Everyone on the Celtic side looked serious, as if they were about to go to the battlefield, nervous, a little worried, and a little excited.
In contrast, the atmosphere on the Lakers' side is much more relaxed.
Except Kobe.
There was no excitement, nervousness, or excitement on Kobe's face.
It gave the audience the feeling that this game was not important to him at all, just like an ordinary regular season game.
The reason why Kobe is like this is mainly because he and Zhang Zhiyuan calculated the current statistics before the game. Zhang Zhiyuan has averaged 37 points per game in the finals so far, while he only has 26.4 points. The gap has reached double digits.
When he calculated this result, Kobe even didn't believe his eyes for a while, so he repeated the calculation several times. In the end, he sadly discovered that his math skills were actually pretty good.
Why is there such a big difference? Kobe was confused for a while.
The difference is ten points, and there is no hope of catching up.
What’s the point of not having the FMVP championship? He already has three of them.
Kobe was no longer interested in the game, but he did not dare to refuse to play, and it was impossible not to play.
When people are in the alliance, they can't help themselves.
The warm-up is over and the game begins.
The Lakers sent out their regular lineup, Fisher, Kobe, Zhang Zhiyuan, Hayes, and Bynum.
The Celtics changed their formation and sent out Rondo, Ray Allen, Tony Allen, Pierce, and Garnett.
There is one more striker and one less center.
Rivers has already agreed. If the Lakers choose to let Bynum play the main offense, then he will admit it.
Moreover, Bynum may not be able to gain much advantage by playing against Garnett.
The two teams jumped the ball, and Garnett jumped high and gave the ball to his side.
On the other hand, Bynum only tiptoed symbolically and had no intention of competing with Garnett.
Celtic attack first.
Rondo controlled the ball for half the game, Zhang Zhiyuan retreated to his own half, and then used the attribute chain on Tony Allen and Garnett.
At the same time, he also used a new prop to ensure victory in the game.
[Basket Overlord: Greatly enhances the host's strength, low-post singles success rate 10%, rebound sense 10%, physical strength increased by 10%, duration 30 minutes. 】
This is a prop suitable for inside players, but it doesn't matter if outside players use it. There are actually quite a few outside players who like to play singles under the basket.
Pierce likes to go to the basket. Today he finally didn't have to face Zhang Zhiyuan, and happily ran to the basket to compete with Hayes for position.
But Hayes' strength doesn't boo him, and Pierce can't take advantage.
But Pierce was more flexible. He squeezed twice and suddenly retreated to the outside. Hayes caught up with him. Pierce immediately reached for the ball and then broke through Hayes.
Compared with strength, Pierce doesn't have any advantage, but compared with technology, Pierce is much better than Hayes.
Hayes reacted a step too slowly, and by the time he tried to defend, Pierce had already crossed half of his body.
Then Pierce got to the basket and scored.
When the Lakers attacked, Zhang Zhiyuan called out to Hayes and asked him to stand on the outside as he wanted to go inside.
Hayes didn't know why Zhang Zhiyuan did this, but it didn't matter, he didn't need to know, he just did it and it was done.
After everyone passed halftime, Tony Allen was still cautiously following Zhang Zhiyuan, fearing that Zhang Zhiyuan would suddenly start.
Zhang Zhiyuan did not run, but ran directly to the basket to grab the position.
Tony Allen had no choice but to follow the basket and create a confrontation.
Zhang Zhiyuan reached for the ball near the penalty area. Fisher was stunned for a moment and then passed the ball.
Can Zhang Zhiyuan play from behind? Fisher is not sure.
However, he believes that Zhang Zhiyuan will not mess up on the stage of the finals.
Perhaps Zhang Zhiyuan wanted to deceive his opponent and then pass the ball.
After Zhang Zhiyuan caught the ball, he directly nudged Tony Allen with his butt. Good guy, Tony Allen almost sat on the ground.
Even though he didn't fall, he had already taken a step back, and his steps were sloppy and he couldn't stand firm.
Of course Zhang Zhiyuan was not polite and took the opportunity to continue thrusting inside. Tony Allen was pushed back repeatedly, like a primary school student being bullied by college students.
After entering the penalty area, Zhang Zhiyuan immediately turned around and shot a jumper.
If we don't take action, Pierce or Garnett can help defend.
Sure enough, as soon as the ball left his hand, Garnett pounced on it, but unfortunately it was still a step too late.
The basketball flew towards the basket and fell into the net.
The ball goes in.
"Hey, why did Zhang go to the low post today?"
