NBA: I am the card dealer

soon.

The second quarter begins.

Clarkson's form is still there, and he can barely maintain the score.

Mike Brown was no longer stubborn. When it was time for rotation, he replaced Clarkson without any hesitation.

after all.

The tactical adjustment they just tried produced much better results than Clarkson working alone. They could have taken advantage of the remaining firepower to widen the gap.

But sometimes the thought is beautiful, but the reality is very cruel.

The starting lineup was ready to go on the court, but suddenly something was wrong and the situation took a dramatic turn.

After Tyronn Lue understood the tactics thoroughly, he resolutely double-teamed the inside and did his best to assist in defense, which was to say, they left one player on the outside.

James Johnson, Vonleh, and Courtney Lee all failed to perform well and missed three-pointers. They did not make a single three-pointer in the entire second quarter.

In this situation, the secondary pick-and-roll tactic becomes ineffective. Xue Liancheng will be trapped when he breaks forward. Apart from passing the ball, he cannot find space to shoot unless he forces a shot.

There is absolutely no way out. This is the current situation of the Lakers in the second quarter.

Fortunately, the situation on the Knicks side was not too good, and their three-point shooting was also out of accuracy.

The Lakers will also take this opportunity to shrink the space and compress the entire paint area into a large pancake, making it difficult for James to break through and attack the basket.

The offensive state of both teams in the second quarter was disastrous. The Lakers scored 19 points and the Knicks were not much better, scoring only 21 points.

Halftime ended.

The Lakers still lead the Knicks by 59 points, 54:5.

The host made a halftime summary: "Both sides lost their accuracy in the second quarter, and the situation went to another extreme. This is really confusing."

Commentator: "I think this tense situation is actually beneficial to the Lakers, because Xue Liancheng basically did not attack much in the first half. He made only 9 of 4 shots and scored only 12 points. This is definitely not the performance Xue Liancheng should have, of course! It was mainly because his teammates were in good shape in the first quarter and he did not shoot much. In the second quarter, he had no chance to shoot, which made his score look very shabby. This means that Xue Liancheng's offensive firepower must explode in the second half."

This is actually ridiculous.

Because you can't set how a player will perform in the game or how many points he can score in a game.

What the commentators are saying now is that Xue Liancheng's 12 points in the first half were very poor, and he will definitely have a big outbreak in the second half.

It seemed like it was planned early on that Xue Liancheng should score 30+, or even 40+, but now he only has 12 points, which is obviously unrealistic.

This kind of advance setting is simply nonsense.

But the host and commentator not only did not refute, but nodded in agreement.

It seems that if Xue Liancheng doesn’t score 30+ in a game, it would be a huge letdown.

Just so outrageous.

The commentator in particular echoed, "Yes! The Knicks have to be careful in the second half. Xue Liancheng could explode and win the game at any time, so they have to catch up in the third quarter to equalize the score difference, and then overtake in the fourth quarter. Only then can Knicks fans feel a little safe."

The last comment was more like a joke.

Very interesting, but can't fault it at all.

Even the most die-hard Knicks fans might disagree with what the commentator said at this point.

Because it's true.

We were behind in the fourth quarter and my mood was really up and down.

If the game is tied in the fourth quarter, they will still be nervous.

Only when they took the lead in the fourth quarter did they feel a little safe.

And not much.

Just so outrageous.

This is the mentality of Knicks fans throughout the entire series, and it also indirectly proves Xue Liancheng's unparalleled deterrent power.

Knicks fans have the most say on this point. They know how strong Xue Liancheng is, and they have also witnessed how terrifying that crazy Xue Liancheng is, so their fear of Xue Liancheng is deeper than that of other fans.

Host: "In fact, Clarkson is in good shape in this game. Let him play more and maybe he can find a way to break the game. After all, Clarkson's breakthroughs and three-pointers are sometimes unreasonable, but this kind of unreasonable scoring is more likely to tear the opponent's defense."

The commentator smiled and said, "Maybe... Mike Brown has been scared by Clarkson's disastrous performance in this series."

The commentator gave a more pertinent answer: "Could it be that Clarkson's outstanding performance was the reason for the missed Oladipo?"

that's the truth.

