So I am the god of basketball?

Chapter 191 You should win this time, right?

Chuck Daly didn't expect the effect to be so good.

He had seen the state of everyone else tonight, and he was even ready to give up on this game. In the end, Meng Lang and Barkley were allowed to play in isolations, just because the only one he could rely on on the offensive end was the isolations of these two people.

This is also the role of "super stars" in the playoffs.

When the core of any team comes to the playoffs, they don't expect you to complete the task by distributing the ball well.

The team's "second boss" and "third boss" can do these things.

Why can you enjoy the team's greatest privilege: "unlimited firing rights" on the offensive end, or a certain degree of "defense-free" rights on the defensive end.

Just because you can put the damn basketball in the basket when no one else on the team can score.

If you just pass the ball out after holding the ball to attract double-teams at the critical moment, you will have completed the task. There is a saying, the core players of the team's 30 teams can do this. Under normal circumstances, the last attack will more or less double-team. Double-teaming is a tactical necessity, not a targeted measure.

This is also the reason why the core players in the 90s and 00s all had stable CICs.

It's not that he doesn't have confidence.

How big a threat is the mid-range...

Salt Lake City has completely lost hope now...

The reason is also very simple. It was already very uncomfortable after being defeated by a big score in the first two games. Unexpectedly, they actually experienced a "reversal" when they returned to the home court. They also tried all kinds of losing postures.

When he rushes in, he has four options: layup, pass, not score, and... free throws!
LeBron is the player with the most free throws.

You can also see this by watching the fourth quarter of such a game.

For example, the Bulls defeated the Jazz 96-54 in the third game of the Finals next year, crushing the Jazz's 42-point difference, but they did not fall immediately. The fourth game of the series went to the final moment and just ended with a 2-point deficit. Lost by a margin of one point, and even won another game in the fifth game.

109 to 100, a 9-point difference. After falling behind in the first three quarters, the Lakers successfully completed the reversal in the last quarter with the strength of Meng Lang and Barkley. Big score 3-0!

Stephen Curry is good at shooting three-pointers. He can shoot two-pointers longer. He definitely prefers to shoot three-pointers. Needless to say, LeBron generally only has two situations when shooting from the outside. One is to score, and the other is to shoot three-pointers. There is one way to not advance.

This is also the advantage of being a mid-range threat. It can be passed in or out. There are too many changes and the distance is far enough. Moreover, the difficulty of passing operation is far less than passing in from outside the three-point line. The difficulty is great.

But he knew about the two finals between the Bulls and Jazz. Even when the Bulls defeated the Jazz, it took 6 games both times. The reason is that the Jazz itself is not weak. More importantly, their willpower is there.

After Meng Lang and Barkley opened up the situation in the mid-range, they immediately started to drive their teammates to score.

Both Barkley and Meng Lang have mid-range abilities, which means that the Jazz need to expend a lot of defensive power near the free throw line, which leads to the Jazz often missing players inside and outside.

The commentator who explained this game said with emotion: "I didn't expect that the gap between the two teams is so big!"

Because the Jazz's defense continues to work towards the mid-range, this gives them opportunities to help their teammates. At the beginning of the second half of the fourth quarter, the Lakers launched a 6-1 scoring surge.

In fact, Meng Lang didn't expect to win the first away game.

他很看好湖人队拿下西部决赛的冠军，但他系列赛开始前预测的是4-2，乃至4-3都有可能发生。谁能想到，湖人队居然打出了一个3-0！

And from 10 years later, neither LeBron nor Curry are actually very good at using the mid-range method to seal the victory. This is related to the influence of the "small ball era". It also has something to do with what they are personally good at.

Of course, what is more impressive than LeBron's free throw kill is his "sniper" at the last moment, and his post-game words, "Next time I have such an opportunity, I will still pass it to him."

A posture of "I lost, but I can forgive my teammates."

Although the score difference is not very big, it is enough to make the score difference exceed double digits, and the Jazz are completely desperate.

