589: Game 2 NBA Finals 2

Game 2 NBA Finals 2

The Los Angeles Lakers would start the game with Jake Smith playing as PG, Kobe Bryant as SG, Rick Fox as SF, Dennis Rodman as PF, and Shaquille O'Neal as Center.

The New York Knicks would start the game with Charlie Ward as PG, Allan Houston as SG, Latrell Sprewell as SF, Larry Johnson as PF, and Chris Dudley as Center.

Both teams would begin this game with the same players who started the last game since these were the best players these two teams had. Many New York Knicks fans wanted to see Marcus Camby start the game, but Coach Jeff Van Gundy was concerned that Camby might not handle the pressure.

"Welcome, everyone, who has come to watch Game 2 of this NBA Finals. Today, the Los Angeles Lakers face the New York Knicks again here at the Great Western Forum."

"In Game 1, the Los Angeles Lakers won the game with some difficulty. They didn't have as big an advantage as expected, mostly because the New York Knicks had an outstanding performance."

"So, if all the players on the Los Angeles Lakers don't perform well in this game, it's possible that the New York Knicks could get the win in this game."

As the commentators mentioned, this would be a game in which the New York Knicks had to do their best to have any chance of winning. However, everyone expected the Los Angeles Lakers to win the game.

The game started with the Los Angeles Lakers pressing on the attack. Jake advanced, and Charlie Ward came to defend against him. Latrell Sprewell was also nearby, but he seemed concerned about Rick Fox.

Jake advanced to the right, passing by Ward, who continued to press on defense. Allan Houston saw Jake moving towards the paint and tried to help Ward defend against Jake.

Jake saw this and passed the ball to Kobe Bryant, who was open on the right. Kobe advanced and made the layup, scoring the first 2 points for the Los Angeles Lakers. Houston knew this could happen, but he couldn't let Jake advance freely.

In other offensive plays, Jake continued to switch between drives on the right and left and sometimes made assists to Shaquille O'Neal. This way, Kobe Bryant, Rick Fox, and Shaquille O'Neal were scoring several points.

When Jake had more freedom, he attempted outside shots and made most of them, scoring many points for the Los Angeles Lakers. Thus, Coach Jeff Van Gundy didn't know what else to do to stop the Los Angeles Lakers from scoring.

At the end of the first quarter, the Los Angeles Lakers were leading by 10 points. In this first quarter, Jake scored 9 points, made 4 assists, 1 steal, and 1 rebound. Jake was contributing significantly to the attack with plays that freed his teammates, although he didn't score that many points himself.

"The first quarter ends and the Los Angeles Lakers are leading with a solid 10-point advantage. Jake is performing excellently on the offense and is creating many opportunities for his teammates."

"Shaquille O'Neal, Rick Fox, and Kobe Bryant have more freedom and have scored several points. Shaq and Kobe seem to be having a great performance, and Rick has also improved a lot, but he still misses some attacks."

"Coach Jeff Van Gundy doesn't seem to know how to stop the Los Angeles Lakers' offense. The New York Knicks can also attack well with Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston, but they still lost by 10 points in this first quarter."

As the commentators mentioned, the Los Angeles Lakers were performing very well in their offense. Jake was creating opportunities for all his offensive teammates, making it difficult for the players from the New York Knicks to defend effectively.

Fortunately, the New York Knicks were performing well on offense too. Kobe Bryant and Rick Fox were doing much better on defense in this game. However, Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston also seemed to be playing better, and that's why they still managed to score several points.

At the beginning of the second quarter, the New York Knicks were pressing on offense. Ward advanced with the ball, and Jake came to defend. Ward was more attentive in their attacks and didn't let Jake make more steals against him.

Ward passed the ball to Sprewell on the left. Sprewell received the ball, and Rick came to defend. Rick maintained some distance because Sprewell's best plays involved trying to advance to the paint.

Sprewell held onto the ball for a while and then passed it to Houston on the right. Houston received the ball, and Kobe pressed on in defense. Houston still attempted a mid-range shot and scored another 2 points for the New York Knicks.

Houston did miss a few attacks due to Kobe's solid defense, but he still managed to score several mid-range points. Sprewell also scored several layup points despite Rick's improved defense.

