Chapter 528: Phoenix Hotpot, Cautious on Both Sides
The Los Angeles Lakers opened the possession with Kobe bringing the ball up himself.
At the right 45 degree angle beyond the 3 point line, he slowed the pace and waited for his teammates to get into position.
All 4 Lakers on the floor drifted to the opposite side, clearly trying to create an isolation for him.
"Defense! Defense! Defense!"
The crowd thundered in unison, trying to rattle Kobe with sheer volume.
Kobe dribbled with his right hand, then crossed to his left. He did not rush into the shot. He first gave a subtle shoulder fake, then, as if the deafening noise did not exist, calmly rose and buried the jumper.
4 to 4.
Kobe was born for 1 on 1 basketball. As Kenny Smith would say, he was made for this.
Phil Jackson's plan in the opening quarter was not to turn Kobe loose as a scorer right away, but that did not mean Kobe would stop shooting entirely. He still needed to score just enough to draw attention and create easier looks for the big men inside.
Phoenix answered quickly. Nash brought the ball across half court and fed Stoudemire at the elbow.
Stoudemire dribbled laterally, but Garnett immediately slid a foot into his path, cutting off his angle and making the turn uncomfortable.
Stoudemire was never the type to back down.
You tell me not to turn, and I am supposed to listen?
Would that not make me look soft?
He raised the ball over his head and tried to force the turn with brute strength.
Garnett subtly leaned into him, trying to make the move awkward enough to draw a traveling call.
The whistle blew the instant their bodies met.
But it was not for Stoudemire, and it was not for Garnett.
The call was defensive 3 seconds on Camby in the lane.
Nash stepped up and missed the technical free throw, then Phoenix kept the ball on the sideline.
Once play resumed, Nash received the inbound and quickly got it back to Stoudemire at the top of the arc.
Stoudemire swung it to Chen Yan on the wing, but the pass was too casual. He had overlooked James Posey lurking behind Chen Yan.
Posey read it perfectly and cut in front for the steal.
Chen Yan had no chance to rescue it. The timing and angle of the pass were both poor, and the ball arrived in an awkward spot.
Posey was off the other way immediately. Only Stoudemire had made it back for Phoenix. Chen Yan stumbled after failing to receive the pass cleanly, and by the time he recovered, the defensive chance was gone.
Posey saw Stoudemire coming and hurried the layup before the help could arrive.
6 to 4.
Stoudemire grabbed the ball, stepped out of bounds, and fired a fast, long inbound.
Nash caught it near half court and swung it instantly to Chen Yan. Chen Yan took 1 dribble, then kicked it to the corner.
Raja Bell rose for an open 3 and drilled it.
6 to 7.
Only 4 seconds had come off the clock.
That was Phoenix basketball.
You can score, but we will come at you even faster.
The Lakers settled back into the half court. Kobe caught it at the high post, feigned an attack, and then floated the ball inside.
Garnett received it, drew a quick double, and instead of forcing the shot, made a slick inside pass to Camby.
Camby was directly under the rim. He powered up at once. Stoudemire rotated back, but not only could he not stop the finish, he also sent Camby to the line for the extra free throw.
Camby stepped to the stripe with that slightly awkward shooting motion of his, wrist stiff, release mechanical.
Clang.
He missed the free throw.
But Garnett reacted first. He got a fingertip to the ball between Diaw and Stoudemire and knocked it loose.
Fisher came away with the rebound and reset the offense.
That was Phoenix's biggest weakness in this lineup. They simply did not have enough interior size to control the glass.
Fisher fed Garnett again after he reposted.
This time Garnett had Diaw alone. He made a quick move, spun past him, and drove hard toward the basket.
Stoudemire took a step over to help, but Garnett sold the fake beautifully, got him in the air, and went to the reverse. Even if the shot missed, the whistle was already his.
He had handled the entire sequence with veteran craft.
Garnett split the trip, making the second.
Phoenix came back down the floor, but in the next few possessions both teams tightened up. The Lakers stayed committed to guarding Chen Yan 1 on 1. Even after he had gone for 69 in the previous series, Phil Jackson still refused to trap him recklessly. With Nash and Stoudemire sharing the floor, doubling one star too early could easily unlock the other 2.
The Lakers' approach was simple. One defender on Chen Yan at all times, and help only once he got deep enough into the defense.
Nash, meanwhile, did not have his touch early. Raja Bell did. He knocked down a mid range jumper and another 3, giving Phoenix steady support.
The Lakers stayed devoted to their interior attack. Garnett scored 8 in the first quarter, Camby added 5, and he also grabbed 5 rebounds, including 2 on the offensive glass.
Neither side scored much.
By the end of the quarter, the Lakers led 23 to 21.
The intensity was part of it. The psychology was another part.
Both teams played the opening quarter with a measure of restraint. Or rather, both were a little too careful.
Game 1 mattered too much.
Phoenix wanted to start the series with authority on its home floor.
The Lakers needed to steal home court before the series could truly tilt.
.....
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