Chapter 53: Team First

Although the Bruins changed their tactics at Loew's request, the Wildcats continued the "give the ball to Beasley singles" routine. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info for a while the two sides became two extremes in the history of basketball: individual heroism and teamwork. In the history of the NBA, there is hardly a championship team that has made it to the end by relying on individual heroism, and even the greatest stars need to be surrounded by helpers. Going it alone does allow the team to sell more tickets and merchandise, but it doesn't lead to a championship.

The most famous example is probably Jordan "The Flyer", a 1984 show that few remember not winning the championship until the seventh year of his career. In fact, when he first entered the league, the young Jordan showed superhuman talent, starting from the 1986-87 season, he averaged more than 30 points per game for seven consecutive seasons, but before 1991, his high scoring did not bring the Bulls even a single O'Brien Cup, the fundamental reason is that he does not trust his teammates, and only wants to go it alone when he gets the ball. It wasn't until Phil Jackson convinced him that Jordan won one win after another from constantly sharing the ball. Don't say that the teammates around him are all outstanding, with Jordan's character and status, as long as he doesn't want to pass the ball, others have no way at all.

And now Beasley is stuck in such a quagmire. After a brief period of self-doubt, he once again threw himself into an unlimited ball-handling career, even if he occasionally thought of passing a few balls to his teammates, but was invisibly dissolved by the Bruins' ferocious defense. Just like Ye Feng had previously asserted, the continuous singles made Beasley's physical strength decline rapidly, after all, the inside line of the Bruins is not a soft persimmon, and he spent a lot of energy every round regardless of whether the ball was scored or not. And he never had the upper hand in a close hand-to-hand fight with Loew, which was another reason why he consumed too much.

Loew, on the other hand, was really a casual stroll on the offensive end. Due to the gap in the coaching philosophy of the two coaches, the Bruins are more inclined to team cooperation, which also makes each player's tactical literacy very high and full of tacit understanding with each other. And when Westbrook and Ye Feng were only responsible for taking the ball through the half court and handed over the task of distributing the ball to Loew, he was simply free to do whatever he wanted in the high post. Loew has absolute freedom whether it's playing alone with the ball or drawing the ball after attracting the defense, and his judgment of the situation on the court is far from that of Beasley.

However, by halftime, the Bruins only led by 7 points at 40-33, which made people have to admire Beasley for the capital to compete for the first center. Of the 33 points the Wildcats had, he alone scored 21 points while also contributing eight rebounds. Loew's stats were more comprehensive, with 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists. And more importantly, on the way to the locker room, Loew didn't look tired at all, and kept laughing loudly with his teammates, but Beasley seemed a little vague, and his exposed skin was covered with large beads of sweat. It was clear that Beasley was much more expensive than Loew throughout the first half, which was not good news for the Wildcats.

In the away dressing room where the Bruins are located, everyone's expression is very relaxed, because the team has the absolute upper hand on the field. Ye Feng sat down next to Loew and asked with a smile, "How do you feel?" Did you find out that Beasley was a slightly better player? Loew nodded: "That's right, maybe I was too lacking in self-confidence before, right?" In fact, when I really play according to my skills, I will find that I am still a good player. ”

Westbrook also came over to join in the fun, and he asked "ill-intentionedly": "Kevin, you don't fight for the title of first center?" Loew laughed: "I don't try to fight, but I still want to be recognized if I have the chance." And I have to thank you guys, without you, I wouldn't be where I am now, because the team's victory is always the first priority. ”

Standing near the doorway, Holland couldn't help but smile as he watched the three players he relied on the most happily chatting happily. In the first half, he had been sitting firmly in the Diaoyutai, and Loew, who was most worried before, did not coerce, and it can even be said that he had played extraordinarily, and other players also benefited a lot from Loew's response, and this game was basically nine out of ten. Therefore, Holland did not rush to explain the tactics of the second half to the players, but urged them to seize the time to recover and rehydrate and prepare for the remaining 20 minutes of the game.

Toward the end of the break, Holland let everyone out of the locker room with a few brief remarks. However, when Ye Feng was about to walk into the players' tunnel, Holland stopped him and motioned for him to go with him. Ye Feng felt very strange, he thought about it carefully, it seemed that he didn't make any mistakes in the first half, but he was left by the coach for a private chat at the end, and he didn't know what the situation was. Although Holland has always been disciplined and is a very serious person himself, sometimes there are some wild ideas that make Ye Feng thunderous, such as being a psychiatrist for Loew.

