Chapter 119: Race to the championship

If Westbrook can really carry on his determination today, maybe one day he will fulfill his vow. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

No matter how turbulent Westbrook's mind was. The game quickly fell into the hands of the Lakers with unstoppable momentum.

After the throw-in, no one on the court of the Thunder finally succeeded in this offense with the firm persistence of the five players on the court. And that didn't have much of an impact on the overall trend of the game. After one of Clarkson's three-pointers from the outside, the margin was back in the 20s again.

Twenty points, a relative insurance score gap. Although there were still more than ten minutes before the end of the game, Wharton had already begun to adjust his personnel. The first to break was Dawn, with Russell coming on.

The core of the Lakers is: But you can't just rely on playing. If the Lakers want to go far in the Western Conference Finals, they will have to invest more in other players. Wharton has long been very sensible in controlling his playing time, giving substitutes the opportunity to practice. The Lakers' edge has already shone on the entire American basketball world. There is no possibility that others do not conduct thorough research.

All kinds of situations can happen in the game, and it doesn't have to be that it will never be contained. When you meet Duke, Kentucky, a team that is top in terms of strength and experience. Those who are invincible cannot be frightened, and they will definitely be able to break through. That's when Wharton needs to win.

A good player will always have a few more aces in his hand. With proper tactics, substitutes such as Russell may be able to be a surprise player.

It's painful to be a star player on the team. In addition to not having much time on the stage, you also have to withstand the scrutinizing eyes of the audience. Spectators can't help but compare the situation on the field before and after the substitutes come on the field. Once the situation is unsatisfactory, it is not impossible for the audience to cheer and ask for a replacement.

On the Lakers' ground, the bench players don't seem to have that bother. In addition to having the ability to take charge of himself, the fate of a certain player will not cause the team's offense and defense to be disjointed. The fact that the substitutes fit well into the team's tactics is also a big part. Throughout the regular season, Russell and others had more than ten minutes of playing time per game. And the cooperation is not unfamiliar at all.

Take Russell, for example. Although it is not as good as Li Ming's impulsive and unpredictable passing, his composure is his strength. Accurate positioning on the periphery, calm rhythm control, blocking and dismantling, and covering coordination are quite proficient. If it weren't for Dawn's dazzling presence, Russell would have been able to be the Lakers' main point guard.

Russell's appearance also gave Li Jing and Mozgov more opportunities to perform. Although it is very cool to catch the ball and shoot to complete the offense, the two of them are still very happy to occasionally stage a good battle of riding alone and the courage of pulling out the mountain. And this also reflects their super striker and super center style.

Li Jing and Mozgov welcomed Russell with smiles. Li Jing put his arm around Russell and said, "Later, the ball will be handed over to me directly, and the captain will give me a few opportunities to perform." ”

Mozgov stretched out his long arm and pulled Russell over: "When I'm under the basket, you give me the ball. Brother, I'll show you a few dunks. ”

A flock of crows flew over Russell's head. Looking at Li Jing on the left, Russell on the right was at a loss. He would have thought that this would happen.

Furious on the sidelines, Wharton solved the problem for him, and Wharton yelled, "What are you two bastards doing?" ”

Li Jing and Mozgov flashed left and right like lightning when they heard the sound, glanced at each other stupidly, and at the same time pulled out their feet and ran to the opposite side.

Russell's presence didn't make the Lakers' offense any less intense, and Li Jing and Mozgov finally got a chance to perform. For the cover and blocking on the periphery, Russell handed the ball to the two bigwigs very accurately. Then they each showed their good fighting and bravery.

In the fourth quarter, one person was left on the floor, and the Lakers' bench players took turns. This is training the players to practice the lineup. At this point, the results of the competition were essentially announced in advance.

When the whistle blew, the score was finally fixed at 103:87. The Lakers won another victory, successfully stepped into the Finals, and became one of the lucky winners in the Finals.

The process of the game is a bit anticlimactic, the first half of the fierce confrontation, the second half of the defeat like a mountain.

But how many of the Lakers' games this season have not been anticlimactic? But that's how they won.

The finals were held in the two teams that Chinese fans wanted the most. But then supporting that team became the most difficult choice for Chinese fans. This embarrassment is called by the sports media in China: the trouble of luxury.

Before the finals began, Liming also admitted this very calmly. But His Majesty the Lakers, the young emperor, claimed that the Lakers did not come to the Finals with the idea of learning to sightsee, and he did not hide the idea of trying to win the championship in the third year of his career.

