Chapter 616 [Rebirth From the Ashes, Competition of Tenacity]
Yang Rui has one advantage of letting Kobe Bryant play the full regular season, which is to use him to "sharpen the knife"!
We usually practiced a lot of tactics, but because Kobe couldn't execute them, we could only watch Kobe one-on-one. After 82 games, everyone was holding back their energy.
Even if Yang Rui doesn't emphasize passing, the players will consciously cooperate and pass the ball to teammates in better positions, because they all want to prove one thing - they are not a selfish person like Kobe!
In addition, if the management allows Kobe to "recuperate" at home, Kobe will not be able to give his teammates the "death stare". The young players will be under much less pressure and will be more daring to perform.
Young players are passionate and ambitious. In college or high school, everyone was once a star, a superstar. They all have a dream of becoming a star. Who doesn’t want to take on more responsibilities and prove themselves?
The players came out on time to warm up, and CCTV5 broadcast it live.
The camera showed the players' bench on the sidelines, and Zhang Lili sighed: "Kobe is not here today, but the Lakers players look very confident, and many of them are smiling."
Yu Jia said: "Last season, without Yao Ming, the Lakers still entered the finals. The Lakers are a truly strong team and will not just admit defeat."
The Lakers' starting five: Lou Williams, Iguodala, James Posey, Millsap, and Yao Ming.
Warriors five: Mike Conley, Azubuike, Jason Richardson, Zach Randolph, Brook Lopez.
With such depth in the lineup, it's not surprising that the Warriors finished seventh in the Western Conference. They have potential stars both inside and outside. As long as Conley and Lopez are trained in the future, they will be the favorites to win the championship.
Randolph and Richardson are equally outstanding. They were teammates in college and together they led Michigan State University to the NCAA championship. They work together very well.
Yao Ming won the jump ball and the game began. Posey caught the ball and passed it to Lu Wei.
Millsap and Iguodala opened up the right wing, Posey attracted the defense at a 70-degree angle on the left, and Lu Wei and Yao Ming played a pick-and-roll in the middle and broke through to the left.
He got rid of Conley and made a sudden stop jumper inside the three-point line. Lopez couldn't change defense in time and the ball went in. 2 to 0.
Brook Lopez is 213cm tall and weighs 125kg. He became a starter in his rookie season, averaging 13 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1 assist and 1.8 blocks per game, shooting 53.1% from the field and 79.5% from the free throw line.
Many people think that he is like Yao Ming. He has accurate mid-range shots on the offensive end, solid low-post footwork, and can defend the penalty area on the defensive end.
Because Lopez is too heavy, his weaknesses are also obvious. He moves slowly, especially laterally.
The Lakers' defensive end Yao Ming and Millsap complement each other. The latter can be responsible for guarding pick-and-rolls and is positioned outside. Lopez does not have this treatment. His partner is Randolph, a fat black man who is also not good at guarding pick-and-rolls.
Hornacek is not good at defense. In the regular season, he arranges zone defense and rarely switches defenders when encountering pick-and-rolls.
When the Warriors attack, Hornacek's tactics are exactly the same as Yang Rui's. The two swingmen and the power forward are separated, and Conley and Lopez play pick-and-roll in the middle. The Lakers' defensive tactics are also a zone defense, with Iguodala in the middle and Lu Wei on the left side.
Conley attracted Millsap to switch defense and passed the ball to Azubuike running on the left side at close range. The latter received the ball at 70 degrees and faced Lu Wei and scored a three-pointer. 2 to 3.
When the Lakers attacked, Lu Wei and Yao Ming played a pick-and-roll. Conley was very fast and pursued the defense well. Lu Wei passed the ball to Yao Ming in the high post.
Yao Ming never said anything bad about Kobe, but that doesn't mean he likes Kobe's style of play. Without Kobe Bryant, he was not worried about not doing well in the playoffs, but felt excited and full of strength.
Following Yang Rui's request, he observed the movements of his teammates on both sides and swung the ball over Lopez's head to the basket.
Millsap on the right set an off-ball screen for Iguodala. The first brother cut inside at full speed to get rid of Azubuike. Randolph stood relatively outside and was half a beat too slow to change defense, and was also got rid of in one step.
