As a Kobe hater, he was actually teammates with Kobe!

The refereeing standards for tonight's game were very lenient. The three referees reached a consensus before the game to allow a certain degree of confrontation.

This also resulted in both players being inaccurate.

During the regular season, the Lakers always have players who can become the team's random third or even fourth star.

But in the playoffs, the probability of a random third superstar appearing drops significantly, mainly because other players besides the core duo aren't very good at catching the ball and shooting three-pointers.

This is not because their psychological quality is poor, but simply because the confrontation has affected their shooting muscle memory.

In fact, in the small ball era that emphasizes the "three-point space attribute", more and more fans have found that those small guards who have a high three-point output and high efficiency in the regular season often lose their touch in the playoffs.

Once they lose their three-point shooting touch and their other offensive skills are mediocre, they can easily become lost in the crowd. After all, not everyone has a bug-shooting ability like "Kuritian".

The importance of high-quality inside players and forwards has once again been highlighted.

······

McGrady, using Garnett's pick-and-roll, escaped Kobe by half a body length, but Kobe used his speed to catch up again, pressing him and forcing a physical confrontation. McGrady, somewhat exhausted, did not directly choose a pull-up jumper like he did in his Rockets days, but instead passed the ball to Pierce on the weak side of the offense.

After Pierce received the ball, he challenged Metta World Peace with a triple threat and used a rather awkward shooting method to shoot towards Metta World Peace's fingertips and made the shot.

34 to 30, more than 4 minutes into the second quarter, the Celtics were already leading by 4 points.

After seeing his teammate score, Garnett smiled as he returned to defense.

Soon, Zhou Ze responded on the offensive end. He received the ball outside the three-point line, took an explosive first step, passed the defense, and when he came near the free throw line, he noticed Perkins who chose to squat on defense. Zhou Ze made a sudden stop and leaned against Garnett behind him.

This move can effectively prevent Garnett from blocking you from behind.

Immediately afterwards, Pierce scored a jump shot.

34 is better than 32!

After scoring the goal, Zhou Ze said to Garnett: "I've already said that the DPOY award is not worth mentioning."

Garnett:...

In the next two rounds, Zhou Ze almost covered the three-point line through his "lightning" defensive flexibility.

Garnett also made two iron-blooded jump shots under this airtight defense.

The release point is high and the arc is also very good.

But they were all just iron.

Garnett's iron-blooded jump shot is a good offensive weapon, but it is difficult to become a "killer move" and it is difficult to score continuously.

On the other hand, the Los Angeles Lakers...

Facing McGrady's defense, Kobe continued to break through. Kobe's ability to protect the ball under confrontation is half a level stronger than McGrady.

With his calf-like body, he rushed in forcefully.

Zhou Ze roamed in the high post, tying up Garnett's help defense.

Once Kobe caught Garnett's help defense, he immediately passed the ball.

With this move, the Lakers went on a 10-2 run and took the lead again.

The Celtics adjusted in time.

On the bench.

As the head coach of the Celtics, Rivers not only gave Garnett some encouragement, but also handed him the tactical board.

For the Celtics, Garnett is the team's core.

49 to 53, at the end of the first half, the Lakers led the opponent by 4 points again.

After the start of the second half, the Celtics faced Zhou Ze's unlimited sweeps, and Pierce was more often challenged on the weak side of the offense.

Pierce's tough style of play, when facing Kobe, he would cleverly use his size advantage to get into position and shoot.

Facing the defense of PJ Tucker, Metta World Peace, and Odom, he mainly used rhythm to seize opportunities in space.

As for facing Zhou Ze's mismatched defense...

Pierce was upset.

Zhou Ze's lateral speed could easily keep up with Pierce's, and he was largely immune to his feints. As for power, Pierce was like an ant trying to shake a tree, like an egg against a rock.

"Man, we Chinese have an old saying - he who knows the times is a hero. You can't beat me, so just pass the ball." Zhou Ze, who defended Paul Pierce twice in a row, said with a smile.

"Hmph. Zhou, your trash talk is too low-level." Paul Pierce snorted coldly.

The most efficient option is to pass the ball and let Garnett play against Metta World Peace. But trash talk is not about flowery words, but about being able to "strike the soul".

Pierce, who wanted to pass the ball, decided to challenge Zhou Ze. After the triple threat, he suddenly took the ball and started from the right. With a pause and a suspended ball, his hand moved towards the basketball, seemingly to pass the ball, but in fact, he took a big step with his left leg and leaned forward and fell...

"Worship the Buddha!"

Pierce wanted to use the Buddha's Prayer to get past Zhou Ze.

It's just that Pierce failed to worship Buddha under the resistance imposed by Zhou Ze...

With a "thump", he knelt on the ground and wished Zhou Ze a happy new year.

Zhou Ze picked up the basketball that Pierce dropped and went straight for a fast break.

Garnett quickly retreated.

The two collided again in mid-air, Garnett's raised arms pressing down, sideways towards Zhou Ze. The "Hibbert Vertical Jump Rule" hadn't been established yet, and the referee didn't blow the whistle.

Under the high-intensity confrontation, Zhou Ze broke through the defense, stretched his arms, and scored the ball with his body almost unbalanced.

76 to 84, the Lakers' lead reached 8 points.

"wtf!"

Garnett, who was defeated by Zhou Zeqiang again, felt a little annoyed.

Seeing this, Zhou Ze complained directly, "Why are you upset? Your defense will soon be considered a foul."

······

With a "ding" sound, Ray Allen's three-pointer after receiving the ball was missed under Kobe's defense and bounced out of the rim.

The Celtics showed excellent ability to return to defense and stopped the Lakers' fast break.

Kobe received the ball outside the three-point line at the top of the arc. McGrady was directly matched up. Zhou Ze stepped forward to screen Kobe. Kobe used the screen to break through. Ray Allen's help defense delayed Kobe, and Kobe failed to pass the ball in time.

When Ray Allen saw McGrady coming to help defend, he immediately returned to his defensive position.

Kobe, now at the elbow, faced McGrady in a 1v1 matchup. Panting heavily, Kobe opted for a post-up attack. After taking a step back, he dropped his shoulder and, after shifting his position, rolled back. McGrady reacted quickly, jumping after him.

Kobe faced McGrady's long arms and shot the ball into the net with a "swish".

87比98，湖人的领先优势来到了11分，距离比赛结束还有1分01秒。