Chapter 1051
: Completely under the Grizzlies' control!
"In Lin's first season in Indiana, the two of us went up against the Chicago Bulls! Back then, the Bulls had three top-class defenders of Defensive Player of the Year caliber: Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman."
Miller said smugly, "But what was the result?"
"We completely destroyed them! We easily crushed the Bulls' so-called 'three best defenders' and advanced to the Finals!"
"FUXX, do you have any shame?" Jackson couldn't help but curse, "Do you not know how badly you played in that series, Reggie? We all watched that series, and you and Charles played worse than my grandma!"
"Because my grandma doesn't play, she just cheers from the sidelines, so she doesn't cause any side effects, while you two are complete spies on the field!"
"In that series, Lin was facing five Defensive Player of the Year players, not three!"
“Mark is right, you really are the most shameless and shameless person I’ve ever met,” Van Gundy said from the side. “You call a series where both sides went back and forth all the way to a Game 7 and even had the first-ever Game 7 buzzer-beater in history an easy win?”
"Reggie, have some shame. I heard you had nightmares for three nights after that series, while Lin was so exhausted he had to get an IV drip."
Faced with the facts, even Miller, with his silver tongue, was speechless.
What can you do when both brothers are right?
Who could blame him when his performance back then was practically indistinguishable from that of an undercover agent?
Faced with the facts, he could only abandon his self-praise and instead praise Lin Tiandao: "Tell me, can Lin handle this level of defense? Tell me, will Lin be able to contain the Grizzlies?"
Miller didn't boast about himself, so the two people next to him could tolerate it. After a slight hesitation, they both nodded at the same time and said, "He can handle it!"
Lin Tian, who has dominated the alliance for over a decade, can definitely hold his own!
Just then, the competition officially started. Whether Lin Tian can withstand it or not, the competition will be the best proof!
Marc Gasol leaped high and touched the ball before Bynum, securing the Grizzlies' first possession of the night.
After receiving the ball, Conley didn't rush. Instead, he waved to his teammates to move forward while observing the situation on the field. Then, he made a long diagonal pass to Mayo.
After Mayo received the ball, he immediately turned his back to Kobe and waved to his teammates to spread out.
He's going to have a one-on-one fight.
"Haha, here it comes! Mayo's signature move!" Miller said with a smile. "As we all know, Mayo's idol is Kobe. His playing style and movements are somewhat similar to Kobe's, so he gets extra excited every time he meets Kobe."
“Every time the Grizzlies play against the Lakers, his shot attempts increase significantly, showing his strong desire to challenge and defeat Kobe.”
"There are certainly advantages to his playing style. For example, his career-high of 34 points was achieved in a game against the Lakers last year, and the Grizzlies won that game."
"But unfortunately, such big breakouts are extremely rare. In most cases, Mayo would be completely outmatched by Kobe. Since Mayo entered the league in the 08 season, he has played 12 games with Kobe, averaging only 14.5 points per game with a 41% field goal percentage, which is below his average level."
"Mayo has averaged 19.7 points per game with a 45% field goal percentage throughout his career, which shows that Kobe's containment of Mayo was quite successful."
"In situations where one team has a player who is completely outmatched but still insists on playing one-on-one, the Grizzlies will naturally lose more often than they win against the Lakers."
Jackson said, "What's worse than Mayo being contained by Kobe is that Mayo couldn't guard Kobe at all. In these 12 games, he was completely outmatched on both ends of the court in almost every game."
"In these 12 games, Kobe averaged 32.5 points, which is almost 5 points higher than his average in the past few seasons, and his field goal percentage was as high as 48%! In the 2009-10 season, Kobe also scored 40+ points in two consecutive games against Mayo in one week, leading the team to victory. When facing Mayo's one-on-one defense, Kobe always found a way to crush him."
Van Gundy said, "To be honest, if it's during the regular season, I think it's fine for a player to occasionally act crazy or act willfully. Just consider it a perk the coach gives to the core players."
"But now it's the playoffs. In any case, the team should no longer let a player just ignore the team's system and wins and losses and keep playing one-on-one. The playoffs are completely different from the regular season."
