Chapter 1029
The Lakers' biggest advantage and the Warriors' biggest weakness!
Aside from Redick and Paul, the rest, whether it's Aldridge or Gay, are more like finishers, pure finishers. They can score, and they can get a lot of points, but most of the time, they can't change the opponent's defense.
Of course, most of the time, both of them also have explosive moments, scoring 3-40 points in a single game. At those times, they can still change the opponent's defense and make things very difficult for them.
During regular time, the Warriors rely on Paul and Redick to tear apart opponents' defenses and disrupt their systems.
But tonight, both Paul and Redick faced tight defense and very effective targeted defense.
Neither of them could type it.
Paul is alright; he just has difficulty organizing the team's offense and can no longer orchestrate it as effectively as he used to.
But Redick was in trouble.
He completely disappeared on offense, and on defense he became a target for the Lakers. As long as the Warriors didn't double-team him, it was no different for Kobe to beat him than he beat a high school student.
Redick, who was originally expected to help the Warriors break the deadlock and change their defense, became a weak link, and the Warriors naturally fell into a passive position early on.
And that's not the end.
Because the Warriors simply have no way to solve this problem.
A double team?
Kobe's passing ability may not be top-tier, but it is definitely excellent. Coupled with teammates like Lin Tian, Durant, and Bynum, who have top-notch finishing abilities, if you dare to double-team, the Lakers can score from all sides and completely destroy the Warriors.
Switching positions?
How do I change it?
Paul is going to defend? Kobe will have an even easier time shooting, he won't even need to jump.
Should Guy go to defend?
What about Durant? Should Redick or Paul guard Durant? Even if Warriors head coach Mike Dunleavy suddenly had a brain hemorrhage, he wouldn't do something that's practically suicide.
Therefore, the Warriors are in a real predicament on the defensive end.
No matter how you defend, it's always a misalignment.
No matter how you defend against it, it's a weakness.
Unable to break through on offense and unable to hold on on defense, the Warriors found themselves in dire straits in the first half of the first quarter, relying solely on Gay and Aldridge for sporadic, isolated scoring attempts.
The Lakers, with Kobe as their offensive core, repeatedly scored through isolation plays. When Kobe was playing well, he was more willing to share the ball. Whenever the Warriors showed any intention or movement to double-team, Kobe would immediately pass the ball out, either directly assisting a teammate to score or finding an opportunity to shoot through quick passing.
As one side gained and the other lost, the point difference between the two sides quickly widened in the first quarter.
With six minutes left in the first quarter, the Lakers executed another beautiful team play.
Kobe was posting up Redick in the low post, and Paul had no choice but to step in to contest and delay him. But he had only taken one step when Lin Tian darted past him like lightning and charged toward the paint.
With a crisp 'snap', Kobe made a low-handed pass without looking, and the basketball bounced off the floor before landing perfectly in the hands of Lin Tian, who was cutting to the basket.
After receiving the ball, Lin Tian threw it into the air. Because Chandler turned to help defend Lin Tian, Bynum behind him easily jumped up, grabbed the basketball with both hands, and slammed it into the basket!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, the Lakers had a 10-point lead.
21: 11!
The Lakers took a 10-point lead in the first six minutes, which was an absolute dream start. The Warriors didn't dare to push their luck any further and quickly called a timeout in hopes of stabilizing the game.
"The Lakers' offense has completely clicked!" Miller said. "With Kobe and Redick as the core of the matchup, and relying on their absolute advantage in this area, the Lakers have developed all sorts of playing styles and tactics."
"This Lakers team has such a strong and well-balanced offense! And it's different from the other super offensive team Lin played for before, the Knicks."
"The best model of that Knicks team was to attack relentlessly, using their speed, physical attributes and mobility to score constantly with a tidal wave of offensive and defensive transitions."
"With two scoring masters, Anthony and Stoudemire, plus Lin as the super engine to orchestrate the offense, the Knicks can always find absolutely open opportunities to score easily. This is why they play so fast, yet remain organized and always maintain efficiency."
"High number of possessions, high number of shot attempts, and aggressive transition offense and defense were the hallmarks of that Knicks team."
