Tiredness is the current rhythm of this Lakers team. In the second half of the third quarter, although Tang Qian performed well, he still couldn't stop the score difference from gradually widening. To be honest, the Pacers' shooting rate was not high.
33.1%, but the Lakers' shooting percentage in this quarter was lower, around 18.9%. If Gasol hadn't scored a 5-pointer in one breath, the Lakers would have fallen into a scoring drought in the second half.
Well, it seems to Tang Qian that the scoring drought has begun.
72-61, trailing by 11 points entering the fourth quarter.
Tang Qian got 1 block, 7 rebounds and 1 assist in this quarter.
Under the intimidation of Tang Qian inside, the Pacers slowed down their attack on the inside in the third quarter.
"Bryant, do you want to come down and take a rest? You haven't had a rest in three quarters." Mike D'Antoni asked, but in fact, his heart was very tangled and complicated. Because letting Kobe off the court would mean facing
With the extremely defensive Pacers, the Lakers are basically done. It's impossible to catch up.
With No. 24 on the court, the Lakers have the possibility of a miracle happening, but... this will definitely cause Kobe's physical exhaustion to be even more serious. So Mike D'Antoni is very "conflicted" in his heart.
I not only hope that Kobe can come down and take a rest, but also hope that Kobe can continue to play and break out to help the Lakers turn around the situation.
Kobe took big gulps to replenish water, shook his head and said, "No need for now, I can still hold on."
"Bryant, you'd better go down and rest for a few minutes. Your body won't be able to bear it if you play for a long time continuously." Tang Qian also spoke, but was also rejected by Kobe: "There are only 12 minutes left, bite the bullet."
That’s fine, I’m fine.”
"But……"
"I have no problem, everyone should take the time to rest, and we must defeat the Indianapolis tonight!" Kobe interrupted Tang Qian's words, shouted an encouraging word, then closed his eyes and continued to drink sports drinks.
The game started in the fourth quarter, and by this moment, Tang Qian had given up any "challenging tasks" because winning was the key.
The rest is nothing.
The rest is secondary.
And he has endured it until now, and he can finally...
Gold defense card activated!
Within 12 minutes, defensive ability increases by 100%!
A few minutes later, the Pacers were almost stunned. Isn't it because the Lakers' inside line was too difficult to break? This is simply Shura Hell. Once you enter, you will have a narrow escape!
For 3 minutes and 39 seconds, the Pacers did not score a point.
The Lakers scored 4 points on free throws under Kobe's forced breakthrough.
72-65, the Lakers are still 7 points behind.
"Is that guy a monster? It seems that no matter which direction I cut in, I will run into him!" Lance Stephenson was the first to complain, with an extremely depressed expression, because he was originally an outside player who was good at breakthroughs. If he made a breakthrough,
If you are blocked, the threat of attack will be reduced by 60 to 70% immediately.
"It's a bit exaggerated." David West, the oldest member of the starting lineup, also said: "I've had several shots under the basket blocked. Even if I go to Gasol's side, he seems to be following me everywhere.
, will appear at the basket to protect the basket at any time! If nothing else, just tonight, he is enough to be called a core defensive player!"
"Try to break through and score!" Frank Vogel, the head coach of the Pacers, suggested. This is a very simple but very effective solution. No matter how strong you are, there are always defensive limits, right?
It's always OK to attract your defensive attention and let your teammates play the time difference, right?
"Okay." George Hill and Paul George both nodded, thinking that this method could be tried.
Because the Pacers are a "retro style of play in the 1990s", inside offense and scoring inside are very important. Long-range attacks from the outside are just assists, and it is difficult to kill people. If you want to win this game, inside
Open, that's the key.
But less than 2 minutes later, the Pacers called another timeout. For no other reason, even if they used a breakthrough ball, they still couldn't penetrate the Lakers' interior barrier. And I don't know if the Oriental center was eaten tonight.
What kind of medicine, his sense of steal is far better than usual. In less than 2 minutes, he got his third steal. As a result, the Pacers broke through and did not dare to throw the ball casually.
"This Eastern center is not simple. Even when he is in full swing, he is too fierce." George Hill's words represent the voice of the entire Pacers team. Everyone thinks that No. 29 is too scary defensively.
