Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 1056 Skilled in defense and slow pace? A one-wave attack will completely overwhelm you.

"It's only been one minute into the fourth quarter!" Van Gundy glanced at the time and said, "The Lakers only needed one minute to force the Grizzlies to call a timeout with two fast breaks! With 15 points left, the Grizzlies still have a chance."

"But all they can do is pray for a miracle. They can only hope the Lakers have an off night and that they can put on an exceptional offensive performance. That's their only chance!"

"They need to field their full starting lineup early; they need to get into the decisive moment early. But the Lakers, based on what I know of Jackson, will stick with their current five-man lineup at this point."

"Jackson won't consider making a substitution until the Grizzlies close the gap to within 10 points!"

"No substitutions! Keep going! You guys did a fantastic job!" Jackson clapped his hands on the bench, encouraging his players: "You guys are the best lads I've ever coached! Your performance in the last minute was amazing!"

"Now, go and shock the world! Go and make the world proud of you!"

After Jackson finished speaking, he waved his hand, indicating that he would not change the players and let the original five-man group continue to perform.

As expected, the Grizzlies didn't dare let their starters rest either. Battier and Gasol came on, along with Conley, Allen, and Randolph who were still on the court. They didn't play Mayo, but they brought out their strongest defensive lineup!

This is a top-tier defensive combination that strikes fear into the entire league; the defensive capabilities of these five players are absolutely historic!

This is also a habit of the Grizzlies. When the team needs to catch up or make a comeback, they tend to trust their own defense. They believe they can turn the game around through defense rather than offense!

Let's bring the opponent's attack down to our level first!

This pause is effective in the short term.

The Grizzlies scored on their first possession after the timeout, with Randolph scoring two points against Parsons in the paint.

The Grizzlies' tactical execution is quite good, focusing on exploiting the weaknesses in their opponents' matchups.

After this basket, the Grizzlies immediately countered and pressured the Lakers, suppressing their fast break. In their most familiar half-court game, they successfully defended Murphy's three-point shot.

This offensive and defensive play will definitely give many Grizzlies fans watching on TV a sigh of relief.

Hold on!

Keep playing like this!

Unfortunately, the Lakers have Lin Tian on their roster!

Before the Grizzlies fans could even catch their breath, Lin Tian suddenly appeared like a ghost in the passing lane Conley was passing to Battier, stealing the ball and then dribbling the ball on the fast break, charging towards the frontcourt.

With a powerful drive and a breakthrough, Lin Tian once again stormed to the basket. This time, the Grizzlies were desperately chasing back. By the time Lin Tian managed to break free and reach the basket, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph were already in position, ready to intercept him.

"Don't even think about dunking on me like you did in the third quarter!" Gasol's eyes blazed with fury, and this time he still wasn't going to run away!

Even a top rim protector in the league has his dignity and bottom line!

"Okay, then we won't deduct it!"

Lin Tian grinned mischievously, then suddenly made a behind-the-back pass without looking, sending the ball to the vicinity of the three-point line on the wing.

Terry caught the basketball, glanced down at it, then arrogantly took a step back, stepped out of the three-point line, and then, with a flick of his wrist, launched a stylish three-pointer!

"Whoosh!"

With a crisp sound, the Lakers hit another three-pointer! The point difference between the two sides has once again exceeded 15 points!

The score difference between the two sides is 24 points.

"Sorry, I didn't give you guys a chance to play." Lin Tian sat on the bench, looking at Kobe and Durant on his left and right sides with a relaxed expression.

"We'll start the fourth quarter in the next game," Kobe said. "You don't have to play the fourth quarter in the next game! It's your turn to rest."

"I'm afraid you'll get blown up without me!" Lin Tian said with a smile. "I always had a feeling you weren't very reliable."

"Go to hell," Kobe cursed, then ignored Lin Tian and focused on watching the game.

The suspense of the game had completely vanished, and the Grizzlies were ultimately unable to close the gap again, let alone bring the game back into play.

90: 112!

In the end, when the final buzzer sounded, the Lakers won the game by 22 points, securing their first victory in the second round of the playoffs!

After the game, Van Gundy once again began his summary: "Although the Lakers won by 22 points, this game was not a one-sided massacre. On the contrary, for the first 40 minutes of the game, it was a fierce battle with neither side able to gain the upper hand."

"In fact, if you analyze it carefully, the Grizzlies had a clear advantage in the first 30 minutes of the game. They were the ones who were pressing the Lakers, but they just didn't pull away from the score."

Miller said, "Then, there were the two turning points in this game."

"Marc Gasol's flagrant foul completely enraged Lin, whose consecutive dunks and drives broke down the Grizzlies' defense for the first time and established the Lakers' initial lead."

"Then in the fourth quarter, Lin led the Lakers' bench players on an unexpected run that sealed the victory!"

"The biggest contributor to this game, in my opinion, is without a doubt and not even worth discussing—it's Lin!" Jackson concluded. "He nearly achieved a triple-double with 33 points, 15 assists, and 8 rebounds, including 22 points in the second half. It was Lin's superb performance that turned the final minutes of the game into garbage time!"

Van Gundy said, "The toughest hurdle for the Lakers is over. They withstood the Grizzlies' initial and fiercest attack, and they have now adapted to the intensity and atmosphere of the game. If nothing unexpected happens, they will play better and better."

"So now it's up to the Grizzlies. We'll see if their stamina can hold up, if they can raise their intensity again, and if they can completely shut down the Lakers in even one game!" (End of Chapter)