NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

"I get it! FUXX! I get it!" After the timeout ended, Jackson saw Brown take the lineup on the court.

Sessions, Chalmers, Wade, Anthony, and Gasol.

Damn it, I'm such an idiot.

Jackson cursed himself inwardly. He finally understood why he always thought in sync with Brown, changed tactics and made substitutions at the same time, and even seemed to think of the same thing and even restrain each other.

It's not that Brown has improved or that he's getting old and can't keep up with the thinking of younger people.

He was overthinking things; he underestimated Brown.

Ultimately, Brown didn't get any better, and he had no intention of competing with Jackson or challenging him in terms of lineup rotation and tactics.

Absolutely not!

Brown, that guy, he just substitutes players at the last minute!

He's still the same as always.

This idiot probably already decided how to play tonight last night, and he already knew how to rotate and use players last night.

Substitutions are made every 4 minutes.

This guy is incredibly punctual in changing players!
The only difference is that Brown was better prepared this time. He prepared himself more thoroughly and meticulously. Brown used constantly changing and rotating players and several different playing styles to make everyone think that he was making on-the-spot changes, adapting to the situation on the court and Jackson's lineup changes.

Not at all!

This guy is incredibly mechanical and dogmatic.

So, Jackson has plenty of ways to deal with this kind of guy, this kind of guy who has no skills but wants to show off!

The first thing to do is to completely disrupt his rhythm, and to do that, you only need to do one thing.

"Lin!" Jackson thought of this, sat on the bench and blew his signature whistle, attracting Lin Tian's attention. Then Jackson made a few hand gestures to Lin Tian, ​​who immediately understood and nodded.

The two of them are old partners who have worked together for more than 10 years. A single glance and a few gestures are enough to convey a lot.

However, despite receiving the news, the first offensive opportunity after the timeout belonged to the Cavaliers.

Wade dribbled the ball towards Lin Tian and called for a screen without hesitation, allowing Gasol to set a screen for him. He then immediately accelerated and charged towards the paint.

This time, Wade's drive to the basket was quite easy, much easier than he had imagined.

Unfortunately, before he could even get to the basket, the referee blew his whistle.

However, the problem wasn't with Wade, but with Lin Tian and Gasol behind him.

The two of them just collided directly and fell flat on their faces, rolling around on the ground together.

"Blocking foul! Throw-in." The referee's whistle blew promptly and decisively, quickly issuing a blocking foul to Lin Tian.

"What a pity, it's not Staples Center after all." Lin Tian didn't protest, shrugged, and accepted the referee's decision.

The Cavaliers inbounded the ball again, this time to Sessions. After receiving the ball, Sessions immediately accelerated and drove to the free-throw line. Then he suddenly stopped and turned around, seemingly aimlessly spinning in place.

But then, as if he suddenly had eyes in the back of his head, he made a no-look pass to Chalmers in the bottom corner.

Chalmers received the ball, faked out Kobe's balance, then immediately accelerated with his dribble, drove to the inside, and launched a close-range floater into the basket.

A 2-point gap!
The Lakers were on offense. Lin Tian dribbled the ball to the frontcourt. This time, he didn't pass the ball. Instead, he waved to signal all his teammates to spread out. Then, he suddenly accelerated and tried to drive straight to the basket.

But Wade's defense is indeed much better than Chalmers or Sessions. He is considered a top-tier defensive expert, and it won't be easy for Lin Tian to completely get rid of him.

The two were locked in a tight battle, with Wade consistently blocking the inside and preventing Lin Tian from facing the basket directly. Lin Tian continued his assault on the baseline, but even when he was just a step away from the baseline, Wade was still able to keep him between himself and the rim.

Wade's defense this time was truly flawless.

But then, Lin Tian suddenly launched a powerful shot, and then his whole body turned into a spinning top, almost with Wade as the axis, and spun from the outside towards the basket.

With a lightning-fast turn, Wade was finally shaken off by Lin Tian and trapped on the outside.

"I'm here!" Gasol shouted, arriving just in time to provide backup. His timing was impeccable. Seeing that Lin Tian was unable to stop his momentum, he turned around and was about to jump up and attack.

