Chapter 484: Highly Efficient Opening
As the referee blew the whistle, the game began.
Garnett easily won the jump ball against Jordan. Starting in a game of this importance, Jordan was visibly nervous, and his reaction on the tip was half a beat slow.
Still, nerves are not always a bad thing. Sometimes they keep a player sharper, more alert, and more focused on every possession.
Fisher brought the ball across half court for the Lakers. On the first possession, the Suns showed a pseudo zone look, with Nash near the top and Chen Yan shading the wing.
Fisher did not even bother to disguise the play. He immediately lobbed the ball into the paint for Garnett.
This was part of Phil Jackson's plan before the game. Phoenix was thin inside tonight. Diaw lacked size, and Jordan lacked experience.
Garnett dribbled once with his right hand, then immediately used a jump step to attack the lane. Jordan saw the drive and rushed over to help, but Garnett slipped a pass inside to Camby.
Camby caught it, took 1 step toward the rim, and hammered home a 2 handed dunk.
0 to 2.
Jordan's inexperience showed on the very first possession.
"Guard your man!" D Antoni shouted from the sideline without sugarcoating it.
Jordan lowered his head like a kid who had just been scolded and sprinted to the other end. Chen Yan had already expected this before the game. The Lakers would definitely target Phoenix's weakened interior, but they also could not put all their defensive attention there. If they did, Kobe would get clean looks too easily.
Phoenix came down on offense.
Nash crossed half court, and Jordan quickly stepped up to set a screen at the top. Fisher used his veteran instincts and tried to beat the screen early, but Nash changed direction immediately and attacked the opposite side of the pick.
Fisher's lateral speed could not recover, and Camby stepped up too far. Nash turned the corner, accelerated, and finished with a low layup.
2 to 2.
Nash's first attack was decisive. With Stoudemire out, he knew he had to take on more offensively.
Back on offense, the Lakers adjusted. This time they used a half front to deny Garnett an easy catch in the paint.
Garnett was not a stationary post player. The moment he saw the coverage change, he floated up to the free throw line to receive the ball. Diaw followed immediately, since that area was also well within Garnett's shooting range.
Garnett did not shoot. Instead, he flowed into the Triangle offense with his teammates.
He facilitated from the free throw line, Walton spaced in the corner, and Camby held position on the low block.
Early on, the Lakers did not force the action through Kobe. Phil's plan was clear. Kobe was the safety valve and the one on one answer if the initial set stalled. Phil did not want him spending too much energy too early. Against a team like Phoenix, games like this were usually decided in the final minutes, and that was when stamina mattered most.
Garnett bounced the ball to Camby on the low block. Jordan might be emotional, but Camby's offensive game was limited, so he was not worried about getting overpowered.
Walton immediately cut along the baseline, took the pass from Camby, and went into a reverse layup, using both Camby and the rim as natural shields.
4 to 2.
Walton's basketball IQ was high, and he executed Phil Jackson's Triangle offense well. That was one reason he was in the starting lineup tonight.
On TNT, Kenny Smith said, "The Lakers are getting what they want early, set offense, good spacing, clean reads."
Barkley added, "And if they keep scoring in the half court, Phoenix cannot get out and run. That is a big deal tonight."
Phoenix came back with Nash handling up top again and calling for a pick and roll.
The action looked identical to the previous possession, but this time Chen Yan was the screener.
Fisher did not cheat the screen early. The Lakers switched after the pick. Kobe picked up Nash, and Fisher chased Chen Yan as he moved without the ball.
Nash dribbled to the right 45 degree area near the three point line, created space, then turned and fired the ball to Chen Yan, setting up the isolation against Fisher.
In last year's Western Conference Finals, Fisher had been repeatedly attacked by Chen Yan. Lakers fans spent the summer calling for a new point guard, but the front office never found one. Now the nightmare looked ready to begin again.
Chen Yan dribbled with his right hand, gave a quick jab, then snapped the ball across his body into his left hand.
No extra flair, just a clean, direct crossover.
He blew past Fisher with a simple change of direction.
Fisher did everything he could just to stay upright.
Garnett rotated over immediately to help. Phil Jackson had expected Fisher to be targeted, and his counter was Garnett's mobility. With his length, timing, and vertical ability, Garnett was one of the few bigs who could actually bother Chen Yan at the rim.
