Pick Westbrook

Chapter 258
Su Qun wondered why James played, but Artest of the Bucks did not play.

It stands to reason that Artest is the only one in the entire Bucks who can match up with James in terms of size. If someone else goes to meet James, even if they don't get blown up, they will be beaten to death.

"So why didn't the Bucks get Artest at this time?"

Although Su Qun was curious, he also knew that the Bucks' coaching staff were not idiots or second-rate coaches, so he was always watching the field and watching what happened, wanting to see how the Bucks planned to limit James and the Heat at this time. A group of outside shooters played.

The Heat attack.

Mike Bibby advances with the ball.

James raised his hand near the waist and pointed towards the bottom corner and the 45° angle on the right. He signaled his teammates to stand in those two places.

Then Mike Bibby passed the ball, and James lowered his center of gravity with the ball.

Because James is playing power forward at this time, the Bucks' defender is Villanueva.

Knowing how powerful James is, Villanueva chose to take a step back to defend.

Coach Tyronn Lue had reminded him before the game that James made 33% of his three-pointers in the regular season this season, but it has increased to 35% in the playoffs.

A 35% three-point shooting percentage is already a shooting percentage that cannot be missed, but Li Lai still gave the team orders.

Except for Artest, any player can choose to take a step back when defending James.

Because they couldn't prevent James' breakthrough in normal matchups.

Faced with such a defensive strategy, James did not hesitate, raising his hand and shooting a three-pointer.

Swish!
hit!

"Although James' shot was a bit hard, he still hit it without any risk."

"As soon as the game came up, James hit a three-pointer. This is definitely not a good thing for the Bucks."

On the court, Villanueva glanced at his coach's bench.

Li Lai nodded affirmatively.

"Most teams defending James will strategically choose to release his three-point shooting, and James will mostly shoot decisively at this time to see his state and shooting touch tonight."

"If the first three-pointer is scored, there is a high probability that James will continue to try three-pointers in the following rounds."

"If he didn't score, there is a high probability that he will not continue to try shots from beyond the three-point line in tonight's game."

Tyronn Lue was shocked when he heard this, and wondered why Li Lai knew James so well.

It is only heard that James often flirts with favorite players, such as Wade, but it is rarely heard that he hooked up with the head coaches of other teams.

Then Tyronn Lue said seriously: "Since you know that James will continue to shoot three-pointers in the later time, why do you still firmly let Villanueva continue to let James take a step away on the court?"

Tylen Lu didn't quite understand.

Li Lai directly revealed the crux of the problem and said: "The most terrifying thing about James is never scoring. Of course, his scoring is also very good."

"It's just that compared to his scoring, passing, rhythm, and analysis of the situation on the court, these abilities of James are his most powerful weapons."

"We can prevent James' shots and breakthroughs at critical times, but most of the time, we should have a trade-off."

On-site commentary desk.

Barkley and Kenny Smith were joking about the game between the Bucks and the Cavaliers in the playoffs last season. The head coach of the Bucks in that round of the series abruptly ruined James, the iron man.

Barkley said: "Honestly, the Bucks' coaching staff is the second best coaching staff I've ever seen defending James."

"The last one was Popovich on the Spurs."

"So the Bucks' coaching staff must be very knowledgeable about how to defend James. I'm looking forward to what kind of defensive pressure James will encounter in tonight's game."

The Bucks attack.

Villanueva settles into the bottom corner.

That position is closest to the basket, perfect for him to drive to the rim for offensive rebounds.

At the same time, James, who was defending Villanueva, was also brought to that corner, which was the farthest from the ball holder at the top of the arc.

Su Qun very much agrees with the offensive arrangement of the Bucks coaching staff.

"James' fast break is even more terrifying than Wade. If James is allowed to be closer to the three-point line when defending, then once the Bucks make a mistake or make a shot, James' impact after taking the ball will be unstoppable."

"But now that they let Villanueva take James, it's a lot easier."

"James staying in the corner will not only weaken his role on the defensive end, but also reduce the threat of him directly launching a defensive counterattack."

"The Bucks put up a really good offensive setup."

"It's the pitch details."

Dragic advances with the ball.

Mike Bibby, who defends him, is a very experienced veteran with excellent physical confrontation. He is a very important player in the Heat's bench.

