NBA: I am the card dealer

Tyronn Lue seemed to have really heard it. At the beginning of the second quarter, he adjusted the lineup, bringing Tyler Johnson, Jeff Green and Ilyavaso from the bench to pair with Oladipo and Lopez, trying to give James a rest.

These three players actually made great contributions during the regular season, averaging more than 10 points per game, and they were a very stable source of firepower for the team's bench.

Even in the playoffs, the roles of the three were still important, especially in the Eastern Conference Finals, where they were able to contend with the Miami bench gang, allowing the Knicks to easily defeat the Heat 4:1 and advance to the finals.

only.

After reaching the finals, their roles were replaced.

Or more precisely, there is no more time for them.

Because the Lakers' rotation was very tight, Xue Liancheng basically played almost the full game, Randle, James Johnson and Vonleh also played more than 40 minutes, and only Courtney Lee and Clarkson, who served as the starting shooting guard, had the least playing time.

When Clarkson starts, he usually plays for more than 30 minutes, while when Courtney Lee starts, he only plays for about 30 minutes, or even less.

Then there are people who can come up from the bench to help, such as Marvin Williams. His playing time is relatively stable, and his three-point shooting ability can effectively create space, which is his most practical point. In addition, he has a height advantage and can play as a power forward and a small forward. He has both speed and strength. Of course, this is of no use, because Marvin Williams' ability to attack with the ball has deteriorated beyond recognition.

Next are Joe Johnson and Zubac. These two can also come up and help when the main players are resting, but they only play for a few minutes in the whole game.

So in general, the Lakers' bench is basically useless. Except for the substitutes at the shooting guard and forward positions who play longer, the substitutes at other positions are just for transition.

In this situation, if the Knicks, as the opponent, are in a favorable situation, they may let the substitutes come up to fill in, but if they are in an unfavorable or entangled situation, would you dare to make substitutions easily?

Tyronn Lue doesn't even dare to play with the Big Three!

In this round of series, both sides played very fiercely and could be said to be evenly matched. The big score of 3:3 was the biggest proof of this.

Neither side has much room for error, so compressing the rotation is the best way to avoid it, and the Knicks' advantage in bench depth is not reflected much.

Now we have reached the seventh game, the confrontation has escalated again, and both sides have consumed a lot of physical energy. At this time, both sides rotated six players in the first quarter, which shows how cautious both sides are.

At this time, Tyronn Lue suddenly asked the three players from the bench to come up, which was really surprising.

Barkley said with a smile: "I admire Coach Lu very much. One of the things is that he is very courageous. Even in a Game 7, he dares to take risks. I have to say, this is not something that ordinary people have."

O'Neal: "It's a good idea to consume the Lakers' main players, but the problem is that the defensive ability of your lineup has been greatly degraded. Ilya Vaso and Jeff Green can be said to be loopholes on the defensive end. Can they withstand the impact of the Lakers' two beasts?"

Barkley: "But their offensive ability is not weak, which is enough to make up for the shortcomings on the defensive end. Their offensive firepower can try a new path for the Knicks."

O'Neal shook his head: "After they come on, can their offensive firepower be stronger than when James is on the court?"

Barkley was speechless: "..."

Ernie Johnson helped to make up for it: "The offensive effect of a team's lineup is not calculated in this way. 1+1 is not necessarily greater than 2. If that were the case, the Warriors' Big Four would have been invincible long ago. If they could just pile up stars to win the championship, then the entire league would probably be in an arms race."

Barkley woke up: "That's what I want to say. Their presence may tie down the Lakers' defense and change the style of play. For example, the intensity of the confrontation will not be so great, and everyone will focus on the offensive end, and the result will be completely different."

O'Neal was not willing to give in: "I still want to believe in myself."

Barkley still said: "Let's wait and see!"

The words have not yet fallen.

After Xue Liancheng and Feng Lai set a pick and roll, Xue Liancheng forced his way in and Feng Lai immediately went down from the other side.

Xue Liancheng's breakthrough power is well known. If you don't assist in defense or protect the rim, as long as he rushes to the paint area, his threat will be infinitely magnified and the possibility of him scoring is very high.

