: The Regular Season Ends! Lin Ze's Stats Surge! [Daily Updates of 20,000 Words, Plea

Chapter 97: The Regular Season Ends! Lin Ze's Stats Surge! [Daily Updates of 20,000 Words, Please Subscribe]

"He's the most passionate and energetic player in the league. He might not make the All-Star team, and he might not even be a regular rotation player this year. But every team would want a player like him; he'll be every opponent's nightmare!"

"Alright, everyone can ask questions now." After introducing Madsen, Lin Ze leaned back in his chair, his eyes visibly red.

Since entering the NBA, the things he has done most, besides the most basic training, are running errands, buying things, and carrying luggage.

And now, he stands in the spotlight representing the Lakers.

Jackson couldn't help but think to himself, "If this kid were in the Middle Ages, he could probably conquer half of all of Europe."

Jackson believed that, given Madsen's personality, after what Lin Ze did tonight, he would definitely come to Lin Ze's aid next time, even if Lin Ze went to duel with T1000.

That night, Lin Ze was the center of the basketball world. Everyone saw him score 55 points and then refuse to play in the final moments of the game to reach 60 points. In addition, Jackson praised Lin Ze highly at the press conference, which made fans even more impressed with him.

Many fans who were initially indifferent to him have developed a liking for him because of his behavior of ignoring statistics and helping his teammates gain fame.

After tonight, he will definitely have more business contracts in front of him.

"See, cooperating with me won't do you any harm," Jackson said, squinting his eyes after the press conference. "When have I ever harmed you?"

"I didn't say you hurt me," Lin Ze said with a laugh, putting his arm around Jackson's shoulder. "But that doesn't stop me from maxing out your credit card tonight. Just wait for the bill tomorrow; I'm going to use Louis XVIII to wash my feet tonight!"

After defeating the Kings, the Lakers got back on track and went undefeated in the rest of March, winning all the way into April.

At this point, their record had reached 50 wins and 24 losses, ranking second in the Western Conference!

Although the Lakers are still two games behind the Spurs, who are first in the Western Conference, and considering that there are so few games left, unless the Spurs underperform, the Lakers are unlikely to be able to overtake them.

However, the Lakers' second place in the Western Conference is extremely secure.

Because the Kings underperformed.

Since their loss to the Lakers, they have suddenly forgotten how to play basketball and suffered a devastating four-game losing streak!

In the Western Conference, this four-game losing streak was fatal, causing them to slip from second to fourth place, overtaken by the Jazz, and now only one game behind the Mavericks.

If they continue to lose, they might drop to fifth or even sixth place!

After all, it's not just the Mavericks who are eyeing us from behind!

On April 1, the Lakers failed to continue their winning streak, suffering a shock defeat to the struggling Raptors. This loss widened the gap between them and the Spurs, making their dream of overtaking the Spurs to claim the top seed in the Western Conference virtually impossible.

Jackson didn't seem to care, and even breathed a sigh of relief.

This means the team can play a little easier in the upcoming games.

However, even if they no longer think about competing for the top spot in the West, the Lakers will not become a weakling that everyone can bully. They still managed to win six straight games in April.

The Lakers, who are now fully in form, are truly difficult to beat!

In their final game of the season, the Lakers hosted the Warriors, who were ranked last in the league.

At this point, the Lakers had already secured the second seed in the West. Meanwhile, the 76ers, who were first in the East, were only one game behind the Lakers. However, since the Lakers had won both of their previous games, even if the 76ers won the last game and the Lakers lost, the two teams would only have the same record.

If the two teams were to play in the NBA Finals, the Lakers would still have home-court advantage.

In this way, the Lakers' last regular season game became a mere formality.

Jackson immediately announced that all five players except Fisher, the other four starters and Grant on the bench, would be absent from the game due to injury, and fielded a starting lineup centered around Madsen, Fisher, and Fox.

Even so, the Lakers showed their strength against the Warriors, who were among the worst teams in the league.

Fisher scored a career-high 27 points, Fox added 16 points, and Madsen recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

With strong performances from Devin George, Brian Shaw, and others, the Lakers defeated the Warriors despite fielding a near-complete starting lineup, bringing their season record to 57 wins and 25 losses.

Compared to last season's record-breaking 73 wins, the Lakers have won a full 16 fewer games this season! That's a huge drop.

