basketball player

Chapter 166 Chapter 164: The Curse That Doesn't Exist

At the end of the first quarter, the Grizzlies entered the intermission with a 6-point difference.Although the point difference is not big, Hollins is very clear that the team was suppressed by the Pacers on both offense and defense today!The reason why the Grizzlies are only 6 points behind now is only because the game only played 12 minutes, not how well they did.

Although West was off at the end of the first quarter, the restrictions imposed by "Birdman" on Randolph still played a role.Instead of double-teaming the Grizzlies' paint, Horford was able to follow Marius Speights, Gasol's backup, in the high post and limit his shots.

So far, the Grizzlies' offensive focus has changed from an onslaught on the inside to an attack from the outside.And perimeter defense, that's what the Pacers are good at.

So after 12 minutes of the game, the Grizzlies did not open the score as planned.And the reporters who were waiting to see Henson's losing face became nervous.

"The Pacers played very well in the first quarter. They used the inside attack to contain the Grizzlies' inside! It seems that after an offseason of precipitation, the Pacers are no longer afraid of the Grizzlies' two-tower lineup." Kevin Harlan was naturally full of praise for Henson. The Pacers responded with ease in this game, not because of West's sudden explosion, but because Henson was fully prepared for the game.

The excellent record of 18 wins and 5 losses did not make the second-year Chinese coach complacent, he still wants to do better!

"It can be seen from the game that the Pacers won the Lakers that the Pacers are not afraid of the Twin Towers lineup this season. Although the Pacers won that game is controversial, but you must admit that under the indiscriminate bombardment of Gasol and Bynum, the Pacers at least survived to the end." Barkley thought of the "accident" between Paul and Henson, but aside from the opportunistic "timeout", the game against the Lakers was indeed worth watching.

"I'm curious, Charles, why you seem to have become a fan of Coach Henson overnight." Kevin Harlan changed the subject. After all, T.NT's commentary style is different from ESPN's professional rigor.After talking about the game for so long, Harlan also wanted to change his mind.

"Coach Henson's fan? No, no, no, no, I can't be a Henson's fan in my life. I'm just curious to see what Henson will do to break his vicious circle against the Grizzlies."

The two had just chatted a few words, and the electronic buzzer brought everyone's attention to the court again.The rest time between festivals is always short, and the fighting in the second quarter has begun!

Zach Randolph was full of energy. Although he was scored 10 points by West in the first quarter, it seemed that this fierce "big black bear" did not seem to be discouraged.

"Block his mid-range shots and squeeze his space!"

This was the point that Lionel Hollins emphasized over and over again in Randolph's ears during the intermission.Could it be that he is worse than a past All-Star?Randolph certainly didn't think so.The reason why West scored so many points in the first quarter was because no one thought that Henson Joe would use West as the main attack point.

To put it bluntly, the Chinese coach and the outdated All-Star were just opportunistic.As long as you pay a little attention to the defense against West, there will be no more accidents!
At this time, Kevin Harlan and Barkley also talked about this topic.

"If the Grizzlies want to turn the situation around, they must first defend David West well. At the very least, they can't let him score 10 points in a single quarter!"

David West, what an unremarkable name.Walking on the streets of Memphis and throwing a brick casually, it is possible to hit a man named David West on the head.

But David in Henson's hands is not mediocre.

In the second quarter, the right to attack the ball first belongs to the Pacers.After West came back, it seemed that the Pacers' tactics became exactly the same as before.

But this time, Randolph cleverly avoided Paul's screen and stuck to West's side from start to finish.After West received the basketball, he had to face the oppression of Randolph's 119-kilogram meat wall.

Although Randolph is very tight, but West is still calm.He supported Randolph with his right elbow, and made a pass with his left hand!
Guy tried his best to reach the ball, but it was still a hair's breadth away!Paul George used a beautiful air cut to match West and hit the basket directly!
When Gasol rushed back to the restricted area, it was too late.His crude foul didn't allow George to complete his dunk performance, but pushed the lanky No. 24 to the free throw line.

Al Horford's ability to open up space made Gasol Jr. have to drive from the middle distance to the three-second zone, but the cumbersome "European Mobile Fortress" obviously does not have such a fast return to defense.

After the mid-range shooting in the first quarter, this scholarly and elegant assassin began to show his coping ability.

Subsequently, even though the boos of the Memphis fans seemed to shake the FedEx Arena, it still failed to stop George's soft free throw.

Two free throws were made, and the Grizzlies were hit in the head as soon as they came up!
No goals, not even assists, but the camera was unconsciously given to West.

"He is the X factor of this game, coach Henson's surprise weapon!" A David West, Harlan wants to see how Henson can squeeze the value of the 32-year-old forward.

