Healing Basketball

Chapter 454 454. Initiative

The extrajudicial lunatic replaced Raheem in the starting lineup, relying on the poor defense of the Suns. Randolph stormed alone, coupled with a small forward who responded to the mid-range shot, a pie-eating center, and more adequate tactical preparations. The performance in the starting stage was even better than the previous two matches!
This gave D'Antoni a feeling of 'I found a big power of Jing Tian'. When he saw Rahim coming off the bench, his face was distorted with envy, jealousy and hatred... Some people said that his eight-man rotation was in the Murder players, if he has a lineup as deep as the overly free-looking head coach on the opposite side, he can rotate 12 players to play!
After D'Antoni's emotions stirred up for a while, he comforted himself-the 8-man rotation also has the benefits of 8-man rotation, and the strength is strong and stable.

And this is exactly where Maurice Cheeks hurt the most in the first two games against the Suns.

Hidden dangers of injuries, overdrawn players, few changes in the playoffs... These problems of the Suns are completely unimportant to the opponents who only play against the Suns once a month or two!
As an opponent, Maurice Cheeks felt the Suns' invincible offense and the league's best stability in the first two games against the Suns.

Therefore, Maurice Cheeks put Raheem and Payton on the bench to strengthen the strength of the rotation.

However, to play against a team like the Suns, a lot of things have been prepared, but just preparing, whether it can be used and whether it can achieve the desired effect is another matter.

Without Liu Xiu's two amazing dunks and that shocking block at the start tonight, the Trail Blazers would not be able to take the initiative.

After all, the Suns did not underestimate their Trail Blazers in the slightest. They were fully prepared before the game, their offensive tactics were in place, and they were in good condition.

But Maurice Cheeks is very open-minded, he has done everything he can, it depends on the performance of the players!

And his free and easy personality can always make the tense players relax a little bit at this time.

...

Pause back.

The Suns sent a combination of Nash, Barbosa, Joe Johnson, Marion, and Steven Hunter.

The Trail Blazers sent a combination of Flying Squirrel, Liu Xiu, Raheem, Van Horn, and McDyess.

The Suns attack.

Nash advanced to the frontcourt, and it was Liu Xiu who defended him.

Nash did not choose singles, and continued to play pick-and-roll offense. Marion came out to block Liu Xiu, and McDyess expanded to defend.

Unlike the pick-and-roll with the little bully, the pick-and-roll between Nash and Marion is not so fierce and rigid, and the ability to attack the frame is not so strong, but it can better pull the Blazers' defensive formation!
Barbosa cut in from the flank to receive a gliding dunk with an even-pointed goal and scored two points!
Brazilian Lightning!

Barbosa's passionate style of play blew up the audience!
In the transition from offense to defense, Flying Squirrel advances to the frontcourt, without coming by himself or as a team, it is passed to Raheem who is leaning on Marion on the right side of the three-second zone.

Raheem caught the ball and turned to face the basket. The three-threat stood up and feigned a shot. Marion had to take off, otherwise this guy would really shoot!

Raheem quickly retrieved the ball, dribbled, dodged Marion and rushed to the basket!
Stephen Hunter defensively took it back to the basket. Raheem grabbed the ball and leaned forward. He nimbly took two steps around Stephen Hunter, came to the back of Stephen Hunter, and took off. Backhand layup hit!
Singles scoring VS team offense continues!

Nash and Marion used pick-and-rolls to attack in series in the positional battle, and Raheem and Little Flying Squirrel fought back with singles.

The Suns played an invincible counter-running run, and the Trail Blazers also had a defensive counter-attack with the "Double Flying Squirrel Impact" of the Flying Squirrel and the Warden.

Playing offense, it is true that the Suns are stronger. Then the Suns played a wave of 9 to 4. The Trail Blazers made 4 of 2 shots and scored 4 points during this period. It is definitely not a bad performance, but the Suns made all 4 shots. , one of them is still 2+1!

Relying on this small climax, the Suns overtook the Trail Blazers by two points 27 to 25!

