Pick Westbrook

Chapter 404 There Are Too Many Ways to Solve the Problem

Mike Brown put his hands in his pockets and opened his mouth slightly, he couldn't believe the scene in front of him.

5 up and 5 down in the playoffs, how dare your Pelicans?

More importantly, such a substitution by the Pelicans is equivalent to withdrawing their very suffocating overall defense, and the suppression of the Lakers will be completely gone.

Kobe, who had arrived at the end of the game, glanced at Mike Brown and continued walking towards the court.

Mike Brown knew that this was because Kobe was unwilling to leave the game, and he planned to seize this opportunity. Mike Brown also knew that this was a very beneficial opportunity for the Lakers.

If you grasp it well, maybe this game can achieve a shocking comeback.

So Mike Brown just replaced Ariza, took Andrew Goodlock, and left the Lakers' F4 combination on the court.

The game continues.

Nash passed the ball to Howard, and Warcraft blasted the frame vigorously with both hands.

Then Gasol scored with Dior under the basket.

The Lakers scored easily in two consecutive rounds, and Kenny Smith couldn't help complaining: "The Pelicans' substitution adjustment is a bit ill-considered."

"Their starting lineup's defensive ability is so strong, even at the point of substitution, they can only remove some players and keep some defensive players on the field."

"But coach Li Lai came with a 5-up and 5-down. It is impossible for him to hope that Diaw, JR Smith and his ilk can participate in defense like Leonard and Jimmy Butler."

Barkley raised his hand to signal his old partner not to worry, and said, "Look carefully, the Pelicans are not playing defensive tactics at this time."

on the field.

Dior held the ball outside the three-point line, and Gasol hesitated to choose a defensive position closer to the inside. As a result, Dior was relentless.

Swish!
Hit a three-pointer steadily.

Diaw, who hit this three-pointer, forced Gasol to pull to the outside to defend. Of course, the Lakers' inside defense is the top five in the league. Even if Gasol leaves the penalty area, there is still a stronger defensive player Howard inside. .

It's just that the Lakers still underestimated the offense of the Pelicans' lineup. When Gasol was taken out of the penalty area, Oden immediately mentioned a 45° angle on the right for a pick-and-roll.

At this time Howard has only two choices, to follow or not to follow.

Going out to the inside is empty, and if you don't go out, the Pelicans only need a pick-and-roll to complete the offense.

Howard opted for head coach Mike Brown's defensive strategy, where he must never leave the paint.

Oden picks and rolls Andrew Goodlock, Vince Carter rolls up the pick and roll, and Dior immediately passes the ball to deliver the shells.

Swish!
The old Carter hit the basket with a three-pointer, and then directed at the fans in New Orleans, twisting the motorcycle with both hands.

"Vince Carter still has oil!"

The first quarter is over.

The Lakers almost finished the first quarter with a complete F4 combination, but fell behind 20:32.

The offensive firepower of the Pelicans' bench hasn't given the Lakers' starting lineup an edge.

Lakers coach.

Mike Brown was so angry that he was about to slap himself. The Lakers couldn't break through the Pelicans' defense in the first half of the first quarter, and couldn't limit the Pelicans' offense in the second half.

What the hell, no matter how the opponent fights.

"And, what about the next second quarter?"

"Kobe, Nash, Howard, Gasol, all four of them played the entire first quarter. It is impossible for four of them to continue to play at this time."

"They are not young James, Westbrook and Durant. They don't have such good physical strength."

Yu Jia was extremely worried about the Lakers' next game, but Su Qun's thoughts were still stuck in the first quarter.

Originally, he thought that the Pelicans' defense in the regular season was strong enough. It wasn't until the first game of the playoffs tonight that he really saw the horror of the Pelicans team.

"This Pelican team reminds me of two teams, one is the Celtics Big Three in 08, and the other is the Pistons in 04."

"The league hasn't had a team this defensive in years."

"Also, this team's offense is better than those two teams."

The second game.

Li Lai once again had 5 ups and 5 downs, making him a full starting lineup.

This showy operation saw Mike Brown sitting on the bench opposite him.

"How do you fight?!"

Mike Brown knew very well that Li Lai really didn't intend to give the Lakers a chance, and would beat them to death as soon as he came up.

