Pick Westbrook

Chapter 117 wait

Milwaukee.

Barkley sighed.

"Is there any hope for the Bucks? It's gone."

"That's the cruelty of the playoffs."

"After losing two small forward players in the team one after another, the Bucks have almost reached the point where no one is available. How many people do they plan to play next?"

Kenny Smith was extremely sad in his heart, because the Bucks were the team he was most optimistic about this season. There will only be 7 people in rotation next, and the only rotation players are Dragic and Andre Ingram.

Of course, the Bucks bench still has veteran Crosher who can fight, but he is not a character who can influence the situation of the game, so the current broken lineup of the Bucks may not be the opponent of the Cavaliers at all. .

"The Bucks almost created a miracle. They are the most underrated team this season."

Barkley agreed and said: "But even if they are about to stop in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the performance of the Bucks is very satisfactory. After all, they are only a young team!"

"Westbrook, Dragic, Yi Jianlian, Villanueva, George Hill, Andre Ingram, these players are all players who have not played for a long time in the NBA, and some of them are still in the NBA this year. draft, but under the training of Li Lai, each of them has played a very strong strength."

"To be honest, it's pretty amazing that such a young team can reach the Eastern Conference semifinals."

"I'm also looking forward to what they will look like after they grow up next season. By then, the Bucks will definitely become the most anticipated team in the league."

And now, the scene at the Bradley Arena has confirmed such expectations.

"We will stand up!"

"Cavs, you can beat us, but we will never surrender to you. This is the courage of the Milwaukee people!"

The shouts of Milwaukee fans resounded throughout the arena, and it was not until Artest came out of the player tunnel in suits and ties that the shouts turned into MVP chants.

Milwaukee has fully embraced the one-time public enemy Artest as a team hero.

Li Lai has always wondered why the home court of the Bucks is the same green as the Celtics, but now it seems that it is different from the Celtics' Scottish culture and preference for clover.

"The Bucks are grit."

"Blue stands for maturity, red for passion, white for purity, black for mystery and green for courage."

Li Lai also finally understood the demonstrations before the start of the season and the fans' abuse of his trade, because this is the courage engraved in their bones.

Hammond, who was sitting next to Li Lai, was worried about the future of the team, but after hearing Li Lai talking to himself, he quickly covered his stomach and said, "So you are yellow."

Li Lai: Huang Nima!

Tyronn Lue was still sorting out the game data, and finally raised his head and eyes full of fatigue and said: "Coach, if our three-point shooting rate can increase to 50% in this game and hit at least 30 three-pointers, say There is still hope of winning the game.”

As early as before the game, Li Lai discussed this issue with Tyronn Lue.

The Bucks gave up?

of course not!
Neither the coaching staff nor the players chose to give up, nor did the word give up in the Bucks' dictionary. They had the determination to fight to the death.

Especially after Yi Jianlian's lore failed in the last game, all the players of the Bucks now have a fire in their hearts, and they want to prove once again at their home court that we can win.

"But whether it is shooting 50% of the three-pointers or hitting 30 three-pointers, one of the two is already difficult, and now it is even more difficult to achieve both."

Artest sat on the bench, his hands clenched into fists on his knees.

Reggie Miller stretched out his hand and pressed him firmly and said, "You should know that you are not on the pre-match roster, but on the injured list, even if you want to play."

"You don't want to play closed games anymore. The team doctor has already checked out many hidden dangers from you. These are the sequelae of your previous preference to play with your body."

"Artest, you must know that your career is coming to an end. It's time to think about how to treat your body. I don't want you to live in a wheelchair after you retire."

Reggie Miller talked about the biggest problem that NBA players need to face after retiring, and that is the consumption of the body by extreme physical exercise and exercise. Simply put, it is the impact of overdrawing the body.

Most players will have a lot of gray hair and aging appearance when they are 40 years old after retiring. If they have undergone major surgery and steel nails, they will spend the rest of their lives in wheelchairs or have difficulty in moving. Their independent life will be greatly affected. .

Artest hummed calmly for the first time.

