NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

"First of all, is the Lakers' five-outside lineup really five-outside?" Van Gundy stopped hiding his question when Miller asked and said directly, "Durant is a proper 7 feet tall, Barnes is over 2 meters tall, and then there's Kobe, who is close to 2 meters tall."

"This height is higher than the starting lineup of many teams in the league!"

"In addition, although the Lakers' roster does not have a pure center, it has two top-notch perimeter defenders, Lin Tian and Kobe, as well as two quick-thinking help defenders, Barnes and Durant. When these four are on the court together, the team's defensive intensity cannot be low!"

"Their overall defense hasn't declined at all; at most, their rim protection and shot-blocking abilities have just weakened a little."

"Then there's rebounding ability. Look at Lin, Kobe, and Durant. Are their rebounding abilities bad? Not at all! These guys are all incredibly aggressive! While the Cavaliers' interior players are tall, they are two white players who are criticized for being soft on the court."

"They're not at a disadvantage in height or rebounding. Under these circumstances, this lineup is really not small at all, or rather, it's much bigger than it looks!"

"Secondly, there's the Lakers' switching defensive tactic they just used. They switch whenever there's a pick-and-roll, and they switch whenever there's an off-ball screen. Whenever the Cavaliers make a move, the Lakers switch on defense."

"If other teams did this, they would be committing suicide, because all NBA tactics, whether it is run-and-gun, half-court offense, Princeton offense, triangle offense or any other tactic, will have a core idea."

"Creating open space is the primary objective, while creating mismatches for offense is the secondary objective."

"The Lakers' style of play makes it very difficult for the opponent to find open shots, thus blocking the opponent's primary target when running plays."

"As for the second objective, the Lakers did actively switch and create mismatches, letting the Mavericks exploit their mismatches. But if you look closely, did the Mavericks gain an advantage after creating mismatches?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Because the Lakers have strong individual defense and strong wing defense! There are 4 players in this lineup who are highly mobile, tough on defense, and have good awareness. Only Terry can be considered a weak point."

"But it will obviously be difficult for the Cavaliers to accurately target Terry. The Lakers have hidden Terry quite well. In the last possession, the Cavaliers couldn't find an opportunity to take on Terry one-on-one."

"As for the Lakers, because they are relatively tall and have plenty of defensive ability and experience, they are not afraid of mismatches. Their guards can even hold their own against the opponent's center, and their center is not at a disadvantage in terms of speed when switching to guard the opponent's guard!"

"After receiving screens and switching on defense repeatedly, the opponent will find that they still do not have an advantage in the matchup and will still be suppressed by the Lakers."

"The Lakers have the most agile 7-footers, the league's most tenacious players Barnes and Kobe, and Lin, a former Defensive Player of the Year. With this lineup, why would they switch on defense?"

"For the opponent, this is definitely not a benefit or an opportunity; it will only make them despair if they finally manage to execute a pick-and-roll or find a mismatch opportunity!"

"On the defensive end, perhaps the only weakness of the Lakers' roster is that it can't handle true interior behemoths and power centers. But unfortunately, the Cavaliers don't have that kind of player; their interior players are all skill-based."

"Not to mention the Cavaliers, even in the current league, there are very few dominant centers left. There are very few who can counter the Lakers' lineup!"

"Their defense is astonishing. They have no weaknesses except for not being able to hold off big centers. Their offense is even more impressive. With Lin, Kobe, and Durant standing side by side, this team's offense is never a problem."

"Especially with the Lakers' roster, all five players have excellent, top-tier three-point shooting ability. How are the Cavaliers going to defend against that?"

"The Cavaliers just can't defend against them! At the very least, their current lineup with two big men is absolutely no match for the Lakers."

"They'll get riddled with shots if they collapse under the basket. If they step out wide to defend these Lakers players' drives, their leg-breaking ability will probably break them!"

Unbelievable! Absolutely unbelievable! The Cavaliers thought taking Bynum out was the beginning of their advantage, but when Jackson boldly deployed this five-perimeter lineup, the Cavaliers realized that taking Bynum out was tolling their own death knell!

"Honestly, I think the Lakers' switch-everything defense might start a whole new trend! A brand new style of play that the league will embrace! And more importantly, it might also bring opportunities to all the fast, athletic, and physically strong forwards."

