Chapter 583 The Astonishing Speed of Collapse

The pace changed too quickly. From being 14 points behind in the first half to getting within 10 points now, the Lakers only took half a quarter, and the Rockets head coach directly called a timeout in an attempt to contain the Lakers. of overtaking.

Back to the rest area…

Olajuwon will be upset because it is hellish to defend Li Shengli. Although he also played good data, the problem is that he doesn't care about the data, he wants to win.

"Barkley, can't you take a look at Olajuwon's position?"

"Man, what do you want me to think? The Lakers' positions are so scattered, and there are only five people defending. Don't you know Lee's assist ability? As long as he distributes the ball, the defensive pressure is on the outside, and the Lakers will be on top But with the three guards, do you think the Lakers can't kill us?"

Drexler was a little anxious, and so was Barkley, while Olajuwon's face turned cold. He didn't like the feeling of disagreements over small issues, especially Rudy as the head coach.

"Okay, stop talking nonsense!" Rudy was a little angry now. "We are still ahead. If we hold on, we will win. Barkley, on the defensive end, you should let go of the people you are facing. Pay attention to Li, there is nothing he can do about turning over and making jump shots, but if it is an attack at the basket, you have to find a way to get to the basket to interfere, and if necessary, directly foul!"

"Then the Lakers power forward is no longer involved?"

"solve the main problem first. Letting go of your opponent will not make the opponent more efficient." Rudy turned to Drexler and said: "Clyde, the defensive tasks are all inside, you What you have to do now is to stop dawdling on the offensive end, Mario will cover you, try your best to break into the penalty area and draw fouls!"

"And Olajuwon, you must stabilize your mentality now. Your performance on the offensive end is not bad. The only problem now is that the Lakers' shooting is higher. But in fact, as long as Lee is restricted, the problem is not big. You can Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Rudy was obviously a little anxious and spoke faster than usual.

In the first half, they wanted to take advantage of the victory and pursue the victory. The Big Three did not participate in the rotation. Just half of the second half, the Lakers rose against the wind. The Big Three had no chance to rotate. At present, the playing time of the three players is 30 minutes, and the further they delay, the more they play. The more troublesome it is, the more it feels like a slow death.

…

At the same time, the Rockets' anxiety is naturally the Lakers' excitement.

Harris really wants to beat himself up, because his decision-making error in the opening game almost caused the Lakers to burp. This is not to show his own coaching talents and tactical changes, but simply to liberate Li Shengli. Offensive, I didn't expect the results to be poor. On the contrary, the offensive method that seemed to have the least tactical planning and the most unreasonable still produced good results.

Deliberately setting up a mess, can you make a comeback with just a few random moves?

Harris glanced to the side and lamented that he still underestimated Li Shengli's terrifying fighting ability. In fact, since this season, his own knowledge has been refreshed repeatedly, reaching new highs every time.

…

Harris made a few brief remarks.

There were no changes in the personnel at this meeting, but when they returned to the court, the Big Three of the Rockets glared at Li Shengli, and Li Shengli naturally felt the 'hatred' of the Big Three towards him.

This...is this a sign of urgency?

It stands to reason that the Big Three are all experienced big-name players, and there should not be such fluctuations in mentality. But the problem is that the three brothers on the opposite side have already felt the pressure, and almost all the pressure comes from Li Shengli. Li Shengli cannot vent his heart without glaring twice. of resentment.

However, just staring was not enough. As the timeout ended, the anger of the Big Three finally poured out on the field.

The Rockets team has some coordination, but the Big Three play a high proportion of singles.

Barkley couldn't hold back his anger and continued to play singles. One was an old man in the league, and the other was a newcomer. The friction between the two became more and more intense, but because this was the G1 game of the Western Conference Finals, everyone was suppressing it. Overall, of course, it was still... Barkley had the upper hand.

The same goes for Drexler on the other side. The difference is that Crotty has great restrictions on the glider's breakthrough, and the glider basically relies on the cover of two teammates to hit the basket.