Smith asked curiously.
"What's all the fuss about? Playing in the low post is the most effective way to score. It makes sense for him to play like this."
Buckley's comments were serious. In fact, he just wanted to brag about himself in disguise.
After all, Zhang Zhiyuan's style of play just now was his signature technique.
During the transition between offense and defense, Rondo took the ball across half court, Tony Allen ran to the bottom corner, and Zhang Zhiyuan had no choice but to follow him.
Tony Allen's corner three-pointer cannot be released, but it is a bit wasteful to let Zhang Zhiyuan only be responsible for one Tony Allen.
I have to say that Rivers' adjustment is somewhat effective.
In addition, Kobe was also allowed to run outside by Ray Allen, and the Lakers were somewhat empty inside.
Pierce had a larger range of movement and continued to use more flexible steps to get rid of Hayes, and then caught the ball and hit Hayes alone.
The ball didn't go in, but Celtic's intention was achieved.
As long as he keeps playing like this, Pierce's efficiency will still be quite high.
During the transition between offense and defense, both Zhang Zhiyuan and Kobe Bryant reached the basket, and all the Celtics' defensive players also huddled under the basket. The basket was suddenly as crowded as a vegetable market.
Kobe was double-teamed after catching the ball, and then he passed the ball to Zhang Zhiyuan.
But Garnett Pierce and others were very close to Zhang Zhiyuan, so they immediately left Kobe behind to double-team Zhang Zhiyuan, not giving Zhang Zhiyuan a chance to take action.
Zhang Zhiyuan passed the ball to Hayes, who was standing relatively outside, and Hayes made a jump shot.
Unfortunately, this distance is a bit far for him and is beyond his ability.
The basketball was a little short and hit the rim.
Zhang Zhiyuan took off, Pierce also took off, Garnett and others also took off.
In the air, Zhang Zhiyuan and Pierce collided, and then Pierce's figure became crooked, but Zhang Zhiyuan continued to rise, and then took the lead in getting the basketball.
As soon as he landed, Tony Allen wanted to look back from behind, but Zhang Zhiyuan arched his butt, and Tony Allen took a step back.
Then Zhang Zhiyuan took a shot from behind and scored.
Tony Allen suddenly felt very depressed.
"What's wrong with you?"
Garnett questioned Tony Allen before serving, and was repeatedly beaten with force. This is too embarrassing and too weak.
"He's so strong."
Tony Allen said aggrievedly.
"This is nonsense, this bastard has a lot of strength to begin with."
Garnett said angrily.
He is someone who has fought with Zhang Zhiyuan and knows that Zhang Zhiyuan's strength has some advantages for outside players.
I'm angry because Garnett is not the coach and can't replace Tony Allen.
Moreover, once Tony Allen is replaced, this bastard Zhang Zhiyuan will definitely run without the ball, and no one on the Celtics will be able to catch up.
How come this guy is so strong and fast, yet he still fails to be selected? This is unscientific.
Garnett complained secretly.
The Celtics attacked, and they relied on internal and external tactics to help Garnett create an open opportunity, and Garnett hit a jumper.
After a few rounds of back-and-forth between the two sides, Smith couldn't help complaining: "The two teams must have worn the wrong jerseys today. Why is the Lakers' current play style so similar to the previous Celtics tactics, and now Kyle's tactics?"
In fact, the special people have a bit of the flavor of the Lakers before."
"When you put it like that, it seems a bit similar."
Buckley agreed.
"Is it the coach's arrangement?"
Smith asked.
"have no idea."
Buckley.
Not to mention that Barkley didn't know, Jackson himself didn't know either. He didn't arrange such a tactic.
However, he did not call a timeout because the Lakers played well and had a slight advantage on the scene, so there was no need to adjust.
Jackson speculated that Zhang Zhiyuan adjusted his playing style because the Celtics had too many forwards, and Zhang Zhiyuan made adjustments based on the opponent's lineup.
Some coaches do not allow players to change their playing style on their own, but Jackson is more open-minded and willing to trust his players.
Of course, Zhang Zhiyuan's strength is also a reason.
The game continued, and the two sides were tied at 10 to 14, with the Lakers leading by 4 points.
The Lakers attacked, and Zhang Zhiyuan ran to the Celtics' basket to grab position.
However, the Celtics players had already taken precautions at this time and occupied several better spots early, which could prevent Zhang Zhiyuan from getting close to the basket and double-team him at any time.
Not only Zhang Zhiyuan will adjust, but other players will also adjust.
