Chapter 957: Old Friend
The Nuggets players got to the bench, and Brian Shaw began to say:
'Listen to me, lads, now we're behind and we haven't scored in a couple of rounds, now we have to score, just score, and then hold on we have 12 minutes, and if we do it right, we can get 30 points in another 12 minutes, and it's not a big deal now.'
"Now it's all about scoring, then we have to be patient, and by the fourth quarter we've got a lot of chances."
After Bryan Shaw said this, he designed a tactical offense for the team on the sidelines, and now the Nuggets must score, and they must use scoring to wash away a series of previous failures, so Bryan Shaw's tactical design is very rigorous, contrary to his usual style of free offense.
After the timeout, the Nuggets stood in a row at the free throw line, and the Nuggets were bound to score points, and at this moment, the Pelicans' defensive enthusiasm was at the peak after four successful defenses.
As soon as the ball came out, it was seen that the players on both sides were running desperately while desperately chasing, in the process there were hidden pushes, collisions, squeezes, and even small black feet, but the attacker always had the initiative, Lawson used the cover of his teammates to quickly get the basketball at the top of the arc.
Then I saw that Foye, who had penetrated the bottom line, suddenly got Chandler's cover, and Foye ran towards 45 degrees at a rapid speed.
At this time, Mozgov came up to make a second cover for Foye, and suddenly blocked Foye behind.
At this time, everyone knew that Foye was going to do it, and Li Feng was in a bunch of people on the inside line, and he was also rushing towards Foye, but at this time, Mozgov blocked the route tightly.
When Li Feng hit Mozgov headfirst, Foye received a pass from Lawson, Foye was empty, and he was one step ahead of Li Feng and Granger, who were blocked by Mozgov.
At this point, he calmly jumped. Shot, seeing that Foye felt silky as soft as this shot.
At this time, Li Feng was originally in Mozgov, and the body behind him suddenly twisted, like a snake without bones, and rubbed past Mozgov in a daze, and this time Li Feng was only half a step away from Feye.
Half a step away was enough, Li Feng flew over, one hand was like a pu fan, and he grabbed the basketball that Foye had already shot, and then took it into his arms.
Li Feng actually picked up the star with one hand. Grabbed Foye's ball from the air.
At this moment, the Pepsi Center Arena went crazy, and the Nuggets' players' faces changed in an instant, and Brian Shaw's well-designed tactical offense also failed, Li Feng actually squeezed past Mozgov incredibly, and then unbelievably picked off the shot that Foye had already shot with one hand?
Just when the Nuggets players were stupid and Bryan Shaw was stupid, Li Feng waved his big hand, and Foye, who ran to the front, was another fast-break dunk.
The Pelicans were completely defeated by the Nuggets' will. Li Feng used his incredible defense and flexibility to make the Nuggets feel powerless to resist.
Brian Shaw called a timeout, designed a tactical offense that was also ineffective, and was still defended by the Pelicans. And he was beaten up for a fast-break dunk again.
All of a sudden, all of the Nuggets were finally dismantled, and the Nuggets were really finished, and since then. The Pelicans controlled the game, the Nuggets had no fighting spirit, and the game was over. The Pelicans beat the Nuggets 122-101.
After losing the opening game, the Pelicans won back-to-back two in a row, and the two victories increased the Pelicans' confidence a lot.
And this game against the Nuggets played a big score, which not only proved the Pelicans' ability to score, but also brought some insight and confidence to the Pelicans' young players about defense, which is very important.
When the Pelicans won the game, the Nuggets media naturally scolded the Nuggets management, coaches, and players, and then praised the Pelicans by the way.
……
After two straight wins, the Pelicans have met another old friend, and that is the New Jersey Nets.
After suffering a defeat in last year's Finals, this year's Nets are poised to make a comeback with their best four-game winning streak.
Old-fashioned, disciplined, and executed like an army, it takes a lot of effort to beat them, no matter which team they are.
At this time, the Pelicans have just finished back-to-back, and people feel that this year's Pelicans have too many ups and downs, and it is estimated that they will not be able to win against the united Nets.
At the same time, the Nets did not despise the Pelicans at all, and Lionel Hollins made special adjustments to the Pelicans before the game, and also designed a set of defensive tactics specifically for Li Feng.
In the march to the playoffs, the Nets are on a solid footing, and the Pelicans are about to face a strong and determined opponent.
New Orleans, the center of New Orleans, although the Pelicans are a little unstable, but the team has grown greatly this season and there are stars to watch, so the attendance is still very gratifying.
