unfinished glory

Chapter 209 Situation
After winning the first game of the Western Conference Finals, the Grizzlies fans were excited, the players were happy, the uniform team was happy, and the boss was also very pleased. Everything looked so beautiful.

But the result of the second game gave them a blow in the head.

The first quarter was fine, the two sides drew a 27:27 tie amicably, the players of the Grizzlies were also in good condition, and Li Chongxiao was willing to be a green leaf just like the start of the previous game.

In the second quarter, the Lakers changed their lineup as soon as they came up, bringing up Ariza and Shannon Brown to focus on defense.

The sudden increase in intensity made the Grizzlies who were still obsessed with the fast-paced offense in the previous quarter very uncomfortable. They were collectively lost in the tough defense of the Lakers, and their shooting percentage was appalling.

Seeing that the situation was not right, Li Chongxiao began to dominate the offense from the second half of the second quarter.After a few rounds of goals helped the team stabilize the situation, he thought about motivating his teammates.

He passed the ball when he encountered double-teaming, hoping that his teammates could take advantage of the open space to recover a little bit. Who knows that his teammates are like some rookies who have just played a game, and they are stunned by the Lakers' rotation defense. Can't even shoot.

The two special insiders, Gasol, met Yao Ming, who was in full form, and Turiaf, who was desperate, and were restricted to death.

In desperation, Li Chongxiao could only struggle alone. Only by scoring non-stop can he fill in the holes lost by the team in the first half.

But his scoring alone was a bit difficult, and the downturn of his teammates made his offense even more difficult, and it took him a lot of effort to score 52 points.However, the Grizzlies' overall offense was not smooth, scoring only 89 points and defeating the Lakers by 21 points.

The loss of this game caused the Grizzlies to lose their home court advantage, and the situation began to tilt towards the Lakers.Among the popular teams ranked by the media, the Lakers also successfully surpassed the Grizzlies and ranked first.

Even in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics, who won two consecutive away games in Cleveland, can only be ranked second. Who told them that they have no superstars.

Yao Ming contributed two consecutive 40+ performances, while Kobe has played 8+ in 30 consecutive games since he played for the Nuggets.

On the stage of the playoffs, a super giant can already make a qualitative leap for the team.Just like Li Chongxiao is to the Grizzlies and James is to the Cavaliers, they can bring a team that has been hovering in the playoffs to the conference finals.

And the Lakers have two stars of this level, and there is no way to defend at all.The previous wins against the Lakers were not to restrict this pair, but to restrict other Lakers players, and also to make their own players feel good.

……

The loss of a game did not cause the Grizzlies to panic.Facing the defending champion on the stage of the playoffs, losing is a normal thing.

However, this result more or less calmed down the players of the Grizzlies, and their swollen hearts shrank back after reaching the Western Conference Finals.

The coaching staff also began to think about the team's problems in the second game. After discussion and discussion, the players still had no experience in major competitions and lacked the ability to deal with emergencies.

Li Chongxiao has already noticed the problem and changed his style of play, while the other players are still sticking to the rules, playing tactic one by one, unable to see any changes in the situation on the court.

But there is no way to solve this kind of problem for a while, and experience is accumulated slowly.The method that the coaching staff can come up with is still self-centered. After stabilizing the defense, stick to the offensive tactics of the regular season. This is a style of play that everyone is familiar with and can reduce fluctuations in player status.

This tactic worked in the beginning of the third game. Judging from the scene, the Lakers' offense was very lively and in full swing, as if they were going to swallow the Grizzlies at any time.

But no matter how the Lakers change, the Grizzlies are like a rock in the heart of the river.The Lakers made a wonderful bottom-line counter-basket, and the Grizzlies managed a clean rebound into the frame; the Lakers made a fast-break dunk, and the Grizzlies returned a regular mid-range.

Although it is at the home court of the Lakers, the Grizzlies have always been firmly ahead by about 5 points relying on their stable performance.

Li Chongxiao returned to the familiar system, no longer deliberately scoring, but following the team's rhythm to attack.

He played a bit tepidly in the three quarters, without any explosive performances, and the audience didn't think so, but the audience in front of the TV looked at the data sheet on the broadcast, Li Chongxiao scored another 33 points, and he will definitely get it today. 40 points, the record of consecutive scoring in the playoffs continues.

In the fourth quarter, Li Chongxiao rested for more than three minutes. Thanks to Conley and Gasol Jr., the Lakers did not make a big wave, and the Grizzlies still maintained a weak lead.

When the main players of both sides played, the final decisive battle came.

Seeing the score on the field and the state of the players today, Li Chongxiao felt that the chances of winning this game were great.As long as his teammates don't lose the chain, he has full confidence to maintain the basic situation and keep the lead until the end.

At this time, the Lakers started the superstar mode, and Kobe was the first to attack. He attacked 4 consecutive rounds from the outside and hit 3 goals.

Li Chongxiao had been prepared for a long time. With the help of his teammates' pick-and-roll, he got rid of two double-teams and also returned three goals.

The point difference is still 6 points, the difference between the three mid-range shots, and there are more than 5 minutes left, which is enough.

But the Lakers couldn't wait. This was at the Staples Center, and they had a game under pressure, and they were already angry.And it is stupid to leave the victory to the last minute. Everyone knows that Li Chongxiao is the best player to hit key shots. According to statistics, his shooting rate in the last minute is as high as 1%.

Kobe stood up, and Yao Ming was not to be outdone, and he scored two goals in a row and caused a foul by Gasol.

At this time, Carlisle called a timeout and started king-to-king.Li Chongxiao defended Kobe Bryant, and the Pau Gasol brothers double-teamed Yao Ming.

Logically speaking, the Lakers should give Kobe more of the ball, after all, outside players have a lot of room to attack independently.But the Lakers did the opposite and gave the ball to Yao Ming consecutively.

Yao Ming's state in this round of the series is very good. With sufficient rest and targeted intensive training for several consecutive summers, he has blazed his own path.

Don't overly pursue weight and inside confrontation ability.After O'Neal gets old, there is no player in the league worthy of him gaining weight.

Based on a reasonable size, he has found an offensive method that suits him.Extraordinary height, soft touch and proficient low-post offensive skills, in this era of withered centers, has become the biggest killer inside.

In the defensive tactics deployed by the Grizzlies, Gasol Jr. defends alone most of the time, but he has never defended Yao Ming from the beginning to now.

Yao Ming, who is playing vigorously, doesn't care how many people are in front of him. Once he gets the ball, he will make a mid-range shot with a slight recede, or a left-handed and right-handed hook.

Since he stopped dribbling and the position of the card was good, Gasol couldn't jump up, and Gasol's double-teaming was useless.

On offense, Yao Ming made the Grizzlies' inside line very embarrassed, and on the defensive end, the Gasol brothers also suffered.His defensive deterrence is very strong, and the only certainty may be that his movement speed is not enough to prevent him from going out.

Unfortunately, the Gasol brothers are also standard inside players, with almost no outside offensive skills.Odom didn't get distracted, he stuck one of them firmly, and Yao Ming dealt with the other very easily.

In one offensive round, he slammed three shots from the Gasol brothers in a row.

Relying on Yao Ming's outburst, the Lakers evened the score and took the lead.It stands to reason that in more than a minute, the Grizzlies still have a chance.

But after being overtaken, the Grizzlies' players were like deflated balls, suddenly unable to play, and the well-functioning defensive system suddenly became riddled with holes.

Although Li Chongxiao scored two goals, the Lakers put the ball in the basket more easily, making his struggle futile.

(End of this chapter)