Pick Westbrook

Chapter 314
After seeing Diaw play, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was stunned for a while.

He was a little shocked that Li Lai dared to replace DeAndre Jordan, who averaged a double-double in his team, at this time.

"Li Lai has always had such courage."

Spoelstra's mind is deeply engraved with the image of last season's Eastern Conference finals.

Like James and Wade, he has always regarded Li Lai and the Bucks as his worst enemy.

The Heat have already solved the Bucks in the previous game, and tonight they are here to avenge their last enemy.

Li Lai.

Spoelstra knew Li Lai's extremely terrifying attainments in offensive tactics, so before the game, he worked with the Heat's coaching staff to make very detailed preparations before the game.

Spoelstra even went to consult the magic operator Pakleli, hoping that the other party could give him more advice on defeating the Hornets and Li Lai.

And Pakley is worthy of being the legendary coach who created the Lakers dynasty in the showtime era in the 80s. The tactic of bringing Jordan up and preventing the opponent from returning to the penalty area was what he pointed out for Spoelstra.

In addition to this tactic, Parkley was also very sure that Li Lai's ability would react quickly, and called a timeout to replace DeAndre Jordan in advance.

So Pakley also gave Spoelstra advice on the Hornets' tactics after winning DeAndre Jordan.

The game restarts.

Hornets attack.

Paul continued to hold the ball, Lewis and Diaw stood at the bottom corner and 45° angle on the same side respectively.

Because of Dior's organizational ability, his current position is closer to Paul's 45° angle. In this position, he will have a great chance to get a second organization.

Once Paul encounters the Heat's crazy outside double-teaming again, Diaw can not only complete the open three-pointer, but also reorganize the offense.

With this lineup, the Hornets will not face the dilemma that Leonard can't solve everything just after receiving the ball in the few rounds.

At the same time Joel - Anthony and Chris - Bosh have been pulled out of the restricted area, Paul will get a very easy singles opportunity.

Su Qun said: "Don't underestimate the Hornets' tactic. They also used this tactic in the last game against the Bucks."

"Paul played against Curry in consecutive singles at the last critical moment and staged a confrontational battle. In the end, he helped the Hornets overtake the score at the critical moment and narrowly beat the Bucks."

"If the Heat dare to underestimate this lineup and style of play, they will suffer a lot."

Paul lowered his focus and prepared to single Mario Chalmers. James naturally knew the ability of his good brother Chris Paul, so he took a step inside and prepared to help defend.

At the same time, Wade also took a step closer to the free throw line, blocking Paul's left breakthrough space in advance.

This is the experience of James and Wade on the defensive end. Without the coach's arrangement, the two subconsciously played shrinking defensive tactics.

Faced with such a defensive strategy, Paul stepped forward and turned to Sam Gold, who was catching the ball, passed Mario Chalmers directly, and then accelerated to the basket.

James chose to shrink the inside to help defend, and Wade chose to return to the free throw line to help defend, ready to steal Paul's passing route at any time.

This defense is extremely dangerous.

There is James' defense on the inside, and Wade's blocking pass route on the outside.

Diaw's very clever lateral move to the high post helped Paul re-establish an effective passing path.

But in his position, even if Paul passes the ball, it is by no means a good opportunity to attack.

"So, at this time, it depends on how Paul chooses."

call!
Just when everyone was sweating for Paul, he once again made a paper scissors that is often used in street basketball.

An extremely smart rhythm change tricked James into taking off early.

Swish!
Paul scored a layup.

Du Feng, who was born as a player, said with great experience: "This is the Sam Gord step and scissors step, which is a kind of offensive step that often appears on street courts."

"Because of exaggerated movements and good looks, street players who use these two tricks on the court are very likely to attract girls watching the game, so most people with lust will learn these two tricks."

"But in the actual game, because the extra moves of these two tricks are too large, and it is very easy for the defender to see through and cause steals and mistakes."

