A successful system has never been based on ideas.

Even if the idea is correct and without practice, it is difficult to adjust in depth and in detail.

Everyone can see that the combination of the head horse is bound to become a super insider, and the two are quite in tune with each other in terms of playing style.

But when O'Neal was paddling, no one could accurately speculate on what kind of chemical reaction the two would have.

Occasionally, you can see the two of them having an excellent cooperation, but each time they cooperate differently.

This makes the prospects of the combination of Zhang Hao and O'Neal a little more uncertain.

Anyone can see that they are not in a relationship. No matter how high the degree of fit is, if they are unwilling to work together, it will be useless.

However, this uncertainty, after the All-Star Weekend, Zhang Hao and O'Neal really began to work towards the same goal, which was to win with all their strength, and after the chemical reaction began, they were broken.

But the way they cooperated was different from what everyone expected!

The defense in the previous games, as well as the way O'Neal and Zhang Hao joined forces to overtake the score in this game, were beyond the expectations of experts, media, and senior fans!

Previously, the Lakers' ultimate frontcourt combination played three super charge abilities like rugby offensive line in the frontcourt. Some experts predicted that the Lakers would play such an offensive.

The cooperation between Zhang Hao and O'Neal is also considered a way.

O'Neal, Barkley, and Zhang Hao took turns to chisel, and this rogue-flowing style is also a way of cooperation.

But as a result, the XO combination played a cooperation, which actually started from the defensive end, or O'Neal played the power forward on the defensive end...

The way the XO combination cooperates tonight is O'Neal to work hard to get the hard work in regular time and lead the team to beat the defense. Zhang Hao came to harvest the results of O'Neal's efforts at the last moment.

On the Knicks, Jeff Van Gundy returned to the locker room and thought that Zhang Hao had received a lot of rest time when both sides were exhausted and could also attack and counterattack in the best condition...

Jeff Van Gundy is really helpless!

The halftime time passed quickly and the players of both teams returned to the court.

When the players of the two teams came on the court in the third quarter, Jeff Van Gundy and his players couldn't help but curse!

The Knicks sent a combination of Chiles, Alan Houston, John Wallace, Larry Sanders and Ewing.

Opposite, Fisher, Brian Shaw, George Lynch, Jason Williams, O'Neal... This combination is here again!

The Knicks wanted to try to play an advantage in the third quarter to equalize the score or even overtake the score, but seeing the Lakers' lineup, their hearts were half-hearted.

On the Silver Fox side, I definitely didn’t expect to fight like this at first.

At first, he felt that their All-Star defense improved so much after the weekend, and he should be able to compete with teams like the Heat, Knicks, and Cavaliers. He had previously played a defensive battle with the Cavaliers.

However, now I know why the Cavaliers have been evaluated as "becoming mediocre". Their playing style is very similar to the Knicks, but their record is so much worse because they have become weakened versions of the Knicks. It is not that they have become weaker, but that the Knicks are stronger on both offense and defense.

When the first quarter was over, Del Harris actually felt that their defeat was prominent, so he could only gamble... and won the bet!

Then, I must continue to play with my previous successful style of play.

The simple tactics and thoroughly studied by the opponent does not mean that this style of play is useless.

So what if you are strong enough to be seen through?

Now, the Knicks sent a combination of both offense and defense, and they still had no choice but to use their Lakers' defense, so they could only accompany them to continue to defend.

In more than 8 minutes, the Lakers scored 10 points and the Knicks scored 11 points. When they hit 8 minutes and 22 seconds in the third quarter, the Knicks, who had just called the timeout two minutes ago, called the timeout again!

6 minutes, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks, this is the data O'Neal got in the first 8 minutes and 22 seconds of the third quarter!

Under O'Neal's leadership, the Lakers, who fought hard to defend, still maintained a 5-point lead while the team's offense was ridiculously bad, leading the Knicks by 5 points 50-45.

O'Neal has scored 18 points, 16 rebounds, 6 blocks and 1 steal!

