The Legend of the Hungry Wolf in Basketball

Chapter 158 [Clippers VS Cleveland Football Team]

Cavaliers VS Clippers is another live broadcast game across the United States. People want to see the duel between "Little Emperor" and "Hungry Wolf".

It is very difficult for Ye Feng to win 10 consecutive victories here. The Cavaliers have not lost at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland this season, and they have won 21 consecutive victories at home.

Both teams have been impressive defensively.

Teams with good defense often know how to control the rhythm of the game. After the Cavaliers introduced Ben Wallace, their defensive strength has been greatly improved.Recently, the NBA official website named the five best defensive teams this season. The Celtics ranked first, the Cavaliers and Magic ranked second and third, the Rockets ranked fourth, and the Clippers ranked fifth.

The Cavaliers have "Big Ben" Wallace and flopping king Varejao on the inside, and James' defense is very good.The advantage of the Clippers lies in the forward line, Smith, Barnes, and Ye Feng. It is not easy for James to get high scores.

In an interview, James gave Ye Feng a high evaluation, saying that he is one of the most comprehensive players in the league.Ye Feng also praised James for being friendly before the game.

詹姆斯这赛季依旧是怪物数据，上场37.7分钟，28.4分7.6篮板7.2助攻1.7抢断1盖帽。投篮命中率49%，三分球命中率34.4%。他的出场时间比叶锋少，否则很可能成为得分王。

Despite his super stats, there are many people who hate James because his ultimate move is "crab step", which is a very disgusting trick.Last season, people joked that the Cavaliers were the "Cleveland football team", and the referee didn't blow it no matter how James walked.The league is used to his faults, "Little Emperor" not only failed to surpass Jordan, but also became an annoying guy, "crab step" will become a big stain in his life.

In fact, if fans start watching the Cavaliers in 2005, they will feel that they have really looked like a football team for three years.It's not just James' walking problem.

A group of shooters in the Cavaliers are like wide receivers in football, they cannot survive without the passing of the quarterback; a group of insiders, like tackles in football, use their bodies to block all paths and let the quarterback pass.And all the glory goes to that quarterback - LeBron James.

Interestingly, it's really like a siege with a narrow level.The opponent knew that LeBron would definitely come to attack, so they thickened the city defense; the Cavaliers knew that only LeBron would come to attack, so they made a concerted effort to build a ladder.In the past three years, the Pistons, Spurs and Celtics, the league's most powerful defensive front VS LeBron, have been staged every year.

The Cavaliers football team has changed a bit this year.One is that the insiders finally got the hang of it, and no longer piled up rigidly in front to serve as a wall for LeBron, narrowing the offensive space.The second is the addition of "running back" Mo Williams, which makes this football team have another back-line rushing figure. When people go to the quarterback, he can score touchdowns.The third is that the receiver's response has changed.In the past, everyone who would only shoot long shots directly after receiving a sudden point from LeBron has begun to be able to coordinate tactical changes.The best example is that after LeBron broke through, West and Mo Williams could break through the second wave.And the fourth point is that LeBron can occasionally be a wide receiver and get rid of without the ball.This is how half of the alley-oop dunks this year came about.

But at the end of the day, they're still like a football team.Outside of James and Williams, the Cavaliers are barely one-on-one.And their one-on-one occasions are very, very rare.All the solemn praises are due to LeBron, but LeBron will always give credit to his teammates on various occasions.

James is very smart, he is the troubled hero of the NBA.He knows the lifestyle of role players on this team.They are not as swaying as the Suns. Almost all of them must cover for their teammates and must play high-quality defense.This kind of boring life, unless you get used to loneliness like the Pistons or Spurs, and play what Joe Dumars called "the habitual high efficiency of robots", it will definitely make people tired.Therefore, he used various methods to make his teammates feel that his labor was worthwhile.James and a bunch of jovial guys took pregame photoshoots, played baseball, and danced on the bench.In this way, they will work tirelessly on the court, constantly covering, running, and creating space for their teammates.

It can be seen that the Cavaliers are not a talented team.Two-thirds of their offense must be completed with two or more high-quality on-ball screens or off-ball screens.Their advantage is that they are like a football team: a lot of screens and walls, everyone plays their own positions, do their own things, and complete the offense in this way; everyone helps their teammates on the defensive end, and completes in this way defense.Plus at some point, LeBron suddenly explodes, and the problem will be solved.

And their weakness is hidden here. As long as the quarterback is killed, the Cavaliers can't win.

The head coach of the Cavaliers, Mike Brown, doesn't play much role in the team. He arranges the same tactics in every game, with James as the core of the offense, and they all listen to James, and pass the ball to James in the frontcourt.