Not long after the third quarter began, the Lakers' role players still did not perform well, so Mike Brown finally made a substitution and brought Clarkson back.

But the effect was terrible.

When Oladipo saw Clarkson on the court, his mental state suddenly exploded, just like a cat seeing a mouse.

First round.

Oladipo completed a one-stop service for Clarkson, including steals, fast breaks, and layups.

In the second round, Clarkson was forced to dribble twice and made a mistake on the spot, giving the ball to the Knicks.

In the third round, Clarkson was already obedient. Facing Oladipo's defense, he didn't dare to take the ball to attack.

That's the situation.

of course.

This was just Clarkson's performance on the offensive end. Clarkson was even more of a disaster on the defensive end. James and Oladipo called on Clarkson after consecutive pick-and-rolls and directly rushed forward.

Clarkson couldn't defend at all and could only watch them rush over without being able to do anything, which put tremendous pressure on the other Lakers players to assist in defense.

The result is that their offense didn't get better, but their defense got worse.

The Knicks also took the opportunity to tie the score and regained their offensive form.

Mike Brown on the sidelines was stunned. In the first few games of the series, when Clarkson started, he didn't seem so bad?

The host also asked this soul-searching question at this time: "Why do I feel that after Clarkson came on, not only did he not help the team, but he also brought confidence to the Knicks? This... when Clarkson started in the first few games of the series, it wasn't that bad!"

The commentator gave the answer: "Because the Lakers' offense was fierce at that time, Clarkson could still bring positive help on the fast break counterattack, but in fact the Lakers' defense was very bad at that time, but the strong offense covered up this shortcoming. Now the Lakers' offense failed to play, and Clarkson did not push the fast break, so the problems on the defensive end were thoroughly exposed."

The host suddenly realized: "It turns out... Clarkson has a negative effect on the court!"

Commentator: "It depends on how many points Clarkson scores and how efficient he is. If he can contribute 15+ points per game and his shooting percentage is more than 45%, then his role on the court is definitely positive. If his shooting percentage is below 40% and his score is less than 10 points, then no one can make up for the damage he brings to the team. This is the situation."

Commentator: "Like now, Clarkson is still useful on the court. After all, he performed very fiercely in the second half of the first quarter. The Knicks didn't dare to let him go. As long as he stood outside the three-point line to provide support, the Knicks didn't dare to let him go."

But even if Clarkson still had some effect, Mike Brown had to make a substitution in advance.

It has to be changed!

They failed to produce any results on the offensive end and were targeted by everyone on the defensive end. If they continue like this, they will be doomed.

After all, the Lakers were already trailing 2:3 and had one foot on the edge of a cliff, and could fall off at any time.

and so.

Mike Brown is back to focusing on the starting lineup.

The defensive effect has indeed improved, but the offensive end still has not improved.

The Knicks were shrinking further and further, and Xue Liancheng had no choice but to transform himself into a three-point shooter.

With excellent positioning and connecting the ball, he managed to give the Lakers a chance to breathe again.

End of the third quarter.

The Lakers were trailing the Knicks by 83 point at 84:1.

In other words, the Lakers only scored 24 points in the entire third quarter, and their offensive state still did not improve.

The Knicks took advantage of Clarkson's performance and scored 30 points, which is a very high score, at least in this game.

Xue Liancheng made 15 of 7 shots and scored a total of 20 points, with 11 assists and 5 rebounds. His overall performance was only average.

But there is no doubt that he is still the best player on the Lakers, right?

He scored 8 points in the third quarter, barely supporting the Lakers' offense. Without his performance, the Lakers might have collapsed.

And the fourth quarter begins soon.

Tyronn Lue chose to let Oladipo take a rest, and this change was noticed by Mike Brown on the sidelines.

Just two rounds later, taking advantage of a dead ball, Mike Brown brought Clarkson up again.

The host almost laughed himself into a daze: "Mike Brown really won't give up!"

Commentator: "Maybe he heard my suggestion and thought that after Oladipo left the court, he could take the opportunity to let Clarkson play a wave. Of course, I'm just talking. The Knicks still have a lot of defensive stalwarts. If nothing else, Tyler Johnson is actually very good at defense."

then.

