Coach, I don't want to retire yet

Chapter 619 Proud!

At the beginning of the third quarter, Lakers center Jokic successfully beat Turner from outside the three-point line, widening the score between the two teams to six points.

56 to 50, this score is still not big, especially with two quarters left. In extreme cases, two attacks can make up for it.

However, judging from Jokic's strong singles against Turner from the outside just now, it is not so easy for the Bobcats to defend the Lakers on the defensive end. Although the Bobcats' strategy in the third quarter was defensive counterattack, they cannot just defend without offense.

It seems that a defensive counterattack can only be launched if the defense is successful, which is indeed true, but since the opponent has scored and there is no chance of a defensive counterattack, the Bobcats must also find a way to score.

This lineup of the Bobcats in the third quarter, Beasley and Rose did just that.

The six-point deficit was stressful for the Bobcats, and there was quite a bit of pressure, but as the main point guard on the court, Rose was neither anxious nor slow.

McCaw was fighting and retreating, while Rose was listening and watching all directions. Of course, the most important thing was definitely observing Beasley's situation.

Among the players on the Bobcats court now, Beasley is undoubtedly the player who is most closely guarded, and Rose is being defended one-on-one by McCaw.

Beasley was closely guarded by Li Keer, while Dinwiddie and Roy's defensive positions and movements were almost all in preparation for assisting in double-teaming to delay Beasley's singles and movement.

Li Kaier has a very high basketball IQ, which is used to deal with Beasley's off-ball movement.

The Lakers are actually not afraid of Beasley playing one-on-one. If Beasley really wants to play one-on-one, they will double-team him directly, which is the simplest way. What they are afraid of is Beasley's amazing off-ball movement.

Beasley's off-ball movement is simply impossible to defend.

Therefore, it is necessary to deploy a defender around Li Kaier in various positions so that he can appear on Beasley's running route at any time.

Previously, an expert had done a program specifically discussing the Lakers' defensive approach against Beasley in this finals.

As long as Beasley is on the court, the Lakers' five defensive players are all targeting Beasley.

This is very interesting. No matter who is on the Lakers' lineup, as long as Beasley is on the court, all the Lakers players will defend against Beasley.

Whether Beasley is the strongest player of the Bobcats is another matter, but there is no doubt that Beasley is the player with the strongest defense.

For a normal team, if Beasley had so much of its defensive energy diverted, its defense would have collapsed long ago, but the Lakers relied on the superb individual strength of their players and managed to hold on.

It can be said that Popovich's defensive style has found a way to defend Beasley.

Of course, they have only found a method. If it weren't for the Lakers players' superb personal abilities, other teams would definitely not be able to execute it.

However, just like Coach D's strategy of defending Yao Ming, using Duncan to defend alone, this is also a successful way to defend Yao Ming. Similarly, if other teams do not have such a Duncan, they will actually not be able to defend.

Many times, the tactical execution of NBA head coaches on both offense and defense actually relies on the players.

Phil Jackson has been a head coach for so many years, but without Kobe and Jordan, he actually wouldn't be able to play the triangle offense.

Therefore, if we don't look at Popovich too harshly, his performance in this finals was extremely outstanding.

The defense on key players was very good. No matter whether it was Jordan, Rose, Duncan, Beasley, O'Neal, or even Thabeet, none of them really exploded.

These are the key players that the Bobcats need to focus on guarding before.

Perhaps the only player in the entire finals that Popovich was unable to defend against with targeted defense was Grant Hill, who was almost evenly matched with Yao Ming on the offensive end in the second quarter of this game.

Popovich was unable to find a way to limit Grant Hill, and in the end, Grant Hill became a key to this finals. If Grant Hill had not exploded in the second quarter of this game, perhaps the Lakers would have won the game, and perhaps in this finals, the Lakers would have won the championship with a big score of 4 to 2.

