Chapter 68: Defeat on the Plateau
At the start of the fourth quarter, Spoelstra continued to field Wade, hoping that the 'Flash' would use his individual ability to continue the team's scoring.
But less than five minutes into the game, the Filipino coach hurriedly called a timeout, and his face turned a little pale.
The Miami Heat was actually hit by the opponent in a wave of 14:4 counterattacks within a few minutes, and the point difference was opened in an instant. Spoelstra was tempted to slap himself in the face, but he had been too big and underestimated the Eagles' ability to capitalize on their opponents' mistakes.
With Addison and McRoberts, who can handle the organization, not on the court, the Heat's offensive rotation was quite difficult, and it didn't take long for Wade to single-handedly take on the opposing team.
But now this Wade is no longer the fast-paced, ferocious scoring champion of a few years ago, and after a few minutes of high-intensity breakdowns, his knees are faintly stiff, and his shooting percentage has begun to decline. The Eagles, on the other hand, seized every opportunity when the Miamis were unfavorably attacked, counterattacking at full speed, steady and sharp.
"Spoelstra made such an obvious mistake?! Idiots know that removing Addison at this time is equivalent to removing the commander of Miami! How much combat power can an army without a commander have?! Barkley said that he couldn't understand the approach of the head coach of the Heat team at all, and even enthusiastic commentators like him, who couldn't say a few tactics, knew that replacing Addison at this time was asking for trouble.
"Maybe Coach Spoelstra just wanted Addison to get some time off," said Kenny. Smith's criticism was not as intense as his partner's, "but he didn't put the Heat's only two players on the court, McRoberts, who has great playmaking, and that's questionable." ”
"Mr. Riley, let me be the head coach of the Heat! I promise Addison 40 minutes of playing time every game! I'll let him run wild with his imagination and talent! O'Neal, the big shark, is more direct, and he actually asked for a job in the national live broadcast.
"Then Addison probably won't be able to play for a few seasons and will be found by injury...... "Kenny. Smith had a standard 'black question mark face' and glanced at O'Neill with a frown, "Don't worry, man, I think Pat. Mr. Riley would rather find a coach from the NBDL than choose you. ”
***
The margin was stretched to nearly 20 points, and the cheers of the Atlanta fans filled the entire stadium, leaving most of the Heat players with a bad look. Originally, there was still hope of equalizing or even reversing, but as a result, the opponent was directly pressed to the ground and rubbed at the end of the quarter, and no one would be in a good mood.
"Wait a minute, Eddie and Chris will come on the court, we will continue to use running and shooting, and the scoring efficiency must be improved!" Spoelstra said quickly as he drew on the tactical board, and then he looked at Wade, "Dwyan, do you want to take a break, are you okay with your knees?" ”
Wade smiled very casually: "I'll rest for a few minutes, my knees are indeed a little stiff." ”
The Heat also knew that he had not played well in the past few minutes, especially when he turned the pace of the game into a heads-up situation by himself, and he was mainly responsible. Wade's personality is indeed a very amiable existence among the leaders of the NBA, and in this case he did not have the slightest annoyance, but agreed to the coach's arrangement.
Addison took off his long-sleeved sweatshirt, tugged at the bracers on both hands, and walked to the middle of the field with his teammates. He calmly looked up at the score on the big screen above, surrounded by the frenzied shouts and drumming of Atlantans.
- 18 points difference...... 7 minutes remaining......
- That Filipino guy really put a lot of pressure on me......
Take the Ruhr. Deng's serve, Addison lifted a certain speed to move forward. The Eagles put Schroeder, who had been hidden in the snow for most of the quarter, back on the court, and the German youngster's expression was much calmer, although he didn't know if there was a shadow left in his heart, but at least he controlled his body with consciousness rather than instinct.
And Schroder, who got rid of the 'walking dead' state, although his defensive skills are average, he did keep up with Addison in terms of speed.
The Chinese boy beckoned, and Bosh immediately moved from the high post to the three-point line, making a quick cover for him. Addison took a step to the left with the ball and expanded the defensive range of Hawks center Perra. Antich mentioned that the upper line was ready to stop him, and Schroeder struggled to get around Bosh and move closer to him.
Addison's breakthrough paused suddenly, his left hand raised and shook rapidly, and the ball flew into the box from the heads of Antich and Schroeder with an internal spin, so fast that the opponent had no time to stop.
Ruhr on the left. Deng had already shaken off Keller with his coquettish off-ball run. Korver went straight to the basket, and the basketball was delivered to him at the right time, and the Englishman let out a terrible howl and put the ball all the way into the basket.
Budenholzer looked at the Chinese rookie on the court with envy and appreciation, and the longer he watched the rookie play, the stronger his appreciation became.
