Chapter 379 O'Neal: I Want to Lose Weight!

Knicks offense.

Zhao Dong no longer controlled the ball and moved to the left wing, three meters away from the paint area, under the dotted line of the free throw line.

Stackhouse, who was in possession of the ball, passed the ball in. Zhao Dong received the ball and suddenly took a step back.

Ben quickly followed up, but at this moment, while Ben was moving, Zhao Dong turned around, rushed over, and headed towards the paint area with the ball.

At this time, the Lakers also began to quickly cover up their defense. Kobe, who defended the most diligently, set up a second line of defense before Zhao Dong.

Ginobili was left open. He moved from the top of the arc to the left wing, while looking at Zhao Dong, ready to receive the ball.

But Zhao Dong didn't pass the ball. He was just a Kobe. Can he guard him near the paint area? He must have come to this position himself, and it is impossible to give it to Ginobili on the three-point line.

"squeak!"

Taking a step outside the left line of the paint area to brake, Zhao Dong suddenly stopped and started.

Zhao Dong's pull-up jump shot skills are unparalleled in the entire league. Even Jordan is inferior to him in this skill. Kobe was mentally prepared to block the shot. The moment Zhao Dong took off, he jumped up.

However, when Kobe reached out to block the shot, Zhao Dong lay back in the air and avoided the former's block. Then the basketball flew past Kobe's hand and slid towards the basket.

"Uh-huh!"

The water splashed and he hit a two-pointer.

"yeah!"

Everyone in Madison Square Garden stared at the ball. The moment the ball was scored, they all raised their arms and cheered.

"It doesn't feel too bad."

Zhao Dong smiled, and while returning to defense, he shouted to Kobe who was following him: "Boy, come and defend me again, I will kill you too."

"Afraid of you?"

Kobe said stiffly, holding his neck.

When the Lakers attacked, O'Neal was not prepared to hit the ball. He only acted like attacking in the paint area to provide offensive cover for his teammates.

Because Zhao Dong's efficiency is too high, O'Neal's offense at the basket is the key, and offense at the basket symbolizes even more terrible physical exertion.

Phil Jackson planned it;

O'Neal's physical fitness is the key to winning. He must maintain the rhythm of the game and give him a chance to breathe.

At the top of the arc, Ron Harper was not in a hurry to attack, giving O'Neal enough time to breathe.

After staying in the paint area for two seconds, O'Neal left, and Big Ben's three seconds also arrived and left, and there was a short space under the basket.

At this moment, Kobe ran without the ball and quickly cut into the basket along the baseline.

And Ron Harper's pass was just right. He passed the ball through the gap and was caught by Kobe.

Zhao Dong immediately returned to defend the basket.

Kobe caught the ball, jumped into the air, held the ball with both hands and sent it to the basket.

At this time, Zhao Dong jumped up and blocked the shot with his right hand.

But as soon as Kobe delivered the ball, he quickly recovered, dodged Zhao Dong's block, slid in front of the latter and under the basket, turned around and pulled the lever, and was about to dunk on Zhao Dong's head.

Kobe's ability to stay in the air is extremely good, and his flexibility is also top-notch. He is confident that he can succeed in this attack.

"Snapped!"

However, Kobe was wrong about one thing, that is, Zhao Dong's ability to stay in the air was more terrifying than him. When he dunked back, Zhao Dong was still on his head. He stretched out his left hand and stopped his dunk with a slap.

Deng Deng Deng, Kobe landed, took three steps back, and then sat down on the floor.

The ball in his hand also fell to the floor and was snatched away by Zhao Dong.

The Knicks took the opportunity to counterattack. Ginobili and Stackhouse came down quickly, but the Lakers were unable to defend in time. In the end, Ginobili made a layup.

2:4, Lakers attack.

O'Neal used his strength to get deep.

But this time there was no need for him to exert force. Willis went directly forward and allowed him to enter the basket.

At this time, Daben's weakness was exposed.

Because he couldn't pull away, he could only stay under the basket. In this way, Zhao Dong was also under the basket, and together with Willis, formed an off-ball double team for O'Neal.

Willis is also 213 centimeters tall, and O'Neal, who is 216 centimeters tall, has no height advantage at the basket.

