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

Chapter 269 Fierce battle at Tianwang Mountain!Break out, Deron!
On the 28th, the much-anticipated Eastern Conference Finals Tianwangshan kicked off at Madison Square Garden in New York.

After Lu Yong walked into the locker room, he found that everyone was quiet, with seriousness written all over his face. Even Stoudemire, who usually loves to show off, was silent.

Maybe Stoudemire wasn't so nervous at the beginning, but as the atmosphere in the locker room became more and more depressing, he stopped joking due to the influence of the environment.

Sitting aside quietly arranging sneakers, waiting for the game to start.

Anthony is under the greatest pressure. As the star player, he must take the lead in a crucial game like Tianwangshan.

In order to adjust his condition, he wore headphones and listened to music before the game. He closed his eyes and was recharging his energy. He didn't even hear Lu Yong push the door open and come in.

In fact, not only the Knicks are under great pressure at this moment, but the Heat are also not doing much better. The Big Three are massaging and warming up with the help of the team doctor, and they talk very little.

Lu Yong knew that players were more likely to make mistakes when playing in this atmosphere, so he pretended to be relaxed and chatted with many people.

"Deron, how does it feel to reach the conference finals?"

"not bad."

"Don't be pressured in this game. Take bold shots when opportunities arise from the outside. Counterattack and hit the ball in time when you see mismatches. Don't worry about mistakes. You are the calmest brain in the team. Only if you maintain the level can the Knicks play smooth teamwork. Remember, the Heat should be nervous, not us."

Lu Yong and Deron Williams had a brief exchange of words. Although chicken soup is useless, I have to admit that sometimes it can indeed arouse the players' emotions, which can be regarded as a method of the head coach.

Entering the playoffs, the Knicks' scorer with the most points is Anthony, followed by Stoudemire. Even the sixth man, J.R. Smith, has a higher scoring average than Deron.

However, as a top point guard, Deron Williams naturally cannot use scoring data to measure his value. In the first two rounds, Deron averaged 16.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 9.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game, shooting 46.8% from the field and three-pointers. The ball was shot 34.2% of the time and he instigated counterattacks in the backcourt many times. He is the well-deserved brains of the Knicks team.

If even he can't get rid of his nervousness, the Knicks will definitely run into obstacles on offense and not be able to perform at their normal level.

This is not what Lu Yong wants to see. He hopes that Deron, the nominal third-in-command, can stand up and lead his teammates in his own way. After all, the Heat's defense against him is relatively loose and he creates more scoring opportunities than Anthony and Stoudemire. Easier.

The Heat's insider is Bosh, who moves relatively quickly. Deron can create damage in the mid-range position without hitting the basket after pick-and-roll.The Heat's focus in defending the pick-and-roll is on Stoudemire. This is an opportunity for Deron to break out.

Lu Yong sorted out his thoughts and said to Deron Williams: "Today I will arrange for you to focus on the first quarter. Whether it is scoring by yourself or assisting your teammates, I hope you can stand up and take responsibility. The Heat position battle will definitely Focus on arranging defense against Anthony, and I let you focus on the attack, which they didn't expect. I believe you have this ability."

Deron Williams also played the role of the team boss in the early years. He has never lacked self-confidence. If Lu Yong gives him enough ball rights, it will not be difficult for him to average 25+10 per game. .

The reason why Deron feels nervous is that he has never played in the conference finals, but since Lu Yong has arranged it this way, he will definitely go all out, and there is no fear at all.

After chatting with the players one by one, the pressure in everyone's hearts was indeed relieved, and they were no longer as nervous as they were at the beginning.

Several veterans, Lu Yong, didn't need to communicate much and just gave a few casual instructions.

This is not the first time for players like Kidd, Kenyon Martin, Turkoglu and others to play in the conference finals. They know how to play when they go on the court and don't need anyone else to enlighten them.

At seven o'clock in the evening, players from both sides played on time.

Anthony entered the stage last and received the warmest applause from the audience.

Lu Yong also received a lot of applause when he came out. He walked to the bench wearing a black suit, waved to the fans around him with a smile, and then chatted with several "Hollywood" stars sitting in the front row.

If the fans hadn't known that he was the head coach of the Knicks, those watching the game for the first time would have thought that Lu Yong was also in the entertainment industry.