Barkley believes that Mike Bibby will definitely bring a lot of defensive pressure to Dragic. After all, in terms of court experience, Bibby will be ahead of Dragic by a large margin.

"No! Mike Bibby couldn't guard Dragic!"

on the field.

Dragic suddenly accelerated while advancing with the ball and directly passed Mike Bibby by a position.

Then as Dragic continued to break forward, Mike Bibby was completely left behind by him.

The speed of the two on the court is not at the same level at all.

Dunis Haslem had to come up to help defend Dragic, but in the moment he helped defend, Dragic scored the ball very quickly.

O'Neal cut into the penalty area and scored with a one-handed dunk after receiving the ball.

next round.

James tried another shot from beyond the three-point line, and this time the basketball ended in a strike.

Jermaine O'Neal defended the defensive rebound strongly in the interior and Haslem's card fight, and the Bucks took advantage of the trend.

Dragic accelerated the breakthrough with the ball, and James struggled to catch up.

After coming to the basket, Dragic did not choose to shoot, but forcibly dribbled from the paint area to outside the three-point line.

James had to follow, but at this time Danny Green cut to the basket again.

Dragic passed the ball steadily.

Danny Green made a layup with a low hand.

The Bucks' offensive play this round made Eric Spoelstra a little nervous. He naturally knows that the scoring ability of the Bucks' bench lineup ranks first among all teams in the playoffs.

If the Bucks continue to play so easily, it will not be surprising that the Heat are overtaken or even led by the Bucks.

James ran his hand over his chest, then looked to Erik Spoelstra to indicate that it was okay.

He held the ball again and stood outside the three-point line at the top of the arc to start singles.

Villanueva still chose to take a step back to defend, but James was very resolute this time.

Without too many breakthrough skills, James cleverly used a breakthrough rhythm change to make Villanueva unable to react in time.

Then James accelerated into the basket and Villanueva did not lose his position. He wanted to pounce forward and continue to defend James, but was directly bounced back in the collision with the opponent's body and took a step back.

O'Neal has been paying attention to James on the court. The moment he started, he had already stood in the paint and blocked James.

boom!
James is already proficient in low-post singles and back-up skills. When facing O'Neal's defense, he directly used a flexible back-turn, and then changed to a left-handed layup.

But O'Neal still stretched out his hand to interfere with the opponent, and the basketball hit the lower edge of the junction of the backboard and the rim, and then popped out.

James took off for the second time, grabbed the offensive rebound strongly in the fight with O'Neal, and then leaned on O'Neal to make a layup three times.

Yu Jia looked at the ball and didn't know what to say.

"It's literally crushing you with your body."

Su Qun also sighed and said: "Regardless of James' skills, I dare say that his body is rare in ten years."

"Three jumps in a row, no one in the Bucks can pull him down."

"How to prevent this?"

"The Bucks still have to double-team James."

Of course, even if it's not double-teaming, Su Qun also believes that the Bucks have other solutions to James, and that is to use Artest.

But the crux of the problem is that Artest has not been brought up until now.

Bucks players bench.

Artest couldn't help but be eager to try.

He couldn't figure it out. Li Lai told him before the game that he would be on the same level as James in the next Eastern Conference Finals.

But why did he sit on the bench when it came to the actual game.

Marshall saw the anxious expression on Artest's face from the side, and he whispered in the opponent's ear: "Because James moved to the power forward position, the coach changed his mind temporarily."

"If you are also taken up, then you can only play the power forward position, which will affect our offense, and at the same time, the inside advantage will be completely gone."

The Bucks attack.

Dragic once again easily broke through Mike - Bibby's defense.

This time James couldn't help but rushed over to help defend.

In this way, Villanueva has a huge space, and Dragic passes the ball steadily.

Villanueva's outside anti-aircraft gun made a decisive shot.

Yu Jia couldn't help but think of the 08-09 season, when Villanueva and Yi Jianlian formed the Royal Salute of the Bucks, which bombarded countless teams in the league.

There was no two in the limelight for a while.

The efficient performance that season also helped Villanueva get his first big contract in his career.

In tonight's game, Villanueva once again proved his worth and ability to open up space on the court.

James is facing him, and he really shouldn't be distracted by the other players on the Bucks field.

"Villanueva ended the attack, but don't forget Dragic's role on the court, he has sent 3 assists."

