NBA: I am the card dealer

soon.

The fourth game of the finals was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The Lakers finally made a change and took Clarkson out of the starting lineup. Joe Johnson replaced Clarkson, so their starting lineup became: Xue Liancheng, Joe Johnson, James Johnson, Vonleh, and Randle.

When the live host saw the list, he couldn't help but exclaimed: "The Lakers finally made some changes to their lineup. Clarkson's three games since the finals have been worse than the last. Changes should really be made."

Commentator: "I'm afraid Joe Johnson can't keep up with Xue in terms of rhythm. If so, it will be even more difficult for the Lakers."

Commentator: "That should be much better than Clarkson. Let's take a look at how Clarkson performed in the three games of the finals. He took 46 shots in total, but only scored 36 points. Can you believe it? 30.4% hit rate, such a sluggish performance, it is not an exaggeration to say that it has a negative effect. You know, he is useless on the defensive end."

The commentator's gritting teeth and criticizing also reflected how disappointing Clarkson's current situation is.

Host: "Yes! I also think there is nothing worse than Clarkson being on the court, so even if Joe Johnson is slower, at least he is still stable, can organize, and can break through effectively, that's enough."

Commentator: "Another point is that Clarkson's return to the bench can strengthen the bench and create a gap in space. Maybe Clarkson can regain his form and catch the Knicks off guard."

But the idea is beautiful and the reality is cruel.

Clarkson didn't take advantage of his position on the bench, and he couldn't beat the opponent even in the Tian Ji horse racing game. He was arranged very tightly.

The Lakers' adjustment of Joe Johnson was actually average, not as good as expected, but at least he did not have the bad shooting situation like Clarkson did.

But the disadvantages are also obvious.

The impact has weakened, the vitality is insufficient, and when pushing fast breaks, it is not as fierce.

There weren't many opportunities for fast break counterattacks to begin with, and with Joe Johnson coming on, there were even fewer.

But Joe Johnson's advantage is that he is stable and experienced. He rarely makes bad shots or stupid mistakes. He has improved the Lakers' overall offense and defense.

However, Mike Brown brought Clarkson back halfway through the first quarter, obviously not giving up on Clarkson's performance.

Clarkson continued to live up to expectations and failed to perform at the level he could have.

But after the first quarter, the Lakers were trailing by 25 points at 28:3, and fortunately they did not repeat the tragedy of being defeated at the beginning of the previous game.

It can be said that there is obvious progress!

of course.

The main reason is that the Knicks' own offense is not very good, and their performance is hard to describe.

The commentator complained: "Why put Clarkson in the game again? I don't understand Mike Brown's intention. Joe Johnson played well! As the second ball handler, he organized the offense in an orderly manner and did not make any nonsensical shots."

Commentator: "I guess Mike Brown still wants to speed up, but Clarkson's presence really disrupts the rhythm of positional warfare. Of course! Clarkson's role is still very obvious in fast break counterattacks."

Host: "In fact, Xue Liancheng doesn't have to play defensive counterattacks. He can also achieve historical levels in the positional warfare system. As long as you move, he can always seize opportunities. This is the biggest difference between Xue Liancheng and other point guards."

Commentator: "So, this is why Xue Liancheng is a historical point guard. He can give his teammates a lot of good balls, and when his teammates are not in good shape, he can also stand up and continue to score. Really! I feel that as long as Xue Liancheng is equipped with an All-Star player, this team will be very competitive!"

Being able to lead the team into the finals as a single core player is something he deserves praise from all over the world.

And now, Xue Liancheng is enjoying this level of treatment.

If I can win the championship, I will truly be a god.

of course!

If we fail to win the championship, there may be backlash.

After all, the Knicks are Xue Liancheng's old club, and James is Xue Liancheng's mortal enemy.

The losers will have no say, the winners will be the kings and the losers will be the bandits, this is the world of sports competition.

The second quarter begins quickly.

