Pick Westbrook

Chapter 397 This is a Terrifying Team
Bosh received the ball with his back on the right side.

Thick eyebrows are very solemn and close defense.

Before the start of the game, Du Feng specially watched Bosh's playing video this season for Nongmei, and analyzed the opponent's offensive characteristics and style of play.

Bosh's mid-range is very accurate, and he also has the ability to hold the ball and break through, and his post-up singles ability is also top-notch in the league.

To defend such an inside player, firstly, don’t let go, or his mid-range will punish you severely, and secondly, don’t let him easily break into the basket, let him try to complete difficult shots near the free throw line.

The second and most important point is that Bosh's confrontation ability is not outstanding, and he is often at a disadvantage in the confrontation with many weight and strength insiders.

So defending Bosh must be physical and strong.

boom!
There was a fierce clash of muscles on the court, and Bosh was a little surprised that a rookie dared to be so tough on the defensive end.

He couldn't get closer to the basket with consecutive dribbles, so he chose to turn around and take a mid-range step-back jumper.

call!
Thick eyebrows jumped high, and he tapped the basketball with one hand.

"It's a block!"

"Bosh is covered!"

Jimmy Butler fell to the ground and fought fiercely for the rebound, and then passed a long pass to Leonard who had already launched a fast break.

boom!
Leonard made a one-handed layup, and James followed him with a pegboard cap.

"This intensity has risen!"

On the live commentary stand, both Kenny Smith and Barkley were very excited.

They even want to assert that tonight's game may be the most exciting game so far in the regular season, not one of them.

The thick eyebrows that successfully blocked the shot roared to the sky, extremely excited, Bosh couldn't help but elbowed the opponent, and said rubbish: "You have something to brag about in this life."

"Because you capped Chris Bosh."

The high-spirited thick eyebrows did not give in, and directly sprayed back: "You have to brag, because Anthony Davis blocked you."

The game continues.

Bosh then played a pick-and-roll with James, shooting a mid-range jumper with thick eyebrows, and then Bosh switched defenses to block Jimmy Butler's mid-range shot.

During a fall to the ground, Leonard, Jimmy Butler, Wade, and James wrestled together.

The battle on the field is more and more motivating.

The first quarter is over.

The Pelicans led 26-24.

The second game.

After a 1-minute break, James continued to play and lead the team, while the Heat also picked up Ray Allen, Sean Battier, Norris Cole and Udonis Haslem.

Stevens said a little nervously: "Coach, James is playing power forward in this lineup, and their lineup is very small."

"Moreover, the Heat will arrange a lot of James' play to the basket during this time period."

Li Lai knew how powerful James was with this lineup.

Legendary shooter Ray Allen, and Shane Battier, who made 43% of his three-pointers this season, and even Norris Cole, who is the most inaccurate, shot 37% of his three-pointers.

At the same time, Udonis Haslem's mid-range shot is very threatening, especially the two points on the waist on both sides. Haslem's shooting is extremely accurate.

It just so happens that James will not play too many low post offenses at this time, so Haslem's hot zone will not hinder James' offense, but will help the opponent.

Game start.

The Heat attack.

Under Li Lai's instruction, Beverly and JR Smith switched defenses. Beverly went to defend Ray Allen, who had a better offensive and better running ability, and JR Smith went to defend second-year rookie Norris Cole.

In this way, JR Smith needs to devote very little energy on the defensive end, and he can focus more on offense.

Vince Carter and Sean Battier, two veterans pecking at each other.

Dior's defense of James is a point that Li Lai attaches great importance to. Whether the opponent can limit James as much as possible at this time is the key to whether the Pelicans can limit the Heat in this quarter.

Du Feng was a little worried, because Li Lai had arranged the tactic of letting James go short in the arrangement just now.

“詹姆斯这赛季的场均数据为27分8篮板7助攻，投篮命中率57%，三分球命中率40%。”

"All commentators are saying that LeBron James in the 2012-13 season is the strongest James ever, especially his shooting ability has been greatly enhanced."

