Coach: Coaching the Grizzlies at the beginning, playing the bantam

Chapter 266 The pinnacle battle of the Eastern Conference!

On the 20th, the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals kicked off at Madison Square Garden in New York.

When the players came on stage, Coach Zhang introduced the lineup with enthusiasm. "This series must be the most exciting matchup this year. The two teams have a combined six players selected for this year's All-Stars. If you add in Ray Allen, Tyson Chandler and Kidd, all the former All-Stars, Stars, I can’t think of any other word to describe them other than shining stars.”

Su Qun smiled and said: "The Heat attach great importance to this season. They got the league's three-point champion Ray Allen after many fights in the summer. Their strength has improved a lot compared to last year. With the addition of veterans Mike Miller, Lewis and others, now The Heat's offensive firepower in the backcourt is very strong, and even if they are stronger than the Knicks, they can't guarantee a guaranteed victory."

Director Zhang said: "In addition, the Heat not only have more three-pointers from the outside, but James and Wade's breakthrough counterattacks are also killer moves. This season, the Heat's fast break scoring using counterattacks ranks first in the league. Many people compare them with That SuperSonics team back then was able to provide smooth offensive coordination."

"In terms of offense alone, the Heat are not inferior to the Knicks, so I think defense is the key to winning this series. Whoever does better on the defensive end of the two teams has a greater chance of winning. On paper Looking at the lineup, the Knicks and Heat are evenly matched.”

The Heat's perimeter depth is indeed very strong. In addition to the three stars of James, Wade, and Ray Allen, there are also Chalmers who is good at defense, Cole who is good at disrupting chaos, and veteran Mike Miller. Over three-point king James Jones.

The Heat's only weakness is the center. Both Joel Anthony and Josh Harrelson were difficult to use in the playoffs. This also led to the Heat using Bosh to play center most of the time and using a small lineup to face the game.

Bosh is an excellent space insider, but he still suffers when playing center. He averages only 6.8 rebounds per game, which is not as high as James's.

Power forward Haslem is quite active, but his form has declined seriously this season, averaging only 3.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Entering the playoffs, his scoring average increased to 5 points per game, but his rebounds dropped to 3.6.

Now he is more like the spiritual leader of the Heat. The significance of starting the game is to inspire his teammates and devote all his enthusiasm in the limited playing time.

Lu Yong arranged the tactics in advance in the locker room and made adjustments to the starting lineup according to the Heat's playing style.

Knicks starting lineup: Deron Williams, Butler, Anthony, Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler.

Heat starting lineup: Wade, Ray Allen, James, Haslem, Bosh.

Lu Yong's adjustment of putting Chandler in the starting lineup was to limit James' breakthrough. During this period, James was very afraid that his opponent would have a big center to protect the basket, and the effect would definitely be better than Stoudemire's.

The only bad thing after Chandler starts is that the space becomes smaller, which means sacrificing part of the offensive firepower to strengthen defense. This is also a routine operation of every team in the playoffs. Take a stab at it first and see what the situation is.

The Heat made no adjustments and still let Haslem start, instead of Uncle Huo who is good at offense but not good at defense.

Juwan Howard is 40 years old, and his old arms and legs are not suitable for starting.

In the second quarter, he came off the bench to open up space and put less defensive pressure.

The two sides jumped the ball in the middle circle, and Chris Bosh bounced faster, helping the Heat get the first offensive ball in the opening game.

After James received the ball, he passed the ball to Wade. The latter played a pick-and-roll in the middle and broke through from the right. Seeing Chandler sinking down and strictly guarding the penalty area without breaking out, he took a step back to open up the distance, faced the defense and scored a pull-up jumper. 0 to 2.

In the 13 playoffs, Wade had fewer breakthroughs due to knee injuries. He used more mid-range turnaround jumpers in positional battles, averaging 15.9 points per game, a career low.

Lu Yong sat on the sidelines with an expressionless face. Wade's step-back mid-range shot is not a big problem. This guy's field goal percentage this year is only 45.7% and 25% from three-pointers. The Heat's scoring efficiency is very low based on his jump shot. Not enough to kill the game.

After getting up and tidying up his suit, Lu Yong put his hands in front of his mouth like a trumpet and shouted to the players: "Your defense is good, just play like this, don't mess up the rhythm."

In a positional battle, Deron Williams takes the ball from the outside and plays a pick-and-roll breakthrough with Chandler in the middle, attracting the defense to hit the ball to the ground and pass it to the middle.

Chandler lowered his center of gravity, squeezed Bosh away with strength, caught the ball and scored a layup. 2 to 2.

In a suitable tactical system, even Chandler can become an excellent finisher. Deron has good passing choices. As long as Chandler makes full use of his athletic talent, it will be difficult for Bosh to guard him in the low post.

When he was with the Hornets, he had Chris Paul feeding him the ball, and he averaged 62.3 points per game with a 11.8% shooting rate.

