basketball player

Chapter 300 298: Death Lineup

A Jimmy Butler, disrupting Scott Brooks' plans.I thought I could rely on Kevin Martin to open up the score, but in the end, the Pacers opened up the point difference.

At the end of the half, the Thunder trailed by 6 points.Of course, this gap is not too big. At this point in time when the game is still 24 minutes away, the 6-point gap is even negligible.But what worries Brooks the most is not the 6 points on the surface, but the broken balance.

At the beginning of the game, the Thunder and the Pacers kept fighting back and forth, and neither side could take advantage of each other.But now, in rotation time, the Thunder can't keep up with the Pacers.Trailing by 6 points is simply because Jimmy Butler was given too little time to perform, not how well the Thunder did.

After returning to the locker room, Brooks made many changes on the defensive end, the purpose of which was to prevent Horford's organization from continuing to work.He knew very well that the Thunder had no problem with their offense. The problem was that every time they opened the score, they would always be chased back by the Pacers.

Therefore, defense is the top priority that the Thunder need to pay attention to in the second half of the game.

However, in the second half of the game, Brooks found that the number of times Horford held the ball was gradually decreasing.Paul George played more and more singles with the ball.

The scene of George scoring goals again and again undoubtedly reminded Thunder fans of last season's finals, the scene where Paul George and Durant scored against each other.Now, that Paul George is back.

In the past, the Pacers gave people the impression that they were a team that focused on team offense.It's actually a bit like George Karl, no superstar, but everyone has the potential to suddenly become a superstar tonight.The Miami Heat last season were defeated by the Pacers' extreme team offense that created 45% of their three-pointers.

But today, Henson has changed his previous style and put more emphasis on individual singles.Before, it was because Henson didn't have a sure and efficient singles scoring point besides Paul.But now. The players are so good that they can really do whatever they want.

Paul George's massive and efficient ball-handling singles, coupled with Al Horford's brilliant pass or score, made the Pacers' offense extremely enjoyable.

The scene of the two sides "gifting" each other's offensive climax has never appeared again, and some of them are only the alternate rise of the score.

So just like that, the Pacers and Thunder once again entered the rotation time with a similar point difference, and this is exactly what Scott Brooks didn't want to see.

At the end of the third quarter, Brooks first allowed the "Swiss Army Knife" to play to contain Jimmy Butler, but they also lacked Martin, the second-team scorer.

Seeing the stagnation in scoring, Brooks replaced Martin again.Then, Jimmy Butler once again became the focus of much attention.

Finally, Butler's big-hearted mid-range buzzer jumper gave the Pacers a double-digit lead at the end of the three quarters. The difference of 10 points is not so easy to fill the gap for this kind of close game.

So throughout the fourth quarter, the Thunder struggled to chase points.On the other hand, the Pacers are solidly defending.The wing formed by Leonard and Paul George made it difficult for the Thunder's offense. Serge Ibaka graduated with 6 fouls early because of Stephenson's desperate impact.

What did Henson say?The most effective way to solve troubles is to keep troubles away from the game.

As soon as Ibaka came off the field, the Thunder lacked a frame guard.At this point, Brooks' team began to be passive.The real collapse of the Thunder will start 3 minutes before the end of the game.

"Defense?" Vogel looked at Henson in surprise. He always thought that Henson's purpose today was to fight against the opponent.

"Yes, we have to rely on defense to close the game. Durant and Westbrook are already very tired, and now the defensive strength can just make them misfire."

"How to prevent it?"

Henson didn't answer, but waited for Brooks to stop the game.Plan A, which allowed Horford to organize the offense, went smoothly, and Jimmy Butler's state today also paved the way for Henson's plan.Now, it's time to officially move Plan B out of the water!
So, 3 minutes before the end of the game, when the timeout came back, Henson sent Jimmy Butler, Paul George and Leonard to the perimeter group of three.

This is a lineup that Henson has never used in an official game before, but Brooks, as the first witness, is certainly not happy.

This lineup looks very weird at first glance, because none of the three outsiders are point guards, and their functions seem to be too similar. Neither Jimmy Butler nor Leonard can maximize the space.But in fact, Henson sent this lineup not for offense at all, so he didn't care whether he could open up space at all.

Under Horford's reasonable distribution, the offense of this lineup is actually not as bad as people think.Of course, the scariest thing about this lineup is that no matter how you switch defenses for these three outsiders, no matter how Durant finds cover and misplaces, you can't find a weakness!
"Kevin, face Jimmy Butler after using the screen. No, Butler's defensive nerves are too sensitive. He didn't leave any room for Kevin to shoot. The Thunder missed the offense!"

"This is a pick-and-roll between Westbrook and KD, Russell accelerated directly! Oh! Leonard gave Westbrook a big risk without mercy!"

On the court, Durant and Westbrook became extremely embarrassed.They scored a good 45 minutes, but in the last 3 minutes, they collapsed because of Henson's formation.

"This is simply the lineup Coach Henson sent out to close the game." Looking at the three outsiders on the field, Kenny Smith couldn't help swallowing.There may never be another team in the league that can field such a luxurious defensive lineup.

In this way, in the last 3 minutes of the game, Durant and Westbrook were completely lost in the strongest defensive lineup in Henson's dream.This lineup only played for 3 minutes, but it allowed the Pacers to play a 10-2 offensive. Relying on their defensive and offensive personal abilities, they ended this extremely difficult tug-of-war.

106 to 98, before the start of the game, the Chesapeake Energy Arena was shaken.After the game, Scott Brooks was left with nothing but dead silence.

Poor Scott Brooks, he became the first victim of this set of death lineups in the league in the future.

"Did you see it? Charles." The moment the game ended, Kenny Smith sat blankly in his commentary seat.It wasn't that he couldn't get excited, but that he was frightened.

"I saw the Pacers win games without Chris Paul."

"No, that's not the point. Did you see the lineup that Coach Henson sent out in the last 3 minutes? Paul George, Jimmy Butler and Leonard. This lineup only appeared for 3 minutes, and then it ended the game. This lineup exhausted the scoring leader Durant and the impactful 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'. This is a set. It is a 'death defense' lineup!"

Kenny Smith didn't know it yet, but the name he created casually became one of the Pacers' business cards in the future.

"In fact, this lineup doesn't need to appear on the court for too long, but as long as it is put up, it can achieve miraculous effects! Many coaches have a set of lineups to end the game, but for Coach Henson, as long as he moves to the death defense lineup, it means that the opponent will be unlucky. There is no doubt that the Pacers have another powerful killing weapon!"

In the last 3 minutes, the defense was maximized, and then the offensive organization was replaced by individual singles. I have to say that Henson Joe's idea is really bold and jumping.

During the interview at the end of the game, the sideline reporter of T.NT TV station also informed Henson about Kenny Smith's evaluation of that lineup.

"Death defense lineup? Well, you guys can really come up with names, but I like it very much. Thank you Kenny Smith for the naming, and of course, thank you Scott Brooks for the victory."

Henson seemed to be in a good mood, and both plans of AB were successfully implemented.Henson undoubtedly had two more deadly weapons in his arsenal.

　It will be back to normal tomorrow, thank you all for your support during the limited exemption period.So, how many chopsticks do three people need to eat?
　　
　
(End of this chapter)