Fortunately for the Los Angeles Lakers, Marcus Camby wasn't performing as well on offense in this game. Shaq was defending well against him. Nevertheless, Camby was defending well against Shaq too, making it difficult for him to score more points.

The second quarter ended with the Los Angeles Lakers leading by a 16-point advantage. In this second quarter, Jake scored 9 points and made 4 assists, 1 steal, and 1 rebound. The New York Knicks players couldn't improve their defense against Jake to prevent the other Lakers players from having more freedom.

"The second quarter of Game 2 of the NBA Finals ends, and the Los Angeles Lakers managed to increase their lead significantly. They could have increased it even more if Shaq had not been so well defended, and if Rick had not continued to miss some attacks."

"It's true, the Los Angeles Lakers had some bigger mistakes in this second quarter, and Marcus Camby's defense against Shaquille O'Neal was very good."

"The New York Knicks' offense continued to be good, but they will have to work a miracle if they want to win this Game 2 of the NBA Finals and gain an advantage in the games in New York."

As the commentators mentioned, the Los Angeles Lakers were performing significantly better, making it much more difficult for the New York Knicks to secure a victory in this game. The advantage increased a bit more in the third quarter.

In the final quarter, the Los Angeles Lakers saw that they were doing well and didn't press too hard on the attack, allowing some rest. Nevertheless, the players of the New York Knicks were exhausted by the end of the game. The advantage of the Lakers' extended rest became increasingly apparent in this game.

At the end of the game, the Los Angeles Lakers won with 120 points against the New York Knicks' 99 points. In this game, Jake scored 38 points and made 16 assists, 4 steals, and 3 rebounds. Although Jake's statistical performance wasn't as remarkable as in Game 1, he was crucial for the Lakers to win more comfortably in this match.

Rick Fox had a better performance in this game, but he still missed many shots and needed improvement both in the attack and in defense. Kobe Bryant had an excellent offensive performance and also improved his defense in this game.

Dennis Rodman was vital on defense, grabbing 11 rebounds in this game. He wasn't as necessary on offense, and Shaquille O'Neal had a good performance in both offense and defense, although he had fewer scoring opportunities due to Marcus Camby's solid defense.

"The Game 2 of this season's NBA Finals ends with a victory for the Los Angeles Lakers, making 120 points against the New York Knicks' 99 points. The Los Angeles Lakers secured their second victory and accomplished the most crucial task of winning both games at home. Now, they go to Game 3 in New York with confidence."

"This was a much easier game for the Los Angeles Lakers, who played much better. Jake was able to create more opportunities for Kobe Bryant to attack, and he had an excellent performance. With the fatigue of the New York Knicks towards the end, the Lakers could have won with a more significant advantage, but they also slowed down, thinking about the upcoming games."

"That's right, the Los Angeles Lakers had an important victory in this game with another double-double from Jake Smith. Jake led the Los Angeles Lakers to victory with 38 points and 16 assists."

"Shaquille O'Neal was also crucial, contributing with numerous points and excellent defense. Kobe Bryant was the third-best player for the Los Angeles Lakers and had a great offensive performance but wasn't as strong on defense."

"Rick Fox had a better offensive performance, missing fewer shots, and also improved on defense. However, he was still one of the lesser-performing players for the Los Angeles Lakers in this game, although Rick is crucial in scoring for the Lakers to win."

"On the New York Knicks, Latrell Sprewell had another excellent offensive performance in this game. While on defense, he couldn't do much against Jake Smith and prevented Rick Fox from scoring."

"Allan Houston also improved in this game since Kobe Bryant was much better in defense. Houston managed to score even when well defended. Marcus Camby excelled on defense but didn't contribute as much on offense in this game."

"It certainly depends on the performance of Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston for the New York Knicks to secure wins at home in New York in Game 3 and Game 4."

As the commentators mentioned, the New York Knicks would rely on Sprewell and Houston to win Game 3. The Los Angeles Lakers also understood this and knew what they had to do to secure a third victory in New York.

Of course, Jake was aware that the Los Angeles Lakers had to defend well against Larry Johnson, who was recovering from an injury and thus not performing at his best, and also against Marcus Camby.

pqdm.com