The Lakers sent a combination of Kenny Anderson, Brent Barry, Doug Christie, Zhang Hao and O'Neal.

The Jazz sent Stockton, Hornersek, Brian Russell, Malone and Ostertag.

O'Neal won the jump ball, the Lakers attacked first, and the game began.

The Jazz closed the basket and blocked the midfield shooting, and ignored everything else, and they liked to shoot from high positions and wings.

He has rich experience in the fight, and Sloan predicted Zhang Hao's choice, who took the ball from one step outside the free throw line, and Zhang Hao received the ball and was assigned to Brent Barry, who followed up to the 45-degree angle on the left.

Brent Barry caught the ball and made a three-pointer... but failed to make a move!

The Jazz predicted that Zhang Hao would choose a three-pointer. The right bet was that the Lakers missed a three-pointer in a fast break, but!

O'Neal rushed into the basket, jumped high, poked his upper body out of O'Tag's head, bent his waist, pressed over O'Tag's head, which was in the reasonable collision zone, and pressed the ball into the basket... O'Neal dunked across the person!

Racing fast, jumping high, dunking posture... If it is a guard, such as Jordan and Grant Hill, completing such a patch, even Zhang Hao would not be so surprising.

But this is O'Neal! The top three centers in the league!

The fans on the scene were all scared and surprised. When they heard the whistle of the referee, they looked at O'Neal who was rushing up with Brent Barry in a brisk step after landing, and the fans on the scene began to cheer wildly!

Zhang Hao was strictly guarded for a fast break dunk at the beginning. O'Neal's make-up dunk this time was much better than the impact he brought to his opponent by the direct fast break dunk, the excitement he brought to his teammates, and the restlessness he brought to the fans on the scene!

O'Neal walked onto the free throw line, looking at Zhang Hao who was walking to the right side of the three-second zone while slapping his hand, and complained: "Aix, can you be more excited?"

Zhang Hao was stunned, stopped, looked at O'Neal, "Smack and Smack", and the strength to applaud became even stronger.

“…”

O'Neal was speechless.

With the penalty, Ostager failed to react at all. His body had a backward movement, that is, O'Neal was strong and heavy, and he was still rushing to block. If he changed someone, Ostager might become a vicious offender.

Zhang Hao was speechless, O'Neal threw it away and actually entered!

3-0, O'Neal started well.

Offense and defense conversion, Jazz offense.

Malone leaned against Zhang Hao on the right side of the free throw line and asked for a single shot.

Zhang Hao defended very hard, and Ma Long clearly felt Zhang Hao's defensive progress over the past year.

Looking at the regular season alone, after the All-Star Weekend last year, Malone played twice with the Lakers. At that time, Zhang Hao only had a set of low-post defense and had first-class and superior frame protection ability. Now, as a power forward, Zhang Hao's single defense is far beyond the passing line, and can be considered a good level.

Although there is a gap between the top-notch defense, the top-notch is even worse.

But Zhang Hao is the Lakers' second scoring, third rebounding, first assisting... he is only 21 years old!

This progress seems like it can't stop.

Without comparing last year and now, comparing the match between the beginning of the season and the current curtain call of the regular season, Ma Long can feel the progress of Zhang Hao after playing for a year of power forward.

However, single defense that is close to first-class level is obviously not enough to deal with Ma Long.

Ma Long's pain a little, he beat his back, turned around, and broke through the bottom line. He made a hook and hit the front left hand in the right side of O'Neal who made up the defense and turned around the reasonable collision zone!

No one can defend Ma Long!

If the Lakers' record was not too brutal and Jordan led the team alone was too amazing, Malone would not have been able to even enter the top two of the MVP probability list, and the Bulls' 70 wins last year could not have prevented Malone from winning the MVP.

In terms of strength alone, O'Neal is not Malone's opponent at this stage.

Zhang Hao and O'Neal were not surprised that Ma Long scored easily with one or two. Both of them knew Ma Long's strength very well.

Especially Zhang Hao, he knew that Malone would still win the MVP next season, before Jordan retired, O'Neal gained weight and adapted well, Malone would become the strongest in the league.

But defense doesn't necessarily have to prevent the opponent from scoring points.