Deron's passing skills are not inferior to Paul's, and Chandler is also very comfortable playing next to him. As long as the opponent is not a top insider like "Warcraft", the air cut after the pick and roll is also very threatening.

The Heat attacked, and the players spread the ball around the perimeter and patiently looked for opportunities.

Haslem pulled out a high pick-and-roll, and Wade broke through with the ball, attracting Stoudemire's defense and passing to the right side to Bosh.

Bosh caught the ball on the left side of the free throw line, faked a shot on the spot, pulled Chandler out of the penalty area, then changed direction and broke through the baseline. He made a throw on the board and hit the ball, 2-4.

The Heat started with a fierce attack, with two stars, Wade and Bosh, scoring one after another. Their strength was visible to the naked eye.

The Knicks attacked, and Deron played a pick-and-roll with Chandler again. This time Deron passed the ball to Chandler. Bosh got stuck in position early, and the boxing champion accelerated in a straight line and failed to rush forward.

Chandler doesn't pose much threat with the ball outside the three-second zone, so he can only move the ball and pass it to Anthony.

Anthony threatened James in isolation with a three-pointer in the frame. He took a sudden step and found an opportunity in the left corner. He made a mistake in transferring the ball in a wide range and was intercepted by Wade who came out from the weak side.

James rushed out from the backcourt, received a pass from Wade, and started a fast break.

Anthony returned to defense quickly, and James pulled the ball up near the free throw line. He leaned forward and passed it to Wade, who was following behind. The latter moved away from Deron and followed up with him. He took three steps to pick the basketball with his low hand and scored. 2 to 6.

Director Zhang sighed: "The Heat have a balanced offense and defense and are very fast. The Knicks are finally in trouble."

Dealing with the Big Four Heat, Lu Yong is actually not as easy as it seems on the surface. At least the Knicks cannot unilaterally crush them like they did in the first two rounds and can only fight hard.

In the first few attacks, it can be seen that the Heat were very well prepared before the game, and the players performed very well on both offense and defense.

After frowning and thinking for a while, Lu Yong stood up again and shouted into the court: "Go to the horse-mounting tactic, Cameron, give me a singles in the next round!"

In response to the Knicks' pick-and-roll system, the Heat obviously made targeted arrangements in advance, and then launched an attack through Deron, which was only effective. They simply let Anthony hold the ball in singles. He still had an advantage against James. Skill and patience are better.

Hearing the signal given by Lu Yong, Anthony nodded slightly. Isolation is not only an art, it is also a tactic in the Knicks. The team with the scoring champion is so willful.

Anthony caught the ball at the top of the arc and gestured for his teammates to pull away. He stepped forward from the free throw line to face the three-point threat, lowered his shoulders to adjust his center of gravity, and suddenly made a mid-range shot to avoid James' block. The ball went hollow into the net. Whoa! 4 to 6.

The Knicks did not play any coordination in this game, relying on the individual abilities of the stars.

Although it sounds low-level, the effect is really good.The Heat players all looked confused. They didn't understand why they didn't play pick-and-roll and suddenly switched to isolation?
Where is the promised offensive master?

The result is this?

The Heat attacked, and Bosh provided a screen for Ray Allen to help him get out of the way and receive a pass from Wade.

Ray Allen took the ball and shook it, knocking off Butler's center of gravity. He took a step inside with the ball and made a two-point pull-up jumper. 4 to 8.

Chandler was not guarded in the penalty area. His most important task today is to protect the frame. He does not need to interfere from the outside. He just accepted it when Lu Yong was killed by the Heat.

Ray Allen's goal is also a display of personal ability, and the rhythm of the pull-up jumper is perfect.

This is where star pitchers are difficult to guard against. They are fundamentally different from ordinary shooters.

The Knicks were not far behind at the start, but Lu Yong changed from normal and called a timeout, with a solemn expression between his brows.

If they continue to use the twin towers, it will be difficult for the Knicks to defend against the Heat's offense, and they will suffer too much from their inside speed.

Heat players continued to use screens and counterattacks to create opportunities, and the Big Three all played a role, which is not a good sign.

Through the competition in the regular season, Spoelstra knew that the Knicks were good at playing a pass-and-cut system, so he made targeted arrangements before the game. This year, he was truly prepared.

Lu Yong made substitutions. Stoudemire, the all-powerful "little bully" in the first two rounds, left the game early and sent in Draymond Green, adding a faster forward.

Director Zhang looked confused. "Lu Yong's substitution is confusing. Why did he use rookie Green? Stoudemire is the Knicks' second-leading scorer. If he goes off the court, the Knicks' offensive firepower will be even worse."

Su Qun thought for a while and said: "Lu Shuai's substitution should be to strengthen the defense on the outside. When Chandler does not have to defend, the defensive role of the fourth position becomes even more important, allowing Stoudemire to It is too far-fetched to lead the defense on the perimeter, and the young Green is more suitable for this job."