So the Knicks' help defense was very fast, which gave Vonleh an opportunity on the other side.

Xue Liancheng passed the ball and Feng Lai rushed up. Ilyavaso turned around and wanted to assist in defense, but after seeing Feng Lai jump high, he could only stretch out his hand symbolically and then watched Feng Lai violently attack the rim.

O'Neal didn't say anything, just smiled.

Barkley couldn't stand it anymore and quickly said, "Look at the changes in the Knicks' offense."

The result was that Sir Charles was given a slap in the face.

Jeff Green and Oladipo set a pick-and-roll, trying to imitate the pick-and-roll effect of Xue Liancheng and Feng Lai in the previous round.

result.

Jeff Green, who was moving, was squeezed and twisted on the spot. The ball happened to fly over, but Jeff Green couldn't stand at all, so he naturally didn't catch it.

Mistake on the spot.

Jeff Green immediately spread his hands and complained, yelling at the referee: "This is not a foul? Are you blind?"

The referee is too lazy to talk nonsense.

Blow the whistle!

Beep!

And made a technical foul gesture.

The Lakers got a free throw opportunity for no reason, and Xue Liancheng almost couldn't hold back his smile.

O'Neal finally spoke this time: "See? They are not used to this kind of game intensity at all. It's a disaster to play now."

Barkley was speechless: "This does require a running-in process, but I always believe that they can play well."

Jeff Green on the court was still blushing and angry, but fortunately he was pulled away by his teammates, otherwise he would have received another big technical foul.

But Jeff Green kept on talking: "If this isn't even called, is this still basketball? People who don't know would think this is wrestling!"

At this time, an assistant referee kindly reminded: "We have been implementing this penalty standard since the beginning of the game. The standards for both sides are the same. This is a normal confrontation. Can you shut up now?"

Jeff Green was choked for a moment and didn't dare to say anything else.

After all, everyone knows it, and this is a very kind reminder.

This can also be considered a home advantage.

If it was at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, if Jeff Green dared to complain like this, he would be given two technical fouls and kicked out immediately.

and so.

Jeff Green still knows what's good for him.

of course.

The most important thing is that the pressure mission has been completed.

As a veteran in the NBA, Jeff Green has had many moments of getting carried away, but he is still very experienced and knows when to stop.

At the same time, I also deeply understood a truth: even if you have not been seriously violated, you still have to complain and explain to the referee, telling the referee that you have been violated. This is called subtly putting yourself in a weak position and winning the sympathy of the referee.

As long as you complain or appeal enough, the referee will be shaken unconsciously, thinking that you may have really suffered a serious violation, and will show some consideration for you.

This is why there are so many actors in the NBA.

It is also the most original motivation for James to love spreading his hands.

Because James has really tasted countless sweetness, and the words of complaining and making representations have been engraved into his bones!

Jeff Green learned this very quickly.

But Jeff Green overlooked one point, this was a Game 7.

It's Game 7 of the Finals.

It was truly the focus of everyone's attention, with countless media watching the game through a magnifying glass and countless fans staring at the referee's decision-making standards on the field.

No matter how bold they are, they dare not lean towards a game that attracts so much attention.

Also, who is Xue Liancheng?

He is a man who dares to confront the referee and the league. If he suffers injustice, he will make a big deal out of it again.

This is no joke, this is someone who wants your job.

and so.

The subsequent penalty standards remained the same as before, still so lenient.

Xue Liancheng went to the free throw line and made the free throw, and it was still the Lakers' turn to attack.

Xue Liancheng chose to set a pick-and-roll with Randle this time, but Jeff Green was experienced this time and pushed hard against Randle when he was moving down, preventing Randle from taking off.

But Xue Liancheng rushed in, and the deterrent power was there.

The Knicks had to assist in defense, and Lopez, as the Knicks' rim protector, stood up at this time.

In this way, Vonleh had to pass the ball to Ilyasova.

Xue Liancheng took advantage of a slight gap and passed the ball again to Feng Lai who was rushing in from the side.

Ilyavaso had no way to stop it and was knocked back by Feng Lai.

Feng Lai took advantage of the situation and made a half-court hook shot and scored again!

Less than a minute into the second quarter, the team was beaten 5:0, and the fans at the scene were buzzing.

