20demayo Chapter 14: Data First, Match Second!
Chapter 14: Data First, Match Second!
Lin Ze caught the basketball that O'Neal had stolen and immediately passed it to Hubble. Hubble, Kobe, and Rice all sprinted towards the frontcourt at the same time. After passing the ball back and forth several times, Rice finally finished the play!
This is also one of the biggest advantages of the Lakers' current roster: although they do not have a pure point guard, their three perimeter players all have a certain ability to organize and pass.
Even when Lin Ze praised O'Neal just now, it wasn't just empty talk. He said it to make O'Neal happy and pass the ball to him more often, and also because O'Neal really could pass!
In this year in history, the Lakers' second-highest average assists per game belonged to Shaquille O'Neal!
He averages close to four assists per game, and his passing after being double-teamed in the paint is one of the Lakers' most lethal weapons.
In addition, although no player on the Lakers team has more than 5 assists, Kobe, Harper, and Fisher all average more than 3 assists per game. The Lakers may not have any playmaking masters, but they are definitely not a team that relies heavily on one-on-one play.
After Rice scored, the Lakers played quite smoothly for the rest of the game. Kobe and O'Neal took turns initiating attacks. With these two on the court, the Lakers could easily set up the basic triangle offense formation.
With Kobe and Shaq positioned on one side, one inside and one outside, and another player standing in the bottom corner, the three can form a stable triangle.
Regardless of whether it's Kobe or Shaq with the ball, if the opponent doesn't double-team them, they can score based on their individual abilities.
If the opponent double-teams, then no matter which team it is, they certainly won't dare to leave Kobe or Shaq alone. In that case, the player standing in the corner will get an easy open shot.
This is actually the basic concept of the triangle offense, and it is also the biggest difference between it and other tactics.
The core of other tactical systems is to create open opportunities for players, allowing them to take shots as easily and comfortably as possible.
The core of the triangle offense is star players going one-on-one, creating 1-on-1 opportunities for them.
This is why the triangle offense, while seemingly simple, is actually quite complex.
To play the triangle offense, you first need a superstar who can draw the defense and shoot endlessly, and who can find open teammates even when double-teamed.
This single fundamental element prevents 90% of teams from playing the triangle offense.
Furthermore, this is just the most basic triangle formation. The specific triangle offense also includes complex positioning, strong and weak side transitions, screens, picks and rolls, cuts, and reverse runs, all of which are essential elements of the triangle offense.
However, now that the Lakers have Kobe and Shaq, they can start with the simplest and most basic triangle offense!
As the team's most accurate and consistent player in the preseason, Lin Ze has now become a beneficiary of the triangle offense. In tonight's game, Jackson placed Lin Ze more often in the strong side corner.
So whether it was Kobe's drive drawing double teams or O'Neal's low-post isolation drawing double teams, the open shot always ended up on Lin Ze.
He did not disappoint the team, hitting two three-pointers in the first quarter!
Lin Ze's preseason form has successfully carried over into the regular season!
With Lin Ze on fire, the Lakers outscored the Bulls 28-12 in the first quarter, taking a 16-point lead.
In the second quarter, the Lakers unleashed an overwhelming offensive barrage, outscoring the Bulls by another 11 points.
Halftime score: 60-33!
The Lakers lead the Bulls by 27 points; the former champions are showing signs of decline!
And that's not the end.
During halftime, Jackson gave the order: "Not enough! Keep attacking like crazy in the third quarter. If you're not leading by 40 points in the third quarter, none of you need to rest. You can only rest when you're leading by 40 points!"
Jackson, he truly hated him!
He had even prepared text messages and emails, just waiting for the game to thrash the Bulls so he could send his sincerest greetings to Krause!
After Jackson gave the order to keep playing aggressively, the Lakers players naturally didn't dare to hold back at all in the third quarter!
However, the Lakers didn't just dominate in the second half. They started to make some tactical changes, forming different triangle patterns to allow the players to adapt to and refine their tactics.
For example, with 7 minutes left in the third quarter, Kobe was backing down the ball in the low post, Rice was waving his hand at the high post to receive the ball, and then Lin Ze in the corner suddenly accelerated and cut to the basket.
This completely disrupted the Bulls' defense, and Lin Ze easily received the ball from Kobe, drove to the basket and made a layup, easily scoring 2 points for the Lakers.
As for Brand?
This guy was sent flying by O'Neal's butt. Forget about helping on defense, he's strong and healthy enough to deserve the title of number one draft pick if his kidney didn't break!
"Shaq! Great block!" After scoring, Lin Ze reached out and high-fived O'Neal, and then, as he turned around, he slapped Kobe's butt with a "smack".
"Great news!"
"You don't need to tell me," Kobe muttered, but he didn't express any dissatisfaction with Lin Ze. Instead, he rubbed his butt and started to return to defense.
A few minutes later, O'Neal got the ball in the low post and probed Brand's defense.
Before he even began his attack, Brand, feeling like he'd already broken five ribs, screamed, "Flank! Flank!"
Kukoc glanced at him, then had no choice but to let Lin Ze go again and quickly ran towards O'Neal in the paint.
O'Neal immediately passed the ball to Lin Ze, who was left open on the baseline again, and he made another three-pointer!
With a sharp "swish," the Lakers' lead reached 36 points! There were 3 minutes and 11 seconds left in the third quarter.
"Kobe, Glenn, Ron, come down and rest." Taking advantage of a dead ball situation, Jackson stood up and said, "Derrick, Rick, Robert, the three of you up! Shaq, watch the stats!"
After saying that, Jackson sat back down on the bench and stopped talking.
Pay attention to technical statistics?
"What do you mean, Lin?" O'Neal looked at Lin Ze and asked, "Is there anything I should be aware of?"
"Triple-double, Shaq! Triple-double!" Lin Ze reminded him, "Don't you look at the stats when you play?"
"Who would look at that stuff for no reason?" O'Neal muttered, but still looked up at the statistics on the big screen. He then realized that he had 27 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists, with the 8 assists tying his Lakers career high.
"Pass me the ball!" Lin Ze revealed his true colors: "I'll risk everything to help you get your first triple-double in your Lakers career!"
And my first real 20+ point game in my Lakers career!