Iguodala leaped high, received Yao Ming's pass with both hands, and dunked. 4 to 3.
This is an extremely wonderful goal,
Many home fans stood up and cheered.
When the Warriors attacked, Conley passed the ball to the left again. Azubuike faced three threats inside the three-point line. After probing, he changed direction and penetrated the baseline. His physical advantage was obvious and he squeezed away Lu Wei.
Yao Ming defended the basket, Azubuike passed the ball to the middle while running, and Lopez made a high jump shot. 4 to 5.
Zhang Lili commented: "The Warriors really picked up a treasure when they signed Azubuike in 2006. He was an undrafted rookie, but he was very strong, fast, strong, able to break through and shoot, and he was also very defensive."
Yu Jia said: "There are no underdogs in the Western Conference this year. It will be very difficult for the Lakers to win the championship. If they face the Mavericks in the Western Conference finals, they will not have a home court advantage."
At this time, the Lakers ran a pick-and-roll for the third time, Lu Wei went to the right, and Yao Ming cut to the low post.
Lu Wei passed the ball to Yao Ming, who turned his back to the ball at a 45-degree angle. Yao Ming relied on Lopez to protect the basketball. The latter's center of gravity dropped very low. Iguodala suddenly cut to the basket from the baseline, The position was given to Lu Wei.
As soon as the two crossed paths, the Warriors' defense went into chaos. If they continued to defend in a zone, the bottom line was that Randolph was defending Lu Wei, so Conley chased after him, but Randolph was also at a speed disadvantage when defending Iguodala.
Yao Ming saw the opportunity, flipped the ball behind his head, and passed it from Lopez's head to the basket. Iguodala's physical fitness was far better than Randolph, and he was half a body ahead to receive the ball. He took a step and jumped up. Gliding to the other side of the basket, he "looked back at the moon" with his right hand and dunked the ball in. 6 to 5.
Randolph was right next to him, not jumping up and giving up his defense.
Zhang Lijia shouted: "Beautiful, Yao Ming has two assists in a row, and he should be able to score among the top five goals. The Lakers' offense was really smooth today."
Yu Jia said: "When Kobe was here, stars usually played in singles. Now that he can't play, other Lakers players can get more offensive opportunities. Yang Rui has publicly said that Kobe is too independent and he has really affected the team this season. Cooperate."
Zhang Liyi nodded: "If the Lakers can win the championship this year, Kobe's popularity will definitely decline. Now it depends on how far Yao Ming can lead the team. He can support both high and low positions. He is a true core."
Yang Rui's words are very credible. Many Chinese officials have switched sides and support Yang Rui and Yao Ming.
This is because Kobe pretended to be injured and concealed the truth. If Kobe and Yang Rui confront each other head-on and get the reputation of "driving away the Pope of Basketball", no one can save him in the future unless he can really win a championship 1 on 9 in the future.
The Warriors players couldn't pass the ball into the open space, and almost ran out of 24 seconds. Randolph singled out Millsap and made a shot while retreating, 6-7.
Randolph seemed to be reborn from the ashes after joining the Warriors. People used to say he was a cancer, but now they find that he is really good at the offensive end. He is efficient in one-on-ones, can also play pick-and-rolls with teammates, and is the best rebounder on the Warriors.
The opponent scored consecutively, but Yang Rui was always smiling on the sidelines, with his legs crossed and not impatient. He had expected that he would attack aggressively today, and the competition was to see who was more tenacious and did the details well.
The Warriors have great potential, but in terms of lineup integration, they cannot compare with the Lakers, who have reached the Finals for four consecutive years and have rich playoff experience.
The Lakers attacked, and after the pick-and-roll, Yao Ming cut again. This time he caught the ball in the low post on the right side and leaned against Lopez. He turned to the baseline and succeeded in passing. He jumped up and dunked with both hands. 8 to 7.
The last time Yao Ming measured his weight was 123 kilograms, he is taller than Lopez but lighter in weight. He has always maintained mobility since entering the league and is proficient in the "Shanghai Dance".
In a one-on-one duel, rookie Lopez will never be able to guard against him.