No.1 in basketball scoring

Feel free to go all out when it's time, but once the situation opens up and you need to hold back, this successor will decisively give up possession and even his shot opportunities, something that even when he was a young ironsmith, he couldn't do.

However, the old ironsmith doesn't think there was anything wrong with the way he played back then. Every player has their own characteristics...

As his teammates settled into position, Kobe began an attack by going one-on-one against Danny Green. After drawing the defense, he passed to Gasol, while Zhang Yang moved at the right moment to draw Duncan's attention, who was preparing to assist Gasol.

Gasol received the ball and backed down against the switching Splitter, turning into the basket for a layup!

From then on, both teams engaged in a team offensive battle.

Kobe and Gasol, after January 2008, became the league's best offensive duo, possibly unmatched. Although one is almost 36 and the other almost 34, with individual abilities not as they used to be, Kobe is no longer the headstrong player of his youth. He has become the 'reasonable Kobe' of legend, albeit enforced by age, but this version of Kobe paired with Gasol, surrounded by Zhang Yang's offensive threat, and backed by the youthful Jordan Hill and Bazemore, demonstrates a dominating team offense!

On the Spurs' side, Ginobili's routine offensive ability is already stronger than Leonard's, not to mention when he's in form. His presence elevates the Spurs' team offense to another level, with Duncan maintaining stability, ensuring their offensive prowess matches their opposition.

The game is neck and neck, with players from both sides seizing every offensive and defensive opportunity for an advantage, yet neither side gains the upper hand.

Midway through the first quarter, Zhang Yang, after slowing the game to conserve stamina, aggressively attacked Ginobili for two consecutive rounds as Leonard had not yet returned. He scored one basket and assisted a cutting Bazemore, grabbing 4 points. Meanwhile, Ginobili and Parker also launched counterattacks, the former scoring a Euro step layup, and the latter hitting a close-range shot after Duncan's screen. Neither side capitalized significantly.

In the latter half of the first quarter, the teams entered a tug-of-war.

Leonard returned to the court, not letting the coaching staff's trust go to waste. After a few calming minutes on the bench, he re-entered with composure, avoiding rash plays, and strictly cooperating with teammates to limit Zhang Yang's off-ball shots. During the game, he truly possessed a mindset as fierce as Duncan's.

However, tactically, Leonard's defense didn't significantly impact Zhang Yang. Zhang Yang continued to shoot when needed and move to create distractions, maintaining the team's tactical integrity and testing Leonard's patience.

Thanks to Nash's bench performance, grabbing a long two-pointer with a screen in the final moments, the Lakers ended the first quarter leading the Spurs by 3 points, 33 to 30.

Popovich and Budenholzer, aware they couldn't stop the opposition, embraced a mindset of whatever works to win rather than rigidly focusing on how to play. If they couldn't defend, they would focus on offense!

In the second quarter, both teams continued their offensive tug-of-war, playing even more liberally than in the first. The wing shooters' touch slightly declined compared to the first quarter, yet both teams increased their scoring.

Near the end of the first half, Ginobili, on rotation, hit a step-back three over Kobe, putting the Spurs ahead of the Lakers by 3 points!

But as the game turned, Kobe hit a turn-around buzzer-beating three over Ginobili's defense...

The single quarter score was 34 to 37, and the Lakers and Spurs entered halftime tied at 67!

The fans' cheers never stopped; the back-and-forth, lead-swapping game kept spectators simultaneously thrilled and on edge.

Players had to be careful not to let the Spurs go on a scoring run, and even when their team had a streak, they couldn't relax, knowing the opposition might strike back anytime. For instance, just before halftime, the Lakers missed two possessions, allowing a 7-0 run from the Spurs, flipping a 4-point lead to a 3-point deficit. Fortunately, Zhang Yang and Kobe alternated their play during the second quarter, leading to Kobe's last-minute three-pointer, tying the score again.

However, coming back from halftime, seeing Zhang Yang and Kobe back on the court together, fans' worries dissipated, for the third-quarter kings, the Lakers, had two of them!

In the previous game, trailing 1-2 and down by 9 at the half, Kobe and Zhang Yang each scored over ten points in the third quarter, leading a 35 to 24 comeback to seize control and regain the lead.

After the third quarter began, neither disappointed fans. Danny Green, Leonard, and Duncan played solid defense, yet they couldn't stop either from scoring!

But the Spurs, aware of their psychological readiness tonight, avoided a collapsed third quarter like in the previous match, accepting they couldn't consistently defend and countering with full offensive force.

Kobe scored 6 points with 2 assists in 9 minutes, Gasol scored 4 points with 2 assists in 7 minutes, Nash scored 3 points with 1 assist in 5 minutes, and Zhang Yang played the whole quarter, scoring 10 points. Together, they led the team to score 32 points in the quarter.

Yet the Spurs also scored 28 points in the third quarter!

This quarter, the Lakers' team collaboration was even better than the last game, but their score was 3 points lower because the Spurs' offense was steady, not giving Nash and Zhang Yang any opportunities to push for fast breaks.

After three quarters, without having fallen behind in the first half and gaining an edge in the third quarter, the Lakers led the Spurs by just 4 points, 99 to 95!