basketball pope

Chapter 77 [If you don't grab it at this time, when will you wait? 】

The Knicks' strategy is positional warfare. Ewing tries to shoot as close to the basket as possible and actively fights for offensive rebounds.

Different opponents have different ways of playing. A group of veteran Bulls can't rush up at all, and the three of them can return to defense in time to limit their fast break.

The most critical point is that Rodman is not there. Langley and Kukoc have no talent for rebounding. They are not like insiders at all. The rebounding rate is not as good as that of Jordan and Pippen.
In order to protect the rebounds in the backcourt, the two Bulls stars must withdraw from the restricted area at any time and consume more physical strength.

Not to mention opponents, even Van Gundy, Thibodeau and Sharman of the team's coaching staff felt terrible.Before the game, Yang Rui emphasized fighting for offensive rebounds, and with a small adjustment, he achieved "offensive as defense".

"Zen Master" Jackson couldn't think of a solution.Even if Rodman is on the court, the Bulls also have weaknesses, but they are better at rebounding.The biggest vulnerability of the Bulls is Lang Li, as long as he is there, the opponent will use this point as a breakthrough.

Longley defended and went out, Ewing made an empty cut, and when he received the ball inside, he was playing big and small, and Longley retreated too slowly.Longley doesn't switch defenses, and Houston and Johnson can shoot directly from the outside.

After 5 minutes of play, Ewing, Houston and Johnson scored again and again, leading 19 to 8.

Jackson was forced to replace Langley and did not dare to send the 213CM replacement white big man Wennington, but instead went to Scott Burrell, who is 201CM tall and weighs 100 kg.

If Rodman is there, playing small ball is feasible. Now let Kukoc come to center and defend the pick-and-roll is good, but the protection of the rim is even worse.

The Knicks used the simplest tactics, a lob to Ewing singled out Kukoc to ensure the attacking firepower.The Bulls faced off against a small lineup, and the point difference continued to widen.

首节尼克斯37比21领先16分，尤因单节砍下12分5篮板2助攻。

In the second quarter, Ewing went off the court, the Knicks were in a big state of iron, and the Bulls could not score on the bench, even if Pippen was still on the court.

Pippen played sloppy today. He missed all 3 shots in the first quarter under the defense of Houston, and only scored 2 points from free throws.In the second quarter, he missed three consecutive shots in the face of Mills.

The Knicks relied on off-ball screening, catch-and-shoot, empty cuts and other tactics to open up the situation, and the point difference quickly widened to more than 20 points.

Oakley played short regular-season games, was healthy, and entered the playoffs at his best.He's almost suffocated, and the defense is completely staring at backup power forward Dick Simpkins.

Ben Wallace is also full of stamina, putting backup center Bill Wennington in the penalty area and doing little.

Pippen's one-on-one is the best chance to score, but he can't grasp it, this is not a qualified second.

A truth gradually surfaced, the Bulls win, relying on the overall defense, is a defense-oriented team, Rodman is not, the Bulls will not work.

This season, the Bulls averaged only 11.7 three-point attempts per game in the regular season, hitting 3.8, and the three-point shooting percentage was only 32.3%.45.1 percent from two-point range, none of which is high.They win by lowering their opponent's field goal percentage.

Jordan returned to the court after a 4-minute break, leading the team to bite the score, trailing 15 points into the second half.

In the third quarter, Starks and Oakley began to play again, and the point difference opened again. Jordan couldn't speak alone, and his teammates felt cold.

The Bulls couldn't stop the Knicks offense, and even if they blocked shots, they lost a lot of backcourt rebounds.

Albert commented: "Rodman is a well-known jerk on the court, often arguing with players because of his excessive defensive movements, but it is undeniable that his defensive talent is indeed at the top level, and he won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year twice. , 7-time defensive first team, 7 consecutive rebounds, without him, the Bulls defense is much worse."

Rodman is not only capable of rebounding, but his "cowboy"-style defense often makes his opponents miserable. His desperate spirit disturbs his opponents and inspires his teammates.He is good at fighting and destroying the opponent's emotions. He is a famous diver and trash talker, and many contribution data can't be seen.

Glickman said: "The Knicks are playing very stable now, the division of labor is clear, and the lineup has always been reasonable. Even if Rodman comes back, the Bulls will not be easy to play."

At the end of the first break, the Knicks sent Atkins, Starks, Mills, Stephen Jackson, and Ben Wallace to press the court.

Pressing at this time can have a psychological deterrent effect, show the depth of the Knicks' lineup, and put more pressure on the Bulls to start.

The three of them don’t have much playing time, so they don’t need to deliberately retain their physical strength. Hubble is 196cm tall. He is a cameo as a point guard, and a shooting guard is his specialty. He is put on the No. 1 position because it has the strongest defense.

He was forced to make two consecutive pass errors, and the Knicks fought back to further widen the difference.

The Knicks were equally sharp in the positional battle. Big Ben gave Atkins a pick-and-roll, and others pulled away. Whether Atkins made a breakthrough or attracted a teammate to shoot inside, he could threaten the basket, and he could rush to the basket if he failed to make a shot. rebound.

Ironically, the 1996 Bulls were the best players in the NBA in the past, and they were the trump card that they used occasionally in the third quarter. It was Rodman.

Now, Jordan has to score points and also defend Alan Houston on the defensive end. When necessary, he retracts to protect the backcourt rebounds. Even the hard hitter can't handle it.

5 minutes later, Johnson, Houston, and Ewing played again. A wave of 11-2 widened the point difference to 30 points and entered garbage time.

In the end, 115 to 82, the Knicks made a good start with a home victory.

尤因18投11中，罚球5中3，得到25分16篮板5助攻2盖帽，统治了禁区。

Six of the Knicks scored in double figures, and Atkins, a marginal man, scored 11 points.

乔丹28投仅11中，罚球10中9，得到31分6篮板1助攻4抢断，尼克斯的防守战术又把乔丹和队友的联系切断了。

皮蓬全场梦游，9投1中，三分球2中0，罚球4中2，只得4分7篮板7助攻2抢断。

Only three Bulls scored in double figures, and the offense was hopelessly poor. In the second half, the "Zen Master" only called a timeout and gave up the game early.

In the first half, Zhang Lili also praised: "You can see that Phil Jackson is really calm, but he doesn't call a timeout and let the players adjust themselves."

He was anxious for the Bulls in the second half. "Yo, still not screaming... The Knicks have gained momentum, and this momentum must be interrupted."

No matter how far behind, "Zen Master" is dozing off on the sidelines, such a famous handsome is really weird.

Knicks owner James Dolan watched the game, and he couldn't believe it was so easy to win.

Maintaining this state, he feels that the Knicks will not only eliminate the Bulls, but may even swept the Bulls out of the game directly.

(End of this chapter)