Finally, head coach Frank Vogel opened his mouth and said: "After all, he is the one who hit 32 big shots just yesterday. We cannot take it lightly. Maybe his defensive ability can compete with the peak Howard."
"Then what should we do? Sir? We can't let our opponents catch up step by step, right?" Lance Stephenson asked impatiently. Frank Vogel smiled and said: "There's no need for this, after all, we are ahead now.
It's still us, isn't it? We just need to shift our offensive points in the next period, focusing on mid-range shots and three-pointers..."
"But Mr. Vogel, our team's strengths are not mid-range shots and three-pointers. Isn't it too risky to play like this?" David West, the oldest of the five starters, interjected and asked.
"Yes, mid-range shots and three-pointers are indeed not our Pacers' strengths this season, but..." Frank Vogel's eyes flashed and he replied: "Scoring inside the basket is our strongest point.
What? NONONO~Our strongest point has never been scoring, but defense, defense, everyone~"
One word awakens the dreamer.
Indeed, the Pacers averaged only 94+ points per game this season, ranking lower in the league.
But the average points lost per game is only 90+. Besides the Grizzlies, who else can beat them?
So what Frank Vogel said is not wrong at all.
Seeing that the players all understood, Frank Vogel smiled and said: "As long as we let them score fewer points and use outside shots like this, it will be enough to maintain the victory. Are you right?"
"That's right! Mr. Vogel!!!" The entire Pacers team suddenly felt strong confidence.
Frank Vogel's coaching ability is extremely outstanding when he can transform a turbulent ordinary team into a top-three seeded team in the Eastern Conference in less than three years.
Therefore, his prestige within the Pacers is much greater than that of Mike D'Antoni with the Lakers.
This is also Frank Vogel's ideal team state, convinced and orderly.
It's a pity that the Lakers only scored 1 point in the past 2 minutes. Kobe made 1 of 2 free throws, losing the best point to equalize the score. Later, the Lakers were in huge trouble.
72-66, the score started to change quietly from here.
The Pacers have increased their overall defensive strength!
If it had been level B just now, it suddenly jumped to level A, or even level A+.
This made the Lakers, who were already weak offensively, even more miserable.
This is the power of a strong defensive team. It can strengthen its defensive intensity at any time. For example, the current Lakers team wants to strengthen, but they can't. They can only become more and more chaotic as they play.
The third consecutive ball hit the basket!
The Lakers' shooting percentage is declining sharply!
Tang Qian also felt great pressure. In the frequent physical confrontations, if he had not used a golden ability card, his physical fitness would have declined and his defensive status would have been greatly reduced. The high-intensity confrontation at the starting level made Tang Qian's
Physical fitness is becoming increasingly stretched.
Fortunately, now, there is no need to worry about this for the time being.
Tang Qian also devoted 100% of his defensive concentration, trying his best to make the Pacers' interior shots useless.
But soon, he discovered a problem.
The Pacers' offensive firepower has moved outward!
This is definitely not good news or a sign, because as a center, he can only exert his greatest intimidation power in the penalty area and can "defend one against five". If he is caught out, no matter how strong he is, he can only "defend one against one".
”. Moreover, in this way, the protection of the rebound may be lost, which is not worth the gain.
Normally, it's okay. Tang Qian can make up for it. Anyway, he has firepower on the offensive end and doesn't care about one or two rebounds.
However, the current Lakers lack Nash's ability to deliver artillery shells, coupled with overall physical problems, their firepower has already cooled down, which is greatly reduced. Against the fiercely defensive Pacers, every ball is more difficult to attack, which makes the score
The difference is expanded invisibly.
Obviously, being behind by 10 points against the Suns and being behind by 10 points against the Pacers have completely different meanings.
The former is just difficult, the latter can make you despair.
What is a defensive team? The Pacers this season have a 10-point advantage in their hands, which is enough to be like a chasm.
Focusing on outside shots, the shooting rate will certainly not be too high, and the Pacers are not a team famous for shooting. During this period, the shooting rate did not exceed 30%, but they can't stand it... They can still score goals.
No matter how low the shooting rate is, it can still score, right? And what about the Lakers? Within a few minutes, they almost failed to fire, and under the strong defense of the Pacers, they did not score a single point.
