After three consecutive 30+ games and publicly saying that "sometimes we don't know what we do on both offensive and defensive ends", Anthony Davis finally retired from his familiar air slashing group and pulled the Lakers back to the ICU with an extremely solid 25 points, 23 rebounds and 6 assists.
Before the thick eyebrows, in the 77-year team history of the Lakers, only Abdul-Jabbar and O'Neal used 60% of the crosshairs to cut this kind of playoff data.
The 25 points all came from the restricted area, a game-high 23 boards. After 12 games of grinding on the ears and temples, the battle between the Lakers and the Nuggets has no hole cards at all, all the strategies are on the table, and the two data of the thick eyebrows are like two sledgehammers, smashed firmly on the heart of the Nuggets.
"Our interior defense was almost a joke and it felt like we should have broken a certain record tonight. Every timeout, I was emphasizing the interior defense. This is the first time we've lost a rebound so far in the series. "Coach Malone's instincts are accurate - throughout the game, the Lakers exploded 72 points inside the Nuggets, setting a 25-year record for the entire league.
With both teams crushing each other's three-point footprint to less than 31% of the slag, the mid-range dry draw and interior hand-to-hand combat are the best solutions for the Retro Flow Series. The margin of holding the match point and the subconscious to avoid fouls made the Nuggets start slowly, but the "desperate" Lakers will not let go of this, they changed the offensive sluggishness of the previous games (especially in the second half), 4 of the starting five scored 20+, the same as the Nuggets in the last game, and even the most criticized Russell once again shot 50% of the crosshairs and single-handedly shot half of the Lakers' three-pointers.
The tactics of playing the inside line were resolutely implemented by the Lakers in a desperate situation, and the recovery of outside firepower liberated the space for thick eyebrows to attack the basket, James, Reaves and Russell were all playing with thick eyebrows to quickly cut the basket and dismantle, and the rest of the players saw the opportunity to cut into the restricted area. The Nuggets' vaunted tactic of "drawing out thick eyebrows and others cutting the basket" was returned by the Lakers, and at this moment, thick eyebrows are the Lakers' Jokic - a team-high 6 assists.
The Lakers finally implemented the strategy of "blocking and dismantling around thick eyebrows" to the end, which is Thick Eyebrow's favorite way to attack, as long as he gets up after blocking, very few people can guard him.
Zhan Mei blocked and dismantled the rivers and lakes, but James became the top of the arc dealer, and the thick eyebrows used his height and speed to penetrate the Nuggets defense. This style of painting is very similar to the Nuggets who moved their thick eyebrows out of the restricted area in the first two games.
This round is a perfect reproduction of the Murray-Jokic Gordon connection. It's just that it was Reeves who instigated the blocking, it was the thick eyebrows that went down the ball after receiving the ball, and it was James who slipped the bottom line and cut into the cake.
James in this game is no longer just playing the role of the face frame operator, he can continuously bukkake Gordon with his back, can seize the retreat hole and decisively rush the frame, can deal cards at the top of the arc, and can also play the role of Gordon when Reeves and Russell are holding the ball - this is actually what he should be good at, like Gordon, using his body shape in the fourth position and the speed of the third position, using the off-ball to rush the frame more easily.
In a desperate 0-3 situation, the Lakers unexpectedly put everyone in their comfort zone. Russell and Reaves had the ball and their own rhythm (Shuila didn't have to sit alone to eat), James was able to play more easily while handing over the ball, and Hachimura found his shooting and air cut. And the thick eyebrows, which are the pillars of this system, are like a heavy rain that takes away the moisture that lasts for several days, and it has never been refreshing.
On the other hand, the thick eyebrows' desire to protect rebounds is also unprecedentedly high, and this round directly grabbed the front board directly above the heads of Jokic and Porter Jr., which can be called the epitome of the whole court. He confessed after the game: "When I see a rebound, I try to grab it, and if the opportunity presents itself, I have to grab it." They're very good at rebounding, and they hurt us a lot on the offense, so I want to make sure I get every rebound. ”
Before the game, thick eyebrows pointed out the Lakers' rebounding problem several times: "Everyone is expecting others to grab the rebound, not us to grab it ourselves." So this time he did it himself, took half of the team's rebounds, and the Nuggets blew up the Lakers' front board in three consecutive games, and this time it was only one lead, and the thick eyebrows once again verified Akagi Gangken's famous words - control the rebound, really control the game.
"He dominated the rebounds today, 20 of them were defensive rebounds, and that's the key to us getting on the offense and doing what we wanted to do. James said after the game.
There is no need to emphasize the importance of thick eyebrows to this Lakers team, although he has lost to Xiao Sa for 8 consecutive years and faced Jokic with 10 consecutive losses, so that he passively took over the black pot of the Lakers' decline. But the performance of Thick Mei himself has always been remarkable, and he has always been the pillar of both offensive and defensive ends. After four games, we can say this - in the face of the bitter Nuggets and Jokic, healthy thick eyebrows are the biggest confidence for the Lakers to win a glimmer of life.
Of course, this is only the first playoff game the Lakers have won, and there are still three games left to turn the tables theoretically. The Nuggets, who are back at home, will not only wear slippers for shooting drills, nor will they be as slack as they were at the start of today, and even have many problems with untimely defense. The Lakers have given it their all, but the Nuggets still have more room for error and room to play.
It's just that Anthony Davis, who has just turned 31, is still a top center who can stand shoulder to shoulder with Jokic and Embiid. The awakened version of the Lakers based on him will not give the opponent much leeway.
Can the Lakers win one more game?
Bing has a ball waiting for you tonight