The Heat's two core players are at the peak of their careers, with a balanced offense and defense, and a mature approach to skills and tactics after years of training. Defeating such an opponent is an almost impossible task for the young Lakers.

But along the way, which of the Lakers' successes was thought possible beforehand?

The Lakers, who played at home in the third game of the game, made it clear to their opponents that their pre-game declaration of leadership was definitely not a joke. The Lakers won a victory from their opponents with a powerful offense and cheered on by the home fans.

In the third game of the finals, the Lakers won!

The third win in the Finals boosted the morale of the Lakers, and the young Lakers players saw hope of victory. The desire for glory made them work harder in the subsequent races. But the old spicy Heat's ironclad defense in Game 2 sent the young Lakers headlong into the south wall. In the second game, the Lakers, who are the third most offensive team in the league, scored just 88 points, which was almost the lowest score in a single game for the Lakers this season. The offense was contained, the defense was not as good as the place, and the Lakers lost the game.

After returning to Miami, the Heat did not give the Lakers a chance, and won the two games neatly. The Lakers were pushed to the edge of a cliff.

The line of life and death, the true character of the hero is shown at a critical time. Back in Los Angeles, His Majesty the Lakers' basketball emperor broke out under heavy pressure. Under the frenzy of 50 points at dawn, the Lakers won the battle of life and death at home, and did not let the opponent complete the coronation on their own doorstep.

In addition to making people sigh about the strength of the Lakers again, this game can only be to regret the decline of the Thunder. The futile stubborn resistance of the Thunder players in the second half also added a layer of tragedy. In this atmosphere of remembering the Thunder's past strength, but unfortunately their current decline, the Lakers have inadvertently become the villain of bullying the weak.

The next day, after Li Jing and Mozgov saw the report in the newspaper. I couldn't help but say, "Damn!" And then the whole day they looked at Clarkson made Clarkson's back cold—a chill!

After the referee's whistle, the game begins. After the jump ball, the Lakers got the offensive ball first. The basketball was handed to Dawn, and the other players quickly entered the attacking position.

Controlling the ball, Dawn secretly thought in his heart: Let's first weigh the Heat's defense. The No. 1 defense in the United States is very exciting.

"Whoosh!" The basketball flashed white, and before the two players could react, it had already crossed the gap between them in a straight line and was delivered to Lohr, who was standing under the basket.

What a quick pass!

The audience couldn't help but secretly admire.

Good chance, Lore received the ball right on the line of the penalty area, which was his attacking area. Side-to-side to the basket, Lore shook left and right and then suddenly jumped, threw with one hand, the basketball drew a high arc, jumped over the Heat blue to stop the player's hand and fell into the basket almost vertically.

Ball in! Lore got the Lakers off to a flying start.

A beautiful goal, simple, but sharp enough!

“yes!” Excited Lakers fans couldn't help but cheer after the ball went in.

On the court, Lore and Dawn high-fived each other, "The ball is beautifully passed!" "At times like these, he never skimps on his praise.

Dawn smiled faintly, turned around and quickly returned to the defense.

Behind him, the Heat players exclaimed: "Scored a goal so quickly? ”

"Lakers, his grandmother really lives up to her reputation!"

Inside Bosh said: "Don't talk nonsense, if you have this mind to praise others, it is better to spend more thoughts and ways to curb their attacks." "Maybe he's not the strongest of these players, but whether it's his steady, generous personality or because of his captaincy, he's undoubtedly the most authoritative elder in the team right now. The captain spoke, and everyone who was still unfinished had no choice but to immediately shut up and go into the attack.

But just from the ease that these players revealed, it can be seen that the Heat did not put themselves in the position of the weak against the strong in this game. They don't have a fear of the Lakers in their hearts.

If you don't have fear, you won't be afraid of losing your head, and at least the Heat players have a good mentality.

Offensive and defensive castling. It was the Heat's turn to attack.

The point guard passed the ball early before Dawn stepped forward to block it, and then quickly moved along the three-point line. The player who receives the ball skillfully presses inside under the block of his teammates...... It can be seen that this is a fairly skillful coordination routine.

After a pass from the inside, the basketball suddenly flew out of the inside. The perimeter relied on the pick-and-roll to get rid of the opponent's shooting guard quickly, and after receiving the ball, he shot blue, and the ball landed on the basket and bounced high.

The shot didn't go in though. But it was undoubtedly a pretty successful match.