Su Qun looked at Dragic.

In his opinion, Dragic, a player, can be the starting point guard of a team.

It is true that the Bucks already have Westbrook and Curry on the back line, otherwise Dragic's performance on the court will definitely rise to another level.

Dragic is also worthy of being the league's well-deserved best sixth man this season. In terms of his ability to score independently and create points, he is already at the level of the league's top players.

"The depth of the Bucks team's bench can really be described as unfathomable."

Then, in the scramble inside, Villanueva grabbed the offensive rebound from James' head and hit the rebound with one hand.

This goal also helped the Bucks overtake the score.

Erik Spoelstra had to call a timeout, took the long-playing James and Mike Miller, and took Wade and Bosh.

But at the same time, the Bucks also requested a substitution.

Replace Villanueva and take Cousins.

In this way, the Bucks' inside combination became the partner of Cousins ​​and O'Neal.

"This is not the regular inside combination of the Bucks. I have explained many games of the Bucks and know how much this team values ​​​​the offensive space."

"O'Neal doesn't have the ability to open up space, and Cousins' three-pointer can only be regarded as a half-baked one."

"In this case, the Bucks' offense will be greatly affected,"

Kenny Smith said very confidently.

He was very surprised why the Bucks adjusted the inside line at this time, but the core of the team, Curry and Westbrook, were not brought back to the court.

The Bucks have shown behavior that is inconsistent with their regular style of play many times in tonight's game.

This is what created the Bucks in the small ball era.

"There's nothing else they can do."

Barkley said suddenly from the side.

The Heat's perimeter defense is terribly strong, which is no better than the extremely perverted interior defense of the Bucks when they played against the Bulls.

Until the end of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Bulls did not easily allow the Bucks to score too much inside.

So Curry can also play efficiently in that round of the series.

But this Heat team is different now.

Westbrook encountered a double-team crisis on the outside, and Curry's defensive pressure suddenly increased. The performance of the two in the first quarter of the game can even be described as horrible.

If the other coaching staffs in the league were to face this situation, when the two core players of the team were all defended by the opponent, the score on the court must have been one-sided at this time.

But the Bucks, abruptly in the situation where Curry and Westbrook scored 3 points together, instead led the Heat in score.

That's what's so great about this team's coaching staff.

"They always know what to do in the moment."

"It's just that if the Bucks want to win the game, it still depends on Westbrook and Curry."

"If they still only have this kind of performance, the Bucks don't have much chance to win this game tonight."

The Heat attack.

Wade took the initiative to try to break through after holding the ball, and this time the player defending him became Danny Green.

Danny Green's defense is so much better than Curry's, and he can always cover in front of the opponent when facing Wade's breakthrough.

It's just that Wade's breakthrough speed is too fast, and the center of gravity is extremely low. Danny Green was also confronted by the opponent's body when defending Wade.

So Wade still reached the paint area, but at this time, Cousins ​​and O'Neal immediately shrunk the penalty area and double-teamed Wade!

"The Bucks are also starting to double-team!"

"With this lineup, the players on the field also have the ability to quickly return to defense after double-teaming."

Duang!

Wade lost his balance in the air, and the basketball hit the top of the rim and bounced high.

Bosh still wanted to rush in to grab offensive rebounds, but both Cousins ​​and O'Neal had been instructed by Li Lai before the game.

In tonight's game, if the Bucks want to win, they must beat each other in rebounding.

Cousins ​​grabbed the rebound strongly and made a long pass to McGrady.

McGrady made an emergency stop outside the three-point line with the ball.

hit!

Eric Spoelstra finally fully understood the Bucks' defensive strategy at this time, and also knew what the Heat's urgent problem was.

When James is alone on the court, the Bucks' defensive strategy is to avoid double-teaming as much as possible, and then assist in defense until James reaches the basket and there is no other way.

And when Wade is alone on the court, the Bucks' defensive position is obviously more inside. At this time, their defense against Wade is a strategy of Danny Green leading the defense alone and the rest of the team crazy double-teaming.

The two completely different defenses of the Bucks also restricted James and Wade very uncomfortable, and neither of them played their favorite offensive methods.

"Only when Wade and James are on the court at the same time, they dare not double-team or help defend."

"At that time, the Heat will have a complete advantage against the Bucks."