But anyone who has watched the Lakers' games this season, especially the second half of the season, would never underestimate the Lakers or really think they have become weaker.

Their record dropped significantly, partly because many players were out of form at the beginning of the season, leading to some chaotic play.

Secondly, because they suddenly hit the brakes after the All-Star Game and stopped striving for better results.

Thirdly, and most importantly: they no longer care about their regular season results!

This team has absolute confidence; their composure, both inside and out, makes them fearless of anyone or any team!

In terms of player ability, O'Neal will definitely not win the MVP this season, and he no longer has the glory of being the scoring champion and MVP last season. However, he is still recognized by everyone as the best center in the league and the strongest player in the league.

He's just lazy, not bad at cooking.

这个赛季，奥尼尔出战70场比赛，场均能以57.2%的命中率轰下27.3分11.2个篮板4.5

2.8 assists and 2.8 blocks!

He remains that unparalleled behemoth in the paint!

Kobe has also shown significant growth this season. His passing is more accurate, his shooting is more consistent, and he has made significant progress in other areas such as penetration, physicality, and footwork. This season, Kobe is averaging 25.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.

Many people believe that Kobe is the most well-rounded shooting guard in the league today. In terms of scoring alone, he may not be as good as Iverson, but in terms of overall performance, he is no worse than any current swingman!

Next is Lin Ze. Lin Ze's season was definitely a slow start but a strong finish. At the beginning of the season, he was ridiculed by countless people as the "Cola Boy" because his performance was mediocre due to muscle gain. He was also accused of not training during the off-season and only visiting restaurants.

However, as the season progressed and Lin Ze became more and more accustomed to his strong physique and the latest skills, his performance improved.

His performance each month is almost always better than the previous month!

His average stats soared from 16 points per game in November with a 29% three-point shooting percentage. In the month when Kobe and Shaq were both out, he even averaged as many as 31 points per game!

By the end of the season, Lin Ze's average stats were 25.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.

In addition, Lin Ze has become the player with the most three-pointers made in the entire league for the second consecutive year!

After two consecutive seasons of performance, he has proven with his actions that he is the best shooter in the league today!

As for Allen and Miller?

This year, both of them have a lower hit count than Lin Ze, and their hit rate is also lower than Lin Ze's.

Go cool off somewhere else!

Some have even started to imagine that the Lakers' trio could all make the All-NBA First Team, dominating the All-NBA First Team!

Of course, while it's all just wishful thinking, most people know it's impossible.

After all, Kobe and Shaq are relatively easy to beat, as they have a good chance of making the All-NBA First Team. However, Lin Ze's position is occupied by two superstars, Duncan and Garnett. While Lin Ze may be able to beat them in the All-Star voting, it will be quite difficult for him to beat them in the All-NBA Team voting.

After all, this thing doesn't depend on popularity.

But a first-round run is impossible, while a second-round run is basically a sure thing!

Of course, many people also question the Lakers' roster, saying that the team lacks depth and that if an injury occurs, the team will immediately have a huge gap that cannot be filled.

That makes sense.

After all, besides the Big Three, the Lakers' fourth-highest scorer is Fisher with only 5.6 points, followed by Grant with 5.5 points and Harper with 5.1 points.

After that, no player averaged more than 4 points per game.

This is a team that relies entirely on the incredible chemistry and individual abilities of its star players and trios.

In response to those criticisms, the Lakers said: "Then just don't get injured!"

No team can continue playing if they are missing a key player.

Why assume the Lakers would be missing Kobe or Shaq? Would the Spurs be able to compete without Duncan, or the 76ers without Iverson?

They should be crippled too!

But anyway, the regular season is over!

The rankings of all teams have been finalized.

The Warriors caught up with the Bulls after losing their final game. Both teams have a record of 15 wins and 67 losses, and they will decide who has the highest probability of getting this year's number one draft pick by flipping a coin.

In addition, teams like the Hawks, Wizards, and Grizzlies will also launch a very aggressive challenge and competition for the number one draft pick!