But Willis is a Tyrannosaurus Rex, born with short hands and a wingspan of only 208 centimeters, while O'Neal's wingspan is 228 centimeters, so including the wingspan, O'Neal still has a height advantage of more than 20 centimeters under the basket.

If you add bounce, O'Neal will have an even greater height advantage under the basket.

Ron Harper certainly knew this and immediately lobbed the ball in.

In order to ensure that the ball would not be intercepted by Willis who was going around, the ball was hung quite high. O'Neal had to take off to catch the ball.

But as long as he receives the ball, O'Neal can dunk directly and complete an alley-oop.

Under the basket, after the ball was hoisted in, O'Neal and Willis took off at the same time.

"mine!"

Zhao Dong shouted in his heart, jumped up with all his strength, and pointed his right hand at the sliding basketball.

As for Ben, he can only look up. He can't participate in this ball.

"predict!"

The three of them took off at the same time. Zhao Dong and O'Neal were clearly ahead of Willis. Their hands almost touched the ball at the same time, and the ball was lit.

The next moment, the three of them fell to the ground and stood up again.

But this time, Zhao Dong took advantage of O'Neal, and Willis failed to keep up with the rhythm at all.

"I want to lose weight!"

O'Neill roared with grief and anger in his heart.

His tonnage hindered his bounce. Not only was he not high enough, but his continuous take-off speed was also not enough. He failed to keep up with Zhao Dong's rhythm on the second take-off.

"Snapped!"

Zhao Dong grabbed the basketball and was immediately blocked by Ben. Then O'Neal also rushed over. He immediately protected the ball with both hands, moved his feet, and used the momentum of turning sideways to swing his elbows left and right mercilessly. Ben and O'Neal Each was hit in the chest and retreated with a groan.

"Boss."

Ginobili came over to respond, and after Zhao Dong passed the ball, the Knicks began to counterattack.

O'Neal fought back to defend, but both he and Daben were left behind by Zhao Dong.

But it was Willis who fell at the end. The veteran couldn't run anymore.

Ginobili and Stackhouse advanced from left to right, Rogers followed Ginobili, and then Zhao Dong followed up in the middle. The four formed a suspended four-on-three opportunity in the frontcourt.

Zhao Dong strode across the top of the key, but Lakers small forward Glenn Rice didn't dare to come over to block it. He watched him rush into the paint and then received Ginobili's pass.

"oh!"

With a bang, as Zhao Dong made a flying dunk, the Lakers' basket was exploded, and the whole audience was boiling.

2:6, the Knicks took the lead at home and the Lakers attacked.

After seeing O'Neal enter the basket, Kobe made a fake shot from the three-point line on the right wing. After shaking Ginobili, he went to the wing and made a jump shot two steps later.

Even if this ball was missed, O'Neal's height and big budget were under the basket. The Lakers' rebounding advantage was not weaker than that of the defensive Knicks, so Kobe shot very resolutely.

Because the rebounding ability is not weaker than that of the Knicks, using outside shooting to open up the Knicks' inside defense is also Phil Jackson's requirement for outside offense.

"Uh-huh!"

The more determined the shot, the higher the hit rate. Kobe hit the first ball.

4:6, Knicks attack.

In the backcourt, Ginobili advanced with the ball, and suddenly encountered Kobe Bryant's personal pressure. After a mistake, the ball was intercepted by Kobe Bryant.

"boom!"

Kobe carried the ball to the basket and hit a tomahawk dunk, tying the score at six.

"Ginobili's game against Kobe was a bit of a surprise! The Knicks should reduce this kind of mistakes and pay attention to protecting the ball and moving quickly." Zhang Li said.

The Knicks attacked again, this time Stackhouse took possession of the ball and advanced into the frontcourt under harassment from Ron Harper, and others started running.

Zhao Dong dropped low to the left wing, and Ben immediately got behind him, using his strong upper body strength to prevent him from entering the paint area.

"Snapped!"

The ball came in, and as soon as Zhao Dong got the ball, Kobe's double team came up.

He immediately slid down and avoided Kobe's hand, but Ben quickly took a step back and stood on his path.

However, in the next moment, Zhao Dong suddenly stopped half a step in the paint area and shot a zero-degree jumper.

At this moment, he got rid of both Ben and Kobe who was double-teamed.

"brush!"

The ball passed through the heart and hit nearly two points.