After thinking of this, Eric Spoelstra decisively made substitution adjustments.

James, who had only gone down for a minute to rest, was replaced again.

Of course, for James, 1 minute of rest time is very sufficient. To explain it with what the fans jokingly called: the body of a Super Saiyan does not need to rest for too long at all.

"Substitution!"

Seeing the Heat's Big Three fit together again, Li Lai immediately adjusted his lineup.

Westbrook, Curry, Artest, Yi Jianlian and Cousins ​​continued to play.

Westbrook and Curry, who hadn't rested for such a long time throughout the playoffs, solemnly got up and set foot on the court.

Westbrook didn't think about it that much, he knew he didn't have the basketball IQ to think about such extremely complex issues on the court.

Westbrook just needs to remember that he can play what the coach says.

And Curry was still thinking about what Li Lai meant by that sentence. How could he have anything more powerful than James and Wade?
"Could it be that the coach framed me?"

The game continues.

Li Lai stood on the sidelines and indicated that he would continue to focus on the inside.

But this time the ball holder changed from Westbrook to Curry.

The change in this detail also made Wade stunned.

As early as the first quarter of the game, he had already discovered the problem of the opponent's No. 0 player holding the ball unsteadily, and he also planned to continue to increase his defensive efforts so that the opponent also made 3 turnovers in this quarter.

But Curry's sudden possession disrupted all of Wade's defensive drills.

At this time, he can only defend Curry one-on-one.

But Curry's ball-handling style is different from everyone in the league.

Fake shots from outside, the sudden rhythm of the combination of man and ball, and fake moves after worshiping Buddha.

Because Curry's shots are too accurate, Wade has always been afraid of the opponent's shots, but instead exposed himself to many flaws in the defensive line.

If he met a breakthrough master, he would have been turned upside down long ago.

Fortunately, Curry did not grow into a one-on-one breakthrough master in the league, so Wade finally barely defended.

It's just that the next scene made Wade completely unexpected and even unacceptable.

Yi Jianlian raised the high position from a 45° angle on the right, and Curry passed the ball to Yi Jianlian.

While Wade was distracted watching the ball move, Curry cut to the basket off the ball.

At this time, because Yi Jianlian pulled out and Cousins ​​was on the same side of the waist again, there was a big vacancy in the penalty area for the Heat.

Curry almost slid straight into the paint.

Yi Jian didn't stick to the ball at all after connecting the ball, and hit the ground directly to the inside. After receiving the ball, Curry easily scored a layup.

It was too late for Wade to react at this time.

"This is the Bucks' high-post card tactic! This is the value of Yi Jianlian on the court!"

"His pick-and-roll with Westbrook, and the card deal for Curry, these are the style of play and tacit understanding that no one can replace."

The Bucks then played the same offense again.

Curry passed the ball to Yi Jianlian, and then cut into the penalty area.

This time Wade followed suit and also cut into the restricted area.

It's just that Curry didn't stay after moving to the penalty area, but accelerated to run outside the three-point line.

The Cousins ​​and Artest elevators on the same side closed successfully.

Curry gets a comfortable shooting spot in the right corner.

Yi Jianlian dealt the cards tacitly, and Curry made a three-pointer after receiving the ball!
Duang!

"Oh, what a pity! It's broken."

"Director Su, this ball is a pity."

"If Curry hits that 8-pointer again, the Bucks can go into the second half with an eight-point advantage."

Su Qun also looked extremely worried.

The Bucks suddenly let Curry hold the ball and completely caught the Heat by surprise.

Especially Curry, after experiencing the downturn in the first quarter, he quickly rebounded under this tactic and style of play, and almost penetrated the entire defense of the Heat by himself.

6 of 3 three-pointers in a single quarter!
If the last three-pointer at the buzzer is hit again, the Heat will face a lot of trouble.

on the field.

Curry took off his braces, looked at the direction of the Heat and smiled arrogantly.

Elementary school students have never lost to anyone in terms of temperament.

Li Lai applauded with the players one after another in the player tunnel, and when it was Curry's turn, he put his arms around the other's head and rubbed it.

"Great job Stephen, remember, this is something you don't envy James and Wade's physical gifts."

"Your ability to combine ball sense and human ball is the best in the league!"

(End of this chapter)