Aside from these terrible teams, the top eight teams in the Western Conference are as follows:

1、圣安东尼奥马刺58胜24负2、洛杉矶湖人57胜25负3、犹他爵士55胜27负4、萨克拉门托国王54胜28负5、达拉斯小牛53胜29负6、菲尼克斯太阳51胜31负7、波特兰开拓者50胜32负8、明尼苏达森林狼47胜35负首轮的四组对决是：圣安东尼奥马刺VS明尼苏达森林狼，洛杉矶湖人VS波特兰开拓者，犹他爵士VS菲尼克斯太阳，萨克拉门托国王VS达拉斯小牛东部：

1、费城76人56胜26负2、密尔沃基雄鹿52胜30负3、迈阿密热火50胜32负4、纽约尼克斯46胜36负5、多伦多猛龙45胜37负6、夏洛特黄蜂43胜39负7、奥兰多魔术42胜40负8、印第安纳步行者41胜41负首轮对决是：费城76人VS印第安纳步行者，密尔沃基雄鹿VS奥兰多魔术，迈阿密热火VS夏洛特黄蜂，纽约尼克斯VS多伦多猛龙！

The record clearly shows that the pattern of the West being stronger than the East has now been fully formed. Only 3 teams in the East have reached 50 wins, while there are as many as 7 teams in the West.

Furthermore, the Knicks, who are fourth in the East, will miss the playoffs if they go to the West, and only the 76ers will be able to enter the top half of the bracket.

The difficulty of the playoffs on the two sides is vastly different, and the level of competition is also significantly different.

The teams that will face off in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs might not be matched up until the Eastern Conference Finals in the Eastern Conference!

After the regular season ended, the league gave each team two days to rest and adjust. After two days of adjustment, half of the teams were the first to start the season!

The Lakers, playing at home, faced their opponent from last year's Western Conference Finals: the Portland Trail Blazers!

Last year, the Trail Blazers came closest to defeating the Lakers, holding a 15-point lead in Game 7 and nearly crushing the Lakers.

But a year later, the Trail Blazers, who had just fallen short of their goal, not only saw a significant decline in their record, but the Western Conference's near-championship team almost failed to make the playoffs this year!

There are many reasons why the team's performance has not met expectations. For example, both Sabonis and Pippen suffered injuries, and the team's big-money acquisition of power forward Dale Davis in the summer has not adapted well and has failed to perform as well as the Pacers' interior defender last season.

For example, veterans like Pippen, Smith, and Sabonis are all a year older and their performance has declined significantly.

Of course, the team's "breeding" method of training players had reached its limit, and the players no longer responded positively and began to backfire.

On the field, all sorts of weirdos played more and more recklessly and without any strategy. Old Dunleavy completely lost control of the game, and the entire team was out of control.

The reason they were able to achieve 50 wins this season is entirely because these players have such a strong foundation and such strong individual abilities. Even if they fight individually and become a chaotic mess, they can still steadily crush weaker teams and defeat them.

This season's Trail Blazers are a typical fake powerhouse! They're masters of bullying the weak and fearing the strong!

If this Trail Blazers team were to face teams like the Magic, Hornets, or Pacers in the East, they might actually make it to the second round. But in the West, there are no rookies for them to dominate!

Especially when facing the Lakers, they had absolutely no chance!

In the two games held at Staples Center, the Trail Blazers completely lacked the flair they displayed in last year's Western Conference Finals.

The Trail Blazers lost by 18 points in the first game and by 11 points in the second.

These two games turned into a Kobe show, with him scoring 41 points in one game and 48 points in the other, totaling 89 points in two games!

Kobe's madness and the two crushing defeats of nearly 30 points each made Portland the laughingstock of the entire league.

Why is it that they have the highest salary expenditure in the entire league, yet their performance declines year after year?

"Foolish, rich, and sucker" will forever be the name of their boss after this season ends!

Of course, although the Trail Blazers were completely outmatched by the Lakers, they wouldn't just give up so easily.

The veterans, the rebellious troublemakers, and the ambitious young players on this team won't let the Lakers sweep them easily!

Soon, the third game of the series between the two sides started on time!

Nearly 2 fans still came to the Portland home arena to cheer for the team.

After all, the first round of matches is a best-of-five series. As long as the team wins this match, they will still have hope!

Fans are willing to believe that their team can pull itself out of this predicament!

Excited fans started their work as soon as both teams warmed up, cheering for their own team and putting all sorts of pressure and trash talk on the opposing team.

Meanwhile, the Lakers team gathered together, forming a circle.

