NBA peak

Chapter 733 Joshua's playoff debut
However, people always have to have a first time.

Newborn calves are not afraid of tigers. If Kobe has been worried that Joshua will not perform well in the playoffs, wouldn't Joshua never have a chance to play in the playoffs in his life?
After some ideological struggle, Bryant decided to use Joshua in the Western Conference semifinals.

The Lakers requested a substitution, replacing Gasol Jr. with Joshua.

Both sides are currently a core player, and they will play again with a substitute. Joshua will play at this time. Even if he does not perform well, it will not cause the Jazz to widen the point difference.

Compared with Gasol Jr., after Joshua plays, the Lakers will decline in the interior organization.

However, the enthusiasm that the young Joshua can show, as well as the ability to protect the frame inside, are not possessed by the aging Gasol.

Grass-resistant, able to jump, and run fast, the Lakers' inside line has not been as passionate as it is at this moment for a long time.

Joshua's partner in the interior is Harrell.

Harrell is not very old, he is only 28 years old this year, only less than 2 years older than Joshua.

Both Harrell and Joshua have not yet reached the peak of their careers. The two teamed up in the playoffs for the first time, which made countless Lakers fans look forward to it.

Joshua's defense is of the same type as Tony Allen's, although Joshua's defensive awareness and experience are much worse than Allen's.But as far as trying his best, Joshua is more persistent than Tony Allen.

On the field, fans can often see Joshua jumping directly over the opponent when defending.

Joshua himself was used to all this.But he still doesn't forget his original intention, and he can jump vigorously in the NBA court.

After Joshua came on the court, Gobert thought he had encountered a rookie and wanted to show off when Mitchell was not on the court.

As a result, Gobert pushed away Joshua, and when he easily put the basket, he was caught by the fast-moving Joshua, grabbed the cap with both hands, and pressed it down from the air.

The audience exclaimed, and the Lakers bench burst into laughter.

Gobert committed exactly the same problem as Harrell-underestimating the enemy.

Every player who underestimates Joshua will be blocked by Joshua's brutality, and his suspicious life will be blocked.

However, the referee's whistle sounded.

The bottom line referee whistled, Joshua, this is a defensive foul!
Gobert, who fell to the ground, felt that he had regained a little face, and beat his chest excitedly to celebrate.

When the referee blew the whistle, the Lakers fans immediately became unhappy.

Is this the home of the Lakers?

What the hell is the referee doing!

From the start of the game to the present, the referee has called the Lakers 7 defensive fouls!
From the fans' point of view, Joshua's cap grab was so clean that he wasn't suspected of being a thug at all, but the referee just called the thug foul. How could the Lakers fans at home be angry?

Kobe felt something was wrong. In this game, the referee seemed to be targeting the Lakers on purpose.

So, Kobe ran to the technical table and questioned the referee's whistleblowing work.

Kobe's expression was very angry. He knew that his anger was not worth mentioning in front of the referee, but Kobe still had to make this expression.

Not for anything else, just for deterrence.

Kobe can't let the referee think that the Lakers are easy to bully.

The referee's penalty is quite controversial. If you really look at Joshua's block, Joshua is indeed suspected of violating Gobert's offensive cylinder.

But regardless of the offensive cylinder, from the perspective of appreciation alone, this is a clean catch that cannot be cleaned.

There were boos at the scene, most of which were directed at the referee.

Gobert was booed and made two free throws to help the Jazz continue to lead the score.

Kobe folded his arms across his chest, his eyes fixed on Joshua.

The referee's controversial whistle undoubtedly dampened Joshua's defensive enthusiasm.

In Joshua's playoff debut, in the first round, he grabbed the cap with both hands.

As a result, Joshua was excited, but was called a foul by the referee and sent his opponent to the free throw line.

This was a big blow to Joshua, who was playing in the playoffs for the first time.

In the next few minutes, Joshua did not dare to fight, but instead gave Gobert a chance to send the ball into the basket again and again.

Kobe frowned.

Joshua's defense and mentality were affected by the referee.

Joshua's mentality at the moment is no longer suitable for playing on the court.

In desperation, Bryant let Gasol back on the field again and let Joshua end.

Joshua walked down the field with an ugly face.

In his playoff debut, he was screwed by himself after only playing 4 minutes.

Joshua was very sad.

However, when Gasol came on the court, he actively ran to Joshua and gave him a high five.

Ge Feng also stood up from the bench, and immediately gave his old schoolmate a hug.

Joshua felt better, but he still couldn't laugh.

Ge Feng shook his head.

Joshua's mentality is really bad.

Ge Feng didn't know why Joshua had such a personality, but Joshua had to grow into a real man in order to gain a foothold on such a big stage as the NBA playoffs.

Rotation time, because Joshua did not play out, played 4 minutes, failed to score 1 point, scored 0 points, 1 rebound, 0 assists, 2 fouls and 1 turnover.

Joshua's performance is tantamount to giving the Jazz a chance.

The Lakers' bench advantage did not come into play, but the Jazz seized the opportunity to expand the point difference to 8 points in one go.

Among them, Gobert scored 6 points alone in this meeting.

In the rest of the second quarter, Conley and Ingles fired shots from outside one after another, while Kuzma shot from inside and outside, scoring 5 points in a row, helping the Lakers to bite the score.

Kobe yelled from the sidelines, asking all the Lakers to rush for rebounds and come to confront the Jazz.

Unexpectedly, this shout would have a miraculous effect.

Harrell showed a strong inside dominance. He scored 2 offensive rebounds in a row and completed the second offense.

Not to be outdone, Gobert scored 14 points in a single quarter with a precise small hook, helping the Jazz maintain a slight advantage.

Before halftime, Davis scored 6 points in a row, and the Lakers were 52-56, temporarily 4 points behind the Jazz.

During the intermission, the athletes of both sides returned to the locker room to adjust.

In the locker room, Joshua didn't say a word.

Kobe rolled out the tactical board and drew circles. The players gathered around and listened carefully to Kobe's second-half tactics.

Joshua sat alone on the bench. He knew that he would not be able to continue playing in the second half, so he didn't lean over and listened to the tactics arranged by Kobe.

His teammates must hate him now!

If it weren't for his playing too softly, allowing Gobert to find a chance to score a few shots in the Lakers' interior, the Lakers are leading the score now.

(End of this chapter)