Chapter 864 20 points in the first quarter, dominating the field
The Blazers' offense turned out to be a pick-and-roll tactic this time.
Wang Zelin first walked towards the basket, then ran out to catch the ball.
He found that Hibbert didn't follow up and took a two-point shot after catching the ball.
"Whoosh!"
A two-pointer from mid-range.
7:5, Lakers attack.
Paul passed a long pass to Kobe. Kobe received the ball and had no chance of three-pointers. Barton followed closely. But Kobe flicked a shot and Barton jumped up!
Kobe immediately rushed forward and was about to throw up at the basket. At this moment, Wang Zelin, who was chasing Hibbert, suddenly stopped and turned around and rushed back to the basket. He stretched out his arms and stood in front of Kobe. He moved very quickly!
But Kobe is worthy of being a thousand-year-old midfielder. He forcefully retrieved the ball in the air from a short distance and in a small area. He used a small lever to avoid the block and threw the ball.
With a bang, the two met in the air. The relatively "thin" Kobe bumped into Wang Zelin and stumbled backwards, almost falling.
This scene made the Lakers players and head coach break into a cold sweat. Kobe was almost 40 years old, and his body was not as strong as when he was young. Such a confrontation would pose a great risk of injury.
But Kobe didn't care about this. After standing firm, he quickly raised his head and looked at the basketball in the air.
"Duang~"
Unfortunately, the basketball did not enter the net, but hit the front edge of the basket and bounced out.
Wang Zelin's ability to protect the basket is resounding throughout the league. Although Kobe just escaped the block, he also completely lost his vision and could only take action based on feeling.
Under the basket, Wang Zelin quickly grabbed the rebound. There was no emotional change on Kobe's face after the shot, and he immediately retreated from defense, giving the Blazers no chance to play a fast break.
Falling into a positional battle, Wang Zelin receives the ball in the high post and provides support, paying attention to the interspersed movements of his teammates... The Lakers are a typical offensive and defensive team this season, with a league-leading offense and a defense above the passing line.
But this kind of defensive intensity is an average defense for the Blazers' offense.
Aldridge caught the ball in the corner and shot a three-pointer... and it hit the net!
At 10:5, the Trail Blazers gradually opened up the score.
A few more rounds passed, and the Trail Blazers decisively began to take the initiative. The Lakers' offensive firepower was very good. They played 6 minutes and 15 seconds in the first half of the first quarter and scored 14 points. If the game continued like this, the Lakers scored 30 points in a single quarter.
The points were expected. However, the Trail Blazers easily suppressed the Lakers with 21 points, and the Trail Blazers still had the ball.
Fortunately, Wang Zelin responded quickly and completed a volleyball block when the opponent was passing and receiving. Although the ball flew out of bounds, there was not much time left for the Lakers to reorganize their offense. This time the defense successfully interrupted the opponent's attack.
In cooperation, Kobe hurriedly took a long shot, and the referee blew the official timeout whistle.
Returning to the bench, Wang Zelin took a look at the scoring distribution on the opposite side. Kobe scored 5 points, Paul scored 4 points, Derrick Williams hit a three-pointer, and the outside trio scored as many as 12 points, occupying the Lakers' lead.
At present, nearly 90% of the points are scored. Among the inside players, only Gasol scored two points by relying on tip-ins in the second offense.
Obviously, the Lakers' offensive point tonight is as usual, mainly coming from outside players, including the strongest firepower of their bench lineup, guard Lu Wei.
In this case, the Trail Blazers only need to focus their defense on the outside tonight and try to cool down the opponent's outside firepower. This game will basically be stable.
As for the Lakers' inside offense, he, Wang, can cover it all by himself.
…
The Trail Blazers continued to strengthen their offense here, with Lillard, Batum, and Wang Zelin continuing to play, with Connett Lee and Yi Jianlian coming on as substitutes.
Connet Lee's three-point shooting rate in the regular season this season was as high as 41.5%. In the playoffs, it increased instead of decreasing, reaching a terrifying 44.4%. With such an outside marksman, it is enough to contain the Lakers' outside defense.
Although Yi Jianlian is not as accurate as Connett Lee, his overall three-point shooting percentage in the playoffs is 38%, and his best shot from the two corners is 40%, which is enough as a fixed-point outside turret.
Seeing these two teammates coming up, Wang Zelin knew that as long as he eliminated the inside threats, there was no need to worry about outside firepower.
The Lakers changed their lineup. Lu Wei replaced Derrick Williams and took up the second position, partnering with Paul to play the short backcourt combination. Kobe went to the third position, Gasol remained unchanged, and the inside center
Replaced by Robert Thackeray.
