Chapter 1163 1162. Defense Is the Foundation of Life

At the beginning, both teams' offenses were stagnant... Saying stagnant is too flattering, both teams simply stopped scoring!

For four minutes, both teams didn't score a single point!

0-0!

Because it was the playoff standard, and both teams didn't commit any obvious fouls, not even free throws, in four minutes, both teams didn't score a single point!

But it can't be said that both teams played badly.

On the Hawks side, because Odom on the opposite side got serious, whoever he played against was out of position, Odom was very different from other all-around inside players, his starting position for offense was like Dirk Nowitzki, his breakthrough was like LeBron James, and his pass was like Steve Nash, he could do everything, but he was not as fast as LeBron James, his singles from the outside were not as strong as Dirk Nowitzki, his teammates were not as good at running as Steve Nash, and Liu Mang actively retreated to the basket, so he was restricted by Kwame Brown.

Odom's only chance to pass the ball in singles was to pass it to Fisher. Fisher is not accurate, but he has an average of 40% three-point shooting rate in his career. At his peak, he had a shooting rate of 41.3% and averaged 2.1 three-pointers per game. But to say he is accurate... it's really pitfall when he is not accurate. After all, when playing with Kobe and O'Neal, there are too many open positions. Without a shooting rate of 38 or 39%, he really has no face to say that he is the point guard next to Kobe and O'Neal.

But Fisher is really good at key shots, and his three-point shooting is also first-class, which is very good. His three-point shooting rate is also 40% in his career. But the Hawks switch defense quickly, and Fisher is too confident. Every time he receives the ball, he has to shoot even if McGrady or Prince is defending. In four minutes, one mid-range shot and two three-point shots after receiving the ball in open positions were all missed.

Kobe also failed to score twice in singles against Prince.

Odom and Yao Ming are two superstars in the interior. One of them missed the mid-range shot against Kwame Brown, and Yao Ming was blocked by Liu Mang. The Lakers started with 0 of 8 shots and scored 0 points!

The Hawks were the same as the Lakers. The Lakers' defense was good, and they were conscious and capable. Now they have an insider Odom who helps with defense. His mobility is like a stronger version of Kevin Garnett. The key is that his mobility and flexibility are better than Garnett. It's scary when he's serious. Such a big guy runs around and helps with defense like a guard.

Liu Mang and McGrady both missed shots in a row. At the beginning, they made 0 of 5 shots together. The Hawks made 0 of 7 shots and scored 0 points.

In the fourth minute, with Kobe's second missed shot, Liu Mang received the third rebound in the quarter, and the Hawks called a timeout!

It was very lively, but it was impossible to score!

The opponent is a well-known iron team. Now there is a feeling of entering the opponent's rhythm. In the past, the Hawks used their rich experience in random shots to drag the opponent into their own rhythm and beat the opponent. Now there is a tendency to be dragged into the opponent's iron rhythm.

Liu Mang returned to the bench with his teammates after Coach Kruger called a timeout. He was also in pain. He just shot a three-pointer against Kobe, which was completely unreliable. The previous block on Yao Ming still had a great impact on his right hand.

Liu Mang started with 0 of 3 shots, and McGrady started with 0 of 2 shots. The back line combination of Kobe and Fisher complemented each other and was evenly matched...

Although there was no score, it was not so boring for the fans.

Odom's big body playing singles and assisting defense, Liu Mang's deterrent power of blocking at any time, even if he can't block, forces the Lakers to shoot more mid-range and long-range shots, and Liu Mang's way of grabbing rebounds by throwing himself into the air to bully Yao Ming who dare not take action...

The commentator of the court station didn't know what to say, watching the blocks and rebounds... It's actually quite interesting...

...

Liu Mang returned to the bench and didn't have a good solution for the situation in front of him.

He actually encountered the ultimate form of the Lakers that only exists in legends!

The current Lakers team has shown all their theoretical talents.

If it was shown on the offensive end, it would be fine, at most they would attack against each other, but they actually showed it on the defensive end, which is a headache for the Hawks.

Can't score!

The opponent's defense is so good that the opponent's head coach Phil Jackson is surprised.

The Hawks coaching staff still only replaced Kwame Brown with Josh Smith to strengthen the defense against Odom, enhance the mobility of the front line, and save Kwame Brown's physical strength. Kwame Brown's scalp was already exploded from defending Odom. He defended well, but he was exhausted and tired.

As for the Hawks coaching staff's thoughts on this game, they decided to play it like this first.

The Lakers, like the Hawks coaching staff, were at a loss.

The Zen Master is very experienced in coaching superstars. When he can't open up, he just leaves it to the superstars, but superstars can't open up sometimes. Even Jordan's peak seasons of 86-87 and 95-96 had games with a hit rate of more than 20% or even more than 10%. The most famous one was 2 of 17 shots with a hit rate of 11%, which made the 72-win Bulls lose the ninth game of that season to the Hornets. There was also a game in which Payton defended with a hit rate of more than 30% and 34 shots to get 30 points.

When the superstars couldn't get the game started, the Zen Master didn't dare to take the risk of replacing Wang Zhizhi, a better shooter, and instead replaced Luke Walton with the defensive Devin George.