"If we don't completely crush them, if we don't beat them to a pulp, they'll think they're on par with us!" O'Neal, as the leader, addressed everyone. "So, don't let the Portlanders have that illusion!"

"No team is in our league!"

"Smash them! Crush them!"

"Let them know that last year they weren't just a hair's breadth away from eliminating us. Last year, we accidentally gave them the opportunity!"

"Crush Portland!"

As the players roared in unison, the Lakers' morale reached its peak!

"Beep beep!"

The referee blew the whistle to start the game on time, and O'Neal snatched the first possession from Sabonis with almost no effort.

No one knows what happened to Sabonis in the past year, but Lin Ze can see that he has aged, visibly aged. His worn-out knees can hardly bend anymore this year.

When O'Neal backs down him in the low post, Sabonis is completely unable to lower his center of gravity and wrestle with O'Neal like he did last year. He can only stand upright with his hands raised high, trying his best to interfere with O'Neal's hook shot.

But clearly, it had no effect!

With a "swish," O'Neal hooked the ball in, scoring the first point in Game 3 of the series!

"Old man, retire! You're completely past your prime!" O'Neal was incredibly arrogant after scoring! He clearly remembered the huge trouble this European had caused him last year.

"Yeah, it's time to retire." The notoriously short-tempered Sabonis didn't argue with O'Neal, but nodded, acknowledging his age. Then he returned to the baseline and inbounded the ball.

This 37-year-old man really couldn't hold on any longer this year.

On the defensive end, Stoudemire brought the ball up the court. This time, instead of driving in head down like he did in the first two games of the series, or most of the season, he waved for a screen.

Sabonis is no longer going to screen for his teammates. It's not that he doesn't want to, but he simply can't provide any screens anymore. He's too slow now. With that kind of speed, no matter how smart or how high his basketball IQ is, he can't help his teammates anymore.

His screens only result in his teammates with the ball being double-teamed by the opponent.

Rasheed was the one who set the screen for Stoudemire; he has speed and shooting ability, making him the best candidate to screen for his teammates.

However, Rasheed has also shown a strong tendency to cause trouble this season. He is almost unwilling to set screens for any teammates, especially Stoudemire, with whom he has a bad relationship. He prefers to handle the ball himself and do the work.

But tonight, in the first possession, these two executed what is theoretically the most threatening combination on the Trail Blazers!

Stoudemire used a screen to drive towards the paint, and Lin Ze shouted "Change!" before following him and moving towards the paint.

The Flying Squirrel can no longer fly. Alcohol and injuries have made him mediocre. He is completely unable to break through Lin Ze's defense and can only drive to the free-throw line and then pass the ball to Rasheed outside the three-point line.

Rashid received the ball and immediately pulled up for his signature straight-arm three-pointer!

Fisher was too short to be easily distracted, but Rashid himself failed to seize the opportunity.

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, the basketball bounced off the rim but missed.

"You can't get past me? I'm 208 centimeters tall, and I'm not fast at all. You think you can't get past me?" Lin Ze said to Stoudemire with a look of disdain. "Do you know what that means? It means you're a piece of trash!"

"I'm really curious, Damon! What can you still do on the court now? Pass, defend? Shoot threes, or integrate the team?"

"Don't rush to answer, think about it carefully before telling me! This question is difficult for you!"

Lin Ze ran while spewing trash talk, quickly arriving at his position.

On the right corner, Kobe positioned himself on the wing, and with O'Neal in the paint, the Lakers instantly formed a triangle again.

When O'Neal got the ball this time, the Trail Blazers didn't choose to double-team him. O'Neal immediately turned around and attacked, easily overpowering Sabonis, and slammed the ball into the basket with another one-handed dunk.

The Trail Blazers' decline this year is truly comprehensive.

Although Sabonis is getting old, his brain and vision are still sharp. In the next possession, the Trail Blazers had him set up at the free-throw line, and he finally found Smith who had made a run. Smith received the ball and jumped to shoot, scoring 2 points to help the Trail Blazers open the scoring.

"A minute has passed, Damon." Lin Ze ran into Stoudemire again on his way to the frontcourt and casually asked, "Have you thought about what else you can do on the field?"

Then Lin Ze came to the baseline again, and the Lakers used the same tactic for the second time, with Rasheed sticking close to him.

