On June 8, the second battle between the two sides began.←

NBA history has not had a team that could finally turn the tables after losing the first two games of the finals. Jackson did some mobilization work in the locker room and adjusted the starting lineup.

Payton, Kobe, George, Medvedonko, O'Neal.

Nets starters: Kidd, Wang Jun, Kitels, Martin, and Collins.

At the beginning, the Lakers defended the joint defense, Medvedenko was in charge of the middle, George was in the low post, Kobe and Payton were on both sides.

This formation works very well when defending Wang Jun. He can quickly switch defenses when encountering pick-and-roll George, but O'Neal's main defense side still has weaknesses.

O'Neal couldn't say it was wrong if he didn't guard against it, because the Nets power forward was Martin who had a very fast cut speed, so he couldn't have a big man at the basket.

The Nets' tactics are the same as when they are on the court. They defend O'Neal alone, strictly prevent others, shoot in the outside field, and immediately shrink double-team if they want to enter the penalty area.

This is the current starting point for the Lakers, and all five of them are not accurate in three points.

George and Kobe each made three-pointers in the first quarter, but both missed the basket. Knowing that the three-pointer was not good, the Lakers players did not make random moves and tried to hit the spot close to the basket.

The distance is close, but it cannot create space. It would be strange if the shooting rate is high when facing people.

Kenny Smith commented: "The Lakers' signings were very successful in the summer. The only problem is that they did not introduce pitchers. They lost three-pointers last season, and their weaknesses remained this season. This is a mistake from the management."

Barkley said disdainfully: "If some Lakers players were not as arrogant as they were, even without three-pointers, I think they might have beaten the Nets, at least they wouldn't have lost as much as they did on the court."

Barkley is talking about the OK combination, and they still cannot reach a consensus and do not cooperate. Whoever takes the ball will attack.

O'Neal and Kobe had no communication at all. It was useless for Jackson to mediate from it, unless he could control the thinking of these two people with a game console.

When receiving the ball at a low post, O'Neal will never give it to Kobe. O'Neal will be in a position, and Kobe won't pass it. He would rather fight Kittles alone, a defensive strong point that is difficult to break through.

Teammates often don’t touch the ball and end in one round.

O'Neal also said before the game: "The first failure caught our attention. We knew we would not fall down, and we would make the right adjustments."

The result of the adjustment is that there is not much change from the appearance.

The Lakers easily defeated the Nets in two games in the regular season, relying on quick conversion of the ball and constant cover and cooperation. Now they don’t even play pick-and-roll, and from a tactical perspective, they look like an amateur team.

Relying on his super personal ability of the stars, the Lakers did not suffer any losses in the first quarter. The Nets fell behind 21 to 25.

But except for the OK combination, everyone else is a spectator, and it is difficult to ensure efficiency when playing like this throughout the game.

O'Neal rested in the second quarter, Kobe continued to lead the substitute, and his teammates were Fisher, Rush, Fox, and Cook.

Brian Cook's chance to play indicates that there is no one available in the Lakers' inside.

On the Nets side, Kittels, Wang Jun and Jefferson played together, and Rodney and Mourning were on the inside.

The Nets played high pick-and-rolls with Jefferson and Mooning, and the other three were waiting for opportunities to shoot three-pointers on the outside and quickly overtook the score.

On the defensive end, Cook has no sense of existence. His only function is to pick up rebounds. He does not like to fight, has poor defense and lacks blocking ability.

Jefferson rushed up and Cook watched him layup, giving people the feeling that he was following the defense, but he had no physical contact and could not cover it even if he jumped up once. He had never stuck the breakthrough route.

Rush doubled Jefferson twice, but Morning made two mid-range shots at high positions.

O'Neal's game, the Lakers' offense was in trouble. As soon as Kobe broke through, he was double-teamed by two or three people. The Nets defended 122. They recognized it after being split into the periphery.

Kobe made several breakthroughs, assisting Fisher and Rush each made a three-pointer on the outside, and the effect was pretty good.

But Kobe was not satisfied with his data and forced to change his playing style. Facing Kittles at mid- and long distance, Jefferson's defensive jump shot and hit the iron.

Kobe is not responsible for breaking through and passing the ball, so no one else in the Lakers can break through. Even if the Nets do not shrink, their skills are limited.

The Nets are defending Kobe's personality, and they have been strictly preventing him from scoring easily, so they can pass the ball.

This is a selfless series. As long as Kobecon puts breakthrough and passes first, he is fully capable of attracting double teams and shaking the overall defense of the Nets. Several substitute teammates, including Cook, are good at three-pointers.

Unfortunately, Kobe has been spoiled by the Lakers. He is used to O'Neal's defensive help, rather than making others successful.

After playing for five minutes, the Nets overtook 8 points. Veteran Fox had only one magical touch during this period, but it was immediately passed out after being targeted on the offensive end. He was completely "six kids" on the court.

The Lakers did not shrink, Jefferson took care of Cook, and the contraction was even worse.

The Nets were blooming at multiple points, Kittles and Rodney each hit a three-pointer. The Lakers strictly guarded against Wang Jun, and the others could also shoot three-pointers.

The Lakers replaced Cook, Fox, O'Neal, and Walton.

Morning pushed O'Neal for a while, and was replaced with two fouls. O'Neal made 2 of 4 free throws. Aaron Williams went on and continued to defend O'Neal alone and gave him a free throw.

The midfield Nets lead 50-46.

Barkley commented: "The Nets are just defending O'Neal alone. If you defend, you can fight back. If you score a goal, you will be in the position. This year, the Nets have improved and you will not be afraid of fighting the position or the opponent at all."

Smith smiled: "The Nets' defense is very targeted. O'Neal likes this rhythm. It is a nightmare for Kobe. It is difficult for him to play. Especially when he is on the court with O'Neal, there is not enough room for breakthrough."

Barkley smiled and said, "If O'Neal could hit free throws stably, the Lakers would definitely win, but now the Nets are in charge of the situation. Kobe will have better results in playing without the ball at this time, and his teammates' shooting percentage is much higher than him."

O'Neal's efficiency is not just an offense, because the Nets do not pay attention to grabbing frontcourt rebounds, and as long as the ball bounces towards him, they can easily be won.

In this quarter, the Nets' offense was blocked and they were overtaken by 3 points 67 to 70.

O'Neal scored 28 points and 16 rebounds, but it was still on the premise of 8 of 16 free throws, otherwise the data would be even more terrifying.

In many rounds, Scala Bryan and Rodney couldn't even make fouls.

During the break, Lawrence wanted to change his tactics and let the players double-team O'Neal, and Kidd raised objections.

"Continue to defend alone and strictly prevent the outside line. Our defense is not bad, what are you afraid of if the Lakers scored 70 points? None of the other Lakers scored in double-digit points. Isn't this a success?"

Lawrence shook his head and said, "If nothing happened, O'Neal may score 40+20 today."

"If the foul is made, he will be free throws. If he is right, it will be our bad luck. It will be more troublesome if the Lakers shoot from the outside." Kidd retorted loudly, he is more like a coach now.

The first assistant coach Larry Drew chose to support Kidd. "I agree with Jason's plan. O'Neal's free throws are not accurate today. We just made fouls before and were not determined enough. He was already very tired in the fourth quarter. He can win by fighting on the offense as long as he shoots."
Chapter completed!