NBA: LeBron James wants to team up with me

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The Finals between the Bulls and the Lakers are a confrontation between the No. 1 team in the East and the No. 1 team in the West. The Bulls dominated the regular season, becoming the only team with more than 60 wins. They crushed their opponents 4-0 in the playoffs and were extremely strong.

Although the Lakers' regular-season record was not as good as the Bulls', their playoff performance was also remarkable, especially in the Western Conference Finals against the defending champion Spurs, where they were able to sweep their opponents 4-1. Needless to say, their strength.

In short, the Bulls and Lakers can be considered the two strongest teams of the 2007-08 season.

However, when comparing the two teams, the Bulls' lineup is obviously deeper than the Lakers'. The lineup of the Big Three of Wang Chong + Garnett + Billups is actually better than that of the Lakers.

Although the Lakers acquired an All-Star player like Pau Gasol through a flurry of moves last summer,

even though Gasol and Garnett are from the same generation, there is a significant gap in strength and status in the league.

Garnett is an MVP-level superstar. He was previously a player at the same level as Wang Chong, Kobe, Duncan, and others.

On the other hand, Gasol, although once also an All-Star with the Grizzlies, only received honors such as being an All-Star substitute and the Best Rookie, and was never selected for an All-NBA Team even once.

That's why it has always been said that Kobe's teammates during his two consecutive championships were not weak, but they definitely weren't strong. The two championships were very valuable.

The gap in the lineup means that most people are optimistic that the Bulls will win the championship.

Not to mention comparing the strength of other players, the Lakers may not even be able to win simply by comparing the core players of the two teams.

The battle between Kobe Bryant and Wang Chong for the 24th spot has been going on for more than a few days.

Since Wang Chong's first season after leaving the Lakers, the two have been fiercely competing for who has the best scoring ability.

In the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons, Wang Chong was the one who laughed last. He defeated Kobe Bryant twice in a row to win the scoring title, becoming the strongest scorer in the league and continued to win the scoring title. This season, his scoring ability has been recognized as the strongest among active players.

Especially this season, Kobe can only occupy third place on the scoring list and has no way to compete with Wang Chong. Although he won the greatest individual honor, the regular-season MVP, most fans know very well that Kobe could win the award definitely not because his personal performance was better than Wang Chong's.

If two people really compete on the same stage to compete in scoring ability, if it's a decisive game, Kobe can still win, but the game is best of seven, and Wang Chong's stable and efficient performance in the past has a high probability of winning. The one with the advantage in the competition. ——June 5, Chicago United Center.

The first game of the Finals officially began.

The Bulls' starting lineup is, as usual, Billups, James Jones, Wang Chong, Garnett, and Gasol.

The Lakers' starting lineup consists of Fisher, Kobe, Odom, Gasol, and Bynum.

This has been slightly different from the original historical process. Originally, Bynum missed the 2007-08 playoffs due to injuries.

But in this time and space, perhaps because Gasol joined the Lakers with more than half a season in advance, which greatly reduced the pressure on the Lakers' interior line in the early stages, Bynum was not injured and still secured his position as the starting center.

However, Bynum is not something to fear at this stage. His position on the court is very similar to that of Gasol of the Bulls. His playing time is limited to just over 30 minutes. During the regular season, he averaged 13.0 points per game for the team with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks, and his performance is quite remarkable.

But in the playoffs, Bynum's role on the court has obviously weakened, and his average has dropped to 8 points and 7 rebounds per game. In terms of performance, he really resembles Gasol.

It's just that Bynum, as a high first-round pick, is just as effective on the court as Gasol, a second-round pick. Lakers fans feel uncomfortable no matter what they think, and can only console themselves.

"Instead of comparing him with them, the advantage of our little Shark lies in his unlimited potential. He is still very young and has excellent development prospects for the future. His future achievements cannot be compared with Marc Gasol, a second-round pick that no one cares about."

This is true, who entered the league as a high school student in 2005, now a little over 20 years old and his career has just begun.

As for Gasol, although he was drafted in 2007 and called Bynum senior, he is actually 23 years old, about two years and ten months older than Bynum.

The thing is, potential development cannot be determined entirely by age.

