NBA: I am a master dealer

Chapter 478 Tactical adjustment!

Or to be more precise, I don't believe that Xue Liancheng can lead this Lakers forward alone.

The so-called faith is vulnerable in the face of absolute strength.

The reason why the sarcasm was so intense was because Xue Liancheng was at the peak of his career, sweeping the entire league and suffocating all the long-established superstars in the past two years.

Many people want to see Xue Liancheng fail.

This is human nature and nothing else...

Within the Lakers, after the G6 battle, their confidence was shattered.

This point is particularly obvious.

For example, at the end of the exercise, it used to be chatting and laughing, full of determination for the future. They believed from the inside out that they could defeat the opponent.

Now that the drill is over, it's all dull and depressing. The occasional conversations are all very simple tactical conversations. The high-spiritedness before has disappeared into the air.

This is the difference.

And everyone can feel the difference.

Mike Brown guzzled chicken soup and encouraged him crazily, but the effect was not good.

After all, the prerequisite for drinking chicken soup is that you can see the hope of winning.

The current situation is that they have been beaten twice in a row, from a 3:1 lead at the last minute to a 3:3 tiebreaker. The frustration is spread to everyone.

The tiebreaker was played at the Warriors' home court, so the location was no longer advantageous.

The summary is that the Lakers are completely demoralized.

To win in this situation, you basically need a miracle.

And who can create miracles for the Lakers?
That's right.

Xue Liancheng.

Only he can perform miracles.

But Xue Liancheng did not stand up and shout slogans. It was useless to say anything at this time. Only by proving it with actual actions on the field and letting his teammates see the light of hope can their blood spirit be reactivated.

of course.

There's another X factor, and that's George.

But there is no report on George's injury, and I don't know what is going on?

Basically can't count on it.

5 month 15 day.

Oracle Center.

The scene was crowded with people and colorful flags were flying everywhere.

When Xue Liancheng walked out, the roar of boos was deafening.

The fans nearby were clamoring at Xue Liancheng.

"Xue, do you really think of yourself as a god?"

"Even if you are a god, we will trample you under our feet today."

"When we were leading 3:1, did you proudly tell the media that you were going to send us home? What about now?"

"In the last battle of the series, will you let us feel your despair?"

Xue Liancheng could hear it, but he ignored it.

Because he knows a truth, only the winner has the right to speak.

Losers don’t even have the right to breathe.

It's that simple.

The host of the live broadcast also gave a brief narration at this time: "This is the Western Conference semifinals, the tiebreaker between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors. The game is about to begin. Let's take a look at the starting lineups of both sides. The home team Warriors , point guard Curry, shooting guard Thompson, small forward Durant, power forward Green, and the center position is McGee, point guard Xue Liancheng, shooting guard Courtney Lee, and small forward Ge. Len Robinson? What's going on? Mike Brown's change came unexpectedly. It's really surprising that he plays Glenn Robinson at the power forward and Randall at the center?"

Commentator: "This change of formation is really surprising. Is this purely about playing a five-small lineup? But when it comes to a small lineup, who in the league can beat the Warriors! To be honest, in my opinion , this is no different from suicide.”

Commentator: "But I think this lineup is pretty good. While ensuring mobility, it also greatly strengthens the defense. Courtney Lee, Glenn Robinson, and James Johnson. This can be used as an unlimited defense strategy. "

Host: "It's true. The Lakers can't defeat the Warriors just by attacking. But with the intensity of defense, it's still unclear who will win."

The commentator laughed: "You are so optimistic about the Lakers..."

The host was stunned for a moment, and then he laughed: "If George is here, there is still a chance, but George is not on the roster for this game..."

The commentator also shook his head: "Xue Liancheng alone obviously cannot defeat this galactic battleship."

As a commentary team, we publicly took a stand in front of thousands of viewers in the live broadcast room and said something negative about the Lakers.

It can be seen that this has almost become a consensus and is no longer taboo.

Everyone thinks that the Lakers can't beat the current Warriors.

But one person doesn't think so.

That is Xue Liancheng.

The team has reached this point, and it is absolutely impossible for him to give up. He is ready to fight until the last moment.

If you lose, then accept the ridicule of the world.

But he wants to win.

As the referee's whistle blows, the game officially begins.

After all, McGee has an advantage in height. He jumped to the ball and the Warriors started their first attack.

The Lakers have indeed changed from man-to-man defense to a defensive strategy of unlimited switching, that is, when encountering a pick-and-roll, everyone must be replaced.

This defensive strategy tests the balance of individual defense.

In other words, you need to be able to guard everyone and multiple positions.

Xue Liancheng has no problem if he can beat Green in terms of strength.

of course.

It's okay to push up, but it's definitely not possible to defend alone.