Of course, when the two met Li Shengli, they still split the ball. Olajuwon's offense also improved as a result, and the Rockets temporarily stabilized the situation.

As for the Lakers...

Starting from the first half, in fact, the defensive end still cannot suppress the Rockets. The real reason for being able to chase points is to improve the offense. Li Shengli stepped up and stabilized the singles, and then Crotty served as the connection support point between Li and Ke. Kobe also officially stood up.

…

The situation was controlled by the Rockets.

The Lakers' joy turned to sorrow. Although the point difference did not continue to widen, it did not continue to shrink. What's worse... As Barkley and Drexler repeatedly attacked the penalty area, Li Shengli finished the game at the end of the third quarter. The number of fouls increased to five, and the Lakers were still 7 points behind entering the final quarter.

Hope is back?

Seeing this situation, the Rockets' home fans regained their hope. Murphy in the game commentary box immediately became excited. While the Lakers were still making their final efforts during the break, the Rockets breathed a sigh of relief.

So on the court in the fourth quarter.

Harris temporarily took over Li Shengli, and the re-planned inside line was the offensive and defensive combination of Ben + Campbell. As for the Rockets... Rudy was basically sure that Li Shengli would rest for a period of time in the final quarter, so he couldn't wait to arrange for the Big Three to rest and be the first to join Drexler is on the rotation.

…

However, neither party expected it.

The fierce battle between the main players so far cannot determine the final result, and the Lakers' substitutions and lack of strength are limited, but the Rockets are quite miserable. The first three minutes of the quarter are okay, and the Rockets' lead is steadily increasing, so Rudy By the way, Barkley was also replaced to rest, but in the next three minutes... everyone was dumbfounded by the Lakers' army of substitutes sitting on the sidelines.

"How could this happen?" Nick was speechless, but he still squeezed out a sentence through his teeth, "Olajuwon probably saw that Lee was not here and felt that he could take a breath, but he probably didn't expect... that he would be like this. Aren't you brave? He actually missed a lot of shots and lost all his rebounds?"

"Ahem, maybe it's a physical problem." Eddie coughed dryly.

"Is that all?" Nick turned to look at Li Shengli and lowered his voice and said, "Look at Ben's confrontation and positioning. He is exactly the same as Li."

"And Campbell, Barkley was not here, why did he suddenly explode? Even Kobe started to show his strength?"

…

Nick and Eddie were chatting, and Li Shengli was also confused.

As an opponent, it's not that I didn't know that the Rockets' bench depth was poor, but I didn't know that it would be so bad.

As soon as Drexler and Barkley were off the bench, the Rockets immediately collapsed. There was no movement in the first three minutes. In the last three minutes, they were chased by the Lakers by 8 points to complete the lead.

Are the Rockets strong?

The Rockets are really strong. They are a super team with the Big Three. But the problem is that the cost of forming the Big Three is too high. The transactions in several seasons have hollowed out the Rockets' mid-level buildings and role players. The depth of the bench has indeed improved. decline.

It's just... the speed of this collapse is a bit exaggerated!

Barkley was replaced by rookie Osela Harrington. Campbell was confused by Barkley, and Harrington was confused by Campbell, forming a food chain at the fourth position.

Although Eddie Johnson, who replaced Drexler, is a veteran.

He went to Europe to hunt for gold, returned to the NBA in 1995, was traded by the Pacers, laid off by the Nuggets, and then was found by the Rockets who were very short of people. This is Eddie Johnson's 14th year on the court. , although he was a capable player when he first entered the league, it is undeniable that... he is really old now.

But even so, Eddie Johnson is still the most important substitute for the Rockets. From this, we can see how short the Rockets are. And when the veteran meets the crazy Crotty, he really sticks to him all the time. There was no time to breathe.

As for Olajuwon, who is still present among the Big Three, his situation is also precarious.

On the one hand, it is compared with Ben's physical fitness. On the other hand, Ben is naturally good at defense. Without the cover of his wingman, it is normal for Olajuwon to have difficulty performing. He cannot count on his two new teammates. .