A rampaging tank suddenly turned into a meat-packed shooter, which is probably the evaluation of James during this period.

The breakthrough is still so invincible, and the success rate of closing the penalty area is still the first in the league, but at the same time, the threat of outside shooting is no longer the LeBron of the year.

If James in this period returns to the 07 Finals, it may be difficult for the Spurs to limit his shooting percentage to less than 40%.

This is where Du Feng questioned Li Lai's tactics. James' shooting ability is already very good, and it is not a rational choice to short the opponent.

Li Lai said: "You have to choose one of the two bottles of poison. Either double-team James or not double-team James."

"In the first quarter of the game, we chose to help defend James more, because at that time we had Leonard and Jimmy Butler who were very defensive on the court, and our rotation defense was very fast."

"But this time period is not good. Our rotation lineup can't do such a high-intensity defense, so we can only choose the latter not to double-team James."

"Although I chose not to double-team the opponent, James' breakthrough is also a problem that must be solved, because at this time our inside line does not have Jordan and thick eyebrows."

"Dior is not good at frame protection, and Oden's frame protection can only be considered slightly above the passing line."

"The defense of the penalty area built with two people is difficult to have an effect on James, so after choosing this bottle of poison, I raised it again."

"Leave James' shot."

"Compared to his terrifying finishing rate and impact ability of more than 60% inside, I would rather choose to let him shoot."

Li Lai thought of Dwayne Casey, the coach of the Raptors, and expressed his heart-wrenching feelings after watching his two beloved disciples being blocked from the finals by James time and time again.

He is also the first head coach in NBA history to be fired by the team management after leading the team to the No. [-] record in the Eastern Conference.

The sourness is evident.

Coach Dwayne Casey also said: Who is the strongest player in history?I don't know, but I know who is the best player in the playoffs, LeBron James, because this guy can accurately report the tactics you have arranged and are about to play, and remind your teammates to run, you are in his eyes no secrets.

Coach Dwayne Casey's point of view is also Li Lai's opinion that the best way to defend James is that it is also applicable to the 35-year-old James in the future. Letting him shoot is better than anything else.

on the field.

James frowned slightly as he looked at Dio, who was a step away from him.

Diaw was as tall and strong as him, and James thought Diaw would defend him closer to the basket because the opponent could match him and weigh more than him.

But James never expected that Dior's defense would be more inclined to let him shoot. Considering Dior's not outstanding wingspan, if James takes off and shoots at this time, it will be difficult for Dior to interfere in time.

James frowned more deeply. This was the first time he couldn't understand the opponent's tactical arrangement, nor could he understand the opponent's players' defensive ideas.

Swish!
James decisively raised his hand to shoot, and the basketball hit the basket steadily.

Three point hit.

"Playing depends on your brain, don't you just do what you want on the court?"

James pointed to Dio's head and said.

Dior didn't pay attention to the opponent, but changed the attacking position indifferently.

Pelicans offense.

Diaw held the ball high, and James was attracted to the top of the arc.

In the lineup of the Heat, only James and Shane Battier can be regarded as very good defensive players, and James will also participate in a large number of assist defenses and supplementary defenses during this time period.

But Diaw's high ball possession immediately pulled James out of the penalty area and away from the Pelicans' players. Vince Carter ambushed the dangerous corner and also took away Shane Battier.

The Heat's two best defenders at this stage have been taken away!
Ray Allen, Norris Cole and Udonis Haslem are not very good defensive players on the court at this time.

Beverly passed the ball to Oden in the penalty area. The latter raised the ball and sat in a low position. A top man pushed Haslem back a step, and then turned around.

boom!
Frontal one-handed dunk.

"Very beautiful dunk, this is Greg Oden's third dunk this season, his physical condition looks very good, and he has not heard about his injury this season."

"Oden's tragic fate appears to have been sealed."

next round.

James tried another three-pointer from the outside and hit again!