- This kid is completely different from the yellow players he has met before...... The cunning that is revealed in the gestures is really the opposite of Yao Ming's style! He actually wanted to get the attention of the defense by covering and then infiltrating the ball to the wingers who cut in the air! I'm afraid that many old guys who have been in the alliance for more than ten years don't have this kind of imagination and courage!
- It's a pity that this rookie's style doesn't fit my system, otherwise I would have traded him to Atlanta for anything......
Addison, who withdrew to half-time, did not know that he had been targeted by the opposing head coach, and he was holding his weight down and waiting for the next wave of attacks. Schroder decently shifted the ball to a misplaced Millsap, who didn't hesitate to turn his back to squeeze in the face of a skinny Addison.
Bosh on the inside line also rushed over to wrap Millsap without hesitation, and the Hawks power forward wanted to pass the ball to Antich who was in the vacant position, but his intention to pass the ball was too obvious and was directly recognized by Addison, and the boy who was hiding and retreating and moving sideways suddenly accelerated forward and rushed down the ball in transfer!
Addison, who accelerated when everyone didn't react, took the lead in the opponent's penalty area, jumped high in the face of the hostile and resentful eyes of the audience, and staged an imposing two-handed blow!
"Shh!!!!!h The boos at Phillips Stadium were louder and louder than the messy air currents of the jets, and the Eagles fans hated the yellow-skinned rookie tonight, and some fanatical fans were eager to rush into the stadium right now and shoot the always expressionless cunning kid on the spot.
If the Hawks are reversed in today's game, it's definitely because Addison took the Heat's fast-break advantage to the limit. The Heat without Addison is a loose set on the fast break, and whoever gets the ball will shoot; And the Heat team under Addison's organization can always find the most lethal point to shoot in the fast break, and even many times the Hawks have noticed, but often fail to defend.
How can this not make people hate it?!
***
Mike. Budenholzer immediately called a timeout after seeing the team being chased back by six consecutive points, and then sent the full main lineup directly to play. The Heat, who are weak on the inside, are the opponents he has to take down in his plan, and if they stumble here, how will they deal with the superteams in the league with a well-rounded roster......
The all-main Hawks have risen a notch on both offensive and defensive ends. Wade is back on the court, and the Miamins will struggle to break down the opposing defensive system again.
In the final minutes of the fourth quarter, the Heat were unable to recover the deficit back to within 10 points, and after Wade hit a mid-range shot at the end of the game, the Heat still lost 104-112.
Addison squinted his eyes and glanced at the cheering Eagles fans in the stadium, and he had begun to get used to the sourness of losing in the top league, even if he didn't want to take it.
The Chinese rookie's performance in this game is not outstanding, and his stats are more impressive than usual under the run-and-gun tactics - 14 points, 16 assists, 5 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 turnovers. Such data is better than that of Jeff. Teague's 16 points, 6 assists and 2 rebounds were not far behind, even more convincing.
However, the Heat's interior line was completely lost in this game. Horford swept 28 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 blocks on Bosh's head. Millsap had 22 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block, and the two combined for 50 points for the Hawks......
"I think the Miami uniform team should really think about strengthening the team's interior line, this kind of interior defense that concedes more than 35 points per game is an amusement park for the opponent's strong forward in the playoffs." Charles. Barkley didn't shy away from summing up the game by saying, "Maybe Pat. Riley wants to continue the small-ball tactics that once brought him championship glory, but there is no LeBron in this roster who can play from the No. 1 to the No. 5 position. James. I'm not saying that Addison doesn't play a big role in the team, but this rookie is now too far behind LBJ in terms of strength and tactical role. So for the Heat right now, a center who can perform defensive tasks is very important, more than anything else. ”
***
American Airlines airliners flew smoothly in the violet night sky, moving from the map of the North American Highlands towards another glittering city.
There was silence in the first class, and most of the players had fallen asleep. Addison, on the other hand, quietly flipped through a book, a documentary book on Jeet Kune Do.
Addison is a fond of Jeet Kune Do, a fighting technique that combines Chinese martial arts with modern martial arts, and is his biggest hobby besides basketball. The boy began to systematically learn Jeet Kune Do at the age of 13 with Joe's encouragement, and he has not let go of this technique until now. Even with the intense daily basketball training in Miami, he finds time to brush up on his grappling skills.
After reading silently for about an hour, the boy put down the book and let out a long breath. He gently opened the window grille and looked out into the deep night.
The city where the Heat's next opponent is located, every time a boy thinks about it, he always has too many memories in his mind. Happy, happy, sad, fearful, thrilling...... The most innocent and violent times of his life were left in that city, in that cold winter that will never be forgotten......
Father, neighbor, friend, rival...... People who like themselves, people who hate themselves, people who love themselves, people who hate themselves, people who take advantage of themselves, people who want to kill themselves......
That memory was so confusing, and so deeply engraved in the depths of his soul......
- New York, I'm back......