Mo Williams, who transferred from the Bucks to the Cavaliers this season, was given the nickname "Must Pass" in the past, but when it comes to the Cavaliers, he must pass it on.And it must be passed on resolutely.His scoring ability is still very strong, averaging 17.8 points per game, and the number of assists has dropped to 4, because the Cavaliers' first organizer is James.However, as the No. [-] player next to James, Mo Williams has received a high evaluation and is very hopeful that he will be selected for this year's All-Star Game.People found that he didn't pass the ball, but he just looked at who was waiting for the pass. If it was James, he would not hesitate.When he was in the Bucks, it was Yi Jianlian who was waiting for him to pass the ball after the pick and roll...

In this game, the Cavaliers are not afraid of the Clippers using double pick-and-roll tactics. Their rotation is very fast, and they play double screens.

On the Clippers side, the tactics are similar to those of the Cavaliers. Ye Feng plays the small forward and directly faces James. If there is a pick-and-roll, Smith at the 4th position will be on top.In the Cavaliers' loss to the Rockets last month, James was caught off guard by Artest and Battier in tandem, and the Clippers are ready to do the same.

Thibodeau did not arrange for Barnes to start. Dorell Wright was replaced at the 2nd position to increase the offense from the outside. Lowry was used as a point guard. The opponent was Mo William Moss, who needed tight defense. The center Arrange for Gortat to start.Igelskas is 221cm tall, and he often screens and pulls to a high position to shoot jumpers. Love and him are at a disadvantage in height, and Gortat’s defense will be better. Let Love and Barea play together in the second quarter, which can also be guaranteed The firepower of the bench.

Thibodeau had to fight defensively in the first quarter and beat the Cavaliers' substitutes in the second quarter.Compared with the bench lineup, the Cavaliers are really too shabby.Without James, they might not even make the playoffs.

Although the experts put Ye Feng on the same level as James, saying that he leads the team independently and is a lonely hero, in fact, Ye Feng knows very well that James' teammates are much worse, at least the Clippers' lineup is very reasonable.In addition, the head coach of the Cavaliers is a puppet. He does nothing on the spot and just plays around James. If James is good, the team will win.If James misfires, the team is finished.Thibodeau's on-the-spot adaptability has been recognized by everyone.The Clippers have already won 6 games more than last season. If they enter the playoffs and rank relatively high, Thibodeau is likely to win the honor of the best coach in his rookie season.

The Cavaliers home crowd was full, and James still put on a show in front of the fans as usual, polluting the environment by sprinkling magnesium powder.

ESPN sent Jeff Van Gundy and retired Rockets veteran Joan Barry together to explain the game live.

Before the start of the game, Van Gundy said: "As long as the Clippers win today, they will have won the No. [-] team in the East and West in the regular season. The Clippers have left a deep impression this season. We can’t go too far, and everyone will remember how Ye Feng led the team to rise this season. Now they are eighth in the Western Conference, only one game away from the seventh Trail Blazers.”

Joan Barry laughed and said, "Who do you think is more likely to win in a duel between James and Ye Feng?"

Van Gundy frowned, thought for a while, and said: "It's hard to compare. Both are super scorers, but it depends on the organizational ability. James is much better than Ye Feng, and James has more rebounds this season. Ye Feng is the only one. LeBron's advantage is that he is good at post-up attack, and James usually breaks through the frame. I think Ye Feng's rebounding ability is also very outstanding. The lack of rebounds this season is because of Love, and that rookie is a rebounding monster."

When it comes to backs, Joan Barry said with a smile: "Some people say that it's not that James can't do backs. It's just that he is too good at attacking the frame and doesn't bother to use backs. But I think he just isn't good at it."

Both of them laughed. They are strong but don't need to attack with their backs. This is James' biggest criticism other than "crab step".

After the warm-up, the starting players of both sides stood on the court.

James stood beside Ye Feng, raised his head and smiled, "Do you dare to face me one-on-one? We don't need to cover. During the training camp, you could hardly score in front of me. I want to see how much you have improved. .”

If Ye Feng really does not need to cover one-on-one with James, then the Cavaliers will definitely benefit.James is very strong in one defense and one defense. He is now taking the initiative to challenge. It looks like he is going to stage a star war, but he is actually trying to lure Ye Feng into a fool.If it is a reckless bastard, he may immediately become excited and agree to fight James.

But Ye Feng's answer was: "Sorry, the coach told me to stay away from you and attack after the pick-and-roll. Thibodeau is not a puppet. I can't control him. Can you teach me how to make the coach as obedient as my son? "

With Ye Feng's words, James choked so hard that he didn't know how to respond.

(End of this chapter)