If I were Yi Di in the NBA

Chapter 176 The Advantages of Gemini
Yi Jian played really well this time, and his teammates can really promote each other if they are in good condition.

The Lakers still guarded him strictly at the beginning, and after the Thunder's role players made consecutive hits, the Lakers' defense began to hesitate.

For a superstar like Yi Jian, the hesitation of the opposing defense is the beginning of his efficient scoring.

After Yi Jian scores efficiently, he can also attract defense, and the Thunder's role players have more chances to score easily.

A virtuous cycle, that is.

The Thunder played better and better. Kobe scored 20 points in the first half, and the Lakers still couldn't stand it.

But Kobe scored 2+1 at the last moment, which also narrowed the score gap to single digits.

If Kobe can't show super performance in the second half, the team will definitely lose, the key is that it may lose if he shows it.

Therefore, the Lakers must make adjustments, otherwise the helplessness in the first half will be a lesson.

"The defense must be adjusted. If you want to flank, the key is who to flank?"

The coaching staff of the Lakers is very difficult. It is really too difficult for the opponent to have two strong points.

The point is, Durant now faintly has the strength of a superstar, the Thunder double star, too strong.

"Pinch Durant, Durant's ability to handle the ball is poor."

"We still have to attack Yi Jian. Durant can't be stable all the time, but Yi Jian is too threatening."

"Actually, it's good for us to limit the Thunder's role players to death. There is no need to make too many adjustments. The key is the details. We must do the details well."

Even if the Lakers have always attached importance to the Thunder, facing an opponent in excellent condition, they cannot immediately come up with a solution.

In the end, they can only increase their defensive strength in the third quarter to watch the situation, and then choose a few defensive strategies based on the situation.

It would be nice if the Thunder's form was gone because of halftime.

This kind of situation is not uncommon. It is difficult for even a strong team to stabilize the whole game, let alone a team as young as the Thunder.

A similar situation did exist. At the beginning of the third quarter, the Thunder's role players faced a tighter defense, and they did not have the accuracy of the first half.

During the halftime break, they also made preparations for this.

There was a problem with the touch of the teammates, and Yi Jian and Durant increased their personal attacks.

With a plan, the Lakers' defensive response was very quick.

Their choice is to shrink the defense and flank Yi Jian.

I have to say that the Lakers are really a team with game experience.

After the team's offensive end changed, Yi Jian immediately had the idea of ​​strengthening his personal offense, and then he was targeted by the Lakers.

Yi Jian didn't mess around, but tried to create opportunities for Durant after attracting the attention of the defense.

Durant did not disappoint either, and his efficiency remained.

The most obvious change in the Thunder this season is that Durant has stabilized a lot, and he has brought a lot of trouble to the opponent as an end point.

Importantly, he's too well-rounded to be an ordinary end point.

The defensive end couldn't solve all the problems, and Kobe continued to rely on his personal ability to help the Lakers chase points.

The Thunder have also considered Kobe a lot.

The final quarter will definitely have to flank, but the third quarter still depends on the situation.

After the Thunder's offensive efficiency declined, they immediately tried to pinch Kobe, but the Lakers really felt good on the offensive end in the third quarter. Kobe passed the ball several times, and the Lakers players grasped it.

So the Thunder also called a timeout to make adjustments. Before the fourth quarter, Kobe was not so paranoid.

The trouble is the touch of other Lakers players. The reason why you can safely pinch the opponent's core players is that other players pull their hips. If other players perform well, pinching will be difficult.

In particular, Kobe has the ability to pass the ball, so the Thunder can only adjust the rhythm.

The situation on the court is changing, and tactics must not be static.

At this time, the communication role of the core of the team is very important.

As the leader of the team, Yi Jian still has a strong sense of tactics.

With both offensive and defensive ends being the core, he must react faster to the situation on the court than the coaching staff.

Communicating with teammates, which can also be said to be command, is also very helpful to the team.

If the team boss is not good at this aspect, the team should also provide him with an assistant who is good at it, otherwise the team will not be able to respond in time on both offensive and defensive ends, and will suffer a lot.

In the second half, neither team gave the bench players much time, especially the Lakers.

However, the situation on the court has changed again since the rotation period.

Even if Kobe insists on staying on the court, the Lakers' role players are starting to be inaccurate.

Yi Jian played more time in the second half. He made up his mind and locked up Gasol.

When the Lakers' outside role players are not allowed, the offensive efficiency drops instantly.

Durant's efficiency has hardly changed.

This is the reason why the stars want to stick together.

The Thunder have two powerful attack points, and even if the Lakers have done their best defense, they cannot be completely restricted.

If the Lakers have this intensity at the beginning, the Thunder will still have some troubles.

But now they are in the lead, and the Lakers are gnashing their teeth to chase 2 or 3 points, which will not affect the overall situation.

After the final quarter, the Thunder flanked Kobe again.

Kobe also passed the ball at first, but as his teammates' shooting rate was not high and the time became less and less, Kobe finally became anxious.

Nearly halfway through the final quarter, Kobe began to force shots.

He did draw a few fouls, but his shooting percentage dropped significantly.

Originally, the Thunder's lead was only about 5 points. Once Kobe hit the iron, their lead was close to 10 points.

In order to chase points, the Lakers also left Odom on the court at the last moment, so that they have outside shots from all five positions and can open up space.

At 1 minute and 42 seconds, Odom made a mistake, the Thunder counterattacked quickly, and Yi Jian caught the ball and hit a three-pointer.

This almost sentenced the Lakers to death, and Gasol also made a foul.

In the high-intensity confrontation at the last moment, the scale of the referee's whistle is relatively large, and the big players are easily affected, and they are easy to be picked up and dropped the ball if they are not careful.

Pinching Kobe finally had a good enough effect. Kobe's shooting rate was problematic, and the passing effect was not good. It can be said that the Lakers' chance to comeback is gone.

In the last 2 minutes, only Kobe scored 4 points with difficulty, while Yi Jian scored 6 points with free throws, and the game was settled.

Kobe scored 40 points in this game, but the winner was still the Thunder. Yi Jian was very happy. He said: "We are a very good team, and we performed very well in the away game. We only do what we should do.”

Team coach Brooks also said proudly: "We are united, fighting for each other, and fighting side by side like family."

[Lead the team to defeat the powerful competitor Lakers, and reward layup +1. 】

Beating the Lakers away is a good start.

But the Thunder players still need to maintain a sense of crisis, because they will soon go to Phoenix to play back-to-back.

It's not that difficult to play against the sun, so it's even more forgiving.

(End of this chapter)