CHAPTER 1260: CHAPTER 510: TONIGHT IS CHAMPIONSHIP NIGHT!

If they were still in a stalemate now, Garnett would opt to stick to regular defense. Zhang Yang handling the ball with a pick-and-roll offense, he and Kidd’s defensive combination is confident in creating substantial shooting interference for Zhang Yang. Felton’s most stable three-point spots are the top arc and the fixed angles on both corner sides; other positions are not as steady. If they insist on shooting, they can be left open to avoid showing obvious defensive weaknesses and being overwhelmed by the opponent.

But now, the Lakers’ goal is to reduce the point difference to a relatively safe range of 1-2 balls in the third quarter. If possible, they want to equalize or even surpass the score. They’ve started to fight hard, undoubtedly wanting the best outcome... then they can only take a chance on defense!

When the Lakers received the ball, Garnett called the teammates together and gave some instructions.

Fisher received Kidd’s pass and advanced to the frontcourt, passed to the high post Garnett, who then passed, Kidd ran to the left baseline to catch the ball, and in one motion tossed it over the basket to the right baseline. Kobe received the ball, turned, and took a fadeaway mid-range shot... hit!

Switching offense and defense, Zhang Yang continued to play ball-handling pick-and-roll, but this time as he broke in, Garnett waited until Kidd was in position to block and then retreated to the high position, covering the entire 45-degree angle on the right side.

Zhang Yang did not hesitate, headed straight to the inside, stepping through Kidd and Kwame Brown’s double team to make a layup!

This time the delay provided by Garnett was insufficient, Kidd and Kwame Brown’s mobility were a bit lacking. Although there was interference, Zhang Yang’s speed and basket-attack ability were enough to handle it!

This is the pit dug by the Lakers’ initial misjudgment on Gasol. The Nuggets repeatedly utilized Garnett’s break time after the second round, relying on Iverson and JR Smith’s speed to impact the inside and create outbursts...

The 96 Golden Generation double guards scored 5 points consecutively, and the 05 Golden Generation double guards also scored 5 points consecutively! 75 to 65, the Bobcats maintained a 10-point advantage!

The top players from the 2005 class are Zhang Yang, Paul, Deron, Bynum, Granger; the second tier includes Felton, David Lee, Monta Ellis, Bogut; the third tier has Louis Williams, Marvin Williams, Blatche who also have the potential to make it, but it was originally only regarded as a big draft year like the 95 class or 97-99 class. But Zhang Yang led the team to 70 wins this year, won the MVP, was elected to the first team, and led the team to the finals again... just as Curry would elevate the 09 class to the ’draft golden year’, media also started using ’Golden Generation’ to describe the 2005 class!

Next, in the few minutes before and after the official timeout, both teams fought fiercely.

Fisher was strong under pressure in critical moments, posing a big threat with his three-point shooting. Kidd could shoot threes, and someone had to guard the rim when he cut in. Ball possession was distributed well, passes were precise. Garnett facilitated well, though his mid-range shot was a bit off, his screening and cutting pulling worked well. Kobe was fierce both in isolations and catch-and-shoots. Kwame Brown, surprisingly, did not fumble on the offensive end... The Bobcats stuck to fundamental defense, but indeed couldn’t hold them off, allowing the Lakers to score 16 points in about 6 minutes, but!

The aggressive Bobcats relied on offense to withstand the Lakers’ counterattack, scoring 13 points during this period!

to 88, after half a quarter of fighting, the Lakers only regained one ball!

When it was the Lakers’ turn to attack, Kobe, who scored 13 points in the last 9 minutes of the game, took on Afflalo, who just rotated onto the court, and missed a long two-pointer with a turnaround jump shot!

Turning back, Zhang Yang, who scored 12 points in the 9 minutes of the third quarter, missed a step-back fadeaway under Kobe’s tight defense, but Millsap grabbed the offensive rebound and drew a foul on Garnett!

Seeing this scene, the Zen Master leaned powerlessly against the back of the chair, not even drawing circles with his thumb anymore.

Down by 10 points, facing the Bobcats in their prime form, playing to the utmost during the second half’s best physical condition, was held off by the opponent’s offense. Now, with both sides’ strongest offensive lineups exhausted, the game has completely entered the opponent’s rhythm, and their depth advantage is now evident!

The only thing to hope for at this time is a miracle...

Millsap made both free throws, 90 to 81, extending the Bobcats’ lead back to 9 points.

In the next two possessions, Kobe and Garnett each hit a mid-range shot, both were fadeaway contested shots relying purely on solid fundamentals.

But Millsap delivered two consecutive brilliant assists, Felton received the ball and made a quick close-range floater facing Ariza’s help defense. Afflalo caught the ball on the baseline for a dunk, making the high school stars’ fadeaway contested scores meaningless!

For the Lakers’ offense, Kidd’s catch-and-shoot three missed, turning back, Felton and Okafor initiated a pick-and-roll play, linking up with Millsap who was at the left side of the free-throw line, and Afflalo who cut in from the side, forming a pick-and-roll drive and assist interaction. Zhang Yang took the chance to move around to the top right arc, received Millsap’s pass, and made a three-pointer shot quickly before Ariza could make it in time... hit!

to 85, the Bobcats extend their lead to 12 points!

At the end of the third quarter, the score was 101 to 87. In the final moments of the quarter, the Bobcats scored both times, while the Lakers’ players, despite appearing to put more effort into their defense, had actually entered a panic state, losing the necessary calm on the defensive end, which in turn gave the Bobcats better shooting opportunities. During this time, the Lakers made 3 attempts but only made 1 shot.

Zhang Yang’s three-pointer following Kidd’s miss not only raised his personal scoring in the quarter to 15 points, matching Kobe’s third-quarter score but also extinguished the last bit of confidence among the Lakers’ players!