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Chapter 697 - 292. Someone can shoot better than Zhang San!_4

Chapter 697: 292. Someone can shoot better than Zhang San!_4

Kidd could definitely identify the other team’s defense strategy and make adjustments autonomously; such confidence came from the Zen Master’s unwavering presence.

Kidd noticed that the opposing team’s defensive focus was under the basket, with mostly single coverage and switches on the perimeter, but he didn’t choose to "face the difficulty head-on" by forcing a drive to the basket.

The main reason was the lack of "facing the difficulty head-on" conditions, their strongest players for basket drives included Kobe, Kwame Brown, Garnett...and that was it, just those three with strong high schoolers’ driving force.

Kidd naturally didn’t want to use Kobe as a point for off-ball driving to the basket, it was too wasteful. If Kobe were to drive to the basket, it would be better to give him the ball to make a solo breakthrough, creating opportunities for the whole team rather than setting up conditions for Kobe to make an off-ball cut to the basket.

During regular play, Kobe mainly played off-ball, receiving passes, which was not primarily about scoring easy baskets but using his physical advantage and shooting ability to move widely and tear apart the opposing perimeter defense.

Garnett didn’t like to attack the basket, and Kidd also didn’t want Garnett to stay on the offensive inside line, battling too much could affect Garnett’s mid-range shooting touch. Moreover, positioning Garnett there would waste his playmaking capabilities and the ability to draw the defense out to the perimeter.

So, Kidd’s choice was to expand the offensive focus outwards!

After a few exploratory rounds at the start, both teams began competing under restricted conditions!

Basketball games sometimes resemble Rock-Paper-Scissors; tiger eats chicken, chicken eats worm, worm eats the stick, and the stick beats the tiger... Kobe and Garnett’s playing style were both quite restraining for the Jazz Team; the new twin peril’s pick-and-roll offense was not well defended by the Bobcats; but the Bobcats’ strong and tough front line could limit the Lakers’ offensive system...

However, lineup and tactical restraints always had their limitations.

In the following time, the Bobcats could go toe-to-toe with the Lakers by alternating their offense, defending against the Lakers through regular play, but when it came down to a battle of stars, those restraints became ineffectual.

After the official timeout in the first quarter, Kobe scored two baskets in a row, then delivered an assist, leading the Lakers to a 7-3 run, expanding their one-point lead to five.

At the end of the first quarter, the Bobcats, driven by Mike Miller’s mid-range shot and a high steal leading to a fast break, scored four points in a row to tie the game, making it 26-26 at the quarter break.

In the second quarter, Zhang Yang was ready to press the advantage, but right from the start, Kobe and Kidd jointly led the team on a 10-4 run, putting the Bobcats six points behind.

With just over two minutes left in the second quarter, Mike Miller caught the ball at the top of the arc, spun around facing Kidd’s defensive help, and hit a three-pointer; followed by Zhang Yang hitting a three from the wing, the Bobcats staged a 6-0 run against the Lakers, tying the score at 49-49.

Just then, Kobe suddenly exploded, scoring 3 out of 3 in just 1 minute and 49 seconds, an up-court layup, a three-pointer, a drive resulting in a 2+1...scoring 8 points in a barrage that overwhelmed the Bobcats!

During this period, the Bobcats only managed two points, both from free throws... By halftime, the Lakers regained a six-point lead, entering the second half with a score of 57-51.

After painstakingly tying the score, Kobe intensified the difference once more, Zhang Yang once again experienced Kobe’s formidable scoring ability... surpassing any top scorer he had faced!

It was good that Zhang San had strong mental resilience; otherwise, his mindset might have collapsed under the pressure!

Coming back from the halftime break, the Bobcats regrouped, wanting to take advantage in the third quarter... but Kobe’s typical showtime had already started from the end of the second quarter!

At the start of the third quarter, Kobe scored two baskets in a row to get 5 points, forcing the Bobcats to resort to double-teaming.

This guy could score 81 points! 62 points in three quarters!

Kobe didn’t force it; when his teammate was Garnett and faced with double teams, he passed the ball very decisively, more so than when Bill Walton was responsible for the response and playmaking.

In the first half of the third quarter, Kobe made 3 out of 4 shots, including 1 out of 1 three-pointers, along with 2 out of 2 free throws, scoring 9 points and leading the Lakers to an 18-point half!

With a hard-nosed approach in 18-14 half-time, Kobe forcefully suppressed the Bobcats’ counter-attack!

At the third quarter official timeout, the score was 75-65, with the Lakers successfully extending the lead to double digits!

After getting ready to counter during the halftime break, they were forcefully subdued by their opponents; in the latter half of the third quarter, the Bobcats’ morale dropped, scoring 4 points less than the first half, only getting 10 points, while the Lakers, though not as fierce as the first half, were slightly better, earning 12 points, ending the third quarter leading the Bobcats by 12 points at 87-75!

The situation was extremely unfavorable, star attacks being suppressed and morale heavily impacted, but the Bobcats’ coaching staff and players didn’t give up, leading a counter-attack under Zhang Yang’s leadership after the break.

Normally, if the Lakers were leading by more than ten points, they might display some faults—aristocratic problems.

But tonight, the Lakers didn’t show those aristocratic problems, remaining focused in the final quarter, fiercely attacking and defending, holding off another counter-attack from the Bobcats!

The Bobcats, although not as strong as their records might suggest, were still the league’s number one.

The resilience shown by the Bobcats tonight reminded Kidd, Kobe, and Garnett of the Bobcats’ performances in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals and the Finals.

And there was Zhang Yang’s ability to make key shots...

With Kobe present, the Lakers weren’t worried about a showdown in key shots, but obviously, avoiding such a showdown was preferable.