During the domestic CCTV5 live broadcast of the game, the commentator Su Qun laughed and said: "Lu Yong's outfit looks so much like a star. He wears a black suit with his head turned sideways and stands in front of people in the entertainment industry. He is very elegant. If one day he is no longer in the sports circle If you go to the entertainment industry with this look, you won’t have to worry about not being able to make a living.”

Of course, Lu Yong doesn't know the outside world's evaluation of him. He is now focused on the game. This match point battle is crucial, and the Knicks cannot afford to lose.

After the players warmed up, the starting lineups of the two teams were announced on the big screen.

Knicks five: Deron Williams, J.R. Smith, Anthony, Stoudemire, Chandler.

Lu Yong made adjustments to the starting lineup. He brought on J.R. Smith to maximize his offensive firepower and compete with the Heat.

Butler performed well in this series, but his second-year shooting level is average and is far less powerful than JR Smith.

Ray Allen has delivered good long-range shooting efficiency in the past two games. Butler needs to share the offensive pressure while not doing a good job of defending him. Instead of sitting back and waiting for death, Lu Yong wants to be more proactive.

Assistant coach Jacqui Vaughn has raised objections to this. He hopes to strengthen the offense while ensuring defense.

J.R. Smith's defense awareness and enthusiasm are definitely not as good as Butler's. Let him start in New York's backcourt and the defensive level is too weak. Once the players feel bad, the situation will be more dangerous.

Lu Yong did not adopt a conservative strategy and explained his views to his assistant coaching team. In the first four games, the two teams tied 2-2. The Heat insisted on playing small ball and also gave up defense. He firmly believed that the Knicks could not lose to anyone in the league in terms of offense. As a team, this starting lineup makes it easier to take advantage.

Heat five: Wade, Ray Allen, Battier, James, Bosh.

Spoelstra also changed his lineup, replacing Mike Miller with 3D player Shane Battier as a small forward to defend Anthony, hoping to free James on the defensive end and allow him to allocate more energy to the offense.

Even though Battier has slowed down a lot due to age and is only averagely effective against Anthony alone, he is already the Heat's best defensive player besides James, and his three-point shooting percentage is as high as 43%, which can also play a role in opening up the gap. The role of space.

There are pros and cons to doing this. It will be more uncomfortable for Battier to play starter Anthony in isolation, but the Knicks can be much more relaxed on defense.

Mike Miller's level of catching and shooting far exceeds that of Battier. Spoelstra's move can be regarded as sacrificing part of the offense to strengthen defense, which is exactly the opposite of Lu Yong's strategy tonight.

Lu Yong played JR Smith to strengthen the offense, and Spoelstra brought on Shane Battier to strengthen the defense. Before the game even started, the battle of wits and courage between the two head coaches was already getting better. Next, it depends on the individual performance of the players. .

Bosh won the jump ball and the Heat attacked first.

The Knicks maintained a personal marking formation, with Chandler guarding the penalty area. Lu Yong did not need to arrange a 2-3 zone defense, which saved a lot of energy.

The Heat players opened up, Wade and Bosh played a pick-and-roll in the middle, and Chandler was one step away, blocking his position in advance.

Wade went to the right to break through and passed Deron Williams with his speed.

Chandler took a step forward to help defend, not daring to let Wade easily get to the basket.

Wade's breakthrough attracted a double-team and the ball was passed. Bosh feinted at the right free throw line and hit Chandler's pull-up jumper. 0 to 2.

Each of the Heat's Big Three has their own way of scoring, and Bosh is more of a mid-range shooter when playing next to Janeway.

Especially when facing Chandler, he is looking for death when he gets inside and can only solve the problem by shooting.

Lu Yong certainly won't criticize Chandler for this kind of ball. Wade's throw is also an opportunity if he doesn't help defend. Bosh will easily miss it if he helps defend.

Compared with allowing Wade to score at the basket, Bosh's mid-range shooting percentage is obviously lower. This is not a multiple-choice question. Chandler's choice is correct. He can only blame Deron for being too slow and defending Wade alone. De is indeed a bit difficult.

The Knicks attacked, Deron Williams took the ball to the frontcourt, opened the middle and started a pick-and-roll.

Anthony moved to the weak side to contain the Heat's defense. Deron did not directly break into the basket. Instead, he made a fake pass to Stoudemire. After creating space, he immediately took the shot. The two-pointer fell steadily into the net, 2-2. [-].

Wade reacted and threw out the slight interference. He didn't expect Deron to attack so firmly. It was completely different from his previous games. He was careless.