"Rashid, aren't you the team's leader? How come you've only touched the ball once since the start of the game? Are you a spot-up shooter or the team's leader?"

"Are you here to play basketball or to do stand-up comedy?" Rashid couldn't help but yell. "Are you planning to single-handedly criticize the entire team?"

"It's the team's mission," Lin Ze shrugged. "That old man said my mission on the court is to make you guys angry and then play recklessly."

"But actually, it's not really necessary. After all, you don't need me to cause trouble, and you don't need to get angry. You're already playing haphazardly. What system do you have that I need to disrupt? Kobe missed!"

What?

Rasheed heard Lin Ze's sudden increase in speaking speed, turned his head to look at Kobe, only to find that Kobe was still being closely watched by Smith, while Lin Ze had already rushed towards the basket the moment Rasheed turned his head!

If the Trail Blazers still had a prime Pippen on the court right now, he could have easily recovered to chase down and defend Lin Ze. But unfortunately, Pippen is now plagued by back injuries and has long lost his former speed. He can only watch as Lin Ze cuts to receive the ball and then easily pulls up for a bank shot.

"Whoosh!"

"When are you going to fall in love with dunking? I've completely shut Sabonis down!" O'Neal reached out and touched Lin Ze's hand, while unable to resist teasing, "How many dunks have you done this season?"

"At least three times that of last season! I'm practically the California Slam Dunk King, okay?" Lin Ze casually made up a number, since O'Neal couldn't possibly remember exactly how many times he dunked.

In the following period, the Trail Blazers began to attack around Sabonis, and they finally united because they did not want to be swept.

25: 24!

At the end of the first quarter, the Trail Blazers were down by only one point.

In the second quarter, the Trail Blazers launched a major counterattack!

They capitalized on the Lakers' rotation time and weak bench strength, relying on Bonzi Wells from the bench to lead the charge and constantly bully Brian Shaw and Fox. After he scored consecutively, the Lakers sent Kobe to deal with him, but it had little effect.

This guy later became famous for his one-on-one beating of Bowen in his prime. His large physique and physical strength were bug-level in the entire league's shooting guard position. Kobe, who hadn't gained weight yet, was no match for him.

In addition, Kobe, who scored 40+ points in the previous two games, had a very poor shooting night, missing several good shots.

With 3 minutes and 20 seconds left in the second quarter, the Trail Blazers not only took the lead but also extended it to 9 points!

Although Jackson responded quickly, immediately bringing back Lin Ze and O'Neal, the Trail Blazers also brought in Sabonis and Rasheed, and the two sides began to battle back and forth in the paint.

Sabonis went all out, resorting to all sorts of dirty tricks, pulling, pushing, and shoving, and even blocking the way for O'Neal, Lin Ze, and other Lakers players to attack the paint, using his last bit of energy to contribute to the Trail Blazers.

Under his almost desperate playing style, O'Neal was in a lot of trouble. Especially with 4 minutes left in the second quarter, he was so disoriented by Sabonis's poking that he lost control of his elbow and hit Sabonis in the chest, knocking him down.

The referee immediately called the rather large movement an offensive foul, which was O'Neal's third one tonight!

Helpless, Jackson had to call a timeout and substitute O'Neal off the court.

On the other hand, Dunleavy showed the players a rare display of passion!

"Now they only have Kobe and Lin on the court, that's our best chance! Kobe's been having a terrible night, he's only made 4 of 12 shots so far, he's lost the magic he had in the first two games, don't be afraid of him!"

"Steve, you're in charge of Kobe. Stop him completely! He almost scored 100 points in the first two games!"

Of course, if you don't care, then keep relaxing and let him have a series averaging 40+ or ​​even 50+ points per game!

"I know, I'll keep him in check," Smith said in a low voice, his face now filled with determination.

"Everyone else, double-team that Lin! Close him down! Force him to pass! Without O'Neal on the court, the Lakers' remaining three players are no threat at all! Let the other three shoot; they can't beat us!"

At this point, Dunleavy took a breath, then looked at all his players and said, "I think you all know what this game means, right? The boss paid the highest salaries in the league, and next season there will be the highest luxury tax in the league."

"If we get eliminated in the first round, then we're all out! I'll be fired, and you'll be broken up and traded! I know you've never been friends, you probably even wish the other would get hit by a car."