In terms of talent, Bynum can eclipse Gasol. The nickname "Baby Shark" is actually not just a boast. Bynum was a bit like O'Neal during his peak period.

But that's only a vague shadow. As a professional basketball player, Bynum has very poor competitive spirit and professional attitude.

When he was with the Lakers, Kobe was by his side and he didn't show enough. Later, the Lakers used him as a trading chip and sent him to the 76ers in a multi-team trade for the Lakers' Howard Magic. Bynum completely let himself go. Missing practices, playing big, and going bowling during injuries aggravated the injury.

After that, Bynum couldn't recover. Even after signing with the Cavaliers, Pacers, and other teams, he didn't perform well. At the age of only 26, he had no ball to play.

Based on this, why should he be compared with Gasol? Although Marc Gasol's achievements in the NBA are slightly inferior to those of his brother Pau Gasol, he was selected for the All-NBA First Team and the Best Defensive Player, and also won the NBA title as a starting player with the Raptors.

Whether it's in terms of overall skill on the court, career longevity, or even dominance on the court during his peak period, Gasol is obviously much better than Bynum.

However, only Wang Chong himself knows these things, and it's not enough for outsiders to know. ——Before the game, both sides were preparing separately. Wang Chong was a little surprised to find that his head coach, Thibodeau, was more nervous than the players. He was standing on the sidelines watching the players warm up and already wiping the sweat off with a towel. Judging from the coach's speech in the locker room, it seems that he had been a little misled by the finals atmosphere.

Logically, it shouldn't be like this. Thibodeau has been an assistant coach in the NBA for more than ten years. What kind of storms has he not seen? Is he so nervous about the Finals? But if you think about it carefully, it is difficult to say.

After all, assistant coaches and head coaches are different. When you sit in the head coach's position and face a game like the NBA Finals, which directly determines the championship, nervousness is inevitable.

On the contrary, the Bulls' players were quite calm.

Wang Chong and Billups are players who have experienced many Finals and this stage feels too familiar to them.

Although Garnett had never played in a Finals before, the Big Ticket was always full of enthusiasm and passion. He had already roared excitedly in the tunnel to lift the morale of his teammates.

Under Garnett's leadership, the young players, including Gasol and Millsap, were excited. It seemed like the O'Brien Trophy was just around the corner and the Bulls were about to win the championship, as if they wanted to create a miracle.

"Tom, don't be nervous. Just execute the tactics and substitutions according to the previous plan. Our strength has the advantage and we have the advantage of playing at home. We can win the game easily."

Wang Chong walked over to Thibodeau and whispered.

Thibodeau was stunned for a moment, looking at Wang Chong with a strange expression.

Since when could players come to calm the coach?

But Wang Chong said, where is this? You've never seen the famous scene where you grab the coach's tactical board and explain the tactics to your teammates, and then leave the coach stunned for a moment.

The game was about to start.

Bynum won the tip, and the Lakers had the ball.

After Fisher dribbled the ball past half-court, he immediately passed the ball to Kobe.

The Bulls currently don't have a particularly good defensive strategy when facing a player like Kobe, because Laga Bell has been sent to the Timberwolves as part of the Garnett trade, and the current starting shooting guard for the team, James Jones, is obviously not a good scorer.

That's why, before the Finals, the Bulls' defensive tactics were very clear.

Jones' main policy in defending Kobe was to avoid shots and not let him escape, allowing Kobe to drive into the paint with the ball because the Bulls have two defensive lines inside with Gasol and Garnett, plus King, who can support the defense at any time. The defensive line is quite solid.

Doesn't Kobe always like to shoot against a defense of three or four players?

His explosive power is naturally unmatched, but the reason why the Bulls set up such a strategy is to make Kobe's way more difficult to go. Although he will definitely score, at least he can't easily control the tempo and rhythm of the game.

At least this is the only way to limit his attack and defend against Kobe efficiently.

Just let the interior defense fend off any shots, and the remaining thing is to stay efficient in attack.

Doesn't Kobe always like to shoot against a three- or four-man defense? He simply arranges for three big men who are 6'11" tall to play with him.

Of course, Kobe is not that reckless. He usually just takes crazy shots regardless of the situation when he's on top. Although the frequency of being on top is a bit higher, at least not when the game is just starting.