"A huge increase in value and the opportunity to sign a big contract! Teams may start stockpiling players of this style."

The discussion about the Lakers' lineup change was incredibly heated off the court, and the players on both sides showed no signs of stopping on the court.

As expected, the Lakers' offense involved all five players standing outside the three-point line. Lin Tian, ​​who was in control of the ball, was not in a hurry. He gave the Cavaliers plenty of time to figure out how to defend against the Lakers' lineup. He waited until there were only 8 seconds left on the shot clock before starting the attack!
He accelerated and charged straight at Wade's defense. Although Wade immediately moved to the side to block Lin Tian's path, Lin Tian did not hesitate and quickly passed the ball to Kobe.

Kobe was facing Sessions, a guy who was strong on offense but weak on defense. After getting the ball, Kobe attacked directly, getting past Sessions in one step and heading straight for the inside.

The Cavaliers' interior defense was quite vulnerable at this moment, with Gasol and Zydrunas Ilgauskas both positioned in the mid-range to prevent the Lakers' penetrators from passing the ball directly for a three-pointer.

Gasol is currently facing Durant, and he doesn't dare to let him go.

Big Z was facing Barnes. He was willing to give up, but his speed couldn't keep up. The two could only watch as Kobe drove to the basket and dunked for another 2 points for the team!
Following the Cavaliers' offense, although Anthony scored 2 points against Barnes in a one-on-one situation, the Lakers once again calmly moved to the frontcourt.

This time, it was Lin Tian who broke through. He accelerated with the ball, and this time Lin Tian made a series of crossover dribbles while accelerating, finally shaking off Wade who had been closely following him. At the same time, after rushing to the basket, Lin Tian noticed that Gasol had also returned to the basket to defend with all his might.

You're back, so I'll send it now!

With a 'whoosh', the basketball flew to the three-point line. Durant, who was unguarded, even paused for a moment after receiving the ball before shooting.

"Shh!"

With a crisp sound, Durant hit another three-pointer!
As the Lakers continued to score, the gap between the two sides not only failed to narrow but began to widen. Wade also lost his patience at this point, yelling at his teammates to quickly inbound the ball from the baseline, and then sprinted at full speed, charging towards the Lakers' interior alone.

But after he rushed to the basket and jumped, he realized how stupid his choice was!
What kind of mobility does the Lakers have right now?
Their retreat was incredibly fast!

Durant was in front of Wade, with Lin Tian to Wade's side and Kobe behind him. The three superstars completely blocked Wade!

If Wade could pass the ball at this moment, it would be an absolutely huge open shot.

Unfortunately, facing such close marking from these three players, it would be a miracle if he could even pass the ball!
The last thing Wade could do was hold onto the basketball without forcing a shot or making a pass.

The basketball was still in his hands even after he landed.

Without a doubt, a traveling violation!
Wade was forced to foul, but he at least created an opportunity for the team, preventing the Lakers from launching another fast break and allowing the team to hold their ground in at least one half-court game.

"What a pity, Devin." After successfully forcing Wade to travel and seek a turnover, Lin Tian said with a smile, "Time is our friend. If you make us play positional warfare, we will only waste time completely. You might as well let us play fast breaks."

"After all, we can score 2 points in just 5 seconds on a fast break, but in a set offense, it takes us 20 seconds to score 2 points."

"For you, the former is clearly more suitable, isn't it? Let me see..."

"You only have 4 minutes left! It seems like you don't have enough time!"

"You guys need to score first! FUXX!" Wade was really anxious now. Time was running out, and the chance to end the series was slipping away. He immediately started pressing Lin Tian closely.

But to everyone's surprise, Lin Tian didn't take the bait at all. He simply had Durant pass the ball from the baseline to Kobe, while he strolled leisurely towards the frontcourt.

The more anxious Wade was, the more relaxed the Lakers became.

After a few rounds, everyone had already figured it out.

Our move has brought the Cavaliers to the brink of collapse!

Kobe still faced Sessions when he had the ball. He had a lot of experience playing against Sessions, and it wasn't much different from playing against his own daughter. Kobe turned his back to Sessions early on and then drove all the way to the inside.

After driving to the edge of the three-second zone, Kobe didn't rush to shoot himself, but instead made a sideways pass and sent the ball out again!