"What a coincidence, I don't like you guys either! I don't like any of you. If murder weren't illegal, I would definitely take an M4 and wipe out all of you sons of bitches! I've had enough of you beasts."

"But we're on the same team now! I hate you guys, but I don't want to be a laughing stock, and I'm sure you don't want to be the laughing stock of the league either."

"So, give it your all! Throw everything you have onto the field! I can leave after this season, but I don't want tonight to be the team's last game. I don't want to be swept aside like a dog!"

"So, go and win this game!"

In the first possession after O'Neal went to the bench, Lin Ze boxed out Rasheed in the low post. He could clearly feel that Rasheed's defense was different; the guy had become more aggressive, and his face, which already looked like that of a ruthless bandit, was now filled with even more rage.

Lin Ze didn't care at all. He reached out for the ball, and Kobe passed it to him. As soon as he turned around, he found that Sabonis had rushed over from the other side. He immediately accelerated and turned to the other side, but unexpectedly, Rasheed's lateral movement was also incredibly fast. He quickly blocked the direction of Lin Ze's turn and acceleration, leaving the other side completely open.

Or rather, the other side was completely handed over to Sabonis!

This is one of the few times this season that the Trail Blazers have shown unity and trust!

But Lin Ze is no longer the same person he was last season.

He quickly turned around again, slipping through the tiny gap between the two just before Sabonis could reach him, then took a step forward and rushed towards the basket, easily jumping and putting the basketball into the hoop.

"You believe him?" Lin Ze looked at Rashid with a mocking expression. "You'd be better off believing Clinton slept with Trump than believing this old man can fill your vacancy."

"Avidas, ignore him!" Rashid ignored Lin Ze and instead reached out his hand to Sabonis: "We'll take care of the match!"

"Get the match done!" Sabonis gave him a high five. "Then we can talk about our personal grudges!"

This was perhaps the first time in their lives that these two had shown absolute trust in each other. Lin Ze didn't say anything more, but turned to his teammates and said, "Be careful! After this timeout, they're completely different!"

"Give it your all! They're going to fight tooth and nail! Defend with everything you have! Let's catch up!"

"Understood!" Fisher and the others shouted in unison, and the Lakers also increased their intensity along with the Trail Blazers.

However, when the Trail Blazers team gets together, they are indeed very difficult to deal with.

Once again, Sabonis orchestrated the offense from the high post. After a series of off-ball screens and runs, Stoudemire received the ball in the middle and drove forward, drawing the defense before passing to Pippen, who then took a three-pointer.

"Whoosh!"

hit!

"Ten points!" Wilmarcus exclaimed. "The Trail Blazers seem determined to widen the gap as much as possible while O'Neal is out! Can they do it? They're playing with a chemistry we haven't seen all year!"

During the Lakers' offense, Kobe had the ball, and Lin Ze stepped up to screen for him. After a quick exchange, Lin Ze was about to cut inside when he discovered that the Trail Blazers had sent two players to block his cut.

Lin Ze immediately changed his tactics and shouted, "Kobe!"

Then he turned and ran toward Kobe, who was still beyond the three-point line.

Kobe understood what he meant, immediately turned to the side to set a screen for Lin Ze and handed him the basketball.

Lin Ze immediately pulled up after receiving the ball!

Ignoring Smith and Rasheed who were rushing towards Kobe from the side and front at the same time, he decisively took a three-point shot!

"Whoosh!"

With a crisp sound, Lin Ze scored 5 points in a row!

"They think I can win by double-teaming me!" Lin Ze said, looking at Kobe. "They think that if they double-team me, you won't pass me the ball! Let them know how wrong they are."

"Boring, do you think I'm a kid?" Kobe muttered, then immediately ran off to continue his matchup against Smith.

Next, the Trail Blazers finally changed their tactics. Stoudemire drove to the basket and passed the ball to Sabonis, who, taking advantage of his much taller stature than Grant, barely lifted his feet off the ground and threw the ball towards the backboard. The ball bounced off the backboard and into the basket.

In the Lakers' offense, Kobe didn't need a screen this time, but instead drove to the basket himself. However, Smith exploited Kobe's poor shooting tonight, leaving him just one step away, which greatly increased the difficulty for Kobe to drive to the basket. In the end, Kobe drove to the paint, but not only was he unable to shake off Smith, but Sabonis also came to help defend.

