One Thousand Three Hundred and Ninety-Seven. Chronic Death

The lineup of Nash, Sun Ce, Jimmy Butler, Randolph, and Larry Sanders came on the court. Coach Hollins let the double 3D and Gasol take a break and used this lineup to play the transition time.

The scoring stability of this lineup has decreased a lot, and it depends on more teamwork and... individual ability!

The fourth quarter began, and the Lakers attacked first.

Kobe, who scored 16 points in the third quarter, and Sun Ce, who scored 20 points in the third quarter, were undoubtedly the most threatening players on both sides. Paul began to use Kobe's threat to organize the offense. Leonard took advantage of other teammates to receive Earl Clark's pass and cut in for a layup to score two points.

Kobe chose to wait for the opportunity. He played 32 minutes in the first three quarters and scored 31 points. In the fourth quarter, he had to reasonably distribute his physical strength. In case of overtime, even if he was at this age, he needed to consider his physical strength. Moreover, Paul was an impeccable organizer, and his teammates were suitable for Paul. Kobe trusted him very much.

But on the other side, Sun Ce is different. He had discussed with Randolph before going on the court. He would throw the ball and Randolph would grab it!

When Sun Ce arrived at the frontcourt, he went to screen for Nash. When the opponent's defensive combination was Paul and Josh Smith, Nash actually disliked Sun Ce's screen. Nash preferred to screen with Yi Jianlian, Lopez Jr. and Jordan Jr. last season. These three people were more stable in screen and the three people's independent choices after the screen were better.

But compared with Randolph and Larry Sanders, Sun Ce was already good. Moreover, when screened with Sun Ce, Nash did not need to organize the offense, but passed it directly to Sun Ce. Sun Ce took a step after receiving the ball, opened up the space between him and Josh Smith who was quickly around the screen, and came to the left 60-degree angle three-point line one step.

Josh Smith was just about to defend Sun Ce from receiving the ball and shooting a three-pointer, and quickly pressed forward. His movements were very fast. When Sun Ce received the ball and directly pulled one step away to jump and shoot, he defended in place!

Josh Smith, who was in place, saw Sun Ce lift the ball and jump, and followed him to jump. When Sun Ce jumped, he made a shooting action. Josh Smith subconsciously reached out in the direction of Sun Ce's left-handed shooting, but Sun Ce grabbed the ball with his right hand and shot it!

Although this step-over action did not trigger the skill bonus, this rhythm that others are not good at is the rhythm that Sun Ce likes, and there is also the bonus of pick-and-roll jump shot...

SS-level mid-range shot! Josh Smith, who made a wrong interference judgment, failed to interfere with Sun Ce's right-handed shot, and did not dare to make physical contact, so Sun Ce made a long two-pointer!

Even Josh Smith, who was defending, was amazed by this ball. The timing was so good!

The precise timing and solid basic skills were so beautiful!

In the eyes of fans, it may be just an ordinary pick-and-roll goal, but as a top player in the best league in the world, this ball made Josh Smith feel more pressured.

And not only did this goal score, the pressure that Sun Ce brought to them in the previous quarter also continued!

The Lakers still scored easily. On the Grizzlies side, Sun Ce, Jimmy Butler, and Larry Sanders defended very hard, but they could only limit the opponent's main scorer. Leonard, Earl Clark, and Paul could score easily.

However, the Lakers played very hard, but the score difference was slow to overtake. Even if they launched a counterattack, they would be beaten back by Sun Ce and Randolph in the next.

At 4 minutes and 11 seconds in the fourth quarter, Nash made a three-pointer. In a little more than 4 minutes, relying on Nash's sudden three-pointer, the Grizzlies led by 4 points over 95. Nash beat the Lakers to a timeout!

Sun Ce, who scored 5 points with 2 shots in the fourth quarter, already had 41 points!

After this timeout, both teams replaced their strongest lineups. On the Lakers side, Jordan Hill came on, with Paul, Kobe, Leonard, and Josh Smith. It was time for the last fight.

This time, the Lakers head coach, Old Bickerstaff, chose to replace Leonard, first of all for defense, and also to let the team's designated Kobe successor play at the critical moment of the crucial game.

In the early stage of his career, he was only in his second year and could play in a championship-contending team and play at the critical moment.

This is undoubtedly a huge trust.

On the Grizzlies side, Sun Ce, Klay Thompson, Paul George, Randolph, and Gasol played.

On the Lakers side, two players with 4 years of playing experience or less played at the critical moment, instead of sending two veterans with good strength and experience, Metta World Peace and Jamison, which was quite bold.

But the fans in front of the TV saw the players' playing experience on the Grizzlies side, Sun Ce 4 years, Gasol 5 years, Klay Thompson 2 years, Paul George 3 years...Except for Randolph, a veteran with 12 years of playing experience, the other four players who played at the critical moment of the Grizzlies are all new generation players!

Some people originally questioned why the Grizzlies were considered a representative of a young team when they had Nash, Randolph, and Battier as the main players, and the average age was also in the middle of the league.

But seeing the age comparison at the critical moment, people understood.

…

After the timeout, the Lakers saw that the opponent had replaced the strongest lineup, and they were a little disappointed.

Including Kobe.

It's not that Kobe has never lost in the playoffs. He has played in 16 playoffs, entered the Western Conference Finals 8 times, the Finals 7 times, and won 5 championships, but it also means that he has lost 11 times in the playoffs.

In this situation, he knows very well that his chances are getting slimmer and slimmer.

When the opponent sent out a rotation lineup, they failed to gain an advantage. Now that they have changed to the strongest lineup, the Lakers have no chance.

What makes Kobe most crazy is that they were not penetrated by Randolph in the interior, not killed by Sun Ce and Klay Thompson's line-up, not crushed by Nash's running and gunning, not defended by the iron-blooded lineup led by Gasol, but a feeling of slow death.

The Grizzlies did not play better than the Lakers, but Sun Ce was able to stand up and score whenever he needed to score. The main reason is that Sun Ce scored 25 points in 9 of 12 shots in the second half so far!

Sun Ce is like an ice knife, placed on their veins, not like cutting the aorta to give them a fatal injury at once, but constantly cutting off the Lakers' veins one by one. When they calmed down from the excitement, they found that their blood had been drained out little by little!

Kobe was like the last game of the 2008 Finals, completely powerless, but the score gave them hope. They were only 4 points behind and could catch up. The key was the terrifying threat brought by Sun Ce, which made them want to catch up but also afraid!

As for the Grizzlies, if Sun Ce had a big explosion, the others might be used to it, but their playing style might not be so compatible. But this time, Sun Ce's playing style was perfectly matched with the whole team!