"This Lakers team doesn't play at a fast pace, and their average points per game aren't incredibly high. They also don't have many open looks or spaces for direct layups."
"Their core strategy is 1-on-1, which means using their four absolutely strong singles players to fight one-on-one, and then using this as a axis to carry out their other tactics."
"It doesn't sound very logical or sophisticated, but they just can put the ball in the basket efficiently. Their offensive efficiency is strong, and they just can win."
Van Gundy continued, "After all, a team is lucky to have one offensive player of this caliber, especially someone like Lin, Kobe, or Durant. But they have three. This lineup is really a bit like cheating."
"That's terrifying."
Jackson continued, "Not to mention they also brought in Terry from the buyout market, which is practically robbery. Add Bynum to that, and not only in today's league, but in the entire history of the league, no team has such a concentration of top offensive players."
"A bunch of one-on-one specialists paired with the greatest point guard in history—that's the basic composition and core of this Lakers team. Unstoppable. Even though the Warriors still have a chance to climb to the top of the Western Conference, they were truly blown out in the first half of the first quarter!"
"I think those six minutes also exposed one of the Warriors' biggest problems." After a series of remarks, Van Gundy steered the conversation back to the realm of professional tactics: "Their lineup looks quite reasonable, and in fact, it is quite reasonable."
"Everyone has their own role, and the starting five are as well-balanced as a textbook example. This year's record and achievements also prove that this lineup is really reasonable."
"But that's reasonable in most cases. In tonight's situation, in a matchup between the league's top teams, in the highest level of the league, this lineup is a bit uncomfortable."
"They're so reasonable! Each of them is a pretty good player in their position and has their own strengths, but they can only play in their own position and have no ability to switch positions!"
“Paul can only play point guard, Redick can only play shooting guard, and Aldridge and Chandler can only play power forward and power forward respectively.”
"It's true that everyone should do their own job, but if they can only do their own job, what should the Warriors do when they encounter a top-tier isolation team like the Lakers and a team where almost everyone has a strong ability to create mismatches?"
"Kobe and Lin can both play positions 1 through 3, while Durant and Barnes can play positions 2 through 4. Bynum might be a bit monotonous, but with the other four players being so versatile, his monotonous play doesn't affect the overall situation at all." "The Lakers' biggest advantage is that they create mismatches against everyone, giving them an advantage no matter how they play. This super mismatch ability is a natural counter to a team like the Warriors, who have no ability to switch positions! It's a complete and utter counter."
"So, does that mean the Warriors have no chance, Jeff?" Miller asked. "If the Warriors want to turn things around, what should they do next?"
“Let’s get a little unreasonable,” Van Gundy said. “If we can’t beat the Lakers with reasonable methods, then let’s try some unreasonable methods and see if we can produce some unexpected results.”
"The unreasonable methods you mentioned, you mean..." Jackson asked again.
“Anything is possible.” Van Gundy shrugged. “It could be an unreasonable shot, or it could be a move away from rigid tactics and rely on individual player performance, or it could be some kind of brilliant shot.”
"In short, the Warriors have to do this if they want to win."
"Going all in on the first quarter?" Miller pondered. "But that could very well lead to them losing even more points and turning the game into a rout."
“If they play more aggressively and irrationally, there is a high chance of a crushing defeat. But if they don’t play like that, they have no chance and are destined to lose,” Jackson said. “If they fight, it’s a matter of life and death; if they don’t fight, the game is over.”
"In a normal game, I really don't see any possibility for the Warriors to come back and take the lead."
As the group talked, the game resumed. The Warriors, who had just called a timeout, still had Paul with the ball at the top of the key. Facing Kobe's defense, he called for a pick-and-roll.
Aldridge rushed forward to try and block Kobe, but Kobe, known for his aggressive and high-pressure defense, had already seen Aldridge's path and moved laterally to block him.
Before the pick-and-roll tactic even began, Kobe disrupted it.
"The Lakers defend fiercely! They are probably the team that most likes and most frequently chooses to force their way through when facing pick-and-roll plays this year. But of course, they also commit the most fouls in the league to force their way through screens."
