The first game of the finals can only be described as a crushing defeat.

The Lakers players were somewhat frustrated...

An argument broke out in the away locker room after the game, with players blaming each other for not passing the ball or making runs!

The Lakers sacrificed a lot to form their Big Four, and Kobe and Shaq were the fig leaf for that Big Four. These two were also top stars in the league, and it was because of their presence that the Lakers made it all the way to the Finals.

This is much better than last season, when the Lakers didn't even make it to the Finals.

However, when he encountered Wei Guo, a top-tier star even better than O'Neal, this fig leaf was torn off.

This was only the first game of the Finals, yet it left the Lakers with absolutely no hope of winning.

final...

The Zen Master flew into a rage, and only then did the players stop blaming each other.

Phil Jackson has carefully analyzed the Nets. This roster is not invincible. Hill is good on both offense and defense, but his form is not as good as it was in his prime. Mourning's playing time is also limited. Stockton is a veteran, and Kenyon is barely an All-Star player.

The Nets played very well as a team, but their only offensive threat was Wei Guo.

As for defense, the Nets rely on sheer grit rather than individual defensive ability. Only Wei Guo and Mourning can be considered defensive stalwarts on the Nets.

Phil Jackson sometimes thinks that if he could trade Payton for Kidd, he's confident he could finish the game in six games. Unfortunately, he can't make that trade; the Lakers can't offer the corresponding assets, and the Magic won't agree to the trade.

......

Two days later, the Zen master put away his chaotic thoughts.

This is Game 2 of the finals!

Every game in the Finals is important. If the Lakers can win an away game, they will gain home-court advantage.

The Zen Master understood that this game couldn't rely solely on Kobe and Shaq, so he had some private conversations with several players before the game.

Just like a homeroom teacher, before an exam, they might call out some students who didn't perform well and have a private talk with them. Of course... the homeroom teacher likes this kind of talk, but whether the students who were called out like it is another matter.

However, unless they are particularly stubborn students, after a talk with the homeroom teacher, students will usually correct their attitude towards exams and try their best to get good grades.

Putting aside other things...

Every player took the pre-match warm-up very seriously.

Starting lineup for this match:

Lakers: Payton, Kobe, George, Malone, O'Neal

Brooklyn Nets: Tyronn Lue, Hill, Wei Guo, Kenyon, Mourning

Yes!

Tyronn Lue replaced Stockton in the starting lineup, mainly because Stockton had some calf muscle pain after the last game, and Gentry kept Stockton on the bench to protect him.

It's not for injury observation...

They're just controlling Stockton's playing time. After all, the Finals have only just begun, and Stockton's role is still irreplaceable. Gentry doesn't want a repeat of the game against the Pistons, because it's too intense... his old heart can't take it.

"Beep!!!"

The whistle blew, and the game began.

Tyronn Lue got the ball, and Payton pressed him directly, almost stealing the ball from Lue's hands!

What level of player is Payton?

Let's first look at the Defensive Player of the Year winners of the 1990s:

89~91: Rodman

91~92: Robinson

92~94: Hakeem Olajuwon

94~95: Mutombo

95~96: Payton

96~98: Mutombo

98~00: Mourning

To snatch the Defensive Player of the Year award from so many big men during the era of the four great centers speaks volumes about Payton's defensive prowess; the nickname "The Glove" wasn't given lightly.

Payton suddenly got serious, and Tyronn Lue almost made a mistake!

Fortunately, Hill came to Tyronn Lue's rescue, taking the basketball from Lue and then passing it to Wei Guo.

Wei Guo stabilized the pace...

The game has just started, so it's too early to tell how strong the Lakers' defense is. However, Payton's defensive attitude is much better than in the previous game. Speaking of which... Payton was outplayed by young Parker in the second round against the Spurs. It wasn't until Kobe Bryant was assigned to guard Parker one-on-one that the Lakers were able to break down Parker and Duncan's pick-and-roll tactics.

Now he's being matched up against Tyronn Lue, and Payton doesn't want to get blown out by Lue again; the veteran is also concerned about his pride.

Ma Long stepped forward to defend Wei Guo!

This is Zen Master's defensive tactic. Ma Long harbors deep resentment towards Wei Guo, and Ma Long's height and strength are not afraid of Wei Guo's status and will attack aggressively. He is just afraid that Wei Guo will score three points in a row.

"Oh..."

Wei Guo's lips curled up, and with two sharp changes of direction, he broke through from Ma Long's left side. As Ma Long stepped back, Wei Guo stopped abruptly and jumped to shoot!

"Whoosh!!!"

The basketball went into the net.

2-0!!!

Such a shot was within the Lakers' control. No one expected Malone to limit Wei Guo's score to less than 20 points. He only needed to do his best to defend Wei Guo and prevent Wei Guo from linking up the team's offense.

The Lakers continue to use the triangle offense.

The Zen Master's triangle offense is very complex, but the core of this tactic is that the team must have one or two superstars. Therefore, this tactic is more like a tactic tailored for players and is not very versatile.

The first match.

Shaquille O'Neal scored 21 points and Kobe Bryant scored 27 points. In this year's playoffs, most teams only averaged around 80 points per game. Kobe and O'Neal's scores can only be described as adequate, and are far from enough to beat the Nets.

If the Lakers want to win, O'Neal and Kobe must perform even better!

In this game... you could tell from the Lakers' several offensive plays that O'Neal was in good form.

Mourning's fronting defense failed several times, allowing O'Neal to receive the ball and post up in the low post. Kobe then set up O'Neal for several possessions.

It's rare for O'Neal and Kobe to both have explosive performances at the same time.

However, both players have high basketball IQ, and they still have the necessary teamwork on the court. As for their relationship in the locker room, neither of them will bring that emotion into the finals.

The game was played at a very slow pace...

13:16!!

Nine minutes into the first quarter, neither team had scored more than 20 points.

The Nets have substituted their bench players, while the Lakers haven't made many substitutions. Kobe and Shaq remain on the court; they are the Lakers' hope.

......

Wei Guo sat on the sidelines and accepted a drink from his teammate.

"Brother Wei, are you confident you can win this match?"

"Ha ha..."

Wei Guo glanced back at Zoran, "If you play, we'll definitely win this game."

Zoran scratched his head. "Brother Wei, you have that much faith in my abilities?"

Zoran was a rookie who only had occasional playing time during the regular season. In the playoffs, he was like a player abandoned by the team. Even when Hill and Kenyon were absent, Zoran did not get any playing time and was a marginal player on the team.

Zolan felt a warm glow inside, though he didn't realize Wei Guo was just joking.

Even plain water tastes sweet now...

Zoran sat down next to Cummings. "The boss just said that if I go in, I'm sure we can win this game."

"Yes!"

Cummings laughed and said, "You only get a chance to play during garbage time."