Chen Yan accelerated, got a step on Garnett, and whipped a wide pass to Diaw waiting in the corner.
Camby hesitated.
If he rushed out to contest Diaw, the lane would open behind him, and Azubuike only needed a lob for an easy finish. If he stayed home, Diaw had a clean shot.
After a brief pause, Camby chose to protect the paint.
A jump shot was still a lower percentage attempt than a dunk.
Diaw caught, adjusted, and knocked down the corner jumper.
Swish.
4 to 4.
The Lakers returned to the Triangle offense on the next possession, with Kobe still playing the safety valve role at the top.
This time the action was not as smooth, and the issue was again Camby. As a defensive anchor, he was elite, but his offensive skill set was limited.
Back in college, Camby had once stood shoulder to shoulder with Duncan. In their final NCAA seasons, Camby averaged 20.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks, while Duncan averaged 20.8 points, 14.7 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks.
Camby's defensive dominance helped him win both the John Wooden Award and the Naismith Award in his junior year. For a stretch, he even outshined Iverson and Duncan in public attention, and in one direct matchup he once held Duncan to 4 of 18 shooting.
That college résumé made Camby the No. 2 pick in the loaded 1996 draft class.
But in the NBA, the limitations of his offense were magnified, and that was why he never became a true first tier offensive big.
For this Lakers team, though, he did not need to be one. He only needed to anchor the defense. The scoring could be left to Kobe and Garnett.
Camby could not find anything in the post. Kobe suddenly sped up and cut toward the baseline. Azubuike stayed attached, and Camby, not trusting his own passing, did not dare force the pass.
The possession stalled.
Kobe faked the cut, then circled back toward Camby and finally got the ball.
The Lakers immediately understood the assignment and cleared the left side for Kobe to work in the post.
Kobe backed down Azubuike.
Azubuike was not as polished defensively as Raja Bell, but he was stronger and more explosive. Kobe could feel the extra resistance. Another reason it looked difficult was Chen Yan, who kept shifting along the 45 degree area near the free throw line, constantly threatening to bring a quick double team.
In that setup, Kobe could not spin toward the middle. That would have taken him directly into Phoenix's help.
After 3 hard bumps, Kobe decisively turned baseline.
Azubuike had anticipated it, because baseline was Kobe's only real option.
He slid early and beat Kobe to the spot.
Kobe was uncomfortable. The early read took away his ideal release point, and the shot clock was nearly gone.
He raised the ball high, planted on his right foot, stepped half a step to his right with his left, then suddenly turned into an extremely difficult fadeaway from a negative angle.
The crowd erupted.
Azubuike could only shake his head and run back. Kobe was the ceiling of tough shot making. Give him the slightest window and he could still score.
Phoenix answered by going back to Chen Yan.
Kobe tugged at his shorts and clearly wanted a possession on him, but Chen Yan had no interest in forcing that matchup. D Antoni had emphasized before the game that he needed to conserve energy.
Jordan came up to the high post to screen. The Lakers switched immediately, giving Chen Yan the exact matchup he wanted, a small against a big with Camby out on the perimeter.
Chen Yan used a series of crossovers to shift Camby's balance.
Camby was a Defensive Player of the Year, but his effective coverage ended around the free throw line. Beyond the three point arc, that was Chen Yan's territory.
Bang.
On the third crossover, Chen Yan snapped into a step back and created separation.
He held the ball in his left hand, stopped hard, and flashed his fake.
Camby sensed it might be a fake, but his body still reacted.
The instant Camby's center of gravity moved, Chen Yan exploded past him and beat him cleanly.
A textbook small against big attack.
Chen Yan drove to the rim with full speed. Garnett left Diaw and rotated over fast. Chen Yan took long strides and never flinched. On his second step inside the restricted area, he tightened through contact and rose.
The collision in the paint was violent.
Chen Yan had built up so much momentum that Garnett could not fully get off the floor after the impact. After a brief hang in the air, Chen Yan softened his hand and guided the ball in with his fingertips.
It was a subtle finish, soft touch under heavy contact.
6 to 6.
Both teams were extremely efficient to open the game.
.....
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