in2ebook Chapter 599 The Performance of Two Centers
Chapter 599 The Performance of Two Centers
"The Lakers' starting lineup today is James, Davis, Reddish, Prince and Russell."
"Both Rui Hachimura and Reeves are on the bench."
"In addition, news came before the match that Reeves had cold symptoms and it was uncertain whether he could play."
"He's warming up now, so there shouldn't be any major problems."
Wang Meng then looked to the other side of the court, "The Nets' starting lineup tonight is no surprise: Wang Xiucheng, Westbrook, Dillon, Durant, and Towns."
"This starting lineup is the one the Nets have been using since the start of the season."
"The Nets are all healthy. After all, it's the final, and nobody wants to miss it. I think even if there are some minor issues, they will persevere."
"Alright, the match is about to start. We'll be right back after the commercial break, so don't go anywhere."
Inside the field, both teams' players have arrived and begun their final preparations.
The referee stood in the center circle with the ball in his hand. When Towns and Davis came to the center circle and were ready, the referee tossed the basketball high into the air.
Davis tipped the ball out first, but Reddish got to it.
After passing the ball to Russell, Reddish ran forward.
The Lakers won the first ball, which is good news for them who want to get off to a good start.
The Lakers' opening strategy was to launch a fast break immediately if they could win the jump ball.
So after passing the ball to Russell, Reddish immediately moved to the top of the arc.
Then Reddish turned his head to see where Russell was with the ball, so he could find an opportunity to set a screen for James and let James receive the ball.
However, Reddish had just turned his head when he saw that Russell was dribbling the ball quite far away from him.
This kind of thing is quite normal; everyone dribbles too far away sometimes.
But at that moment, Reddish saw Wang Xiucheng take a step like a fencer and then slap the ball away.
Durant happened to be nearby and caught the ball.
Reddish's eyes widened, and he immediately ran back.
He glanced to the side and saw that James had finally made it to the frontcourt just like him, but now he could only run back as well.
But after only two steps, Reddish, like James, went from running to walking, and then from walking to standing still.
Because at that moment, Durant had already thrown the ball towards the inside.
Wang Xiucheng, who had just made a steal, entered the paint like a bolt of lightning.
Wang Xiucheng leaped high from the free-throw line, his entire arm almost reaching above the rim, before he caught Durant's somewhat high pass.
With a bang, Wang Xiucheng turned sideways and slammed the ball into the basket!
Let go, land lightly, and the basket hums!
Instantly, the entire T-Mobile arena erupted in a frenzy of shouting.
Then, the Nets' traveling supporters, sitting in the East Stand, turned around and began the Poznan dance.
The next moment, the other fans followed suit and jumped up as well.
Some fans who had just come in with drinks or hamburgers were unaware of what was happening.
But seeing everyone dancing with their backs to the court, you know Wang Xiucheng must have made a powerful dunk from the free-throw line.
So these people stopped looking for a spot and started jumping too.
Although they are not Nets fans, they are still willing to try the Nets' way of celebrating.
On the court, Wang Xiucheng turned around and high-fived Durant, who had passed him the ball, before starting his defensive retreat.
Davis picked up the ball and, with a hint of anger, passed it to Russell, who had just had the ball stolen by Wang Xiucheng.
I originally wanted to launch a surprise attack.
As a result, he was knocked off his footing!
Davis has decided he will never play games with Russell again.
With his skills, he'll definitely be a liability.
Russell dribbled much more cautiously this time, and with Davis's screen, he reached the frontcourt and passed the ball to James.
James then lobbed the ball to Davis, who had driven into the paint.
Davis attempted to back down Towns.
However, after several attempts, Towns only managed to move a meter.
Towns weighs over 225 pounds, and the so-called "softness" is just his offensive style.
In terms of defense, there aren't many players who can actually keep up with Towns.
Having already wasted a lot of time, Davis was also afraid that the referee would call a three-second violation on him, so after leaning on Towns again, he immediately turned around and took a fadeaway jump shot.
The ball was very close to the basket, so although it bounced off the rim, it still went in.
Ham, who was standing on the sidelines, bent down and clapped.
He had no doubt about Davis's one-on-one ability.
It's only because James is on the team that Davis would be the leader anywhere.
Just as Hamm was thinking this, the sound of the basketball swishing through the net brought him back to reality.
He looked up and saw that Towns had just withdrawn his hand.
Judging from Towns' position, he should have just made a three-pointer.
Davis was then switched off and taken away by Wang Xiucheng.
Davis probably wouldn't have followed anyone else, but Wang Xiucheng was different.
Wang Xiucheng has the ability to break through and score inside, and Davis is unlikely to allow Wang Xiucheng to enter the paint without any obstacles.
So, after Wang Xiucheng led Davis away, Towns, facing Russell who was much taller than him, took his first three-pointer of the night.
Ham scratched his head!
He thought more than once that if Davis had Towns' three-point shooting ability, he would have no trouble achieving great things!
Davis and Towns are completely different styles of interior players.
There's no such thing as one being better than the other; it's just a matter of who is a better match for whom.
Clearly, Towns is a perfect fit for Wang Xiucheng.
Davis is also a better fit for James.
Bang!
In the next possession, the Lakers attacked upcourt, Davis got the ball again, shook off Towns, and then slammed home a one-handed dunk, scoring two more points and drawing a foul on Towns.
The first quarter was almost entirely a performance by the two centers.
After making his second three-pointer, Towns fouled Davis again.
Udoka immediately substituted Towns with Claxton.
Davis's advantage in the paint was even greater when facing Claxton.
The first quarter was almost entirely Davis's personal showcase.
At the end of the first quarter, Wang Xiucheng hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer, giving the Nets 29 points.
The Lakers, on the other hand, scored a high of 34 points.
Davis scored 11 points in the quarter.
Towns, despite playing only 8 minutes, scored 8 points, including two three-pointers.
Both teams' centers fully showcased their strengths.
Although the Nets appeared to be down by 5 points, the Nets fans in the arena were not panicking at all.
Only 5 points!
Wang Xiucheng hasn't even opened the third point yet!