the rest, only noise

Chapter 987 Self and Whole

Game2 basically became Jordan's ShowTime.

What's surprising isn't that he dominates the game, but the way he dominates it.

Three points, three points, still three points.

Jordan suddenly became a shooter, and it was the kind of terrifying marksman who could score three-pointers.

Louis was amazed at how fast his shooting skills improved.

In the last half of the second quarter, his three-pointer was unstoppable.

Whether it's the bottom corner, the 45-degree angle on the right wing, or the top of the arc, as long as the ball comes to his hands, he basically throws it away.

As long as the Knicks give him a little space, he will make a decisive shot.

When he hit the fifth three-pointer in a single quarter, he raised his eyebrows and challenged Wilson: "The era of you showing off your power with one-handed shots is over!"

Is Wilson indifferent?

Of course he will not be indifferent, in fact, he has always wanted to respond to Jordan.

This is exactly what Louis couldn't understand.

In a sense, Wilson and Jordan have switched roles.

Jordan became like Wilson in last year's finals, and Wilson was like Jordan before this year.

He became egotistical, alienated his teammates, and was eager to take over the game with his own ability.

Judging from the data, Wilson is not responsible for the Knicks' rout on the scene.

In the half, Wilson scored 24 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists.

However, Jordan on the opposite side scored 38 points in the half with fewer ball possessions and a more efficient and concise style of play.

Every one of his three-pointers is helpless.

The most frustrating scene for New Yorkers occurred at the buzzer in the first half.

Jordan received the ball from the outside, and Wilson pounced to defend. In just 1.7 seconds, Jordan dared to make fake moves to pass him, and then quickly shot a three-pointer, and made a lightning shot before the last 0.1 seconds.

The lights go on, the ball goes in, and Jordan hits eight three-pointers in the half.

"Jordan made seven three-pointers in the second quarter and hit them all! His fiery touch on the outside reminds me of Benj last year!"

"Now, the three-point shot is no longer MJ's weakness, and it's going to be harder for the Knicks defensively."

After hitting this three-pointer, Jordan also broke the finals halftime three-pointer record (five goals) set by Benjamin Wilson last year.It is worth mentioning that last year's Wilson set the record in the last half of the second half of the tiebreaker, while Jordan made eight of eight three-pointers in the second quarter like a god.Moreover, this is not only a halftime record, but also a single quarter record in the finals.

Even for shooters in the small ball era, it is extremely difficult to hit seven three-pointers in a single quarter in the finals.

This state of not missing any shots made Jordan couldn't help turning sideways, shaking his shoulders, and spreading his hands, with an expression of "I don't know why I can't miss all the time".

Wilson looked serious.

He took more shots and scored fewer points.

The Blazers led the Knicks by 16 points at halftime.

It seemed that they were going to be taken away by a wave.

"That's where Portland is strong. Their best players are willing to lower their profile to serve the team." Louie said sincerely, "They really grew a lot."

"But New York is not going to bow down here."

Even trailing by 16 points, Louie still had light in his eyes.

"This is MSG, our home stadium!"

On his way back to the locker room, Louie meets the autistic Wilson.

There was pain and loss on his face, because he knew that his style of play affected the rhythm of the team.

Obviously he got more shots, but he was not as calm as before.

Instead, Jordan stepped into his role.

It's one of the many counterintuitive things about basketball -- whoever takes more shots doesn't necessarily score more points.

"Coach, what should I do?" Wilson asked.

If Louie showed him the way now, the old Benj might come back.

He will still be the most reliable player, everyone relies on and believes in him.

Of course Louis would love to hug the beloved Benj, if he hadn't seen the real face of Benj, if he didn't know that Benj was tortured for it, he would accept it.

The Knicks' dynasty is in tatters, and they're either going to rot from start to finish or find a way of redemption that brings the team back together.

"Over the years, I have always been telling you what to do." Louie walked to the door of the locker room, "Benj, you should find your own way, and I believe you will find it, no matter where this way leads, you just need to move forward."

Louis pushed open the locker room door and asked loudly, "Are you ready to fight back?"