It went very smoothly. Del Harris was preparing to take advantage of the victory to fight and replace Kenny Anderson, Zhang Hao, Doug Christie with three others, and Jason Williams and O'Neal continued to play.

Send three new forces to gain an advantage in the third quarter!

...

After the timeout, Ewing missed a three-pointer from the Knicks.

The Lakers counterattacked. Zhang Hao rushed into the opponent's basket and compressed the opponent's defense. He passed it back to Kenny Anderson who ran to the 45-degree angle on the left. Kenny Anderson made a chase three-pointer in the counterattack... Very decisive. O'Neal had already rushed to the free throw line, and Zhang Hao was at close range again.

Kenny Anderson made a decisive three-pointer!

First, by polishing the defense, you can consume the opponent's outside feel, and then weaken the defense to a certain extent to strengthen shooting and counter-attacking. This routine is not a new trick, but you really have to play well. At least, the Lakers before can't do it.

But now, they can do better than the Knicks!

At 11 minutes and 41 seconds in the third quarter, Zhang Hao made a mid-range jump shot from the bottom line, successfully tying the score to 59-49, expanding the lead to 10 points!

The commentators of the three TV stations who live broadcast the game said that the Lakers have secured the victory!

Judging from the rhythm of this confrontation tonight, the 10-point lead is equivalent to a gap of chasm for the Knicks!

Not to mention the Knicks, the Lakers can't do it if they let the Lakers break a 10-point difference.

The Lakers played so well in the second quarter, and they went from falling behind by 1 point to leading by 6 points, which means they scored a 7-point gap. The third quarter was about to end, and the Lakers only opened the 4-point gap again.

Moreover, the 4-point gap created in the third quarter may be narrowed, and the Knicks still have an attack!

But this also means that if the Knicks fall 10 points behind and enter the final quarter, there is basically no possibility of a comeback!

Of course, the 10-point difference is not big, and the Knicks did not give up.

In the last attack in the third quarter, John Starks, who was rotating on the court, had no time to push forward to the frontcourt. Doug Christie did not expect that John Starks would break through directly with 13 seconds left in the third quarter. Not to mention him, the Knicks players did not expect it.

John Starks rushed directly into the inside and took a quick shot...

Others didn't react. O'Neal, who had already scored 20 points, 17 rebounds and 7 blocks, reacted and rushed forward and gave him a big hat!

John Starks' fast throw shot from close range was suffocated and retracted, but Zhang Hao, who was a beat slower, just grabbed the ball and directly pushed forward the counterattack!

Zhang Hao's counterattack dunk was very beautiful, but what he heard was not the cheers of the fans, but the exclamation during the counterattack, not the excitement of exclamation, but the fear!

Zhang Hao was cautiously guarded while rushing into the basket and hitting the ball back Alan Houston when he threw the ball into the basket. Although the dunk was beautiful, he was very worried about being a vicious offender.

However, the dunk was completed and he was not attacked by a vicious offender.

Suddenly, Zhang Hao felt something was wrong and turned around and looked...

O'Neal was lying on the floor and holding his ankle, and the "Reebok-DunkMman" joint shoes on his feet had been broken!

"I'll be the jungler!"

...

The Great Western Forum Arena was full of grief. The fans, Lakers players and coaching staff were all at the most excited moment. However, O'Neal broke his sneakers when the block was blocked and landed. He must have been unable to stand firmly and fell to the ground. He obviously twisted his feet.

It should have been the last attack of the Knicks, and Jeff Van Gundy was still gentlemanly. Although he was anxious to fall behind by 12 points, he still called a timeout so that the Lakers could substitute.

The main reason is to allow the Lakers team doctor to check O'Neal as soon as possible.

O'Neal had a good relationship with most of his teammates. When he heard the pause, many people immediately surrounded him, but did not go around.

It seemed that my feet were twisted, but my huge body fell to the floor with a "bang", and maybe there was another place that was injured.

However, I have to say that O'Neal's physical condition is really good. Not only can he withstand a weight of more than 130 kilograms, he is also very resistant to grass!

