The two sides changed sides and fought again, and the war gradually escalated.
For the Lakers, Kobe was on full fire from the beginning, wanting to use his individual singles to open up the situation for the team.
And Tracy McGrady, who was guarding him, although he tried his best to defend, was still unable to truly restrain Kobe.
In just three minutes, the Black Mamba made 4 of 5 shots and scored 9 points.
Fortunately, McGrady responded immediately on the offensive end.
He first hit a pull-up three-pointer over Kobe's head, and then turned over in the low post and succeeded.
This is not over yet.
Soon, George successfully completed the steal on the defensive end, and the Rockets launched a counterattack.
McGrady received Curry's pass and easily completed the attack.
Seeing this, CCTV commentator Yang Jian couldn't help but sigh: "Superstars are impossible to guard against. Once two super giants face off, they will basically explode each other."
Zhang Weiping nodded: "Yes, I think both teams should adjust their matchups and let the stronger defenses of the teams choke the other team's stars."
Sure enough, the coaches of both teams called their players to the sidelines during the game to give them face-to-face instructions.
............
Lakers offensive possession.
After George and McGrady changed positions, they walked straight towards Kobe.
Pickled pepper has been waiting for this moment for a long time!
Yesterday, he expressed his expectations for this game on his personal Twitter.
Now, George finally has the opportunity to face off against his idol!
"Hey, Corvo, long time no see."
"I have grown a lot during this time."
"..."
"You have always been the target of my pursuit, but tonight, I must guard against you!"
George, who is in the first grade, and a little bit in the second grade, will deal with his idol whenever he catches him.
Kobe glanced at him indifferently and spoke for the first time in this game: "You try."
After saying that, Kobe suddenly raised his right elbow, hit George's chest without any trace, and then flicked it outward.
Fisher understood the idea and passed the ball immediately.
Kobe immediately took off after receiving the ball.
bingo!
After the goal, the Black Mamba retreated and shook his head, as if to say: "You can't do it, young man."
George touched his chest. Not only was he not angry, but he smiled.
As a senior Kobe fan, he naturally knows that Kobe will only use these "little tricks" when he regards the opponent as his opponent.
On the way to the Lakers half court, Pickle shouted to Kobe: "It won't be so easy next time. Your move will be useless to me in the future."
When Kobe heard this, a smile finally appeared on his face.
This was the first time he smiled tonight.
Shen Fei in the stands also noticed this small detail through the big screen.
[It seems Corvo really likes pickled peppers.]
He thought secretly in his heart.
Not only that, through these few minutes of observation, Shen Fei already had a general understanding of Kobe's physical condition.
A simple summary is - recovering well, but not yet back to the peak.
This can be seen from Kobe's starting height and his explosive power when breaking through.
Although the series of scoring performances after the start of the game were exciting, if you look closely, you will find that several goals were extremely difficult.
Why are they all so difficult?
You can't get rid of your opponent's defense, so it will naturally take a lot of difficulty to score a goal!
Of course, even Kobe at 80% status is still very scary.
However, it is still not up to the level of being able to shake this rocket on its own.
To put it simply, seeing this, Shen Fei is very confident that the Rockets will win the game.
............
Focus back on the game.
The Rockets adjusted their offensive strategy and started from the inside.
In the first round, Yao Ming beat Bynum in the low post.
Relying on his height advantage, Yao pushed hard to the basket and hit a hook with his right hand.
A minute later, the Rockets came back.
This time, Yao Ming's turn back failed to hit.
But just when Gasol opened his arms and was about to collect the rebound, he suddenly felt a huge force coming from behind!
Immediately afterwards, the matador from Spain lost his center of gravity and fell forward.
"bang!"
It was Griffin who took off with a sprint, "plucked melons from Gasol's head" from behind, and dunked the ball hard.
"Roar!!!"
After completing the buckle, Gelifen looked up to the sky and screamed.
"Blake!"
"Blake!"
"Blake!"
The Rockets responded by chanting Griffin's name in unison.
Look at the Lakers.
After being ravaged inside for two consecutive rounds, they had to make adjustments.
Kobe Bryant and Ci Shiping, two strong outside defenders, began to frequently shrink inside to help the team protect the basket.
But in this way, the Rockets' outside shooters will also have more opportunities.
McGrady and George seized the opportunity and hit a three-pointer each, and the Rockets took advantage of the situation to open the score.
The defense was weak and the Lakers' offense also encountered difficulties.
Under George's defense, it was difficult for Kobe to catch the ball easily, and his hot touch was interrupted.
The team's second-leading player, Pau Gasol, was completely lost in the first quarter.
Facing Griffin, whose height and wingspan were not as good as his own, he cowered.
The few shots he took were all mid-range shots floating on the outside, and the shooting percentage was also very dismal.
The difference gradually widened.
With 4 minutes left in the first quarter, the score between the two teams reached 28:18, and the Rockets were already leading by 10 points.
"The Lakers started well, but were a little weak later on."
Yang Jian sighed.
"I think the Lakers still didn't play reasonably enough! Regardless of how the tactics are arranged, the ball must at least pass through Kobe's hands, right?"
"George of the Rockets made it clear that he wanted to cut off the passing line to Kobe. But Fisher was not creative enough to find another way to find a suitable passing method."
"Phil Jackson needs to think of a solution."
Zhang Weiping said anxiously.
However, Jackson is a coach who likes to let players solve problems on their own.
Seeing that the Rockets were about to take off, he still sat on the coach's bench calmly and calmly, not looking anxious at all.
With Curry hitting another three-pointer, the point difference between the two teams has reached 13 points!
Kobe rushed to the inside position and just caught the basketball falling from the net.
"boom!"
He hit the ball hard to the ground.
"Come here, everyone."
Black Mamba said coldly.
Everyone gathered quickly.
"Paul, next, with you as the axis, you have to reach the free throw line to provide support when attacking."
"Derek (Fisher), you guard George next, and I will guard Curry."
"Ron (Artest), you have to strengthen your personal offense and be aggressive."
"This game cannot be lost."
Kobe looked around at everyone and spoke solemnly, word for word.
All the Lakers generals nodded.
They didn't play well at the beginning of this season, but after Kobe returned from injury, things seemed to be turning around.
Of course the Purple and Gold don’t want to interrupt the momentum they just started!
............
The game continues.
After Kobe Bryant's command and dispatch, the Lakers' performance improved significantly.
First on the defensive end.
Kobe took the lead and took on the task of defending Curry.
Kuritian had everything he wanted in previous games, but Fisher had nothing to do with him.
But after switching to Kobe's defense, his efficiency dropped significantly.
Lakers No. 24 is like a dog-like plaster, clinging to Curry from the backcourt.
This extremely aggressive full-court pressing defense made the latter extremely uncomfortable.
"Is his physical strength unlimited? Like a monster..."
During the retreat, Curry complained to his teammates.
McGrady smiled when he heard this: "He has always been like this. Feeling this kind of defensive intensity will be of great benefit to your future playoff journey."
Yao Ming made a suggestion: "Try to hit him hard to bring out the momentum. Don't be timid."
Curry nodded when he heard this, and his hidden competitive heart began to beat crazily!