"They're not even shooting when they have the chance!" Miller yelled. "The Lakers are playing around! They're completely relaxed! They think they've already won the game and are starting to waste time!" On the court, Kobe's pass went to Lin Tian, ​​but Lin Tian didn't stop the ball at all. Instead, he caught the basketball with one hand and threw it towards the basket!

This time, however, the ball wasn't returned to Kobe, but instead passed to Barnes, who had successfully shaken off Zydrunas Ilgauskas and cut to the basket.

Barnes received the ball and jumped easily, delivering a powerful two-handed dunk. The Lakers' lead was starting to slip out of control!
"Brown, aren't you going to call a timeout yet?" Van Gundy couldn't help but remind him again. "If you don't call one soon, you can save these timeouts for the post-game press conference to yell at the reporters! Whenever you have a question you can't answer, call a timeout, think it over for a while, and then give your answer."

Van Gundy was getting anxious, but Brown on the sidelines remained unperturbed. As the team fell further behind and victory receded, Brown made no timeouts or adjustments, simply shouting meaninglessly from the sidelines: "Stay calm! Don't rush, let's score a goal steadily first!"

"Shh!"

To be honest, Brown's coaching was quite effective. He helped the team score a basket steadily, while Wade drove to the basket and made a mid-range layup for two points.

But as I said before, there's not enough time!

This time, Wade didn't press Lin Tian all court. He knew it was useless; the Lakers had too many players who could push the ball and handle it!
No, it's that every player on this Lakers roster can handle the ball and drive the ball, and they can apply full-court press?
It was just a joke!
After Lin Tian arrived at the frontcourt, he glanced at the timer and patiently dribbled until the last 8 seconds before calmly passing the ball to Kobe, who was already in position in the low post.

Kobe backed down against Sessions, then suddenly turned and spun towards the baseline. Sessions couldn't keep up at all, but Gasol, who came to help defend, stuck to his position, raising his hands to defend Kobe.

But Kobe still didn't fight them head-on. As soon as he saw Gasol coming, he immediately bounced the ball back to the middle. Durant, who had been left behind by Gasol, happened to cut to the middle, received the ball, jumped up, and slammed the ball into the basket with one hand!

"boom!"

With a loud bang, Durant scored another 2 points for the team!
And that basically puts the suspense of tonight's game to the test.

The gap between the two sides had just exceeded 20 points. In addition, the Lakers' novel lineup and playing style left the Cavaliers completely bewildered and unsure how to focus their defense. They simply couldn't stop them!
With their defense failing, their shooting touch and opportunities off, and their increasingly impatient attitude, it would be a miracle if the Cavaliers could catch up!
What finally led the Cavaliers to surrender was when, with two minutes left in the game, Durant successfully faked out Gasol on one-on-one, then jumped on Gasol, drawing Gasol's sixth foul!

When Durant went to the free-throw line, not only did Gasol, who had been ejected, walk dejectedly to the bench, but Wade, Anthony, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Sessions also left the court.

Brown surrendered!
He substituted the starting lineup, effectively declaring the game over.

Upon seeing this, Jackson didn't hold back and waved his hand, ordering the Lakers to substitute four key players for a rest, replacing them with their bench players to play the final two minutes of the game.

The Lakers only kept Durant on the court because he still had to take free throws. Since there is no rule in the NBA that allows players to forgo free throws if they don't want to, Durant still had to take the free throws himself.

After he made both free throws, Jackson didn't bother to make any adjustments and let him play the last two minutes on the court.

However, after the game entered garbage time, these two minutes were hardly a workout. Durant didn't attempt a shot or score any stats in those two minutes; he was basically just strolling around the court and sweating it out...

When the two minutes were up and the final whistle blew, the Lakers finally secured a hard-fought victory on the road!
109: 131!

The Lakers ultimately defeated the Cavaliers by 21 points, tying the series at 2-2!
In this way, regardless of who wins the next game or who wins the championship, the final champion will not be known until Los Angeles, and the series will have to go to at least six games before a winner is decided.

But no matter who wins the championship, the place where they finally lift the trophy must be Los Angeles!
Compared to the Lakers regaining home-court advantage, ending the Cavaliers' undefeated home record in this season's playoffs, bringing the series back into contention, and tying the series again, people are more willing to discuss the Lakers' lineup in the final stages of the season.