Just now, Zhang Hao and O'Neal tacitly asked Malone to do more movements and consume Malone.

This is also a successful defense.

Malone beat two this time, which well put the pressure on Jazz players due to O'Neal's shocking retouch.

When the Lakers attacked, Kenny Anderson advanced to the frontcourt and encountered Stockton's defense.

Kenny Anderson listened to Stockton's unclean words, and the cross-step change direction breakthrough started!

He broke through to the free throw line and came to Ma Long's assisted defense area to pass the ball Zhang Hao.

Zhang Hao received the ball, jumped high against Brian Russell's save and shot... and hit!

A very decisive shot. If Zhang Hao hesitated this time, he would be blocked by Brian Russell, who was expected to be selected as the second defense this year, and fell into the opponent's defensive cooperation, which would be a pity.

The Jazz's forward defense has become significantly stronger this year, with Brian Russell and Adam Kife as a substitute. They are both good at speed and strong body, and can defend from 2 to 4, and they are all at the peak of 28 years old.

When the Jazz attacked, the two pick-and-rolls were played. Malone's terrible performance of 12 of 16 shots in the last game made Zhang Hao, who expanded the pick-and-roll defense, not switch to Stockton, but cut off Stockton and Malone's pass-and-receive routes from a relatively long distance.

Stockton hit a jump shot from the right side of the free throw line after pick-and-roll!

There is a natural threat point of 218 cm at the basket. Hornersek and Brian Russell on the wings are both good at three-pointers. Hornersek is almost not affected by the extension of the top arc distance of the three-point line. Brian Russell is greatly affected. His three-point shooting percentage has dropped from 40.3% last season to 34.5%, and his three-point shooting percentage per game has dropped from 1.3 times to 1, but the main reason is that he can't make the shots in the top arc area, and the sides of the sides still maintain a 41% three-point shooting percentage.

When the Lakers attacked, O'Neal wanted the ball and tried it alone... After a mistake, Malone contracted, O'Neal's pass was shot by Ostag who was wandering out! Malone grabbed the ball and the Jazz's defense was successful!

Just like in the original time and space, the Lakers encountered the Jazz's miserable performance twice in the 1997 and 1998 playoffs, O'Neal could not deal with the Jazz's inside in a singles, and the rate of errors in the voluntary ball play was extremely high.

To be precise, before gaining weight and adapting to gain weight, O'Neal faced the Jazz and the Spurs in time and space. From 1997 to 1999, in three years of playoffs, 1 win and 12 losses, and was swept twice, playing against the Jazz Twin Towers and the Spurs Twin Towers, both of which were miserable.

The defensive strategy provided by Olajuwon to latecomers in the 1995 Finals is too effective against O'Neal at this stage. As long as O'Neal cannot receive the ball and knock Ostag to score immediately, Malone shrinks in, there is a high probability that he can defend himself.

When the Jazz attacked, the two evil spirits continued to pick-and-roll. Malone opened the line as usual and moved to the left. Zhang Hao continued to cut off the pass-and-receive line between Stockton and Malone, but Doug Christie, who defended Brian Russell, started to move when the two evil spirits picked-and-roll. The two evil spirits broke, Zhang Hao cut off the line not only Malone's catch route, but also the catch route on the left side line. Doug Christie made up in front of Stockton!

Seeing that Zhang Hao cut off the first pass and receiving route and came back to defend, Stockton chose to break straight into the basket and fell into a three-man siege, blocking his vision and space.

But Stockton still found a gap and passed the ball out. Ostertag moved to the left side of the three-second zone to receive the ball, and threw the ball to the board... It was off!

O'Neal defended defensive rebounds.

Although I defended it, this goal made Lakers players feel pressure.

Hornersek pressed the defense of Kenny Anderson throughout the game, restricting the Lakers from counterattacking. Zhang Hao received the ball, and Malone and Brian Russell withdrew from the three-point line first. In no hurry, Zhang Hao controlled the ball and advanced to the frontcourt, and passed the ball to Kenny Anderson through the center circle.

Zhang Hao made a gesture and ran into the three-point line. He did not command the offense this round, but adjusted the defense after the offense was over.

But... the other party adjusts faster!

Zhang Hao entered the three-point line, and Ma Long posted on him and gave him a confrontation!

