Starting from the last bus in the NBA

Chapter 196 Fatal Strike

197. Fatal blow

A day later, the flames of war ignited again.

And just one day before, the Seattle Daily, a local media in Seattle, had just published the news.

"The Supersonics are fighting back!"

That's right, with a 15-point victory over the Lakers and a huge advantage of 5 minutes of garbage time.

The Seattle Journal raved about the Sonics.

He believes that the Sonics have found the key to victory and will easily beat the Lakers in the next game.

But reality slapped him hard.

When the fourth game of the series started, the Sonics were in trouble, and it was big trouble.

The Lakers changed their fast-paced response, but played steadily, which is a time-consuming style of play.

Spending time is just an appearance, what they have to do is actually to ensure the success rate.

As for defense, the Lakers only do one thing, and that is to prevent the Sonics from counterattacking.

Do everything possible to prevent the Sonics from counterattacking, from delaying the serve to leading defense all over the court.

It can be said that they are using all means to suppress the offensive efficiency of the Sonics.

And next, what they need to do is to play more efficiently than the Supersonics.

Compared with scoring efficiency, few people can compare with O'Neal.

The Lakers can guarantee scoring efficiency, but the Sonics can't do it, and they have long lost their good state for playing games.

In the fast-paced game, the Sonics got a lot of opportunities, but they didn't grasp them.

Brent Barry, and Rashard Lewis, were all out of game form.

No way, a state like the last game must be rare, but this game is the norm.

Of course, this is also because of the Lakers' conscious defensive adjustments.

There is no way, Wang Hao and Gary Payton can only stand up and use more opportunities to score more points.

But the question is, in this way, what is the difference from the first and second series?
The stars of the two teams played various games?
This result has proved that the Supersonics are still inferior to the Lakers.

Fortunately, the Lakers can't keep up with the Sonics every time, which keeps them from being pulled away from the score.

At the end of the half, 47:49, the Sonics trailed by 2 points.

This is not the most deadly. The most deadly thing is that the Sonics' overall shooting percentage in this game is only 42%.

Compared with the previous game, the hit rate has dropped by more than 10%.

Faced with such a result, Paul Westphal was also very helpless, after all, these people were available under his command.

Brent Barry's ability is limited, Lewis is still young, and as for the others, they are only suitable for fighting with the wind.

The only good news is that there is no big explosion on the Lakers side.

The performance of O'Neal and Kobe is also quite satisfactory. Of course, this is also because the Supersonics defended well.

After the start of the second half, Paul Westphal made more adjustments and matched more winning lineups.

Unfortunately, the effect is not great.

The Sonics have been falling behind and catching up all the time. This game was very difficult.

Until the final moment of the decisive battle, the two sides still could not tell the winner.

Paul Westphal took the initiative to pause, and he formulated a special tactic for the next offense.

比赛时间只剩下2分14秒，双方的比分是88：92，超音速还落后4分。

The 4-point difference is very sensitive. Once the Lakers are allowed to expand the point difference, it will be a bit difficult.

Paul Westphal only had two timeouts in his hands, and he didn't hesitate to use one for this tactical arrangement.

"The next tactic, we will fight around the king."

Paul Westphal's voice was crisp, and he didn't hesitate at all about this decision.

Not only him, but others have no opinion.

In such a mediocre state, why has the SuperSonics been able to stalemate with the Lakers until now?

In addition to the mediocre state of the Lakers, the most important reason is naturally Wang Hao's 7 three-pointers.

It is precisely because of Wang Hao's 7 three-pointers and 36 points that the game still has suspense.

"We have played this tactic before, it is very simple, but it is very effective, Rashad, Horace, blocked me.

And Gary, you're in this position, you see the timing, and you put the ball in Wang's hands. "

Paul Westphal explained very seriously, there is no way, this is one of the few opportunities for the Supersonics.

In this offensive round, if the score is not close, then the subsequent defensive pressure will be huge.

And losing this game is dangerous.

Because the fifth game, the so-called Battle of Tianwangshan, will be played in Los Angeles.

It is very likely that they will not be able to fight back the game.

Paul Westphal's arrangement is very simple, that is, the elevator door tactic, which was used in the regular season.

