i have a coaching book

Chapter 79 Christmas War ([-])

Kobe turned from a god into a blacksmith in the fourth quarter, and it seems to be able to infect his teammates.

O'Neal's performance in the fourth quarter was equally bad. His weight was still out of control this season, and his physical strength declined severely in the fourth quarter. He made 2 of 0 shots, 6 of 4 free throws, and only scored 4 points and 2 rebounds. Can't get back the defeat.

Seeing that the Lakers' point difference was widened by the Rockets, and there was no hope of recovering, they could only face unwillingness and were replaced by Jackson early. The Lakers could only accept the loss of the Christmas game.

Finally, the first Christmas game in the West came to an end.

The Rockets finally had the last laugh. With an advantage of 99 to 87 and 12 points, they completed the next game and defeated the Lakers, which currently ranks first in the regular season.

Yao Ming played in the Christmas game for the first time and performed very well. Although he didn't play much time in the fourth quarter, he only played 30 minutes. However, with his excellent performance in the first three quarters, he still made 14 of 8 shots and 2 of 2 free throws. , 18 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists.

The performance was comparable to that of O'Neal who played 41 minutes. The latter made 12 of 5 shots, 18 of 12 free throws, scored 22 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists.

However, the Rockets team performed even better. Five players scored in double figures. Except for Yao Ming, Francis scored 5 points, the most outstanding performance. Jim Jackson scored 22 points, Mobley scored 18 points, and Morris, who came off the bench -Taylor also contributed 15 points.

For the Lakers, the 'OK combination' is still eye-catching and extremely sharp.In addition to O'Neal's 22 points and 10 rebounds, Kobe played 43 minutes, made 28 of 10 shots, 4 of 2 three-pointers, 6 of 4 free throws, 26 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists, a quasi-triple-double performance, and almost led the Lakers. The team reversed.

Other Lakers players can't provide much help. Gary Payton performed mediocrely, scoring 13 points and 7 assists.Devin George scored 11 points, and Stanislav Medvedenko, who replaced Postman Malone, scored 10 points and 7 rebounds.

Back to the eastern theater of sight.

The game between the Magic and the Cavaliers was very open and contributed a wonderful offensive battle.

At the end of the half, with McGrady's miraculous three-pointer at the buzzer at the end of the second quarter, the Magic temporarily led the Cavaliers by 62 points 60 to 2 and entered the locker room to rest.

McGrady and James played against each other in the first half, and the scene was very exciting.

James made 9 of 7 shots, 5 of 4 three-pointers, and 2 of 2 free throws. He scored 20 points and 7 assists efficiently and bravely.

McGrady and James faced each other, and the offensive firepower was even stronger. He made 16 of 9 shots, 5 of 3 three-pointers, 4 of 2 free throws, scored 23 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds. limelight.

Come back from a break, and change sides to fight again in the second half.

The third quarter started, the Cavaliers continued to play with the starting five players, and the Magic team played with Drew Gooden replacing the starting center Andrew De Klerk, and the other four remained unchanged.

The lineups lined up by both sides, still the offensive lineup, want to defeat the opponent in the offense and rely on the offense to win the game.

The Cavaliers' offensive ball, James dribbled the ball across the half, organized the frontcourt, did not rush to attack, and carefully looked for the gap in the offense.

In the low position on the left, Ilgauskas leaned on Gooden's body and reached out for the ball, trying to use his height advantage to single out his opponent.

Gooden did not wait for Ilgauskas to receive the ball to attack, but took the initiative to interfere, using his dexterous speed to defend around the front, and from time to time, he reached out to block the opponent's receiving route.

Kapono wandered outside the three-point line and was also closely guarded by Gordon Girisek, blocking the line of the catch and shoot, and did not give him an open chance to catch the ball and shoot the basketball.

Fortunately, Boozer and Lin Bai on the right had a tacit understanding and caught the Magic by surprise.

Boozer suddenly pulled to the side, with his body against Rod - Strickland's body, with him for a fight.

Lin Bai's eyes lit up, he immediately got rid of the defense, ran out of the open space, and reached out to James for the ball.

Outside the 65-degree three-point line on the right, Lin Bai received the timely pass from James, dribbled a step, and adjusted his shot rhythm. .

80…83…86…81…87……

In the air, a smile appeared on the corner of Lin Bai's mouth. He didn't expect that the current hand feeling value is so high. This is simply a bonus question.

Lin Bai didn't think too much about it, he didn't even look at the final touch, and directly pulled the basketball out of his hand.

With a clear and crisp sound of scraping the net, Lin Bai raised the knife and hit a three-pointer steadily.

63 to 62! !
In the second half, as soon as Lin Bai came on the court, he used his cooperation to run out of the open space and hit a three-pointer, which gave the Magic a bad start and overtook the score again.

Offensive and defensive transition, the Magic attack.

McGrady is also very difficult to mess with. After 15 minutes of rest, he was very energetic and dared to make moves. He made a three-pointer arc, caught the ball and made a straight three-pointer shooting posture, and lifted the ball over his head.

After scoring 23 points at halftime, how dare James let McGrady take it easy?Quickly pounce to cover.

McGrady did not shoot, but took back the basketball, took a step, and quickly stepped into the three-point line. The first step was extremely fast, allowing him to easily pass James who was turning back and chasing. Point jumper shot.

McGrady's passing, jumping, and shooting movements are very smooth, giving people a very comfortable feeling. The arc of the basketball shot is very straight, but the basketball can accurately fall into the basket, making two hits. point.

63 to 64! !
Landing, McGrady didn't celebrate. He walked at a leisurely pace with an inexplicable smile on his face. He didn't turn around and walked back to the half court.

Barkley saw McGrady's brave performance tonight, scored points calmly, and praised: "McGrady is really a natural scorer, and now he has scored 25 points. When facing this year's pick Anthony in November , scored a high score of 11 points, taught Anthony to be a man, and was only one point away from tying his own highest score.

Facing this year's No. [-] pick James tonight, can you make persistent efforts to score a high score, give James a little color, and give it to the fans who will watch the game tonight on Christmas?At the same time, refresh your own highest score!This kind of goal battle is worthy of fascination and anticipation! ! "

Kenny Smith smiled, and said fanatically, "James scored 20 points at halftime, and his highest score this season is 37 points, which is only 17 points away from this list. He also has a chance to hit his highest score.

How will James respond in the next game?James took the ball to the frontcourt and switched positions with Lin Bai. McGrady could not let Lin Bai open, otherwise, it would be another opportunity for an open three-pointer. James misplaced and forcibly broke through the 38-year-old Rod Sterry. Crane, oh...Rod Strickland really couldn't stand it. He was impulsive and made a direct steal. James cleverly kicked up the ball for a layup. The referee blew his whistle. Layup..."

(End of this chapter)