A player like Green is a typical neither three nor four nor five player. He could not even hit the ball when he entered the league ten years ago, but he is very suitable to deal with the Heat's small ball lineup. Playing at the fourth position, he can protect the frame and assist. Defending the outside line, he can also shoot from outside the three-point line on the offensive end, which is the core of the tactics.

While it's risky to replace Stoudemire so early, replacing the team's second-leading scorer with a rookie is sure to cause dissatisfaction among fans.But Lu Yong firmly believes that it is right to send Green to the field to enhance mobility at this time. He has seen Green in his peak period and understands Green better than others. There is no problem at all in playing power forward.

After the timeout, Green made an impact as soon as he came on the court. He organized the ball in the middle and passed the ball hand-to-hand from the top of the arc to Anthony and hit a long two-point jumper. He used his body to block James who was following behind him, his eyes full of murderous intent. 6 to 8.

On the defensive end, Tyson Chandler sticks to the penalty area and mainly defends breakthroughs and cuts in the interior.

With Tyson Chandler behind him, Green doesn't have to worry about being stolen. He can be directly pulled out to help defend against interference when encountering pick-and-rolls, and he is faster than Stoudemire.

In Lu Yong's previous life, many fans questioned that Green's defensive ability was seriously overestimated. His ability to win DPOY was entirely due to the Warriors' tactical system.But in fact, Green's ability to grow from a second-round pick to the best defensive player has a lot to do with his own talent.

Green has excellent footwork and outstanding reading ability on the court. He can respond to various situations well and can cause a fatal blow when the opponent attacks.

In addition, he has outstanding lower body strength, and his lateral speed is not affected by the outside world. He runs back and forth on the inside and outside to wipe the butt of his teammates. With such physical strength and enthusiasm, it is difficult to say that he is overestimated.

Even in terms of defending superstars, Green's defense can only be said to be not very good, but as a help defender, this guy's good wingspan and accurate prediction can appear in the right position in time after his teammates are out of position, giving him The opponent exerts enough pressure to disrupt the opponent's offense.

Lu Yong is very aware of Green's characteristics, so he dares to put him on the court to help defend the perimeter and hand over the heavy responsibility of protecting the frame to Chandler. This is the best expression of Green's defensive power.

In the next two rounds, the Heat failed to score.

James and Wade were blocked from breaking through and passing the ball to the outside. Their jump shots were interfered by Green's defense, and their efficiency was average.

On the Knicks' side, Anthony scored two goals in a single, helping the Knicks quickly close the point difference.

James has been a regular on the best defensive team in recent years, but he has struggled against Anthony.

Because Anthony can finish in various ways, he is the type that James dislikes guarding the least.

From a long distance, Anthony can directly make a pull-up jumper, step forward and get close to him. After three threats, Anthony can change directions and break through. Even if he defends the first step, Anthony can also use the difficult turning movement to make a fadeaway jumper. He is worthy of the "offensive kaleidoscope" title.

Against the Knicks, Spoelstra did not dare to arrange a double-team, so he could only defend Anthony alone, which tested James' physical fitness.

After a few more rounds, Spoelstra saw that his team was starting to fall behind, so he could only pause and proactively adjust his tactics.

Let Bosh focus the attack instead, pull him to the outside to single out Tyson Chandler, and the two of them look for opportunities to cut without the ball.

Bosh is not very efficient in one-on-one with Chandler in the low post, but pulling out for jump shots is his strength. Chandler is heavy and slow to move laterally, which makes it difficult to face Bosh who plays the fifth position.

Lu Yong naturally has a way to deal with this.

Get up and hand over the task of guarding the pick-and-roll to Green and let him pester Bosh, so that Chandler can face Haslem, and the pressure is obviously much less.

The Knicks' position battle with the Heat was back-and-forth. Green solved the defensive problem after coming on the court. The only bad thing was that the offense stretched his hips, and his efficiency was indeed not as good as Stoudemire's.

What is more surprising is Butler. He started to show strength after running back a lot at the beginning. He had a physical advantage in one-on-one singles against Ray Allen. On the offensive end, he made 3 of 3 shots and scored 7 points, helping the Knicks to close the gap. .

Because Anthony and Deron Williams were on the court, fans rarely paid attention to Butler's performance.

In fact, his breakthrough ability is not bad. This season, it is already above the league average. When attacking with the ball, he likes to seek physical confrontation. Ray Allen really can't guard him at his age.

The biggest characteristic of Butler's early career is his strong ability to draw fouls. In the next round, he used an air cut to cause a defensive foul by Ray Allen. He played well tonight.

The biggest highlight of the first quarter, apart from Anthony's confrontation with the Big Three, is the rivalry between Butler and Ray Allen.

两人分别得到10分3篮板1抢断和9分2篮板1助攻，尼克斯34比33领先。

(End of this chapter)