Pick Westbrook

Chapter 219
"This is the current Heat team!"

On-site commentary desk.

Watching the crazy performances of Wade and James one after another, Barkley has completely worshiped.

半场比赛结束，韦德17分3篮板2助攻，詹姆斯15分5篮板5助攻，再加上波什的10分4篮板。

When a team has three players in double figures by halftime, it's really hard for the opposing team to beat them.

In particular, James and Wade also played such a dominant performance on the court, not just simply scoring.

The two used their own abilities to completely mess up the Bucks' defensive system, which is why the Bucks fell behind at halftime.

"Coach, we need to make a change!"

"You can't let the Heat score so easily."

Tai Lue reminded at the right time.

Marshall on the side of such a suggestion also wants to say.

But the key is that the Bucks have no way to limit the Heat's James and Wade.

Li Lai remained calm with a serious face.

He is constantly simulating countless defensive systems in his head, preparing to limit the Heat's James and Wayne.

Only by limiting these two, can the Bucks beat the Heat.

"The center is the axis!"

Li Lai thought of the Pacers who fought the Heat in seven games.

At that time, the Heat had 66 wins, had the Big Three, and defeated the Spurs in the Finals.

But the Pacers didn't even get 50 wins, but abruptly dragged the series to the tiebreaker.

In addition to Wade's poor state due to injuries, he averaged only 14 points per game in the first six games.

Another very important reason is the defensive task assigned by Vogel to [-] center Gao Yuanyuan.

2-3 zone defense, the inside line is the axis, and participate in the important task of assisting James and Wade at any time.

In addition, Roy Hibbert, nicknamed Gao Yuanyuan, also increased the offensive rounds of indiscriminately bombarding Bosh in the interior, relying on his own height advantage to easily score points on Bosh's head frequently.

"I have to say that Vogel still has something to do with the defense."

Li looked at Cousins, who was 208cm tall and with a wingspan of 227cm, who was sitting on his bench, and then looked at the tall, thin Bosh sitting on the Heat's bench.

That's not the same picture as Gao Yuanyuan beating Bosh.

In addition, when the Bulls played against the Heat in the playoffs that year, they also put a lot of pressure on the opponent, not because of the inside defense of Noah and Boozer.

At that time, the two built an extremely terrifying defense line in the restricted area.

The game continued in the second half.

Yu Jia said: "The Bucks have to launch a counterattack quickly during this time period, otherwise the victory in this game may be directly taken away by the Heat."

At this time, Su Qun was also curious to find some changes in the Bucks' lineup.

Westbrook, Curry, Artest, O'Neal and Cousins.

"It stands to reason that the Bucks will use Jermaine O'Neal and Cousins ​​separately during this period of time. After all, Jermaine O'Neal has no three-point shooting ability."

"On the court, he will further compress the offensive space on the court, which is very detrimental to Cousins' offense."

Heat coach bench.

Spoelstra found this out, too.

He couldn't understand the significance of the Bucks' formation at all.

Now that the Bucks are at a disadvantage, they don't take out their offensive lineup to chase points quickly, but they further narrow the team's offensive space. Isn't this defending themselves?

The Bucks attack.

Westbrook advanced with the ball, and Curry circled the screen to attract the defense.

Haslem was taken out of the penalty area, and Cousins ​​demanded the ball strongly inside.

Westbrook saw the opportunity and passed a ground pass to Cousins.

"The Bucks are ready to single Bosh again."

Judging from the process of the first half of the game, Haslem is very clear.

It is really difficult for Bosh to defend Cousins, so he instinctively wants to throw the ball into the inside to help defend and double-team.

But taking a look at Curry in front of him, Haslem quickly stopped the thought.

The most abnormal thing about the Bucks is that because of Curry's attractiveness outside the three-point line, it is always difficult for opponents to make targeted defensive arrangements.

boom!
Cousins ​​scored from the low post and forced Bosh to score.

The ball did not surprise all the Heat players on the court and Spoelstra off the court.

After all, as early as the first quarter of the game, Cousins ​​succeeded in singles against Bosh many times, but the result of the game was still that the Heat took the lead.