"So most players dare not use such offensive moves in official games."

Stevens nodded. When he coached the NCAA before, he often saw his players use such offensive footwork.

When such footsteps appeared, there were indeed countless girls on the sidelines shouting that they would give birth to monkeys for that player.

"But these young players have chosen very wisely not to use such footwork after entering the NBA, because people who can play on this stage are very smart and capable, and how can they let you use such footsteps. "

"But Paul is different. His Sam Goldstep and paper scissors movements are very small, and what is even more shocking is that they are even more confusing."

"That's why Paul dared to use such an action in an official game."

This is not the first time that Li Lai has seen Paul use street moves on the court.

In fact, Paul's street ball moves are very useful and unpretentious.

His emergency stop on the opposite side and the same side foot are also completely different from the regular Sam Gold. If you look carefully, the most detailed thing is that there is no more stuck feet.

The transfer foot is often the key point for those players on the NBA court to discover the opponent's Sam Gold's footsteps and steal because of the fixed foot.

This is the reason why most NBA players are afraid to use Sam Goldstep on the court.

Of course, Paul is an exception. He completely solved the problem of stuck feet. This is an extremely detailed handling of the ball, which is a test of ability. Few players can do it.

"But to say that Paul is the best player to use this problem and Sam Goldstep, that's not necessarily the case."

Li Lai said with great certainty.

Hearing this, Stevens and Du Feng looked at Li Lai in surprise at the same time.

"Is there anyone more powerful than Paul?"

Li Lai nodded and said, "We will play against him in the next match, and you will see his footsteps."

on the field.

Paul finally scored a goal for the Hornets, but the process was not easy. The strong defensive strength of the Heat outside gave him a lot of pressure.

At this moment, Paul believed more and more in Li Lai's words that the Hornets really needed more ball-handlers to help the team solve their predicament at critical moments.

Especially when facing a strong team like the Heat, this dilemma is particularly obvious.

Under Li Lai's coaching, Paul finally understood why he hadn't made a breakthrough on the court so far in his entire career.

It is because the team he is in has only one ball-holding point for him.

Those coaches and the former management thought that Paul's ability to hold the ball was at the forefront of the league, so in order to infinitely magnify his ability, they gave him all control of the ball.

In fact, the maximization of Paul's role is not to completely hold the ball, but to sort out the offensive rhythm on the court and make the final decision at critical moments.

The Heat attack.

James suddenly took the ball at this time, and Bosh responded to the free throw line for a pick-and-roll.

The two cooperated in such a fight, Diaw and Vince Carter's attention was completely on James alone, and Bosh easily got a chance to break through the basket and dunk.

Seeing this scene, Li Lai frowned tightly.

"As soon as Jordan was replaced, the Heat immediately launched an attack on our penalty area, but in the previous game with Jordan, they have been resolutely playing fast and defensive counterattacks."

"The purpose of the Heat is too obvious, and Spoelstra caught such a weakness too timely."

"But he hasn't reached this level yet!"

Li Lai recalled that in the Eastern Conference Finals last season, Spoelstra also used a strategy that far surpassed his own strength in a game.

At that time, Li Lai suspected that there was someone capable of helping Spoelstra behind him. After seeing the Heat's offense this round, Li Lai became even more convinced of this.

"Jordan played, the Hornets' offense couldn't open, Jordan took off, and it was difficult for us to defend the breakthroughs of James and Wade."

"There's absolutely nothing we can do."

Du Feng looked at Li Lai helplessly.

Since the regular season, Du Feng has seen countless times that Li Lai cracked the performance of the opponent's coaching staff in offensive and defensive tactics, so at this time he still thinks that Li Lai can find a way to solve this problem.

Stevens also felt the same emotion in his heart. He looked at Li Lai curiously, wanting to see what tactics the other party could come up with to turn things around at this time.

Li Lai shook his head at this moment.

"There is no way."

