Chapter 1812 Three 20+ First Person, the Mavericks Did Not Lose Unfairly
Two consecutive three-pointers. Before this, no one would have thought that the person who would change the situation on the court would be the Lakers' third small forward—Matt Barnes!
This guy, who just came off the bench in the third quarter, took advantage of the speed gap between himself and Dirk, constantly used pick-and-rolls to get rid of space, and scored 6 points in a row by hitting three-pointers from his two favorite corners. , allowing the Lakers' lead to instantly expand to 12 points!
The score difference of 8 suddenly changed to 12 points, which is not a concept at all.
"Timeout!" Carlisle had to use a crucial long timeout at the beginning of the second half because he found that the situation on the court was not quite right. The Mavericks seemed to have been tricked by the Lakers again~!
"Matt Barnes can do this. Although he is often criticized for his unstable shooting and sporadic shooting, when he is accurate, he is really accurate. He is the standard slender small forward. He is good at running and cutting. If you give him a chance, he can seize it. He once scored 36 points in a single game with the Warriors." Barkley commented,
But what he mainly wants to talk about is not just these two scores, but the tactics of the two teams: "The Mavericks changed their tactics in the second half, mainly because the defender of Ji Feng changed from Dirk to Marion. Marion is faster, so He can keep up with Ji Feng, and at the same time, he can force Ji Feng to stay away from the inside. After all, Marion has long-range shots, and he doesn't need to grab rebounds. If he stands outside, Ji Feng will not be able to stay inside like he did in the first half. Scrambled."
"However, Carlisle ignored one point. Dirk couldn't defend Barnes. Although he was taller, this matchup was still mismatched. Barnes was very good at playing small and big. Dirk couldn't keep up after the pick-and-roll. Plus Ji Feng His vision and passing ability made these two attacks possible. Once Barnes throws an opportunity, all the Mavericks can do seems to be praying that he can’t make the shot. But unfortunately, luck is not on their side tonight. aside."
And Smith is more concerned about what the Lakers' new lineup shows: "This should be the strategy the Lakers have been hiding in this playoffs. The Lakers have always had one starting lineup before, and now, at the most critical moment, they finally They have come up with new things, and it turns out that the Zen Master is still the same Zen Master. This lineup is too difficult to deal with. There is always a position that is misplaced, which makes it difficult for the Mavericks' defense to develop."
The words of the two commentators also made the camera focus on the Zen Master. He only saw a slight smile, hiding his merit and fame. This scene at least made Spoelstra from the East Coast look very ugly. Facing such a coach in this finals, for him, Definitely not an easy thing.
However, Carlisle still made an excellent response. Since the Lakers played out of position, the Mavericks also played out of position. After the timeout, the Mavericks took advantage of Dirk's advantage against Barnes and frequently played pick-and-rolls, allowing Dirk to play singles in various positions. Barnes.
Needless to say, the effect of this operation was that Barnes was too thin. Although he defended very hard and actively, the effect was very poor. Dirk scored 6 points in a row, helping the Mavericks once again narrow the point difference to 8 points.
At this time, Jackson finally replaced Gasol and other main players on the court, Fisher also made his first appearance, and the Lakers returned to their regular starting lineup.
For Zen Master, that lineup has played a very big role, now it is time to close the game!
After seeing the Lakers return to their previous main lineup, Mavericks fans breathed a sigh of relief and felt that the game could finally be normal.
However, the main lineup at this time is not ordinary, because they hardly expend any extra physical energy. Compared with the Mavericks main lineup, which is already out of breath, the Lakers' lineup has a scary amount of physical energy!
In the first round, Laoyu actually broke through Kidd's defense with the ball, got inside and assisted Ji Feng to succeed in a mid-range shot. This coquettish operation that has been rarely seen this season proves how strong Laoyu's physical fitness is. of abundance.
After the Mavericks went on offense, Kidd's pass to Terry was intercepted by Kobe. Kobe dribbled the ball into the frontcourt and dunked. This was Kobe's 17th point tonight!
Being beaten twice in a row made the Mavericks unsteady. At this time, Dirk stepped forward, picked and rolled on the wing, advanced with the ball behind his back, and then turned over and shot a jump shot. It was surprisingly difficult, but the ball was accurately hit!
This goal also stabilized the Mavericks' morale and gave them a breath of relief.
But then you can see the difference between the Lakers. Gasol serves, Ji Feng dribbles, and even the speed of dribbling is much faster. When they come to the frontcourt, the Lakers rotate very quickly, taking advantage of Marion to gain a foothold. Before he stabilized, Ji Feng passed him with a big stride. Chandler blocked Ji Feng in front and tried to make an offensive foul!
Chandler also has some physical issues.
But like a ghost, Ji Feng passed the ball behind his back and leisurely walked around to the side. The ball just happened to be passed to Gasol who had slipped over from the baseline. Gasol directly pulled up and shot, and succeeded in the top arc mid-range shot!
Ji Feng's assist count was almost 20 before he knew it!
"Stay steady, don't change tactics, shrink and press." Nowitzki calmed the morale of the soldiers on the court, but physical problems were the biggest problem.
The Lakers have rotated 9 players in this game. Fisher and Bynum only came on in the second half. Their physical fitness is not the same as that of the Mavericks players who played nearly three full quarters.
Kidd has now discovered this problem, so he plays slower and slower. He has the ball in his hands, suppresses the rhythm, and gives his teammates time to buffer.
The Mavericks only started to attack after 12 seconds, and the ball was given to Terry. After the rotation, Terry was double-teamed by two people. Of course, he knew to pass it to Chandler, who was free inside, but in front of him was the best defensive player Ji. Feng, the moment he released the ball, Ji Feng affected the passing route. Kobe just happened to help defend inside and snatched the ball.
The moment he grabbed it, he passed it to Ji Feng who was waiting on the outside!
Ji Feng did not slow down. After receiving the ball, he released the ball vigorously and rushed towards the frontcourt. Terry and Marion rushed back as hard as they could, but they could only watch Ji Feng end the offense with a dunk.
This offense is the epitome of the Lakers. They play faster and faster, dragging the Mavericks forward. The Mavericks can only rely on Dirk and Kidd to hold back the score difference.
At the end of the third quarter, the Lakers led 76-63 by 13 points!
After three quarters, Ji Feng's statistics have become 17 points, 17 assists and 17 rebounds. Three big 17s silenced Mavericks fans. Ji Feng, who is too comprehensive, is definitely the Mavericks' nightmare.
"Ji Feng controlled the third quarter. The Lakers were only 12 minutes away from the finals." Barkley said.
In the last quarter, Carlisle had to put on some substitutes to replace the starters who lacked physical fitness. This is the biggest problem for older teams, and their physical fitness is enough to become a stumbling block for them.
Carlisle's substitutions have been criticized.
But in the fourth quarter, even with Artest, Farmar, and Powell as substitutes, the Lakers still had the upper hand. Ji Feng, a physical monster, came to the point guard position again and assisted Artest in the opening game. One ball.
In the next 3 minutes, Ji Feng scored 2 points and 2 assists, leading the Lakers to widen the point difference to 15 points.
The Mavericks could only quickly switch back to the main force.
Dirk helped the Mavericks stabilize the situation with a three-pointer, but Farmar's three-pointer from the Lakers failed to hit. However, Ji Feng grabbed the rebound and then responded with a step-back three-pointer!
With 22 points, 20 assists and 18 rebounds, Ji Feng is about to become the first player with three 20+ points in NBA history.