So Spoelstra knows very well that even if Cousins ​​can bombard the inside, as long as the Bucks can't defend James and Wade, they can continue to lead.

Switch offense.

Wade advanced with the ball, and James mentioned that he took the initiative to receive the ball from a high position.

Bosh came up to cover, which is the most common tactical cooperation between the two.

But this time Cousins ​​and Artest both chose to take a step back to defend, completely emptying the pick-and-roll of James and Bosh.

As the two took a step back, James at this time could only choose to make a three-pointer or force a breakthrough.

James, who scored a three-pointer in the first half, chose a three-pointer again at this time.

Duang!

The basketball went slightly off track and the Bucks fought back.

Jermaine O'Neal grabbed the rebound and made a halftime long pass, and Westbrook opened fire and accelerated towards the opposite basket.

James and Wade fought hard to catch up.

But at the same time as the latter took off, the basketball was directly and tacitly assigned to the bottom corner by Westbrook.

The ball arrives.

Curry catches the ball.

The ball was passed a little too big.

So even Curry needs to adjust his shooting rhythm again.

Wade rushed over, but Curry still chose to shoot.

call!
"This shooting speed is really less than the blink of an eye."

Swish!
Three point hit.

Spoelstra frowned slightly watching the goal.

Between one defense and one offense, the Bucks have narrowed the score, but Spoelstra still didn't feel that there was anything wrong, he just shouted to remind the players on the field to be tighter.

The Heat continued to attack.

It was still James' pick-and-roll with the ball, and the Bucks still chose the same defensive strategy.

This time James drove the tank decisively to the basket.

Cousins ​​remembers the defensive assignments Li Lai gave him during the break.

That is to limit James at all costs.

Originally, Cousins ​​was a little angry with James in his heart, and this time happened to satisfy him.

"My Nima!"

James forced Cousins ​​to the basket, but because of Cousins' huge weight and excellent strength, James did not find a chance to force a dunk.

James changed the restricted area and turned around to play back.

Compared with back-up Artest, the difficulty of back-up Cousins ​​has been raised by another level.

James failed to get an easy scoring opportunity in consecutive top man in the penalty area, and finally had to turn over and make a fadeaway jumper.

But this time, Cousins, with a wingspan of 227cm, interfered.

The Bucks counterattacked again.

"Hurry back and defend!"

Spoelstra shouted anxiously from the sidelines.

Westbrook advanced with the ball, and Curry landed in the right corner. This time Wade did a good job of defending him.

Cousins ​​advanced from the backcourt and went down the middle.

Westbrook threw the ball behind him without looking.

boom!
Cousins ​​made a powerful dunk with both hands.

The Bucks' two consecutive defensive counterattacks made Spoelstra's brows more and more frowned.

He has gradually felt that the momentum is not right.

On the next turn, James passed the ball to Wade to handle it.

Westbrook and Curry switched defenses early.

Seeing this scene, Su Qun praised again and again: "Let Curry defend Mario Chalmers, and let Westbrook, who has better physical strength and stronger defensive ability, defend Wade."

"It's a beautiful switch defense."

Faced with Westbrook's more threatening defense, Wade still chose a very fast breakthrough and accelerated towards the penalty area.

But he had just reached the free throw line, and Cousins, who was in the penalty area as the axis, immediately gave up his defender and jumped over to help defend.

O'Neal, who can be regarded as a weaker version of Garnett with his flexible footwork and ability to help defend, moved decisively to the 4th and 5th positions to help defend.

Because the Bucks chose a 2-3 zone defense with shrinking areas, Bosh didn't get a very good chance to open at this time, and Wade's offensive line was also restricted.

Duang!

Wade made a strong shot.

The Bucks make another fast break!
Curry held the ball across half court, and unreasonably shot from a step away from the three-point line.

Hit again! ! !

"My God! The Bucks played three consecutive defensive counterattacks."

Kenny Smith was already staring blankly at the commentary stand.