It seems that Lakers coach Jr. Walton has also figured it out. Since center Hibbert's defensive effect on Wang Zelin is approximately 0, it is better to replace him with Sacre, who is faster. This can also increase the team's fast break opportunities.
Like Hibbert, he will have to deal with his slow positioning speed.
Just after the timeout ended, the Blazers attacked.
Wang Zelin caught the ball and played a single. Facing Thackeray's single defense, he made a sideways skyhook shot and hit the board at a 45-degree angle from the right side for a two-pointer.
At 23:14, the Trail Blazers widened the point difference to 9 points!
The gap inside was too obvious, and the outside was densely packed with firepower, making the Lakers players afraid to double-team at will. Kobe couldn't find any shortcomings in the Mosaic team.
After the score difference reached 9 points, both Kobe and Paul felt the pressure coming like a mountain.
However, after Gasol sent the ball, Paul immediately advanced quickly and launched an attack.
Just after halftime, Paul quickly noticed a change in the Trail Blazers' defensive strategy. Connett Lee and Aldridge consciously leaned outside, cooperating with Lillard and Batum to vaguely surround himself and Kobe.
Living.
This is the rhythm of guarding the outside line to the death!
Don't you have to worry about the inside... Well, after taking a look at Trail Blazers No. 36 sitting under the basket, Paul immediately understood the opponent's confidence.
With continuous possession of the ball, seeing that the attack time was getting shorter and shorter, but his teammates still had no chance to escape, Paul decided to take the ball himself.
After all, he was also the second scoring point of the Lakers in the first round series, averaging 21 points per game, shooting 50.3% from the field, and 39.6% from three baskets. He still has his own singles tactics within the team.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! In the last 5 seconds, Paul made a singles tactical gesture, and the rest of his teammates immediately pulled away, allowing him to single out Lillard in the high post.
Paul's speed is not as fast as that of the Queen Bee, but years of competition have given him rich experience in competitions. Coupled with his strong body, Paul has the strongest confrontation ability among the current central defenders.
The title of "Lao Pao" is not for nothing!
After continuous dribbling with a low center of gravity, Paul found an opportunity and forced his way in from Lillard's left side. After taking two steps, he made a sudden stop for a jump shot.
Lillard made up for it quickly and faced some physical confrontation, but Paul has demonstrated his ability to shoot after confrontation countless times, and he shot the ball steadily against Lillard's defense.
This ball feels good, it should be stable!
After taking the shot, Paul was very confident about the goal, the absolute confidence coming from a master of mid-range shooting. He even thought about how he should celebrate after scoring the goal.
The next moment, there was a pop, and a figure rose into the air and slapped the basketball hard out of bounds.
"Beep!"
The referee blew the whistle to signal the end of the attack time, a 24-second violation, and the Blazers had the ball.
Can this also be blocked?
Looking at the Trail Blazer No. 36 in front of him, Paul, who was still confident at first, instantly lost his expression and began to doubt his life.
To celebrate this goal, the Rose Garden Arena erupted with shouts like a roaring tsunami.
"Beautiful! Beautiful! So beautiful!" Yu Jia shouted excitedly.
Walton knew he was in trouble. The Lakers suddenly lost power, but the opponent was already gaining momentum. If no one stepped forward to break the scoring drought, the game was really hanging in the balance.
Suddenly, his eyes were fixed on No. 24 on the court, and various wonderful images of his cooperation with the latter as a player emerged in his mind.
By the way, I still have Kobe! The Lakers still have Kobe!
Just give the ball to Kobe at the critical moment!
That's right, that's all you can do at this time.
With no other choice, Walton could only pin all his hopes on his former boss Kobe. Even at this moment, he was ready to let Kobe play the entire game tonight.
Emmm, Mr. Lu next door couldn’t help but call him an expert!
As luck would have it, there was someone who had the same idea as Little Wharton at this time.
who?
Of course it is our Zhang Li and Zhang Guidance.
In the commentary box of Tianchao Sports Station, seeing the Lakers being unable to score, Zhang Lili was even more anxious than the players on the court and couldn't help but complain:
"Oh, how can you fight like this? If you fight like this, you will lose!"
"Give the ball to Kobe!"
"If you don't give the ball to Kobe at this time, do the Lakers still want to win..."
Seeing the familiar voice on the TV and the anxious look on Zhang Lili's face, countless Chinese fans in front of the TV couldn't help laughing.
However, one yard equals another, and the difference in playing basketball is not determined by loud noises.
