Tiredness is the current rhythm of this Lakers team. In the second half of the third quarter, although Tang Qian performed well, he still couldn't stop the score difference from gradually widening. To be honest, the Pacers' shooting rate was not high.

33.1%, but the Lakers' shooting percentage in this quarter was lower, around 18.9%. If Gasol hadn't scored a 5-pointer in one breath, the Lakers would have fallen into a scoring drought in the second half.

Well, it seems to Tang Qian that the scoring drought has begun.

72-61, trailing by 11 points entering the fourth quarter.

Tang Qian got 1 block, 7 rebounds and 1 assist in this quarter.

Under the intimidation of Tang Qian inside, the Pacers slowed down their attack on the inside in the third quarter.

"Bryant, do you want to come down and take a rest? You haven't had a rest in three quarters." Mike D'Antoni asked, but in fact, his heart was very tangled and complicated. Because letting Kobe off the court would mean facing

With the extremely defensive Pacers, the Lakers are basically done. It's impossible to catch up.

With No. 24 on the court, the Lakers have the possibility of a miracle happening, but... this will definitely cause Kobe's physical exhaustion to be even more serious. So Mike D'Antoni is very "conflicted" in his heart.

I not only hope that Kobe can come down and take a rest, but also hope that Kobe can continue to play and break out to help the Lakers turn around the situation.

Kobe took big gulps to replenish water, shook his head and said, "No need for now, I can still hold on."

"Bryant, you'd better go down and rest for a few minutes. Your body won't be able to bear it if you play for a long time continuously." Tang Qian also spoke, but was also rejected by Kobe: "There are only 12 minutes left, bite the bullet."

That’s fine, I’m fine.”

"But……"

"I have no problem, everyone should take the time to rest, and we must defeat the Indianapolis tonight!" Kobe interrupted Tang Qian's words, shouted an encouraging word, then closed his eyes and continued to drink sports drinks.

The game started in the fourth quarter, and by this moment, Tang Qian had given up any "challenging tasks" because winning was the key.

The rest is nothing.

The rest is secondary.

And he has endured it until now, and he can finally...

Gold defense card activated!

Within 12 minutes, defensive ability increases by 100%!

A few minutes later, the Pacers were almost stunned. Isn't it because the Lakers' inside line was too difficult to break? This is simply Shura Hell. Once you enter, you will have a narrow escape!

For 3 minutes and 39 seconds, the Pacers did not score a point.

The Lakers scored 4 points on free throws under Kobe's forced breakthrough.

72-65, the Lakers are still 7 points behind.

"Is that guy a monster? It seems that no matter which direction I cut in, I will run into him!" Lance Stephenson was the first to complain, with an extremely depressed expression, because he was originally an outside player who was good at breakthroughs. If he made a breakthrough,

If you are blocked, the threat of attack will be reduced by 60 to 70% immediately.

"It's a bit exaggerated." David West, the oldest member of the starting lineup, also said: "I've had several shots under the basket blocked. Even if I go to Gasol's side, he seems to be following me everywhere.

, will appear at the basket to protect the basket at any time! If nothing else, just tonight, he is enough to be called a core defensive player!"

"Try to break through and score!" Frank Vogel, the head coach of the Pacers, suggested. This is a very simple but very effective solution. No matter how strong you are, there are always defensive limits, right?

It's always OK to attract your defensive attention and let your teammates play the time difference, right?

"Okay." George Hill and Paul George both nodded, thinking that this method could be tried.

Because the Pacers are a "retro style of play in the 1990s", inside offense and scoring inside are very important. Long-range attacks from the outside are just assists, and it is difficult to kill people. If you want to win this game, inside

Open, that's the key.

But less than 2 minutes later, the Pacers called another timeout. For no other reason, even if they used a breakthrough ball, they still couldn't penetrate the Lakers' interior barrier. And I don't know if the Oriental center was eaten tonight.

What kind of medicine, his sense of steal is far better than usual. In less than 2 minutes, he got his third steal. As a result, the Pacers broke through and did not dare to throw the ball casually.

"This Eastern center is not simple. Even when he is in full swing, he is too fierce." George Hill's words represent the voice of the entire Pacers team. Everyone thinks that No. 29 is too scary defensively.

Finally, head coach Frank Vogel opened his mouth and said: "After all, he is the one who hit 32 big shots just yesterday. We cannot take it lightly. Maybe his defensive ability can compete with the peak Howard."

"Then what should we do? Sir? We can't let our opponents catch up step by step, right?" Lance Stephenson asked impatiently. Frank Vogel smiled and said: "There's no need for this, after all, we are ahead now.

It's still us, isn't it? We just need to shift our offensive points in the next period, focusing on mid-range shots and three-pointers..."