Before the game began, the audience was almost half seated, and at this time, Grant Hill of ABC TV, who was broadcasting today's game, said:
"It's definitely a big challenge for the Pelicans to meet the Nets this year."
Joan Barry, who was partnered with Grant Hill to comment on today's game, said:
"Yes! The table of the first two games can be described as quite good. ”
"If the Pelicans were at the same level as they were in the previous two games, I can't imagine what they'd be like with the old Nets."
While Grant Hill and Joan Barry were talking, Li Feng and a group of Pelicans players were also holding back in the players' tunnel.
At this time, Li Feng was in the players' tunnel, shouting loudly at his teammates:
"Beat them! Tear up their old bones, and we're going to give them something nice to look at. We're the toughest team, fight them to the death! Tear apart the bones of these old things. ”
In Li Feng's roar, the Pelicans players also yelled together
"Tear apart their old bones!" ”
Today, the Pelicans are ready to fight each other at home, and neither Li Feng nor the team's management want to go up and down like this, although it is a run-in.
At the same time, the Nets, who never give up on victory, are also well prepared, but these old guys are also calmly waiting for victory.
Both teams played, and the starting lineups came out at the same time, with point guard Stephen Curey and scoring guard Danny Granger on the Pelicans' side. Small forward Li Feng, power forward Al Jefferson, center Henson.
The starting lineup on the Nets' side is point guard Delon, scoring guard Joe Johnson, small forward Carmelo Anthony, power forward David Lee, and center Kevin Garnett.
The Pelicans sent Henson to start this game, and the Nets also tacitly let Lopez be a substitute, I don't know if it's a coincidence or what?
The Nets' record this year is astonishing, and in fact the team's basic shelf does not collapse. With a casual side dish and Hollins' iron-fisted rule, the team can still achieve good results.
After the rookie coaches Kidd and Pierce, the basic playing style of the Nets this season has not changed much, and the strength of the team is still there, but this is also the Nets' position-based play, and this season the Nets will transform into an old and fast, fast and mature style that we see now......
At this time, the pelican is like the rising sun, a rising star. One new and one old, at this time in the center of New Orleans met in different attitudes.
In the opening scrum, the elder Garnett couldn't jump past Henson, a beast, anyway, and Henson clicked the basketball over. The Pelicans, on their side, started attacking first.
Corey controlled the ball, and the Pelicans first set up an open formation, putting Al Jefferson and Henson both in the high post, and Corey came over. Li Feng immediately ran forward from Al Jefferson's body and used Al Jefferson's cover to insert it to the basket.
At this point, Al Jefferson went up to catch the ball and got the basketball. As soon as he looked back at Li Feng, Li Feng had basically stopped Anthony, who was in charge of defending him, and Al Jefferson immediately passed the ball to the ground, and the basketball went to Li Feng's hands.
Li Feng sat up with all his strength towards the two steps, Anthony immediately couldn't hold on, Li Feng sat in one step, and at this time, the moment David Li came over to help defend, Li Feng jumped up and threw a high throw.
Compared to David Lee, there is not much bounce, and Li Feng has no choice but to watch Li Feng's high throw ball fall into his own basket.
Today, the Pelicans played Li Feng at the beginning and played low at the beginning, showing a tough posture all of a sudden.
Just when Li Feng succeeded, Grant Hill, who was commentating the game, immediately said:
"The Pelicans' tactics today are very different from before, and the Pelicans must have adjusted after hiding Pau Gasol."
For an old man like Grant Hill, he will be sensitive to any change on the court.
After the Pelicans scored, the Nets immediately kicked off in the backcourt, but the Nets' running and positioning were completely different from the Pelicans.
On the Nets' side, Deron deliberately slowed down the speed with the ball, allowing Garnett and David Lee to run quickly and insert directly into the baseline to suppress the low post.
The Pelicans pulled away, but the Nets went straight to the basket. From the running position and the standing position, you can see the difference between the tactics of the two teams.
Deron didn't hold the ball himself, but passed the ball to Anthony who pulled out first, and he quickly ran without the ball along the sideline and the baseline, and in the process, David Lee and Garnett both helped Deron cover on the baseline with high quality.
But when he turned out to the other side, Al Jefferson's cover quality was much worse, and he didn't let DeLong run out of the empty space.
In this way, Anthony can only pass the ball to Al Jefferson who responds, Al Jefferson took the ball but did not attack himself, but turned around and passed the basketball to Delon, Delon got the basketball and quickly broke through the middle, attracting the Pelicans' defensive pass to Anthony on one side, Anthony passed the ball to David Lee on the bottom line, and David Lee missed the shot.