"You're finished!" When Wade and Gasol saw this, they immediately felt that this was a great opportunity to block Lin Tian, ​​and the two of them jumped up with both feet off the ground at almost the same time.

But then they realized they had been tricked.

Lin Tian did indeed continue to rise after turning around, but that was from bending his knees to standing up completely; at most, he only touched his toes.

This incredibly realistic feint completely fooled Wade and Gasol, causing both of them to jump at the same time.

Lin Tian then took another step forward, using a combination of up and down steps to break free of Wade's control area, and then crashed into Gasol.

With a muffled thud, the two collided in mid-air. Lin Tian casually tossed the ball, but it didn't hit the rim. However, the referee's whistle finally rang out after a long time.

"Hand foul, 2 free throws!"

Gasol, that's his third foul!

"The Cavaliers are in trouble!" Van Gundy exclaimed anxiously. "Gasol has committed his third foul and will have to sit out for the rest of the game! This is a major blow to the Cavaliers!"

"Although Gasol is only the team's third-leading scorer, and sometimes even scores less than Chalmers, Sessions, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, his impact cannot be fully explained by statistics."

"After all, the data won't tell you how high the quality of his screens for his teammates is, how great his off-ball screens are, or how well he times his passes and playmaking. Without Gasol, the Cavaliers can't execute at least a third of their plays."

Miller said, "Even if we ignore everything else and just look at the most basic stats, Gasol's output of more than 10 points and 10 rebounds per game is quite consistent. In addition, his mid-range shooting and rim protection ability on the defensive end make him an indispensable member of the Cavaliers."

"In a sense, Gasol is more important to the Cavaliers than Anthony! Because if Anthony is inaccurate or has a bad shooting night, they still have Wade, Chalmers, or even Zydrunas Ilgauskas to score."

"But without Gasol, the Cavaliers really have no replacement."

"The next three minutes or so," Miller said, "could be the turning point of the game! Let's see if the Lakers can hold on, and let's see how the Cavaliers respond."

Jackson, sitting on the sidelines, also wore a smug smile.

Heh heh, you thought you could play tricks on me by timing your moves and switching people? Now it's my turn to bully you!

His gesture just now was meant to encourage Lin Tian to draw fouls from Gasol. The first time, Lin Tian tried to draw an offensive foul from Gasol using a screen, but the referee didn't give him the chance. However, on the other hand, Lin Tian used a fake under the basket to successfully draw a foul from Gasol.

That's incredibly efficient!
After committing three fouls, Gasol could only walk off the court dejectedly.

Jackson stared intently at the Cavaliers' bench, wanting to see who would stand up.

With Gasol off the court, the Cavaliers had to make substitutions immediately, otherwise they would only have four players on the court.

Jackson, on the other hand, can wait and make his move after Lin Tian makes his first free throw before substituting.

As for whether Brown might deliberately create confusion by substituting one player first, and then substituting again after the first free throw is made?

Jackson said: If he had that brain, Mike Brown's name would be spelled backwards from now on!

Brown hesitated for a long time on the sidelines, and only after the referee urged him several times did he finally reluctantly send his players onto the court.

Valejo.

It's still one big and four small!
Sure enough, this guy is inflexible. With Gasol out, the Cavaliers' interior advantage and passing and playmaking abilities have all declined significantly. Logically, Brown should have sacrificed some outside firepower and brought in Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Varejao to protect the paint.

After all, the inside game is the foundation of a team.

Brown clearly didn't think of this, so he could only mechanically bring in an inside player to fill the void left by Gasol's absence.

His adaptability is still negligible.

Gasol's three fouls exposed Brown's true level, while Jackson stretched and it was his turn to take the lead. The Cavaliers played a big man and four small men lineup. Varejao could flop and grab rebounds, but he had almost no other special skills. Offensively, he was useless except for backdoor cuts and dunks. Defensively, his one-on-one and rim protection abilities were so-so, and his speed was not outstanding either.

These kinds of inside players are quite easy to target.

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers are still playing with three guards. Playing with three guards without an advantage in the paint is practically suicidal.