He knows that the Bucks' bench lineup has always been weak, and the starting players have shown fatigue even after playing. Even if he drags his injured body to play the game, the team will not go too far.

And his body knows best, if he plays forcefully again, maybe the Achilles tendon might really rupture.

Game start.

Bucks starters: Westbrook, Andre Ingram, George Hill, Villanueva and Yi Jianlian.

Cavaliers starting: Maurice Williams, Delonti - West, James, Varejao and Big Z.

Big Z took the lead in winning the ball for the Cavaliers.

With the sound of the Milwaukee fans shouting for defense, James held the ball for halftime.

"The small forward sent by the Bucks this time turned out to be George Hill, who is only 193cm tall?"

Seeing the defender James in front of him, he didn't hesitate, because this is a natural point of advantage in the matchup. James, who has always been the most reasonable, immediately launched a breakthrough attack on George Hill.

"It's completely crushed!"

George Hill was firmly left behind as soon as he came into contact with James. Most NBA players in the same position can keep up with James' breakthrough speed, but the crux of the problem is that few people can intercept his speed. Let him take the first step, then no one can stop him.

Barkley shook his head again and again when he saw James, who was completely uninhabited on the court.

He and James have almost the same characteristics in terms of breakthroughs, so Barkley has the most say on this point.

"If you can't match up with James in terms of size and strength, then it's only natural to be blown up by him."

Although the previous Marshall was quite old and his strength had declined seriously, he was able to rival James in terms of size, but now George Hill is completely crushed.

Just when Barkley thought that James would easily hit the basket and score a dunk, the Bucks suddenly shrank five players on the court, locking James firmly near the free throw line.

"This is... the Pistons' iron barrel formation."

Big Ben Wallace, who was on the Cavaliers' bench, was the first to discover the defensive changes on the court. Isn't this the classic defensive tactics of the Pistons that he had already engraved in his bones.

The iron barrel formation is essentially an inside contraction tactic, the main purpose is to defend the penalty area and protect the frame and carry out endless double-teaming of the attackers. O'Neal suffered a lot from it back then.

It’s just that such a defensive tactic is most afraid of top breakers. For example, in the 06 Finals, Wade pierced through all the defensive systems of the Pistons. Now he is used to defend James, who is also good at breakthroughs. Not a great choice.

Yi Jianlian was the first to bear the brunt of it, made a cross on the hem of his hands, and then stood firmly on the path of James. If the opponent dares to continue to rush in at this position, it will definitely be an offensive foul.

James took a crab step and chose to take a step to the right to break through. At this period, he was still in the habit of thrusting his right hand very much, but at the same time Westbrook rushed over from the right, directly double-teaming and exerting physical strength.

"James stopped!"

And the power of James who stopped was much smaller. George Hill rushed in from behind, with a quick steal, James lost control of the basketball, and the two fell to the ground to fight for the ball.

The scene was chaotic for a while, and finally Westbrook also rushed forward. He and George Hill jointly grabbed the ball.

The Bucks played a fast break, and James had no time to return to the defense.

Andre Ingram made an easy layup.

"The Bucks are playing with their lives."

Barkley was stunned by the momentum displayed by the Bucks on the spot. Who could imagine that this is a team that has injured two players in a row and is obviously weaker than the opponent in terms of lineup strength?

Su Qun shouted excitedly at the broadcast camera, "Who said the Bucks will definitely lose! We still have a chance, and we will definitely win!"

In the series with the Bucks, James, who suffered such a terrifying defensive intensity for the first time, was also very surprised.

The defensive strength of the Bucks just now, it seems that only the Pistons in the playoffs that year can match this strength, and the defensive formations of the two teams are very similar, but after careful consideration, they are very different. Big difference.

Li Lai looked calm, "Of course it's different."

When James played against the Pistons in 07, although it was also an iron barrel, the Pistons chose to defend against James at that time, and then double-teamed defense after reaching the inside.

It's just that players like James are basically flying in the sky to play. If he is allowed to fly, the big insiders can't stop him. That's why James scored 25 points in a single quarter and lost the game.