6:8, Lakers attack.

"call!"

Zhao Dong let out a breath. It seemed that his touch was not too bad today. He hit two consecutive shots from close range and mid-range.

But looking back, Kobe once again caught up with rookie Ginobili and made a pull-up jumper.

"boom!"

This time they failed to make a hit. Four insiders from both teams crowded under the basket to grab rebounds. Zhao Dong pre-judged the situation and blocked the backcourt rebound.

Ben has played with Zhao Dong for two years and knows him very well. He immediately stood in front of Zhao Dong, preventing him from making quick passes and also preventing him from passing quickly, preventing the Knicks from launching a defensive counterattack.

In the Knicks' frontcourt, Zhao Dong dropped directly to the basket this time. After pulling O'Neal and Big Ben to the basket, he suddenly withdrew outside.

At this time, Stackhouse, who was holding the ball on the left three-point line, saw the opportunity, pushed with one hand, and passed the ball.

Zhao Dong caught the ball, and Da Ben followed him one step behind.

He suddenly turned around and made a sliding movement, which immediately caused Ben to stop suddenly. Then in the next moment, he jumped up and threw the ball towards the backboard with one hand. With a bang, the basketball hit the board and hit the basket.

"Beautiful, using repeated runs, Zhao Dong got rid of the defender and easily hit a goal on the board." Zhang Lili praised.

"At 6:10, Feilong now made 4 of 5 shots and scored 8 points. The Knicks took a 4-point lead thanks to his high efficiency." Su Qun said with a smile.

On the sidelines, Phil Jackson was scratching his head.

He played three consecutive Eastern Conference Finals with the Bulls and Knicks and lost three times. This time he didn't want to fail again.

However, whether in the Bulls or the Lakers, he could not prevent Zhao Dong's offense. This was what gave him a huge headache.

"Efficiency, God of efficiency!"

He stared at Zhao Dong and murmured in his mouth.

After Oakley and Ben left last season, the Knicks lost their rebounding advantage, and Fordson was injured again this season. In fact, the Knicks were at a disadvantage in rebounding against the Lakers, which he knew very well. , so he asked Kobe to wait for bold shots from outside, because the Lakers have the advantage of rebounding.

However, the rebounding advantage has not yet been reflected, and Zhao Dong's efficiency advantage has begun to be reflected.

After serving, he called a timeout and rearranged his tactics to allow the outside to strengthen the attack on the wings, attract Zhao Dong's defense, and create opportunities for O'Neal at the basket.

After the timeout, the Lakers attacked. Kobe launched a flank attack on the left wing, hit a jumper with a stop, and caused a foul on Ginobili, playing a morale-boosting two-plus-one.

"Uh-huh!"

Extra free throw hit, 9:10, the Lakers were only 1 point behind.

Looking back, Stackhouse missed a shot and the Lakers attacked.

Onik entered a position under the basket, but Willis still went around and let him into the basket. At the same time, Zhao Dong double-teamed without the ball on one side, ignoring the big book.

A ball had just been intercepted. This time Harper did not dare to pass it in easily and gave it to Kobe.

Kobe faked a real shot and threw a three-pointer from the right wing, but missed. After the ball rebounded, it was caught by Zhao Dong who was first in position.

"Ben Wallace's rebounding is good, but it's still far behind Fordson. Fordson only grew up after learning rebounding skills from Feilong."

Buckley laughed.

Smith said with some surprise: "You mean, Feilong's rebounding skills are better than Fordson? You know, before Fordson was injured, he had already begun to approach Rodman's level."

Barkley laughed: "Is it surprising that Feilong has better rebounding than Fordson? No, it's just that his main function is offense, so he can't put more energy into rebounding.

In fact, in addition to rebounding, his organizational skills are also among the best in the league. Also because of his investment in offense, his organizational functions are ignored. "

Smith nodded and said, "That's true. Compared with the Magician, Feilong's offense outweighs other abilities."

Barkley smiled: "So it seems that the Lakers have stronger rebounding ability, but once Feilong takes it seriously and invests more in rebounding, the Lakers' advantage will be gone."

Coming to the frontcourt, Zhao Dong entered the left wing, under the dotted line of the free throw line, relying on Ben to get the ball, and Glenn Rice, who was guarding Rogers, was one step above him.