James gestured towards Dio again, and kept talking trash, but the other side ignored him.

There is also a player in the Pelicans who keeps nagging, and Diaw has already adapted.

Switch offense.

Oden took the ball inside to attract double-teams, and JR Smith hit a three-pointer.

Haslem's single defense against Oden is not obvious. Once the Heat get double-teamed, the Pelicans' three-pointers are not inferior to the Heat.

The Heat attack.

James, who hit consecutive three-pointers, tried again, but this time it ended in a strike.

Oden easily grabbed the rebound inside.

At this time, James also obviously discovered the problem, because the Heat's lineup is not high enough. Once he misses an outside shot, his rebounding ability is very insufficient, and his ability to kill opponents is minimal.

No wonder Dior dared to take a step to defend!
The Pelicans made a quick counterattack.

The nerve knife JR Smith converted a three-pointer.

hit!

beep!beep!
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra immediately called a timeout to bring in Joel Anthony, the taller and better defender in the paint, but that cost Haslem his role on the offensive end. .

In order to get inside offensive space, James played a pick-and-roll with Joel Anthony, and then resolutely hit the basket.

One step away from the penalty area, Oden directly pulled James down in the air.

foul!

Two men who looked very similar stood together. Coincidentally, both of them were champions. Both of them were once highly expected by the team, but their fates were very different.

One is abandoned by the team, one is abandoned by the team.

CCTV commentary desk.

Su Qun said: "Don't look at the Heat and Pelicans playing inseparable at this time, after all, the Pelicans are all off the bench."

"If James can't lead the team to gain an advantage at this time, in terms of physical strength, the Heat will suffer."

Yu Jia on the side glanced at the score on the court. At 38:33, the Pelicans had already led by 5 points.

James played well in this quarter, and all three offenses were considered successful, but the defense of the Heat's lineup has a big problem for the Pelicans.

"The Pelicans' rotation is not weak offensively."

Heat coach bench.

Spoelstra looked at the score that was not approaching on the court. He knew that this lineup had no advantage against the Pelicans, and James had played consecutively for a long time.

He had to call a timeout to get James, and Wade and Bosh.

After Bosh came on the field, the Heat's interior defense was strengthened, while Sean Battier slipped to the small forward position, and he was more flexible in internal and external defense.

Wade is also a very good defensive player on the outside of the Heat, so that the Heat can restrict the Pelicans very well.

"Substitution!"

Li Lai also made substitutions for the Pelicans. He had long expected that the Heat would interrupt his strategy of relying on James to make a comeback.

He took Leonard and Jimmy Butler at the same time at this time, and with Beverly on the court, the Pelicans' outside defensive pressure was the most terrifying at this time.

"Defending James is two cups of poison, defending Wade is one cup."

"As long as Wade's breakthrough is defended, the Heat will still be restricted by me during this period of time."

The game continues.

Wade attacked with the ball, and the Pelicans suddenly put on a 2-3 zone defense on the court.

This zone defense is specially used to limit the defense of outside players, and Li Lai's 2-3 zone defense has a lot of shadows of the Pistons' iron barrels back then, and he attaches great importance to the shrinkage protection of the inside line.

This means that it is difficult for Wade to break through to the basket. He can only try mid-range shots or three-pointers.

Looking at the defense in front of him, even the experienced Wade finds it very tricky.

Airtight and extremely oppressive.

Leonard's defense had already made Wade feel a little oppressive, but what he never expected was that the Pelicans didn't even have the idea of ​​​​giving the opponent a chance to breathe.

"They really treat this game as a playoff game!"

Bosh raised the pick-and-roll.

The Pelicans shrink every pick-and-roll, giving Wade a three-pointer and never breaking through the basket.

Wade used the pick-and-roll to kill the inside line. Seeing the 4 human walls that appeared in front of him, he immediately dribbled the ball outside and played back at the waist.

Wade hit Leonard with his back, Yiku dribbled the ball and did not squeeze into the inside. At this time, the Pelicans' defense showed that they are worthy of the strength of the league's top defensive teams.

