The Grizzlies' first advancement also gives everyone more time to prepare for the next round of the series.

Luke also took Ranbill to New Orleans in person to watch the sixth showdown between the Hornets and the Lakers.

The result of this game will directly affect how long the Grizzlies can rest next. Once the Hornets drag the series into tiebreak, the balance between the two teams will return to the starting point again.

Now the Grizzlies have imagined the Los Angeles Lakers in advance as their opponents in the Western Conference Finals, and have conducted large-scale research on the Los Angeles Lakers' tactics.

If the Hornets really want to drag the series into tiebreak and defeat the Lakers in tiebreak, Luke really doesn't know if he should be happy.

After all, the Lakers' team is still slightly stronger than the Hornets. It is definitely much easier to face the Hornets in the Western Conference Finals than to play against the Lakers.

But Luke did not treat the Hornet as an opponent at all, and he has studied very little.

To be precise, Luke is not optimistic that the Hornets can defeat the Lakers. Whether from a business perspective or a strength perspective, the Lakers' chances of advancing to the Western Conference Finals are much greater than those of the Hornets.

In this game, Luke brought Ranbir to the scene to watch the game not just to see who can win this victory.

Luke wants to watch the Lakers' tactical style from the perspective of fans, so as to make more careful arrangements for the next series.

The Grizzlies' first advancement puts a lot of pressure on the Lakers. The Lakers will definitely go all out in this game. For Luke, this is obviously a good opportunity to observe.

As soon as the game started, the Hornets and Lakers played very strong offensive and aggressive.

It can be seen that both teams want to win this game.

However, due to the focus of offense, the Hornets are more likely to be targeted by the Lakers' defense, which makes the Hornets only try to create an offensive environment through the pick-and-rolls of Paul and David West.

As for the "Sharpshooter" Peja, who averaged 16 points per game, was targeted by the Lakers' new player Ariza's defensive focus. It is undoubtedly more difficult to obtain an excellent shooting environment on the offensive end than to reach the sky.

Throughout the game, Paul helped the Hornets to keep a close eye on the score through mid-range emergency stop jump shots, and Paul has been trying to use assists to connect other teammates' offenses.

However, the Lakers have made a lot of arrangements for this game. "Old Fish" Fisher and Ariza are like dog skin plasters, and even if they lose a foul, they must prevent them from scoring continuously on the offensive end.

In addition, Kobe also beat Morris Peterson on the offensive end. Even if Chris Paul used his flexible advantages to attack Kobe many times, Paul's height of only 1.83 meters still became an obstacle to leaping.

Kobe has a strong psychological quality. In terms of psychological quality alone, Kobe is definitely the most powerful player in the active league.

When Paul's assisted defense could not force Kobe to make a dribble mistake at the first time, Kobe could make a difficult backward jump shot in front of Paul and Peterson.

Compared with the previous games, Kobe played more resolutely on the offensive end, reducing the chances of connecting teammates, increasing his personal aggression, and making Hornets head coach Byron Scott look helpless.

Although Chris Paul is also one of the best stars in the active league, his height of only 1.83 meters still limits Paul's performance in the playoffs.

Especially when facing a superstar like Kobe who is decisive and dares to challenge, Paul's defensive disadvantage has undoubtedly been greatly increased. Even the flexible steals he is best at are difficult to achieve in Kobe.

The worst thing is that before the transaction ended, the Lakers got the "Cobra" Ariza through the trade.

Ariza's arrival also allowed Odom to return to the bench and drive the Lakers' second team offense as the best sixth man.

For the Hornets, whose lineup is very poor, Odom's existence is simply a bug in the rotation stage.

After the third quarter, the Hornets were already 16 points behind the Lakers in this back-to-back game.

Looking at the double sluggishness of the Hornets from their mental state to the team's morale, Luke in the stands patted Ranbill's thigh, then stood up first to leave, "The victory is decided, let's go."

