Chapter 1043
A Series of Outbursts! The League's Top One-on-One Team!
This guy is a bit too laid-back.
Many people will therefore think he is weak.
But Durant may be a bit soft off the court, but on the court, this guy has never been soft. He has many flaws, and his playing style and physical fitness can be criticized quite a bit.
But this guy definitely has a big heart!
Especially when his teammates trust him and feed him the ball, he will never let them down.
After Lin Tian scored 20 points in the first quarter, it was Durant's turn in the second quarter.
Unlike Lin Tian, whose offensive line was spread across the entire half of the court, Durant focused his offensive efforts on the mid-range area.
It covers the entire mid-range area!
Outside the three-second zone and inside the three-point line, Durant was like a hungry wolf, constantly running around, looking for opportunities, and waiting for the right moment to strike.
And as soon as his prey reveals a weakness that gives him an opportunity, he will immediately deliver a fatal blow!
He happily showed off his running skills and off-ball techniques, repeatedly catching the basketball while running and then pulling it up and throwing it.
Time and again, he put the basketball into the hoop in this vast area!
Durant played the entire second quarter, taking 13 shots and making 9, an astonishingly high shooting percentage. Of those shots, only one was a three-pointer, one was inside the paint, and two were free throws.
This guy focused all his energy on shooting.
In this quarter, Durant scored a whopping 21 points! That's one more point than Lin Tian scored in the first quarter!
Of course, compared to Lin Tian's terrifying offensive versatility, Durant is simply someone who has perfected one thing to the extreme.
Despite his madness, he still couldn't destroy the Suns.
Not to mention they didn't destroy the Suns, the Suns almost pulled away from the Lakers!
The Lakers' tactic of alternating single-target bursts of offense is completely unstoppable by the Suns.
They knew they couldn't defend, so they simply didn't put much effort and attention into the defense; their focus was entirely on offense.
In the second quarter, while Durant was taking a lot of mid-range shots, the Suns focused all their attention on the three-point line.
In this quarter, they barely engaged with the Lakers inside the three-point line, and the team took a total of 16 three-point attempts!
Even though both teams have a fast offensive pace, and even though three-pointers are no longer considered heresy or unorthodox as they were more than 10 years ago, attempting 16 three-pointers in a single quarter is still a bit too crazy in today's league.
Even today, there are still several teams in the league that average fewer than 20 three-point attempts per game!
Furthermore, the Suns' success isn't just about throwing a lot of shots; they also throw them accurately!
It's really accurate.
单节16次3分出手，他们命中了9球，单节光是靠3分就拿下了27分！
Nash has 3, Dragic has 3, and Pierce has 3!
The three of them shared the spoils equally, with none of them scoring even one more than the others.
Many of these three-pointers were taken from completely open spaces, and the players had to force their way through the Lakers' defense to get the ball.
Otherwise, given the defensive capabilities of Kobe and Lin Tian in the backcourt, how could they have given the Suns so many open three-point opportunities?
Kobe and Lin Tian completely blocked the ball in their faces, giving it no space, and then the basketball would just unreasonably go straight into the basket!
The Suns were on fire this quarter!
Besides being accurate, another thing they did was draw the Lakers players to the vicinity of the three-point line. After all, with the Suns being so accurate, the Lakers couldn't possibly collapse their defense.
This defensive extension immediately left the Lakers' paint area vulnerable. Although the Suns didn't take advantage of this opportunity to make many cuts or drives, they were able to grab offensive rebounds!
Garnett and Gortat combined for 6 offensive rebounds in this quarter!
This essentially means that after every missed shot, they still managed to grab the rebound themselves.
His incredibly accurate three-pointers and terrifying offensive rebounds—when you think about it carefully, it really is a perfect combination.
This quarter wasn't because the Lakers failed to crush the Suns.
The Suns almost crushed the Lakers!
It was only because Durant was really accurate, and with other players seizing the opportunity to score, that the Lakers were able to hold on and not be pulled away by the Suns!
Yes, they weren't left behind by the sun!
By the end of this quarter, the Suns had regained the lead and gained the advantage!
66: 70!
They led the Lakers by 4 points, marking the first time they've maintained a lead at halftime this playoff run! Their incredible shooting touch and unwavering determination finally paid off tonight.
"Victory is certain! Victory is certain! Victory is certain!"
The Phoenix home crowd roared wildly, their cheers for their players never ceasing, their rhythm never faltering.
The team's performance absolutely satisfied the fans; they had a perfect first half. Now, it remains to be seen whether the team can maintain their form and secure the victory.
"Kevin and Lin have done their best." In the Lakers' locker room, Jackson once again gave a speech during halftime: "They will definitely step up their defense on the two of them in the second half, and they will definitely put as much defensive pressure on Lin and Kevin as possible."
"But with the Suns' limited defensive capabilities and skills, if we strengthen our defense against those two, their defense on other points will be completely ineffective, and there will be gaps and opportunities everywhere! So in the third quarter, one of us needs to step up."