"But Mr. Vogel, our team's strengths are not mid-range shots and three-pointers. Isn't it too risky to play like this?" David West, the oldest of the five starters, interjected and asked.

"Yes, mid-range shots and three-pointers are indeed not our Pacers' strengths this season, but..." Frank Vogel's eyes flashed and he replied: "Scoring inside the basket is our strongest point.

What? NONONO~Our strongest point has never been scoring, but defense, defense, everyone~"

One word awakens the dreamer.

Indeed, the Pacers averaged only 94+ points per game this season, ranking lower in the league.

But the average points lost per game is only 90+. Besides the Grizzlies, who else can beat them?

So what Frank Vogel said is not wrong at all.

Seeing that the players all understood, Frank Vogel smiled and said: "As long as we let them score fewer points and use outside shots like this, it will be enough to maintain the victory. Are you right?"

"That's right! Mr. Vogel!!!" The entire Pacers team suddenly felt strong confidence.

Frank Vogel's coaching ability is extremely outstanding when he can transform a turbulent ordinary team into a top-three seeded team in the Eastern Conference in less than three years.

Therefore, his prestige within the Pacers is much greater than that of Mike D'Antoni with the Lakers.

This is also Frank Vogel's ideal team state, convinced and orderly.

It's a pity that the Lakers only scored 1 point in the past 2 minutes. Kobe made 1 of 2 free throws, losing the best point to equalize the score. Later, the Lakers were in huge trouble.

72-66, the score started to change quietly from here.

The Pacers have increased their overall defensive strength!

If it had been level B just now, it suddenly jumped to level A, or even level A+.

This made the Lakers, who were already weak offensively, even more miserable.

This is the power of a strong defensive team. It can strengthen its defensive intensity at any time. For example, the current Lakers team wants to strengthen, but they can't. They can only become more and more chaotic as they play.

The third consecutive ball hit the basket!

The Lakers' shooting percentage is declining sharply!

Tang Qian also felt great pressure. In the frequent physical confrontations, if he had not used a golden ability card, his physical fitness would have declined and his defensive status would have been greatly reduced. The high-intensity confrontation at the starting level made Tang Qian's

Physical fitness is becoming increasingly stretched.

Fortunately, now, there is no need to worry about this for the time being.

Tang Qian also devoted 100% of his defensive concentration, trying his best to make the Pacers' interior shots useless.

But soon, he discovered a problem.

The Pacers' offensive firepower has moved outward!

This is definitely not good news or a sign, because as a center, he can only exert his greatest intimidation power in the penalty area and can "defend one against five". If he is caught out, no matter how strong he is, he can only "defend one against one".

”. Moreover, in this way, the protection of the rebound may be lost, which is not worth the gain.

Normally, it's okay. Tang Qian can make up for it. Anyway, he has firepower on the offensive end and doesn't care about one or two rebounds.

However, the current Lakers lack Nash's ability to deliver artillery shells, coupled with overall physical problems, their firepower has already cooled down, which is greatly reduced. Against the fiercely defensive Pacers, every ball is more difficult to attack, which makes the score

The difference is expanded invisibly.

Obviously, being behind by 10 points against the Suns and being behind by 10 points against the Pacers have completely different meanings.

The former is just difficult, the latter can make you despair.

What is a defensive team? The Pacers this season have a 10-point advantage in their hands, which is enough to be like a chasm.

Focusing on outside shots, the shooting rate will certainly not be too high, and the Pacers are not a team famous for shooting. During this period, the shooting rate did not exceed 30%, but they can't stand it... They can still score goals.

No matter how low the shooting rate is, it can still score, right? And what about the Lakers? Within a few minutes, they almost failed to fire, and under the strong defense of the Pacers, they did not score a single point.

At this time, there are only 2 minutes and 15 seconds left in the game.

77-66, the Lakers are still 11 points behind their opponents.

The situation is enough to make people desperate.

Mike D'Antoni called a timeout so that the team could take a breath and rest, but that was all.

He has no magic and cannot help the Lakers collectively recover their physical fitness, collectively improve their defense, and collectively explode into shape.

This is the head coach's "powerless area".

In another minute, although Kobe Bryant of the Lakers forced his way into the paint and made 4 free throws, his physical fitness declined too much, and only 2 of the 4 free throws hit the Pacers' basket.

77-68, the Pacers lead the Lakers by 9 points.

Tang Qian made a desperate save and blocked Paul George's shot, but there were only 57 seconds left.

After Tang Qian got the ball, Mike D'Antoni's timeout request took effect immediately.

But the bright red score is dazzling.

Compared to the happy Pacers bench, the Lakers bench was silent.
To be continued...