Who would have thought that the Bucks, which had been at a disadvantage in the first half, would suddenly change their defensive strategy in the third quarter and take a lineup that was extremely unfavorable to their offense.

But such a lineup has greatly defended the offensive firepower of James and Wei in the interior.

Barkley saw some tactical eyebrows on the court and said.

"The Bucks' offense is indeed suppressed in a very small space because of O'Neal, but the premise is that the offense in positional warfare is difficult to play at this time."

"At this time, the Bucks, which mainly promote half-court transitions and defensive counterattacks, are not affected by the offensive space after O'Neal came on the court at all."

"The head coach of the Bucks, Li Lai, really deserves to be a master of offensive tactics. He is very clear about the strengths and weaknesses of each lineup, so he tries his best to avoid the weaknesses and at the same time maximize the strengths."

"No wonder even Phil Jackson and Popovich praised this young head coach as a rare offensive coach."

The Heat urgently requested a timeout.

Spoelstra had to take Ray Allen in advance to help James and Wade open up space.

After seeing Ray Allen play, Li Lai had to stop the tactical play earlier.

The biggest problem with the 2-3 zone defense is that the defensive pressure on outside players is extremely insufficient.

If Curry is allowed to die alone with Ray Allen at this time, while other Bucks players continue to defend in a 2-3 zone, it will be a bit nondescript, and it is even very likely that there will be a scene where one loses sight of another.

So Li asked Westbrook to re-implement the Bucks' original offensive tactics, but his and Curry's substitution defensive strategy will continue.

Marshall reminded from the side at this time: "Curry has hit 6 three-pointers in this game. According to the long-established rules, we have a high probability of winning this game."

Tyronn Lue interrupted the opponent in advance and shook his head and said: "That's just a rule, fans can believe it, how can we believe it?"

Marshall was slightly taken aback, but he had let go of this matter.

Li Lai nodded in agreement, agreeing with Tyronn Lue's statement.

When will it be the turn of the law to speak for things on the playing field?
Although the Bucks overtook the score by relying on the three consecutive waves of defensive counterattacks just now, they hit an 8:0 offensive high.

But it doesn't mean they can win the game tonight, and they haven't even formed a dominant level of suppression against the Heat.

Especially James and Wade, Li Lai knew very well that these two brothers were players who could perform miracles.

Not to mention a 2-point advantage, even a 20-point advantage, they have the ability to regain it.

The third quarter is over.

The Bucks regained the lead with 88:86.

"In this quarter, the Heat are going to play their ace lineup."

Kenny Smith said with extreme fear.

Buckley nodded in agreement.

"This season, the Heat averaged 5.6 points ahead of their opponents in the last quarter of the game because of the lineup they brought up at the last minute."

Point guard Mario Chalmers, shooting guard Wade, small forward Ray Allen, power forward James and center Bosh.

CCTV commentary station, Su Qun said.

"This lineup is very similar to the dead five that the Bucks brought out in the playoffs last season, but there are obvious differences."

"Bosh has a certain shooting ability and is very flexible on his feet."

"James is pushed to the power forward position, so he can have a great dislocation singles advantage on the court without a pick-and-roll."

"You know, what James likes most is dislocation and strong eating."

"In addition to that, Ray Allen, who is a perfect match with James, is on the court. Wade's shooting ability problem will be infinitely reduced, but it will make his unsolvable breakthrough threat extremely terrifying."

"Add Mario Chalmers, the Heat's second-best spot-up shooter, and they're shooting 38 percent from deep this season."

"Except for Ray Allen, he is the most accurate three-pointer in the Heat."

This lineup is the strongest lineup the Heat built during the offseason, especially on the offensive end.

In Su Qun's view, the Heat's lineup is not even weaker than the Bucks with Yi Jianlian on the offensive end.

Bucks coaching bench.

Marshall quickly opened the statistics, and anxiously told Li the very same words as Su Qun.

Tyronn Lue said nervously: "Coach, you have to find a way to limit the Heat's offensive lineup."

Li Lai said with a bitter smile, "There is no way."

"At least with our current lineup, there is no way to limit the Heat at this time."