The team doctor initially diagnosed that O'Neal had no other problems. He had a trauma of falling on the floor, but it only hurt. The ankle was initially judged to be a sprain, which may be more serious than the last time he was injured. For specifics, you need to go to the hospital for more detailed examinations, magnetic magnetic, X-ray, etc.

Anyway, this game can't be played!

O'Neal was helped by Ben Wallace and Loomier Robinson toward the player passage. After lamenting, the fans at the scene gave applause.

The 100-second long timeout soon passed. The Lakers temporarily sent Zhang Hao and Jeromy Colsey and Barkley's frontcourt combination on the last defense, and Brian Shaw and Doug Christie were sent on the outside.

The Knicks decisively played inside, and Larry Johnson took the ball and turned around and Zhang Hao made a layup.

With Zhang Hao receiving the ball and running to the center line in the last 2.2 seconds, he missed a very long three-pointer.

After the third quarter, the Lakers and the Knicks scored 61-51, leading by 10 points and entering the break between the quarters.

...

The break between the festival is short, and it is not as long as the timeout is long. Del Harris calmly made adjustments to his playing style and lineup. The combination of Kenny Anderson, Doug Christie, George Lynch, Jason Williams and Zhang Hao was sent.

Thinking of O'Neal's injury, Del Harris felt that Reebok's stock price was about to fall... Ah, no, it was a pain in his heart!

Fortunately, the initial diagnosis of O'Neal's injury was not particularly serious, but their running-in results were initially achieved. Tonight, under the pressure of the Knicks, O'Neal was actually injured.

No matter what happens later, it will be difficult tonight!

The Lakers are not the Knicks team that almost every main player has good offense and defense. The Knicks' defense is overall defense. Even without Ewing, it will not weaken a lot.

But they are different from the Lakers. They are more like the Rockets during the two consecutive championships. If Olajuwon was injured at that time, it would not only be affected by offense, but also by the defensive end. Therefore, the Rockets' regular season record in the 1994-95 season was so poor.

The Lakers can play such a defense because they rely on O'Neal's All-Star weekend to do their best, extremely diligent, and willing to do dirty and tiring work.

Moreover, O'Neal left the court due to injury, and the Lakers will also be greatly affected on the offensive end. It's okay to face ordinary defensive strong teams. Kenny Anderson and Zhang Hao are enough to deal with it, but facing the Knicks, the Iron Blood Corps, which ranks in the top five or even the top three in the league in defense, is a big deal!

As Del Harris expected, in the fourth quarter, the Lakers, which had been smoothly matched in the past two quarters, encountered a crazy counterattack from the Knicks!

In a 7-2 wave, the Knicks narrowed the gap to 5 points, and tied the score to 58-63. Del Harris called a timeout!

If the opponent has a player injured or the strongest player is injured, will the Knicks feel that winning is not good? This is impossible. They play harder than before. They will never give the Lakers to adapt to the pain of O'Neal's departure, and will never give the Lakers a chance to adjust. They will follow the Lakers to play in the fourth quarter!

Lakers players don't think there is any problem with this.

If a player from the Knicks is injured and left the court, Mr. Zhang Hao, the perfect gentleman of the Lakers, will definitely seize the opponent's pain period and press the opponent to play with all his strength.

After calling a timeout, Del Harris replaced Barkley, Kenny Anderson and Zhang Hao continued to play. It was obvious that Doug Christie, who had been affected by the high-intensity defensive shooting in the past two quarters, was replaced, and the score in the interior was blocked. George Lynch, who had no O'Neal's help in defense, was replaced, and Byron Scott and Jason Williams were replaced.

At this time, the Lakers were counting on Barkley to give some force. At this time, Barkley really wanted to play seriously.

But in the first three quarters, watching O'Neal and Zhang Hao show up, Barkley, who was relaxing, tightened up at this time, and his performance was really not very good. In the fourth quarter, 6 minutes and 07 seconds, as Alan Houston slipped through the baseline, the receiver was two points, and the Knicks overtook the Lakers by 69-68 by 1 point!

The Lakers called for a timeout and entered the official timeout stage.

...
To be continued...