Stackhouse, who was holding the ball, gave the ball to Rogers who was at a 45-degree angle from the left wing three-point line. Rogers passed it to Zhao Dong below, and then immediately ran to the left corner.

When Rogers passed the ball, Glenn Rice, who was guarding him, suddenly turned around and pounced on Zhao Dong, executing a double-team.

As soon as Zhao Dong got the ball, he was immediately double-teamed, but he immediately turned around and slid to the bottom, and was blocked by Ben who retreated quickly.

However, there was just a bang, a behind-the-back pass, and his ball went to the left corner.

Rogers dropped to the left corner, received the ball and took off. Glenn Rice, who returned to defense, had average defensive skills and was no longer good at returning to defense.

"Uh-huh!"

The water splashed and he hit a three-pointer.

"Beautiful, Feilong completely attracted the defensive attention, and Rogers hit an open three-pointer in the left corner."

Buckley shouted excitedly.

Zhao Dong saw that Rogers felt good, so he played the ball for him a few times in the following time.

Rogers also lived up to expectations. He made three more shots and hit one again. A total of 2 of 4 shots. The 50% hit rate is very good, which is equivalent to more than 70% of two-pointers.

In the 10th minute, at 18:25, the Lakers fell behind by 7 points, and Phil Jackson called another timeout.

Because the Knicks don't have a strong center inside, O'Neal mainly played at the basket today. He spent all the first ten minutes in position at the basket. However, under the Knicks' off-ball double-teaming tactics, he only caught the ball a total of 4 times and shot 3 of 4 from the field. made 1 of 3 free throws and scored 7 points.

This score is actually okay, with a 75% shooting rate, which is very efficient, but facing the Knicks, this performance is not enough. He plays too little, and it is useless no matter how efficient he is.

In the CCTV live broadcast, Zhang Lili analyzed: "Now we have to change to the bench. Although O'Neal doesn't play much, he always faces the double teams of Zhao Dong and Willis under the basket, which consumes a lot of physical energy. .

Today the Knicks' off-ball double-teaming tactic against O'Neal was quite successful. Specifically, it had two effects.

On the one hand, when O'Neal entered the basket, the four insiders on both sides were all crowded under the basket, which left no room for outside breakthroughs.

For example, Kobe Bryant rarely reaches the basket. Most of his offenses are pull-up jumpers outside the paint area.

Overall, the Knicks' double-teaming under the basket not only restricted O'Neal's ability to catch the ball, but also restricted the Lakers' outside efficiency.

Secondly, the Knicks themselves did not attack much at the basket, but Zhao Dong's nearly two points at the edge of the paint area were very efficient. Today, he made 5 of 7 shots and 2 of 2 free throws in the first quarter. He scored 12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, which was quite efficient.

So through the double-teaming tactics under the basket, the Knicks gained an advantage. "

Su Qun said with a smile: "The Lakers have O'Neal, a giant under the basket, and because the Knicks can't hold O'Neal inside, they chose to let him play more under the basket today. I don't know that this has pros and cons. There are several Once the inside line stops at the basket, there will be no room for the outside line to break through."

Zhang Liyi nodded and smiled: "There is nothing the Lakers can do to let O'Neal focus on the basket. O'Neal's shooting percentage in the past two points is less than 50%, more than 40%, which is not high enough. The overall shooting percentage is less than 60%. There is no way. To compete with Zhao Dong, he must get to the basket and improve his shots at the basket, thereby improving his offensive efficiency."

Su Qun said with a smile: "Now it depends on how coach Phil Jackson adjusts, not only to improve O'Neal's efficiency, but also to prevent him from being double-teamed without the ball, otherwise it will be useless if he cannot catch the ball under the basket. "

After the timeout, both sides came on the bench, and the Shark sat on the bench a little depressed.

The bench lineups of the Lakers and Knicks are average, bad versus bad, it depends on the main force.

For the Lakers, Kobe led the bench, plus Ben, and for the Knicks, it was Zhao Dong and Ginobili.

After two minutes, there was no big shark in the paint. Zhao Dong frequently attacked the basket. The Lakers couldn't stop it with just one big man. He scored 8 points in a row with dunks and penalties. He made three of three shots in two minutes. And he hit two two plus one.

At the end of the first quarter, at 22:34, the Knicks led by 12 points.