It's just that Zhang Zhiyuan has too many choices.
As soon as he saw this situation, he suddenly ran to the outside.
Tony Allen quickly caught up, but he was the only one who caught up, and everyone else was still huddled under the basket.
Then Zhang Zhiyuan received the pass and only had to face Tony Allen, so he didn't have to worry about being double-teamed for the time being.
Zhang Zhiyuan then patted the basketball twice, adjusted his rhythm, and then took off to take a shot.
Tony Allen took off for interference.
It's a pity that Zhang Zhiyuan's rhythm is too good. Just like the shooting in training, Tony Allen blocked his sight to no avail, the ball still went in.
10 to 17.
There was a burst of cheers from the fans at the scene, and the 7-point advantage was already considerable.
Moreover, the game has only been played for a while, which shows that the team is in very good condition.
Trailing by seven points, Rivers patted his bald head anxiously off the court, trying to come up with a way to deal with it.
Replacing Perkins to strengthen interior defense?
This idea was rejected by Rivers as soon as it came up. The previous games have proved that this method cannot win.
What to do? What to do?
Rivers was anxious.
On the court, the Celtics attack.
Ray Allen once again came to the rescue at a critical moment, hitting a three-pointer against Kobe's defense.
13 to 17.
During the transition between offense and defense, Kobe was very angry.
He didn't play aggressively before, but he would never allow Ray Allen to act wild in front of him.
Kobe ran to the basket to grab position, and then reached for the ball.
Fisher passed the ball, and Kobe beat Ray Allen for a jumper and hit.
He had a slight slump when he hit someone, but this was the home court of the Lakers, and Kobe was the representative of the Lakers, so the referee naturally didn't find fault.
Ray Allen is a mature professional player and doesn't even have a hint of anger about this.
The Celtics attacked, and Garnett hit a jumper against Bynum.
Turning around, Bynum used his strength to force Garnett away from the basket, then caught the ball and dunked.
Some media boast that Garnett can guard five positions, which is obviously nonsense. At least it is difficult for Garnett to guard positions 1 and 5. This is not because he is not strong, but because his physical attributes do not allow it.
During the transition between offense and defense, Pierce singled out Hayes under the basket, but the ball missed.
The Lakers gave him a chance, but he didn't take advantage of it.
The Lakers counterattacked, and Kobe once again hit the basket hard and threw the ball into the net during the double-team. His touch and luck were both good today.
This is very bad news for the Celtics.
After 7 minutes of the first quarter, Tony Allen was replaced. He did not do a good job guarding Zhang Zhiyuan in the interior and was almost completely beaten.
The Celtics replaced Posey, but Rivers soon discovered that Posey didn't seem to be good either.
In desperation, Rivers replaced Perkins in the ninth minute.
However, the Lakers replaced Zhang Zhiyuan and Bynum in the next round.
The party that makes adjustments first will suffer more or less losses, and the other party can make targeted adjustments.
After the first quarter, 26 to 34, the Lakers led by 8 points. This is a number that makes the fans at the scene very reassuring.
This season, the Lakers have almost never lost a game when the team led by 8 points in the first quarter.
"It seems that the rumors are true."
Buckley commented.
The Lakers lost to the Celtics in the last game. On the surface, Zhang Zhiyuan and Kobe Bryant were competing for the ball. However, some media speculated that the Lakers deliberately let go in order to earn more ticket money for a game.
Ranwen
Because the evidence is not particularly sufficient, not many fans believe it.
However, the Lakers played with ease today, and Kobe and Zhang Zhiyuan did not appear to be conflicted. They seemed to be validating the media's speculations.
"Since we are sure to win anyway, why not do it? You know, the tickets for a game are as much as 15 million US dollars, and the Lakers have made a lot of money this season."
Smith sighed.
What is the concept of fifteen million?
The Lakers' total salary this season is only 65 million.
Of course, not all of the 15 million goes to the Lakers owners. First, they have to pay about 30% in taxes, and they also have to pay 45% of the net profit after tax to the league.
Including broadcasting and other income, after some calculation, the Lakers can probably earn about 5 million more for Buss by playing one more game.
This is also very exaggerated. There are not many companies in the United States with annual profits exceeding US$5 million.
If it weren't for the fear of losing the championship in an accident, Buss even hoped that the team could play four home games.
Especially the final tiebreaker at home, you will definitely earn more.
Of course, old Bass could only think about this kind of thing, he couldn't take such a risk.
Compared with the various benefits brought by the championship, a mere 5 million is not worth mentioning.
