NBA: I am the card dealer

Chapter 405 The role of locker room leader!

The Knicks' starting lineup remains the same: Xue Liancheng, Oladipo, PJ Tucker, Von Lay, Lopez.

The starting lineup of the Golden State Warriors has not changed: Curry, Thompson, Barnes, Green, Bogut.

But the difference is that Warriors center Bogut actually doesn't play much time, especially after entering the finals, averaging only 18 points per game.

This is equivalent to a pseudo-start. The person who really starts the game is Iguodala, and Bogut will only come on when the team needs to protect the frame.

Especially those who need big centers who are very strong inside and can make waves, Bogut's role will be highlighted.

The Knicks' Lopez, although his offensive ability is good, is still weak.

Without Bogut, Green can make Lopez very uncomfortable.

to this end.

Tyronn Lue could only choose to reduce Lopez's playing time, especially after losing two games. Starting from the third game, Lopez's playing time was significantly reduced.

Lopez is not so bad that he is worthless. He is still a threat on the offensive end, and he can also protect the frame on the defensive end. In terms of overall strength, he is definitely a first-class center.

If staying on the field works well, stay a little longer.

This is the difference between the starting lineups of the two sides.

This is really pointless.

There was basically no drama in the fourth quarter.

If this happens too often, it will be a disaster for the Knicks.

In this case, Lopez will definitely have a lot of playing time.

So even if you are a core player inside, you will have to be sacrificed in this finals stage where every point is a must-win.

After all, it really doesn’t match up!

The situation in the third quarter was the same as before. They came up to play for five minutes, then went down to rest, and then came back up again during the substitute rotation time.

Tyronn Lue obviously will not waste such resources.

If the opponent had been the Thunder, the result might have been a different story.

Because the main center Whiteside is the Thunder's third offensive option and the most reliable frame protector.

What was implemented was Tian Ji's horse racing strategy, and the effect was pretty good.

But as the fight continued, something went wrong.

If staying on the court doesn't work, then replace him around eight minutes into the second quarter.

This brings us to the second reason.

Both sides are relatively moderate.

It's impossible for the Thunder to use Whiteside as a functional player.

The Warriors' defensive confrontation became more and more fierce.

When he still has more than two minutes of rotation time in the first quarter, he will once again send Lopez on the court to carry out a downgrade attack on the Warriors Speights and others.

After the Warriors came up to Iguodala, his speed was really fast, his impact was fierce, and his mobility was terrifying.

This is basically how Lopez's playing time is currently arranged.

of course.

But now it's completely different.

Unless your personal skills and combat ability are enough to crush the opponent's paint area and kill the opponent until nothing is left.

If all centers of this level are abandoned, it would be a sin.

During the rotation in the second quarter, Lopez will continue to bring substitutes and wait until all the main players come back to try the immediate effect.

Anyway, he just couldn't beat Bogut, and he didn't get any advantage in the matchup with Green.

The game begins.

The Warriors' five small offensive firepower is too fierce, and Lopez's speed is too slow, so Tyronn Lue can only sacrifice Lopez.

Once the Warriors' Cole replaced Bogut, Tyronn Lue immediately followed suit and replaced Lopez.

Obviously.

The main lineup of the Warriors is the death five, and Lopez's personal ability is not enough to defeat the Warriors inside, so his playing time will naturally be reduced.

Not only that, Tyronn Lue also staggered Lopez's playing time.

If Lopez is on the court, he will easily be left behind by the Warriors, forming a 4-on-5 situation.

Otherwise, you will be a negative effect on the court.

For example, when the two teams start a fierce battle in the first quarter, Bogut usually only comes on for five minutes to play pick-and-roll screens. If the effect is good, he may stay a little longer. If the effect is not good, he will be replaced directly.

Then the only player in the Knicks who can match him is Lopez.

Like Lopez, obviously he has not reached that level yet.

For example, big killers like Duncan, O'Neal, and even Aldridge can make waves in the interior, until you have to use a flanking strategy or shrink the defense line to form positive feedback.

They are showing their desire for this championship, and at the same time they are testing the standards of the referee in this game.

After all, they are playing at home and must take advantage of this.

The first record in the regular season began to show its effect at this time.

