Gentry used the timeout schedule to praise all the players, who did a great job on defense.
At the same time, he was reminding Paul and the others to maintain this momentum and pull ahead in one go... Finally, Wei Guo added that Paul and Kobe would switch positions in a bit, with Kobe moving up to defend Nash and handing Bell over to Paul.
Kobe represents the Lakers' second-best defense!
Gentry still didn't use Gasol and Bynum, mainly to counter the Suns. Odom and Ariza are fast and can keep up with the Suns' pace.
......
Timeout over, game resumes!
Nash received the inbound pass from the baseline, first lobbed the ball to Hill, and then ran to the frontcourt to receive it.
"This is really tough... Why is Kobe guarding Nash?"
D'Antoni sighed heavily. Only Wei Guo knew how painful it was to be constantly targeted when all his tactics were seen through.
Facing Kobe...
Nash showed not a trace of fear!
He dribbled behind his back repeatedly to find his rhythm, turned around and shifted Kobe's defensive weight, then made a crossover in front of his body, using his right leg to get past Kobe in one step. But it's not that easy to shake off Kobe.
Unable to penetrate into the paint, Kobe closed in again!
With his teammates completely shut down, Nash's passing lanes were cut off, forcing him to take one-on-one shots... Fortunately, Kobe was in front of him and Wei Guo was behind him. Wei Guo was taken to the weak side by O'Neal, and Nash took a jump shot, launching an extremely difficult fadeaway jumper over Kobe!
"Whoosh!!!"
The basketball went into the net.
74:65!!
The Lakers are down by 9 points.
Nash got up from the floor and quickly ran back to the backcourt. That's what a superstar is like; an ordinary goal isn't worth celebrating.
Gentry said, "Many people overlook Nash's one-on-one ability. If he had played more selfishly, he could have challenged for a top-three spot on the scoring list."
Nash was also a member of the 180 Club, with a field goal percentage of over 50%, a three-point percentage of over 40%, and a free throw percentage of over 90%. However, classifying him as a shooter based on his field goal percentage shows a lack of understanding of him. Nash often drove into the paint to score, but as an open shooter, he preferred to help his teammates score.
......
The Lakers are on offense, and Nash's basket can't stop their determination to catch up!
Wei Guo is positioning himself under the basket to receive the ball!
Facing O'Neal, he turned and shot with his arm straight. This shooting motion made it impossible for O'Neal to block him. With his height, wingspan, and jumping ability, Wei Guo's shooting release point was even higher than the rim.
"Whoosh!!!"
The basketball went into the net.
After scoring, Wei Guo bumped O'Neal on the shoulder, saying, "I'll be using this move to score again from now on."
This is infuriating...
It's like playing Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game). I'll show you my cards and tell you what I'll play next, but you can't control that.
Nash went one-on-one against Kobe, but his layup attempt missed!
Wei Guo grabbed the defensive rebound, passed the ball to Kobe, ran to the frontcourt and continued to position himself under the basket to receive the ball. He faced O'Neal head-on, jumped and shot with a straight arm.
O'Neal leaped with all his might...
It still couldn't stop Wei Guo from scoring, as a foul gave Wei Guo a '2+1'.
74:70!!
Wei Guo scored 5 consecutive points, narrowing the gap to just 4 points.
Nash reminded Stoudemire that he should help defend Wei Guo when he is boxing out for the basket, and not let O'Neal face Wei Guo alone. The only way to stop Wei Guo from scoring is to prevent Wei Guo from receiving the ball.
at the same time...
Nash also knew that it was wishful thinking to expect him to save the team through individual plays.
Paul could defend him, and scoring against Kobe would be even more difficult... Even if he beat Kobe, there's still Wei Guo... After missing a three-pointer, Nash made up his mind to continue helping his teammates find scoring opportunities.
......
The third quarter lasted 7 minutes.
Wei Guo received the ball under the basket and was double-teamed by O'Neal and Stoudemire. Wei Guo dribbled to the three-point line, jumped, turned in the air, and shot a difficult three-pointer.
"Whoosh!!!"
The basketball went into the net.
81:83!!
The Lakers took a 2-point lead.
Kobe and Weiguo celebrated with a chest bump. After spinning in the air, he was able to adjust his shooting form and steadily sink a three-pointer. Such terrifying core strength can only be seen in the entire league by Weiguo!
......
"Suns request a timeout!"
......
D'Antoni called another timeout; he had to.
The Lakers have taken the lead...
Based on past experience, once the score is overtaken, it is extremely difficult to catch up.
The players remained silent. D'Antoni asked, "Is there any way to limit Wei Guo's scoring?"
"coach..."
Stoudemire smiled wryly and said, "Seven years have passed, and the entire league has failed to find a way to limit Wei's scoring. Where are we supposed to think of anything in those 90 seconds?"
Cummings said quietly, "Otherwise, why would he be in such a hurry to retire? It's only because he has no rivals that he's thinking of retiring after this season."
"Um?!"
D'Antoni turned around, laughing and scolding, "You little rascal, trying to eavesdrop on my tactics again?"
Despite repeated admonitions...
Bell put his arm around Cummings' neck and helped him back to the Lakers' bench. Cummings complained that no tactics had been laid out and asked Bell to listen to what was wrong with him.
......
The timeout has ended, and the game has resumed.
This pause is now useless...
The Suns played the same style of play as before, except Hill returned to the court.
Nash missed a three-pointer, O'Neal grabbed the offensive rebound, missed the second-chance opportunity, Wei Guo grabbed the defensive rebound, and possession changed hands!
The most difficult ones were Nash and O'Neal...
One was matched up against Kobe, and the other against Wei Guo.
For the Lakers, Paul dribbled all the way to the basket, took away Stoudemire, and then passed the ball to Wei Guo, creating another one-on-one opportunity under the basket. Wei Guo faced O'Neal and used his signature straight-arm shot!
"Whoosh!!!"
The basketball went into the net.
D'Antoni sighed. Wei Guo's release point was too high, and it was a straight-arm shot, which was even harder to defend than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's skyhook... With a height of 2.18 meters and a wingspan of 2.3 meters, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's hook shot with his straight arm was almost without any weaknesses. Whether it went in or not depended entirely on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's touch.
Wei Guo's straight-arm shot is different. His abnormal jumping ability makes his release point a height that most players can only dream of. He only needs to flick his wrist to throw the ball into the basket.
There are two types of players in the league...
One type is an offensive kaleidoscope, capable of using any move; the other type relies on a single, foolproof move that you can't defend against!
O'Neal realized that Wei Guo was not only a kaleidoscope of skills, but he also knew all kinds of moves, but you couldn't block any of them. Compared to his straight-arm shooting, O'Neal missed the physical battles with Wei Guo back then. At that time, the physical confrontation between the two was intense, and he didn't think Wei Guo was so difficult to defend.
Wei Guo bullied him like this...
It's because he's old. Even if he still has a strong desire to win, time waits for no one, and his jumping ability and speed are not on the same level as they used to be.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com