It's just that the Sonics don't rely so much on three-pointers, and this tactic can be regarded as the bottom of the box.

The game came back again, and the Lakers had adjusted their defense. Glen Rice stared at Wang Hao.

Wang Hao wasn't in a hurry, and took the initiative to enter the inside lane, as if preparing to catch the ball inside.

Gary Payton held the ball in a high position and was not in a hurry to attack, but was waiting for Wang Hao.

Wang Hao moved, and ran out along the baseline, as if he was going to catch the ball outside the three-point line.

It is naturally impossible to get rid of Glen Rice with a simple escape. In fact, his defense is very effective.

However, at this moment, Wang Hao, who was about to rush out from the bottom line, suddenly made a turn and rushed out from the middle.

Glenn Rice was a step slower, but still pursued.

However, at this moment, two figures suddenly appeared within the free throw line and squeezed together.

Wang Hao passed between the two, but Glen Rice was stopped.

"Damn!"

The people of Glenlace were all stupid. He knew this trick again, but he forgot to guard against it.

However, the Lakers' defense is really good. Seeing that Glen Rice was blocked, someone immediately made a rotation.

Robert Hawley reacted immediately and rushed to the outside line.

However, it was still slow. At this time, Wang Hao had already gotten a shot from outside the three-point line.

"Shh!"

Robert Hawley arrived late, and the basketball had already flown over his head and landed on Wang Hao accurately.

This is Wang Hao's 8th three-pointer in this game and also his 39th point in this game.

A new personal scoring record in a single playoff game.

91:92
In an instant, the difference between the two teams was only 1 point.

The Lakers tensed up instantly, and Kobe was also shouting loudly to cheer everyone up.

However, just moments after the Lakers served, Wang Hao immediately rushed to O'Neal and hugged O'Neal.

At this time, Paul Westphal also yelled from the sidelines, foul, foul on Shaq.

Before the others could react, Wang Hao had already fouled.

2 minutes and 3 seconds, I have to say that this time is very well grasped, it is only a few seconds.

In the last little time, the shark-killing tactic was successful again.

Fouls in the last 2 minutes mainly refer to fouls against players without the ball, which require two free throws and one throw.

But now, with a difference of only 3 seconds, the Lakers only made 2 free throws and had no possession of the ball.

The Lakers also woke up immediately, but they looked helpless.

O'Neal, who was sweating profusely, was even more speechless. He could only walk to the free throw line with some reluctance. He really didn't want to go here.

Without any accident, the first free throw was missed.

For the Sonics, this foul was considered a success, not a failure.

O'Neal took a deep breath and started his second free throw.

Under everyone's gaze, the basketball bounced out of the hoop and missed two free throws. It was a godsend.

In fact, it's no wonder O'Neill, at this point in the game, physical fitness is already the biggest problem.

After all, he carried one or two hundred catties more than the others, running back and forth on the field.

Without going to O'Neal to grab the rebound, Horace took off the rebound steadily, and Gary Payton responded immediately.

The time enters within 2 minutes, and the final decisive battle arrives.

Gary Payton held the ball in a high position and directed his teammates' running positions. Everyone thought he was going to play tactics.

However, at this moment, he suddenly started, facing the old Ron Harper, Gary Payton was relentless.

He directly chose to attack, Ron Harper had no choice but to choose to attack, and the referee's voice also sounded.

Foul, two free throws.

Compared with O'Neal's unreliable free throws, Gary Payton made two free throws steadily, leading the score.

93:92
The Lakers tried their best to get the score back, and Kobe and O'Neal went straight to the pick-and-roll.

I have to say, this trick is really unsolvable.

Kobe's breakthrough is sharp, and O'Neal's down is even more invincible. Once he gets the ball into the three-second zone, and then relying on the speed of rushing up, he is simply unstoppable.

93:94
The Supersonics also played brilliantly together again. Gary Payton and Wang Hao attracted double-teams one after another, and Horace made a layup.

95:94
The final game is destined to be a defensive one.

After losing points, the Sonics and the Lakers immediately strengthened their defense. For a while, it seemed that no one could score.