Because of this lineup, James and Wade will become the most terrifying killers on the court.

Cousins ​​didn't even have a chance to help defend inside, and could only watch the two of James and Wei hit the basket wantonly.

Unless the Bucks have very strong perimeter defenders.

But apart from Artest alone, there is no one in the Bucks who can take on this important task at this time.

Westbrook, no.

Even if his current defensive awareness and experience are more reliable than in his previous life, he is not yet the kind of player who can enter the best defensive team.

Curry, neither.

His physical gifts doomed him not to be a defensive leader.

So no matter what method Li Lai thinks of, it is impossible for the Bucks to defend against the Heat with this lineup.

After hearing Li Lai's answer, Tyronn Lu and Marshall lowered their heads with a cold expression at the same time.

"Just a little bit, we were a little bit closer to ending this Heat team's 27-game winning streak."

"Is it true that no one can stop this team's footsteps, and everyone can only watch them break the first record of winning streak in history?"

When Tyronn Lue and Marshall were both secretly blaming themselves for not being able to provide good help to the team, Li Lai continued with his eyes fixed.

"Since we can't defend against the Heat, let's go on offense."

"It just so happens that the Bucks have not lost to anyone on the offensive end so far."

"27 wins over the Heat, let's fight!"

Bucks lineup: Westbrook, Curry, Artest, Villanueva and Cousins.

Barkley first smelled the horror and said: "The Bucks are going to fight the Heat to the extreme."

Heat bout.

Wade held the ball from the outside, passed Westbrook in one step and went straight to the basket.

Cousins ​​boldly gave up his defender Bosh at this time, and took the initiative to choose to come to the penalty area to make up defense.

Wade threw his body into the sky directly, no matter what was in front of him, he only needed to fly in the air to find the board, and then threw the basketball into the sky.

That's it!

Swish!
Go in!

Wade, who fell to the ground, rolled twice in a row and then compared aggressively on his throat.

In terms of pretense, Sao Wei can be regarded as No.1 in this period.

The Bucks attack.

Compared with the extremely difficult time for the Bucks to defend the Heat's lineup, the Heat's defense against the Bucks is much better.

After all, there are James and Wade on the court at this time, and both of them are players who have been in the best defensive team.

James even once ranked second on the DPOY list of the best defensive players.

"So it's not that easy for the Bucks to finish the offense."

Westbrook advances with the ball.

Cousins ​​took the initiative to raise the pick-and-roll, and the latter also hit the basket.

Barkley nodded and said: "Both the Heat and the Bucks know the weakness of the opposing team, and that is the inside."

"It's just that the Bucks have an extra defensive Cousins ​​inside, so the end of this piece will test the abilities of James and Wade."

"And the Heat also have Wade and James on the outside, so the Bucks players want to break through their outside defense and enter the inside, which needs to get past the blockade of James and Way."

Just as Westbrook broke through Mario Chalmers' defense and went directly to the inside.

James followed, and a roc spread its wings and soared into the sky, with its right hand raised high and aimed at the basketball in Westbrook's hand.

Su Qun was ready to shout: James nails the big hat!

But Westbrook, who had suffered the humiliation of James nailing the big cap last season, is very smart this time.

While his body was flying into the air, he threw the ball directly to the left at a 45° angle.

Yu Jia looked in that direction in shock and said: "There is no one there, the ball is going out of bounds!"

"Westbrook made a mistake."

At the same time, Villanueva's outside wall had no ball to cover, and Curry went around the screen to catch the ball and threw it directly.

Wade has been chasing desperately, but Villanueva's high-quality pick-and-roll slowed down his pursuit.

Swish!
The three-pointer hit again!
"Kuritian! This player is called Kuritian!"

Curry's eyes were serious, then he patted his chest vigorously and pointed to the sky.

While Westbrook retreated, the two clapped their hands tacitly.

Curry said, "Here's to the beautiful man."

"You shot beautifully, too," Westbrook said.

next round.

James hit back from the low post, turned around and made a layup after flying Artest with a dreamy footstep.