So after Kobe stood at a 45-degree angle on the right side and received Fisher's pass, he immediately swatted the ball and passed it to Gasol, who had just taken his position inside.

"Next!"

Seeing this scene, Wang Chong was a little surprised.

What is the Lakers' main strategy? Of course, it is the triangle tactic. Phil Jackson was famous all over the world. He won 11 championship rings with the triangle tactic.

Although Gasol is not a historical superstar, as the backbone of Phil Jackson's triangle tactical system, its effect is quite large, especially the stronger the personal ability of the team's scorer responsible for finishing, its effect will be correspondingly greater.

After receiving the ball, Gasol lifted it over his head and met Garnett's defense head-on.

At the same time, Kobe began to accelerate after passing the ball, speeding from the right corner toward the penalty area.

Jones was half a heartbeat slower and couldn't keep up with Kobe in the first place. Gasol's pass was immediately in place.

After receiving the ball, Kobe took off and made his iconic layup. He dodged Gasol's coverage, blocked the shot and successfully scored, giving the Lakers the lead.

The triangle offense is really tough to handle, especially Gasol's high-flying backup method and Kobe's offensive potency of running without the ball. Even if the defense is as strong as the Bulls', it is extremely difficult to defend.

However, Wang Chong had no intention of competing defensively with the Lakers.

The Bulls attacked, Billups held the ball beyond half court and Wang Chong raised his hand to call for the ball.

Wang Chong, who received the pass from Billups, held the ball and looked at Odom standing in front of him.

The Lakers letting Lamar Odom guard Wang Chong is essentially the same as the Bulls letting James Jones guard Kobe. They know they can't guard him, but what else can they do?

As one of the most maneuverable power forwards in the interior, Odom's speed isn't slow, but he still has to compete with others.

Against Wang Chong, Odom's speed was too slow.

Iverson's trick wasn't even necessary. Wang Chong only needed to use Durant's best trick of switching hands in front of the body to easily overtake Odom.

After successfully breaking through, Wang Chong did not choose to run into the penalty box and compete with big men like Gasol and Bynum. Instead, he opted to shoot a mid-range jump shot.

Although the Lakers' lineup is slightly inferior to the Bulls', only the inside height is tall enough.

Bynum and Pau Gasol are both 6-foot-8, plus Odom is 6-foot-8. Anyone with this height will feel pressure when facing each other.

The same situation applies to the Bulls. Wang Chong, Garnett and Gasol are all taller than 2.11 meters. Strictly speaking, the Bulls can be considered the three best inside players, despite Wang Chong's style of play. Wang Chong, but he can still make an occasional guest appearance on the inside.

At the beginning of the game, the offensive efficiency of both teams was quite high. The Lakers mainly relied on triangle tactics to score points.

The Bulls' offensive tactics are relatively simple and mainly focus on Wang Chong's singles with the ball, occasionally interspersed with Billups and Garnett's pick-and-roll cooperation.

Both sides have no good way to utilize each other's offense. They can only compete with each other's offensive firepower.

Early on, the two sides were really inseparable. Kobe, who played reasonably, positioned himself on the court as the end point of the goal, found the open space through the movement, and then caught the ball and shot. His scoring efficiency was no worse than that of Wang Chong.

However, as the game progressed, Wang Chong's firepower from the outside gradually opened up and the Lakers began to lose steam.

At 7 minutes and 27 seconds into the first quarter, Wang Chong scored a three-pointer from the top arc of the three-point line against Odom's defense. A minute later, he scored a three-pointer in the corner and got an open bucket. Opportunity to activate the baseline. Corner three-point shooter badge and another triple.

Two consecutive triples instantly widened the gap between the originally widening scores.

Three-pointers, while this is not a Kobe shortcoming this season, Kobe's 36% three-point shooting rate per game is definitely above average among defenders, but he certainly can't match a 41% three-point shooting rate. It is often used as a conventional offensive method.

The sudden wave of offensive rhythm prompted Lakers head coach Phil Jackson to immediately call a timeout to stabilize the situation. However, after the timeout, the Lakers' situation became even more unfavorable.

End of this chapter

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