The Nets played a very complicated game in the first round, very patient, and very much in the style of the Nets.
Even though they missed, the basketball worked, which is extremely difficult for many teams to do.
And from the offense in this round, it is clear that the core of the Nets' operation has shifted from Garnett's body to Delon's body.
The tactics prepared for DeLong's receiving from the beginning, and Al Jefferson's first reaction to the ball was to block and dismantle DeLong, not anything, which shows that DeLong has firmly occupied the first core position in the Nets' system.
The Nets' offensive miss this time is of course due to the fact that the Nets' offensive details are not in place, and the Pelicans' tenacious defense has also brought huge trouble to the Nets. Especially the Pelicans' defensive speed, which the Pelicans do particularly well.
The Nets missed a shot, and the Pelicans protected the rebound in the backcourt. Immediately passed the basketball to Corey.
Corey took the ball and ran over, and Li Feng and Granger, two three-pointers, immediately pulled the space away at 45 degrees on the left and right, and then El Jefferson and Henson made several vertical cross-covers near the box on the right.
Henson pulled out to the high post, Al Jefferson stuck down to the low post, and Corey passed the ball to Li Feng again.
Li Feng passed the basketball to Al Jefferson from 45 degrees, and let Al Jefferson fight David Lee.
Al Jefferson came up and forced a step, and then when he got up to attack, he was immediately squeezed out of place by David Lee.
There was no position, and Al Jefferson's shot immediately lost his crosshairs and smashed into the rebound, and Al Jefferson's interior offense failed.
The Pelicans are prepared on the defensive end, and so are the Nets. Al Jefferson, a Pelicans home cooking, can't be eaten on the Nets.
Al Jefferson missed, and Garnett immediately got up and grabbed the rebound, which was quickly passed.
The basketball passed, and Delon took the ball and quickly dribbled forward, but at this time, the Pelicans' defense bit the Nets.
The Nets' fast break couldn't play at all, and at this time, the players who followed up behind the Nets immediately stood on the four corners of the court with great quality, completely pulling out the space. Let Delon be alone on the left and go head-to-head with Cory.
Delon himself is an assaulter, and when he breaks through with the ball at this time, the Pelicans' interior line immediately comes out to help defend.
was blocked outside by Delong all of a sudden, and Delong couldn't break through. I had to turn around and pass the basketball to Garnett, who just ran over.
Garnett took the ball and shot directly from mid-range in the high post, but also missed.
In the first two minutes of today's game, both teams played not very well.
The Nets encountered the Pelicans' tenacious defense, and it was basically difficult to take advantage, and the Pelicans wanted to easily gnaw on the old bone of the Nets, and they were afraid that they would break their teeth.
Both teams have a high intensity defensively. It's a bit difficult to score. It looked like it was a lively game, but the score was low, and now it's been two minutes into it. The score was still 2-0.
The Pelicans came over again, but Li Feng took the initiative to shoot, Corey came up with the ball, and when he broke through to the bottom line with a high cover, Li Feng took the opportunity to cut in from the weak side to the penalty area.
Corey took the opportunity to pass the ball, Li Feng took the ball and faked a little, Anthony did not jump, so Li Feng could only support his feet and did not move, turned around and made a turn to shoot.
With Li Feng's shot, the Pelicans rewrote the score to 4-0, although Li Feng hit these two points, but the low score of today's game has been revealed.
From the opening moment, the two teams were stumbling and entangled, and by the middle of the first quarter, the two teams were only 10-7 low.
The reason for this situation is mainly because the defensive level of both teams is very high, the intensity is very high, and the players have not adapted for a while, let alone found the corresponding strategy.
In this way, the low score is a matter of course, and it is Van Gundy who makes the first substitution at such times.
Van Gundy saw that the offensive firepower was insufficient, and immediately switched to an offensive center, and he replaced Gasol in the middle of the first quarter.
On the Nets' side, they quickly changed a shooting guard, and they replaced Alan Anderson, who had a more solid shot, at a time when both teams were stepping up on the offensive end to try to break the deadlock first.
At this time, ABC's commentator Joan Barry saw the Pelicans fighting the Nets here, and said:
"See! The Pelicans are also anxious and want to bring the decline back today. But it's not easy to pluck the Nets again! The Pelicans wanted to get the win back, but their opponents made the wrong move. ”
"So you don't think the Pelicans can win today!"
Grant Hill heard the other party's tone and immediately asked.