In this game, Artest was almost given by James, and he also felt for the first time that he could no longer limit the small forward player.

This is of course not that Artest's defense is not good. He can admit that his offensive ability has declined due to his physical condition, but he will never admit that his defense is not good.

Artest said seriously: "My defensive skills are still there, but now James can no longer defend."

Turning around, the Bucks successfully played a wave of elevator door tactics.

Westbrook once again found Curry, who was moving off the ball, and the latter hit another three-pointer.

Curry, who scored this three-pointer, shook his head and was extremely arrogant on the court.

And all the Milwaukee fans at the scene also burst into MVP shouts for him.

In this state, Curry gradually went crazy.

Hit a super-long three-pointer and then made a layup after a feint from the outside.
"MVP!"

"MVP! MVP!"

"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

Amid the deafening chants, Curry walked to the free throw line.

In that wave of outside ball attack just now, the Heat have frantically double-teamed Curry with Wade and Mario Chalmers.

As a result, although the basketball missed the basket, the two sent Curry to the free throw line together.

Both James and Wade were sweating profusely, and they both looked at Curry standing at the free throw line with their hands on their hips in tacit understanding.

The Heat could have won the game, James and Wade could have won the game, and they lost to this guy who looked like a school kid.

Swish!
Made all three free throws!

At the end of the game, the Bucks won the game 121:118.

Kenny Smith said on the commentary stand: "Let us congratulate the Bucks for ending the 27-game winning streak of the mighty Heat!"

"Curry! Scored the highest score among all players in the current regular season!"

“三分球21投12中，砍下了57分4篮板2助攻的统治级数据表现。”

"This Christmas game, the Bucks won!"

CCTV commentary desk.

Su Qun and Yu Jia took a deep breath at the same time.

Yu Jia almost went crazy with excitement.

"My God, this player Curry is so explosive!"

"12 three-pointers in a single game, including 6 three-pointers in the final quarter."

"This also tied Kobe's record for the number of three-pointers made in a single game. Curry, Donyell Marshall and Kobe share the first place on this list."

Bucks coaching bench.

Marshall couldn't help touching his nose in embarrassment at this moment.

Yes, he is still on this list.

Curry has been frantically surrounded by all the Bucks players on the court.

This Christmas Eve has also completely turned into Curry's night.

Li Lai still hugged his arms around the court, but the smile on the corner of his mouth betrayed him.

This is Curry's night, this is a record night, which is why he stood up to Hammond's controversy at the time and insisted on choosing Curry.

Not even Harden could stop Lee from drafting Curry.

"This small player is full of great ability. He will become a player who can change the rules of basketball like George Mikan, Chamberlain, Mark Jackson and O'Neal in history."

"Of course, Harden, the 1-point king, also changed the rules of basketball, just"

Post-match interview.

Facing countless reporters, Spoelstra said very firmly: "Curry will not be able to score 12 three-pointers in every game, and it is impossible to score 57 points in every game."

"Tonight's game, the Bucks are lucky to win."

The faces of James, Wade and Bosh on the side are still full of unconvinced emotions.

这场比赛詹姆斯30分10篮板8助攻，韦德31分7篮板3助攻，波什20分8篮板。

The Big Three scored 81 points together and lost?
Recalling Curry's precise and magical three-pointers on the court, James and Wade still have lingering fears until now.

It was really not luck that the Bucks could beat the Lakers by three-pointers last season.

This team has the ability to win by three points.

Spoelstra continued in front of reporters: "To be honest, all the Heat players are holding their breath in order to achieve a winning streak. They are tired enough."

"So the interruption of the winning streak this time is not a bad thing, at least we don't have to bear so much pressure to continue playing on the court."

"The Heat will readjust the next team strategy, and we have only one goal, and that is the championship."

After the Christmas game, the Bucks will usher in a three-day holiday.

Because they had experienced back-to-back Christmas battles, and it happened to be Christmas again, Li Lai deliberately let the players rest for a day.

Dragic naturally clamored for Curry to empty his pockets to celebrate the night without any surprise.

