Pick Westbrook

Chapter 218 The Old Man Pushing the Mill
Westbrook decisively stopped passing the ball at this time and chose to force Mario Chalmers.

Mario Chalmers is a point guard who is good at fixed-point shooting, has a certain breakthrough ability, and can occasionally send exquisite passes.

But he also makes frequent mistakes, especially on the defensive end.

Because of Mario Chalmers' mediocre athleticism, it's hard to guard talented offensive players.

Westbrook passed Mario Chalmers with a blazing first step to the basket.

Bosh, who originally went around to defend Cousins, was firmly resisted by Cousins ​​at this time, and lost the opportunity to return to the penalty area.

boom!
The tortoise battle ax splits the buckle!

"Because of Yi Jianlian's injury, Westbrook has been extremely restrained on the offensive end this season, and even made people completely forget that he is a double MVP player."

"However, this kind of restraint also helped Westbrook grow further. This season, he is obviously learning the field control ability of traditional point guards."

"It's an amazing skill, and if Westbrook can really master it, he will be able to progress to a higher level of guard."

Barkley said very pertinently.

Regardless of Westbrook's double MVP last season, in Barkley's eyes, Westbrook is undoubtedly an All-Star player, but to say that he is at a historical level, it still owes a little heat.

Although Westbrook unrivaledly won the second triple-double in the entire NBA history, he struggled to win the regular season MVP from James, and was almost lost in the finals MVP selection. take it down.

"I believe Westbrook must also feel the pressure inside, so he is also working hard to become better."

Kenny Smith is very willing to believe that Westbrook can break through this most critical step.

If he can continue to learn the field control ability of a traditional point guard while possessing the ability of an all-around triple-double king.

Then Westbrook is a historical point guard!

CCTV commentary desk.

Su Qun also saw this and said: "It's really a very good thing that Westbrook is in the Bucks."

"The coaching staff of this team obviously intends to cultivate his shortcomings and shortcomings, from the ball-handling core who entered the league at the beginning to the current field-controlling core."

"Westbrook is getting better step by step."

The Heat attack.

Westbrook scored a tomahawk dunk so straightforwardly, Wade's face was full of anger.

In this round, he took the initiative to catch the ball at the top of the arc, and James moved to the corner of the weak side after passing the ball.

This position is close enough to the basket to grab offensive rebounds and open space for Wadela.

This is the tacit understanding and cooperation ability of the two.

Curry defends Wade alone.

Artest is worthy of being the current leader of the Bucks. He quickly realized the problem of the matchup between the two, so he shouted loudly: "You must double-team!"

Westbrook gave up Mario Chalmers and took the initiative to pounce.

But Wade, who has already proved himself a superstar, chose to forcefully break through Curry before the double-team was formed with great experience.

Changing direction in front of the body, the extremely domineering first step, the physical confrontation during the breakthrough process, and the ghostly European step to the basket.

boom!
A powerful one-handed snap!

Barkley shook his head and said, "This is Wade's Eurostep."

"Because the stride is too large, it is often accompanied by extremely exaggerated lateral movement, and it is unique in speed and rhythm, so it is appropriately called "Misty Step" by fans."

Even Garnett, who was the top defensive player back then, shook his head repeatedly when facing Wade's stray steps, saying bluntly that he almost hated Wade's steps.

It is simply impossible to defend against it alone!
Halfway through the first quarter.

At 15:15, the two teams were temporarily tied.

At this time, the Heat took the initiative to signal a timeout, and at the same time took Wade and replaced it with Ray Allen.

"What does this substitution mean?"

Tyronn Lue didn't understand at all.

Wade's breakthrough at this moment has completely defeated the Bucks. Replacing him at this time is tantamount to breaking his own arms.

Is this the level of Heat coach Erik Spoelstra?
Tai Lun looked at Li Lai very puzzled, but found that the other party was extremely nervous at this moment.

Li Lai also adjusted the substitutions, taking Cousins ​​down and replacing him with O'Neal, who has better lateral speed.

Marshall couldn't help asking questions.

"Coach, Cousins ​​was very effective against Bosh in the first half of the game. Is it wrong to replace him early at this time?"

Li Lai really wanted to say that if he didn't change to a more flexible lineup at this time, that would be the biggest problem.

Most coaches in the league now may not have a deep understanding of the horror of James and Ray Allen partnering together.

Only the fans and the head coach who have seen that scene can be very sure and sigh deeply: Fortunately, James did not partner with Curry, otherwise the two will push the entire league horizontally.