32 years old. Well, the same age as Coach Henson
Subsequently, the Grizzlies seemed to hope to open the situation through the pick-and-roll cooperation between Gasol and Conley Jr.In the past, a simple and rough inside attack was enough for the Grizzlies to beat the Pacers.But obviously, it is not so easy to win this eastern strength now.Hollins is no fool, and he can see that he wants to make the offense more complicated.

However, Chris Paul did not give Conley such a chance.Gasol's screen quality is very high, after all, the weight and shoulder width are there.But it's clear that Conley is oversimplifying the "queen bee" in the corn jersey.

Conley thought he would be able to easily attack the frame after bypassing the screen, but the fact is that Paul grabbed the ball quickly from behind and stole the ball!
Hollins wants to use Conley to score, but seems to ignore that Conley is facing the best defensive point guard in the league.

Mistakes lead to counterattacks, and counterattacks lead to points.The Pacers' young people will not waste this rare opportunity, and they seize the opportunity in the counterattack like mad dogs every time.

Paul's long pass this time is not up to standard, a little too big.But it's not all Paul's fault, because Rudy Gay, who was chasing Green, raised his arms very cleverly. Paul had to increase his strength to ensure that Green, who was rushing to the front, could catch the basketball.

So, when Green received the basketball, he was almost out of the baseline.There was no mistake in this goal, which is already a blessing in misfortune.

Just when Hollins breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that this counterattack was a defense, Green turned his head and looked at the moon, and patted the pass that was about to go out of bounds into the hands of George who followed up later.

After George received the ball, he took a big step and dunked with both hands, and Hollins' mood fell to the bottom like a roller coaster.

The 10-point difference fell heavily on Hollins' shoulders, and the momentum in the second quarter was wrong!
On the offensive end, you can't make mistakes at all.On the defensive end, the Pacers can score with five players, and there is no defensive focus at all.Hollins couldn't find a solution to the problem for a while, so he could only observe the situation first.

He turned his head to look at the other half, only to find that Henson Joe was gone.

Of course, Henson didn't disappear out of nowhere, it's just that he, who had been standing on the sidelines in the first quarter, had easily returned to the bench at this time.

"Sit back?" Seeing Henson, who was still nervous in the first quarter, sitting firmly on the Diaoyutai, Vogel joked, "How about it, I'm a little sure now."

Henson smiled and stretched out two fingers, "Eighty percent!"

※※※

In the 10th minute of the fourth quarter, when West used a beautiful little jump hook to widen the point difference to 15 points again, no one would be surprised anymore.

In this game, West did almost everything Henson needed: mid-range shots, single defense, screens, encouraging teammates and post-up singles.

That's right, post-up singles.When the Pacers' tactics can't run, West often uses his elbows to get a position, stretches his long arms, and catches the basketball.

After that, Randolph has to figure out whether to turn over a jumper like a small forward, turn around and hook, or hand the ball to a teammate who cuts in.But the facts show that Randolph didn't figure it out today.

Don't forget, West was the Hornets' number one hitter.Accurate, cautious and ruthless at the same time, Grizzlies fans at this time are reminded of 2007, when David West scored 40 points here.And in the last 8 seconds, on the head of Marc Gasol's brother, the game ended.

Yes, a "Grizzly Bear Hunter" who has left Memphis with lingering fears has always been in the Pacers!It's just that most of them have forgotten how terrifying this assassin is.

After that shot, the Pacers all but declared victory.West was replaced with a season-high 28 points and seven assists.And, a terrible 7% hit rate.

You know, most of West's shots are in the middle distance!
As a comparison, Conley was defended 36% by Paul and 50% by Gasol tonight, but only 15 points were recorded.Randolph?The whole game has only scored 8 points so far.Only Rudy Gay performed well in the Grizzlies, but Gay is not strong enough to dominate the game with his personal ability.

"Replace West and Horford, and replace with Yi Jianlian and Anderson. Coach Henson has already lit his victory cigar! The invincible record against the Grizzlies is completely reduced to history!" Kevin Harlan looked around. There has been a large gap in the stands of the FedEx Arena. They must be very disappointed.

Two minutes later, a loud electronic beep ended the fight. 2 to 107, the Pacers in the away game finally defeated their "nemesis" Grizzlies, while avoiding a losing streak.

After the game, West, who had not entered people's field of vision for a long time, was surrounded by reporters.This group of reporters seemed to have forgotten that they were here to see Henson make a fool of himself.

"The Grizzlies' defense against me was not tight. They put more attention on my teammates, so I got a chance. Why not tight? Maybe they looked at the schedule and thought that playing us was a victory that had already been put in their pockets." West said with a half-smile.

Although Henson was absent from today's sideline interview, Barkley was not disappointed.Because West's tone in the interview today is really similar to Henson's.

A 32-year-old forward can dream of returning to the top in your hands. I really want to see what else you can do, Henson Joe.

　Continue to the fifth watch today, don't run away!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)