Basketball Dragon

Chapter 76 External Attack
Compared with the old and strong Reggie Miller, Li Hai felt that the young and strong Stephen Jackson was the most troublesome figure on the outside of the Pacers.

In fact, before Ron Artest came back, Stephen Jackson was the core of the Pacers' perimeter offense and defense. One of Li Hai's tasks was to limit him.

Of course, their biggest trouble is still Jermaine O'Neill, which is not a task that can be accomplished by one person.

At the beginning of the game, O'Neal caused trouble for the Knicks inside, which was expected, but Stephen Jackson didn't have much desire to attack.

Perhaps because of the hard work with James yesterday, Stephen Jackson looked a little tired.

In fact, his offensive skills are comprehensive and his methods are diverse. Although he is not at the top level, he is also the type that can cause a lot of trouble for the opponent. Now he puts most of his energy on defense, and Li Hai just saved his energy.

Marbury didn't feel good when he came up, allowing the Pacers to take the lead with a combination of inside and outside.

The 40-year-old Miller still showed a good competitive state.

"Boy, I will crush you. Do you know what crushing is?" Stephen Jackson chattered, "Yesterday James was unconvinced, and he could only keep hitting the iron in front of me. The same is true for you. I think you like to go to the right when you break through... "

"Almost." Li Hai received the ball, grabbed Jackson and pushed it in.

Jackson stretched out his arm to take out the ball, but Li Hai leaned on the opponent and forced a start, successfully creating a foul.

"Even if you guessed me, it's useless, because you can't keep me anyway."

"Boy, you are dead, I promise you are dead."

Under the interference of the opponent's words, Li Hai made two free throws.

During the defense, Li Hai followed the opponent every step of the way, while Jackson was not in a hurry, just nagging.

Li Hai is not a person who is easily stimulated by words, so trash talk has little effect on him. He received a pass from his teammate, once again assumed a singles posture, took a big stride to grab Jackson's side, and directly The ball goes to the baseline and Tim Thomas catches it and makes the shot.

Tim Thomas plays the 4th position, and the opponent's power forward cannot be defended. There are still some offensive opportunities, but the defense will suffer a lot.

It's a pity that his hit rate is not very stable, otherwise it would be a killer move.

After Li Hai's side gained the advantage, the Pacers' outside defense obviously had a loophole. Crawford seized the opportunity and hit two consecutive long-distance two-pointers to tie the score.

On the Pacers side, there is a shortage of scoring points.

Jackson was forced to shoot a three-pointer against Li Hai's defense. After the miss, the Knicks organized a fast break, and Li Hai's layup caused the opponent's foul again.

Now the strongest point of the Pacers is off the court early, replaced by second-year rookie James Jones, a tall pitcher on the front line.

With Li Hai's physical fitness, he is least afraid of tall pitchers who don't have the ability to attack independently. As long as they strengthen their defense and don't give them the chance to catch the ball easily, their threat will be greatly reduced.

Seeing the Knicks go ahead, the Pacers immediately let O'Neal go to the center position and replaced Austin Croshire to increase the offensive power.

However, the Pacers flew to the away game to play back-to-back, and the players were not in good condition. After Croshere came up, he also missed a shot. In the counterattack of the Knicks, Li Hai directly hit a three-pointer.

So the Pacers could only pull away and let O'Neal play singles inside. At the end of the first quarter, the Knicks led by 27 points at 24:3.

When it came time for the rotation, two new aids, Malik Rose and Maurice Taylor, came on the scene.

Maurice Taylor's performance was mediocre, but Malik Rose grabbed the front court basket, and then grabbed offensive rebounds several times, helping the Knicks to a 10:0 spurt.

At the end of the game, the Knicks led by exactly 10 points.

In the second half, Jermaine O'Neal and Reggie Miller increased the number of shots again, intending to lead the team to catch up with the score.

On the Knicks side, Marbury, who had played halftime, eased up and started a whirlwind mode with the opponent.

Li Hai took advantage of Stephen Jackson's poor state on the opposite side, found another opportunity to create two fouls, and sent him to the bench a little after half a quarter.

Then it was much easier to play against James Jones. Although James Jones was very active in defense, his physical fitness and experience were not as good as Stephen Jackson's, and the restrictions on Li Hai were limited.

During the rotation in the second half, the substitute players on both sides were equally divided and didn't score much. By the time the main players returned to the court, the Pacers were already behind by 13 points.

Jermaine O'Neal chiseled inside, chiseling Kurt Thomas to five fouls and a rest.

However, the Pacers can't feel open from the outside line. Even if Jermaine O'Neal hits all the Knicks inside, it's useless. The Knicks don't rely on the inside to score. Could be a sigh.

When the time is running out, the Pacers will have no chance of a comeback.

They stubbornly used foul tactics, but the Knicks' two guards and Li Hai's free throws were good, and the Pacers had no chance at all.

At 90:79, the Knicks had an advantage from beginning to end, turning a team with a strong inside line into a decoration for the first time.

After negotiating with the team and becoming the main player, Li Hai was relieved to win successive victories and made him more confident.

The regular season is still going on, and on February 2 they ushered in the Lakers at home.

O'Neal was traded away, and Phil Jackson also retired from the position of head coach. Compared with last season, there is only one familiar face left in the main position, that is "Peter Pan" Kobe Bryant, and now the Lakers the one and only king.

Unlike before, this Lakers team now focuses on the outside line, and the main attack point inside the "left-handed magician" Lamar Odom is often pulled outside. The team's offense is acceptable, but the defense is average. .

Speaking of which, the Lakers this season are somewhat similar to the current Knicks. They are also flexible and fast. Even the team record is similar, hovering on the edge of the top eight.

Kobe Bryant, upset at going from a Finals-level team to a playoff-fighting team, is battling Allen Iverson for the scoring charts.

Two teams that both needed to win met together, and they were all trying their best.

The first time the Lakers attacked Kobe, they made a mid-range shot. Marbury also chose the mid-range for the Knicks, but it ended with a strike.

During this period of time, Crawford didn't make such crazy shots. Marbury became the Knicks' number one blacksmith, and the Knicks still felt unstable.

(End of this chapter)