a wide open was formed. Kobe encouraged him loudly, and Covington took off and shot a three-pointer.

when!The basketball hit the basket and bounced upside down. Li Yue estimated where it would land and rushed to the free throw line ahead of time.

Sure enough, the basketball flew to the free throw line, Li Yue caught it, and immediately threw it 45 degrees to the left.

Kobe caught the ball and raised his hand, pointing McLemore, and then rushed to the elbow with the ball, and made a sudden stop to take off and make a mid-range shot.

Boom!The basketball hit the circle and was caught. Kobe scored his 13th point and Li Yue added another assist.

The Lakers led 18 to 11, and the situation returned to the opening, but Kobe's holding time was greatly reduced.

The Kings attacked, Collison took the ball to the left wing, lingered for a long time, raised his hand and threw it to the left waist, and slowly ran to the top of the arc.

Cousins ​​received the ball with his back, then turned to face the basket, the three-threat action changed to stepping down the ball, and finally hit sideways.

Gobert was a little hard to resist, and Li Yue shrunk to double-team, but at the same time, Collison accelerated to start, and with the help of McClemore's cover, he strode towards the right sideline.

As soon as Li Yue was close to the body, Cousins ​​raised his hand and made a long pass, and there was an exclamation in the arena.

Li Yue turned his head hastily and saw the basketball flying to the right. He immediately reacted in his heart, turned around and ran like lightning, across the half court like lightning, and flew towards Collison. build.

Bark!The basketball touched Li Yue's fingertips, and the flight trajectory changed immediately, falling straight down, and Li Yue landed on the right sideline.

Gobert and Cousins ​​took off at the same time to compete, and the two slapped the basketball to the sideline.

Seeing the basketball flying over, Li Yue kicked off the ground and took off, relying on his absolute height advantage to catch it first.

When he landed and looked up, he found that Kobe had rushed to the three-point line in the frontcourt, and he decisively turned sideways and swung his arms for a long pass.

The basketball landed at the free throw line like a positioning airdrop. Kobe's catcher took advantage of the trend and scored with a gliding split.

The Lakers led 20-11, Kobe scored his 15th point and Li Yue scored his fifth assist.

The referee blew his whistle to stop the game, the Kings requested a timeout, and the arena applauded in pieces.

"We've talked about the assist record before," Van Gundy said. "Do you think there's hope?"

"I don't think so," Jackson shook his head. "After the Lakers no longer underestimate the enemy, the Kings will be hard to resist, unless coach Mike Malone has a miraculous strategy like 'teaming Kobe and sticking to the penalty zone'."

(End of this chapter)