The Legend of the Hungry Wolf in Basketball

Chapter 422 [High-intensity defense, the last minute]

The score rose alternately, with many draws, and with 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the game was tied at 93.Nets coach Johnson requested a timeout to make a last-ditch effort.

The Clippers easily broke [-] points, and this is the game they scored the least this season. Both sides paid attention to defense. Howard sent out five blocks, but he also lost four fouls, and the fourth quarter ended with a rest.

After Howard was off the court, the Nets were not weak enough to be blown up inside. The combination of Humphries and Scola was also very strong, and Hayes could also help the team after he played.Hayes is an amazing player, he has no other characteristics except strength. As an inside talent, he is extremely poor, but he can always get a place in the NBA, and under his defense, several inside players of the Clippers are uncomfortable.

Battier also did a good job. He has average single-defense ability, but he can play a big role in the defensive system. In the third quarter, he also made Ye Feng dribble into someone, and his position was just right.

Barkley said: "Now the game is at a fever pitch. Once a team hits a wave of offensive climax, it is possible to win. Curry and Thornton played well today. The Clippers' inside players don't have many points. Sol has only scored 13 points so far, Love has 10 points, Gasol has 6 points, and Yi Jianlian has not gotten much playing time."

Kenny Smith said: "The Nets' interior defense is very good. Humphries is also a super defensive player. In the third quarter, he even gave Ye Feng a big cap. Although Scola moved slowly laterally, He is also seldom beaten inside, and he makes up for his lack of physical strength with experience. Hayes relies on defense to make a living. Nets rookie Jordan Williams didn't have many chances to play, and he didn't make the roster this time. "

Both commentators believe that Humphries and Howard's interior defense is the main reason why the Nets can compete with the Clippers.

Humphries renewed his contract with the Nets for 3 million in 2500 years. At the beginning, some people said he was losing money. Now experts believe that he is an underestimated insider. It is normal to replace Scola in the starting lineup. A small universe exploded.

Humphries is a defensive elite, and Nets fans can often see such shots, Humphries dunks vigorously!Grab a rebound!Chasing the body and blocking the cap vigorously!Humphries brought the Nets as much passion as Howard.But last season when people were asked who Humphries was?They would probably all say, "That guy who is being trained by Kim Kardashian?"

Last week's game against the Grizzlies, Humphries completely changed people's perceptions, he scored 18 points and picked off a career-high 23 rebounds.Moreover, Humphries completely overwhelmed the opposing player, Grizzlies superstar Blake Griffin.Griffin scored just 30 points and three rebounds in 11 foul-plagued minutes.

Previously, pundits' general impression of Humphries was that he wasn't a particularly good defender, had poor rotation awareness and was too slow against most power forwards.Now, Humphries has proven himself to be a defender far beyond expectations.

在查阅一下数据后就会发现，亨弗里斯在大前锋中的PER值是非常不错的18.6，平均在48分钟里能以52%的命中率砍下16.7分同时摘下17.7个篮板。而他在4号位的对位选手平均在每48分钟拿下更多的分数19.1，不过命中率只有48.2%，并且篮板数也不如小亨，只有10.7。以上这些使得小亨的对手的PER值定格在了低于联盟平均水平的14.6。比小亨自己的低了足足4点。

This conclusion can also be reached by changing another standard.Humphries does most of his defense in the paint, and while he's not a top defender, he's been impressive enough.According to statistics, in a total of 113 defensive rounds in the penalty area, Humphries only allowed the opponent to score 0.81 points per round, limited the opponent's shooting percentage to 42%, and forced 11 turnovers.Since the beginning of this season, Humphries has shown that he can use his broad and tall body to protect the team's backcourt. Even if Howard is defended, he will not be shot by the opponent.

He wasn't great by any standards, but he was good enough.What really shocked people was his performance in single defense.Humphries has almost suppressed all opponents when defending singles this season, and can successfully deal with singles from opponents from every position.This game is very obvious. He has switched defenses against small men like Curry or Thornton, switched defenses against Smith, Ye Feng, defended Love, Marc Gasol, and stopped opponents many times. The end contribution is even more than Howard.