Since you're short and not fast enough, I'll target that weakness!
After Jackson made a series of substitutions, the Lakers' lineup on the court became the twin towers of Bynum and Murphy, plus Durant, Kobe and Lin Tian!

Besides Lin Tian, ​​who is 191 cm tall, and Kobe, who is said to be 198 cm tall, the Lakers now have three players who are all over 210 cm tall. Among them, Durant has the speed of a top-class forward, Murphy's shooting ability is also remarkable, plus the interior beast Bynum.

This lineup is perfect for countering the Cavaliers!
"Shh!"

With Lin Tian making his second consecutive free throw, the Cavaliers began their attack.

Wade still handles the ball, which is the Cavaliers' usual style of play. If there's a fast break opportunity, Sessions will take over; if it's a half-court set, Wade will take over. As for Chalmers, in a three-guard lineup, he's basically a spacing point and a pure finisher.

Upon arriving at the frontcourt, Wade immediately noticed a change in the Lakers' defense.

2-3 zone defense!

The Lakers suddenly came up with a zone defense, and Wade couldn't help but frown, but he immediately understood why the Lakers were playing that way.

Gasol went down.

There are two best ways to break a 2-3 zone defense: the big man facilitates the shot from the free-throw line. Now that Gasol is out, the Cavaliers can't do that.

Then came the three-pointer from the outside.

The Cavaliers' roster doesn't lack three-point shooters, but what they lack is an inside player who can connect the team from the free-throw line.

It's difficult to break through a zone defense by simply driving to the basket and passing.

After dribbling a few times at the top of the arc, Wade knew he couldn't drag this out any longer. He waved for Anthony to come forward, and the two most dangerous players on the Cavaliers set up a screen at the top of the arc.

Unfortunately, the Lakers were almost unmoved. Apart from Kobe taking a step back to prevent Anthony from throwing the ball immediately after receiving it, Lin Tian even took a step back, giving Wade plenty of space to drive.

This is clearly a trap set to exploit Wade's weakness in three-point shooting.

If you don't have three-pointers or playmaking ability, how can you break through and break our zone defense?

At this point, Wade finally understood that this zone defense was even more effective against their lineup than he had imagined!

Because the Cavaliers only have one player who can shoot three-pointers with the ball, and that's Carmelo Anthony.

Chalmers and Sessions, while capable of shooting, are both spot-up shooters; asking them to dribble and shoot is truly difficult.

With that in mind, Wade didn't hesitate any longer. He cut inside to create space for Anthony and then passed the ball to him.

The moment Anthony received the ball, Kobe's defense closed in tightly, initiating an extremely high-intensity close-marking defense against Anthony. At the same time, Lin Tian was only a step slower than Kobe and immediately rushed towards Anthony from the other side.

The 2-3 zone defense instantly turned into a double high post double team!
It's still aimed at the Cavaliers!

This time, the target is Anthony's weaknesses: poor passing ability, vision, and willingness to pass!

Double-teaming him is always a favorite tactic for teams against the Cavaliers.

Unlike other teams, the two players who double-teamed Anthony this time both possess top-tier tenacity and defensive abilities in the league!

Anthony was getting annoyed by the two men's constant harassment. He could only take a half step back to try and create some space for himself, but Lin Tian wouldn't give him that chance. He seized the opportunity when Anthony was back and turned, and suddenly rushed forward.

Then, Lin Tian seized the opportunity and suddenly made his move, gripping the basketball tightly with both hands. With a sudden burst of strength, he swung and pulled, snatching the ball directly from Anthony's arms!
"This isn't a steal, it's a fucking robbery! A robbery!" Miller roared. "The Lakers' counterattack is on!"

Lin Tian had already driven to the basket in the frontcourt. Wade was the only Cavaliers player who could get back on defense in time. Anthony was still lying on the ground, unable to stand properly after losing the ball.

Facing Wade's relentless pressure, Lin Tian didn't bother with him at all. He made a behind-the-back pass to Kobe, who caught the ball, pulled up and drove straight to the basket, slamming the ball into the hoop with one arm!

"boom!"

With a loud bang, Kobe glared at Wade, baring his teeth, and yelled at his little brother.