"That wasn't my idea; it was the result of the hard work of my trainers and video analysts. They studied our lineup, they did a lot of work, they watched countless videos, and after rigorous calculations, they said we could try playing this small-ball lineup, which should be able to counter the Cavaliers."

"Then I gave it a try, and I took their advice when we lost Andrew. To my surprise, it worked even better than I expected!"

"Let's give a shout-out to every member of the team; without their hard work, we wouldn't have had tonight's victory!"

After the game, Jackson spoke eloquently again, regaining home-court advantage and bringing the series back to a stalemate. Jackson seemed much more relaxed.

Even if Jackson's actions in the previous games were intentional, I was still nervous.

The old man was also afraid that things would really go wrong and there would be no way to save him!

Even if he was very confident, he was still afraid of something unexpected happening.

But now, he is completely relaxed.

A large portion of the questions at the post-game press conference focused on the small-ball lineup Jackson ultimately fielded.

Jackson was bombarded with all sorts of questions, such as whether it would set a trend in the league, whether it would change the distribution of strengths and weaknesses in the league, and whether this lineup would be used as the starting lineup regularly. He was completely bewildered.

But this time he was honest and straightforward, without resorting to any tricks or non-violent non-cooperation tactics to deal with the reporters' questions.

Even the reporters were stumped as they asked the questions.

No, your wife gave birth?

Why are they so happy and cooperative in answering our questions? Has this changed their personality or what?
Experienced reporters, at this point, would wisely sit back or even start thinking about making a run for it.

When did Jackson become so kind as to help everyone complete their interview transcripts?

There's a conspiracy! There's definitely a conspiracy!
This guy definitely has something up his sleeve!
Sure enough, after answering several questions and demonstrating his goodwill, Jackson squinted and began his performance.

Or rather, to express one's demands.

"Tonight's game was pretty good overall. Our players gave it their all, and the Cavaliers played quite well too. We were just luckier. Our assistant coaches and video team gave me better advice, which is why we won."

"But apart from that, the referee's calls tonight were like a pile of shit! No, even if you threw all three referees into a cesspool, the dog shit that was already there would run away from them! Even in a cesspool, those three would be the three smelliest, hardest, and most disgusting piles of shit!"

“4次进攻犯规！4次啊！踏马的80%的比赛一整场都出现不了4次进攻犯规，但今晚的裁判们却吹了安德鲁4次进攻犯规！我没有去翻阅技术统计，但我很确定一件事。”

"Andrew is going to go down in history! He's definitely going to be the player with the most offensive fouls in a single game in NBA history! That's how I congratulate Andrew."

"Andrew almost cried after the game. He was desperate because he couldn't fight alongside his teammates, and he couldn't understand his fouls. The whole team couldn't understand it either!"

"This is outrageous! FUXX! This is outrageous! I've never seen anything so funny. If Gasol or Ilgauskas had made those moves, neither of them would have even gotten an offensive foul!"

"But the referees still gave Andrew four! I'll emphasize again, a fucking four! More than those three referees released players in a whole week. What were they thinking? Giving a kid four offensive fouls in a single game?"

“I know, I understand, this is Cleveland, they should have home-court advantage, it doesn’t matter, I can accept appropriate home-court refereeing, after all, we also receive some preferential treatment in Los Angeles.”

"But four offensive fouls, isn't that a bit too much? Even if you just gave him two technical fouls and kicked him out, it wouldn't be this outrageous!"

"Of course I understand. I know what the league is thinking. The hype of Los Angeles winning the championship is obviously not as interesting as Cleveland winning the championship. And the only championship in a top league in 60 years sounds much better than Los Angeles winning the championship, doesn't it?"

"Moreover, beating Lin, beating Kobe, beating us, beating Los Angeles seems to be something the league likes to see and expects. After all, Lin is almost 40 years old. Wouldn't it be better for the league if he lost once or twice and then used that to promote younger players?"

"So, I accept it all, really, I accept it."

"What I want to say is that next time, if the league wants to do this again, you can tell me in advance that you don't want us to win. We can just concede or not come at all and just give out the awards."

"Was it really necessary to waste time and energy feeding us a huge pile of dog shit?" (End of Chapter)