Watching the time go by a little bit, entering the last 30 seconds.

Kobe and O'Neal's pick-and-roll failed to make it, there was no way, Kobe could only do it by himself.

Wang Hao kept pressing, and he was just pushing Kobe to the mid-range position on the bottom line, a position that made Kobe a little uncomfortable.

A mid-range shot from this position missed and the Sonics grabbed the rebound with 28 seconds left in the game.

The point difference between the two sides is only one point. It can be said that it is not safe at all.

Therefore, for this attack, the Supersonics must succeed.

At the last moment, even the old Ron Hubble started to work hard.

Moreover, the experience of the old guy appeared at this time.

He knew that at this time, the referee was not very good at blowing the whistle, so he used many small moves.

There is a suspicion of a foul, but it is not an obvious foul. At this anxious moment, the referee will not react at all.

And all this made Gary Payton very uncomfortable.

At this time, Wang Hao suddenly came out from the bottom line, and Kobe followed closely behind.

That's right, in the last defensive round, Kobe took the initiative to choose to defend Wang Hao.

After Wang Hao got the ball, he immediately raised his hand and made a fake move to shoot.

To be honest, this feint is a bit obvious.

But does Kobe dare to let it go?
Dare not, just over a minute ago, it was Wang Hao's three-pointer that changed the situation on the field.

What's more, in today's game, Wang Hao has already hit 8 three-pointers, who knows there will be a ninth one?
Kobe made a gesture and rushed forward, while Wang Hao had already chosen to break through.

It has to be said that talent is talent. In such a high-tempo confrontation, Kobe abruptly pulled his focus back.

Although Wang Hao broke through half of his body, he entangled Wang Hao forcefully.

At this time, Wang Hao, who was traveling at high speed, suddenly slowed down, which made Kobe a little embarrassed.

Just when he slowed down, Wang Hao started again.

That's right, this was just a change in rhythm, but it was this change that Wang Hao completely got rid of Kobe.

No way, defensive players are so passive, even the best defensive players cannot defend against every attack.

After breaking through Kobe, Wang Hao didn't stop for a moment and went straight to the basket.

So brave, dare to challenge O'Neill?

In fact, this is really Wang Hao's goal. After all, the closer to the basket, the higher the shooting rate.

If there is no chance to attack the basket, it is natural to choose to shoot. If there is a chance, I believe no one will let it go.

Let's talk about attacking the inside line, maybe there is still a chance to fight a foul.

O'Neal quickly took it back, but the speed was obviously slow. After all, this was O'Neal who played for 40 minutes.

Because O'Neill was one step slower, he had no time to take off, so he could only raise his hands high, and he didn't dare to make too much movement.

Wang Hao leaped high, and his body had already hit O'Neal. Then he stabilized his center of gravity and gently threw the ball towards the backboard.

The basketball bounced off the backboard and landed firmly in the hoop.

97:94
The Lakers immediately called a timeout, and there were only 10 seconds before the end of the game.

They have only one choice, and that is to fight for three points.

"Kobe, and Glenn, that's going to be the key for them, both of them have a very strong three-point ability.

Especially Glenn, Ruben, must pay attention to him. "

Paul Westphal's arrangement is not unreasonable, but Wang Hao has a slightly different opinion.

As a pitcher, Glen Rice is indeed better at three-pointers, and Kobe, of course, needless to say.

After Jordan, the most killer potential star in the NBA at the last moment, Mr. Key, big heart, these are all used to describe him.

It's just that, Phil Jackson really likes to play a surprise player at the last moment.

Whether it's Robert Hawley's lore, or Fisher's 0.4-second lore against the Spurs, this shows one thing.

Phil Jackson liked to have role players take the finishing touches.

Role players are indeed unreliable sometimes, but at this time, stars suffer from too much defensive pressure.

Of course, neither Robert Hawley nor Fisher are actually unreliable players.

On the contrary, at critical moments, these people are more reliable.

Remind Paul Westphal?
Not to mention that Wang Hao is not sure, Phil Jackson will definitely give the opportunity to others.

What's more, the timeout interferes with the coach's arrangement, and he is not James.

(End of this chapter)