With the experience of the previous two losses, the Trail Blazers played very firmly this time, insisted on following the established style of play, and did not blindly "adjust" just because the score was overtaken. The word "autonomous adjustment" is not used in sports. A commendatory term, but a neutral term. There must be an adjective in front of it. With the lessons learned from the previous two fights, Liu Xiu and his teammates did not adjust indiscriminately and fought firmly. Just a wave.

Persistence paid off, and then the Trail Blazers returned a wave of 8-5 and re-overtook the score 33-32.

With 22 seconds left in the first quarter, the Suns called a timeout for the last attack!
D'Antoni just wanted to overtake the score in the first quarter and set back the spirit of the Trail Blazers, so he did not hesitate to call a timeout at this point.

As for whether to interrupt the pace of the Trail Blazers, fearing that the Blazers will not be able to make a shot and fight back?
Impossible, he is full of confidence in his tactics and his team.

Morris Cheeks easily guessed the other party's intentions and turned his brains to make adjustments.

Back from the timeout, the Suns sent a combination of Nash, Joe Johnson, Jim Jackson, Marion, and Little Bully; the Trail Blazers sent Payton, Liu Xiu, outlaws, Kwame Brown, and McDyess. combination.

For this ball, D'Antoni handed it to Joe Johnson for a single!
This decision caught the Trail Blazers by surprise. The extrajudicial fanatics and McDyess defended the pick-and-roll, Kwame Brown protected the frame, Liu Xiu and Payton blocked the flanks.

In terms of seeing through the opponent's defensive intentions, D'Antoni claimed that he was the second in the league, and no one dared to jump out and be the first!

Joe Johnson did not disappoint D'Antoni. Payton took a step horizontally in the outside singles and pulled up a three-pointer...hit!
35 to 33, the Suns lead by two points!

D'Antoni is very satisfied with Joe Johnson's performance, but it's a pity that they can't keep people... After all, they still have no money.

Take a look at Momonga and Raheem who are on the bench tonight. The combined salary of these two brothers this season is 2713 million dollars, which is almost catching up with the salary of their starting lineup of the Suns.

Envy, envy, hate, must win tonight!
Finally, they overtook the score in the first quarter. The opponent played so well at the beginning, but they still overtook the score. It is bound to cause a great blow to the morale of the opponent, and there are still 9 seconds. If the opponent is in a hurry, they will not have another one Counter the possibility of expanding the lead!

Just when the corner of D'Antoni's mouth rose, the whistle sounded, and the other side also called a timeout!

D'Antoni called a timeout with 22 seconds left, which was a surprise. The Blazers called a timeout with 9 seconds left, and it was D'Antoni's turn to be surprised.

This is not the last 9 seconds of the game, but the last 9 seconds of the first quarter!

...

D'Antoni was very surprised, and Maurice Cheeks was also very surprised. The timeout was not called by him, but by Liu Xiu!

It was a pity that the score was overtaken by the opponent at the last moment, and it was a great start, but it could not be transformed into a substantial lead. It is indeed a pity, but Maurice Cheeks is not in a hurry.

Unlike D'Antoni's idea that he could use this to suppress the morale of the Trail Blazers, Maurice Cheeks knew that this would not affect their determination to win the game. They can withstand a little blow.

But Liu Xiu wants to give it a go and take the lead to end the first quarter. With this tone, it's decided!

After a short 20-second timeout, Liu Xiu didn't talk too much nonsense. He returned to the bench and took the tactical board picked up by the coach, and ordered: "Damon, Sharif, Keith, Zach, let's go together, like this..."

Maurice Cheeks surrounded by players: Where's the tactical board?Why is my big tactical board missing?
The 20-second pause passed quickly, and the players of the two teams returned to the field. The Suns replaced Jim Jackson with Barbosa, and Nash, Joe Johnson, Marion, and Bully continued to play.

D'Antoni's thoughts are too obvious, still expecting the Blazers to quickly attack and miss a shot and then counterattack...

The Trail Blazers called a timeout and served in the frontcourt. In D'Antoni's view, the possibility of getting a counterattack opportunity has become even greater!
Back from the timeout, the Blazers attack.