Joanbari nodded and said:
"Of course, they're facing the Nets! The Nets won't give up a game lightly, and the Pelicans' recent form has really not been good! In this situation, the Nets have a big chance of winning, and the Pelicans have little hope. ”
The game has become this kind of attribution, this is the rhythm of the Nets, seeing this kind of scene, not only Joanbari thinks that the Nets will win, all fans who know the Nets will think that the Nets must have won.
Under this rhythm, the pelican is indeed very uncomfortable.
The Pelicans are a young team, and although youth is not a reason to fail, they are indeed inferior to the old Nets in terms of experience and patience.
And the Pelicans played a happy and fast shooting tactic before. It's really not easy to be so entangled with the Nets on the battlefield now.
While the Pelicans were still adjusting, the Nets were the first to adjust. The Nets' several tactics starting with Deron were unsuccessful.
Now that the focus of the offense has shifted to the inside, Garnett is old, but his foundation is not comparable to ordinary players.
The Nets put on the tactical illusion of a baseline cover and suddenly passed the basketball to Garnett near the baseline.
As soon as Garnett got the basketball, he made a shooting feint very clumsily, facing this feint. When Gasol was slightly distracted, Garnett had already taken the ball and hit the basket in one step.
When he got to the basket, Garnett's old spiciness was reflected, and he turned around with the ball. With a feint, Gasol immediately jumped to his feet.
Just as Gasol was jumping, Garnett turned his body around, got up to face the basket, and his body was very stretched with a one-handed dunk.
"Bang dang!"
Garnett actually deducted violently, and the old Garnett hasn't been so popular for a long time. Now a dunk came out, and all of a sudden everyone was shocked, and the New Orleans Center was shocked.
After so long of hibernation, this old wolf finally showed a little bit of divine power today. Van Gundy, who was on the sidelines at this time, also shook his head somewhere, Gasol's defense was still too poor. Eat the loss of this old thing.
At the same time, Grant Hill exclaimed:
"Garnett dunked! The old guy finally got his best. It's not even the playoffs! It's not easy to see this old guy desperate so early, it's not easy! ”
Although Joan Barry had previously supported the Nets, he never expected Garnett to have such a performance. Now that he saw Garnett dunk, his eyes lit up and he said:
"Garnett made a move, and it looks like the Pelicans are going to suffer a big loss!"
Garnett is the strongest power forward in the new century, although Lian is quite old. But if you really want to fight for a while, it is not something that ordinary people can resist.
Just after Garnett dunked, Van Gundy immediately went to the sideline and yelled at his players.
This is the Pelicans' turnaround battle, how can the Nets beat their morale. So at this time, Van Gundy was also mad.
In Van Gundy's roar, the Pelicans quickly advanced back, and at this time the Pelicans were also furious, a group of young people were played by an old man, which felt very bad, so the Pelicans players immediately launched fire when they arrived at the half of the Nets, Li Feng used Gasol's blocking to break through to the bottom line, and then suddenly turned back to pass the ball to Gasol. At this point, Gasol was in the vacant seat.
The Spaniards took the ball to the middle distance, but unfortunately in this fierce situation, this kid's psychological element was not up to par, and his shot in the open position was also missed.
The Pelicans missed the mid-range, and the Nets' level of protective rebounding was very high, and they had already stuck the basketball down, but as a result, several people grabbed it together and touched the basketball to the bottom line.
The Nets just played a good shot and gave the Pelicans a bargain.
As soon as Van Gundy saw that he had this kind of advantage, he immediately leaned over and yelled at the court.
"Steady, steady attack, steady play!"
In Van Gundy's roar, the Pelicans regrouped and let Li Feng's off-ball running first attract the opponent's attention.
Al Jefferson spread his feet, ran a lap from the high position, and took advantage of the emptiness of the opponent's interior line to get the position in the master.
The Pelicans' tactic was played, but by the time the basketball was delivered to Al Jefferson.
Al Jefferson still couldn't beat David Lee, came up and hooked from the line, but the shot missed, this time the basketball was controlled by the Nets, and the Nets were not in an own goal.
The Nets grabbed the rebound in the backcourt and immediately passed the ball to Jack, who took advantage of the dead ball to get on the court, and Jack came over with the ball and immediately played a tactic that was almost the same as the opening.
Jack passed the ball to DeLong, and he himself took advantage of the continuous cover from the baseline to move towards the weak side.
The Nets' tactic was not successful before, but this time the Nets covered it solidly.
Jack quickly ran out and received the basketball and raised his hand, and Li Feng, who chased out, immediately stiffened his feet, Jack took this opportunity to want to pass Li Feng, but Li Feng came back immediately and delayed him. (To be continued......)