At this time, there are only 2 minutes and 15 seconds left in the game.
77-66, the Lakers are still 11 points behind their opponents.
The situation is enough to make people desperate.
Mike D'Antoni called a timeout so that the team could take a breath and rest, but that was all.
He has no magic and cannot help the Lakers collectively recover their physical fitness, collectively improve their defense, and collectively explode into shape.
This is the head coach's "powerless area".
In another minute, although Kobe Bryant of the Lakers forced his way into the paint and made 4 free throws, his physical fitness declined too much, and only 2 of the 4 free throws hit the Pacers' basket.
77-68, the Pacers lead the Lakers by 9 points.
Tang Qian made a desperate save and blocked Paul George's shot, but there were only 57 seconds left.
After Tang Qian got the ball, Mike D'Antoni's timeout request took effect immediately.
But the bright red score is dazzling.
Compared to the happy Pacers bench, the Lakers bench was silent.
The pressure on the Lakers this season is really too great. First, the aura was added, as if one person was inferior to ten thousand people, and then the aura broke, becoming the butt of thousands of jokes. In the end, they actually had to fight for a playoff spot.
Fight hard. Ups and downs, endless rumors and rumors, and intensifying conflicts within the team have long made the Lakers soldiers exhausted, no, exhausted. The only belief that supports this team is the playoffs.
to compete in the playoffs and make it to the playoffs! But now, tonight, at this moment, everything seems to be disillusioned.
The faith is gone.
All gone.
Losing this game, the Lakers were completely eliminated from the playoff competition.
Even Tang Qian was confused. For 57 seconds, facing the Indiana Pacers with terrifying defense, what else could he do?
Like some Y.Y novels, is it possible to wear underwear outside and transform into a superman? That is completely impossible in the real world.
Furthermore, he also used a "trick", and the golden defense was stuck.
He also reduced the Pacers' shooting percentage in the fourth quarter to less than 30%.
He tried his best.
What else could he do?
Chasing points quickly in a short period of time? This is not something that a center can do!
It's not within the capabilities of a center forward either.
So Tang Qian was also in trouble.
As the coach, Mike D'Antoni still had to make a statement. He forcibly put away his disappointed look and said to console: "Everyone has done a great job~ I see your efforts, and I am proud of you.
It’s not entirely everyone’s fault that the team has become like this~ We don’t take advantage of the right time, place and people, so we just need to do our best in the process~”
What sounded like words of comfort actually fell into the ears of the Lakers soldiers, and were more like "end of season words", as if to prove... that they are done with this season.
It has ended.
There is no use in being unwilling.
If you lose, you lose.
"Bryant, please get off the game. You have worked hard for so long and it is enough. No one will question your efforts." Mike D'Antoni had just finished speaking. No. 24, who had been drinking sports drinks, suddenly spoke out.
, said: "If I don't get off the field, there is still time, right? The game is not over yet."
"Bryant, I understand your competitiveness, but..."
"No, McGrady could recover 13 points in 35 seconds back then. We still have 57 seconds now, why not?" Kobe interrupted Mike D'Antoni and said: "And chasing 9 points and chasing 12 points are more difficult.
Completely different, right?"
"Bryant, that is only possible if God is moved. Didn't it only happen once in McGrady's life? I know you are very reluctant, and I know everyone is very reluctant, but basketball is a competitive sport, and losing is
If you lose, you lose, if you lose, you lose!!!" Mike D'Antoni shouted in a rare gesture. He has high hopes for himself and the Lakers this season. Furthermore, the NBA has always had high hopes for himself and the Lakers.
There is a tradition of head coaches taking the blame, so his mental pressure is definitely not small.
It's just been suppressed and never exploded.
As the head coach of the team, you must never be discouraged or vent before the team members.
Therefore, D'Antoni has endured it for too long.
After a few seconds of silence, Kobe threw away the drink cup in his hand, stood up, and said in a deep voice: "Everyone, come on."
"Come on!"
PS: Thank you Qin Rumengda, Hulu Master for the big reward, thank Zhiqiu Yiye 1117 for the big reward, liduxing for the big, Crazy Fighting for the big, Jianai Wuhen for the big, Yao Zhong for the monthly ticket~