Flying Squirrel received the serve and quickly advanced beyond the three-point line. Liu Xiu used Van Horn to block Barbosa from the flank and cut to the left side of the three-second zone for a short distance. The timing was very well grasped, and the ball arrived!

Liu Xiugang stepped on the left sideline of the three-second zone to receive the ball, and the Suns immediately gathered in place... To be precise, it was his flank who used the cover to cut in, and the Suns players had already shrunk in.

Not because Liu Xiu scored 5 points on 3 of 9 shots in the first quarter, but because of those two dunks...

But before a group of Suns succeeded in siege, Liu Xiu seized the opponent's gap and sent the ball in time!
After Van Horn took it apart, he went to the left corner of the three-second zone. Barbosa and Marion both went to chase Liu Xiu at that time. He was in a big gap when he received Liu Xiu's point!
Without wasting a chance, Van Horn caught the ball and made a three-pointer!

36 to 35, the Trail Blazers regained a 1-point lead!

D'Antoni's expectations are shattered!Not only did the counterattack fail, but the Suns sent the ball to Liu Xiu who was actively rushing to steal it.

However, it took a while for Liu Xiu to catch the ball in the confrontation with Barbosa when he dropped the ball. Already ringing.

靠着刘秀全场最高的单节9分，以及2板3次助攻1抢断1盖帽的表现，开拓者队带着1分的领先优势结束首节！

...

It's really comparable to the Suns who are at home and in good shape in the first quarter!

Huo Tu, Bu Shuai, and the vice president looked at Liu Xiu surrounded by his teammates, and they were really surprised!
The immature suggestion of the warden, but boldly used by the coach, the effect is so good!
Among the playoff-level teams, there are two very extreme teams in terms of home performance. One is the Rockets, which are struggling at home, and the other is the Suns, which have a brutal home performance!
So far this season, the Suns have played 69 games, 35 of which have been played at home, with a record of 30 wins and 5 losses, an absolute super home dragon!
Of course, the Suns' home dragons are only relative to the Suns themselves. They have 30 wins and 5 losses at home, but they actually have a super performance of 24 wins and 10 losses away.

However, the top away performance with a 85.7% win rate is a younger brother in front of an [-]% home win rate.

The Suns at home are invincible.

Although it has not yet been tested in the playoffs, it is not the playoffs. If you try to defend with the defensive method of the playoffs, the whistle will definitely fly all over the sky.

In the preparation stage of the coaching staff before preparing for the game, Liu Xiu, Payton and other players were called to participate in the tactical discussion.

The original plan for an away match against a team like the Suns was based on the experience and lessons of the previous two matches, to play steadily and emphasize tactical execution... These were also used tonight.

But the core of the style of play is completely different from what the coaching staff planned at the beginning!

The coaching staff wants to take advantage of the poor defense of the opponent and the depth of their own lineup, focusing on team offense, everyone scores, and everyone is a soldier.

Liu Xiu's suggestion is to focus on singles points, create more singles opportunities, play superstar basketball, and achieve the success rate of stars.

In the eyes of the coaching staff, Liu Xiu's suggestion is not unreasonable.

Playing team offensive and defensive battles is actually completely falling into the rhythm of the Suns. The Suns once had 5 players who averaged 15+ per game, and at the same time got the kind of 15+ per game. This way, when playing against the Suns, both sides are online If not, the Trail Blazers have little chance of winning.

This point, the Trail Blazers coaching staff is clear.

However, playing team offense can guarantee the lower limit of the team's strength. When the opponent is in a bad state, proud and complacent, or when his own state is excellent, he can grasp the opportunity more steadily.

Also, the star style of play always gives people a feeling of "low-end tactics". It is not as good as playing team offense, and team offensive tactics need to revolve around one or more stars, and it is not as good as single-core with a group of role players... Tactics also have a chain of contempt. At first, there was a "tactical chain of contempt" among the fans, which was later quoted by the media. Now, the professional coaches who originally scoffed at this statement have also unconsciously become infected with this view. .

On the basis of playing away games against the Suns, which are so strong at home, serious coaches will choose a steady and steady strategy, but the problem is that the coach of the Trail Blazers is not serious...