Rose wanted to pass the ball to Beasley so that Beasley could score, but it was obvious that passing the ball to Beasley and letting Beasley score were not necessarily going to happen.

On Beasley's side, Beasley was also paying attention to Rose's situation. Seeing that Rose was one step outside the three-point line, Beasley immediately moved.

When it comes to getting rid of the ball, most of the time it’s not actually about speed and burst. Speed ​​and burst are certainly very important, but relying solely on speed and burst to get rid of a defender is actually inferior, just like the famous Gif of Duncan and Griffin, some players can fool another player with just a look.

Beasley's off-ball movement is now being studied by countless NBA coaches and players. The reason why Beasley's off-ball movement is so terrifying, in addition to his own speed burst talent and offensive threat ability, is that his whole body is full of drama.

When Beasley makes a move, no one will be immune to it.

Just like Olajuwon under the basket, once his dream footwork starts, all those jumping men will fly. You want not to fly, but your body's muscle memory will make you fly.

This is the real secret and terrifying thing about Beasley's off-ball movement.

However, in this finals, after trying a round, Popovich found a strange existence.

Li Kyle.

This guy Li Kaier is not that fast and explosive. He is the essence of human wriggling. It feels like his rhythm is always half a beat slower than others. This feeling of being half a beat slower on both offense and defense made Durant, who was facing him in the Western Conference Finals, almost feel like he was in ecstasy.

On the defensive end, he is completely immune to triple threats and fake moves.

On the offensive end, he made a slow three-step breakthrough, and all the talented players flew up one by one. Then he slowly went to the basket and completed a layup or a jump shot from mid-range.

Visually, Li Kaier is ridiculously weak. Can such a player play in the NBA? I can do it too!

But the NBA stars who played against Li Kaier had a completely different feeling.

The NBA stars mentioned here include Durant in the Western Conference Finals.

Also includes Beasley in the finals.

Ever since Popovich discovered that Li Kaier could target Beasley, Beasley has had a very difficult time.

He uses off-ball movement to attack others. He is full of drama. He can run however he wants and get rid of others however he wants.

When playing against Li Kaier, he can only rely on his speed and burst to get rid of it. He wants to rely on fake moves, which is impossible. This guy really won't be fooled because his body is too slow.

In all his years in the NBA, Beasley has never seen a player like Rickey.

For players who run without the ball, using speed and burst to get rid of the opponent is actually an inferior method. Not only is it very energy-consuming, but it is also easy to judge. Even if the opponent is slower than you, they can quickly get to you if they find the right direction.

When you receive the ball and adjust your shot, you always have to stop. The defensive player can get in front of you quickly, and your chance will not be that good in the end.

Only when you deceive the other party, that is a real good opportunity.

And, importantly, Ricky, he is not actually slow!!!
He just looks slow at ordinary times, but if you really let him run, he is really fast. Among all the forwards in the NBA, he is definitely above average!
For a player with an ability value of 95, even if some attributes are low, they will not be really very low. If they are really very low, it is impossible to raise the overall rating to 95.

Many of Li Kaier's potentials improved by Du Kang were randomly assigned attributes, and there must be a lot of attributes assigned to athletic ability.

This is why Li Kaier was able to make Durant and Beasley so uncomfortable.

You are forced to hit him with a stick.

With Beasley and Durant's ability to play one-on-one, there will definitely be no problem for them to play one-on-one against Li Kaier. However, in such a strong team, if a player's offense consists mostly of one-on-ones, other teammates can only watch from the sidelines. This is unhealthy. In teams like the Thunder and the Bobcats, even if Durant and Beasley have strong ability to play one-on-one, they cannot really ask other teammates to watch them play one-on-one.

So Rose and Beasley are working hard to learn the skills of running without the ball in order to cooperate with their teammates.

Running out of opportunities to play singles and standing up to play singles are two different ways of playing. They show your own maturity and your respect for your strong teammates.