Then Courtney Lee can also guard defenders Curry and Thompson. If facing Durant, the height gap is indeed a bit big, but Courtney Lee’s defensive awareness and defensive foundation can barely hold up against Durant. special.

Glenn Robinson specializes in defense. From Curry at the first position, he can defend Green at the fourth position, so it shouldn't be a big problem.

James Johnson is also a defensive warrior. With his forward stature, he can also defend multiple positions and even beat McGee.

Randall can deal with Durant at the third position, and he can also deal with Green. If he goes against McGee, except for his height and tonnage disadvantages, he is also good in other aspects.

As long as McGee is not allowed to get close to the basket, the defense is successful.

Their heights are all over 196cm, and there are no players who are too short or too small. Of course, there are no players over 210cm. They take into account both speed and height, and occupy enough space on the court.

and so.

Their lineup is indeed very suitable for unlimited defense changes.

Or to be more precise, Mike Brown is rushing to change defenses endlessly.

In the first round, this defensive tactic worked.

Curry and McGee set a pick-and-roll, trying to cooperate, but the Lakers didn't give you a chance to delay and directly switched defenses.

Randall faced Curry, McGee went down and was intercepted from the side by James Johnson, and Courtney Lee pulled over to follow Green.

in this way.

Although the entire defensive matchup was messed up, they were not out of position, and the pick-and-roll cooperation between Curry and McGee failed.

In the end, Curry stepped up and used his personal ability to force a layup.

The Lakers' offensive tactics are basically initiated by Xue Liancheng, but in the last game the Warriors adopted a breakthrough and flanking attack, unlimited physical confrontation strategy, and achieved very good results.

In this game, this defensive strategy will naturally be continued.

However, the Lakers are also prepared and directly let Courtney Lee advance with the ball.

Although Courtney Lee's vision is not very good and his offensive ability with the ball is average, he still has no problem holding the ball through half the court.

And Xue Liancheng just ran through half the court without the ball.

How do you maintain physical contact without the ball?

This is how Mike Brown deals with it.

But there is a huge problem here. Xue Liancheng plays without the ball, so who will organize the offense?

Courtney Lee has a balanced offense and defense, but his offensive ability with the ball is really average, and he is even more reluctant to organize and initiate attacks. He is obviously not a suitable candidate.

Not to mention Glenn Robinson at the small forward position. He is a pure defensive warrior. If you ask him to cut to the basket or shoot three-pointers, it's okay. But how about letting him hold the ball and organize?

This is really embarrassing.

In fact, there is still a second ball-handling point in the Lakers, such as Clarkson.

Clarkson's independent offensive ability is no problem at all. His organization may be poor, but as the second ball-handling point, it is barely enough.

But Clarkson is too small and very thin, and his weight is seriously below the standard, so he is not suitable for unlimited defense changes.

Joe Johnson is also a candidate. He is 203cm tall. He once served as the first ball-handling core. He is experienced and has no problem handling the ball.

But the Eagle King is old, his pace is too slow, his body is relatively bloated, and his defensive ability is obviously not up to par.

This was revealed when Joe Johnson stepped in after George was injured in G4.

So when Mike Brown decided to use this lineup, it was very difficult.

After all, if you want to achieve perfect unlimited defense changes, this lineup is the most suitable.

But without a second ball-holding point, their offense will come to a standstill. Even when Xue Liancheng is strongly double-teamed, the offense will be paralyzed.

In the end, Xue Liancheng came up with a solution.

That is Courtney Lee as the receiving point with the ball, and Randall as the offensive starting point.

That's right.

That candidate is Randall.

Because in the historical trajectory, Randall not only showed first-class offensive ability, but also had a certain talent in organization and support, averaging 5+ assists per game is no joke.

There is no doubt that Randall is fully capable of the task of high-post support and organization and distribution of the ball.

Mike Brown was originally skeptical, but after the practice, he finally accepted Xue Liancheng's opinion.

The host suddenly discovered this problem at this time: "That's wrong! If Xue Liancheng plays without the ball, who will organize the offense?"

Commentator: "That's right! With Mike Brown in this lineup, there is no second ball-handling point."

The commentator even ridiculed: "What a genius! In order to defend, you don't even want to attack?"

But next second.

They were all stunned.

I saw Courtney Lee rushing over with the ball and giving it directly to Randall.

Then Randall leaned back and threw directly in.

He threw it to Xue Liancheng who was crossing.

After the latter caught the ball, he paused, ran back, flew for a layup and scored directly.

Host: "This... let Randall be the initiator of the offense?"

The commentator also reacted: "That should be the case, but not to mention, Randall's passing skills and vision are still good. He can also attack by himself with the ball. He can serve as the second ball-handler when Xue Liancheng is playing without the ball. "Yes, it shouldn't be a big problem."