"We are sure not to look at it anymore? The Hornets have another chance. Although I think the Hornets will not have a high chance of turning the tables." He said no, but his body was very honest. Following Luke, the two of them slowly left the scene from the fan passage.

Thanks to the Hornets' home court, the two came out safely after tugging by many fans.

If it were replaced by the Lakers' home court, Luke seriously suspected that he might be attacked when the Lakers had basically secured a spot in the Western Conference Finals.

"The Hornets' morale has been sluggish, and relying on this style of play, the Hornets are definitely not a match for the Lakers."

"There is nothing good about this series. Go back and study the Lakers quickly and strive to get a good start and gain an advantage in advance." After getting in the car, Luke said casually to Ranbill.

Originally, the Lakers' lineup was still at a disadvantage when facing the Grizzlies, but with the trade deadline, the Lakers obtained defensive player Ariza through operations.

This deal greatly improved the Lakers' forward defensive ability, and Ariza's excellent three-point shooting also liberated Kobe's offensive environment.

In addition, Odom also benefited a lot from Ariza's arrival, and this operation is the wisest choice for the Lakers management this year.

The length of the regular season gives players too much time to adjust their personal state, and the winning or losing in the playoffs is only a matter of one thought. Often, the two teams compete with the will of the highest combat power.

There is no doubt that the Lakers can knock down the Grizzlies with a crushing advantage in this regard, especially Kobe Bryant's steel will, which is a sharpening to Kevin Martin.

When playing against superstar Kobe, Martin can reap huge benefits from winning or losing.

Losing to Kobe at his peak is not a shameless thing, and as long as Martin performs stably, he will be considered by outside fans as if he is defeated.

But once Martin can ascend to the throne with Kobe, he will definitely become Kevin Martin's season this year, which can be said to have established his historical position in one battle.

The Western Conference Finals vs. the Lakers will be the most eye-catching series of matches this season, especially the new and old matches between Kevin Martin and Kobe, which has even given a layer of color to this round of series.

As the new generation of leading figures in the league, Kevin Martin still has a long way to go, but facing Kobe in the playoffs is definitely the most grand challenge in his career.

…………

With the Lakers defeating the Hornets in the semi-finals 11 points, the Lakers completed the promotion with a score of 4:2, and will compete with the Grizzlies in the Western Conference Finals on May 20th local time in the United States.

Avoid being dragged into the tiebreak by the Hornets to get more rest opportunities for the Lakers. After all, the Grizzlies have been resting for a long time now. The Lakers need to use this time to adjust their state and strive to stage a Mars-like fight with the Grizzlies in the Western Conference Finals.

Even though the Grizzlies are a team that lacks playoff experience, no one from the Lakers dares to underestimate this Grizzlies from top to bottom.

In the semi-finals, Kevin Martin's performance in the deity is still vivid in my mind. Even Kobe, who has been through the battlefield, has a very high opinion of Martin.

After the game, when the reporter interviewed Kobe Bryant, Kobe first praised the Hornets for their tenacity in this round of the series, and then was asked about the Western Conference Finals opponent Grizzlies. Even Kobe, who has always been a killer, showed a touch of solemnity on his face.

"The Grizzlies are a respectable opponent, and there is no doubt that they have a youth storm this season."

"The core players of this team are very young, including head coach Luke, but no team dares to look down on them."

"The next game is destined to be difficult, but the team is ready and no one wants to be the one who is eliminated."

Compared with the solemnity shown by the star Kobe, Phil Jackson, known as the "trumpet king", pretends to be relaxed. "The Grizzlies have strong offensive firepower. As a team that ranks first in the regular season, if the Lakers want to win the game, they must be good at defending."

"Thankfully, I'm very satisfied with the team's current defensive efficiency. The Grizzlies will cause some trouble to the team, but it's just some trouble."

"Zen Master" Jackson pretended to be relaxed and was sprayed by a large number of Grizzly fans.

But the Lakers' momentum was mobilized by Jackson's simple words.

