Chapter 1344: 31-Year-Old Tiechui Is Still an Iron Man

Barkley laughed, "The second quarter was really surprising. The Hammer showed how strong he is at the No. 4 position. And he had more rebounds than the first time, and he got a double-double in the second quarter, which was really surprising."

Kenny Smith said, "The reason for more rebounds at the No. 4 position is that he drove all the Lakers' offense to the weak side or outside the three-point line at the No. 4 position, with a lower hit rate, more rebounds, and longer rebounds. His advantage in grabbing rebounds at the No. 4 position should be greater because he faces the Lakers' outside line."

"The Lakers' main players were forced to play all the time. In the series, this is a problem for the physical fitness of the Lakers' main players. There are too many superstars in the main lineup, and the Lakers simply have no ability to build a substitute lineup. If the main lineup cannot destroy the Suns, then this series will be difficult for the Lakers." Kenny Smith said.

"Drummond also performed well in the second quarter. He made 2 of 2 shots and 0 of 2 free throws in a single quarter, and got 4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block, and 1 foul. He should be a rising star in the center position of the league." Barkley said.

At the beginning of the third quarter, Kobe took over the ball because of the big score deficit. After missing two shots in a row, he continued to ask for the ball, and then started to shoot continuously. He made 8 of 12 shots in a single quarter, including 4 of 7 three-pointers and 4 of 4 free throws, scoring 24 points. With his explosive performance, he blew up the Suns' outside line.

Li Ba returned to the fifth position and was double-teamed by Alian and Howard again. He did not provide enough help on the outside line and could not stop Kobe's attack.

At the end of the third quarter, 85:78, the Suns only led by 7 points.

Zhang Heli shouted: "It's not that the Suns played badly in this quarter. The hammer was double-teamed in the paint area, but he still made 5 of 6 shots and 2 of 4 free throws, and got 12 points and 5 rebounds, but Kobe performed too well. He scored no matter how he shot, and Paul also made two three-pointers. He really shot the Suns to death from the outside."

"It's not dead yet. We still have a 7-point advantage. I don't believe Kobe can still maintain this touch in the fourth quarter? This kind of touch is not sustainable."

Yu Jia said unconvinced.

Zhang Heli smiled and said, "That's right. This is a series. As long as the Suns maintain today's defensive strength, even if the outside line is blown up, the chances of reaching the Western Conference Finals are still great."

Xu Jicheng said, "Iron Hammer scored 35 points, 21 rebounds, 5 assists, 7 assists, 11 blocks, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls in three quarters. This performance is too strong, a triple-double + 5*5+30+20!"

Zhang Heli said, "We must win this game, otherwise the media will definitely say that Iron Hammer is brushing his data."

The fourth quarter started, the Suns attacked, and Li Ba found three people surrounding him.

"Oh, three-team one, the Lakers are killing it, Tony Allen also started to double-team Iron Hammer." Zhang Heli said in surprise.

"Now Jimmy Butler and Garnett are both open, Garnett can still shoot from the outside, there are too many people in the paint area, Jimmy Butler has no space to break through, and can only throw from the outside." Yu Jia shouted.

At this time, Garnett made an open jump shot and hit a goal.

Although Garnett scored an open shot, the Lakers did not change the three-on-one tactics and continued to defend Li Ba.

In this way, because the Lakers had an advantage in the number of people in the paint area, the protection of the backcourt rebounds was very strong, which made it impossible for Li Ba to attack and grab offensive rebounds for the second offense. The Suns' offense was only limited to the outside attack. If it was thrown in, it would count, but if it was not thrown in, there was no offensive rebound protection.

On the Lakers' own offensive end, the Lakers' tactics remained unchanged, with Yi Lian and Howard to contain Li Ba and provide offensive cover for the outside.

Although they were all outside attacks, the Lakers' outside strength was stronger. Although there were defenders, their efficiency was still better than the Suns' outside offense.

Although Garnett and Jimmy Butler repeatedly got open opportunities, their shooting percentage was not very high in the fourth quarter due to weakened physical strength.

In the fifth minute of the fourth quarter, 95:93, the Suns only led by 2 points.

At this time, the Suns changed their tactics. Jimmy Butler and Garnett, who were left alone, entered the paint area. As a result, the small paint area was filled with six people and was already crowded.

On the outside, Harden and Hill were still unable to beat Kobe and Paul.

There were still 5 minutes left in the game. The two teams were tied at 100, and the Suns added another timeout.

Back to the bench, Li Ba said to Payton: "Gary, I'll go to the fourth position and let Andre play."

Payton nodded. The tactics in the second quarter were very successful. He had wanted to play like that for a long time, but he was a little worried that rookie Drummond could not bear the pressure at the critical moment.

"Andre, you only have two tasks, guard the basket and grab rebounds." Li Ba said to Drummond.

"Boss, don't worry, I can do it." Drummond shouted excitedly.

Being sent to the court at the critical moment of the second round was very important to him. It was a trust and recognition of him by the team.

After the timeout, Li Ba came to the fourth position.

When Monramund moved to the basket, Howard had to follow him closely and could not double-team Li Ba. A-Lian could not keep up with Li Ba at all, and could only rely on Tony Allen's help to slow down Li Ba.

But Li Ba's turn and first step were faster than Tony Allen's. He kept moving and had no fixed position at all. It was difficult for the latter to keep up with Li Ba.

"Until now, the physical fitness of the hammer is still no problem. He is the real physical fitness freak in the league." Barkley exclaimed.

"At the age of 31, the Hammer is still in great shape. He is really an iron man!" Kenny Smith also praised.

At this time, Harden came to the top of the arc with the ball. Li Ba, who had just moved to the high position, suddenly changed direction, shook off Tony Allen, rushed to the top of the arc, and made a pick-and-roll screen for Harden.

Paul was blocked by Li Ba, as if blocked by a wall, so Harden got an open position, took a three-pointer, and hit a goal.

The Lakers attacked, and Yi Jianlian pulled to the bottom corner of the right wing, trying to pull Li Ba over, but Li Ba pointed with his big hand and shouted to Jimmy Butler: "Switch defense."

Jimmy Butler made up for Yi Jianlian, but Li Ba did not switch to Tony Allen, but rushed to Paul at the top of the arc.

Paul quickly passed the ball to Tony Allen in the open position on the left wing, and then ran to the left wing himself, ready to receive the pass.

Tony Allen rushed to the paint area with the ball, and Li Ba quickly turned around and rushed to the former.

Tony Allen saw it and immediately passed it back to Paul.

Because he was afraid that Li Ba would steal the ball, he didn't pass it in a straight line, and the arc was a bit high.

At this moment, Li Ba turned around and rushed to Paul again.

As soon as Paul received the ball, he knew it was not good, because Li Ba had already rushed to him two steps ahead, and Harden also chased to the side, so he could only force the shot.