Commentator: "But the problem is, Randall has the size of a power forward! I don't doubt his vision and passing skills. What I'm worried about is, can he effectively protect the ball when he encounters a double team? "

And on the next turn.

Randall had the answer.

Sure enough, the Warriors double-teamed Randall when he dribbled inside.

But Randall reacted quickly and immediately hit Courtney Lee who cut in from the air.

The Warriors' defensive front suddenly became messy. Xue Liancheng, who was running, took the opportunity to screen James Johnson and then ran out of position.

Courtney came over at this time.

Although the receiving position is not comfortable, it creates a good space.

Xue Liancheng used his intimidation to click, and after knocking Thompson away, he calmly took a three-pointer.

in!
This time, the commentary team was stunned.

Host: "I never thought that Randall would have this skill. He doesn't engage in hand-to-hand combat inside, so it seems to be a good choice."

Commentator: "Now I finally understand why the Lakers are unwilling to add Randle to the list of trading George. He does have more potential than Russell."

Commentator: "Can hold the ball, can cut through, can break through, can shoot from mid-range, can shoot three-pointers, and can provide support. His skills at the basket are also relatively delicate, and his passing is also online. If he continues to develop like this, Randall It's totally possible to become an All-Star."

Commentator: "It's not possible. His statistics this season are at quasi-All-Star level. He has made great progress and will definitely be selected as an All-Star in the future."

The words fell.

Randall held the ball with his back to Green, and everyone thought he was going to provide support again.

As a result, he turned around in despair, stuck Green directly behind him, and then rushed to the basket with a single stroke.

McGee has been pulled aside, and in this case, no one dares to stop him.

After all, Randall's impact at this stage is definitely not vegetarian.

Score a direct dunk.

In the next few rounds, we basically follow this rhythm.

Courtney Lee pushed the ball over and prepared to meet Randall.

Randall was supporting from the high post, waiting for Xue Liancheng to come over to catch the ball or run out of position.

If he doesn't run out, then Randall can handle it by himself. He can hold the ball and attack, or he can check the situation of his teammates.

Xue Liancheng is responsible for pulling space and connecting the ball.

As long as his teammates cover well, he can basically get rid of the defender and pass the ball to attract the defense. As soon as the Warriors' defensive attention is distracted and his teammates have an opportunity, he will pass the ball out as soon as possible.

If his teammates don't have a good chance, or the Warriors are not decisive in attacking, then he can do it by himself and hit the basket.

James Johnson plays the role of an offensive arrow, cutting in from the air or rushing in front during fast breaks. He occasionally shoots three-pointers to help Xue Liancheng as a screen.

Glenn Robinson is a 3D character, ambushing the bottom corner, doing a good job of defense, and also helping Xue Liancheng block people.

The Lakers' current offensive system basically looks like this, which is relatively orderly.

And Xue Liancheng's powerful deterrence was brought into full play here.

Whether he is pulling space or connecting the ball, he has won many opportunities for his teammates.

of course.

This is mainly due to the fact that his own attack power is really strong enough to make the Warriors afraid.

The Warriors focused on one thing and lost the other, and had no way to deal with the Lakers' offense. They especially did a very poor job of containing Xue Liancheng.

In the first quarter alone, Xue Liancheng scored 14 points and 4 assists.

You must know that in the past, although he often scored 30+, in fact, most of the scores came from the last quarter, and 10+ was normal operation.

Under normal circumstances, his total total in the first three quarters is only more than ten or twenty points. Like now, he scored 14 points in the first quarter, and his offensive firepower is already quite strong.

The commentator couldn't help but marvel: "Mike Brown still has two skills. This tactical change immediately revitalized the team's overall offense and liberated Xue Liancheng, so that he would not play in such a mess like the last game. At the same time, the defensive front has also been greatly strengthened.”

Host: "It's really unexpected that Randall's high-position support was so effective. The Warriors' rhythm was completely disrupted."

Commentator: "But I still believe in the Warriors. In terms of offensive firepower, the Warriors are not afraid of any team."

That's right.

After the first quarter, the scores of both sides were shocking.

The Lakers led the Warriors by 33 points, 26:7.

No one expected that the mighty Warriors hit a snag in the first quarter, and their offensive firepower was caught off guard by the Lakers' sudden change of defense.

On the defensive end, they were defeated by the double cooperation of Xue Liancheng + Randall, so that they lost so many points in this quarter.

of course.

Although the Warriors were at a disadvantage, as the commentators said, many people still believed that the Warriors could react.

After all, everyone knows how terrifying the perfect warrior is.

Once they find their offensive rhythm, the situation will definitely return to the Warriors' side.

No one thought the Warriors would lose this game.

(End of this chapter)