Kobe could only force his way up, and then, after an incredible twist in the air, he passed the ball to Lin Ze on the wing.

Lin Ze almost cursed when he caught the ball.

Why the hell did you give this to Grant? He missed it, why are you giving it to me? Can't you see Rashid's big head is practically touching my chest?

However, Lin Ze soon found out why Kobe had passed the ball to him.

The pass was for you, Lin Ze! It was given to Grant, and he immediately voted.

I gave it to you, Lin Ze, but you don't have the space, so you have to give it back to me!

Kobe was already running quickly toward the three-point line and calling for the ball. Considering that there were only 4 seconds left on the shot clock, it's safe to say that he's willing to take the blame and even enjoys taking the shot.

But Lin Ze didn't pass it on!

He simply watched Kobe make a passing fake, slightly deceiving Rasheed's attention, and then immediately lowered his center of gravity and accelerated to break through!

He still uses the "Joe-style breakthrough method," which involves first using his shoulder to block his body position and then lowering his center of gravity to sprint forward.

After easily leaving Rasheed behind, Lin Ze quickly advanced and then, less than 3 meters from the basket, pulled up and shot before Sabonis could rush up.

"Whoosh!"

Another hit!

"Great shot! Lin's plays were the most powerful response!" Wilmarcus praised, "The Trail Blazers' defense was clearly targeting him, double-teaming him, but Lin wasn't afraid of the double-teams at all and kept scoring!"

"Now is the time to test the Trail Blazers' execution and determination. Can they continue with their previous strategy?"

"And he's very smart," Smith said. "Lin's two plays exploited the Trail Blazers' weaknesses. Sabonis is too slow right now. In both possessions, he was a little slow, which created gaps in the double-team."

Wilmarcus said, "But the Trail Blazers didn't have a choice. Sabonis' presence on the court does affect the speed of rotation and double-teaming, but he helps the team more on the offensive end. If they take him out and bring in Davis, they can definitely have a better defensive effect and can definitely stop Lin's offense."

"But the Trail Blazers' offense itself is finished! No one else can replace Sabonis in fulfilling the role of a high post pivot and playmaker."

"Let's see how the Trail Blazers respond."

The Trail Blazers' response was to keep Sabonis on the court and preserve their offense!

In the next possession, Sabonis continued to facilitate from the high post, setting a pick-and-roll after a handoff to Smith at the top of the key. Smith received the ball and pulled up for a mid-range shot.

hit!

When the Lakers went on offense, the Trail Blazers responded accordingly!

Go around!

After the double-teaming strategy failed, Rashid began to front Linze and successfully defended him for one possession!

"Isn't this kind of defense too cowardly? What's the difference between this and kneeling down and admitting that I'm your father?" Lin Ze said, blocking the way as he habitually hurled insults at Rashid.

However, this time he asked for the ball further out than before, farther from the basket.

Rashid, who had just moved in front, was now completely blocked behind Lin Ze. This is the drawback of fronting defense; once the opponent passes the ball successfully, the defense becomes extremely reliant on teammates for help and cover.

Sabonis naturally came over to help, but Lin Ze immediately made a bounce pass. The basketball almost grazed Sabonis's body, gliding past his waist and below. Poor Sabonis, at his age, he really couldn't bend down to steal the ball. He could only watch Grant behind him catch the ball, pull up, and slam dunk!

"A smart move! After being shut down for one possession, Lin quickly found a way to respond! What a smart player!"

Dunleavy, sitting on the sidelines, shook his head helplessly.

The cracking was too fast!

In just the second round, this guy found a way to break through the defense, which really gave him a headache.

Fortunately, he had plenty of food in his belly!

In the next possession of the Lakers' offense, he immediately double-teamed them!

Before Lin Ze even got the ball, Rasheed was already marking him closely, while Pippen was very close to him, practically leaving Fox out. As soon as Lin Ze received the ball, Pippen would immediately move up to double-team him. Pippen's positioning was also very strategic, completely cutting off the passing path between Lin Ze and his teammates.

Unless someone else on the Lakers takes a risk and passes the ball, it will be very difficult for Lin Ze to receive it!

Faced with this semi-early double-team, Lin Ze failed to receive the ball for two consecutive rounds, but he quickly found a way to deal with it again!