With the opportunity to turn passive into active, Morris Cheeks boldly chose to give it a go!
It is not very reliable to start tactics around star singles and points, betting on luck and on the touch of the star... But the Trail Blazers were originally the one that was at a disadvantage, and the Suns were the dominant team in the regular season. The element of luck, Maurice-Cheeks bet!
Obviously, the Trail Blazers are very lucky tonight!

Liu Xiu's two spacers allowed him to greatly compress the opponent's defense as long as he entered close range.

The Suns didn't emphasize defense at all, and there were basically no defensive adjustments on the spot. Liu Xiu's threat of hitting the basket was infinitely magnified. The most important thing is that Liu Xiu played off the ball most of the time, giving the ball to Randolph and Flying Squirrel. , Raheem...Maximizing the threat of attacking the frame, the Trail Blazers used this to score 36 points in a single quarter!
And this does not depend on the state. The state of the Trail Blazers players can only be said to be quite satisfactory. They really made good use of the threat brought by Liu Xiu's two brutal dunks, although the situation is basically not similar to the expected situation. However, it is the "star singles autonomy" in the tactical framework that is delegated to the players, so that the offensive performance in this quarter is achieved.

And Bzdelik's defensive response is really good. Although the final result was used by D'Antoni in turn, the Suns played better at close range, but at least they restricted the opponent's three-pointers, averaging 25 shots per game. The Suns, who made 9.9 three-pointers for the first time, only made 4 three-pointers after the first quarter tonight!
On the other side, the Suns bench.

Compared with the complicated thinking of the Trail Blazers coaching staff, D'Antoni's thinking is very simple.

If you don't grasp the opportunity to reverse the situation and regain the initiative this time, then wait for the next time.

What he cares about is another matter.

Looking at the opposite substitute forward Keith Van Horn, D'Antoni was jealous!
If he has Van Horn, puts the center position, and plays with Marion, how will he tear the opponent's defense to pieces?
As for Van Horn playing center defense...that's another story.

If only Xiaobawang had a mid-range shot...

……

Back from holiday break.

The Trail Blazers sent a combination of Payton, Liu Xiu, Raheem, Van Horn, and McDyess.

The Suns sent a combination of Nash, Barbosa, Jim Jackson, Stoudemire, and Steven Hunter.

The commentator looked at the Suns lineup and counted on his fingers. The Suns have sent a total of 8 players tonight.

Just look at the attendance list of the Suns this season. So far, the Suns have only 40 players who have played more than 7 games. If the traded Casey Jacobson and the traded back to replace Casey- Jacobson's Jim Jackson is counted as one person, that is, eight players have played more than 8 games.

As for the Trail Blazers, after Payton came off the bench, the 12-man activation list has sent 11 players.

The only common point in the rotation of the two teams is that the stars of the two teams will use it to their death, while Nash and Liu Xiu will continue to play.

Soon, the second quarter began, and the two teams continued their offensive battle.

Payton advanced to the frontcourt singles Nash!

It’s been a long time since I acted as the absolute core of the offense. Payton was a little excited and made a sudden move... a little careless. Although Nash’s defense is not good, his speed and reaction are extremely fast. Payton’s unchanging strong attack was blocked by Nash !
Just when Nash burst into the ecstasy of "Payton is really old, I'm finally going to show my defense tonight", the calm Payton turned around and leaned against Nash, pouted his butt and pushed Nash back a step, turned around Bursting to the top corner on the right side of the free throw line, the back-up rhythm is excellent, the pull-up jumper shot...hit!
Nash was named again!
Liu Xiu, Little Flying Squirrel, Payton, Nash defends whoever attacks!
The little bully in the paint empathizes with Nash at this moment.

When the bully was protecting the frame, Raheem and Randolph would attack the inside no matter who was the main offensive point in the frontcourt.

Liu Xiu continued to play without the ball, broadened the range of threats, restrained the defense, and gave teammates better opportunities to score in singles.

Generally speaking, the threat of a player due to one or two goals will become smaller and smaller as the game progresses.