The gesture Zhang Hao just made was that the defense began to improve the confrontation in the next round, but the Lakers were in the upper hand after all, and they won the first three matches, so the Jazz were more active.

Generally speaking, no one wants to rely solely on singles to help the team score. O'Neal, Jordan, and Malone are unwilling to do so at the strongest singles masters.

What the opponent wants must be the opponent's players score by singles, and they don't want to see the opponent play team and cooperate with the ball to catch the ball.

But there is no way. As a high school player in the Lakers' No. 8 jersey, Zhang Hao and Kenny Anderson, O'Neal made adjustments tacitly. Zhang Hao came to the right side of the free throw line, with one arm pressed against Malone and wanted to play the ball with the back!

Kenny Anderson passed the ball and then went to the 45-degree angle on the right, Doug Christie went to the bottom corner on the right, Brent Barry went to the 45-degree angle on the left, O'Neal was preparing to rob at the basket...

The space was opened very well, and no one in the Jazz team made up for defense, and Ma Long defended Zhang Hao one-on-one.

Zhang Hao beat the back, turned around, and broke through the bottom line!

Ma Long lost weight year after year. Although the confrontation is still the strongest forward in the league, Zhang Hao's strengthened arm can withstand Ma Long's confrontation restrictions and successfully turn around and break through the bottom line.

When approaching the bottom line, Zhang Hao slapped the ball hard, and Ma Long immediately pressed it up. He was 35 years old, and his burst movement speed was like that of other physically versatile power forwards, very fast!

However, Zhang Hao's ball was not retreating, but the ball he took was pulled back. He did not go to the bottom line two points longer, but to the left...dribble the ball behind! Get rid of Ma Long!

Zhang Hao dribbled one meter away from the elbow area on the right side of the three-second zone and made a jump shot from behind...

Hit the board!

The Jazz restrained the Lakers' point guard and center in two positions.

When the Jazz began to fight, Zhang Hao's singles this time was very important.

If Zhang Hao misses a single and the threat declines, the Jazz can consuming their wing pitchers in a random way, and then continue to move to the middle and strengthen defense at the basket. The Lakers' offense will get worse and worse.

This is the Jazz's very successful defense last year's Western Conference Final. This game is still a playoff level confrontation and swearing standard. If Zhang Hao can't make a single match against Malone, he may fall into the Jazz's rhythm and gradually move to the abyss.

However, Zhang Hao scored the back-attack! The All-Star weekend spent 180 days to make up for the back-attack technology connection, and a singles strength that can be truly able to deal with the big bosses with one defense can also have huge lethality.

Ma Long was also helpless. Zhang Hao's various back-to-back skills were almost first-class, so it was not difficult to prevent this. Zhang Hao had good athletic ability, but Ma Long himself was also good at moving for a short distance, so Ma Long was not afraid.

The key is that Zhang Hao is so tall that he is faster than Ma Long!

Ma Long was able to keep up with Zhang Hao's movements because of his good physical fitness and his defensive predictions as a defense boss.

In the first half of the season, Ma Long can still give Zhang Hao a lot of restrictions, with crowded layups and strong wing defenses, limiting Zhang Hao to a fixed area to play singles. Ma Long can defend well, but this time, he really can't defend!

The speed of progress of the kill this day!

When the Jazz's attack was not expected, Brian Russell, he guessed that when he retreated to defend, the Lakers would decisively adjust their defensive strategies, so he commanded his teammates to make adjustments first and seize the opportunity, but unfortunately he could not defend himself.

Facing the Lakers' improved defense, when the two evil spirits were pick-and-rolled, Ostertag pulled out to the left side of the free throw line. After Malone took apart, he took advantage of Ostertag's high pick-and-roll and accelerated to the basket, bypassed O'Neal's bottom line and received the ball from the right bottom line.

Malone, who received the ball, attracted three Lakers to block the ball on the right side of the three-second zone, and the lob... Ostag made an all-time basket!

A player can still feel his progress at the age of 35. In addition to Malone, there may not be a second person in NBA history so far.

Zhang Hao and Ma Long are in the same mood now, this guy opposite is at this age, so he can actually be so good!

The two super power forwards in the league, who are 14 years apart, began their competition.
To be continued...