The referee also seemed to encourage confrontation and did not call a penalty.

The Knicks' PJ Tucker, Crowder, Vonleh, David West, etc. are also not good at it, so they naturally fight back.

Especially Feng Lai, who turned into a mad cow in this game and was beaten everywhere.

This resulted in the physical contact between the two parties becoming more and more frequent and violent, and eventually even evolved into a hug and wrestling situation.

In the first quarter alone, they almost turned into an all-out game several times.

Fortunately, the referee reacted quickly enough and came to stop it immediately.

But the smell of gunpowder on both sides is getting stronger and stronger.

The two sides also had a tacit understanding not to involve core players. Curry and Thompson on the Warriors were not involved, and Xue Liancheng, Oladipo, and Lopez on the Knicks did not directly participate in the physical conflict.

Both sides are trying to be clever, but no one is a fool.

This game is a game that determines the championship. How could they lose a big thing because of a small thing?

Therefore, although both sides are angry, they are within a reasonable range.

We all understand that the championship is the most important, and anything else is not worth mentioning in front of the championship.

And why the physical conflict is so intense.

The main thing is that the Knicks really opened up the Rendu line.

Oladipo holds the ball, and Xue Liancheng comes to pick and roll as a wall. This tactical basis plays a vital role.

No matter how actively the Warriors generals try to supplement and assist defense, their defense line begins to have loopholes of one kind or another, which cannot be plugged no matter how hard they try.

Three minutes into the first quarter, the Knicks led the Warriors by 12 points, 7:5.

Halfway through the first quarter, the Knicks scored 23 points, while the Warriors only had 15 points, and the point difference had reached 8 points.

The situation suddenly became not good.

The Warriors reacted quickly, began to gradually increase the intensity, constantly tested the referee's bottom line, and then began to use various rough actions.

It finally worked.

After the first quarter, the Warriors stabilized the situation and ended the first quarter with 32:40.

Although the score difference was still 8 points, they suppressed the Knicks' soaring momentum.

This means their strategy was successful.

It can also be regarded as an attempt to highlight the home field advantage.

Although the Knicks suffered some unfair penalties, there is nothing they can do about it. This is the home court advantage.

of course.

As the biggest superstar in the team, Xue Liancheng knows that this is a normal phenomenon, but he will spare no effort to put pressure on the referee.

<divclass="contentadv">Trying to bring the penalty standard back a little.

And the referee didn't dare to be too outrageous.

After all, this is a tiebreaker!

A true battle to determine the championship has a far-reaching impact. Major media and countless fans are staring at it with magnifying glasses.

The most important thing is that Xue Liancheng caused an earth-shattering incident in the Eastern Conference finals last season, which was enough to scare the referees and prevent them from being so blatant.

Section 2.

Kerr finally responded, using Barnes, Thompson and Iguodala to take turns to lead the defense on Xue Liancheng and Oladipo, and took Curry out, no longer allowing Curry to make unlimited changes in defense.

In other words, Curry only guards PJ Tucker, and the others continue to switch defenses indefinitely.

In addition to Barnes, Thompson, and Iguodala, this other person is their defensive core Green.

Such a defensive lineup is still quite scary.

Just as everyone knows that the Golden State Warriors' offense is powerful, what they don't know is that the Golden State Warriors' defense is also eye-catching.

Their small but sophisticated mobility allows them to achieve the ultimate in flanking, assisting defense, and supplementary defense.

And now they have taken Curry out for a simple purpose, just to avoid being caught by Xue Liancheng and Oladipo.

That's right.

In addition to executing the strategy of Oladipo holding the ball and Xue Liancheng's pick-and-roll, the Knicks also had a very significant effect on the Warriors.

That’s naming Curry.

If they name Curry and also implement their new tactics, the effect will be surprisingly good.

Xue Liancheng's attack on Curry was really accurate, and Oladipo also has a significant advantage.

They played smoothly in the first quarter, and Curry definitely contributed a lot.

So in the second quarter, Cole began to use his strengths and avoid weaknesses and took Curry out.

But Oladipo's condition has improved, and the most important thing is his confidence.

In the second quarter, he performed very well with sudden shots from inside and outside, scoring 11 points in a single quarter.