Naturally, Curry, who was born wealthy, was not stingy, and invited all his teammates to a serious hotel to eat and drink.

Dragic is sad.

Because both Curry and Westbrook are players who don't like to go to bars.

When all the players of the Bucks were eating and drinking, Li Lai came to the team's training hall alone.

Since Yi Jianlian's successful surgery, as long as it is a home game, he will choose to practice after the game after watching the game with the team.

Because the foot injury is still there, Yi Jianlian can only shoot three-pointers with one foot on the spot.

Francisco Elson, who has become the team's trainer, has been training with Yi Jianlian to understand his injury and report to Li Lai at any time.

So at this time Elson was also picking up the ball for Yi Jianlian in the training hall.

"Brother, you will be fine."

"I have never seen an injured player train so hard. Are all Chinese people so dedicated?"

"However, there is a saying in your country that I remember very clearly, it is called the combination of old aunts."

"So in order to be worthy of your ancestors, I suggest you go out and relax."

"Like Milwaukee Bar Street?"

"Don't look at the coach who has been pretending to be serious and serious on the edge of the court. The girls there have told me that he was a frequent visitor to that place two years ago, and he was very fierce in bed."

Yi Jianlian couldn't help laughing out loud.

Elson chattered like a sparrow, but it was precisely because of his personality and help that Yi Jianlian could fully adapt to American life, habits, and the team's locker room.

Yi Jianlian still reminded: "That's called combining work and rest, not combining with the old aunt."

Elson spread his hands and frowned in great confusion and said, "What's the difference?"

Um.
Yi Jianlian thought about it and said, "It seems that there is really no difference."

At this time, Li Lai and Holloway appeared in the training hall at the same time.

Holloway looked at Li Lai with a frown and said, "None of the players taught by Deng Tuzi are serious."

"Who in Milwaukee doesn't know all about your exploits?"

Li Lai was embarrassed.

Yi Jianlian and Elson were even more embarrassed.

Li Lai returned to the topic and said, "Ah Lian, how is your injury?"

Yi Jianlian tried his best to force a smile and said, "It's okay, but I still feel pain when exerting force. I guess it will take a while."

Speaking of which, Yilianlian is extremely bitter.

The feeling that he can only sit on the bench but not play for the team has been suffering for a long time.

Yi Jianlian is very uncomfortable.

He wants to play, he wants to play for the coach.

Especially watching the games the Bucks lost, he even wanted to throw away his crutches and protective gear immediately, and just play to turn the team around.

Holloway said at the right time: "The team doctor has fed back the news that Yi Jianlian's surgery was successful, and the recovery process is also very fast."

"He has a high probability of being able to come back around the All-Star Game, which is much better than the worst recovery in the playoffs."

Li Lai nodded, and said directly at this moment: "The Bucks had a hard time winning tonight."

Yi Jianlian knew that Li Lailai was referring to the mighty Big Three of the Heat.

Originally, the balance of victory in this game was already tilting towards the Heat, but no one thought of Curry's sudden explosion.

Of course, in Yi Jianlian's view, a large part of this is due to the coach.

Because at that moment, Li Lai insisted on letting the Bucks and the Heat face each other, and Curry was the Bucks' most powerful offensive weapon.

"Spoelstra said it well in the interview after the game. Curry can't score 12 three-pointers every game, and he can't score 57 points every game."

"So we have to find a way to restrain the Heat."

Hearing this, Yi Jianlian was very excited and said: "What can I do? Coach, can I do something here."

Li Lai nodded very solemnly.

Not only a little force, but a lot of force.

Especially after this game, Li Lai has already seen that the Heat still haven't solved the biggest problem in their team, so this team is not a perfect team yet.

If the Bucks want to beat the Heat, they must make a big fuss about this issue. Only in this way can they be more likely to beat the opponent in the future playoffs.

Of course, it's just possible.

Li Lai, who has seen James' powerful low-post singles and Ray Allen's influence on this team, knows very well that this Heat team is already very close to that dynasty team.

Therefore, the Bucks are now fighting a dynastic team head-on.

(End of this chapter)