"Fuck!" Wade cursed, resisting the urge to smash the ball, which could easily result in a technical foul. He could only take the ball back to the baseline and then inbound it.

He was genuinely stumped about how to break through the Lakers' zone defense.

How about we find someone else?
If the fast break doesn't go well, Sessions' role becomes quite limited. How about we bring in Gibson or Anthony Parker? Both of them are capable of strong shots with the ball.

Wade looked at Brown, but unfortunately, he was greeted by Brown's innocent smile and hopeful gaze.

Clearly, Brown also conveyed his thoughts with his eyes at this moment, demonstrating his tacit understanding with Wade.

"Devin, the team's in trouble, you have to figure out a way to score!"

Brown conveyed his thoughts, and Wade could only shake his head helplessly.

The game continues!

The Cavaliers were once again at a loss against the Lakers' zone defense. They couldn't get in and struggled to find opportunities. Wade tried to drive in several times, but he always ended up in the Lakers' pocket and was double-teamed. It was only because his passes were quick enough that he didn't commit any turnovers.

However, his teammates were unable to find a suitable opportunity to shoot.

The 24-second shot clock flew by so quickly. In the blink of an eye, the Cavaliers had only 3 seconds left on their offensive possession. In the end, Anthony received the ball on the baseline, faked a few shots, and forced a shot over Durant, who was in position to defend.

"Boom!"

Unfortunately, Anthony's poorly attempted three-pointer, which he barely managed to throw up after taking the blame, missed the rim.

The good news is that the entire Cavaliers team was prepared for the shot to miss, so they retreated on defense incredibly quickly, returning to their defensive positions almost in the blink of an eye.

Seeing this, the Lakers were not in a hurry at all. Lin Tian dribbled steadily forward, then waved to signal his teammates to run. He then bounced the ball and passed it to Bynum in the paint.

Bynum backed down Varejao, who had already been called for several offensive fouls by Varejao in this series. By now, Bynum was quite aware of and prepared to defend against this Oscar-worthy basketball player.

He knew that the most important thing in dealing with Varejao was to keep his elbows out of his way and always leave himself some spare strength during the fight, so that he wouldn't lose his footing and fall down with Varejao when he pulled the chair away.

After figuring all this out, Bynum found it particularly easy to play against Varejao. After all, he had an absolute advantage in height and touch, and with Bynum's solid fundamentals, playing against Varejao was definitely much easier than playing against Gasol and Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

On his first possession of the ball, he spun around on the baseline, then took a step forward and executed a side hook shot, easily scoring 2 points and extending the team's lead!

"The Lakers' zone defense caught the Cavaliers off guard! They clearly can't keep up, and the Cavaliers have failed to score in two consecutive possessions," Van Gundy frowned. "They should call another timeout to regroup."

Miller said, "It's not just that they can't handle the Lakers' defense, they can't stop the Lakers now either. With Gasol out, the Lakers' offense is about to explode!"

"If the Cavaliers don't find a way out, they might fall behind by more than 10 points before the end of the first half!"

"Stay calm! Stay calm! No need to rush!" This time, the Cavaliers didn't rush to inbound the ball from the baseline. Wade stretched out his hand, signaling all his teammates to calm down. Right now, the most important thing for the Cavaliers is to stay calm!

As long as things don't get chaotic, anything is possible.

This time, Wade deliberately slowed down his pace across half-court. He dribbled the ball up the court at a leisurely pace. After reaching the frontcourt, seeing the Lakers' 2-3 zone defense, Wade knew he had to fight hard!

Conventional tactics are no longer sufficient to help the team turn the tide.

We absolutely cannot let the gap widen to more than 10 points!
They have to hold on until Gasol returns in the second half, no matter what.

Wade dribbled the ball while calling for a screen again.

This time, he had Varejao step forward to help him block his opponent.

"Didn't you ever go to school?" Kobe mocked. "You use pick-and-roll against a zone defense? Are you trying to make more mistakes than you're going to!"

"Kobe, watch out! Close the door! Close the door!" Lin Tian didn't utter a sarcastic remark, but he was already fully focused and prepared. Seeing Wade call for a screen, he knew what Wade was going to do! (End of Chapter)