Humphries' opponents thought they could score points in singles on him, and the Clippers were no exception. Unexpectedly, his hands and feet were faster than everyone's imagination.Then most people can only use a barely shot to end their attack hastily.

Of course, it's a bit strange. A guy who is only famous for his women can perform like this, and his defense is really jaw-dropping. If he strengthens the awareness of rotation defense, he may reach the same level as Howard.

"Little General" Johnson arranged for Howard and Scola to partner inside, and Humphries rested. Although Howard was terrible today, he only hit one goal and made 10 of 6 free throws. He scored a total of 8 points and only grabbed 7 rebounds. indivual.

The Nets need attackers, so they need Scola.Using one's own strengths to attack the opponent's weaknesses is the most common offensive method in the NBA.But against the Clippers, the Nets have no obvious offensive strengths.The only thing they have is the height advantage of outside players, but relying on Battier or Ariza to face Curry's jumper is a bit unreliable.Wall is good at everything, but his shooting is poor. As long as he can shoot, the score may have been pulled away.As an outside player, Wall's three-point shooting percentage is only 7.5%, and his overall shooting percentage is only 42%. Moreover, Ye Feng is now responsible for defending him, making his offense even more difficult.

"Little General" Johnson arranged: "Zone defense, Caron (Butler) mainly defends Ye Feng, and Sean (Battier) should pay attention to assisting defense. If Ye Feng goes to the low post to get the ball, Dwight must be in the wrong position. Guard him! Don't double-team the others, he's hard to break off the dribble, and he can pass."

Ye Feng gave the Nets a headache the most.His post-up technique is top-notch, and he is a great threat in the low post. Even Howard's defense is not fully sure to limit him.And besides Ye Feng, the Clippers also have the Gasol brothers and Love.Using Howard to defend him in the low post means that there must be a misplacement on the outside, and the Clippers inside players can use their height advantage to shoot.The Nets cannot make up for this weakness with substitutions or defensive formations.

And now that Humphries is not here, it is difficult for Scola to limit Gasol's scoring one-on-one.The Clippers are also very strong inside. Fortunately, their shooting is not very stable today. If the shot is open, the Nets will definitely lose.

The game is not over yet, but the players of the Nets have a feeling that it is very difficult to win the championship in four games against the Clippers. The Clippers' lineup is almost perfect, and they are simply brilliant.

And the lack of stars who can score consecutively through personal ability at critical moments is a major weakness of the Nets. The four games they have lost this season are all crashes in the final quarter.

Ye Feng has now scored a game-high 28 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.Moreover, Howard he once defended in the third quarter was very uncomfortable. After Gasol returned to the court, he defended Wall who could not break through, and there would not be any defensive loopholes after the pick-and-roll. explain.

Thibodeau gestured with a tactical board, firmly believing that the Clippers could win. "The offense continues to focus on Ye. Double screens create opportunities for him to play singles. If he attracts double-teams, pass the ball. Kevin (Love) goes to the outside first block, Paul (Gasol) goes to the high post, you have to do well Prepare, if you misplaced and use your height advantage to shoot, if you don’t have a chance, give it to Stephen (Curry) to reorganize. If Ye takes the ball in the low post and misplaces the attack, Josh (Smith) and Stephen must pay attention to the running support..."

Now it seems that Howard, Humphries, Butler, Shane Battier, Ariza and many other defensive experts can hardly handle Ye Feng in single defense. It is a great thing to score 30+ in the game against the Nets. Ye Feng It's only two points away.

After the timeout ended, the Nets attacked.

After several passes, the players pulled away, and now the Nets lineup is Howard, Scola, Butler, Battier, and Wall.Ye Feng caught up with Wall from the outside, Curry faced Battier, and the defense became man-to-man. Butler pulled the outside line and handed the ball to Scola, who singled out Love in the low post on the right.

They are also old rivals. In the first two years, Love was often bullied by Scola and suffered countless times. Now he has a very good understanding of Scola's style of play.Scola swayed to the left and turned to the bottom line for a jumper.Love jumped up in time to interfere and missed the shot.

Smith returned to the inside, protected the backboard and handed it to Curry.Curry stabilized the situation and slowly brought the ball across the half court. At this time, every attack is very critical. If you can't play a fast break, you have to slow down as much as possible.

