God's hand behind the scenes

Chapter 473 The Last Straw

On the stage of the finals, no one is willing to lose, not to mention that the difference between the two sides is only 5 points now.Many teams have to use foul tactics in the last few seconds to try to reverse the 5-point gap, but now the Lakers can use as much as 12 minutes, which is enough time for them in one quarter .

But they don't intend to save this disadvantage until the last moment of the game, because their physical strength must have almost reached the limit at that time, and according to their understanding of the Pistons players, these guys' physical strength can be said to be the top in the league , When it comes to the critical moment of the game, this will become their advantage, and the Lakers don't want to run into trouble by themselves.

Therefore, after the start of the fourth quarter, the Lakers set off a wave of scoring, and their scoring arrow was Kobe.This time Kobe was ordered to play singles, and the Zen master asked O'Neill, Payton and Malone to rest and prepare for the final moment of the decisive battle.Of course, if the Lakers can take the lead early, then there is no need to wait until the end.

Seeing Kobe playing singles with the ball constantly, Chang Wei couldn't help thinking of the seasons when he led the Lakers alone in his previous life. At that time, he also used consecutive mid-range shots and breakthroughs to score in every game.Although many people criticized him for being too independent, but with the overall strength of his teammates at the time, how could not being independent help the team win the game?
Kobe's teammates on the court are obviously much better than they were then, but he still chooses to believe in himself, and his teammates also acquiesced to his behavior.They have heard about the conflict between Kobe and O'Neal for a long time. Although they are not easy to stand in line, they still admire Kobe's competitive spirit. Since Kobe wants to attack by himself, then let him do it.

Under the leadership of Kobe, the Lakers set off a 10-0 spurt, but overtook the Pistons in the score.That's largely because Brown also came off the bench, and in order to rest Wade, who played the full 12 minutes of the third quarter, he put Crawford up at point guard and Prince swung down to play. As a shooting guard, the firepower is naturally not as good as the Lakers.

But just as Brown was about to call a timeout to adjust, Haywood stood up in time to stabilize the situation.He succeeded in low-post singles against Walker in a row. Once he hit a hook, and the other time he assisted Prince to score an air cut.This surprised Brown. After all, Haywood has always been a meat shield insider in the bench lineup. He rarely uses other methods to score besides the pick-and-roll and the second offense. It shocked many people.

But relying on low-post singles alone cannot help the Pistons regain the lead. Crawford lost his previous fiery touch and hit the iron continuously from beyond the three-point line. Dior's passes to him could not be converted into assists.In desperation, Brown can only replace the main force in advance. It is not a big problem for the Pistons to replace the main force in advance. Their physical strength is enough to last until the final decisive moment.

The re-emerging main players quickly took control of the situation, but they were unable to further gain an advantage after tying the score.But unexpectedly, after all the Lakers' main lineup appeared on the stage, they still did not achieve the expected effect, which made Zen master feel very depressed.

The current situation on the field is very delicate. If anyone can seize the opportunity, then there is a great possibility of winning the game.Brown didn't call a timeout, but called Billups when Kobe made a free throw and whispered something in his ear.Billups was taken aback for a moment, then nodded. Brown's voice was not loud, and Chang Wei didn't hear what he said clearly.

Bryant made two free throws, the Lakers led by 4 points, which is nothing.After Billups got the ball, he made a few gestures to his teammates. Everyone rushed to the Lakers half like a tide, but their positioning was very interesting. Except for Da Ben who went deep into the basket, the others The outside line is lined up, which is a classic position of one center and four shooters.

The Pistons' starting lineup looks very conventional, but from the perspective of technical characteristics, it is no problem to say that it is a center and four shooters.After reaching the top of the arc, Billups and Big Ben made a pick-and-roll, Big Ben blocked Payton behind, Billups followed this road to the basket, and Big Ben followed to the basket. Going down, it seems to be a pick-and-roll routine.

Billups rushed deep, which gave the Lakers time to complete the siege, but a second before they closed the siege, Billups took off directly and threw the ball in mid-air to Thomas in the corner, who was also outside The most eye-catching catch point.Thomas didn't shoot, and there was Malone who had just arrived in front of him, but Billups' breakthrough just now made the Lakers' defense back, and it was a bit difficult to expand.Thomas gave the ball to Hamilton at the top of the arc, who made a three-pointer.

The point difference between the two sides returned to 1 point. This is not what the Lakers want to see. They hope to quickly regain the lost points on the offensive end.But many times, mistakes will be made in a hurry. A pass from the Lakers was directly intercepted by Prince. As soon as he picked up the basketball, he passed it to Billups who had already run near the center line.

Then the Lakers' offense failed to score again. Big Ben sent the ball to Hamilton with a long pass across the field. A chasing three-pointer directly stunned the Lakers. This wave of 8-0 spurts immediately allowed the Pistons to take over Take the initiative on the field.And because of their sharp three-pointers, the Lakers didn't dare to shrink their defense casually, and the inside suddenly seemed a lot looser.

After a wave of 8-0, the Pistons did not relax. Although they feel very tired now, they still gritted their teeth and fought with the Lakers.At this time, the physical disadvantages of Payton and Malone were revealed. It was difficult for them to adapt to the speed of the Pistons and they had to leave the game early to rest.The Pistons took the opportunity to hit another wave of scoring climax, widening the point difference to double digits.

This undoubtedly became the last straw that broke the camel's back. Although Kobe and O'Neal were also scoring, the momentum of the Lakers has been irretrievably low. This is fatal for any team, especially in such a critical situation. moment.It didn't help that Jackson switched on Payton and Malone with 4:27 left in the game, and the Lakers ended up losing another game, 85-98, at the Palace of Auburn Hills. They had to go back 0-2 to Los Angeles. It's hard for them to accept, but it's the fact that the Pistons are not a soft persimmon that they can knead.

(End of this chapter)