Another type of breakthrough player, Wade, is extremely fast in breakthrough speed. The Pistons had no time to defend inside and were scored by the opponent's layup. Naturally, they couldn't defend.

Although Li Lai's defensive tactic was also an iron bucket formation, the purpose was to block James' path and use his body to prevent him from entering the inside lane.

This was originally a defensive strategy proposed by Wharton, who was an assistant coach of the Warriors in the 15th finals of the previous life. At that time, Iguodala and Fucking Green were the ones who implemented this defensive strategy.

Of course, to be precise, this tactic should have been acquired by Wharton from his former teammate Los Angeles Blacksmith in three to 10 minutes.

"Kobe once thought that he would face James in the finals, so he should have spent a lot of time studying James' weaknesses because he was so eager for victory."

Li Lai made opportunistic tricks and is now copying them.

And judging from the result of the first ball, the effect is good.

It's just that Li Lai really knows James very well, and he knows very well that the opponent will soon find a way to break this defensive tactic.

After all, the Bucks do not have qualified small forwards to defend their opponents, which is an inherent disadvantage.

Yi Jianlian snatched an offensive rebound from Varejao and Big Z, and then dunked the ball violently with both elbows, pressing the ball hard into the basket.

George Hill fell to the ground many times while defending James, and the referee blew a defensive foul and an offensive foul respectively. This is already a good result.

Villanueva tried hard to find a shot from outside the three-point line, and was thrown to the ground by Varejao during a shot.

The intensity of this game has completely surpassed everyone's imagination.

In the second quarter of the game, the unavailable Bucks could only continue to send starters to match Dragic. This lineup also lost the long-term and short-term capital with the Cavaliers. James led the team to play a wave of 15 :2's offense is high.

Li Lai sighed speechlessly. He tried his best to consume James' physical strength, but this guy was still able to attack in the sixth game of the playoffs. I'm afraid this guy's physical strength will not be exhausted until the tiebreaker.

In the second half of the game, James suddenly started passing the ball!

After sending out several assists one after another, Li Lai lowered his head in frustration, his eyes were slightly moist.

"The current defensive tactics of the Bucks are most afraid of James passing the ball. Once he discovers this, the Bucks have no possibility of winning."

This is Li Lai's first season in the NBA.

Li Lai let out a long breath. Although the result was not satisfactory, he was very satisfied because he had gained a group of very trustworthy players.

The fourth quarter, the last 3 minutes.

Li Lai suddenly called a timeout.

Barkley's eyes were still full of miracles and said: "This season, every time Li Lai calls a timeout will bring qualitative changes to the Bucks, and the offense and defense on the field will also be extremely targeted."

"And in the first round of offense after the timeout was called, the Bucks' players' shooting percentage was terrifying, so we can look forward to the next performance of the Bucks!"

Kenny Smith nodded affirmatively and said: "We still believe that the Bucks have a chance to win this game! Because they are the Bucks!"

Tyronn Lue stood up from his seat, then took out a tactical board and a pen and said, "Coach, please arrange tactics for the team to win the game."

Westbrook, Yi Jianlian and other players all looked eagerly at Li Lai at this time.

They believed that as long as Li Lai arranged the tactics, they would definitely have the hope of winning the game.

Li Lai took the tactical board and pen, hesitated for a while, then combined them lightly, raised his head and looked at all the players with a smile on his face.

Tyronn Lu raised his hand in shock, "Coach."

All the players also stared at Li Lai with their eyes wide open.
Li Lai squinted his eyes and continued, "It's already 100:80, we should admit defeat."

Dragic, who has always only liked money and women, was the first to hold back, and cried out with a snort.

Westbrook didn't cry, but his eyes were reddish, and he clenched his fists and wanted to hit him.

Yi Jianlian gritted his teeth, feeling a little disappointed.

George Hill still looked at Li Lai with that expressionless expression, but his eyes were lost and he was very lonely.

Li Lai said, "Substitute!"

"Elson, Crohill, Kenny Thomas, Malik Rose."

