Starting from the last bus in the NBA

Chapter 189 First Battle 1
The Supersonic's first offense was naturally dominated by Gary Payton, who decisively chose to pick and roll.

As for the others, naturally they all pulled away.

Wang Hao and Lewis stood at the two bottom corners respectively, and the two insiders also stood outside the three-second zone on both sides of the basket.

A very standard 14 positions is to open up the high space.

This tactic is actually the most suitable for heads-up.

Of course, Kobe's one-on-one defense ability is very good. It is very unwise to go one-on-one in this situation.

In addition to singles, picking and rolling is also a very good choice, especially when it is determined that O'Neal will not come out.

This is not 2 on 1.

Horace took the initiative to mention the high position, and for a moment, O'Neill really hesitated.

Should he follow out?
However, after thinking about it carefully, he still didn't do this, after all, he still has to guard the basket.

Is it impossible to hand over this matter to AC Green?

In fact, this is also Phil Jackson's choice. Compared with hitting the basket, he would rather put in the middle distance.

Moreover, O'Neal is not really nesting under the basket, he will also go out appropriately.

Although the radiation area is limited, the three-second zone can still be guaranteed, which forces Gary Payton to shoot further.

Two-point shots from mid-to-long distances can't kill anyone. After all, the shooting rate at this position is embarrassing.

In terms of hit rate, it is lower than close two-pointers, and in terms of efficiency, it is not as good as three-pointers.

Using Horace's pick-and-roll, Gary Payton took two steps forward and unexpectedly made a decisive shot in O'Neal's radiation area.

"Shh!"

After all, he is one of the best guards in the NBA. Although he is not known for his offensiveness, he is stable enough.

2:0
The Lakers are not in a hurry, it's just a goal.

O'Neal will not change the established defensive strategy because of a goal, unless the Sonics can keep scoring.

Back on the offensive end, Ron Harper still handed the ball to Kobe and let the OK combination dominate the offense.

O'Neal moves quickly, moving from one side of the basket to the other, and then immediately gets stuck.

It has to be said that his body is at least a circle bigger than others, so he has an advantage in position.

But this time, Kobe didn't stay in a daze anymore, but quickly passed the ball to O'Neal.

Needless to say, the timing was well chosen.

If the pass is early, O'Neal's position is not the best; if the pass is late, Horace has already passed, or the double-team is already in place.

It's not that Kobe can't pass the ball, it's just a matter of willingness.

After O'Neal got the ball, he didn't attack immediately, but adjusted first, and observed the opponent by the way.

Once the Sonics choose to double-team, he can pass the ball immediately.

O'Neal averaged 3 to 4 assists per game, and his passing is still guaranteed.

Therefore, attacking double-teams at this time is actually a very stupid behavior, and the Supersonics will naturally not do it.

However, Wang Hao is also consciously moving towards the inside.

You don't need to double-team immediately, but you have to make a gesture of being ready to double-team at any time to put pressure on O'Neal.

Why Wang Hao?

Of course, bullying Kobe's three-pointer will not work.

In fact, Kobe's three-pointers are not bad, with a 31% shooting rate and an average of 2.2 shots per game, second only to Glen Rice.

Even, in the first round of the playoffs, he also increased his shots.

However, compared to his average of about 20 shots per game, this ratio is very low.

In a word, compared with Kobe's breakthrough, it is a good choice to let him shoot in the middle and long distance.

It is estimated that O'Neal also knew that Kobe's three-pointers were unreliable, so he simply chose to do it himself.

O'Neal dribbled the ball, and then slammed in, and Horace organized extremely resolutely.

I have to say that Wang Hao could still hear the sound of muscles colliding even a few meters away, which was a bit scary.

With a single defense, Horace will definitely not be able to defend O'Neal.

However, while O'Neill was playing hard on the inside, the double-teams had also caught up.

Wen Baker and Wang Hao shrank almost simultaneously.

O'Neill is not a fool either. He suffered a loss in the last round, and it is impossible to suffer again.

He didn't insist on dunking inside, but chose to make an early shot, a small hook with a half-block.

Even though he is a big guy, when this little hook is shot, it feels really soft.

Experienced people will know at a glance that the ball is there.

2:2
The opening tactics of both sides have been successful, so naturally they will not change easily, but will continue.

In the next two offenses, Gary Payton made 2 of 1 shots, a very good efficiency.

In this position, 3 of 2 is already a perfect start.

Of course, suddenly this side didn't give up too much, and Glen Rice made an air cut layup.

There is no way, Lewis' height is there, and the speed is obviously unable to keep up with Glen Rice.

Moreover, there is obviously a problem with his defensive position, because he is afraid of Glen Rice's three-pointer, so he follows too closely.

After all, he is a rookie in the second grade, so he lacks experience.

Then O'Neal made a strong foul, but O'Neal's free throws are still very trustworthy, making 2 of 1 free throws.

4:5
Another offensive round, this time, Kobe Bryant significantly changed the defensive options.

He didn't squeeze past the pick-and-roll man anymore, but took the initiative to let go and go around from behind.

To put it bluntly, Gary Payton's 3 of 2 mid-range and long-range shots forced the Lakers to change their defense.

As for making a three-pointer like this?
There is no way to do that. Sometimes, defense is an advantage in making choices.

Moreover, this is only the opening stage of the game, you have to try everything to see how the opponent is.

Gary Payton was naturally not polite, and he shot a three-pointer directly, but unfortunately, it shot out of the frame.

Not just this one, but also the next attack.

4:7
No way, because of Wang Hao's influence, Gary Payton took a lot of three-pointers, and his shooting percentage was just like that.

His three-point shots are more just to make the opponent afraid, and he will not let his three-point shots completely, so that there will be a better room for breakthrough.

Just like Wang Hao chose to believe in Kobe's three-pointers, the Lakers did the same.

"Gary, give the ball to Wang!"

Paul Westphal didn't delay, and immediately stood up from the bench to adjust the arrangement on the field.

Obviously, he did not deny the tactics he played at the beginning, but chose to change his main attack point.

There is no way to drop O'Neal out of the three-second zone. This is a problem that every team facing O'Neal has to face.

If you don't drop O'Neal out of the three-second zone, there will be no attack at the basket, which is very fatal.

What's more, only by mobilizing O'Neal on a large scale will it be more likely to wear down his physical fitness.

Physical problems are O'Neill's biggest weakness.

That is to say, O'Neal is at his peak now, and after another two years, this problem will become very obvious.

No, O'Neill couldn't take it anymore by hitting the inside for many times in a row and constantly engaging in physical confrontation.

After catching the ball this time, he actually took the initiative to turn back to Kobe and chose to play a pick-and-roll.

(End of this chapter)