The era of point forwards in the NBA

Chapter 192 The Champion's Background (please subscribe, ask for a monthly pass)

The half-time break ended, and when he came back from the third quarter, Zen master ignored Bynum's request and continued to put him on the bench. After all, Kobe was the star of the team, so his words were still convincing.

The most important thing is that Kobe's words are indeed reasonable. The Thunder's inside line is not considered strong, and some small lineups will open up the inside space.

Now that he doesn't feel good, he'd better give up that damn picturesque jumper and instead attack the inside.

For the Thunder, Lin Yue did not start the third quarter. Brooks asked him to sit on the bench for a few minutes, and first let Jeff Green replace Lin Yue and defend Kobe Bryant.

In the first half of the third quarter, the Lakers proceeded according to tactics, and the end of the offense was mainly concentrated on Kobe and Gasol. He relied on attacking the inside to achieve their goals.

In addition to offense, they showed championship-level defensive strength on the defensive end. After the Lakers showed their strength, the Thunder's offense hit a wall everywhere.

Durant's indiscriminate singles shooting rate also dropped under strong pressure. "Old Fish"'s defense strategy for Curry is to defend against three-pointers, give breakthroughs and mid-range shots.

In this case, Curry's old problem has been committed again. Curry is always in high spirits when playing, and at the same time passing the ball will be whimsical. To put it bluntly, it is a wave.

This is his playing style. When he was in Davidson, Lin Yue discovered that Curry could play sloppy.

The same is true in this game. Curry's back pass was passed directly to Kobe's hands, and the Lakers instantly formed a fast break. They played 3-on-2 in the frontcourt.

In the past two years, Kobe has improved on the offensive end. Just like the ball just now, he could dunk by himself, but he still passed it to a teammate in a better position. After losing to the Celtics in the Finals the year before last, he reflected on his lack of offense.

Once obsessed with scoring, he is slowly lowering his desire, making more reasonable shots and passing more balls.

It is also the obsession with the championship that the Lakers play better and better, defeating the Magic last season to win the fourth championship of their career.

He had been waiting for this moment for a long time, and it was also this moment that he finally understood that he could not seek a breakthrough without making changes.

Kobe has been criticized all the time because of his bad shot selection, he would rather hit three than pass the ball. This is his bad habit, but now he is trying his best to change it.

Tonight, facing the up-and-coming youth team Thunder, he has a strong desire to attack, but unfortunately, the sound of hammering irons helped him view the game rationally.

Finally, before Brooks called a timeout, the Lakers tied the score 59-59.

"The Lakers deserve to be last year's champions. This year's championship is very hot. As soon as their defensive strength improves, the Thunder's offensive efficiency will drop. Kobe, who is no longer obsessed with mid-range shots, has shown his strong breakthrough ability. I don't know what the Thunder will do after the timeout ends?" Barkley said. At this stage, the Thunder still have no ability to compete with the Lakers.

"Zen Master" Phil Jackson is a pyramid-type coach in the NBA. He was a coach in the Bulls dynasty and the Lakers dynasty. He coached Jordan and Kobe. The championships are the greatest recognition of his coaching ability.

Compared with famous coaches, Brooks is a rookie. This year is only the second year of his coaching career. This young coach still has a lot to learn, but he is very bold, dares to try, and believes in players.

For the Thunder's offense, he will only do rough tactics, and leave the rest to the players themselves. He believes in his disciples.

Brooks also wants to win this game, to prove to the world that the Thunder is no longer a weak team, but he also knows that the current players are not experienced enough, and they need to grow and learn from failure.

As the championship team, the Lakers are the most suitable teaching candidates.

After Lin Yue came on the court, the Thunder's offense still did not improve. Except for "Old Fish", the Lakers' players were all shrinking within the three-point line.

Durant is an offensive presence, and his poor performance has a direct impact on the Thunder.

Fortunately, Curry stood up. After Lin Yue went to cover, Curry shot directly two steps away from the three-pointer, very decisive, and the sound of the basketball hollowing into the net was like a booster.

The audience at the scene finally felt relieved. The Thunder still had a strong offense, but it was not enough on the defensive end.

Kobe relied on the speed of the first step to pass Lin Yue directly, and after a layup, he drew a foul from Ibaka, and it was a 2 plus 1.

Before the end of the third quarter, the Lakers had been firmly occupying the initiative on the court, and every wave of the Thunder's counter-feeding was contained. Their defensive end in this quarter was really not at the same level as the Lakers.

Fisher has fought for many years and has rich experience, and Curry will also suffer from this kind of old fritters.

Although he didn't score in this quarter, and he didn't make the only three-pointer he took, but he was able to connect the team.

The team is not as pleasing to the eye as Lin Yue, and this kind of steady passing is exactly what a strong team needs.

With the baptism of the championship, the spirit of this team is completely different.

Kobe and his sister-in-law played the entire third quarter. Kobe's shooting percentage was still not high, 6 of 2, but he broke through and won 5 free throws, made 4 free throws, and scored 8 points in a single quarter.

The sister-in-law is still stable, 4 of 3, 6 points and 2 rebounds.

The tempo of both sides in this quarter was not fast, the Lakers stabilized the tempo, and the Thunder couldn't pick up the speed.

After three quarters, the Lakers entered the fourth quarter with a two-point lead 73-71.

"This game was more intense than expected. The Thunder did not fall behind. Even in the high-intensity third quarter, they were not separated by a wave. Although the score was overtaken, the two-point difference will hardly have any impact." Barkley said.

"That's right, let's see how the two teams will perform in the last quarter." Kenny Smith continued.

Stern on the sidelines had fun watching it. As an audience at the scene, he was very aware of the excitement and fluency of the game. As the focus of the game, this game was not lacking in fun.

Lin Yue didn't have any timidity in front of Kobe. On the contrary, he became more and more courageous as he fought. Kobe's low shooting percentage can be said to be due to his bad touch, and it can also be attributed to Lin Yue's outstanding defense. The natural disadvantage of the yellow race did not defeat this young man.

Even if he was passed, the young man still chased after him, fighting for every ball.

Compared with personal strength, Lin Yue's fighting spirit also injected vitality into the game.

(End of this chapter)