"Passed! Passed! Mayo passed! Looks like Mayo's head is clear!" That night, the Grizzlies seemed determined to make things difficult for Van Gundy. Van Gundy had just finished saying that there shouldn't be too many one-on-one plays when Mayo quickly passed the ball. Miller, of course, didn't hesitate to immediately add insult to injury, mocking Van Gundy's wrong prediction.
"The players have improved, that's a good thing. We should be happy, not gloat and mock our colleagues." Van Gundy remained calm, shrugging his shoulders. "Some people have such a narrow mind!"
This time, it was Miller's turn to remain silent.
The game on the court showed no signs of stopping. After Mayo had all his teammates in position, he didn't go one-on-one with Kobe in the starting zone. Instead, he seized the opportunity and suddenly made a bounce pass to Randolph, who was in position under the basket.
Randolph received the ball with his back to the basket, probed Turiaf's defensive position behind him, and then turned towards the baseline. Although the turn was not fast, his subsequent dribbling and power connection was quite solid. Turiaf couldn't withstand it at all and was immediately forced back half a step.
Randolph swerved towards the inside, then slowly turned back to the top of the court, and swerved towards the inside again. After another swerve, he was basically inside the three-second zone.
Seeing Randolph bullying Turiaf, Bynum quickly moved forward to double-team him, trying to force Randolph to pass the ball.
But as soon as he saw Bynum coming over, Randolph immediately changed his move, using a back turn that was much faster than before. Randolph was almost like a teleporter, and in the blink of an eye, he completely bypassed Turiaf and rushed to the basket to dunk the ball.
These moves, from slow to fast, were all about exploiting a time difference and mental inertia. They capitalized on the Lakers' inability to close the gap when they were double-teaming. In the end, Randolph used his less-than-ideal right hand for the layup. His offensive energy was indeed surging, and his offensive skills and shooting touch were truly remarkable.
Another point worth mentioning is that although the Grizzlies only passed the ball twice in this play, it took the Grizzlies 4 or 5 seconds just for Conley to get the ball, and another 6 or 7 seconds for Mayo to hold the ball and pose while waiting for his teammates to get into position, and another 2 seconds for Randolph to get the ball and start the shot.
Finally, by the time Randolph put the ball in the basket, a full 17 seconds had passed on the shot clock.
This was just a simple low-post play with inside and outside coordination, yet the Grizzlies took so long, which shows how slow and sluggish they are in half-court offense.
After the Grizzlies scored 2 points, the Lakers launched a fast counterattack. Although Turiaf was beaten by Randolph and had no chance to fight back, he inbounded the ball from the baseline very quickly. He arrived at the baseline immediately and quickly passed the ball. Lin Tian received the ball and rushed towards the frontcourt.
If the Grizzlies were the epitome of slowness, then the Lakers displayed the epitome of speed in this play.
Lin Tian dribbled and sprinted to the frontcourt immediately. Although he did not launch a fast break on his own, but was blocked by Conley, which ruined his chance to launch a counterattack, Lin Tian did not stop for long.
After glancing at it, he suddenly jumped up and made a wide diagonal pass, sending the ball to Kobe, who was standing on the other side.
Mayo likes to play against Kobe because he wants to be a fan, but he's not good enough at it.
But Kobe also liked to play against Mayo. Of course, it wasn't because he was a fan; he just thought Mayo was easy to beat.
Kobe was even willing to play against the Grizzlies 82 times in a season, and he never got tired of facing Mayo 82 times in a season.
Kobe loved stomping weaker opponents, especially when the opponent liked to yell at his teammates to spread out and not double-team him. That made it even cuter and more endearing.
But tonight, the situation is clearly different.
After Kobe got the ball on the wing, he immediately turned his back to the basket, then suddenly spun around and easily beat Mayo. That's about it for Mayo's defensive ability.
Apart from his face, which looks strong, the rest of him is really not worth mentioning.
But after Kobe got past Mayo, Marc Gasol, who had quickly returned to defense, changed his usual strategy of letting Mayo and Kobe go one-on-one. Instead, he moved sideways and blocked Kobe's path.
This kind of double-team is something Kobe would encounter in almost every game, but tonight the Lakers were playing the Grizzlies, and Mayo was guarding Kobe. Even Kobe was a bit caught up in his usual mindset, thinking that no one would help defend him, which caused him to let his guard down and almost bump into Marc Gasol.
