Grab Curry at the start

Chapter 37: Shifting Defensive Thinking
The game between the Timberwolves and the Hornets started off a bit unevenly.

The Timberwolves feel that the young wings who should be more active did not play well in the first quarter, but Stojakovic and Brown felt good.

As for the Hornets, the pick-and-roll combination of Paul and West has not yet come, but Curry and Love play first.

Both teams have played well, and some have not met expectations. The score is slowly rising alternately.

The Hornets assistant coach is temporarily in charge of the coaching position. He wants to play a better offense. As a result, there is no doubt that even the previous defense has been lost.

But now the Hornets still retain their previous defense for the time being. In the process of changing, the style is a bit unpredictable. It is estimated that they and their opponents are a bit difficult to adapt.

Anyway, the main lineups of the two sides are very entangled, and when it comes to the rotation period, the Timberwolves are still stronger.

On the Hornets' bench, Collison and Thornton are still adapting to the league, while Posey is too old to use.

On the Timberwolves side, Frye and Belinelli came up with baskets, and the Timberwolves took the lead.

But the good times didn't last long. After the main players of both sides played again in the second quarter, Paul showed his strength to limit Curry, and the Hornets chased the score back.

Zhang Sixin said helplessly: "Young people still have a lot of ups and downs. Only experience is something that can't be rushed."

"Who says it's not, but talent is the most important thing." Ron Adams sighed.

He took a look at Zhang Sixin, the young head coach, who is the representative of talent.

He has rich experience and is well-known in the circle, but he is still an assistant coach.

The same is true for players. If you are talented, you can play with a little training. If you are not talented, you can stay in the league.

At the last moment of the first half, Paul's explosive ability, hitting shots, assisting teammates, and causing Curry to make mistakes, suddenly helped the Hornets narrow the score gap to 2 points.

Zhang Sixin sighed: "Paul played very well."

Ron Adams agrees very much, saying: "He is now the most promising young No. [-] player in the league, with a traditional style of play, excellent organizational skills, and both offense and defense."

Zhang Sixin nodded and said: "Indeed, in their class, Paul and Deron seemed to be taking over from Nash and Kidd, and Paul was more stable. However, the traditional No. [-] position as the core ball possession rate is too high, and it is difficult to compete for the championship because of the relative weakness of the position. The Magic's No. [-] position that can easily help the team compete for the championship is not traditional."

Paul's style of play is an absolute core defender. If he is required to assist other stars, he cannot give full play to his full strength, but if he plays the first core, his height will become a weak link at critical moments, and it is difficult for him to go further.

Curry also has weak links, but there is no doubt that he is the type that is more likely to compete for the championship.

When returning to the locker room, Zhang Sixin told the players that they must maintain their offensive efficiency.

"As long as we play our rhythm, it's hard for them to stop us."

He chatted with Curry alone for a while, telling him to match up with Paul and keep a high degree of attention.

"The opponent is a No. [-] player with excellent strength and reputation in the league. You have to stay focused, learn from his strengths, and then beat him."

Curry is more aggressive, but because of habit, he doesn't handle the ball so well.

It’s fine to strictly follow the tactics, and it’s not a big problem for him to play freely. How to combine tactics with free play is an aspect that Curry needs to improve.

The Hornets also discovered the importance of limiting Curry, and the Timberwolves' organization is indeed weaker.

At the beginning of the third quarter, Zhang Sixin arranged tactics to let the team's inside attack first and attract the opponent's defensive attention.

Jefferson did the same, and the Timberwolves won the first two rounds.

But the Hornets quickly adjusted their defense, and Okafor's defense was not vegetarian.

Although Okafor is troubled by injuries, his defensive ability is not bad, especially against Jefferson's low-level insider.

West, on the other hand, will certainly not suffer a disadvantage against Love, and has more experience.

The point is, on the offensive end, Paul quickly revitalized the rest of the team, sent consecutive assists, and caught up with the score.

On Curry's side, it feels a little restrained because he has paid more attention to it.

Zhang Sixin didn't expect this situation either. If he had known about it, he would have let Curry attack with all his strength and it would be over.

As the opponent's insiders Okafor and West also hit, Zhang Sixin quickly adjusted his defense and took Milicic up.

And he once again emphasized the perimeter defense, and anyone who can't defend well should go down and rest.

Under Zhang Sixin's emphasis, the team's defense is indeed better, but the offense still hasn't started.

The Hornets seized this opportunity. Brown, the weakest player in the opponent's starting lineup, hit consecutive hits under Paul's go-between, and the Hornets overtook.

Zhang Sixin felt a little headache and immediately asked for a timeout.

"Don't think too much, just shoot when you have the opportunity."

He made adjustments again, and this time he simply joined an offensive lineup, with Curry, Belinelli, Matthews, Frye and Love together.

However, Frye did not have the feel of the first half. Although their offensive power has improved a bit, their defense is average. As a result, the Hornets stabilized their lead.

Zhang Sixin adjusted again, and then went to Milicic to stabilize the inside line.

In fact, too frequent adjustments are not good. Real basketball games are not games, and players need time to adapt on the court. They are not data figures with little fluctuation in strength.

But Zhang Sixin can't do it if he doesn't adjust. He is worried that the Hornets will feel like they will send them home at home. This possibility is not impossible.

Therefore, he also hopes to interrupt the opponent's rhythm.

In the end who is more harmful to the negative effect, it can only be seen.

After all, Zhang Sixin is not yet an old-fashioned famous coach who has not changed his color before the collapse of Mount Tai. If he doesn't do something, he will feel uneasy.

Fortunately, the Hornets are not strong, and after Paul went down, Love started chasing points with a rotation lineup.

It's a pity that the opponent didn't talk about martial arts a little bit, and Paul was replaced after resting for more than two minutes.

It seems that the final quarter has only just begun, and a decisive battle is about to take place.

During the break in the third quarter, Zhang Sixin also agreed with the players that no matter what tactics the Hornets use, all they have to do is to lock up everyone except Paul, and then let Paul attack.

For example, in the Hornets pick-and-roll, they must keep an eye on the screener at the first time, instead of following the ball holder first as usual, and they must not let Paul drive his teammates.

Paul himself can also attack, and when the Hornets use him as the main offense, they will guard Paul strictly in the last 2 minutes or so.

At that time, Paul's offensive power was not good enough to ignore the defense and take over the game forcibly, but when passing the ball, the hands of other Hornets players would become cold because of the long rest, so the Timberwolves' defense achieved its goal.

(End of this chapter)