Therefore, even though Beasley was made so uncomfortable by Li Kaier, he did not force the ball from Rose and attack Li Kaier.

If he really did that, he would probably fall into the Lakers' trap. The Lakers would love to have Beasley have the ball.

Beasley is less of a threat with the ball than without it.

Therefore, even though Beasley was very uncomfortable being followed by Li Kaier, he still tried hard to fight with Li Kaier.

Watching everything Beasley did on the court at this moment, Curry on the sidelines felt like he was seeing himself on the Warriors.

When he encountered a tough opponent, he tried hard to fight, but in the end, his teammates ignored him.

Curry was very injured in this year's playoffs.

In a team with many stars, if a player who takes the initiative to play without the ball is ignored by his teammates, then his playing without the ball will be meaningless.

On the court, Beasley naturally had no idea that his efforts moved Curry on the sidelines.

At this moment, Beasley had only one thought in his mind.

If once doesn’t work, try twice. If twice doesn’t work, try three times. If three times doesn’t work, try four times!

With 24 seconds of offensive time, as long as he succeeds once, that's enough! Rose understood Beasley's choice immediately.

So, Rose did not move around, but instead directed his teammates to move at the top of the arc to create opportunities for Beasley to run.

Hope to push the other Lakers defensive players as far as possible.

In this case, as long as Beasley has a chance, it will be the absolute best opportunity with no one to help defend.

Because Beasley, the team's strongest attacker, encountered some difficulties with Li Kai's defense, the Bobcats' offense also seemed a little difficult.

However, Rose and the Bobcats' patience on offense is still very surprising.

This is Ross!

The fiery rose back then has become so calm now.

For Rose now, even if the person defending him is McCaw, who has the best defensive ability at the league's No. 1 position, he can actually kill if he wants to attack.

However, Rose is still trying hard to direct his teammates.

Marion, Batum, and Turner are also trying their best to move to the weak side.

Many people actually think that Rose's command is problematic.

Most people's off-ball movement requires some obstacles, and obstacles can be used as a help in movement.

If an area is too open, it is actually not conducive for players to move without the ball.

Therefore, the Bobcats players were a little surprised to see Rose's command. However, considering Rose's position in the team, they finally executed it.

I could feel the area around me starting to become emptier and emptier.

Beasley had a smile on his face.

Ross still understands him!
For most of the league's players who move without the ball, having obstacles is better than having no obstacles.

In fact, he is the same. With obstacles, he can use more running methods to deceive his opponents.

However, if the defender is Li Kaier, then there is no doubt that the obstacles around him will affect his running position, and the fake moves using obstacles will not fool Li Kaier.

On the contrary, without the obstacles, Li Kaier needs to worry about him using his acceleration burst to get rid of him. When there are too many people, his acceleration burst will be affected, but when there are no people, his acceleration burst can be taken to a higher level.

So, Beasley accelerated!
Of course, it’s a fake acceleration burst!
"Oh my god, Li Kaier ran the wrong way!!! Li Kaier, who had never been fooled by a fake move, actually got fooled this time!!!"

Beasley pretended to explode and walked out, and Li Kaier was immediately fooled.

The whole world believed that after Rose opened up one side, Beasley would bounce out, but Beasley went inward!

So what if there is a defender inside?
Beasley received the ball, but did not rush up, but went straight to the basket. Facing Jokic's defense, he turned around very gracefully and passed Jokic. Instead of a layup, he drifted outward from the basket and shot backwards!

Just avoided Jokic's block!
"If Beasley had chosen to layup just now, he would have been blocked by Jokic!!!"

There was a brushing sound!
Beasley's horseback archery shot hit the basket!

56 is better than 52!

After the Lakers scored, the Bobcats also scored again. The score between the two sides was still very close!
"sharp……"

At this moment, countless NBA stars on the sidelines were shocked by Beasley's attack this time.

It was as if he had eyes in the back of his head and realized that Jokic would pretend not to be low but actually chase and block the shot.

