Chapter 617 [Beat the Warrior, Still Tyrannical]
The two sides faced off in the first quarter, and neither could guard the other. The Lakers led 34 to 30.
Randolph made 5 of 8 shots and scored 10 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist. He was the Warriors' leading contributor.
The best performer for the Lakers was Yao Ming, who made 5 of 8 shots, 2 of 2 free throws, and scored 12 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 block. He attracted double-teams in the second half and assisted Posey and Iguodala to hit three-pointers.
Iguodala's performance was equally eye-catching, with 9 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist in a single quarter; coupled with Lou Williams, who scored 8 points, the Lakers' offense is still a trident.
Both sides came on the bench in the second quarter, and the Lakers immediately took the initiative. Brooks and Gibson formed a double guard, and Dengta Jones, Landry, and Odom were in the frontcourt.
This lineup is good at fast breaks. As long as a Warriors player misses a shot, at least three people will immediately come down quickly. Odom is responsible for grabbing backcourt rebounds and passing the ball.
Dengtae Jones' shooting has improved this season, but fast breaks are his specialty. He rushes faster than Kobe Bryant, received a pass from Brooks, and performed a windmill dunk that shocked everyone.
Defensive end Dengtae Jones was also effective, limiting the physical Maggette. He is active in defense and not afraid of confrontation, so Yang Rui chose to reuse him instead of James Jones.
In Yang Rui's previous life, Dengtai Jones was not only brave, but also capable of dirty tricks. In the 2009 Western Conference Finals, he took advantage of Kobe Bryant when he broke through. In 2013, when the Lakers challenged the Hawks away from home, he took advantage of Kobe Bryant's final blow. ; Later in the Cavaliers, he even hugged Stephen Curry.
The Lakers can also ensure scoring efficiency in positional battles. Odom leads Turiaf out of the basket, and defenders break through or Landry cuts, which all give the Warriors a headache.
The Warriors' lineup is flawed and there is no good substitute at the 4th position. They introduced swingman Maggette to strengthen the offense and let go of inside man Al Harrington. Harrington has too many jump shots, and it's a bit wasteful to play as a substitute because he's expensive. But without Harrington, the 2007 second-round pick Jamario Davidson is simply unqualified and has no effect on both offense and defense.
Seeing that the point difference widened to double digits, Hornacek made adjustments, bringing Richardson back in advance and Maggette as a guest at the 4th position to prevent the pick-and-roll and use small-ball tactics.
After 6 minutes, Yang Rui made an adjustment and replaced Lu Wei as a double guard to speed up the offensive rhythm. The Warriors' substitute shooting guard Anthony Morrow became a defensive weakness.
Morrow played 22.6 minutes in the regular season, averaging 10.1 points, 3 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. He shot 47.8% from the field and 46.7% from the three-point range. He contributed to the Warriors reaching the playoffs and ranked first in the league in three-point shooting.
The reason why he lost the selection was because his defense was too poor and he struggled to prevent Lu Wei and Brooks from breaking through. After he came off the court, the Warriors' three-point shooting would become worse again.
The point difference widened in this quarter, and the two teams continued to attack in the second half, with the Lakers steadily controlling the situation.
Experts were shocked. Not only did the Lakers' overall offense not weaken due to Kobe's absence, it actually became stronger. They scored 100 points in three quarters and led 100 to 82.
Yang Rui's tactics are adjusted based on the Warriors' lineup.
When Hornacek sends the three muscles of Richardson, Azubuike, and Maggette on the court, Yang Rui will let the three swingmen of Iguodala, Posey, and Dengtae Jones take charge of defense, fight against them, and focus on offense. In the paint, let Yao play the single.
Once the Warriors send two guards Conley and CJ Watson, or against Morrow who is poor and has average physical fitness, Yang Rui will send two guards Lu Wei and Xiaobu to counterattack at full speed and use pick-and-rolls in positional battles. Even if the counterattack cannot suppress the opponent, the combination of internal and external positional warfare can still score goals.