Ye Feng pulled out the outside line and relied on Love to cover without the ball to avoid Butler. Curry took advantage of the situation and passed the ball, and then ran to the left to find a cover to get rid of Wall. Scola and Battier People changed positions, Battier went to follow Ye Feng, and Scola bypassed the screeners to chase Curry.

Ye Feng immediately handed the ball to Curry without any hesitation.Curry's speed is much faster than Scola's. If the switch is a little slower, Curry can get rid of it. He catches the ball and makes a stop jumper and hits two points. 95 to 93.

"Little General" Johnson sighed on the sidelines. It seemed that the outside line was not easy to defend, and Ye Feng passed the ball faster than expected.If Humphries and Hayes are lined up, the defense will be better, but the Nets' offense will become a problem.

The Nets attacked, Wall broke through with double screens, used a cross step to pass Gasol, entered the basket and scored a layup. 95 to 95.

Ye Feng went outside to get the ball again, this time Gasol also pulled out to cover.Butler's ability to defend against breakthroughs is not weak. If there is no pick-and-roll, Ye Feng will not be able to pass. Ye Feng dribbles the ball from the left to attract Howard's defense, and then distributes the ball to Love on the outside. Later, Wall used his height advantage to shoot a three-point jumper, but it was a pity...

After the Nets adapt to the Clippers' offensive rhythm, they will not let them score easily.

Wall found the feeling at this moment, and once again used the pick-and-roll to break through Love and score the ball. 95 to 97.

Thibodeau quickly replaced Tony Allen, but replaced Love and let Smith go to the 4th position. This lineup's ability to defend against the perimeter and pick-and-roll will be strengthened.

There are many defensive experts on both sides, and the offense depends on the stars. They each hit the iron twice, and the Nets still maintain a two-point advantage.

Kenny Smith sighed: "The defense of both sides is too tight, and they are playing very patiently. The Clippers must score. If this goal cannot be scored to tie the score, the situation will not be good for them."

Barkley said: "I think Ye Feng should give up the pass and make a strong attack. The others don't feel good right now."

Ye Feng is also ready for a strong attack. If there is no open pass against a team that is good at defense, it will test the star's ability to attack and score under strict defense.The best people for the Clippers to attack are Ye Feng, Gasol and Smith.The other two didn't feel very good today.

Ye Feng took the ball from the perimeter, seeing Love was about to come up to pick and roll, Butler took a small step back, preparing to go around the screen.Ye Feng immediately had a plan. "At this time, the key is to hit the success rate. You must not think that I will make a three-pointer."

Thinking of this, without waiting for Love to come up, he suddenly took a small step back and shot a jumper.Butler reacted quickly, rushed forward to block the shot, but was still a step too late, Ye Feng had already shot, so there was no need to be afraid to block the shot.A frontal hit at the top of the arc! 98 to 97.

This ball completed the overtake and put the pressure on the Nets.With only one and a half minutes left, the home audience excitedly stood up and applauded.

The Nets played very patiently on offense. After many passes and there was no space, Wall handed the ball to the low post, allowing Howard to single out Gasol.Howard dribbled the ball with his back and turned to the middle. Relying on his speed advantage, he made a forced start, shot with a hook, and avoided the block. The referee whistled. The composition is full, and it also caused an additional penalty.With only 1 minute and 08 seconds left for the Clippers, the Nets requested a substitution.Humphries came on to replace Scola, and the Nets stepped up their defense, trying to hold onto the advantage.

Howard's plus free throw missed, Smith won the backcourt rebound. 98 to 99.

Thibodeau did not ask for a timeout. He pinned his hopes on Ye Feng, who was the coach on the field.The Clippers have struggled every time they attack, and the core must stand up at this time.

Ye Feng went to the frontcourt and shouted: "Empty the inside and give the ball to me!"

Gasol and Smith understood and pulled to the periphery.Ye Feng entered the low 45-degree corner on the right and asked for the ball, facing Howard.

At this time, it seemed a little unwise to play two-time best defensive player alone, but Ye Feng decided to do so. In the low post, his shooting percentage was higher, and Howard's defensive pressure was also great.

Curry lobs the ball in the post and it's a key play...

(End of this chapter)