When he came back from the break, Brooks replaced the out-of-control Durant with Harden.
Although Westbrook was still a little unconvinced by the Thunder's offense, Li Ze's performance had already woken him up, so he decided not to go head-on with Li Ze.
After observing for a while, Westbrook finally found an opportunity. When he wanted to pass the ball to Harden, who was empty, the ball flew past Li Ze. Li Ze subconsciously stretched out his hand. Although he did not break it, he slightly changed the trajectory of the ball, causing Harden to receive the ball unsteadily.
When Kobe saw this situation, of course, he would not let it go. Before Harden could stabilize himself, he reached out and took the ball.
When Li Ze saw that the ball had been stolen, he immediately sped up and ran to the front field to perform a fast attack.
Kobe understood and threw the ball into the air. With a violent slam dunk, he gave the audience a visual feast. The Thunderclap fans enjoyed it once again. Although they might not want to, they had to force it!
The interception and fast break boosted the momentum of the Los Angeles team. The Thunder completely avoided Li Ze on the offensive end and handed the ball to Harden, who was more stable on the outside.
Harden had become the Thunderclap's main attacker at this time. No matter how strong Li Ze's defensive ability was, he could not take care of it at all. Fortunately, Harden's condition was normal today. He did not reach the explosive state, so the difference between the two teams did not change much.
However, the Thunderclap could not defend against the Lakers. Kobe was in good shape today. If they defended against Li Ze with all their might, Kobe would be able to score. If they defended against Kobe, Li Ze would be able to head into the basket without any restraint.
Under such circumstances, Thunderclap made another substitution.
He replaced Westbrook, who had been playing until now, with Fisher, the old man who would green Matt Baines later.
Like Durant, Westbrook played well in the first four minutes, but after being blocked by Li Ze, he was a little dizzy and his performance began to be normal.
When Mike Brown saw the Thunder's head coach, Brooks, replace Durant and Westbrook one after another, he immediately waved his hand and signaled for Li Ze and Kobe to be replaced. These were the two best players on the field.
Li Ze had already gotten eight points, four blocks, and three bouncers in the first quarter. He was the best player on the court. His appearance helped the Los Angeles team open up the game.
After Li Ze went down, the Los Angeles team played with Bynum as the core.
Although Bynum's performance at the start was not good, it was more than enough to play against the Thunder's reserve.
The Thunder's offensive tactics did not change much, just the players executing them. Durant and Westbrook were the ones who played, and now Harden was the one.
However, Li Ze's departure gave the Thunderclap a chance to breathe on both the defensive and offensive ends.
On the other hand, Li Ze's departure had a huge impact on the team. At this time, although the inside of the team was still Pau's loss to Bynum, without Kobe on the outside, their scoring ability and ball control ability were far inferior to the Thunder. Their offense against the Thunder was not as sharp as when Li Ze was present.
The Thunderclap gradually gained the upper hand on the court. They began to show their strength as the second-best player in the Western Conference. On the other hand, the Laker team was struggling to hold on with the combination of Gasol and Bynum inside the paint. It was probably because of Li Ze's provocation that Bynum was particularly active when playing as a substitute. It could be said that he had used 200% of his strength.
In the last minute and a half of the first quarter, Mike Brown replaced all the main players with substitutes. The Thunder did the same, letting Harden continue to play with substitutes.
"Without Kobe and Li Ze, it can be seen that the Lakers are no match for the Thunderclap. The gap between them is obvious!”Barkley said as he looked at the situation on the field.
"That's right. I admit that with and without Li Ze and Kobe, the Laker are two different teams. However, Mike Brown doesn't want them to play separately, but together. The main reason is that he wants to maximize Li Ze's deterrence under the basket when Kobe is present!”Jabbar also gave his opinion.
The first quarter was quickly over. The Thunderclap reversed the situation by six points in the four minutes when Li Ze and Kobe were not around. They led the Los Angeles Clippers by five points, 35 - 30, into the second quarter.
…………
Finally, I've written the update.
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