The goals of both teams were clear. If the offense couldn't get going, the stars would go first. The foundation was still defense!

The referee did not give a whistle for some physical contact. Both teams had the advantage on the defensive end, but were restrained on the offensive end. They could only wait and see first.

…

…

Back from the timeout, the Eagles attack.

Liu Mang received McGrady's serve at the midline, and immediately rushed toward the basket after receiving the ball. No matter how he rushed, Kobe did not expect Liu Mang to play like this, and Liu Mang passed him!

Liu Mang rushed to the basket to meet Yao Ming's defense. He did not use his footsteps. He used his footsteps to give Odom the opportunity to shrink and attack. Before Odom could shrink, Liu Mang grabbed the ball and jumped to avoid Kobe's pursuit. , leaning sideways against Yao Ming's left hand hook shot...

Liu Mang changed hands and was hard to guard against. Yao Ming stretched out his hand in the wrong direction, but Liu Mang's shot was a little missed. The ball hit the basket and bounced out. Kobe was just in front of Kobe to defend the rebound.

Liu Mang also got angry. Kobe grabbed the defensive rebound and Kobe went directly to it, pressing the whole court!

Liu Mang's actions were a bit too rough, and the referee even put the whistle in his mouth.

Who knew that Kobe didn't rush out and cause Liu Mang to foul like ordinary players? Instead, he stomped his feet and stood firm. The referee signaled that the game should continue. Kobe protected the ball and gave it to Odom who was receiving the ball. He took the initiative to stick to Liu Mang. Go forward.

Instead, Kobe took the initiative and did not give Liu Mang, Prince or McGrady a chance to switch defenses. Devin George and Fisher consciously ran towards the frontcourt to prevent Liu Mang and his teammates from switching defenses.

Kobe arrived in the frontcourt and came to the high position on the left side of the three-second zone to squeeze Liu Mang for the ball.

Kobe made a lot of small moves on the offensive end. He threw an elbow at Liu Mang's chest. Liu Mang secretly cursed "XXP" and pushed it with his chest. He stretched his arms forward and wanted to press Kobe behind him, but Kobe's explosive power or static In terms of strength and weight, he was superior to Liu Mang. Iguodala had trouble facing Kobe. Liu Mang was even worse, being miserably pushed behind him.

Odom met Josh Smith here. Compared with Kwame Brown, he had fewer opportunities to break through. He moved to the top arc and lobbed the ball to Kobe, and then cut towards the basket.

When Liu Mang saw Kobe receiving the ball, he pressed forward even more ferociously. Kobe has long been used to this type of defensive action in the playoffs and even the finals. He has won more championships than Liu Mang has played in the finals. Want more, after receiving the ball, he turned right and passed Liu Mang cleanly!

Kobe couldn't guard against Liu Mang's turn, and Liu Mang couldn't guard against Kobe!

When Kobe turned around, he did not forget to elbow Liu Mang. Liu Mang was hit hard on the ribs and became even more excited. He quickly turned around and rushed toward Kobe like an arrow.

Kobe reached the bottom line on the left side of the three-second zone. He turned around and broke through too suddenly. Odom just came out from under the basket, and the two of them were blocked. Liu Mang pounced on him at this time. Kobe had no room to pass the ball. No room to dribble!

At this time, Kobe grabbed the ball, bounced it backwards, and shot a negative-angle fadeaway jumper...

When Liu Mang pounced on him, Kobe had already thrown the ball. The ball flew diagonally from behind the backboard, past the backboard, and hit the basket!

"Ding... Because Kobe Bryant is in the best condition, characteristics: Kobe Time is triggered at level 5, and Kobe Bryant will enter a hot state within the next 5 minutes or within 5 shots."

The deadlock is finally broken!

As an opponent, Liu Mang was shocked by Kobe's shot.

Negative angle!

The release point and foot landing position are outside the baseline! This can all be invested!

What a good luck!

Watching Kobe Bryant proudly blowing his gun after scoring a goal, Liu Mang couldn't help but curse: "Isn't it just a goal? What's so great about 1 out of 3... It does seem a bit amazing, I'm 0 out of 3... …”

Liu Mang picked up the ball and sent it to Josh Smith. Just as Josh Smith was about to pass it back to Liu Mang who stepped onto the court, Liu Mang waved his hand and let Josh Smith dribble across the half court.

Looking at the big-butt lover opposite with a 95 ability rating, it's still the same as someone who doesn't have a younger brother who can dribble forward with a height of more than 2.05 meters.

In the past two years, in addition to assisting defense, cutting and passing the ball, Josh Smith has made the biggest improvement in controlling the ball during counterattacks. After advancing to the frontcourt, Josh Smith also became more energetic when encountering Odom's defense. , didn't notice Liu Mang wanted the ball, and excitedly broke through towards the basket!

The breakthrough was quite powerful. Odom didn't even have to guard him, and Josh Smith broke into the paint.

However, when Josh Smith reached the edge of the three-second zone and saw the huge body of Yao Ming who was assisting in defense, he was so frightened that he almost dropped the ball!