"We need someone to share the pressure and completely break down the Suns' defense! If someone can break down their defense again in the third quarter, they'll be helpless. But they certainly won't give up easily."
"They will intensify their output; they will continue to relentlessly prove their offensive firepower."
"So the third quarter will definitely be the most difficult and the most important moment of the night. This person must be able to withstand the pressure, have a stable scoring ability, and maintain his output!"
"He is the key to our victory in the second half, our most important offensive weapon!"
As soon as Jackson finished speaking, everyone's eyes turned to Kobe. Who didn't know that Jackson's words were directed at Kobe?
The next step was for Kobe to stand up, raise his arms, and give a rallying cry, expressing his determination and reassuring everyone to follow him and completely crush the Suns. Then, everyone roared in unison, their morale soaring, and they shot down the Suns.
Kobe thought the same thing. Seeing that everyone's eyes were on him, he coughed to clear his throat and stood up, wanting to show his confidence, but a hand pressed on his shoulder and pushed him back onto the bench.
"What are you doing?" Kobe looked at Lin Tian in confusion.
"It's not your time to perform, don't rush." Lin Tian gestured to Kobe with his chin, signaling him to calm down.
"Andrew!" Jackson said to Bynum, "It's your time to shine!"
"In the second half, they will definitely think that we will continue to focus on the outside, so they will shift their defensive focus to the outside and try to limit our outside players, especially Kobe! They will likely target Kobe with some defensive measures."
"So at this point, we'll focus on you, Andrew. We'll feed you the ball, and you can go one-on-one! You should be able to beat that Polish guy, right?"
"Of course I can take him down!" Surprised that he would be the one to take the lead, Bynum paused for a moment before declaring with unwavering conviction, "I've been waiting for this for a long time! I've been waiting for this opportunity!"
"I'll get my revenge! I'm going to prove that I'm way better than this bastard! I'm way more powerful than him! I can beat him to a pulp, I absolutely can!"
“Very good.” Jackson nodded in satisfaction, looking at everyone and said, “Feed the ball to Andrew! He will put the ball in the basket. Kobe, as for you, you are our number one decoy and feint point in the third quarter. Our offense will revolve around you.”
"Then, you draw the defense, pass the ball to Andrew, and let him finish!"
If it were a 25-year-old Kobe, he would be completely baffled at this point, unable to understand why he wasn't the main scorer and why he had to feed the ball to Bynum.
But now, it's Kobe at 34 years old, Kobe who hasn't won a championship yet at 34.
Kobe has long since shed his stubbornness, his insistence on being the team's leader, and his obsession with being the primary offensive weapon. Now, Kobe has only one thought in mind.
The championship! He only wants the championship!
So Kobe agreed to Jackson's plan without a second thought.
He draws the fire so Bynum can finish the job!
This is promising, it's promising, let's do it!
For Kobe now, all he cares about is winning.
Soon, halftime ended, and the players switched sides to resume the game.
After a 20-minute break, it's hard to say how well the players have recovered; we'll have to play to find out. But the Phoenix fans are definitely back to full strength.
As soon as they saw the Lakers players walk onto the court, they immediately launched into a frenzy of boos, which continued for a long time without diminishing.
What finally stopped the boos from the fans wasn't their lung capacity, but the Suns players' entrance.
As soon as the Suns players entered the court, the fans' shouts instantly changed from boos to cheers—the transition was seamless and incredibly fast!
A deafening roar of cheers reached the players, and the fans eagerly declared: We're still here! We'll fight alongside you!
"Let's continue the second half!"
With the commentators' voices and the referee giving Durant the ball to inbound the ball, the second half of the game finally officially began.
Lin Tian received the ball from the baseline and quickly moved to the frontcourt. Seeing Nash still trying to defend but obviously to no avail, Lin Tian was too lazy to trash talk with him. After directing his teammates' movements, Lin Tian quickly passed the ball to Durant, who then fed it to Kobe in the low post.
“We knew it!” Lin Tian didn’t speak to Nash, but after the Lakers passed the ball to Kobe, Nash took the initiative and said, “We all knew you guys would focus on Kobe! We have a special arrangement for you!”
Before Nash could finish speaking, Pierce had already rushed towards Kobe and double-teamed him!
But Kobe only glanced at it before turning around towards the baseline and dribbling towards the basket! He was going in a direction far away from Pierce, making it impossible for Pierce to catch up.
But Gortat under the basket also moved quickly to the side, blocking Kobe's path from the baseline to the basket.
Everyone in the league knows that Kobe's baseline drive and reverse layup is unparalleled. Now, when teams see him turn towards the baseline, their first reaction is always to block the baseline first.
"Three guys on him! I bet he can't pass it out!" Nash said smugly. "If you don't change your tactics, you're doomed!"
