Grab Curry at the start

Chapter 260 Pride
The Timberwolves and the Lakers played in the first game of the playoffs, but they are familiar with the Lakers lineup.

The Lakers' starting five have not changed for a long time.

In fact, compared with the main lineup, the two sides have their own strengths.

The Lakers Kobe is strong, DeRozan will be deflated even if he evolves to the All-Star level, but with the addition of Fisher, the Lakers' guard line has no advantage.

In the third position, Matthews is slightly stronger than Artest, maybe with experience, everyone is about the same.

The insiders have their own advantages. The Lakers are stronger in the low post, and the Timberwolves are stronger in rebounding. The defense may be similar, and they are all pretty good.

In terms of the bench, counting the three main rotations, the Lakers can only take advantage of Odom, and the others are stronger than the Timberwolves.

So even if Curry doesn't come back, the Timberwolves still have a slight advantage.

Perhaps Kobe's explosion can handle everything, but the Timberwolves' defense will definitely not allow Kobe to explode casually.

After the game started, the Timberwolves were the first to surprise the opponent.

Every team in the playoffs thinks they are strong, especially the defending champion Lakers.

So for Jeremy Lin, their head coach Zen Master Jackson has no arrangements.

So, Jeremy Lin broke out at the beginning.

"Kobe entered the state very quickly today, the classic fallback...hit!"

"Jeremy Lin asked for a cover, shot directly, and hit!"

"Kobe made a shot, the Lakers didn't try today, and Kobe went all out."

"Jeremy Lin singled out Fisher, shot directly against the defense from the front three-point line, and it still made a hit! Jeremy Lin is really crazy today. He is a big-time player. Many fans have already called him Lin crazy."

At the start of the game, Jeremy Lin began to score points against Kobe.

Encouraged by Zhang Sixin, he dared to fight hard.

Facing the Timberwolves Kobe Bryant directly took over the game, it was also a little bit unexpected.

Maybe the Timberwolves made the Lakers feel the pressure, so they didn't try slowly.

The Lakers also want to take advantage of the game while Curry is away.

The Timberwolves have no all-around pincers for the time being, because Kobe is more likely to pass the ball in the first half as usual.

But if Jeremy Lin and Kobe really clash, Zhang Sixin believes that with Kobe's character, the further back he will be, the less he will pass the ball, because for some stars, passing the ball is evasion.

Therefore, the Timberwolves must engage in high-intensity flanking at an appropriate time.

As long as Kobe insists on not passing the ball a few times, the Timberwolves have a chance to gain an advantage.

Even if Kobe is reluctant to cooperate with his teammates later, there will be problems with efficiency.

Even superstars must play their full strength in their own rhythm.

Kobe's rhythm is to take over the game strongly, not to play triangle offense with his teammates.

As long as Kobe is forced to that level, no matter how the Lakers adjust, it will be difficult to get rid of the awkward state.

Now that Jeremy Lin is in a hot state, and the Lakers have Fisher as a big loophole, it is a very effective way to use an unknown unknown person to force Kobe.

If I'm not even as good as a small role, how can I get along in the alliance.

If Jeremy Lin had good trash talk and could act, maybe Kobe could make all kinds of big moves and get called a technical foul.

It's a pity that Jeremy Lin has no talent in this area. His cultural background makes him play too honestly.

Thinking about it carefully, the Timberwolves really lack such ruthless people.

However, Zhang Sixin can allow players to have more physical confrontations with Kobe and consume more opponents.

Kobe is now 33 years old, not too young for an athlete.

He also likes to fight fiercely with his opponents. When the physical strength is exhausted and his shooting becomes more and more iron, the goal of the Timberwolves will be achieved.

The point is, the Timberwolves have plenty of role players who can consume Kobe in this regard.

"If Kobe can't restrict it for the time being, locking up the rest of the Lakers is also a way." Zhang Sixin said.

There are two sets of plans to deal with the Lakers. With the defensive strength of the Timberwolves, the two completely different plans of releasing the rest of the Lakers and releasing Kobe can actually be implemented comprehensively.

Just relying on their strong inside line, the Timberwolves' outside line can lock the other two outside lines of the Lakers, and then the inside line can help defend Kobe.

For the Lakers' two inside lanes, Milicic helps defend the entire penalty area, which can almost limit the opponent's offense.

The Lakers' twin towers are powerful, but not particularly powerful. It is difficult for them to show their full strength in the Lakers. The Timberwolves can almost limit them to death with one and a half insiders.

If the Lakers want to break the game, they can only go to Odom, adding a point where they can hold the ball and make three-pointers.

But the Timberwolves' defense can also be changed, and the fifth position takes on more defense.

Of course, it is only the defense near the penalty area, and the outside defense can also be changed, that is, the defense of the flanks to speed up the defensive rotation.

Speeding up the defensive rotation is a bit exhausting, but the Timberwolves have plenty of people.

Now Milicic can't make too many fouls, which is a hidden danger.

Whiteside may or may not be able to use it, and Zhang Sixin cannot guarantee it.

Of course, the Timberwolves can still compete with the Lakers on offense at that time, and there are still more ways than difficulties.

Relatively speaking, the Lakers have much less chance of breaking the game.

One reason is that the Lakers' other ball-holding points are weaker, and there is also a reason for Kobe's own style of play. The Lakers can only play around him and let him finish, and there will be fewer changes in routines.

Even if Kobe is willing, other methods are much less threatening, which means that Gasol's level is still a bit low, and the team does not have enough useful role players.

As long as you see through the essence of the matter, you can take it easy in tactical arrangements.

Then as long as the players don't stretch their legs, the Timberwolves still have a good chance to dominate the trend of the game.

Although the Lakers let Kobe attack at the beginning, this is just a tactic, and the Lakers are not directly desperate.

Therefore, when the time comes, Lakers head coach Phil Jackson still let Kobe go down to rest first.

If Kobe started off with the main attack, he would definitely have to rest for a while.

At this time, it depends on whether the rest of the Lakers can take over the banner of offense. If they can't take over, the game may be scrapped, because they can only play Kobe from the beginning to the end, so this tactic is still a bit risky.

But in fact, if Jeremy Lin didn't stand up and the Timberwolves gave the Lakers a good lead, the Lakers would be worth the risk.

In fact, judging from the experience of the Lakers and Timberwolves in the past, they are likely to succeed. After all, DeRozan, the second point outside the Lakers, directly played against Kobe and was taught by Kobe every time.

So the Lakers thought their plan might be successful, but they were still proud. Jeremy Lin's performance of 20+ per game in the first round didn't make them pay too much attention.

When the Lakers went off the court, the Lakers were actually behind.

So in this game, the Lakers don't have many choices.

Although the Zen master was calm on the surface, he was actually uncertain in his heart.

(End of this chapter)