Jimmy Butler didn't continue to shrink, Oden didn't continue to shrink, and neither did Diaw.

Because in post-up singles, players can almost see 3/2 of the field on the court. Once they continue to squeeze the space and shrink the double-team, it is easy to give the opponent the opportunity to pass the ball and open space.

This is strict defensive discipline.

Wade is also very clear that even if he can really drive Leonard into the paint, he can immediately double-team him as a player on the field for the Pelicans.

The defensive position they are in now is a position that can both double-team and return to the defense.

Swish!
Wade chose a difficult mid-range shot with a fadeaway.

Basketball hollow into the net.

"This is a giant planet!"

"It's also thanks to Wade who came to play this offense. It's really not necessarily possible to make it with someone else."

"Wade's double-back fadeaway is still quite threatening."

While Kenny Smith praised Wade, he couldn't help admiring the Pelicans' defense.

What level of defense is this!
Since the disintegration of the Celtics' Big Three, he has never seen a few teams in the league capable of such a defense.

Barkley said: "To deal with the Pelicans' defensive system, there are only mid-range or three-pointers."

"It's a pity that the Bucks in the small ball era have been disintegrated, and it is difficult to come up with the historical offensive firepower of the year, but the current Warriors have the flavor of the Bucks back then."

"In addition, Kobe, who is the king of mid-range singles, may be able to solve the defense of the Pelicans very well. It's a pity."

Kenny Smith and Barkley kept their mouths shut at the same time when talking about the Lakers, both of whom were deeply disappointed with that team this season.

There are even many commentators suggesting that the Lakers rebuild in situ to stop losses.

After all, apart from the Nets, the Lakers handed over the league's most terrifying luxury tax but are likely to fail to make the playoffs. This is simply a joke.

"Last season's Lakers made it to the Finals."

on the field.

Jimmy Butler, who watched his good friend being scored by Wade in a mid-range single, was very angry. He pointed to Leonard and said, "Kawhi, do you want to avenge yourself or should I avenge you?"

Leonard was expressionless, but that didn't mean he didn't have a temper.

"I don't want your help!"

Switch offense.

Jimmy Butler waved his hands again and again, gesturing to Beverly, Oden and Diaw, and said, "Give me some space, my brother."

The Pelicans opened up the space and Leonard executed a single.

The Heat did not double-team or assist in defense. After all, it was Wade who was defending Leonard at this time.

Wade opened his hands and concentrated on it. His defense is also among the top defenders.

Leonard held the ball and lowered his center of gravity, made a large lateral dribble to break through the inside line, and then made a very fine footstep change and changed direction in advance to pull the ball to the left.

Wade was a little surprised by Leonard's footsteps. He reacted a step slower but quickly accelerated to keep up. However, this slower defense gave Leonard the opportunity to continue to touch the basket.

Moving from the right side to the left side, Leonard raised his hand in the penalty area and made a fake move, which directly tricked Wade and Battier, who was assisting in defense, to take off, and then made a sneak step and hit a layup.

This operation stunned the referee at the bottom line. If he hadn't watched carefully, he would have almost called Leonard's walking foul.

"This footstep is really like Kobe."

Kenny Smith couldn't help swearing. This is not the first time he has seen Leonard use such beautiful footsteps this season. Every time he is so relaxed and freehand.

Barkley agreed and said: "I am now wondering whether Leonard has trained with Kobe in private. I must ask in this year's All-Star Game."

"Nice job, bro!" After Leonard scored, Jimmy Butler was the first player to high-five and praise.

Leonard proudly touched his nose, then patted Jimmy's chest and said, "I told you, I can solve it myself."

Wade looked at the two who showed their affection, his face was livid. In the past, James and Wade showed their affection to others after the connection between James and Wade, but now he ate a wave of dog food.

"Zhan Zhan, where are you, come up!"

Halftime is over.

The Pelicans led 58-52.

The third quarter of the game.

