basketball player

Chapter 327 325 To bag or not to bag?
Al Horford's dunk undoubtedly gave the Pacers a good start in the second half.But dunks alone are not enough. The Pacers need to ensure that the opponent does not score when they score themselves, so that they can tie the score as soon as possible.

Not to mention, Horford's furious dunk really boosted the morale of the rest of the Pacers, and this morale also extended to the defensive end.For example, this time, David West slapped Bosh's three-pointer out of bounds.

Due to the need to keep Horford at the basket to protect the frame, Henson has been using West to match Bosh on the defensive end of the game.And when Horford had already shown his performance on the offensive end, West did not dare to show weakness, and gave Bosh a big risk.

Originally, the two sides were very angry in this game, and Bosh and West sprayed trash talk on each other more than once.This time successfully blocked the shot of "Dragon King", West will naturally not let go of the opportunity to perform.He raised his head to the sky and howled wildly, which made Bosh's skin crawl.

Although the possession of the ball in this offense still belongs to the Heat, there is no doubt that the Heat's spirit has been hit to a certain extent.

Sure enough, then the Heat tried to attack for the second time, and Wade's mid-range was directly under the interference of George.Horford grabbed the defensive rebound, and the Heat returned without success!

All Heat players retreated quickly to prevent the Pacers from counterattacking when they missed a shot.However, the Pacers didn't grasp the counterattack speed at all this time, and Paul dribbled the ball leisurely across the half.

Such a slow pace can only explain one problem-the Pacers still have to play inside!
Leaning his back against Haslem, he sat down suddenly, and David West firmly wanted to get to the position.Haslem didn't expect to be targeted, and he was still targeted by a guy who was not easy to mess with.

In today's league, there are not many teams that dare to play singles inside.It's not because they don't like the 2 points, but because many teams simply don't have the insiders who can complete singles in the low post!
Most of the team's inside players are purely muscular sticks or jumpers. Most of these players have rough skills and do not have any low-post offensive capabilities.Therefore, the requirements for inside single-defense players are actually also decreasing.That's why Spoelstra dared to line up such a lineup that Haslem started at the fourth position and Bosh started at the fifth position.

But the Pacers are different. West and Horford's scoring skills are impeccable.Therefore, the frame protection lineup of Haslem and Bosh is not enough.

The basic skills of West's position are very solid, and Haslem is trying to push the guy in front of him, but to no avail.

Paul threw the ball to West with ease. As an old partner who has been cooperating with the Hornets, Paul knows what angle and strength to pass to West is the most appropriate.

West held the ball, and the Heat did not double-team!Seeing this situation, the "17-foot Assassin" also became bolder, sat back, then turned over and shot a jumper!

Heat captain Haslem worked very hard to block West, but now Haslem is not the kind of player with strong ability.He did not allow West to score directly, but he was fouled and sent West to the free throw line.

"It's still a low-post offense. It can be seen that Coach Henson wants to skip the strongest defense of the Heat! Coach Spoelstra didn't double-team, and his thinking is not difficult to analyze. He doesn't believe that Horford and West can kill the game! Let's see if these two big men can kill the game!"

In the silence created by Pacers fans, West made two free throws.The Pacers succeeded in singles inside for the second time, and the gap was only 2 points.

Spoelstra is very clear that when dealing with a person like Henson, he must not be led by the nose.

Why is he playing singles inside?Don't you just want to attract double teams, so as to reduce the offensive pressure on the outside?Spoelstra knows how capable Henson is, and he has been dominated by Henson more than once.But today, he just didn't adjust the way Henson wanted.

Want to kill the game with West and Horford?Well, Spoelstra wants to see whether James can kill the game, or those two "outdated All-Stars" can kill the game!
As soon as this idea came out of Spoelstra's mind, James hit a three-pointer.

In the first half of the game, James made 2 of 2 three-pointers.But the first shot in the second half ended in failure.

In fact, James' problem outside the three-point line is not simply inaccurate, but not stable enough.

Sometimes, he can score several in a row.But sometimes, the wide open can also miss.

Spoelstra missed the expected three-pointer, which means that the Pacers have a chance to equalize or even overtake the score.

Can West and Horford kill the game?Henson is going to show Spoelstra a good look now!
This time, although the Heat did not double-team, they learned to be smart.Bosh defended Horford around the front and prevented him from receiving the ball.However, this also means that Bosh can no longer throw out to help defend Paul!

