The Bobcats' interior combination is not well-known in the league, and Milicic has long been considered the biggest parallel product among the high-ranking rookies in the class of 2003, and it was not until these two seasons that he slowly made a name for himself; Although Gasol Jr. is famous in the European basketball world, he is still a rookie in the NBA, and his status as a second-round pick has given him a lower starting point than many rookies in the same class.

Now the NBA's impression of the European interior line is basically a "soft" word, but in fact, the Bobcats' European interior combination is very tough, which is also a point that Chang Wei particularly emphasized when he gave them special training. And they used their toughness very smartly in this game, and the Cavaliers' interior defense simply couldn't withstand the two guys' alternate shots.

What's more, Milicic and Gasol Jr. both have a knack for passing the ball with one hand, and when they use their individual ability to attract the Cavaliers' defense, they can always get the ball to teammates who are open on the perimeter. And when the Cavaliers pounce to make up for it, they will continue to pass patiently from the outside until someone can give the Cavaliers a fatal blow with a three-pointer.

Brown hasn't had much confidence in his interior line, but he didn't expect the combination of Goodon and Ilgoskas to be beaten into a sieve by the opposing team's two big men, and also free up the Bobcats' outside shooter. This is an obvious inside-out tactic, simply put, inside and outside, if someone goes to help defend the inside player, then the latter can give the ball to his teammates and let them shoot or go straight to the basket; If there is no help defense, then the post player scores on his own.

This tactic is very simple, but now the Bobcats use it to work wonders, largely because Milicic and Gasol Jr. have an absolute advantage on the inside, and the Cavaliers' interior line can't defend at all, so they can only choose to shrink and help defend. That opened up the Bobcats' perimeter line, with Roy, Jack and Ariza combining to throw in four three-pointers in less than three minutes.

And the Cavaliers didn't have time to respond, except for James's two breakthrough layups, the others were obviously stunned, and were hit by a wave of 12-4 mini-climaxes by the Bobcats. This allowed the Bobcats to take the initiative in the game, and they only needed to maintain their advantage on the inside to create countless open shots, or they would have to hold the ball and go straight to the Yellow Dragons themselves.

However, the back-to-back inside singles also greatly drained the physical strength of Milicic and Gasol Jr., and Jackson had to replace them with Lee and Mark Hill successively, which made the whole Cavaliers team breathe a sigh of relief. The Bobcats' bench interior is very functional, not as comprehensive as the two starters, and if they can get two of the same type of interior line, then the Cavaliers don't have to play at all.

Jackson can't help it, and it's hard for a current interior player to play more than 40 minutes a game unless he's talented, especially when he's constantly in the low post. Fortunately, the combination of Lee and Mark Hill is also a good match, they attack and defend, and do not put the Bobcats at a disadvantage on the inside, even if they are not as tall as the big men of the Cavaliers.

At halftime, the Bobcats led 61-55. In order to ensure physical strength, Jackson simply let the starting twin towers rest for the last four minutes of the second quarter, otherwise the difference between the two sides would definitely be in double digits. But Jackson doesn't mind, in his opinion, whether Milicic can get enough rest time is the most important thing, anyway, the game is still in the second half!

In the home locker room, Jackson praised his starting interior combination, saying: "Darko and Mark played really well in the first half, especially in the second quarter, and their advantage on the inside helped the team open up the game. In the second half we need to continue to play on the inside, and if you can continue to play in the first half of the second quarter, then I don't think it's a problem to win the game. ”

Chang Wei didn't have the heart to listen to Jackson's high-minded rhetoric, and he was busy giving a brief assessment of Milicic and Gasol Jr. to see if they still had the energy to continue this style of play in the second half. Chang Wei was relieved that the two guys had no physical problems at all, and the evaluation results showed that they could continue to turn over the river and the sea on the inside, just like in the second quarter.

Interior players are actually more physically important than outside players, and while they may not be able to compete with outside players in terms of running distance, they are better versatil. Long duels under the basket will cause their physical energy to deplete quickly, so Chang Wei is more demanding of them during physical training, which is also to allow them to stay on the court for a longer time.

After Jackson laid out the tactics for the second half, he asked the players to prepare on their own, and he glanced at Chang Wei. Chang Wei made an OK gesture at him, signaling that the Twin Towers could continue to fight in the remaining two quarters. Jackson nodded, secretly relieved, if the twin towers are physically exhausted, he really doesn't know how to open the situation, this game Cavaliers attach great importance to the outside defense, Roy is the focus of their marking, and only when the inside line is opened, Roy can launch an attack on the outside.

The whole Bobcat team here is full of confidence, but Brown is sighing in the corner, the gap in the player's personal strength is difficult to make up for tactically, and the inside combination of Ilgoskas + Gooden has not been able to take advantage of anything at all, and it would be good not to be defeated by the opponent. He looked around for a moment, and suddenly his eyes lit up: Can James play inside?

In fact, now the Cavaliers can completely let Hughes swing up to play the No. 3 position, and if Hughes can't bear the physical fitness, then he can also play Pavlovich, who is originally a swingman at the front. In this way, James can go to the inside line to partner with Ilgoskas, although the height is relatively not enough, James's strength is enough to compete with the big man on the inside.

Thinking of this, Brown called James aside and asked in a low voice, "LeBron, you have no problem playing inside, right?" ”

James was stunned, he thought that Brown called him aside to teach him face-to-face, but he didn't expect to let himself play inside. His individual skills are indeed very comprehensive, but he has never played inside, and now Brown is suddenly going to catch ducks on the shelf, and James is not mentally prepared at all. He thought for a moment and asked rhetorically, "Is there no other way?" ”

Brown shook his head and said, "We are still relatively inferior to each other on the inside, and I can't think of anyone other than you who can go to the inside line to make up for our shortcomings." I believe that with your strength, you should be able to gain a foothold on the inside. ”

James didn't hesitate any longer, he nodded and said, "Okay, I'll do my best." ”