"Our lineup has always lacked a short board, the last piece of the puzzle, and I should have reminded you of this point very early."

"Facing the Heat, which restrained us very much, this short board will also be infinitely magnified at this time. This is a problem that we cannot solve by tactics."

Li Lai's words made Stevens and Du Feng sigh at the same time, and they also realized that they had deified Li Lai too much.

Because of Li Lai's performance so far, they subconsciously thought that the opponent's problems on the court could be solved, but in fact, basketball is still played by players after all.

Li said: "So, now we can only hope that the players can perform exceptionally on the court and cheer for them."

Then Li Lai called a timeout and replaced the veteran Vince Carter in advance. Li Lai also planned to shorten Carter's playing time by about 10 minutes in this game.

Jimmy Butler was replaced.

Butler knew why the coach replaced himself early, and he still remembered what the coach said before the game.

This game, for both him and Leonard, is a game of great significance.

Leonard has been blown away by James and Wade on the court.

"The 123rd match between Kawhi and Jimmy, let's see who can defend Wade and James better!"

Leonard heard Jimmy Butler's gauntlet, and he knew very well that whether he agreed or not, Butler would think that the competition had begun.

The two immediately started a crazy competition on the court.

Leonard was assigned to defend James by Lee, and Jimmy Butler was assigned to defend Wade.

Both of them used crazy physical confrontation to fight against James and Wade, while constantly moving their hands and feet.

Li Lai looked very satisfied off the court.

Stevens said: "Leonard's defense is still too clean. He will not use any small moves and defensive methods that may hurt others when defending James."

"How could such a defense prevent James."

Li Lai smiled: "Beverly needs small moves, Paul needs small moves, and Butler also needs small moves, because they don't have enough physical talent."

"But Leonard doesn't need it. His defense has always been very clean, so under such a choice, his defensive experience and skills must be better."

Li Lai suddenly thought of something and said: "Although Vince Carter is the veteran coach of the two, his defense cannot make the two of them into terrifying existences."

"We need a professional to guide the two."

Du Feng thought for a while and said: "Paul has been selected to the best defensive team. Isn't it enough to let him guide the defense of the two?"

Li Lai shook his head and said, "It's not enough!"

"I said, let Leonard and Jimmy Butler grow into the most terrifying existence on the defensive end that everyone fears."

"Even Paul is not qualified at this point."

Hearing that Li Lai said cruel words that even Paul was not qualified, Stevens immediately recalled in his mind which master could enter Li Lai's eyes and complete this task.

Thinking of Peja Stojakovic's effective improvement from beyond the three-point line after joining the Hornets' front office, Stevens is very sure.

The person Li Lai was talking about must be extremely capable on the defensive end.

Just like Peja Stojakovic and the previous Bucks' Reggie Miller's ability at the three-point line is very terrifying.

"That person must at least have a DPOY."

The first quarter is over.

The Hornets trailed the Heat 23:28.

The second game.

The Hornets took Beverley, JR Smith, Jimmy Butler, Diaw and Jordan on the bench.

After seeing the Hornets' bench lineup, Spoelstra secretly thought that he still underestimated Li Lai.

"He took Jordan up at this time, and I'm afraid it will cause a lot of damage to the Heat's inside line."

"This guy Li Lai thought about it from the beginning!"

Diaw organized the offense with the ball from the outside, and JR Smith was the main attack point during this time period.

Because Jordan only played for a short time in the first quarter, and Paul was not on the court at this time, no matter how good Diaw's pass is, it is impossible to be better than Paul.

Therefore, Li Lai did not boldly let Dior and Jordan play alley-oop tactics, but assigned Jordan the task of frantically fighting for offensive rebounds inside.

"No matter how good Gao Yuanyuan is than Jordan? He can score explosive performances against the Heat, and Jordan will never be worse than him!"

But when Li Lai saw the Heat's bench lineup, he felt very uncomfortable.