Offense and defense are transposed, and the Lakers attack. Point guard Dawn controlled the ball and was blocked by a similarly sized shooting guard after halftime. After Dawn's two unsuccessful breakthroughs, he simply suddenly changed direction and relied on his speed to force his way through the opponent's block. Another defender came up to fill in the position, but the diagonal line interspersed with Liming's wrist shook his wrist and passed the ball in reverse, and the basketball bounced off the ground and handed it to Li Jing.

Li Jing raised the ball with both hands and shook it in front of his opponent, and then suddenly retreated and threw blue.

With a little less luck, the ball just fell on the basket and popped up.

……

After several offensive and defensive transitions, Liming and the others quickly saw the distinctive characteristics of the opponent in front of them in attack.

They didn't push very fast and their players weren't very aggressive in breaking through. Among all the teams the Lakers have encountered, there are not a few teams that have a stronger offense than them. The Thunder, the Spurs, the Warriors, these teams either have accurate shooters, or strong guards, or excellent forwards, or interior Optimus Prime, in short, these teams have a very obvious core player.

And the Heat that the Lakers are facing now can't see the existence of core players at all. In fact, from the video analysis of past Heat games obtained by the Lakers, these five people on the court really do not have a real core. Even James, he has not been arranged by the coach to have special tactics, and every player has the possibility of shooting directly when he has the ball in his hand.

Passing, pick-and-roll, covering, running without players, everything is in order. Every player on the pitch has his own role, but the performance of the players in every position is just qualified, and there is still a long way to go before it is excellent.

In the eyes of Dawn, none of these people were the most outstanding in consciousness and technique. The positioning is reasonable, but it's not the best. Example of a tube order: if they are in the position of the bos on the inside line slightly back half a step. The player in possession will be able to deliver the ball directly to him. And at that time he was close to the basket. Although the basic skills are solid, few people can complete the difficult technical movements proficiently. Offensive skills under the basket such as throwing and hooking, the Heat's two interior players had several opportunities and did not use them once.

……

Although Dawn can point out the shortcomings of the team in front of him, he can't deny that the Heat are indeed a pretty good team. Although the coordination of the five team members lacks the flexibility of improvisation, the inherent coordination routines are quite proficient. And the most rare thing is that the players of the Heat team are always in no hurry. Playing according to the tactics previously arranged by the coach, the performance of the Heat players can be said to be negative or calm, but no matter how skillfully they implement the tactical routines designed by the coach, they can still tear apart the Lakers' defense and get a chance to shoot.

Offensively lackluster. The Heat's defense really taught the Lakers players what makes them special. The Heat executed a tight man-to-man defense in the halfcourt, combined with a skilled zone defense. Although the tactics are simple, they can be as efficient as a wall with the skillful cooperation of the Heat players.

In the half-court marking tactics, the player responsible for defending Dawn has an excellent ability to break through his personal defense, not greedy for merit, not out of position, and would rather let go of the flaws revealed by Dawn than try to steal easily. For the rather rogue approach of the Heat players, even Cheng Liming has a bit of a feeling that the mouse has no way to start.

Of course. If that trick alone can stop him, then Dawn will be in vain as the NBA's No. 1 guard. The composure of the Heat players only made Dawn a little more troubled.

Outside of half-court marking, the Heat's combined defense is where they are truly brilliant defensively.

Defense. As the name suggests, joint defense. The essential difference from man-to-man defense is that man-to-man is the goal of man-to-man. However, the purpose of joint defense is always the basketball in the hands of the opponent. Joint defense is generally divided into two types: station joint defense and positioning joint defense. Positioning and marking is: defending in a way that a fixed person defends a certain area, which is not easy to interpret and varied, and can become a joint defense of marking and standing at any time. However, because the requirements for the team's tacit understanding and personal ability are too high, and the aggression is slightly weaker, it is not conducive to playing fast-paced games. The Heat, whether it is the player's personal ability or the team's knock on the contract, cannot meet the requirements of positioning joint defense, so the coach of the Heat will naturally not adopt this kind of joint defense.

They use a different kind of defense: positional defense, the most common of which are 2-1-2 and 2-3 defenses, both of which are aimed at consolidating rebounds and protecting the basket to strengthen the opponent's bottom line. Of course, it is inevitable that both defenses also have a common problem in joint defenses: blind spots. The bottom of the basket and the sides and three-pointers at the top of the arc are the blind spots for both types of defense. If the basket Bosh is promoted too slowly. The most likely scenario is that the opposing striker inserts from 45 degrees and plays a role at the penalty line and in the blind spot of the small penalty area.