The game continues after the pause.

With Wade off the court, the Heat's ball-handling core has completely become James alone.

At this time, it was finally time for the little emperor to show his talents.

He first shot Artest with the ball from the outside and hit a three-pointer.

Then it was discovered that Artest didn't dare to take a step back to defend because of that three-pointer and chose to close his body to limit the shooting space. James changed his offensive method and forcibly entered the penalty area.

Swish!
Relying on Artest's defensive domineering reflexive dunks.

beep!beep!
The referee whistled at the same time, 2+1!

Li Lai held his forehead in great helplessness.

The James who gave him a headache in the Eastern Conference finals last season appeared again.

But unlike last season's Eastern Conference finals series, it is absolutely impossible for Li Lai to come up with any tactical strategy that will kill James at this time.

With teammates like Wade and Bosh, this tactical strategy has already completely failed for James.

So at this time, Li Lai had no choice but to arrange the extremely unwilling and unavoidable tactics like all the head coaches in the previous life.

"Teaming!"

"Teaming!"

"Fuck me to death!"

Curry was taken down, and Li Lai replaced George Hill with a better defense.

But even the double-team defense of George Hill and Artest can only limit James' personal offense. He also has a very high basketball IQ and passing ability.

Ray Allen continued to run without the ball on the outside, and finally got a very comfortable three-point shot in the right corner.

call!
James' ability to find people is extremely sharp, and his passing speed is also very fast.

Ray Allen caught the ball firmly with both hands.

As a marksman, he wanted to sigh that James' pass was an extremely comfortable pass that he rarely received before his career.

Ray Allen raised his hand lightly, and George Hill flew out randomly.

Only at this time did Ray Allen steadily choose a three-point shot.

Swish!
Three point hit!

Su Qun said: "Don't look at Curry's three-pointers that scare teams all over the league, but in the position of three-pointers from the right corner, Ray Allen has maintained the first place in shooting percentage for five consecutive seasons. "

"His 48% three-point shooting from this position is the most accurate of any player in the league shooting from this position."

Because of Ray Allen's three-pointer, Li Lai closed his eyes in a panic.

Double-team James, then outside pitchers will have open opportunities.

If James is not double-teamed, then he alone can disrupt all the Bucks' defenses, even if Artest is defending.

How to do?
Tylen Lu and Marshall on the side looked at Li Lai at the same time.

The two finally realized how the Heat's 27-game winning streak came about.

It's really scary.

Such a helpless defensive choice keeps the Heat always on the more dominant side.

At this moment, Li Lai suddenly opened his eyes and said, "2-3 zone defense, area double-team!"

The Heat continued to attack.

James holds the ball again at the top of the arc.

This time Artest decisively chose to take a step back to defend, while Westbrook was always staring at James from a step away on the right.

Barkley looked at the formation of the Bucks on the court and said: "This is a 2-3 defense."

"Except for using it against the Lakers in the Finals last season, this is the first time the Bucks have used this defensive tactic again this season."

Of course, there is absolutely no problem defending James like this.

Just now Artest's close defense that took a step forward was obviously a bit of a fascination for the authorities.

Not to mention that James hit a three-pointer in tonight's game, even if he hit ten, he must not be defended close to him.

At this time, Su Qun was full of memories and said: "In the finals between the Spurs and the Cavaliers, Popovich used this kind of defense to limit James' breakthroughs and passes."

"And in that round of the finals, James' average shooting percentage was only 35.6%, which is the lowest shooting percentage of all James' playoff series so far."

"Now that the Bucks have adopted the same defensive strategy, can James prove that he has made great progress from 07 to now?"

Faced with such a defensive strategy, James decisively passed the ball to Ray Allen, and then moved to the penalty area without the ball.

Bosh made an off-ball pick-and-roll for James in the paint, which eased Artest's defensive pressure.

At the same time, Mario Chalmers mentioned that the top of the arc attracted the defensive players, so that James completely formed a one-on-one singles position at the waist.

"Here we come! Here we come! Low James is here!"

Artest concentrates on marking hard.

James glanced back and started smashing the ball!
One library!boom!
Second library!boom!

On the court, the sound of violent muscle collision sounded.

James pushed his back twice in a row, and even Artest, known as the beast, was also overwhelmed by it.

At this time, Westbrook, the Bucks' second-best defense on the court, decisively shrank to the inside and double-teamed James.

This is also the essence of 2-3 zone defense. It depends on the position rather than the ball. Everyone needs to stand in their own position. If someone brings the ball over, they need people who belong to this area to cooperate with the defense.