Barkley at the on-site commentary desk also saw clearly the thoughts of the Pelicans coaching staff. He said: "Paul is an extremely vulnerable player."

"I heard that Anthony Davis in college also has some attributes of a glass man, so Coach Li Lai is planning to end this round of the series as soon as possible, and it is a killer move when he comes up."

"Originally in the pre-match analysis, everyone knew that the Pelicans' lineup had a little restraint on the Lakers. Now that they are still going all out, the Lakers really have no chance of winning."

Kenny Smith nodded again and again, and at the same time couldn't help but think of the miserable experience of this Lakers team this season.

Originally, before the start of the regular season, the Lakers were known as the Galaxy Battleship F4 Legion, ranking first on the ESPN championship list.

As a result, who would have thought that before the start of the playoffs, the Lakers became the one with the highest odds among the 16 playoff teams.

"No one believes that the Lakers can win the championship, and no one wants to believe that the Lakers can break through this Pelicans, except for those lovely Lakers fans and Kobe fans."

The second game.

Paul took the lead in making 3 of 2 shots and 3 assists, directly leading the Pelicans to open the score.

"Tonight's game, Paul played a very good lead."

"He was the first player to actively participate in defense, and he was the first to actively attack to widen the point difference."

Li Lai couldn't help but praise and said.

Stevens knew that Li Lai had always believed that Paul was the leader of the team, so he admired him very much. Even when he owned the Pelicans, his main task was to keep Paul.

However, Stevens believes that Leonard and Anthony Davis, who are younger and more talented, should be the leaders of the Pelicans and the future.

Of course, this is just a difference of opinion between the two, and it does not affect the team's progress.

At the end of halftime, the Pelicans have taken a 62:45 lead.

In the second half of the game, Kobe wanted to lead his team to launch a counterattack.

But Leonard and Jimmy Butler's exchange of defenses and mutual defense made Kobe miserable, and he fell to the ground many times.

Kobe fell to the ground again and again, and got up from the court again and again. He stretched out his right hand and clubbed his lower back, and felt a feeling for the first time.

He thought of O'Neal in his twilight years, his good friend McGrady in his twilight years, his eldest brother Iverson, and Jordan when he was a Wizard.

Kobe finally realized the feelings of these friends at the end of his career.

The heart is more than enough.

They don't want to admit that they are old, but their bodies are honest.

Kobe didn't have many friends, so he didn't know what he would look like the day he retired, and he was curious.

"Whoo~"

Kobe shook his head, his eyes fixed immediately.

"I don't care about retirement. Now, I just want to lead the team to win."

In the third quarter of the game, the Pelicans once again played a wave of high slots under the leadership of Paul.

The Pelicans led 92-70.

In the middle of the fourth quarter, Li Lai won the starting lineup ahead of schedule and let the rotation lineup fight on the court.

Mike Brown still wants to hold on, and even sees this as an opportunity.

JR Smith's two consecutive three-pointers directly extinguished the Lakers' hope of a comeback. It was not until the last 2 minutes that the F4 combination ended.

competition is over.

The Pelicans beat the Lakers 110:92 and won their first win of the playoffs.

After the game, Paul walked through the player channel very calmly, raised his hand and gave the fans a high-five.

Then Paul stood at the entrance of the player tunnel, waiting for the arrival of his teammates.

"Guys played well tonight!"

"Hey Kawhi, I love how you defended tonight, you guarded Kobe, that was their key guy."

"Jimmy, great work, the teammates need your passion."

"."

locker room.

The players of the Pelicans are not in a hurry to leave, they are waiting for the arrival of the coach.

After pushing open the door, Li Lai clapped again and again and said, "Guys, you played well tonight. Don't give the Lakers a chance to breathe. Let's go all out and continue to win the game the day after tomorrow."

"The defensive end is where we are commendable tonight, but there are still many aspects that we did not do well. There will be an hour of video analysis tomorrow. We need to solve these problems together."

"Finally, I wish you all a relaxing night."

Li Lai immediately raised his hand, and all the players greeted him.

Paul yells, "Pelicans!"

Everyone: "The work is not over yet!"

Stevens and Du Feng on the side couldn't help but sighed with similar glance at this moment.

Du Feng said: "After a big victory, the coach still thinks that the team did not do well enough in some areas, and even held a video analysis meeting. Is he the only coach in the league who does this?"