Nash was right last time; Kobe fell into the Suns' trap. But this time, he was wrong!
After drawing three defenders, Kobe stopped forcing the ball himself and suddenly pulled it to the side, then found an angle from outside the baseline, just around Gortat's arm, and flew behind him.
Bynum!
This 217cm tall giant grabbed the basketball without hesitation. Without even putting the ball below his chest, he pulled it up and slammed it towards the basket with both hands.
"boom!"
With a loud bang, the Lakers opened the scoring in the second half!
"You're lucky." Nash showed no sign of disappointment, but said nonchalantly, "I hope you can produce this kind of top-ten play level passing and cutting every possession."
"Is this level of teamwork really that difficult?" Lin Tian looked at Nash and finally spoke to him: "Isn't this something anyone can do? No way, Steve! Is this kind of pass really that difficult for you?"
He brought shame upon himself! He brought shame upon himself!
Nash cursed himself inwardly, clearly regretting his actions.
Why the hell did you have to provoke Lin Tian when you had nothing to do?
But he didn't give up. At least, the first offensive possession showed that the Lakers were indeed going to focus on Kobe! The triple-team effectively shut down Kobe's attack.
But Nash believed that Kobe was not a traditional point guard; he could make some beautiful passes, but he couldn't make beautiful passes all the time!
His most signature move and most famous skill is one-on-one play and scoring! As long as the Lakers give the ball to Kobe, the Suns will always be able to use double-teams to contain him and reduce his offensive efficiency.
Keep passing? Keep finding open teammates and delivering beautiful passes?
That's Kobe, not Lin Tian! Impossible, absolutely impossible!
then……
Kobe initiated a pick-and-roll at the top of the key, and after separating from Turiaf, he suddenly made a bounce pass to Bynum under the basket, feeding him another basket.
The Lakers spread out, Kobe dribbled the ball and went one-on-one against Dragic, then suddenly jumped up and passed the ball to Bynum.
Three in a row!
Kobe gave Bynum three in a row!
If the Suns don't take this seriously, then their head coach is truly incredibly stupid.
Well, okay, while D'Antoni isn't an absolute idiot, his defensive reactions are truly negligible.
Because in the remainder of that quarter, the Lakers launched similar offensive plays many more times.
But how to say it?
If you think about it carefully, it's not really D'Antoni's fault.
With this limited defensive resources, what can the Suns do if they don't double-team Kobe, who's always on the ball?
Sending Dragic to go one-on-one with Kobe would be just as suicidal, wouldn't it?
If Bynum were to play, his success rate wouldn't be that high, would it?
Gortat, at least, can hold them off to some extent.
For example, halfway through this quarter, the Lakers, thanks to the connection between Kobe and Bynum, briefly regained the lead and took a 4-point advantage.
But then, when Bynum made a strong attack under the basket, Gortat blocked two shots in a row, and the Suns responded with their own baskets, tying the game again!
Fortunately, D'Antoni is inflexible and doesn't know how to be flexible, but Jackson does!
Seeing that Bynum seemed to be losing energy and couldn't handle the ball possession anymore, Jackson immediately changed the offensive focus.
Kobe and Bynum were still standing on one side, but basketball was no longer on their side.
Lin Tian and Durant took the lead in the offense, starting with a signature tactic where Lin Tian had the ball and Durant set a screen, then quickly broke up the spread-out play.
Because both players posed such a tremendous offensive threat that it was hard to describe, the Suns' defense immediately fell apart once they were separated, and both players simultaneously gained excellent space and opportunities.
Lin Tian was even stunned for a moment. Such a large gap was truly rare in his professional career!
But his hesitation was only momentary. Before Nash could return to his defensive position, Lin Tian had already gathered the ball, pulled up, and launched a mid-range jump shot!
"Shh!"
Although he didn't get the ball much for half the quarter, Lin Tian's touch didn't cool down at all, and his shots were still crisp and steady.
"Don't give up, keep going!" After scoring, Lin Tian looked at Nash, who had finally managed to get back to his defensive position but it was too late. "2 fans are watching, they're counting on you to win!"
What is arrogance?
That's arrogance.
Lin Tian's arrogance in cheering on his opponent and encouraging them to push themselves is truly unmatched in the entire league.
Nash remained unmoved. His mental fortitude is undoubtedly among the strongest in the league, especially after winning the MVP and the championship, when he entered a state of complete detachment from worldly desires.
It would be incredibly difficult to get Nash angry on the court these days.
But not getting angry doesn't mean he's weak or easy to bully.
After arriving at the frontcourt, Nash used the same trick again, calling for a double screen, then changing direction and dribbling to get past Lin Tian. Instead of attacking the basket, he took a three-pointer directly from beyond the arc!
"Shh!"
After a crisp sound, Nash's three-pointer went in!
The Suns' hot streak continued tonight.
With their unprecedented accuracy, they consistently kept pace with the Lakers. (End of Chapter)