Soon Ye Feng's bad premonition became a reality, of course, Holland didn't make any strange requests, he patted Ye Feng's shoulder, and said with a smile: "Ye, it seems that you have a good set of psychological counseling, I am relieved to see Kevin's performance like this." Out of the low-key character of the Chinese, Ye Feng just wanted to be humble, but heard Holland continue: "Why don't you consider serving as the team's psychological counselor?" Don't worry, we don't have that many rules, and it doesn't matter if you don't have a qualification. ”

Depend on! Pit me again! Ye Feng scolded secretly, and at the same time squeezed out a smile that was more ugly than crying and said: "Coach, I'm just crooked, if I am asked to give psychological counseling to others, it will definitely not have the effect of Kevin." And you know, as far as our UCLA players are concerned, the mental quality of everyone is not average, and I think we just need to guide a little bit more on the court and we're done. You see, the second half is about to start, I have to prepare first, let's talk about the topic of psychologists hahaha! With that, he slipped into the players' tunnel.

Holland stood in place and smiled bitterly, and said to himself: "This kid, it's just a joke with you, why are you running so fast?" But then again, you've done a pretty good job this time, much better than I expected, and it looks like there's something like that I can continue to hand over to you next time. ”

At the start of the second half, Beasley was once again alive and well on the inside of the Bruins, and it was clear that he was recovering well at halftime. But Loew didn't care, because Ye Feng had already expected this situation, and told him that Beasley was just the end of a strong crossbow, and it would only take a short moment for it to be revealed. The rest of the Wildcats also saw the clues, and point guard Pullen consciously cut back on the passes to Beasley. But Beasley can't stand it and force himself to compete with Loew, even if his teammates are well-intentioned to give him a chance to breathe, but he is still very active in various key singles. After a few rounds, seeing Beasley's increasingly ugly face, his teammates had to hand the ball to Beasley again and let him continue to show off his offensive skills.

However, Beasley soon showed signs of fatigue, and he could have relied on his possession and spins to force past Loew, but then Loew was able to get stuck when he turned, allowing him to return again and again. Beasley's dip in form is also reflected in his finishing under the basket, where it's hard for a star player like him to get an absolute open spot, and he usually has to make physical contact to score the ball. To be honest, Beasley's ability to shoot with defense is not bad, but now he doesn't have enough strength to support himself for physical contact, and with the slightest interference, the basketball will just smash out of the frame. Loew was clearly not going to pass up the opportunity, and he looked like Chamberlain* in front of Beasley, who had lost his stamina.

Beasley himself has a very stubborn personality, and in unfavorable situations, his first thought is still to save the situation on his own. But this time he thought too much, and Loew once again played the pivot of the Bruins, using his passing to mobilize the Wildcats' defense in a wide range to give his teammates an easy layup or an open three-pointer. Of course, in the face of Beasley, who was not in good shape, Loew also took advantage of his illness to kill him, and won consecutive singles in addition to passing. Beasley dragged his heavy foot, and in addition to fouling, he could only watch Loew score easily under the basket.

Their performance is a microcosm of the two teams, with the Bruins extending the margin even further and the Wildcats unable to fight back. With the Bruins already in 23 points five minutes before the break, Holland replaced Loew early as a reward for his outstanding performance. Of course, the reason why Westbrook and Ye Feng, the pair of backcourt guns, were left on the field was mainly to guard against the continuous pursuit of points on the opposite side. But the Wildcats' morale was gone, and Beasley, the number one star, played soy sauce on the court, and finally the UCLA Bruins defeated the Kansas Wildcats 82-61 to win the first game between different divisions this season.

As for the "NCAA No. 1 Center" controversy, the curtain has also come to an end. Although Beasley eventually recorded a big double-double of 32 points and 17 rebounds, anyone with a discerning eye can see the flaws in his own personality and style of play. A number of reporters and commentators, including local Kansas media, have expressed their favor for UCLA's center Kevin Love, whose quasi-triple-double of 23 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists and his more team-oriented style of play have been praised by many insiders. After this fight, Loew really became the top interior player that everyone was looking for.