Norris Cole, Ray Allen, LeBron James, Shane Battier and Udonis Haslem.

The Heat's bench lineup is even stronger than last season, and Sean Battier will make the team's offensive and defensive ends more balanced.

The Heat's lineup is getting smaller and smaller and more flexible.

The purpose is to further amplify James' ability to hit the basket and pass the ball.

It can be clearly seen that although Wade is the soul of the Heat, in terms of player configuration and style of play, this team is just like what Wade officially announced in the off-season.

"James is the boss of the Heat!"

In this quarter of the game, James scored 14 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists in a single quarter. JR Smith hit 3 three-pointers. Jordan grabbed 8 rebounds in the paint, 4 of which were offensive rebounds.

Butler was completely underwhelmed in the fight with James and lost three fouls.

After this quarter of the game, the Hornets have also fallen behind 46:56.

In the second half of the game, James and Wade suddenly rushed to the basket continuously. Because the Hornets couldn't restrain James and Way on the first line of defense outside, the second line of defense inside also didn't play a very obvious role.

The Heat played a wave of high slots, 11:2.

In the fourth quarter of the game, Bosh also came out to add fuel to the fire, hitting consecutive mid-range jumpers.

The point difference on the court was once widened to nearly 20 points.

Finally, the game is over.

The Hornets lost the game 98-110.

After the game, James was extremely excited. He found the post-match ball and accepted the interview with the ball in his arms.

"LeBron, what does this game mean to you?"

James said firmly, "It means everything."

"Everyone in the Heat knows that the Bucks led by Li Lai made us fall short last season. We have always remembered this shame."

"That's why Wade and I are going to hit the Hornets as hard as we can in a playoff game."

"Glad we did it, the Heat accomplished another one of our goals, and the mission continues!"

The reporter was a little surprised that James and Wade would value this game so much. He couldn't help reminding: "The Hornets are a team in the Western Division. It seems difficult for them to meet you in the playoffs."

"Compared to the strong teams in the East, the Bulls, Bucks and Magic, this team should not be that important."

James glanced at the reporter and said, "Do you know what it was like to be blocked from the Finals last season?"

"The Bucks blocked me for two consecutive years in the playoffs! They were all on the stage of the Eastern Conference Finals!"

"They have been standing in front of me like a mountain, and I just want to climb over this mountain."

Hornets dugout.

Looking at the extremely excited Heat players on the court, Butler, Leonard and others felt very uncomfortable.

Li Lai said: "This is a process that young players must go through. Before you become a strong player, you will inevitably be humiliated by a strong player."

巴特勒在这场比赛上场了31分钟，11投2中，只拿下了6分6篮板1助攻5犯规的数据。

伦纳德稍微好看一点，但也只有14投5中，11分5篮板2助攻4犯规的表现。

而他们对位的詹姆斯29分9篮板8助攻，韦德25分5篮板4助攻。

Leonard and Jimmy Butler were completely blown out against James and Wade.

Du Feng looked at Leonard and Butler who were about to be beaten to the ground and didn't know what to say. The Chinese men's basketball team has suffered a lot in the game.

Li said: "Remember today, remember tonight, and remember that the Heat will be our strongest opponent in the next few years."

"James, Wade, this is the gap that the two of you must cross."

"I don't need cowards in my team. You have to pass through your hips, but if I drive you, you two have to pass through your hips."

Hearing this, Paul looked back in shock. He wanted to remind the coach that the Heat are just an Eastern team. How could they be considered the strongest opponent of the Hornets?
They should be the Hornets' strongest opponent.

Paul didn't say a word, because he saw Li Lai's firm gaze.

Butler suddenly raised his head at this moment and said, "If there are no more than two hips, I will practice 100 more times."

"Kawhi, are you fighting all night again tonight?"

"Okay, that's it."

Leonard, who didn't say anything, looked at Butler who was talking to himself, and couldn't help saying, "Crazy, crazy."

(End of this chapter)