Apparently, Jackson has a wealth of playoff experience in the playoffs, and Zen Master is very clear about how to make the team more united.

In just a few words, Jackson put the Lakers in the role of being challenged, rather than challenging the Grizzlies, who are second in the West as the second in the West.

Judging from the Lakers' performance in the Western Conference semi-finals, the Lakers do have this strength, but there are still reporters who are dissatisfied with Jackson's answer, "Coach Phil, if I remember correctly, the Lakers are at a disadvantage in the regular season matches with one win or two losses."

"And MVP Kevin Martin, who has always been questioned, also proved himself in the playoffs, and both teams have the best outside scorers in the league."

"And the Lakers' rotation lineup is slightly worse than the Grizzlies. In this case, why can you maintain this confidence?"

The young reporter's question made Jackson look bad, and anyone could see that Jackson's answer was more like cheering for his own team members and avoiding putting himself in the position of challenger due to subjective factors.

At present, the young reporter's answer has forced Jackson to the edge of the cliff.

Jackson knew very well that his answer must not be weak at this time, otherwise it would likely play a negative role.

"Kevin's performance in the playoffs was indeed shocking, but the Grizzlies also exposed many problems in the playoffs."

"Insufficient experience, many mistakes, and unstable offense will become hidden dangers for the Grizzlies."

"The regular season rankings don't mean anything. I don't think this Grizzlies are so invincible to the outside world."

"It's too early to say whether the Lakers can win this series, but the Lakers will definitely do their best to attack the championship not far away." "Zen Master" Jackson frowned in a pretentious manner.

It is inevitable that the Lakers will meet with the Grizzlies in the Western Conference Finals. At this time, modest retreat will not solve any problem, but will reduce the pressure on the opponent.

Even though Jackson vaguely felt his left face was a little hot, as the "trumpet king", he must be confident at this time!

…………

"Lu, I still think it's time to attack Kobe. Kobe's performance this season is worth our efforts."

“Unless you can get Gerald back to the game, there will definitely be no one in the team that can defend Kobe in one-on-one.”

When assistant coach Jaffa Roni seemed a little anxious when he heard that Luke didn't plan to double-team Kobe.

Luke likes to show off his abilities, which is well known to everyone in the team. If Jackson is recognized by the outside world as the "passive king" in the coaching industry, then Luke is definitely the "passive king" who secretly likes to slap people in the face!

In the playoffs, Kobe is determined to implement single defense against him. This defensive strategy has not been used before, but the players used are all players selected for the best defensive lineup.

At the least, you must have the characteristics of a pea dog, which can affect Kobe's physical strength.

Now that Gerald Wallace has been sent to the cold palace by Luke, it seems that Luke has no intention of re-activate Gerald.

So in the upcoming Western Conference Finals, the Grizzlies can only use Otero to defend Kobe.

Although Ultralo's defensive ability is pretty good, no one thinks Ultralo can create miracles against Kobe, who has the strongest offensive firepower in the upper league.

In this case, proper double-teaming of Kobe is the most advantageous defense method.

After all, except Kobe, other Lakers players have average offensive firepower, at least far from being able to kill the game.

"Derick Fisher and Trevor Ariza both made good three-point shots, and letting them shoot was definitely not a wise choice."

"If you really want to attack Kobe, you can only let Paul or Mark play this role. After all, the Lakers' Twin Towers have no shooting ability on the outside."

"Who do you think has the efficiency of running all over the game?" Luke smiled indifferently at Jaffaroni, "Derek is a big-hearted player, and Trevo is the guy I have trained."

"Indeed, neither of these two people can kill the game with their own strength, but they can both become key figures in changing the game's trend."

"The most important thing about triangular offense is movement, and double-teaming Kobe means that other Lakers players will get a lot of offensive opportunities."

"No matter how the team rotates well, it is impossible to be a tight fit. After all, the triangle attack is the guy who is Phil eating."
To be continued...