Versatile Point Forward

Chapter 187 Irreversible Trend
June 6, Amway Center, Orlando, Florida.

The third game of the 2008-09 season finals ignited the war here.This time, Ye Feng and Abby didn't buy conspicuous quasi-VIP seats, they sat in a very inconspicuous corner and whispered, completely ignoring the two teams warming up.And what they were discussing was not basketball, let alone this game, but the Disney theme park on the outskirts of Orlando, which was their next itinerary.

That's right, Ye Feng and Abby arrived in Orlando by plane on the morning of the 8th, but the schedule is like this, the third game is on June 6th, and the fourth game is on June 9th, which means they Either go play together on the 6th, or have to wait until after the four games are over.However, before coming to Orlando, they searched for some information about this Disney park on the Internet, which also allowed them to add this place to their itinerary for the first time.But now, it is better to watch the game first. Although it seems that the Lakers have a crushing advantage, how will they know who will win and who will lose until the last moment?
Both sides played well in the first quarter. The Magic’s Lewis and Alston, relying on Howard’s super dominance inside, fired frequently from outside the three-point line, while the Lakers still relied on Kobe’s Gasol. Out of the core to score.Obviously, the Lakers have much more scoring points than the Magic. Although the main points of the Magic are scattered among Howard, Turkoglu, Alston and Lewis, these four people plus Courtney Lee still formed a configuration of one center + four shooters. That is to say, as long as Howard is on the court, the Magic's system will remain the same, far less than the Lakers.

However, the Lakers only led by 4 points at the end of the first quarter.Abby said with some concern: "It seems that the Magic's game has become different. Is this the bonus of the home court?" Ye Feng murmured: "Yes, basically most teams and players, in When I play at home, I can get different degrees of bonuses. It may be due to the support given to us by the home fans, or it may be because we are more familiar with the stadium environment, or it may be the referee’s default home whistle or something. ...But anyway, home court advantage is still very important for a team, especially in the finals when it is critical."

Sure enough, amidst the shouts of the Magic fans, the Magic led by Howard became more and more courageous.Except for Kobe, the Lakers seem to be unable to shoot. The insider Gasol also lost his sense of rebounding in front of Howard, allowing "Warcraft" to score a quasi double-double with 10 points and 7 rebounds in a single quarter. , This is already regarded as the Lakers' weak defense inside.The Magic's efforts on both ends of the offense and defense were all converted into a gap in the score. In the second quarter, they scored 32 points in a single quarter, but only allowed the Lakers to score 23 points. At the end of the first half, the score was overtaken by 59 to 54.

Looking at the madness of the Magic fans around him, Ye Feng was very glad that he didn't chat loudly with Abby just now. If the Magic fans knew that he was a die-hard Lakers fan, even if he didn't directly come up to it, the verbal cynicism and trash talk would be fine. Inevitably.Abby didn't seem to be unhappy at all. After all, she wasn't a true Lakers fan, but because Ye Feng liked the Lakers, she followed suit.Strictly speaking, she is not a fan of any team. The reason she gave is: Only when she does not regard herself as a fan of any team can she write the most objective comments.Well, there's nothing wrong with that...

In the second half, Phil decisively changed his style and directed the Lakers players to play high-intensity defense.The Magic also responded with defense, but their defensive system seemed relatively monotonous. Basically, it was a routine for Howard to solve the problem after the outside line was delayed.Although the Magic's outside players focus on offense and light defense, it is still possible to harass the Lakers players to give up outside shots, and as long as they break into the inside, it is Howard's defensive range.The third quarter turned into a defensive battle, the offensive efficiency of the two sides plummeted, and the game was cut to pieces by the continuous whistle.However, the Magic still withstood the Lakers' change of tactics and still led slightly by 22 to 21 in the single quarter. This result also made Phil's face quite ugly.

In the last quarter, the two sides finally returned to their most familiar style of play. The Lakers basically carried Kobe on the shoulders of the offense, and occasionally let Gasol support in the high position. The Magic still used a combination of one center + four shooters. The basket fired from the outside, and if the outside feel was too bad, he gave the ball to Howard in the low post, and asked him to use his inhuman physical fitness to solve the problem.In the end, the Lakers still failed to tie the score, losing 104 to 108, and the big score became 2 to 1.In this campaign, Howard scored 21 points and 14 rebounds, and four others scored in double figures. The Lakers did not lose at all.

But just as the Magic were about to win two home games in a row, the Lakers told them with their own strength: Don't have nothing to do and start daydreaming. On the evening of the 11th, also at the Amway Center, the Lakers counterattacked aggressively in the third quarter after experiencing a slump in the first half, directly filling in the 12-point hole dug in the first half, and by the way, overtook by 4 points.But in the last quarter, the Magic still gritted their teeth and tied the score at the last moment. The key goal came from Lewis' long three-pointer from the outside.However, the Lakers did not want to return to Los Angeles with a tie. They won the Magic 12-4 in overtime and grabbed the match point on the opponent's territory.

Kobe once again scored 32 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists in a quasi-triple-double. Gasol, Trevor Ariza and Fisher contributed a total of 44 points. Except for the four of them, no one else scored in double figures for the Lakers.The star of hope Bynum can be said to have met his biggest nemesis. He can almost be said to be the worst starter for the Lakers in the finals. In this game, he only scored 6 points and 2 rebounds. Fisherdo as a point guard.Under his "defense", Howard scored 16 points and 21 rebounds. The highest score of the Magic team was Turkoglu's 25 points, Alston scored 11 points, and Pietrus on the bench had 15 points .But their performance is still not enough to lead the team to win, and the Lakers' championship trend seems unstoppable.

(End of this chapter)