"You guys played beautifully, that's how you should play."
Compared to the Cavaliers, the Lakers, from the coaches to the players, were all excited.
Although the first quarter ended in a tie, judging by the expressions on the players' faces, the Lakers' players had a better mindset.
"In the second quarter, Mike Brown will definitely switch to his bench players, this is a great opportunity for us to get ahead of our opponents."
Phil Jackson called Vujacic over, pointing at the whiteboard to explain which position he should play in the second quarter and what he should do.
Phil Jackson also called Ariza over and arranged his upcoming tactics.
After coming to the Lakers from the Knicks, Ariza, who was originally criticized for not daring to shoot, made over a hundred three-point attempts in one season.
Who would have thought that Ariza would one day become the backbone of the Rockets?
But in this era, Ariza couldn't compete for a starting position with Manovich or Fisher.
...
"Coach Zhang, what adjustments do you think the Lakers will make with Vujacic on the court in the second quarter?"
"Vujacic will definitely play. I guess Phil is taking a gamble, betting on whether the Cavaliers will make a substitution at the start of the second quarter."
"If he has to face the Cavaliers' starters, Vujacic will not only find it difficult to utilize his strengths but will also expose the Lakers' defensive weaknesses. But if the Cavaliers make a substitution at the start, and Vujacic performs as he did before, the Cavaliers might be in for a tough time."
"Actually, up to this point in the game, the Cavaliers' bench has also had some impressive performances. Players like Joe Smith, West, and Gibson have had moments where they shone. Against the Lakers, I don't think they will necessarily be at a disadvantage."
"The main issue is that the scoring ability of these players is not very stable. They can play a good game, or they can disappear in a game. If their scoring were more consistent, then the Cavaliers would be formidable."
"What Coach Zhang said makes sense."
Yang Yi nodded, and the broadcast screen had already cut back.
"Alright, let's continue to watch the second quarter of the Lakers' home game against the Cavaliers... Both teams have actually made substitutions. The Lakers have brought in Vujacic and Ariza. Kobe is still on the court, while Gasol and Fisher are resting."
"The Cavaliers have brought in Big Z, Varejao, and Gibson off the bench. Tang Long, James, and Pavlovic are resting."
"Mike Brown's substitution is similar to before, often making positional matchups. However, with James and Tang Long resting at the same time, the Cavaliers might have a tough second quarter."
...
As Yang Yi had predicted, Mike Brown's brow furrowed even tighter when he saw Kobe still on the court.
He had guessed that the Lakers would make adjustments in the second quarter, thinking that Kobe would rest first and Gasol would lead the team, especially since Gasol had been playing better in this game and played a crucial role on both offense and defense.
Who would have thought that Phil Jackson would play dirty and leave Kobe on the court.
This way, with slower movements near the basket, Kobe's agility advantage could be better utilized.
As the referee's whistle blew, the second quarter officially began.
At the start of the quarter, Kobe used a change of pace to easily shake off Larry Hughes and drive to the basket. Big Z followed to defend, and Kobe took a shot!
*Beep!*
Not only did the ball go in, but he also drew a foul on Big Z.
Kobe calmly made the free throw.
2+1.
Mike Brown's face grew even more grim.
When Tang Long was on the court, he not only could disrupt Kobe's shots but was also less likely to be drawn into fouls by Kobe.
This made Mike Brown feel a bit dazed, almost forgetting that Kobe was also a superstar in the league.
In fact, Kobe never feared facing forwards in direct confrontation and could usually gain an advantage. It was only against Tang Long that he couldn't gain much of an edge.
Immediately after, the Cavaliers launched an offense. Big Z was slow, and as he received a pass from Larry Hughes to go up for a layup, Kobe had already swatted the ball away and flung it to Ariza.
Ariza received the pass and quickly brought the ball to the Cavaliers' basket. Drew Gooden quickly retreated on defense, and Ariza passed the ball to Vujacic on the perimeter.
Vujacic adjusted his footing and took a shot from half a step behind the three-point line.
It went in!
Vujacic, who was unguarded, immediately hit a three-pointer and excitedly punched the air.
In the previous two games, he didn't have many shots and his accuracy wasn't high, which made him feel very frustrated, especially with his three-point shooting!
Although he only made one three-pointer after coming on in the second quarter, Vujacic could clearly feel that this was the rhythm he was familiar with!
This three-pointer completely opened up his shooting touch.
The Cavaliers, on the other hand, were in disarray. Double-teaming Kobe easily left the Lakers' perimeter open. If two or three players went to defend Kobe, the Lakers' perimeter players would immediately shoot. If they focused on the perimeter, then Kobe would have an incredibly easy time scoring.
Within the first five minutes of the second quarter, the Lakers had already scored sixteen points.
This score wasn't very high, but the Cavaliers had only scored 7 points at this point, which clearly showed how passive the Cavaliers were.
...
"Mike Brown still not making a substitution? If this continues, the third quarter will turn into garbage time, what's the point of watching?"
"He's gotten too arrogant, letting the starters rest for so long."
"I say that earlier on, the Cavaliers relied on the excellent performance of Tang Long and James to contend with the Lakers. Now Mike Brown's intelligence has taken over again, and it directly exposes the Cavaliers' weaknesses."
"What the guy upstairs said makes sense. Mike Brown is the biggest mole on our team."
"Tang Long's fans, have some shame! When you win, it's because LeBron is amazing, and when you lose, you blame the coach. Have you no shame?"
The passive situation for the Cavaliers also made the online forums chaotic. Fans attacked each other, seemingly preparing to shift blame for their respective favorites.
However, most opinions were similar: Mike Brown's tactics were problematic in this game.
*Beep!*
At this moment, the referee blew his whistle, and Mike Brown finally called a timeout.
"Tang, James, get ready to go in."
They had no choice but to play. The team was falling behind, but that wasn't the main point. The key was that they couldn't break through, and they were being suppressed by the Lakers on both offense and defense!
With the starters back on the court, the situation improved a bit. However, shortly after the Cavaliers' starters returned, Phil Jackson also subbed in Gasol and Manovich.
The two teams returned to a back-and-forth battle!
Fortunately, Tang Long scored consecutively after coming onto the court, making the score look better.
Despite this, by the end of the second quarter, the Lakers were leading the Cavaliers by six points, 23-17.
During the halftime break, Tang Long walked up to Mike Brown and said, "Coach Brown, we can't be so conservative. If we continue to play like this, forget about winning, the players' morale will be completely crushed by the Lakers."
Mike Brown's stubbornness flared up again. He glared at Tang Long and said, "As long as you execute the strategy, we will definitely win!"
Is this old man that confident?
What if they lose?