Joe Johnson is still as steady as ever, but the problem remains the same, he is unable to complete a quick advance, he is slow, he is slow in movement, he is targeted on the defensive end, and he is repeatedly out of position during the unlimited switching defenses.

In this way, defensive counterattacks and fast breaks have no advantages.

Mike Brown saw this situation and replaced Clarkson again in the sixth minute.

to this end.

The commentator complained: "Mike Brown is too stubborn. Why does he think Clarkson's touch can be improved all of a sudden? As long as the score is maintained until the fourth quarter, Xue Liancheng is fully capable of ending the game."

The commentator had a different opinion at this time: "Clarkson's impact is indeed very strong. The aging Joe Johnson can't catch up with this. The Lakers can maintain the score. In fact, Clarkson's role should not be underestimated."

Although Clarkson's offense still hasn't improved much since he came off the bench, he actually assisted very well in defensive counterattacks and fast breaks. He disrupted the opponent's defense when they were not yet stable and was able to effectively tear apart the opponent's defense.

In addition, Clarkson's breakthrough is much sharper than Joe Johnson's, and his offensive destructive power is relatively large, which greatly reduces Xue Liancheng's pressure on the offensive end.

These things cannot be reflected in the data.

This is the role and influence of the court.

From this point of view alone, Joe Johnson cannot be compared with Clarkson.

That's why Mike Brown keeps trying to bring Clarkson in.

Host: "The problem now is that the Lakers still haven't found the direction of attack, which is very fatal."

Commentator: "Yes! I think the problem of the Lakers now is that they have not constructed another deep offensive system besides Xue Liancheng. They can't play the offense sustainably. Once Xue Liancheng is blocked, then they will have big problems and will easily fall into a scoring drought."

In fact, the situations of both sides have basically been dissected, and the problems and defects of the two teams have basically been exposed to the public.

But knowing it is one thing, but changing it is not that easy.

Or to be more precise, it is extremely difficult to correct these shortcomings by adjusting the lineup.

Just like the Lakers.

Everyone knows that Clarkson's poor form hurt the team, but without Clarkson, you can't increase the offensive rhythm to the maximum. Once the rhythm fails to be increased, the Lakers' tactical system will face collapse.

It's that serious.

Although Joe Johnson was steady at the start, the offensive rhythm dropped to a lower level, and the role of the dynamic images and predictive ability in Xue Liancheng's mind was greatly reduced.

You know, the Lakers' tactical system originally relied on Xue Liancheng's passing. If the two golden thighs were affected, wouldn't the Lakers' tactical system be on the verge of collapse?

So before Clarkson came on, the Lakers were already trailing by 38 points at 46:8.

Joe Johnson's stability is more superficial, because the Lakers fell behind unknowingly and have lost their scoring explosiveness. Not playing Clarkson at this time may lead to a greater disaster.

really!

Clarkson showed energy and speed as soon as he came on.

The Knicks were caught off guard and they tore through their defense twice in a row, helping the team score consecutively and bringing the score difference back to 3 points.

The commentator was disappointed and said nothing more.

But Clarkson's problem still exists, that is, he became distracted during the game, and all kinds of irrelevant forced shots started again, and there were also mistakes in passing.

The Knicks seized the opportunity and attacked hard, and the score difference came to 8 points again.

As a last resort, Mike Brown called a timeout.

This is really a double-edged sword!

He can kill people, but he can also stab himself to death.

The commentator once again pointed the finger at Clarkson: "It was a disaster. I don't know what else he can do on the court?"

Commentator: "Joe Johnson can't keep up with the pace, and his offensive rhythm is not at the same point. I don't think he can play a big role as a substitute."

This is a very insightful evaluation.

Xue Liancheng, who was sitting on the sidelines at this time, had the same thought. If Joe Johnson continued to play, the score gap would only get bigger and bigger. The reason was very simple: the offensive rhythm was not at the same point.

During this period, when Joe Johnson was on the court, he was very cooperative and accommodating to the opponent, but the effect was still not very good.

You know, he is the core of the team. For him to accommodate the offensive rhythm of a role player is something that goes against the will of heaven and is simply unbelievable.