As a result, Paul passed Chalmers with a beautiful large arc change.In the first half, when Paul broke through, there was always a Heat player who came out to defend.

But now, Bosh hesitated.He didn't know whether he should continue to guard Horford or should defend Paul.

By the time Paul reached the edge of the three-second zone, Bosh knew he couldn't hesitate any longer.Another second slower, and Paul will be able to throw the shot!

Paul lifted the basketball and leaped high, which naturally attracted Bosh's defensive attention.But it was all just a feint, and in the air, Paul took the ball off his head and slid it to Horford through Bosh's waist.

Chris Paul's pass is fantastic!

When Horford received the ball, Haslem had already covered the basket.But the Heat captain's height of 2 meters is really unable to pose any threat to Horford.

I saw the Dominican center straighten his arms, hold high and hit high, and easily made a layup. For such a height, Haslem is far behind, 6-0!The advantage that the Heat had worked so hard in the first half of the game disappeared in an instant!
West and Horford scored 6 points together, and this is just the beginning.

After the third quarter, all the Pacers' offenses revolved around these two insiders.

Horford was double-teamed at the basket and assisted West with a mid-range shot.

West turned back and played an inside pass with Horford, who hit a hook with Bosh.

Although after that, Chalmers scored a three-pointer for the Heat to temporarily stop the bleeding.But soon, Horford used a fast-moving catch and dunk to suppress the momentum!
With this goal, the Pacers suddenly launched a quick counterattack, and Horford, the center, was at the forefront!The fourth and fifth positions of the Pacers were completely liberated.

Paul saw every stitch as he marched, and comfortably tasted the ball into Horford's arms.Horford ignored Haslem who was guarding the basket and took off for a dunk. Haslem couldn't dodge in time, so he was knocked to the ground.

In this regard, Haslem thought it was Horford's offensive foul, and had an altercation with the referee.As a result, after West, Battier and Bosh continued in the first half of the game, the Heat became the fourth player to be called a technical foul in this game.

After being scored consecutively by the opponent and called for a technical foul, the Heat's rhythm on the court has become extremely chaotic.As a result, Spoelstra was forced to suspend the game.

But his purpose is not to change tactics, but to appease the mentality of the players!So the Heat's first defense after returning from a timeout, Henson found that Spoelstra still didn't want to double-team!
"I really don't believe in evil." Henson made a few gestures at Paul and continued to attack the inside line!
As a result, Haslem and Bosh, two unlucky guys, lived in dire straits.

West, an old fritter, frequently made fouls and got to the free throw line, while Horford's all-around skills made Bosh extremely annoyed.

He can cut, he can drive with the ball, he can shoot, and he can shoot from long distances.In this era when the offense of inside players is getting weaker and weaker, Bosh feels that he hasn't met such a difficult opponent for a long time.

Throughout the third quarter, George and Paul, the two leading scorers, scored only 6 points in total.And the other scores are basically done by West and Horford!
The inside line of the Heat was completely penetrated!Inside, this is a commonplace issue for the Heat.But since most teams in the league today do not have excellent insiders, the problems of the Heat have not been exposed seriously.

But when it comes to the Pacers, the Heat's shortcomings are undoubtedly magnified infinitely.

After entering the rotation lineup, the Pacers' inside offensive still hasn't stopped.Even Yi Jianlian, who has been serving as the anti-aircraft turret for the Pacers, sat in the penalty area and hit Lewis twice.

If the Pacers' backup insiders are not strong enough, then the Heat's backup insiders are even more unsightly.Even in his heyday, Rashard Lewis played more at the third position, not an inside player at all.

And "Birdman" Anderson used his bounce to eat and drink on Joe Anthony's head, and made many tip-ups.

Spoelstra didn't want to be led by Henson, but in the end, no compromise was possible.

The inside line of the Pacers can really kill the game!

Just when the Heat were in jeopardy, it was James' beautiful three-point layup that allowed the Heat to narrow the point difference to 8 points, single digits, before the end of the third quarter.

"If it weren't for LeBron, the Heat wouldn't know how many times they died. The Pacers reversed the situation in the second half. If the Miami Heat still don't act, the 22-game winning streak will be getting closer and closer to Indianapolis!"

Mike Brin took a deep breath, maybe tonight is really a moment to witness history!

To double-team, or not to double-team?

Henson did one of his favorite things -- put his two vials of poison in front of Spoelstra, depending on which "taste" he preferred to die.

Once again, the Heat were defeated by Henson!
(End of this chapter)