Jim Bass Ambition

Chapter 319 Garlic Lemon Shrimp

The away game against the Jazz is the Lakers' last game before the All-Star break.

The Lakers came to Salt Lake City early, but on the second day after arriving in Salt Lake City, during daily training, Garnett and Wade ran to the bathroom at every turn.

"Who can tell me, what's going on with Kevin and the others? How many times did they go to the bathroom within a few minutes of this training?" Jim wondered a little, is the toilet in the Jazz training hall so attractive?

"Well... Coach, we were a little bored last night, so we went out to eat some garlic lemon shrimp. Maybe there is something wrong with that restaurant..." Billups replied with a bitter face.

"Garlic lemon shrimp? You really dare to try anything..." Before Jim finished speaking, Billups rushed to the bathroom in three steps at a time. Obviously, he was also one of the people who organized a group for supper. one.

With a wry smile, Jim looked around.

"Who else is going?"

Kobe and Artest are practicing one-on-one offense and defense, Korver, Duntai Jones and Ariza are practicing fixed-point three-pointers, Haslem and Nene are practicing free throws...Nocioni and Varejao are There were question marks all over his face. Several bigwigs started a group yesterday, and they also went to make a share, but why were all the bigwigs recruited, but they didn't have anything to do?

Maybe it's because they grew up in South America that they have developed a strong digestive system.The mere garlic lemon shrimp wasn't enough to knock them out of the fight.

"Well, it looks like we can still get a rotation together, Nene! Sean! You two start the next game! Ron, I need you to be more aggressive, the opponent's front line defense is tough, We need to stand up and share the pressure with Kobe, Kobe... the next game depends on you."

The hero couldn't stand the three bubbles, his face was pale, and his feet were sloppy. Garnett, Billups and Wade, who spent half of their time in the bathroom, were arranged to take turns to receive treatment from the team doctor.

For players, being sick is a painful thing, not being able to play is one aspect, and they cannot take drugs like ordinary people, because many drugs contain prohibited ingredients.

The three generals of the Lakers changed their status to "inactive" before the game. For the Jazz, the meaning is complicated. On the one hand, Jerry Sloan is definitely a coach who must strive to win every game. On the other hand, Reason tells the Jazz management to lose a few more games this season, strive for a good draft pick, and select one of Raymond Felton, Deron Williams or Chris Paul.

This season is difficult for the Utah Jazz. In the second year of the post-Shuangsha era, coach Jerry Sloan has experienced the pain of widowhood again. Andrei Kirilenko and Gerald Wallace The Jazz lie on the injured list in turn, and the entire team has played no more than 10 games. The Jazz's winning percentage is just over 20%, which has fallen to the bottom of the past [-] years.

But at any time, this team cannot be ignored. They are a stone blocking anyone's way forward. Even if they are kicked away, they will make the opponent's feet hurt for a long time.

The Lakers lost two main players and a backup core. The real point guard Billups and the combo guard Wade are both absent, and they can only form a postmodern lineup.

Kobe, Battier, Artest, West and Nene.

Jim knew that if Kobe was used as the point guard to organize the offense, the game would probably be successful, and he had to change his mind to start the offense.

Throughout the entire team, apart from Kobe, there is no one who can dribble the ball steadily across the half court, so this job can only be done by him.

Bryant holds the ball, Battier sinks in his favorite corner, Nene cruises on the weak side, West brings up the line, Artest comes in from the strong side, Kobe delivers the ball, and falls to the low post.

The Jazz's point guard is Raul Lopez, who is 1 meters tall. He defends against Kobe according to his position.

The disparity in height and weight was too great, and Kirilenko immediately let go of Artest, who moved to the top of the arc, and rushed to double-team, otherwise Raul Lopez would be eaten alive.

Artest immediately cut inward from the top of the arc. After receiving a pass from Kobe, he forced a layup against Matt Harpering who was defending.

The Jazz's offense was initiated by a 45-degree pick-and-roll. Chris Humphries, who started as a substitute for Gerald Wallace, caught the ball and attacked the basket after opening it. Karl Malone and Stockton used this routine countless times .

But Humphreys' finishing ability is incomparable to Malone's. He slowly cut into Nene, who did not escape the help defense.

Battier, with quick eyes and quick hands, grabbed the floor ball and handed it to the activated Kobe.

Under Kirilenko's pursuit, Kobe did not forget to change directions continuously during the high-speed advancement, and finally got rid of the Russian's entanglement with a dribble behind his back, jumped from the side of the basket, used the net as a barrier, and glided to The other side made a backhand layup.

Back, the Lakers put up a 3-2 zone defense, rest assured to shrink the inside, and bet on the Jazz's inaccurate shots. This season, they averaged less than 10 three-pointers per game, and their points basically came from the mid-range and the basket.

Raul Lopez has a handsome face, which made him the cover character of the Spanish edition of NBA Live 2004, but his style of play is a full-fledged traditional point guard, with very low personal offensive desire, so as to create a strong impression for his teammates. Opportunity prevails.

So the lineup on the Jazz field, Ostertag has no offensive ability, Lopez does not attack, Humphries has no offensive power when he is out of the three-second zone, Kirilenko's shooting is completely up to the sky, Matt Ha Pulling's three-pointer suddenly disappeared this season. The Jazz's offensive space is extremely crowded. Raul Lopez dribbled for 20 seconds, but he didn't find a suitable opportunity. Section, the AK47 barely made a shot, but the basket missed.

The Lakers protected the rebounds. This time Raul Lopez did not rush to Kobe. Kirilenko led the defense all the way and retreated to the half court. Lopez stood in front of Battier in the bottom corner.

Shane Battier, who has always been "abiding by himself", saw that Lopez was defending, and decisively reached out for the ball.

Kobe passed the ball, and Battier used his dusty small forward skills for many years, punched Lopez with his back, turned over and made a jumper, and hit the board.

Jerry Sloan frowned. Lopez's pass control is still stable, but when defending, both his body and defensive skills are below the standard. The point guard position that the Jazz have not worried about for 20 years, this Several seasons have completely turned into a weakness.

But besides Lopez, the only point guard available to the team is Howard Eisley. This gentleman's offensive and defensive level is about the same as Lopez's, and his organizational ability is not as good as Lopez's.

The Lakers lacked two major starters, and their offensive routine is also very simple. They just stare at Lopez for singles, double-team and shoot three-pointers. Artest and Battier are very competitive in this game. passable.

After the first quarter, the Lakers led 23 to 14. Kobe only scored 4 points, but sent 5 assists.Artest and Shane Battier scored 8 points and 9 points respectively, performing well.

(End of this chapter)