On October 30, 2012, the new season officially started.
There are a total of 4 games arranged in the opening match, all of which are strong dialogues and full of highlights.
The first thing to be played is the Warriors versus the Lakers, which is also the highlight of the opening game.
The Warriors made a lot of changes during the offseason, replacing two main players and selecting three newcomers. For this reason, experts from all walks of life are full of doubts about the Warriors' prospects of defending the title. Even the betting companies have raised the odds of the Warriors winning the championship!
The Lakers, on the other hand, made frequent moves during the offseason and introduced two generals, Howard and Nash.
What you need to know is that Howard and Nash are not ordinary people. Howard at his peak is said to be the only one who can replace James alone, while Nash is a two-time MVP!
Due to the rise of the Warriors and Heat, coupled with the aging of Kobe Bryant and Gasol, the Lakers have slowly fallen behind in recent years.
What's the problem for the Lakers?
Center and point guard!
Although Bynum is good, he is obviously not as good as Howard on the defensive end and has no possibility of becoming a star player.
As for the point guard, both Fisher and Blake have their own problems, and the Lakers have never had a defender who is good at organizing, which has made their offense not very good.
Although Kobe Bryant has outstanding personal offensive ability, he mostly plays alone and it is difficult to unite the team.
The arrival of Howard and Nash just solved these two problems.
Howard is an upgraded version of Bynum. He has proven himself in the Eastern Conference and led the team to the finals alone. He is trustworthy on both the offensive and defensive ends.
At least in terms of reputation, Howard is much better than Bynum!
The Lakers' idea is that after Kobe retires, Howard will take his place and lead the Lakers forward!
And Nash just made up for the shortcomings of the Lakers point guard.
What is the best thing about Nash?
organize!
If Nash is second in the world in assists, then no one would dare to say that he is first in the world!
Kobe is getting older, and Nash can just come over to share Kobe's burden, allowing the Lakers to play more holistically, and allowing Howard to better integrate into the team instead of standing aside all the time.
The Lakers' operations are very right and are favored by experts from all walks of life. Therefore, they have become one of the biggest favorites to win the championship in the new season!
If the Warriors want to defend their title, they must first overcome the Lakers!
So the first game of the opening game is the showdown between the Warriors and the Lakers.
At 7 o'clock in the evening on October 30, 2012, the duel between the Lakers and Warriors officially started at Staples Arena.
Not surprisingly, the Lakers' starters are Nash, Kobe Bryant, Artest, Gasol and Howard.
This is the strongest lineup of the Lakers, very luxurious!
The Warriors' starting lineup has changed a lot from last season. The five players are Curry, Klay, Kirilenko, Hayward and Yao Ming.
Prince had been the starter before, but now he went to the Grizzlies, so Yao Ming brought Hayward up.
Hayward was selected by the Warriors in the offseason last year. After two seasons of training, he has already played very well.
Hayward is 2.03 meters tall and weighs 102 kilograms. He can shoot three-pointers accurately, has good awareness of moving without the ball, and has good ability to organize assists. He is also excellent on the defensive end. Even if he plays the fourth position, he will not suffer a lot.
Curry's defense is a little weak, and Yao Ming is not very fast, so he must have a strong striker!
Hayward is just right!
Compared with Ariza and Azubuike, Hayward is bigger, has better shooting, is much better at organizing and supporting, and can also attack with the ball, so Deng just chose Hayward to start.
As for Kirilenko, Deng Fang had the same considerations.
Curry, Clay and Hayward can all play without the ball, so they need someone to support them with the ball. Ariza, Tucker and Azubuike are all lacking in this aspect, and Kirilenko's shot blocking
His ability was also better, so Deng Fang chose to let Kirilenko start.
The Warriors' starting lineup is terrifying!
On the offensive end, there are three three-point shooters who can shoot off the ball, one is a support center, and there is a big center who can shoot three-pointers!
Once off-ball tactics don't work, Curry, Yao Ming, Kirilenko, and Hayward can all attack with the ball, making it difficult for opponents to defend.
On the defensive end, there are three top strikers, plus a tall center. Among the five, there are two shot-blocking masters. The three of them can switch defenses unlimitedly. It is not an exaggeration to say that the Warriors' defense is airtight!
This was also proven after the game started.
The Lakers' offense was completely restricted by the Warriors. Neither Kobe nor Howard, nor Gasol and Nash, could break the Warriors' defense.
Is Kobe great?
Awesome, but Kirilenko's defense is even better, and Hayward's defense is not bad either. Even Clay doesn't suffer much when defending Kobe alone!
Kobe can score goals, but his efficiency is very low under the defense of three people and he makes a lot of mistakes.
Howard won't talk about it. Yao Ming is his natural enemy. When he meets Yao Ming, Howard will wilt!
Of course, after losing weight, Yao Ming has a little difficulty defending Howard alone, but Howard doesn't have many skills on the offensive end and relies entirely on talent. Yao Ming has nothing to fear against such a player!
Yao Ming's talent is even greater!
Although Yao Ming is not fast and his bounce is average, he is tall!
No matter how high you jump, what's the point, people are waiting for you above!
With Yao Ming blocking in front and Kirilenko waiting to block shots behind him, Howard, a rough guy, has no chance of performing!
In fact, the Lakers' biggest problem on the offensive end still lies with Kobe. No matter how good Nash's organizational skills are, or what Howard's temper is like, as long as the ball is in Kobe's hands, it will be difficult for others to participate in the offensive end.
There is no way, Kobe has always played like this, and the only people who can cooperate with him are inside players who can pass the ball. It is difficult for stand-up centers and point guards to cooperate with him.
Unless you are stronger than him and can convince Kobe!
But there is probably only one Jordan who can do this!
Nash couldn't get the ball, Kobe went it alone, Howard worked piecemeal in the paint, and was restricted by Yao Ming. The Lakers' offense was in a mess.
If the offense is not good, the defense will be even more difficult!
The Lakers' lineup looks luxurious, but it has a fatal weakness: they are too old!
Kobe is 34, Nash is 38, Gasol is 32, Artest is 33, and only one Howard is relatively young, at 27 years old.
What is the most powerful thing about the Warriors?
It's their off-the-ball movement and fast-paced offense. This is what the Lakers fear the most!
Compared with strength and experience, the Lakers are not bad, but compared with speed and physical ability, the Lakers are just a younger brother!
Although Howard is still young and can defend well inside, he can't guard him and can only sit in the paint, which happens to be what the Warriors like the most!
In just over three minutes after the start, the Warriors went 19:3!
Curry hit 3 three-pointers, Klay hit 2 three-pointers, and Yao Ming dunked 2 times in the penalty area. The Warriors blossomed inside and outside and stopped the game!