James and Wade broke out suddenly, and the two hit the basket consecutively, and made two fouls each.

More importantly, the Heat have an infinite rotation!
Stevens said: "Infinite double-teaming outside and infinite double-teaming inside, forcing the opponent to move the ball wildly, but the Heat always predict the opponent's passing route and steal, and do not give the opponent any 1-on-1 attack opportunities."

"This is infinite rotation."

Although the Heat are not the top five defensive teams in the league, Stevens can be sure that when the Heat have an infinite rotation defense, they are undoubtedly the top five defensive teams in the league.

The Pelicans suffered consecutive struggles on the offensive end, and even Paul made two consecutive turnovers on the court, which is very rare.

Of course, this lineup is very exhausting for the Heat's players on the field.

"Small to small!"

Li Lai immediately made substitution adjustments, took Jordan Jr., and pushed the thick eyebrows to the 5th position. This is also the end lineup of the Pelicans at critical moments this season.

Su Qun said: "The Pelicans lineup is amazing."

"When Anthony Davis was pushed to the 5 position, the Pelicans were able to outscore their opponents by 10 points per game in 8 minutes, which is a very remarkable statistic."

"As long as the Pelicans get this lineup, it means they have to close the game."

The Pelicans lineup at this time is: Paul, Leonard, Jimmy Butler, Diaw and Anthony Davis.

The Heat's lineup is: Ray Allen, Wade, Battier, James and Bosh.

Barkley said: "James once said in an interview that his favorite is the Heat's current lineup, which is also their strongest lineup this season."

"On the offensive end, 5 players can dribble, shoot, and attack, and on the defensive end, 5 players can defend and assist in defense. With this lineup, the Heat can average 10 points ahead of their opponents in 7 minutes per game."

Kenny Smith said: "Now that the Heat and the Pelicans have taken their best lineups, it depends on who can have the last laugh."

Of course, Kenny Smith noticed that there will be three changes in this lineup of the Pelicans, that is, it is possible that Beverly, JR Smith or Diaw will participate, while the other four positions will remain unchanged.

"The reason why the Pelicans took Dior this time is probably to better take away James' defense in the penalty area."

on the field.

James pushed forward with the ball and made a strong hit to Dior, and then assisted Bosh to hit a three-pointer from the bottom corner.

Wade singled out Leonard in the middle distance and returned the color, and then staged a series of Leonard and Jimmy Butler.

The Pelicans fought back.

Paul's big fights blew the offensive horn, Leonard scrambled for Wade and succeeded in stealing, Jimmy Butler scored a mid-range shot against James' defense, and at the same time did not forget to talk trash.

The most rare thing is that the thick eyebrow singled out Bosh, turned around and hit the basket with a strong dunk.

In the last 1 minute of the game, the two teams tied and entered a life-and-death situation.

At the critical moment, Bosh unexpectedly extinguished the Pelicans' hope of winning the game with two three-pointers.

The Pelicans were defeated by the Heat 100:102!

Bosh looked up to the sky and howled extremely excitedly.

Barkley said with great regret: "It's a pity that the Pelicans attacked James and Wade so fiercely at the last moment that Bosh had two consecutive waves of open shots."

"Bosh's hands are really tough. If you give him a three-pointer, you can really make a shot."

Li Lai stared at the Heat with an extremely ugly expression, and the players all looked very ugly when they left the court.

"We will have our revenge."

Li Lai rubbed the heads of the depressed players one by one, Paul, Leonard, Jimmy Butler
Losing to the Heat in this way, not only Li Lai, but also the players felt very aggrieved.

On the court, Wade, James and Bosh, who finally won the game, sat on the billboard almost exhausted.

Although they won tonight's game, the three clearly felt that the opposite Pelicans were difficult and tricky. They even thought that each other was the most terrifying enemy the Heat had encountered so far.

It is stronger than the Lakers that the Heat met in the finals last season, and much stronger.

"It's a horrible team."

(End of this chapter)