At the end of the quarter, Randolph came off the court to rest, and Yang Rui arranged for Brooks and Yao Ming to attack Lopez in a pick-and-roll. Brooks passed Lopez over and over again, which damaged the rookie big man's self-confidence. Conley chased Xiaobu with all his strength, and the ball was passed to the middle. Yao Ming could catch the ball and shoot a three-pointer. Lopez was too late to save and interfere with the shot.
After 5 minutes, the two sides were 26 points apart and entered garbage time.
Yang Rui replaced all the main players,
In garbage time, train new players, let DJ White and Landry play, and have James Jones, Deng Tai Jones, and Brooks on the outside.
The Warriors also replaced all substitutes, so they couldn't take any advantage.
In the end, the Lakers won 131 to 101, a big victory and a good start to the playoffs.
Brooks was the Lakers' top scorer and had a hot hand. He played 34 minutes and made 13 of 20 shots, 3 of 6 three-pointers, 4 of 4 free throws, and scored 33 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal.
Iguodala made 10 of 18 shots, 2 of 5 three-pointers, 6 of 8 free throws, and scored 28 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Yao Ming's touch dropped in the second half, making 9 of 17 shots, 1 of 4 three-pointers, and 7 of 7 free throws. He scored 26 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 blocks.
In addition, Lu Wei, Odom, and Dengtae Jones also scored in double figures, and all had high shooting percentages.
Millsap performed poorly against Randolph in the first game and focused most of his energy on the defensive end, but the team scored a lot, so it didn't matter if he scored less.
Zhang Lili couldn't believe it: "Kobe didn't play, the Lakers still have an offensive trident, and the role players performed very well."
Yu Jia said: "When Kobe was here, he and Yao Ming were the only two who scored more. In the regular season, four players on the team scored in double figures. The two guards did nothing. Now the Lakers' two small guards are playing like All-Stars."
At the press conference, Hornacek congratulated Yang Rui and faced the defeat calmly. "We have just completed rebuilding this season, and it is already very successful to finish seventh in the Western Conference. We have many young players and lack playoff experience. It is not a shame to lose to the Lakers who have been to the Finals for four consecutive years."
The reporter asked: "Which aspect of the team do you think needs to be strengthened the most?"
"The most important thing is to strengthen defense, but this is not an easy task." Hornacek smiled bitterly.
The Warriors' defense is terrible. This season, they averaged 108.6 points per game, ranking third in the league. They conceded an average of 107.5 points per game and only won by 1.1 points. The only player in the team who is good at defense is Turiaf. Unless he is signed in the summer, there is really no way to solve it.
A reporter interviewed Yang Rui and asked: "The Lakers won the first game, but they are missing their star player. Will you feel a lot of pressure?"
Yang Rui said confidently: "The pressure must be on the opponent. My team never considers whether it can advance in the first round. It is usually swept in the first round. Jeff and I are very good friends, it's not that I don't Give him face, the reality is so cruel. I have never missed the Western Conference Finals. When I wait for the Western Conference Finals, you can ask me if I feel pressure."
Another reporter asked: "So what impact do you think Kobe's absence will have on the Lakers?"
"There must be an impact. I'll leave it to the fans and basketball experts to tell what the specific impact is. What I have to do now is lead the team to win the championship." Yang Rui said with a smile.
Yang Rui will give Kobe some deserved punishment, but will not add insult to injury. Now that Kobe has rested, there is no need for him to speak ill of him in front of the media. That would be harmful to others but not self-serving.
As for someone citing Kobe's data in the future, or without the data of Lakers players after Kobe, causing a war of words on the Internet, that has none of Yang Rui's business. He can stop hacking Kobe, but he can't prevent him from being hacked, because it's too easy.
Who doesn’t know how to list data? It's not difficult at all. Otherwise, why do people always use "low-level" to describe Kehei?
After reading the data, I came up with all kinds of tricks to clear the ground for idols. One thing is terrible, and it can be interpreted as the kind of "advanced" talents who "take advantage of everything". They not only have to attack the enemy, but also hypnotize themselves. …
No matter what, the current Lakers are still strong.