Today's Rockets' athletic ability is far different from last year's senior lineup.
McGrady, Griffin, and George penetrated the Lakers' territory from all directions.
Although the players of the Purple and Gold Army fought hard to retreat, they were still a little exhausted.
I saw Lowry passing the ball to George who was following up on the right side. The latter caught the ball and rushed to the basket. After encountering the defense, he suddenly threw the ball high...
Birdman, who had previously completed a wonderful block, rushed over!
He leaped high and dunked the ball into the basket!
Yu Jia immediately sighed: "Mark Jackson's adjustment this time was too timely! In terms of defense alone, Tucker may not be weaker than Anderson, but in terms of frame protection, Birdman is definitely the stronger one!"
Anderson's appearance injected new vitality into the Rockets' interior defense.
The Lakers' interior offense in the second half was greatly restricted as a result.
The battle was fierce and the game once again entered a stalemate.
The two teams went back and forth until the last 6 minutes of the fourth quarter.
At this time, the Rockets led the Lakers by 8 points, 90:82.
During a dead ball, both sides send all their main players back to the field.
When he took the court this time, Kobe's eyes were much more fierce than at the beginning of the game.
Just like his nickname - Black Mamba, his eyes are flashing with light, and his venomous fangs are ready to move, ready to deliver a fatal blow to his opponent at any time.
As for the Rockets, McGrady and Griffin played at the same time.
T-mac's face no longer had the lazy look at the beginning.
At this point, everyone wants to win this close game!
............
The Lakers attack first.
Fisher passed the ball inside, and Pau Gasol singled out Anderson.
After some back-and-forth play, Gasol turned over and made a fadeaway jumper. The ball circled around the basket and rolled out again.
Griffin jumped high and collected the rebound.
The Rockets quickly launched a transition attack.
George ran at high speed, received Lowry's pass, broke into the basket, and succeeded in a one-handed dunk.
92:82!
The Rockets widened the point difference to double digits.
In the transition between offense and defense, Odom broke into the basket and hit Griffin with a fake shot.
But when he took off for the second time and was about to complete the finish, Griffin actually shot back in the air.
I saw him half-turning in the air and using his other hand to block Odom's shot.
This abnormal flight time and reaction speed made CCTV host Yang Yi say he couldn't believe it:
"Oh my god, this is a monster! It's the first time I've seen someone block a shot in the air!"
Lowry controlled the ball and the Rockets counterattacked again.
At this time, the Lakers fans at Staples Center were already a little desperate.
Seeing the balance of victory tilting toward the Rockets little by little, they booed.
I just don't know if the boos are interfering with the Rockets' fast break or venting their dissatisfaction with the home team's performance.
His eyes returned to the field.
George once again received a pass from his teammate and drove to the basket again.
After rushing to the free throw line, he raised his long legs and walked in three steps.
Just as he was about to lay up, a black hand suddenly appeared from behind him and stabbed the ball away.
It's Kobe!
After his teammates struck, he began to pursue the defense desperately, and finally completed the steal at the last moment.
Fortunately, the ball did not go out of bounds, and Kobe quickly passed the half court with the ball.
Two steps away from the three-point line, he suddenly collected the ball, pulled it up directly, and shot a super long three-pointer.
The basketball left his fingertips and spun at high speed, drawing a beautiful arc in the air...
"Shua~"
Hollow into the net!
92:85, the Lakers continue to hold on to the score!
Off the court, Mark Jackson frowned.
He had a hunch that in the final half of the game, Kobe would take over the game.
But the defensive ability of McGrady, who is facing him, does not seem to be enough to stop Mamba's offense.
Mark Jackson turned his head and glanced at the bench...
Tony Allen, Danny Green, and Battier all look eager to try.
But the question is...who can they replace?
The five players currently playing for the Rockets are: Lowry, McGrady, George, Griffin and Anderson.
Each of the five people performs their own duties and plays an important role.
As for these three people off the court, although they have strong perimeter defensive capabilities, their functions are single.
[Replace Lowry and let McGrady play point guard?]
Mark Jackson thought of such a method.
So, taking advantage of the opportunity when the ball went out of bounds, he replaced Lowry with Tony Allen.
Mark Jackson originally wanted to rely on Tony Allen to limit Kobe.
Unexpectedly, at the critical moment, the Black Mamba was already unstoppable.
In the next 5 consecutive rounds, Kobe played one-on-one against Tony Allen and scored!
This allowed Allen, who is known for his defense, to break the defense somewhat.
In the stands, Shen Fei looked at Kobe with red eyes, smiled and shook his head.
In his previous life, he witnessed many of Kobe's classic games, and now this is a typical Mamba moment.
Shen Fei clearly remembers that in the 2008 Finals, Kobe scored 19 consecutive points in the third quarter.
Among the Celtics players responsible for guarding Kobe at that time was Tony Allen.
This defensive warrior who once defeated the Splash Brothers and Durant still seemed a little powerless in front of the crazy Kobe.
Moreover, the Rockets' problem is not just their inability to guard Kobe. During this period, their offense also had problems!
After Lowry left the game, McGrady started organizing work.
t-mac has a certain ability to pass the ball, but he is not a full-time point guard after all.
Moreover, in the past few months after recovering his physical functions, McGrady has spent more time training his personal offensive skills and is somewhat unfamiliar with passing organization.
If you can't attack, you can't defend.
The advantage of about 10 points established by the Rockets in the past three quarters is now gone.
In the last two minutes of the game, the two teams were tied at 105.
Mark Jackson had no choice but to call a timeout.
............
"Kyle, you will come back on the field later and you must pass the ball."
"One more question, in the last two minutes, which of you is willing to stand up and defend?"
Mark Jackson looked around at the soldiers and asked.
...
A brief silence.
Everyone knows one thing - Kobe, who scored 6 goals in a row, has very hot hands! Anyone who tries to guard him now may become a backdrop.
Even a veteran like Shane didn't say anything at this time, obviously hesitating.
"I come!"
George on the side suddenly spoke.
In this game, he performed quite well.
When McGrady was shining, George was willing to act as a green leaf, reducing personal offense.
"Okay! Then leave it to you, Paul!"
Mark Jackson showed a happy smile.
Obviously, he admires this kind of player who dares to take on heavy responsibilities at critical moments!