Even if Mayo wasn't good at defense, he could still seize such obvious openings and opportunities. He reached out and grabbed Kobe from behind.
With a crisp 'snap', the basketball in Kobe's hands flew out and was caught by Conley, who was chasing from the other side. Then, once again, Conley did not take the opportunity to launch a fast break like most teams in the league, but instead held the ball tightly in his arms.
Only after confirming it was safe did he slowly dribble the ball back towards the frontcourt.
"I wouldn't use that kind of playing style even when I'm 70." Facing Conley, who was so cautious he looked almost timid, Lin Tian couldn't help but say, "It's too embarrassing."
"There's nothing I can do, I just don't have the talent." Conley wasn't angry at all, he even smiled.
"Fourth overall pick in the first round, and you're telling me you lack talent? What about me, the 52nd overall pick? Go commit suicide?" Lin Tian said, "Have some shame, young man. Excessive humility is arrogance."
"I got this fourth pick, isn't it all because I have a good buddy?" Conley said bluntly once again, and this time, Lin Tian really had nothing to say. Because Lin Tian knew that Conley's fourth pick was indeed thanks to the momentum of Greg Oden, the number one pick in 07, who was widely regarded as the next superstar center.
The two were not only college teammates, but also childhood friends who had played basketball together since they were young. They had an extremely close relationship. It was precisely in the months before the draft that Oden went on a spree of praising Conley for how great and strong he was, and how good their chemistry was.
Then, Conley jumped from the edge of the Lotto as previously predicted to the top five.
Of course, Conley's humble and polite personality, as well as his steady and solid playing style, were also essential foundations for his significant improvement in the draft position.
But for Lin Tian, none of that mattered. What mattered was that a guy with such a clear self-awareness, who knew exactly where he belonged, was really hard to attack with trash talk.
Conley's biggest stain is that he got a high draft pick by using nepotism and connections.
But they don't care about this at all right now, not even a little bit, so what can you do?
Anyway, Lin Tian needs to think of a strategy and figure out what kind of trash talk he can use to provoke this kid.
However, while we may try to find solutions, and fail to stimulate the issue, one thing remains undeniable.
That is, even if Conley is completely focused and calm and not fooled by Lin Tian's trash talk, Lin Tian is not afraid of him. When Lin Tian is facing him, he can have an absolute advantage!
After all, this guy's actual skill level is just so-so.
The best way to describe his abilities is as the 3rd or 4th star of a strong team, a perfect piece of the puzzle for a championship team, and a fringe player for an All-Star.
At this level, the difference between him and Lin Tian is quite obvious.
After arriving at the frontcourt, Conley calmly waved to signal all his teammates to take their positions according to the tactics. Then he leisurely passed the ball to Mayo, who then passed it to Gasol at the inbound line. Then everyone started a new round of movement.
That's how the Grizzlies play. They're like an elephant army raised by some ancient country—powerful and heavy as thunder, but not really fast.
Slow, heavy, and difficult to cope with.
After a series of runs and passes, Marc Gasol noticed Shane Battier in the corner as he walked toward the inside. He immediately passed the ball to Battier, who calmly took the shot and hit his signature corner three-pointer into the net!
"Shh!"
After a crisp crack, the Grizzlies got off to a dream start, taking a 5-0 lead over the Lakers.
But that was the end of their efficient offensive.
In the following period, the Grizzlies began their losing streak.
In the next five minutes, the Grizzlies only managed to score another six points, and halfway through the first quarter, their score had just reached double digits.
Even so, they still have a 2-point lead.
Because the Lakers were completely drawn into the Grizzlies' rhythm.
The Lakers couldn't get going at all. The Grizzlies' defensive discipline and speed were incredibly fast, and their individual defense was also quite strong. They had reliable defenders on the court in the paint, mid-range, and beyond the three-point line. This back-and-forth made it very difficult for the Lakers to play.
This discomfort showed no signs of abating as the match progressed and deepened; they still couldn't pick up their rhythm and speed, and were still stuck in many positional battles and singles engagements.
Even though the Lakers have the best individual scoring resources in the league, they still had a tough time in these one-on-one situations against the Grizzlies, who have the best individual defense in the league.