But Liu Xiu is not here. After a break, his threat has not diminished. On the contrary, the Suns players seem to have discussed how to better block his attack!

The Suns' defensive changes seem so outrageous, but it's not surprising.

Because this is the Suns, a team that doesn't care about anything but offense.

With Liu Xiu's threat, the Trail Blazers continued to confront the Suns.

看起来还是太阳队进攻要略猛一些，打到第二节11分49秒的时候，太阳队以64比62反超开拓者队1分，第二节即将结束，太阳队这节比赛29比26领先开拓者队3分！
Immediately after the Trail Blazers' final attack, Liu Xiu cut in from the flank with a cover feint, suddenly stopped and ran back to the right sideline.

At the same time, Randolph played low singles and gave the ball to the outsider who cut to the free throw line in the middle. The outsider passed the ball to the right sideline without stopping the ball. Xiu received the ball at a 30-degree angle on the right, turned around and shot a three-pointer...and scored!
At 11 minutes and 58 seconds, with two seconds left in the first half, the Trail Blazers overtook the Suns 65-64 and regained a 1-point lead!

...

随着纳什接球从后场投出去的三分飞出对面底线，半场打完，靠着刘秀半场16分4板4助攻2抢断1盖帽，开拓者队继续领先太阳队1分！
Although the point difference is small, the Trail Blazers playing away is equivalent to firmly controlling the initiative on the court!
Emotions are running high for the Trail Blazers right now.

I originally thought that it would be great if I could hold the score better tonight, seize possible opportunities with higher confidence, and have the possibility of winning. After halftime, the Trail Blazers players really They are waiting for an opportunity, but what they are waiting for is not an opportunity to narrow the point difference, overtake the score, seize the situation...waiting for the team that has lost the wind, but to wait for an opportunity to expand the lead!

Don't look at the Suns relying on the bully with 8 points in a single quarter in the second quarter to overtake the score. In this match, the Trail Blazers did not panic when the score was overtaken!In the previous two matches, if the Trail Blazers took the lead and then were overtaken, there would be a possibility that they would never take the lead again. The sense of oppression was so strong that it exploded.

This time, as the game deepened, the confidence of the Trail Blazers players became stronger and stronger!

Really confident!
What excited Liu Xiu was that after playing with confidence, his teammates were more motivated than usual. After returning to the locker room, most of the players, after solving their physical problems, devoted themselves to preparing for the second half of the game just like him.

It's not that the former teammates didn't love the game, and it wasn't that they were not inactive in preparing for the game, but compared with now, there is a subtle difference.

Liu Xiu had heard before that some players or teams changed because of a certain opponent. Although I didn't believe it when I heard it, I thought it was an extremely rare and special story. Very ordinary very ordinary.

The previous two games against the Suns were played against. Although the performance of the Trail Blazers this season has exceeded their own expectations, they also said "not afraid of the Suns, they are just a regular season team", when they played against each other again , I can't see fear in the game... But in fact, I still have fear in my heart, so I played harder, harder and more firmly in my tactics, trying to play to the best.

After the halftime game, they really played back and forth with the Suns, and even at the end of the halftime, they still firmly controlled the initiative, had the upper hand, and led the score, and it did not rely on a certain star Explosion, but everyone working together to gain an advantage...

There is a saying-the league's revision of the rules this time seems to have opened a new era specifically for the Suns.

Although this statement is just a joke, when the league changed the rules, the Suns were still weak. No one expected that they would be able to take off in place with an extra Nash.

However, just looking at the results, the league's revision of the rules did directly prompt Nash to take off and the Suns to take off!

There is a saying that the Suns are just a regular season team, but there is also a saying that "belonging to the era of light" is coming. Nash has become the absolute number one favorite for MVP. There are many experts and fans who support the Suns and agree with Nash.

Now, the Trail Blazers players have an idea that deeply stimulates and inspires them-in the new era, the protagonists are not only the Suns, but also us!
Liu Xiu felt the changes in his teammates. Even if he lost this game, he still felt that he had made a profit... No, losing is still a good loss. It was related to several tasks. He hurried to think about how to play in the second half...

(End of this chapter)