Not to mention the NBA superstars on the sidelines, even Jokic himself looked at Beasley in shock.

"It's such a pity for such a player to stay in the Bobcats and play without the ball!!!"

"What a powerful offensive capability this is!!!"

"They say that Thabeet is the best in singles and Beasley is the best in offense. It's true!!!"

There are so many NBA executives who are jealous on the sidelines. Coach D has trained so many players that make them jealous in just one year with the Bobcats!!!
Beasley's amazing offensive tricks of playing with Rickie and Jokic definitely ignited the enthusiasm of the Bobcats fans at the scene.

Jokic's three-pointer just now was indeed a bit heartbreaking.

After Jokic killed someone and destroyed his heart, Beasley immediately played tricks on Rickey and Jokic. What a morale booster!

O'Neal, Hill, Duncan, Jordan, Kidd and other big brothers on the sidelines all stood up and applauded Beasley and the Bobcats players on the court.

The Lakers' inside line was stronger on the court, but Beasley did not attack outward, but went straight to the basket and beat Jokic under the basket. This was a response to Jokic's shooting three-pointer instead of playing under the basket!
On the court, the two teams were in an extremely tense situation.

The Lakers, led by Jokic, have the upper hand on the court.

But the Bobcats played very patiently.

Coach D and Popovich gave the second team a chance for the entire quarter.

At the end of the third quarter, the second lineups of both sides gave extremely perfect answers.

80 is better than 77!

This is the score between the two teams at the end of the third quarter.

draw!

The two teams were tied at 27 in the third quarter!
The game ended in a tie in the third quarter, which was not the desired result for the Lakers, but it was acceptable.

Because Kobe and McGrady got a whole quarter of rest, as did Antetokounmpo and Ebanks.

Although Yao Ming is missing, it is only Yao Ming that is missing.

As for the Bobcats, they can actually accept it.

Thabeet, Duncan, and Jordan all got some good rest time.

Although O'Neal and Hill were no longer able to perform, and even though they had gotten a good rest, the consumption in the first half could not be easily made up. In addition, Beasley and Rose had played for 12 minutes in a row, and they definitely did not have enough physical strength in the fourth quarter.

However, the Bobcats were trading physical strength for strength in this game.

If you are not as strong as your opponent, then make up for it by running more, consuming more energy and engaging more.

After three quarters of fighting, the team was only 3 points behind in the end, and even eliminated the opponent's strongest player, Yao Ming.

What's not satisfactory about this?
To be honest, although the Lakers still had the advantage in the fourth quarter, their advantage was not that great.

If the Lakers with Yao Ming were leading by 5 at the beginning of the game, now it is at most 3 or even 2!

So, at the end of the third quarter, Popovich clearly felt tremendous pressure on the Lakers bench.

If we really lose this game, then there will be no chance of making the finals!
Obviously, Popovich also felt that the Bobcats' winning rate increased in the first three quarters due to the crazy persistence of the Bobcats players!

At this moment, many audiences, especially professionals, were whispering. It wouldn’t even be whispering, but they were exclaiming in amazement.

It is really incredible that the Bobcats fought so hard against Yao Ming and the Lakers in this game!

Of course, it is equally incredible that the Lakers still had the advantage in this game against the tenacious and terrifying Bobcats.

This shows that the Lakers are truly the strongest in history!
This also shows that the Bobcats are the only team in history that has a chance to beat the Lakers in a seven-game series!
"That's what makes this game so exciting and fun to watch!"

"These two teams are proud enough, and every player on the field of these two teams is proud enough!!!"

"Pride is the most valuable quality of a team and a player!"

"Everyone says the Bobcats have already lost this game, but I believe that they are still proud and will never give up. As long as they don't give up and don't admit defeat, they still have a chance, even if it's only a 0.1% chance!!!"

"Now, their chance is no longer 0.1%!!!"

(End of this chapter)