This is the willpower of the Jazz.

In this game, this is also reflected vividly.

The Lakers' poor condition is one thing, but others are being defended, which is also worth mentioning. But the Lakers still won in the end, and the reason is very simple. The Lakers have two stable points:
Meng Lang and Barkley.

And the Bulls only have one stable point:
Jordan!

In the last two years after the Bulls' "two consecutive championships", the Bulls relied on Jordan to an extent that was almost life-sucking:
96~97赛季，场均32.3分7篮板6助攻；97~98赛季，场均33.5分4篮板2.3助攻；

The performance of Pippen, the so-called best assistant of Jordan, in these two series are:
场均20分8.3篮板3.5助攻，命中率为42.1%以及场均15.7分6.8篮板4.8助攻，投篮命中率41%
If this season was okay originally, then even the "three leaders" will really be a question mark in the following season.

The reason why Jordan became a god is that he achieved the "three consecutive championships" that almost did not exist.

That's why the Jazz's perseverance worked.

They just need to work together when Jordan can't perform, and they can win some games by a hair's breadth.

This is also the reason why they could play a full 6 games with the Bulls.

The game against the Lakers is different. Meng Lang and Barkley rely on each other and can help each other through the period when their hands are cooling down. If the Jazz had faced the Bulls in this game, they might have won it.

But because they were the Lakers, they fell short in the end and lost the game, thus falling into a 0-3 deficit.

Meng Lang's final score in this game was fixed at 33 points, of which he scored 12 points in the last quarter; Barkley scored 28 points in this game, and he also scored 8 points in the last quarter;
The Lakers only scored 27 points in the entire last quarter. In other words, except for Meng Lang and Barkley, everyone else only scored 7 points in the fourth quarter.

It can be seen that even the two cores are better than Barkley and Meng Lang. I almost didn't bite off this hard nut.

But if you win, it won’t be a big problem!
With 3 victory points in hand, to be honest, it’s really like a boat has crossed the Ten Thousand Mountains!
Jerry Sloan was interviewed after the game and his tone was helpless. Rather than angry, he was more helpless now. He could tell that if he didn't win the game in such a situation, there could only be one reason:

Can't beat it, really can't beat it!
At this time, he hopes that the problem with the Jazz lies in their attitude. In that case, he can find a way to change, instead of looking at reporters helplessly like now.

Early the next morning, the news that the Lakers got the match point also spread across the major media. Similar to the commentator last night, basically the experts who predicted this series had the same reaction;
They thought the Lakers would win, but they never thought they could win so easily.

You must know that the difference between the Jazz's wins and theirs in the regular season is not big!
This team is not a strong team in the regular season. It is said that the Golden State Warriors have won one game against the Lakers, and the Jazz can win at least two games!

How come...

The Los Angeles media was extremely excited:

"With 100% coordination, this Lakers team is in its strongest form!"

"The most correct tactics came out. One season later, the Lakers found their strongest weapon!"

"The 'Five Littles' of the Lakers are the real 'Five Littles', and they are about to sweep the Jazz!"

This wave of bragging that started in Los Angeles reached its peak after the Bulls lost that night!

In Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the home court changed from Chicago to Indiana. The Pacers, who returned to their home court, played extremely methodically, and Larry Bird very specifically asked Michael Jordan to play by himself in this game. The Pacers' main task was to prevent others from finding offense. status.

Larry Brown set the tone for this team's defensive attitude. Olajuwon's arrival has taken this team's defense to a new level. The Pacers successfully locked down the rest of the Bulls and successfully won the game at their home court with a score of 89 to 82, with a score difference of 7 points.

Big score 1-2!

The Bulls' loss makes the Lakers even more powerful in the Western Conference.

The New York Times believes: "It will be difficult for the Bulls to defend their title this season!"

"ESPN" has a similar view: "It's the first year of reconstruction, but the Lakers have already ushered in a good opportunity for them to win the championship!"

The energetic Lakers generals were also asked before the game about "whether they can win the championship this year."