The Heat attacked, and Wade played a pick-and-roll in the middle. He broke in and passed the ball to the outside without a chance for a layup.

James has a speed advantage when facing Stoudemire. He makes a one-on-one sprint to the baseline, turns around, and makes a step-back jump shot in the three-second zone.

Stoudemire took off with all his strength to interfere with the shot, and the rebound was protected by Chandler.

Lu Yong stood on the sidelines and applauded vigorously. Stoudemire defended the ball very well. He made reasonable use of his talents against James. He suffered from speed, but not too much.

James playing power forward is a mismatch in itself. If he is allowed to shoot away, it will be difficult for the Knicks to win.In the positional attack, the players moved around according to the tactics. Deron took the pick and roll to the basket. Chandler cut through the weak side and carried Bosh to attract the defense.

Deron calmly observed the position of his teammates while walking, accelerated twice at the free throw line, dribbled behind his back and took a step toward the center. After attracting James to help defend, he hit the ground and passed the ball to Stoudemire on the left.

Stoudemire took long strides to get close to the basket, took three steps to meet James and hit the basket with a close throw. 4 to 2.

Even James is not easy to guard against Stoudemire one-on-one. Strength and explosiveness alone are not enough, and his height and wingspan are at a disadvantage.

The reason why Stoudemire averaged 26 points per game in his peak season was not just because he could cut through the air. He had many scoring skills in the pick-and-roll, far exceeding the average pie-eating inside man.

Spoelstra stood on the sidelines and frowned slightly, shouting twice at James, telling him to keep an eye on Stoudemire and not to over-defend.

Deron Williams is just fine scoring by himself. If he connects his teammates, it will be difficult for the Heat to beat.

The Heat attacked, and James went to the top of the key to catch the ball in this round, playing a pick-and-roll with Bosh as the fourth position.

This kind of pick-and-roll cooperation between inside players is difficult to prevent, and it is naturally misaligned.

However, since Lu Yong dared to arrange for the Twin Towers to be present, he would naturally have considered this issue.

Stoudemire's position is relatively deep when guarding the pick-and-roll, and he strictly implements the strategy of shooting and not bursting when defending James.

The Knicks recognized James's three-pointer from the outside, but there was no way to get to the basket through the pick-and-roll. This was the bottom line the Knicks adhered to, and it was also the reason why Lu Yong did not abandon Chandler.

James started the pick-and-roll and saw Stoudemire retreating relatively far back. He dribbled the ball in the middle for a few seconds, suddenly looked down at his right hand, and then made a three-point pull-up jumper.

Stoudemire was too far away to block the shot, but he still stepped forward with his explosive power to interfere. James made a three-point jumper and the rebound was grabbed by Chandler.

Spoelstra became increasingly uneasy as he sat off the court, realizing that the Heat's offensive routine had been seen through.

The weakness of this small lineup is that it is poor in frame protection and rebounding. Once the outside players cannot score, they can only retreat to the backcourt.

Both teams were tentatively attacking at the beginning, but it can be seen from the two rounds that the Knicks have more offensive options. If the game continues like this, the Heat will be in danger.

The Knicks attacked, but the players still opened up and let Deron play the pick-and-roll in the middle.

Lu Yong's arrangement before the game was that as long as Anthony did not miss a chance, Deron could fully control the offense.

It doesn't matter even if he takes 10 shots in a single quarter, he can attract double teams and then distribute the ball to connect teammates.

Deron Williams liked to play this way when he was playing for the Jazz. The pick-and-roll was the tactic, and he used the simplest way to fight the toughest battle.

The only difference is that the teammate configuration of this Knicks is much better than the Jazz team that Deron played for at the time.

With Anthony and J.R. Smith opening up space on the outside, the Heat are afraid to double team in pick-and-roll defenses. This gives Deron a larger controllable space and more offensive options.

He broke through from the left and led to the basket. The Heat did not double-team. Deron changed his body and shot to his right hand, attracting Wade to follow him to the basket.

Both of them are strong defenders, and they didn't suffer in a head-on confrontation with Deron. They lowered their shoulders and bumped into Wade. They took three steps and made an underhand layup, and hit the board from close range. 6 to 2.

Wade was not completely stuck in position and was knocked out of position by Deron. He could only watch as Deron wiped the board for a layup.

Wade's weight of 100 kilograms is definitely considered strong among defenders. Even Anthony can't beat him in one-on-one singles. Generally, defenders can only rely on rhythm to surpass others.

