Chapter 1349 Superstars Never Have Two Downturns
The Lakers blossomed in the first quarter, with all five starting players scoring, and leading by 8 points in a single quarter with a small climax. This undoubtedly made the Nuggets' already precarious situation even worse. If the Nuggets cannot win in the second The quarter has changed the unfavorable situation on the court, and the Lakers are likely to win this game easily.
The Nuggets naturally didn't want to admit defeat just like that. In the second quarter, George Karl made drastic changes to the lineup. Anthony and Billups were naturally unable to move. In addition, Jones, who did not perform well in the first quarter, was replaced by JR , and all the interior twin towers were replaced, with Kleiza and Nene coming on as substitutes.
This is undoubtedly the Nuggets' last ditch effort. All they replace are young freshmen. At the same time, Nene and JR inside are both masters of chaos. George Karl obviously hopes that they can muddy the waters on the court and let me mess around. win.
The Lakers still have a regular rotation, with Ji Feng leading the team, Bynum and Radmanovic on the inside, Farmar and Ariza on the outside, Ji Feng swings to the 2nd position, which is equivalent to playing a forward formation. Except for Farmar, all four are strikers.
This lineup can give Ji Feng ample opportunities to set the pace. Farmar and Gasol can also continue to add firepower. The combination of Ariza and Ji Feng can also ensure the defensive strength on the outside. Radmanovic can also There's a mid-range shooter, so offensively, it's a good lineup.
On the first shot, Ji Feng ran all over the court with the ball, breaking out before the Nuggets were in position. After being double-teamed, he passed the ball to the bottom corner. Farmar made a three-pointer with his hands.
However, the Nuggets also accurately grasped the problem with the Lakers' bench lineup, which is the inside!
Billups started a pick-and-roll with Nene in the first attack. Radmanovic was unable to face Nene's strong impact and was dunked on the first ball.
Subsequently, the Lakers' fast break failed. Anthony and Billups teamed up to lock Ji Feng's breakthrough route. Ji Feng could only reorganize at the top of the key and finally gave the ball to Gasol inside. In this quarter, Kleiza The defense did a good job. Gasol made a pass inside, and point guard Radmanovic was about to dunk, but was rejected by Nene, who was assisting in defense!
Big hotpot!
The ball came to JR's hands, and JR took the ball and went straight to the frontcourt regardless of it. Although Ji Feng's defense was in place, JR got so nervous that even he was afraid, and he shot directly with an elegant 3-pointer!
Score in!
Ji Feng then tried to give the inside a chance through a pick-and-roll, but the effect was average. The two big white men inside were locked up by the Nuggets' black and white men and failed to make 3 consecutive shots! ~
The Nuggets could no longer hold back. After Anthony hit a jumper, Nene scored 4 points in a row, leaving the team only 2 points behind.
"The Nuggets' tactics worked. These players are all masters of chaos. The Lakers need to change their defensive strategy." Yu Jia said.
The Lakers chose to surround Nene, the guy who played the best so far tonight. However, when the Lakers defended him heavily, they left JR open many times. JR Smith did not seize the opportunity in the previous game, but today he made 2 three-pointers. 2, he fulfilled his role as an outside sharp knife very well.
After half a quarter, the Lakers were reversed and lost by 4 points.
In the middle of the second quarter, the Lakers switched to their main lineup, but the Nuggets still relied on this unconventional lineup to dominate the world. JR's nerves were online tonight, repeatedly delivering wonderful goals, and Kleiza also hit two mid-range shots.
The Lakers relied on Kobe's offense to maintain scoring, and Gasol also occasionally scored. At halftime, the Lakers trailed by 3 points 51-54 entering the second half.
However, everyone can see that the Lakers were suppressed on the offensive end in this quarter. After all, they lost 11 points in a single quarter, and the offense was not going very smoothly. Although Ji Feng had 3 assists in this quarter, he did not score. He only had 3 points. To be honest, he was a bit confused. He only had 6 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds in the half. This is not Ji Feng's true level.
With such a performance, it is hard not to think of the previous game, which was a loss on the road. Ji Feng also performed poorly in the first half and only scored 7 points. Although Ji Feng scored 11 points in the second half , and almost got a triple-double again, but looking at the whole game, people were not very satisfied with Ji Feng's performance.
Mainly due to Ji Feng's status and people's expectations for Ji Feng. If he were an ordinary player, he would definitely be praised for scoring a near triple-double, but Ji Feng was different. After all, Ji Feng was a phenomenal player, let alone an ordinary player. He has obtained triple-doubles and 50+ triple-doubles. All kinds of statistics have always been a waste of time in front of Ji Feng. He was almost crushed by Ji Feng all the way. Therefore, fans and the media will naturally not be satisfied with such a performance. .
And there is a deeper reason, that is, to a certain extent, Ji Feng is the barometer of this Lakers. When Ji Feng does not perform well, the Lakers often lose, and Ji Feng is also the biggest problem for the Lakers in the later period. Guarantee, there are countless goals that Ji Feng carried at the last moment to help the Lakers seal the victory or directly reverse the situation, so people will have higher expectations for Ji Feng.
At halftime, Barkley said bluntly: "Ji Feng should stand up. He is more about organizing and helping his teammates score, but at this time, he can actually be more selfish."
The ESPN commentator also said: "Ji Feng's performance in the first half was average for two consecutive games. Although this is just for him, he does need to be more proactive."
Of course, there are also people who defend Ji Feng, such as Su Qun, who said in the Tencent live broadcast room: "Everyone said that Ji Feng did not play well, but this data is still acceptable. After all, although he scored only 6 points, Ji Feng only scored 6 points." It only took 5 shots, which is quite efficient, not to mention 6 assists. You can't expect Ji Feng's explosive performance every night, no matter which All-Star or superstar will be in poor condition."
Su Qun's words naturally make sense. Historically, even a giant like O'Fa will occasionally slump in the playoffs, and poor performance is inevitable. It happens from time to time, not to mention Ji Feng. This data is not abnormal at all, it is just average. What's more, Ji Feng is only a second-year rookie. Fluctuations are really normal. From a vertical comparison, no one in history has better performance in the second year. Last quarter peak.
Ji Feng himself didn't know what the outside world said, and he didn't know that his data would become the subject of discussion, because his style of play in the first half was not about brushing data, but mainly about driving the team's rhythm and the feel of his teammates. , this style of play is his most commonly used style of play. In the first half, he improved the touch of his teammates. This is how he won the second game, but tonight his teammates' touch was just average.
If he knew what the outside world said, he would definitely laugh. How did you know that I was going to work hard in the third quarter!
That's right, Ji Feng is already ready to go it alone. Since his teammates are not that strong, he will go it alone. The so-called superstar never slumps for two games, so it's time to end this game.