In the Lakers, Li Jing and Liming's ability to cut into the interior is undoubtedly top-notch, and Lowe's ability to play alone under the basket is also a well-known NBA master. It's a bit unbelievable that the Heat have such a defensive lineup. But when the game actually started, it turned out surprisingly well.

The reasons for this should be manifold. In Wharton's view, there are three reasons for this.

The first reason should be the result of thorough research. Li Jing, Liming and even Clarkson have the habit of slipping the bottom line and cutting into the basket to attack. When they met the Heat's defense, they completely contained this point. The two leading scorers, Li Jing and Lowe, are both players who can exert their power the closer they get to the blue. Although Li Jing is a small forward and has the ability to score outside the three-point line, it is not impossible to see him as a big forward with the skills of a small forward. In fact, more than half of all his points are scored by power forward. Therefore, the Heat's defensive tactics have achieved good results at least in limiting Li Jing and Lore.

The second reason should be because of the Heat's interior Bosh. Their number four white border. Although it is not very conspicuous offensively, when defending, a strong body, the ability to move quickly, solid defensive movements under the basket, and excellent sense of assisting in the defense, all these are combined, and the white side is like a fish in water in defense. Left block square block. Defending Lore under the basket and intercepting Li Jing high in front of the penalty area, he is a natural defensive expert. His area of control is very wide, from the basket inside the box to the top of the arc outside the box. The blind spots on both sides of the basket and the three-point area at the top of the arc in the joint defense strategy, because of his presence, the threat to the Heat is not so obvious.

Whether it's a 2-1-2 or 2-3 combo. The two guards are responsible for defending the perimeter. The biggest advantage of the joint defense is that it plays more and less against the opponent with the ball. The Lakers' side has the longest possession time and the most frequent passing and receiving is undoubtedly their tactical core, the Dawn of the Brain. For the importance of Dawn in the Lakers team, no one in the NBA opponents dares to ignore it. The Heat, who have thoroughly studied the Lakers, naturally don't take Dawn lightly - knowing that the Chinese guard can score 81 points in a single game and turn the game around on his own. But they also noticed that when they were on the floor at the same time, the Chinese defender's desire to score was not always very strong. Take advantage of this opportunity. The Heat also carefully laid out defensive tactics against Dawn. For the 45-degree cut of dawn, resolute blocking, and fouls are not hesitated. And Liming's pass to Li Jing and Lohr didn't have to be forced to stop. This kind of focus has undoubtedly made it more difficult for the Heat players to defend, and it also gives them more room to turn around when defending Li Jing and Lowe.

And the fact is just as expected by the Heat players, when Li Jing and Lore had the opportunity, out of the duty of point guard, Liming did not hesitate to pass the ball to the two of them. It can be said that the mind of seeing through the dawn is the third reason for their defensive success.

Liming's pass was still so accurate and sharp, cutting through the gaps of the defense in a straight line and sending it directly to Li Jing and Luoer. Li Jing and Luo Er are still extraordinary, and they both maintain a fairly good hit rate on their individual shots. In the case of two opponents rushing up to wrap up, Li Jing jumped up to shoot, and the performance of the basketball into the basket won bursts of applause and cheers outside the court. Lore also has frequent opportunities to show difficult skills such as hook shots and throws, and he has also won many goals.

No matter how good the defense is, it can only limit the opponent's scoring to a certain extent, and it is not possible to completely prevent the opponent from scoring. Basketball is an offensive game after all. There is only a perfect offense on the basketball court, and there is no perfect defense. The scoring of Li Jing and Lore does not mean that the Heat's defense is unsuccessful, on the contrary, the Lakers have unknowingly fallen into the quagmire of the Heat's defense. Constantly interspersed, packed, and transposed, the Heat can always maintain a local advantage of playing more and less with the ball. Although the Lakers' scores are rising and their technical statistics are rising, they have unwittingly lost their efficient and fluent coordination that frightens the NBA team, and they have lost the hearty heartiness of the usual game, which disintegrates the opponent's defense like chopping melons and vegetables.

According to the new tactical theory, it can almost be said that it is the most perfect combination, a model of the combination of inside and outside, but today they seem to be rookies who can't cooperate.

Judging from the games so far, the Heat have done it to contain the Lakers. The situation on the field was not right, Wharton saw it off the field, and Dawn on the field also felt it.

The Lakers certainly won't let anyone else lead the way.

It's time for a change. (To be continued.) )