Miller reiterated, "But I love this kind of hard-hitting, aggressive defense. It has a retro 90s vibe. I love their choices and the toughness they show every moment! Real toughness from the bone."
"This is also one of the key reasons why they are currently number one in the league! I know that many people will say that the Lakers' success is due to the number of star players they have."
"But to be honest, we've seen a lot of teams that have a lot of superstars but still fail. Lin and I have beaten several of those 'Galactic Teams' and the like."
"The real reason those teams failed was that they weren't tough enough! They were only thinking about taking shortcuts, but they weren't tough enough! But this year's Lakers are completely different; they are truly tough and have absolute determination!"
"From the moment Kobe voluntarily relinquished his leadership position before the season even started, the team's floor was already set. It's almost impossible for them to have internal conflicts, such as disputes over unequal distribution of spoils or conflicts over ball possession or statistics."
"This is what makes them truly terrifying!"
On the court, the Warriors wanted to play the game in a reasonable way. Paul called out multiple plays and kept calling for screens, but Kobe was too close and too tight, not giving him any easy opportunity to run the tactics and team system.
Kobe even committed a foul for playing too aggressively on defense.
Even so, the Warriors could do nothing except gain 14 more seconds of offensive time.
The basketball eventually ended up in Gay's hands. He dribbled the ball aggressively forward and then suddenly pulled up for a jump shot.
Barnes followed closely, doing his best to disrupt Gay's shot. This time, Gay was forced to adjust his arc due to the interference, and the basketball finally bounced off the rim with a 'bang'.
Lin Tian quickly retrieved the ball, caught it in his arms, and immediately turned around to drive forward at full speed again!
With Durant, Kobe, and Barnes who had just finished defending, the Lakers' four perimeter players accelerated and sprinted forward, unleashing a rapid, multi-pronged fast break on the court once again.
Just past the center line, Lin Tian suddenly passed the ball to Durant on the wing. Durant then passed it to Barnes on his side. Barnes, without stopping, made a wide pass and passed the ball to Kobe in the middle. Kobe received the ball and threw it into the air again.
Lin Tian followed the momentum, jumped lightly, caught the basketball in mid-air, and then casually made a layup off the backboard.
"You're not going to dunk this ball?" Kobe reached out and gave Lin Tian an excited high five, while also cracking a joke at the same time.
"You want to make the top ten plays with my dunks?" Lin Tian said with a wicked smile, "Don't dream about it, I'm not giving you that chance."
"Unless you're treating to dinner tonight."
Kobe was quite helpless after hearing this.
I've played in the NBA for 15 years, what's the big deal about this one top 10 play?
Why do I need to treat you to a meal?
Bullshit! Ridiculous!
What do you take me for?
Is he a hillbilly who has never been on the top 10 plays?
"If I treat someone to a meal, how many times will the playoffs be on the top ten?"
The Kobe of the past would never have asked this kind of question.
It has to be said that after a season together, Kobe was gradually influenced by Lin Tian.
Regardless of whether Lin Tian dunked the ball or not, the Lakers already held an absolute advantage and dominance on the court.
The next round was almost a carbon copy of the first half of the game.
Paul couldn't execute pick-and-rolls, Redick couldn't find open looks, the team's system completely stalled, and they were forced into helpless isolation plays.
Although the Warriors managed to score 2 more points thanks to Aldridge's strong play under the basket, this was clearly not the Warriors' usual or preferred style of play.
They've been completely shut down by the Lakers.
More importantly, scoring through isolation plays is the Warriors' least favorite and least effective method of scoring.
But the Lakers are the team in the entire league that is best at one-on-one battles and loves one-on-one situations the most!
They have too many players who can initiate and complete an attack within 3 seconds of receiving the ball.
The Warriors were led into the Lakers' favorite rhythm by the Lakers.
"The Warriors are in trouble," Van Gundy couldn't help but say again. "It's as if that timeout never happened. Their playing style before and after the timeout is exactly the same. They are still completely controlled by the Lakers."
“That’s right. If this continues, the battle for the top spot in the West, or even the league, might be decided by halftime.” Miller added, “The Warriors need to show some X-factors, they need something unexpected and unpredictable.”
"This is the only way they can win the game." (End of Chapter)