O'Neill took the opportunity to tease: "Sir Charles! Do you have anything else to say?"

Barkley smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Maybe this is not a good time to make a substitution."

Ernie Johnson: "But Tyronn Lue doesn't seem to be interested in making a substitution."

O'Neal said: "He has only been here for less than a minute, and only three rounds. If you tell him that his experiment has failed, what will be his reaction?"

Barkley: "It was a bit embarrassing, and I should have held on for one round."

Knicks offense.

as predicted.

They didn't find any shooting space at all. Ilyasova and Jeff Green couldn't withstand the torture of the two beasts. This time it was Ilyasova's turn to make a mistake on the spot after receiving the ball.

The Lakers started a fast break counterattack.

The Knicks' retreat was not slow, but Xue Liancheng suddenly raised his hand and shot when he was one step outside the three-point line.

Oladipo was caught off guard by Xue Liancheng's move, and it was a little late when he pounced on him!

Chasing three points.

Hit again!

Madison Square Garden was silent for a moment.

We were beaten 8:0 right away. Who the hell can accept this?

You have to know that in the first quarter, the Lakers only scored 18 points and the Knicks only scored 19 points. Now, only one minute into the second quarter, the Lakers have already scored 8 points.

This 8:0 shock wave was enough to make them question their lives.

Tyronn Lue couldn't stand it anymore and called a timeout.

O'Neal looked at Barkley with a victorious attitude: "Is this what you call a war of attrition by switching to the bench?"

Barkley lost his words for a moment: "..."

Ernie Johnson took over the conversation: "The Knicks' bench is not weak, but they are not used to this level of confrontation, especially Ilyasova, who was eaten alive by two people and made a turnover. His confrontation ability is really not suitable for this game. It can be said that he was a disaster when he came on."

Barkley finally spoke at this time: "Yes! The Knicks bench players definitely have the ability, but there is no time for them to adapt, and Tyronn Lue doesn't dare to let others try this."

O'Neal: "So the advantage of the six-man rotation is that it is stable enough, does not require deliberate adjustments, and will not make big mistakes."

Barkley: "You should talk about the disadvantages of the six-man rotation."

O'Neal: "The final quarter will face a huge physical challenge, and it is easy to get injured due to fatigue, but this is the seventh game of the finals, there is only one game, and it is also the last game, so why not?"

Barkley was once again speechless.

Return from the timeout and the game continues.

The Knicks did make another adjustment.

James is back, Crowder is back, and Jeff Green remains.

In this case, the Knicks' lineup on the field becomes: Oladipo, Crowder, James, Jeff Green, and Lopez.

This means that the one-minute lineup experiment has completely failed.

And the price paid was extremely heavy.

O'Neal continued to mock Barkley: "After listening to your advice, Tyronn Lue was beaten 8:0, from leading by 1 point to now trailing by 7 points. This may be a suggestion that changes the trend of the game, Sir Charles! You are really great, thank you for your contribution to Los Angeles."

This time Barkley regained his confidence: "If Los Angeles wins the championship, please tell Kupchak to give me some money, because I am also a hero in the championship."

O'Neal was impressed by Barkley's shamelessness and said nothing more.

And the game returned to the rhythm of the first quarter.

Either the shots were missed or mistakes were made, and 24-second violations also occurred from time to time.

obviously.

Both sides struggled in this high-intensity game.

O'Neal's eyes suddenly lit up: "This scene reminds me of the yellow-green battle in the 09-10 season. The seventh game of the finals that year was also a classic melee that can be recorded in history. Today... the classic is recreated."

Barkley also nodded and said, "Indeed! The league hasn't seen this kind of melee for a long time. Wow! James is so fierce! He rushed in against the defense of two people and scored! Oh my God! He is a human tank!"

Ernie Johnson: "If James had been as mature as he is now, then 23 vs 24 might have become a reality. Unfortunately... we will never see this pair of superstars fighting against each other."

O'Neal: "You're overthinking it. You know nothing about the Celtics' iron-clad defense that year."

Barkley: "It's okay to remember James, after all, he's going to die soon."

As soon as these words came out.

Two pairs of eyes immediately looked over.