Amazing things happen.

Clarkson pushed forward on a fast break and made a three-pointer against Tyler Johnson.

Next round.

After a crazy breakthrough, everyone thought he was going to make a layup, but he suddenly stopped and made a half-court shot, and it worked!

In the next round, after a pick-and-roll with Xue Liancheng, he used his speed to shake off Claude in one step, attacked the basket, and made a layup!

They scored 7 points in a row and directly reversed the score.

Tyronn Lue reacted and called a timeout.

The host was stunned: "Wang Defa! Clarkson is really unpredictable!"

The commentator was also surprised: "Could it be that what I said came true, Oladipo really became Clarkson's nemesis?"

Host: "If that's the case, then Mike Brown has obviously found the code to use Clarkson."

Commentator: "To be honest, Clarkson's offensive ability and offensive skills are still good, but his state is very unstable. When he is accurate, he is very accurate, and when he is not accurate, he can even knock the basket crooked."

Commentator: "Oladipo should be coming up, let's wait and see if this is the case."

really.

After the timeout, Oladipo returned to the game.

But Mike Brown unexpectedly took Clarkson back.

This operation is indeed confusing.

Clarkson was in good shape, so why was he substituted?

In Mike Brown's eyes, does he really think Clarkson is afraid of Oladipo?

No reason!

Although Oladipo is mainly defending Clarkson, a pick-and-roll will create a mismatch. Since Clarkson found that his speed and skills are not enough to get rid of Oladipo, he will choose to play pick-and-roll. Facing other people, he will also fail to score.

and so.

Being afraid of Oladipo is just a joke and it can’t be taken seriously.

But now Mike Brown's actions seem to be confirming this statement.

The game continues.

The two sides were still entangled in a sporadic dispute, and neither side could defeat the other with one blow.

The game went on to the last 4 minutes.

James suddenly became strong.

He broke through after the screen and made a forced layup, making it 2+1!

Dribble in the low post, take a step back, crab jump, and score another 2 points!

While dribbling outside the three-point line, he suddenly stepped back and hit another three-pointer!

The originally tense score difference between the two sides was suddenly unbalanced.

湖人以98:105落后了尼克斯7分，而时间还有最后的2分24秒。

After James made the three-pointer, the entire Staples Center scene really turned into an ice cellar, and a chill rose to the sky.

no doubt.

This three-pointer is so killer!

Their hearts were nailed to the ground in an instant.

Mike Brown on the sidelines wanted to call a timeout, but was stopped by Xue Liancheng with a wave of his hand.

At this moment, the players on the field felt a huge shock in their hearts, and an inexplicable surge of emotions began to surge.

Because as long as Xue Liancheng indicated that there was no need to call a timeout, it would be a signal that he was going to take over the game.

And the final result was without exception, they all won the game.

That's why they are so excited.

Mike Brown on the sidelines should have been upset when his spell was interrupted, but he was not frustrated at all. Instead, he became more energetic.

Randall serves.

Xue Liancheng pushed the ball over.

Passing the center circle, Randall prepares to position himself at the top of the arc.

Xue Liancheng waved his hand and gestured: Pull away!

This time.

The scene immediately erupted with an extremely loud shout: "MVP! MVP! MVP!"

The fans, who were originally on the verge of death, suddenly felt like they were injected with chicken blood.

The Knicks players on the court felt as if the air was suddenly suffocating for no apparent reason. Everyone was on edge and didn't dare to act rashly.

A very magical scene.

Just because Xue Liancheng made a gesture to disperse the whole audience, everything turned around.

The Lakers, whose morale was low, suddenly burst into passion.

The Knicks, who were originally in high spirits, suddenly became cautious.

The spirits of both sides turned around.

The host exclaimed: "Xue Liancheng gestured to open the door. Is it time to take off?"

The commentator was equally excited: "We have finally come to our favorite harvesting competition. Can Xue Liancheng save Los Angeles again? I am looking forward to it..."

The commentator was also very excited: "Every time Xue Liancheng made a hand gesture, I knew that the moment of blood boiling had come!"