The intensity of the game in the second half was increasing, not only the Lakers' strength was increasing, but the Knicks' defensive strength was also increasing, and the Knicks strengthened their defense against the inside.

Therefore, even though Bynum and Gasol got the frontcourt rebound, they did not have much chance to score under the Knicks' conscious encirclement. The Lakers' offense could only turn from the inside to the outside.

The Lakers' offensive shortcomings were also exposed.

The Lakers' offense is actually not a big problem in this era. Today, when we look back at the Lakers' game, we will feel that the pace is very slow, and we are basically fighting the position.

Their secret key to victory is to focus on defense and inside, plus Kobe's strong playing ability, and win with a slightly better shooting percentage.

In this way, if the inside is restricted, only Kobe has the ability to play on the outside.

But this cannot actually be said to be a shortcoming. For many teams, this is still a strong point that is difficult to face - Kobe's singles are not something that any team can handle.

The same goes for the Knicks.

The Knicks' player against Kobe is Larry Hughes. Larry Hughes is about the same height as Kobe, and his weight is only a little worse (Kobe has been losing weight in recent years), so his physical condition is not much worse, but his talent is a bit worse.

When Kobe started attacking, Larry Hughes couldn't bear it anymore. Kobe broke through Larry Hughes in a row and scored mid-range to widen the gap to 10 points, coach D'Antoni decisively called a timeout.

Coach D'Antoni frowned and was quite distressed - should he continue to restrict the inside, or should he limit Kobe instead?

If the Knicks have no player who can compete with Kobe, they will only be able to surround Kobe, so it will be difficult to limit the inside.

In fact, this is also a dilemma in basketball games - defense is to do multiple-choice questions, and it is impossible to have everything. If there is, it is only possible to do it with extremely rich defensive resources.

But the Knicks were originally a team with insufficient talent, or a transitional team, or more simply, a broken team.

While he was thinking hard, Zhou Mubai said: "Coach, I'll go guard against Kobe."

"Well, okay..." D'Antoni, who was thinking, replied casually, but then woke up, "Wait, are you going to defend Kobe?"

D'Antoni looked at Zhou Mubai in surprise.

Zhou Mubai smiled and nodded: "Yes, I'll go guard against him, you know, I have a good defense."

Zhou Mubai's defense is not only good, but Kobe is nominally a shooting guard, but in fact there is no problem playing as a small forward. Kobe is a top offensive player.

The size comparison between Zhou Mubai and Kobe is actually quite different, and the counterattack is originally unfair.

Moreover, Zhou Mubai is the core of the Knicks' offensive, and the tasks to be undertaken are already very heavy. It is a major test for his physical exhaustion. He also lets him defend the hardest hard bones. This is a bit too much.

Zhou Mubai saw D'Antoni's expression and knew it in his heart: "Don't worry, I have no problem with my physical strength."

Larry Hughes was a little ashamed: "Zhou, I'd better defend myself, I'll do my best to bite him!"

Zhou Mubai patted Larry Hughes on the shoulder and smiled: "Larry, don't worry, you just need to make the open three-pointer!"

Larry Hughes nodded silently.

Football games are like wars. If you can, you can, you can, you cannot. It is called seeking truth from facts.

Zhou Mubai took the burden of defending Kobe on his shoulders. On the one hand, he wanted to win, and on the other hand, he also wanted to prove to Kobe, Phil Jackson, Kupchek and all Lakers fans that I didn't leave because I was weaker than Kobe.

Both sides returned to the court, first of all, the Knicks' ball rights, Zhou Mubai passed Kobe and broke through the basket, Artest came to assist in defense with great momentum.

Zhou Mubai was not afraid to push Artest away. Artai slapped him hard and sent Zhou Mubai to the free throw line.

Zhou Mubai scored both free throws.

Kobe received the ball from the bottom line and pushed into the frontcourt, but was shocked to find that the defender in front of him had changed.

An uproar also broke out in the Staples Center.

Zhou Mubai defends Kobe!

Is this a complete confrontation between the protagonists who are trapped in the center of public opinion?

Before, Kobe replaced Zhou Mubai with defense, but now Zhou Mubai also replaced Kobe, and they are going to officially match up!

"In fact, this is not a fair matchup. Kobe is better or better than Zhou Mubai in terms of height, weight, and wingspan. Zhou Mubai can beat Kobe in offense, but it does not mean that he can defend Kobe.

Kobe is the top offensive, and even the top defensive experts in the league, such as Bathir and Tony Allen, cannot really limit Kobe.

I don’t think Zhou Mubai is a good choice to defend Kobe. After all, Zhou Mubai is still the Knicks’ offensive core. Letting an offensive core defend the opponent’s offensive sharp knife is not a good choice.”

Van Gundy Jr. spoke boldly, and this was already criticizing D'Antoni for employing people. In fact, he has always been dissatisfied with D'Antoni coach's excessive use of Zhou Mubai. How could a coach use the players for 48 minutes every game?

Mike Bryn smiled and said, "I have heard that D'Antoni respects Zhou Mubai very much. Many times he will discuss tactical arrangements with Zhou Mubai, for example, playing time is what Zhou Mubai himself asked for.

This time, it may also be Zhou Mubai who took the initiative to defend Kobe. If he asked for it himself, he might be sure."

Mark Jackson is not optimistic: "This is difficult. If you change defense occasionally, it will be fine, but I don't think Zhou Mubai can face a vicious predator like Kobe.

Their duel is like a match between a cougar and an African lion. Although Zhou Mubai is also a top predator, his body shape is much worse than Kobe."

African lions are generally around 240kg, while the largest jaguar is only about 180kg. The sizes of the two are indeed a bit different.

Van Gundy was dissatisfied: "come     on, this is not a nature show. This is NBA. If you can win by relying solely on body shape, there will be no difference between five positions."

Mike Bryn laughed: "Ha, stop talking about this, Kobe is going to attack."

Zhou Mubai asked for a fight, and Kobe was also having this idea. He waved his hand to repel Bynum and Gasol's pick-and-roll, signaling him to play singles.

"Zhou, I will defeat you head-on!" Kobe said in a deep voice.

Zhou Mubai didn't say anything, but just smiled slightly and nodded.
Chapter completed!