Stevens nodded and shook his head and said, "Of course there are not many such cautious coaches, but Coach Li Lai is indeed not the only one, but he is the only one who makes the players willing and even extremely eager for video analysis."

"Everybody wants to hear his opinion on tactics and the game, I'm sure."

Post-match press conference.

A reporter asked: "Kobe, the Lakers defeated the Pelicans, where do you think the problem is, and whose problem is it?"

Without hesitation, Kobe said, "Me! The problem is with me. I beat like shit."

科比在今晚22投7中，三分球5中2，罚球8罚7中，拿到了23分6篮板3助攻，这个数据和表现对他来说是不合格的。

Especially for this Lakers team now, if they want to win Kobe must do more.

The Pelicans' limited mid-range and interior defense did put a lot of pressure on the Lakers.

就连一直效率惊人的霍华德在今晚也只有15投7中，罚球10罚6中的表现，拿下了20分14篮板的两双。

"I'm going to do better next game."

Howard said suddenly.

These remarks not only made the reporters on the scene, but even Kobe looked over in surprise.

Although the relationship between the two has eased a lot after the All-Star Game, Howard has a personality after all. It is completely impossible for him to be as competitive as Kobe.

Most of the time, Kobe chose to follow Li Lai's advice and tolerate him more.

But at this moment, Kobe saw the better results that forgiveness can bring, and for the first time, he began to wonder if he had been too harsh on his teammates before.

Howard and Kobe gave each other high fives at this moment, they have a common enemy at this moment.

"Beat the Pelicans!"

Los Angeles.

Linda Rambis said very excitedly: "Sister, the Lakers lost, and they still lost by a big score!"

Jenny Buss let out a long sigh of relief when she heard the news.

She was very worried that the Lakers rushed into the playoffs at the last moment. She was afraid that the Lakers would achieve very dazzling results in the playoffs, which would have a great impact on her future plans.

Fortunately, the Pelicans did not disappoint her.

"That Li Lai does have some skills."

Linda Rambis continued: "I have already asked the local newspapers to report on this matter, and the reason for the team's loss is largely guided by the improper lineup."

"And I also incited the fans to pursue accountability and asked the Lakers to push the management of the F4 combination to come out and admit their mistakes."

"At that time, you just need to stand up and accuse Buss Jr. of not having the talent to lead the team. The Lakers will have no future in his hands."

"In this way, our plan is half successful."

Jenny Buss nodded with a smile, but quickly frowned and said, "But it's still halfway there."

4 month 23 day.

The second game between the Pelicans and the Lakers continued.

In the first quarter of the game, the Lakers still fell into the suffocating defense of the Pelicans.

But Mike Brown is a powerful head coach after all, and he arranged a lot of outside three-point offensive tactics in this quarter.

Both Nash and Ariza threatened the Pelicans' shrinking zone defense with three-pointers, but it's a pity that they didn't stop the Pelicans from this defensive strategy.

It was also 8 ups and 5 downs in about 5 minutes of the first quarter. This time Mike Brown made a very smart choice to replace Kobe and Gasol in advance, allowing Nash and Howard to stay on the court.

Because of Gasol's end, Howard gained more space inside, and played with Nash twice in a row.

Warcraft did what he promised after the last game.

The first quarter is over.

The Pelicans led 26-22.

The second game.

The Lakers took Kobe and Gasol, and the Lakers switched to triangle offensive tactics.

The two have cooperated very well for many years, and this quarter of the game also caused the Pelicans to suffer a lot.

But with Leonard and Jimmy Butler on the court, the Lakers' offense stalled again.

Can't make inside shots, can't make outside shots, the Lakers are still behind 45:52.

The third quarter of the game.

Leonard singled Kobe and hit two consecutive mid-range shots. Kobe wanted to fight back, but faced the terrifying shrinking defense of the Pelicans.

伦纳德单节12分2篮板1助攻，带领鹈鹕队以80:70领先进入最后一节。

Originally, in the fourth quarter, Howard succeeded in consecutive inside singles against Jordan, giving the Lakers hope of winning the game, but then Paul's small hitter roster beat Howard, pushing the Lakers into the abyss.

"This Pelicans team has too many ways to solve problems!"

(End of this chapter)