Therefore, this defensive tactic requires tacit cooperation among the players.

If the opponent team has a strong breakthrough player or low-post singles master, then the 2-3 zone defense can be very good for closing the door.

Barkley exclaimed: "Nice low post technique and footwork!"

"At the same time, the Bucks came up with a wave of textbook-level 2-3 defense."

Heat coach bench.

Eric Spoelstra admired Li Lai even more.

The opponent first replaced Cousins ​​​​in advance and took the more flexible O'Neal to adjust and replace the Heat.

If it weren't for the early substitution this time, James should take the initiative to play Cousins ​​on the outside pick-and-roll list in the next round.

With Cousins' slow footsteps, there is only one end for him to defend James, either to be blown up or the Bucks can only double-team and watch Ray Allen make a three-pointer.

As a result, because of Li Lai's early adjustments and substitutions, the Heat's offensive tactics were completely unplayable.

"But I have James!"

Erik Spoelstra couldn't help but smile at this point.

James also knew that the Heat's offensive tactics had failed, but he was very smart, and it took a very short time to find the best tactics that fit the team's current lineup.

This is James.

It's so easy to win when you have players of this caliber on the court.

Spoelstra couldn't help thinking of the first time James decided to join the Heat. At that time, he didn't realize what changes this player's joining would bring to the Heat.

Even Spoelstra thinks that the management of these teams in the league is making a fuss, just a James, worthy of such serious treatment?
It was as if Jordan, the god of basketball, became a free agent during the offseason.

Until the start of the Heat's training camp, the players assembled, and James led a bunch of substitutes to beat the crap out of the Wade and Bosh lineup in the team's first training game.

He even completed a dunk with 8 consecutive pushes and counterattacks.

At this time, Spoelstra finally realized that even if the No. 6 player in the team is not Jordan, he is very close to Jordan.

on the field.

Facing the low double-teaming of Westbrook and Artest, James was very calm and turned around to shoot.

Barkley stared straight at the ball, "The difficulty of this ball is not small."

Kenny Smith also nodded and said: "And it's still a backward shot, James can really complete such an offense now?"

Swish!
Hollow into the net, hit! ! !
Artest and Westbrook, who have played against James countless times, looked at James in shock at this time.

The expression on his face also read: Is this still the James we know?

After scoring the goal, James ran to the Bucks coach's bench very excitedly, stepped on the bully step in front of Li Lai, and yelled hoarsely at the same time.

For this ball, in order to beat the Bucks, James has put in a lot of effort this summer.

And Li Lai still looked at James calmly with his arms around him, but his heart was already full of anger.

The irritable Cousins ​​couldn't bear it anymore, and he jumped up from his seat and wanted to make a theory with James.

O'Neal quickly stopped Cousins ​​and said, "I didn't say anything when he stole my overlord step. If you can score such a goal, you can also shout."

The first quarter is over.

The Bucks trailed the Heat by 28 points with 32:4.

CCTV commentary desk.

Su Qun said: "Let me just say, in terms of strength, the Heat are stronger."

"After all, it's a combination of James + Wade + Bosh, especially James and Wade. It's really cheating when they stay together."

The second game.

The Bucks have a rotation that they are proud of.

Point guard Dragic, shooting guard Curry, small forward McGrady, power forward Villanueva and center Cousins.

After seeing this lineup, Tai Lue was the first to look back at Li Lai in shock.

"So the coach thought so!"

Regardless of the fact that the Heat took the lead in the first quarter, James was leading the team at that time.

But there is always a time when James is off the court. At this time, the Heat not only do not have James on the court, but also do not have Bosh inside.

In this way, the Big Three have gone to the second place, and only Wade is alone on the court with a substitute game.

Wade's ability to lead a single-core team is much weaker than that of James.

After all, the two are not the same type of players, one is a general who guides the country on the battlefield, and the other is an invisible killer.

At this time, the players brought up by the Bucks include not only Curry, the league's scoring leader so far this season, but also Cousins, Dragic and McGrady.

With such a lineup combination, it is extremely competitive no matter facing the substitute of any team in the league.

Heat rotation: point guard Mike Bibby, shooting guard Wade, small forward Mike Miller, power forward James Jones and center Big Z.

Kenny Smith said with some concern: "The Heat's bench lineup is also very competitive."

"This season, the Heat formed a Big Three lineup that made the league fearful. At the same time, it also greatly attracted some veteran players to join with a basic salary."