With 20 seconds left in the first quarter, Lin Tian had the ball and launched the Lakers' final attack. This play was the best testament to the Grizzlies' top-tier defense.
Lin Tian, positioned at the top of the key, noticed that the Grizzlies had set up a 2-3 zone defense. He immediately instructed Durant, who was playing the power forward position, to move to the free-throw line area and then passed the ball to Durant. He then directed Barnes and Kapono on both baselines to cut towards the basket one after the other.
Murphy positioned himself under the basket and set a screen for each of the two players.
As for Lin Tian, he moved silently to the wing, and then suddenly accelerated when Barnes ran in his direction. During the process, he and Barnes also set an off-ball screen. Lin Tian wanted to rush to the basket to find an opportunity to cut directly to the rim.
Unfortunately, the Grizzlies' defensive rotation was incredibly effective. Even though they were using a rotation lineup, they kept up with Lin Tian and the others brilliantly, giving them absolutely no chance to receive the ball or any open space.
Or rather, they did create openings and opportunities, but Durant's passing ability prevented the Lakers from capitalizing on these fleeting chances.
Seeing that the team's first wave of frantic running had failed to find an opportunity, Lin Tian could only call out another tactic and then turn around and run towards the free throw line area, intending to do a handoff with Durant.
Meanwhile, Murphy had moved out from the inside and was running towards the wing.
Murphy, who has a three-point shooting ability, can draw the Grizzlies' defense away. If the Grizzlies leave him open, he can shoot. If they don't leave him open, then Lin Tian, who has the ball, will have enough space to attack the basket!
After Lin Tian and Durant executed a handoff screen at the inbound line, Lin Tian was about to accelerate towards the basket when he suddenly realized that there were two more figures beside him!
Lin Tian was double-teamed again!
The Grizzlies' defensive rotations are incredibly fast.
But this double-team was not something Lin Tian could not handle. He quickly spotted the player who had been left out and made a behind-the-back pass without looking, sending the ball to Murphy at the top of the arc.
Murphy took a look after receiving the ball, and then decisively pulled it up and threw it!
Although Battier rushed over and jumped high to try to interfere, the Grizzlies were unable to successfully interfere due to the distance.
But Murphy was clearly unlucky; he missed the hard-won open shot.
With a loud 'bang,' the whistle blew to end the first quarter.
The Lakers missed their final shot, but at least they kept the clock ticking down.
19: 17!
In the first quarter, neither team scored more than 20 points, and both had a shooting percentage below 40%. The Grizzlies had complete control over the pace and current momentum of the game!
It's not just about double-teaming and rapid rotations.
Before the game, Lin glanced at the score and once again expressed his admiration for the Grizzlies' strategy.
This group of players not only rotates their defense at lightning speed and can double-team at any time, but they can also quickly plug the defensive gaps caused by double-teaming!
To be honest, given how quickly they fill the gaps, a slightly less skilled defender wouldn't even be able to capitalize on the opportunity. The gaps would be filled before the ball is even passed.
When the Grizzlies encounter a passer of Lin Tian's caliber, even their fastest rotations cannot completely fill the gaps, so they choose to completely abandon the player who poses the least threat.
The Grizzlies will not let go of a player with such strong offensive capabilities as Durant, and they will not ignore a player like Barnes who is good at cutting to the basket and always driving to the rim.
The Grizzlies won't ignore other players cutting to the basket either.
Simply put, they will never let go of anything near the basket, but the further away from the basket, the more lenient they will be.
Given the Lakers' current roster, the player most easily overlooked is Murphy, who is older, slower, and has the worst stats and shooting percentage.
This is a gamble for the Grizzlies. If their worst player can consistently score and make open shots, then they really have no chance.
If even your weakest person has broken out, then what's the point of us fighting?
This choice is quite down-to-earth and realistic, and it fits the Grizzlies' current style very well.
"The Grizzlies' rotation speed and discipline are really good!" Miller said. "At least in the first quarter, they really shut down the Lakers!"
"So, I told you, tonight is the Grizzlies' best chance!" Van Gundy finally said triumphantly. "They're still in the game, still quite excited, while the Lakers have had a long rest." (End of Chapter)