In the next four minutes, Wang Zelin successfully attacked the frame four times and caused three fouls by Thackeray. The score was 2-1 twice, and all of them made extra free throws, scoring 10 points.
His explosive scoring ability in a short period of time was fully demonstrated in this game.
Including the previous 8 points, Wang Zelin has scored 18 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks in a single quarter. He is on track to score 20 points in a single quarter.
At the 10th minute of the first quarter, the score was 35:21, and the Lakers trailed by a full 14 points!
In desperation, the Lakers called the first timeout of the game.
After the players came down, Walton Jr. came to Kobe and said bluntly: "Bryant, we need you!"
Hearing this, the Lakers players next to him also fell silent and just looked at Kobe who was wiping his sweat.
"No problem, give me the ball!"
Kobe has experienced such words and scenes countless times in his career, and he is very familiar with them.
When he raised his head again, his eyes were filled with murderous intent.
Forget about science and other subjects. Next, the Rose Basketball Arena will usher in the bloodthirsty performance of the Black Mamba.
…
The timeout ended, and the Blazers' main players, except Wang Zelin, all temporarily left the game to rest.
There was not much time left in the first quarter, and several teams began to take a big lead. Coach Terry first asked Wang Zelin to come on and get enough. With this kid's state tonight, he has more than enough offensive firepower alone.
So during the timeout, when Wang Zelin expressed that he wanted to continue playing, Coach Terry also had a relaxed attitude of "I don't have to worry about you."
The game continued, with the Lakers attacking first.
At this time, Paul and Gasol had already taken a break, and only Kobe was still on the court, partnering with Lou Williams, Caron Butler, Nance Jr., and Thackeray.
Seeing the Lakers' lineup, you don't have to think twice to know that No. 24 will be bombarded next.
Wang Zelin's interest immediately improved a lot. He scored 18 points in the first quarter, the highest in the game.
The second-ranked player was none other than Kobe Bryant, who scored 11 points in the first quarter.
After Lu Wei quickly advanced to the frontcourt, he was about to draw one himself to see if he could draw it, but when he looked up, he saw Kobe staring at him with fiery eyes.
Okay, you are the boss, come on!
Lu Wei was a little reluctant, but still passed the ball.
After receiving the ball, Kobe Bryant took a step forward with three threats. Seeing that Coniteli was unmoved, he took a step forward and shot a three-pointer...
"Whoosh!"
Basketball goes hollow into the net.
At 24:35, the point difference narrowed to 11 points.
"We want the king! Give the ball to the king!"
Such an arrogant goal instantly caused dissatisfaction among the home fans, and everyone set their sights on Trail Blazers No. 36.
Seeing this, Wang Zelin smiled. After halftime, he got stuck in the low post and reached out to Beverley for the ball.
"Wang is going to play solo again?"
The fans on the sidelines immediately became energetic.
Beverley decisively played the ball. After receiving the ball, Wang Zelin gave it a hard push and easily knocked away Thackeray.
It’s not over yet, the more terrifying thing is yet to come.
As Wang Zelin continued to exert force, Thackeray was even more surprised. In desperation, he could only use 100% of his strength to stick to it.
However, this time he not only failed to stick up, but was pushed a big step away.
"Gift crab!"
Thackeray's heart was filled with turmoil.
Is this guy a monster?
It feels like being crazily humped by a strong bull. This is so unscientific!
But when he thought of the three previous fouls, Thackeray felt a fire in his heart. After seeing Wang Zelin take off, he quickly raised his arms and tried to block the shot.
But Wang Zelin's take-off height was much higher than Thackeray's. Although Thackeray had already tried very hard to take off, Wang Zelin's take-off height, coupled with his super long arms, was obviously much higher than Thackeray's.
He directly separated Thackeray and slammed the ball into the basket with both hands.
"boom!"
The basketball stand made a loud noise like a mountain falling apart, and then kept shaking violently back and forth.
Thackeray on the opposite side fell directly to the ground and could only look up at Wang Zelin hanging on the basket.
After Wang Zelin landed, he made an extremely contemptuous expression towards Thackeray, and then strode towards the backcourt.
Compared with Kobe's three-point shot just now, Wang Zelin's shocking dunk is undoubtedly more shocking.
After this goal, Wang Zelin's score in the first quarter successfully exceeded the 20 mark. He was like a master tonight, dominating everything on the field.
Seeing this, Miller in the TNT commentary box turned to look at O'Neal: "Shaq, how do you evaluate Wang's dunk? Does it look like you?"
O'Neal nodded first, then shook his head: "Wang's dominance at the basket has been achieved to the extreme, but it is still a little short of the essence. He should add the King Step after dunking!"