Mike Brown, who has been paying attention to their actions, finally heaved a sigh of relief as he watched the Bucks replace all water dispenser plumbers.

"It's so tiring to play a series with the Bucks, and I almost lost!"

James also breathed a sigh of relief, but he didn't intend to end. He must win this game steadily, no, to be precise, win all the games in the Eastern Conference, because he wants to play in the finals again.

And fans all over the world are already shouting, 23vs24!

Tyronn Lue noticed the problem, and quickly reminded: "Coach, we only played 4 people, and we have to play one more person."

Li looked at him, "What do you mean? You won't go up and fight?"

Tai Lun opened his eyes wide, as if looking at a mentally retarded person.

What the hell are you talking about? I'm so fat and you still let me play ball.

Li Lai put his arm around Tylen Lu's shoulder and said softly: "This is your retirement ceremony, Lu.

Go enjoy the last playoff game of your career. "

Tyronn Lu was stunned, and it took him a long time to react, then rolled his eyes and said with a smile: "This bastard, he remembers it as clearly as I do."

beep!beep!
The referee blows the whistle, and the Eastern Conference semifinals are over.

The Bucks beat the Cavaliers 84:110.

The Milwaukee fans at the scene all stood up, and everyone was applauding their players.

James looked up at all this. This was the first time he saw the fans applauding so happily after the home team lost.

Li Lai and Mike Brown hugged each other.

For the first time, Mike Brown put Li Lai in the coaching position of his own level and said: "Coach Li Lai, this is a very exciting round of the Eastern Conference semifinals, and the Bucks are also a very strong opponent."

Li Lai patted Mike Brown's big bald head and said: "The Cavaliers are also a very strong team, but I want to remind you that your opponents will restrain you in the lineup, and they will also restrain James a lot. , so good luck to you."

Mike Brown rubbed his head in puzzlement. The Celtics and Magic, the other two teams in the Eastern Conference semifinals, only drew 3:3 last night. Say they have a lot of restraint against the Cavaliers?
"Could it be that both teams restrained the Cavaliers?"

Li looked at all the depressed Bucks players. He walked over and hugged everyone and said, "Guys, you played very well. Don't blame yourself. It's me who is not good enough. I failed to lead the team." You go one step further."

"But I promise you, next year, we will definitely do it all over again!"

"Now, go hug and congratulate your opponents. The Cavaliers won honorably and aboveboard. They didn't use dirty tricks. We should pay tribute to them."

Dragic hugged George Hill and cried, and Yi Jianlian took the initiative to walk to the center of the arena to hug Varejao and Big Z.

And Westbrook chose to throw the towel on his shoulders angrily, and then left the court without looking back.

Li Lai looked at Westbrook's back when he left, and he knew very well that this Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle had a fire in his heart.

At this time, the other Bucks players let go of their prejudices as opponents and chose to shake hands with the Cavaliers.

Artest found Big Ben on purpose.

"Hey buddy."

Big Ben Wallace turned around dumbly, and when he saw that it was Artest, he clenched his fists instinctively. Before he could say the words, do you want to fight, Artest had already stepped up and gave him a Big hugs.

Oh ~ strong lock man!

Da Ben's whole body was stiff, and even goosebumps arose, "I was hugged by Artest! Damn it!"

At this time, all the reporters were very excited and took pictures of this scene with their cameras.

Artest said: "I have forgotten the past, now I just want to be a good person, I hope to be friends with you, Wallace."

Da Ben shook his head very puzzled, "Hey, your brother is a person who can only talk with fists, now"

Artest said seriously: "My coach told me that I am the leader of the Bucks, and I should lead the team in the right way, not fight.

Next season I will lead them to beat you in a fair way, just wait. "

Post-match interview.

James has 30 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists. This is the only time he has played in line with his own data.

Facing the reporter's interview, James said anxiously: "Please end the interview quickly, please. I want to go home and rest early. I am too tired to play with the Bucks. Now I just feel like I have finished the entire Eastern Conference playoffs." Same."

(End of this chapter)