Xue Liancheng also assisted from the side, connected the ball and walked, creating some space for his teammates.

In addition, the Warriors took out Curry and no longer switched defenses infinitely, resulting in chaos on the defensive front.

Xue Liancheng seized the opportunity and once again launched a defensive counterattack on the fast break, seizing three opportunities in a row.

And Oladipo and Feng Lai became the beneficiaries again, and it was a dunk.

Halftime ended.

The Knicks led the Warriors by a full 72 points, 62:10.

Things are looking great...

But in the locker room, Xue Liancheng still had a straight face, without a trace of a smile.

Because he knows how powerful the splash brothers Curry + Thompson are. Once they break out, they can bring the score closer in minutes.

This 10-point difference is really not even close at all.

Anyway, for Xue Liancheng, there is no sense of security at all.

In Game 4, Curry demonstrated the power of the three-point rain.

At that time, the time was only 3 minutes, and the Knicks were still leading by 7 points. However, Curry turned around and threw in two three-pointers, directly reducing the point difference to 2 point.

If he hadn't been tough enough, the Warriors might have overturned that game.

Or if Thompson is slightly more accurate, the result of the game will be hard to say.

After all, he relied on his 100% hit ability to achieve the ultimate kill.

And it was a buzzer-beater.

One can imagine how amazing Curry's scoring explosiveness is.

They have only played half of the game and are only leading by 10 points. What does this point difference mean to the Splash Brothers?

It's simply not worth mentioning.

of course.

This is under the condition that the Splash Brothers are accurate.

If not, the warrior can only sit back and wait to collect the corpse.

But do you dare to bet?

Can you afford the bet?

I can’t afford to gamble at all!

This is the finals, and it is the seventh and final game. The winner will wear the yellow robe. If he loses, the season will be in vain, or it will directly become a regret for his career.

Under such circumstances, how could they dare to relax?

Besides.

The Splash Brothers' three-pointer was really accurate.

Curry averages 5 three-pointers per game and his shooting percentage is 45%+. Thompson also averages 3.5 three-pointers per game and his shooting percentage is as high as 40%+. Both of their three-pointers are terrifying.

And when they are combined, it is even more outrageous.

Once they go crazy, even the gods can't save them.

Even comparable to the power of his three 100% hit skills.

Or to put it another way, once Brother Splash starts to rain three points, his three 100% hit skills may not be able to withstand it.

You can imagine how abnormal the scoring explosion of the two of them is.

At this time, he has no slack.

And Xue Liancheng's attitude can greatly affect the rest of the Knicks.

Such as Oladipo.

Originally, he was quite excited. After all, since the start of the finals, his performance has been tepid, and some games were even like mud, making it difficult to watch directly.

Now he finally broke out. He scored 12 points, 7 rebounds and 19 assists on 2-of-5 shots in the half. His performance was super hot. He was naturally excited and almost jumped up.

But when he turned around and looked at Xue Liancheng's stern face, he suddenly became excited and forcefully suppressed his smile.

He didn't dare to show the slightest hint of joy.

The two core members did not celebrate, and the others did not dare to be presumptuous.

This makes the entire locker room look dull.

Except for Tyronn Lue's voice arranging tactics, no one else dared to make a sound.

Everyone tensed up and prepared for the final battle.

Such a lifeless scene made Xue Liancheng frown even more.

Being too stretched may not be a good thing.

He suddenly thought of the Heat last season. At that time, the team also had dull moments. Everyone had a straight face and did not dare to breathe.

At this time, it is usually captain Haslem who speaks up and says some inspiring words to arouse the high emotions of his teammates.

He didn't feel anything at that time.

I even think that Haslem, the captain and leader of the locker room, is a bit verbose, a pure image person who doesn't work on the field but talks nonsense.

He even couldn't understand why Wade respected Haslem so much.

just now.

He finally understands Haslem's role.

Just when the team is dull and lacks energy, someone needs to break the silence and talk some nonsense to make everyone's nerves less tense.

It is to make the whole team work together to achieve the ultimate goal.

Haslem plays such a role.

But now, there seems to be no such person in the Knicks' lineup.

In other words, there is no such an inspiring and convincing veteran.