"CTMD!" Miller yelled back, "I've been wanting to fuck for a long time!"

"Then give it a hard fuck!"

In the second half, Louie started with Mohamed Rauf, Miller, Wilson, Stevens and Ewing.

In this lineup, Stevens played at the four.

But he basically doesn't do the work of the fourth position, and the fight inside depends on Ewing alone.

The strategic value of Stevens is to give the Knicks a consistent 38-point threat offensively -- his corner [-]-point shooting rate has stabilized at [-] percent this season -- while allowing unlimited rotations on the defensive end.

Riley's infinite defense strategy is the Pandora's box in Louie's eyes.

Once it was opened, the nature of the game changed.

The 2018 Western Conference Finals is a sign of the return of tactical annihilation in the small ball era to the original.

Against the Warriors' fully armed Rockets, using the same five small lineups to play unlimited defenses destroyed the Warriors' passing and cutting.

In theory, it's similar to how the Knicks beat the Celtics in 1988.

Any sport that goes to the extreme has a back-to-basics side.

The Knicks brought the Celtics back to the original basketball rhythm of "no blood is not a foul", and the Rockets brought the Warriors to an island where they were out of ammunition and food.The Rockets have had a bit of luck compared to the Warriors, and now Louie wonders how lucky they are.

Playing against the Trail Blazers with two incomprehensible players, is it self-destruction?
The answer did not disappoint Louis.

Playing unlimited defenses on the defensive end forced the Blazers to change their game rhythm and allow the stars to play more heads-ups.

It's the way they like to attack.

The personal ability of the stars is their advantage. The Knicks suddenly came to this, and of course they accepted it all.

But when it comes to the defensive end, the Blazers have a big problem.

The Knicks' 1-4OUT lineup can easily name one of Sabonis, Thomas, and Barkley through the pick-and-roll.

Sabonis is entrenched in the penalty area and cannot come out, Ewing or others will take the ball and shoot.

It doesn't matter if Barkley can't come out. How strong Barkley is on the offensive end, he has more hips on the defensive end.

The Knicks aimed at his loophole and played whatever they wanted.

Thomas belongs to the type that looks amazing defensively, but the effect is mediocre.

Miller, who claims to "vote for shit", has no time to talk big.

In the second half, it was he who blew the horn of the Knicks counterattack with five three-pointers in return.

Riley never thought that Louie would suddenly use their infinite switch defense, let alone that there is such a way of infinite switch defense.

Forcing the Blazers' five-star formation to play their individual abilities to single out, it seems to be courting death, but in fact it is an effective solution to break the game.

Because the Blazers played well in the first half with the selfless cooperation between the stars, it was time to continue that momentum and expand the lead. Suddenly, the Knicks used defense to tell them: Don't think about cooperation. If you have the ability, use your personal ability to kill me.

A 16-point lead turned into seven in one quarter.

The Blazers' lead was in jeopardy, and Thomas and Jordan stepped up in the fourth quarter.

First, Thomas scored 7 points, bringing the Blazers' advantage back to double digits.

Then, Ewing dominated the penalty area, and Wilson's mid-range shot was extremely accurate.

This also aroused Jordan's sense of crisis.

Jordan, who scored 38 points in the half, only scored 4 points in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, he scored 10 points in a row when the Blazers were most dangerous. With a great performance of 52 points, he helped the team win the first victory in the series.

119 is better than 108
This is the final score, and Jordan perfectly balanced the trade-offs between individuals and teams.

It is no exaggeration to say that Jordan tonight is the most powerful perimeter player Louie has ever seen.

Wilson's performance was good. Whether it was his personal offense in the first half or his integration into the team in the second half, he helped the team at a critical moment.

If the comparison object is not Jordan, his performance should be regarded as the best in the game.

Regardless of Jordan's 52 points, Wilson scored 38 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists tonight.

"MJ is always MJ, he helped the Blazers win a game."

"However, if the Blazers want to beat the Knicks, other people also need to work hard." Hubie Brown said objectively, "Last year's finals have proved that to beat the Knicks, it is not enough to rely on the power of one or two superstars. The Blazers must become a better whole."

(End of this chapter)