Kobe's answer was: "Isn't it time for me to consider this kind of problem?"

Meng Lang next to him rolled his eyes at him when he heard this. He knew this guy was talking to him. Now that Kobe is here, he is a "rebellious boy". It's that state of "I can't beat you, I know it, but I won't listen to you either"!
Sometimes when answering questions, as long as you see Meng Lang, you must flirt with Meng Lang once or twice.

Ben Wallace scratched the back of his head as usual, showing a naive look: "As long as Dream says we can take it, we can take it!"

When Barkley heard this question, his eyes burned: "This is exactly why I came to Los Angeles!"

When Meng Lang answered this question, he said even more domineeringly: "Everything happens with a sign. I believe that my time has come!"

Winning the "scoring king", winning the regular season MVP again, and returning to the "best first team" are all the signs Meng Lang mentioned. And no matter who it is, one thing even Jordan has to admit is that Meng Lang's current momentum indeed exceeds that of everyone else in the league, including Jordan.

He lost to Meng Lang in all competitions for these awards!
If he can still be ranked ahead of Meng Lang, then it can really only be said that seniority affects the objective ranking.

At present, the Lakers are expected to secure a spot in the Finals faster than the Bulls, and are full of domineering power to "sweep the world." Everyone believes that the Lakers are the biggest favorites to win the championship at the moment.

With such momentum, the fourth game of the Western Conference Finals officially started.

The Jazz once again let everyone see what "tenacity" means!
I thought that a huge reversal in the third game would seriously affect the team's condition, but no one expected that under the heavy pressure of 0-3, this team could still burst out with resilience. They started the game very well and even led by more points than before.

The Jazz fans at home couldn't help but feel excited watching this start.

Why we love the Jazz!

That's why!

In their opinion, the Jazz at this moment perfectly embodies the spirit of Salt Lake City. Even if they lose this game, in their minds, the Jazz have already won. Of course, in addition to the "Ah Q Victory Method", it would be better to win a game and avoid being swept.

The problem of the Lakers' ups and downs was highlighted in the last game, and it became even more serious in this game.

Except for Barkley and Meng Lang, no one in the entire team can count on them.

At the end of the first half, the Jazz's lead expanded to 8 points.

In the third quarter of the game, the situation on the Lakers' court became even worse. During the confrontation with Karl Malone, Barkley suddenly showed a look of pain. Seeing him like this, Chuck Daly called an emergency stop. game.

After a quick examination, the team doctor felt that it was a normal injury, but to be on the safe side, it was better to go back to the locker room and check it carefully with instruments.

Chuck Daly agreed with the team doctor's statement without any hesitation.

It doesn't matter whether you win or lose this game. Anyway, the Lakers hold 4 match points. If they lose this game, they can still win the next game back in Los Angeles. Even if they lose the next game, they still have two match points.

The Lakers' state cannot always be so bad, and Chuck Daly is confident about this.

In comparison, Barkley's possible injuries are naturally more important. Only by staying healthy can this team continue to take solid steps toward its goals.

Before Barkley left the field, he comforted the rest of the team: "Don't worry, everyone, even if my hand is broken, I will definitely be back on the field later!"

He is cheering for the rest of the Lakers, and the purpose is naturally to ensure that the team's fighting spirit can be sustained. He knows that his exit will have a morale impact.

However, there is one thing Barkley cannot avoid.

That was his departure, which caused the Lakers' "five small" lineup to be unable to perform. And Meng Lang is even more "a lonely tree."

The Jazz continued to work hard. At the end of the third quarter, the point difference suddenly reached 11 points. This was the largest point difference for the Jazz in the entire series. The expressions of the Jazz fans at the scene relaxed. They should win this time!
At this moment, Meng Lang, who was wiping his sweat with a towel on the bench, heard the long-lost system prompt:
"There will always be a game when you will feel that the basket is as wide as the ocean..."

"Buddha's light shines everywhere" it lights up!

(End of this chapter)