Therefore, he clearly knew what would happen if Joe Johnson continued to replace Clarkson.

This is the end.

It can almost be said that Mike Brown's temporary adjustment was a failure.

And Mike Brown is aware of this.

I don’t know if this bald guy had a flash of inspiration or what, but he actually reorganized the regular season lineup.

That's right.

Let Courtney Lee replace Joe Johnson.

The commentator was quite surprised: "Courtney Lee's ability to break through with the ball is almost zero, and his ability to control and dribble the ball is only at the level of crossing half court. He is actually asked to serve as the second ball holder. What kind of magical operation is this?"

The commentator was also confused: "When Courtney Lee started, George had not yet been injured. At that time, George was the absolute second offensive point of the Lakers. There was no need to worry about the ball handling and the second organization point. Courtney Lee's task was very simple, which was to do a good job of defense, occasionally cut to the basket, and shoot three-pointers. Now that George is injured, the team urgently needs a second ball handler, a second offensive organizer, and a second breakthrough point. Courtney Lee is obviously not an ideal candidate."

Host: "Yes! I also feel that Mike Brown is a little desperate. How can he let Courtney be the team's second ball handler?"

In fact, not only were they surprised, but Xue Liancheng was also extremely surprised when Mike Brown announced this decision.

He also didn't understand what Mike Brown meant?

Mike Brown quickly gave the answer: "Randall will be the high post support point, Courtney Lee will be the side support, Xue! You should follow your own rhythm, I hope you can return to your familiar position."

Isn't this the tactic they used against the Spurs in the last series?

of course.

The effect of that attempt was not very good, it can be said to be unsatisfactory. Courtney Lee was removed from the starting lineup, which actually had a lot to do with this.

So Mike Brown still came?

But after thinking about it carefully, he felt that it was worth a try.

Because the Spurs' strength is not at the guard position, Courtney Lee's defensive role is almost gone, which is an important point that was abandoned.

The Knicks are different. Their strength lies in the guard position. Oladipo's performance can be said to directly affect the overall situation of the Knicks.

So, Courtney Lee's defensive role was restored.

Even if the offense cannot perform well, as long as Oladipo is suppressed, it will be considered a success. This is the first point that can be tried.

The second point is that since Joe Johnson and Clarkson are not good enough, why not try Courtney Lee?

Third, Randle's three-point shooting has always been the team's weak point, and pulling Randle out to provide support in the high position is equivalent to liberating Randle and clearing the inside space.

After all, the impact of the two beasts, Randle and Vonleh, has been almost destroyed in this series, so it is not impossible to try a new offensive routine.

The fourth and most important point is to let Xue Liancheng return to his familiar position and do what he is best at.

Instead of continuing to accommodate Joe Johnson, or standing still and watching Clarkson play randomly, and then running back and forth as a runner-up.

That's the point.

And right from the start, the effect was surprisingly remarkable.

Randall was able to provide support in the high position and was like a fish in water.

Lopez is not a very aggressive player like Chase Green, and he does not provide enough confrontation. This is a very comfortable game situation for Randle, especially in the high position, where you cannot provide much confrontation.

Secondly, if Lopez is brought out, the quality of the Knicks' rim protection will face a cliff-like decline.

Whether Xue Liancheng broke through, Courtney Lee, James Johnson, or Vonleh cut in, they all got a very huge space.

The most important thing is that after Randle coordinated with the center axis from a high position, Xue Liancheng became the only person with the ball, and it became easier for him to receive the ball and break through.

Because he can move around Randle, front and back. No matter what, it is easy for him to move without the ball and it is easy for him to find his comfort spot.

After catching the ball and breaking through, it was like a big tear was created, instantly tearing the Knicks' aorta.

In just three minutes, the Lakers went on an 11:4 run, narrowing the gap to 1 point.

The Knicks are confused!

The fans at the scene were also stunned!

The commentator was also speechless!

This seemingly most speechless adjustment actually produced miraculous results?

It really is... unbelievable!