It's a pity that Deron Williams is also strong among defenders. Even if he can't take advantage of Wade, he can still ensure that he will not fall behind.

In the next round, the Heat's offense still missed. Wade broke through and passed the ball to the corner. Battier faced Anthony and shot a three-pointer that missed the basket.

The rebound was grabbed by Stoudemire and passed to Deron.

Deron dribbled the ball to promote the fast break, and there was a mismatch on the court. He changed direction significantly and stepped past Ray Allen to go to the basket. He threw the ball high with one hand and hit the center of the basket. Whoa! 8 to 2.

Barkley shouted: "Deron scored another one. After the opening, he continuously scored on Wade alone, scoring 3 points in a row on 3-of-6 shooting. Tonight he became the core of the New York Trident!"

The Heat attacked, James went to the top of the arc to set a screen, Wade rushed to the right with the ball, failed to completely get rid of Deron, and passed the ball.

Ray Allen was not open when receiving the ball from the outside. He faked a move and hit J.R. Smith, took a step inside to shake off the defense, and made a mid-range jump shot. 8 to 4.

Ray Allen made his first shot tonight. His touch is still very good. In this series, he has become a big leg beside the Big Three.

In a positional battle, Anthony relied on an off-ball screen to catch the ball. In this round, he chose to start a one-on-one challenge with Battier.

Deron and J.R. Smith pulled out of the three-point line one after another. The two inside lines immediately sank, and no one at the top of the arc could double-team Anthony.

The singles tactics Lu Yong arranged for Anthony were very simple. He only needed to learn from Phil Jackson's mistakes and improve them. As for whether he can score, it depends on the star's personal ability.

Anthony faced the three-point threat and tapped his toes on the ground. He adjusted his rhythm with a tentative step and thrust his right hand. He leaned on Battier with his upper body and turned to the middle to turn around and shoot a fadeaway jumper. His posture was beautiful and his movements were standard. The ball hit the net hollowly. Whoa! 10 to 4.

The fans at the scene stood up and cheered, and some even vaguely shouted MVP!

This is the popularity gap between Anthony and Deron. Even though Deron scored 6 points in the opening game and showed bravery, when Anthony scored in a single, the fans' reaction was obviously more explosive.

This is a typical super giant effect. No matter how you fight, you don't have to worry about no one supporting you.

Seeing that something was wrong, Spoelstra quickly asked the referee for a timeout and prepared to strengthen his defense.

After the timeout, Spoelstra did not make any substitutions and planned to observe for a while.

The Heat did not disappoint in the first attack after returning. James broke through and passed the ball to Wade. The latter made an emergency stop from the weak side, stepped on the three-second zone, turned over and scored a jumper. 10 to 6.

However, before Heat fans could be happy for too long, the Knicks immediately returned one.

After a pick-and-roll, Deron went to the right to break through, attracting the defensive ball to JR Smith who was running towards the baseline. JR caught the ball in a wide open space and shot a three-point jumper, which went into the net. 13 to 6.

7 minutes later, Lu Yong took advantage of the dead ball to make a substitution.

Butler came on to replace JR Smith, and McGee came on to replace Tyson Chandler.

When he came off the court, Lu Yong stood up and high-fived J.R. Smith and Chandler.

The two played well in the first half and made contributions on both offense and defense.

After Butler came on the court, his task was to keep an eye on Ray Allen regardless of physical strength, and constantly used physical confrontation to create difficulties, making it difficult for him to catch the ball.

In addition, Butler can also support James after changing screens. His mad dog spirit in the early stages of his career is very useful.

In the second half, the Heat struggled to find touch on the outside. They made six consecutive three-point jumpers, and even Ray Allen missed them.

After the first quarter, the Knicks led the Heat by 34 points 21 to 13.

德隆-威廉姆斯打满首节，砍下12分2篮板4助攻，安东尼7分3篮板，“小霸王”斯塔德迈尔也有6分5篮板进账。

On the Heat side, Ray Allen scored the most points, making 7 of 3 shots, 5 of 2 three-pointers, and scored 8 points and 2 rebounds.No one from the Big Three scored in double figures. Among them, James made 6 of 1 shots and 2 of 1 free throws. He only had 3 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists, and had the most 2 turnovers in the team.

Trailing by 13 points in a single quarter, this was the most the Heat trailed in the Eastern Conference Finals series.

(End of this chapter)