"Like Mike Bibby and Big Z, they still chose to join the Heat with a basic salary even though they obviously had better contract invitations."

"That's what makes the Heat the scariest team in the league."

Barkley would like to say that the Bucks really met their opponent this time.

Of course, all teams in the league have encountered the great opponent of the Heat.

Barkley still clearly remembers the tragedy that the Spurs, who were able to compete for the championship, were beaten by the Heat by 20 points.

The Spurs, without a serious striker, were almost overwhelmed by James and Wade.

Even if the Bucks have a top-line defensive player like Artest, it seems that they also have no way to deal with the Heat's Janeway.

The Heat attack.

Wade hit a dragon with the ball, facing Curry's defense directly into the penalty area.

boom!
Score with one hand.

"This is Wade's offensive method during this period of time, that is to carry the explosive package and kill inside."

"The Bucks want to use Curry to guard Wade, which is almost an unrealistic idea."

Facing Wade's crazy offensive style, Li Lai had only one tactical strategy for the players on the field, and that was to double-team Wade crazily.

Of course, Wade is also a passing guard, but his passing threat is much worse than his offense.

Therefore, unlike the strategy of defending James, facing Wade's offense with the ball, he has to double-team crazily.

Li Lai also knew that it was not a good choice for Curry to defend Wade, but he never thought of using Curry to defend Wade.

The Bucks attack.

Cousins ​​mentioned the high position.

Su Qun was shocked and said: "This style of play is here again!"

Since Yi Jianlian was injured, the Bucks have seldom used the center forward to hold the ball in a high position. The only player who can occasionally implement this tactic is Cousins.

Unlike Yi Jianlian's extremely accurate ultra-long three-pointers, Cousins' way of attracting defenses from the outside is more brutal, that is, fierce outside singles with the ball.

Dragic passes Cousins.

Finally able to use his favorite offensive method at this time, Cousins ​​is already hungry and thirsty.

He still remembers James' aggressive stride and roar at the Bucks dugout towards the end of the first quarter.

If it weren't for O'Neal's face, and because his idol and James are good brothers, Cousins ​​would have rushed to beat James.

You are amazing!
Cousins ​​holds the ball outside, and Big Z is defending him.

At this time, Big Z obviously didn't realize what kind of blame he was going to blame on his good buddy James, but just stared at Cousins's feet with all his attention.

Cousins ​​​​started singles.

Three-threat shooting fakes, the first step after the threat of attacking the ball is extremely accelerated.

Big Z turned pale with shock, and quickly backed away.

He didn't expect that this inside player's hands and feet were so delicate, and he was more like a small player in offense with the ball.

But at the moment when Big Z took a step back, Cousins ​​suddenly made a huge change in front of him.

"Fuck!"

Big Z couldn't respond in time and fell to the ground directly.

Cousins ​​went straight to the basket and scored with a domineering one-handed dunk.

Seeing the 221cm tall Big Z fall to the ground, Barkley couldn't help grinning.

Such a tall player was staged to end with an ankle, it would be very painful to fall.

Cousins, who scored the goal, rushed to the Heat's bench under the strange eyes of the fans, and roared in front of James.

"My Nima!"

This scene stunned all the players on and off the field. The three referees walked over in a daze and raised their hands to give a T.

Cousins ​​spread his hands and said speechlessly: "Is there any mistake? He also yelled like that in the last game!"

Cousins ​​pointed at James as he spoke.

The on-duty referee explained: "He yelled, but did he say I'm stupid?"

At this time, Cousins ​​looked back at O'Neal helplessly, his face full of dissatisfaction.

"Brother, you said I scored a goal, I can also shout."

O'Neal's dull eyes made him extremely speechless.

If you yell at me in the face of others, it will be strange if you don't get blown T.

At this time, Cousins ​​also saw Li Lai with a dark face, and thought to himself.

I was caught by the coach again for eating T, and I am afraid I will be criticized again after the game.

But at this time Li Lai couldn't help but chuckle, all the seriousness on his face was completely broken.

He gave Cousins ​​a thumbs up, indicating that the ankle just ended beautifully.

Cousins ​​gave his head away with a silly smile. This was the first time he had been praised by Li Lai this season.

In the last ten seconds of the second quarter, Wade singled Curry again.

This time, facing the defense of Curry and Dragic, a wave of difficult buzzer throws were staged to break into the Dragon Palace alone.

Wade, who made the buzzer shot, happily played the action of the old man pushing the millstone on the court.

Halftime is over.

The score was 58:64, and the Bucks were still behind.

(End of this chapter)