ebonymovies Chapter 180. Victory depends on Howard's "support"
Chapter 180. Victory depends on Howard's "support"
Chapter 180. Victory depends on Howard's "support"
It may not be effective against other teams, but the defensive strategy that the Lakers came up with will definitely be effective against the Rockets.
With Thackeray and Howard tough, every ball is tough in hand-to-hand combat, consuming each other's physical strength, and playing like a pair, this is the defensive strategy that these guys on the Lakers came up with.
Thackeray is just a false starter for the Lakers, and he only plays for about ten minutes per game. His role is to consume the physical strength of the opponent's starter, but this time the Lakers have brought his role to the extreme.
Thackeray and Howard exhausted themselves from hand-to-hand combat, and Howard was equally exhausted.
But Thackeray's exhaustion has no effect on the Lakers at all. Once Howard is exhausted, the Rockets will be finished inside.
Howard is the only inside star of the Rockets. He has to play 378 minutes per game. McHale doesn't care whether he has an injury history or not, and he can use it to death if he can.
Just like now, after Whiteside, Antetokounmpo, and Liu Ren formed an inside no-fly zone, Howard couldn't move at all, and the Rockets could only float outside to shoot.
But the starters of the Rockets ran back and forth on the field for more than eight minutes, and they felt lost to the Pacific Ocean. Since they watched Howard play before, and the other four starters did not consume too much energy, McHale was unwilling to replace them. Go on, because the Rockets' bench is much worse than the starting starter.
The Rockets performed a variety of strikes to the fans at the Staples Center. Howard scored 24 points in a single quarter, and the Rockets still only had 24 points after the first quarter.
湖人那边开始疯狂跑轰，3分多钟打出一波15比0，首节打完湖人比37比24领先！
In the second quarter, the Rockets began to respond and put on a fast lineup to deal with the running and bombing of the Lakers, Jeremy Lin, Brooks, Casspi, Garcia, and Motiejunas.
The Rockets' lineup is faster than the Lakers' side. McHale wants to use this lineup to match up with the Lakers' running and gunning, and use super fast speed to prevent the Lakers from counterattacking.
But D'Antoni had anticipated McHale's belated strategy, and replaced the traditional lineup of Farmar, Kobe, Bazemore, Gasol, and Whiteside, and started playing positional warfare!
Bryant and Gasol did not consume too much physical energy in the first quarter, and continued to start in the second quarter.
Kobe and Gasol took turns in the low post, showing their great low post offensive ability, singles and supporting everything.
The overall strength of the Lakers is much stronger than that of the Rockets. This rotation lineup is much stronger than that of the Rockets. They continued to widen the point difference. After grinding for a few minutes, the Lakers widened the point difference even more.
The Rockets players were completely passive. During the break just now, their head coach McHale told them how to deal with running and gunning, but the Lakers suddenly stopped playing running and gunning and started playing positions. This group of people suddenly didn't know how to play .
Finally, McHale realized that the opponent was going to play a position. When Howard was replaced, the Lakers made another substitution. Nash, McCollum, Liu Ren, Antetokounmpo, and Thackeray came on.
When Thackeray came up, he provocatively went to Howard to get stuck inside to provoke Howard. Howard rested for most of the quarter and recovered some of his physical strength. Seeing Thackeray's provocation, his brain was congested again, and he continued to confront Thackeray.
Then Thackeray and Howard were both able to turn on the red light again, and in the last four or five minutes of the second quarter, they became a two-man confrontation again.
It couldn't have been better for the Lakers, who used Thackeray to wear Howard out of his physical strength. At halftime, the Lakers had a 62-40 lead by 22 points.
In the third quarter, the Lakers finished as usual and replaced the strongest lineup of Antetokounmpo, Kobe, Liu Ren, Gasol, and Whiteside. They can run and have a height advantage. A lineup with advantages in scoring, mid-range shooting, and inside offense.
Antetokounmpo is a good point guard. He has a wide vision and does not stick to the ball. He has repeatedly sent good shots, and Gasol is mobilizing offensive moves, and the Lakers play a sharp offense.
On the Rockets side, Howard was stunned by Thackeray for a long time. Howard was no longer the Howard of the Magic period. Compared with the state of the Lakers last season, he was not much better. He continued to rest at the beginning of the third quarter.
So the game became a match between Harden and the Lakers.
As for the much-hyped Parsons, under the defense of Liu Ren and Bazemore, he had no chance to score at all.
Liu Ren has always looked down on Parsons. Except for the two-year stats in the 12-13 and 13-14 seasons, Parsons is a pit at other times, especially after signing a maximum salary with the Mavericks. Well, the Mavericks used him as a thigh and let him get the team's largest contract, but in the end they found that he couldn't play a few games a year, and they cheated the Mavericks for two years.
Harden is very good. Even without scoring a point in the first quarter, he still scored 27 points after three quarters, but he couldn't prevent the Rockets from collapsing. After three quarters, the Lakers had a 95-69 lead by 26 points.
After the All-Star break, the Lakers began to show their bloodthirsty fangs, showing the strength of a member of the league's three strongest teams, and beat up the Rockets, the second-tier team in the league.
Of course, the "support" of Howard's brain is indispensable, but a win is a win. In the fourth quarter, the two sides replaced the bench players and the game entered garbage time. In this high-profile game, the Lakers finally easily defeated the Rockets 129-102.
Liu Ren had 26 points and 8 rebounds, Kobe had 24 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists, Whiteside had 10 points and 15 rebounds, Gasol had 8 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists, and Nash had 7 points and 7 assists. When everyone is playing at a normal level, the opponent is basically finished. None of the core members of the Lakers team has been defended below the average level of the season, which proves that everyone in the Lakers is playing at a normal level. Effect.
In addition, Thackeray scored 19 points, and Antetokounmpo also had 9 points. The Rockets were played by the Lakers.
After the game, Harden was very dissatisfied. He ran to the Lakers and sprayed Liu Ren and Kobe: "Treacherous! Shameless! Have the guts to compete with us!"
Harden is not a fool. When the Lakers saw Howard in the second quarter and used Thackeray to fight Howard, he knew the strategy of the Lakers, but his head coach didn't have the ability to see it!He used Howard and the opponent's Thackeray for a few more minutes, exhausting his hard-won physical strength again.
No way, Harden could only score 19 points in a single quarter in the third quarter, but it didn't help.
Liu Ren said proudly: "We are so treacherous and shameless, you bite me!"
Harden was almost choked to death by Liu Ren, pointed at Liu Ren and said loudly: "Too shameless!"
(End of this chapter)