NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

In the first phase of the first quarter, specifically the first 7-8 minutes, neither coach made any substitutions. Instead, they watched their players fight on the court, and the game was relatively stable, with neither side managing to create any scoring surges to widen the gap.

Overall, the Bobcats held the upper hand, leading 20-15 by 5 points, because Felton was unable to compete with Rose and was almost completely outplayed.

It wasn't until eight minutes into the first quarter that Don Nelson made his first substitution, bringing on Crawford, the team's ace sixth man, hoping to bolster the team's firepower and increase their scoring efficiency!
"coming!"

Lin Tian's eyes lit up the moment he saw Crawford enter the arena: "I've been waiting for you, Crawford!"

"Jeremy, Lamar, get ready to go!" Lin Tian quickly called out the two names and said, "Kill him! No matter who he's up against, kill him!"

The two players who came on to replace Boozer and Hayward were Boozer and Hayward.

Suddenly, the Bobcats had three more players on the court with ball-handling and attacking abilities. Upon seeing this lineup, Yao Ming immediately understood what he needed to do.

On the Bobcats' first offensive possession, Yao Ming immediately turned and moved to the corner three-point line, creating space for his teammates and pulling Okur, the Knicks' only player with rim protection ability, out of the three-point line.

Rose then dribbled at the top of the arc, observed the situation, and saw that Crawford was going to defend Jeremy Lin. He immediately waved, and the two quickly closed in. After a handoff pass, Rose quickly moved to one side, giving Lin space and the ball.

Without hesitation, Jeremy Lin dribbled in place to stabilize his rhythm after receiving the ball, and then suddenly accelerated to break through. Relying on his speed and strength compared to Crawford, Lin drove with unwavering determination, bracing Crawford with his arm and charging forward.

After driving all the way to the vicinity of the three-second zone, he suddenly used his shoulder to push Crawford aside, then stopped abruptly and took a step back, pulling up for a close-range pull-up jump shot.

How could Crawford's frail body withstand Jeremy Lin's simple and direct impact? He was forced back a step, unable to defend at all, and could only watch as Jeremy Lin made a precise close-range jump shot!

As for Wallace, who originally wanted to come over to help defend, he was firmly blocked by DeRozan, who did not give him the opportunity to step forward and help.

As for Stoudemire? He simply doesn't understand the concept of help defense. Even though Don Nelson made sweeping changes and upgrades to the team's defense this year, Stoudemire just can't learn it, and his defense has hardly improved at all.

Humans are not born with this defensive instinct; they just don't know how to choose a position to cover or find the right opportunity.

There was nothing Nelson could do about it.

Because he could see that Stoudemire was willing and wanted to defend.

But I really can't learn it.

What could Don Nelson do? He could only try to hide Stoudemire!

As for Crawford being targeted by Lin Tian, ​​Old Nelson had already anticipated this. In the three regular season matchups between the two teams, Lin Tian's strategy remained unchanged: wait for Crawford to come up and then find a way to chase him down!

Players like Crawford are truly a double-edged sword.

He will inevitably be targeted on the defensive end, and it will be even more important whether he can respond on the offensive end and deliver a heavy blow to the opponent after he comes on the court.

If the offense can't respond, then Crawford will truly be a mole once he comes on.

Of course, most teams and most coaches wouldn't be like flies that smell... well, like tigers that smell meat, immediately their eyes light up and they rush at Crawford without caring about anything else. Everyone should still be polite.

It's extremely rare for someone like Lin Tian to take off his clothes without saying a word upon meeting someone.

So the other Knicks players knew that once this guy came on the court, they should ignore everything else and just let him have a couple of possessions to test his skills and see if he could recover the points lost on the defensive end before considering anything else.

So after Felton passed the ball to Crawford, he immediately moved to the other side to let Crawford try a couple of shots.

Crawford showed no mercy to Jeremy Lin, dribbling a series of dazzling maneuvers before suddenly making a sharp crossover to shake off Lin and then accelerating toward the basket.

But before he even got to the three-point line, DeRozan's help defense arrived!

He and Jeremy Lin formed a double-team against Crawford outside the three-point line on the wing!
"Shameless." Old Nelson curled his lip and cursed.

Lin Tian's behavior was truly devoid of martial ethics and manners.

In the first quarter of Game 1 of the series, you came out playing like your life depended on it!

Why don't you at least greet each other with a fist bump, test each other's moves a couple of times, and then start fighting?

Lin Tian: Old man, times have changed!
This is exactly how we, the new generation of coaches, do things!

Crawford was clearly unprepared for the double-team. He had never seen a team come up and immediately go all out with a double-team without warning. He should have at least given them a heads-up!
Other teams don't immediately guard Crawford; they play him for a few rounds first to test his shooting touch. If he's on fire, they switch to defense; if he's off fire, nobody cares about Crawford.

He doesn't have that much status or threat, so much so that his opponents would immediately double-team him.

Even if you don't mention him, even if you're Kobe, James, or Wade, the league's top perimeter scorers, they don't just come out and double-team them relentlessly to prevent them from playing.

This approach doesn't make sense.

Lin Tian: Dude, you play games that defy logic.

In particular, even if it were Kobe or James, only a madman would double-team them. Their ability to break double-teams is far superior to yours, Crawford.

The benefits of flanking them are clearly less than the risks.

But Crawford, do you have the ability to break through double teams? Do you have the ability to find open teammates when double-teamed and then lead the team's offense?
Obviously not!

"Don't worry about double-teaming! If this kid were capable of breaking through double-teams and finding teammates, he would have been an All-Star by now! Why would he be so far from the All-Star game?" Lin Tian didn't hold back, standing up and shouting from the sidelines to try and disrupt Crawford's mindset from outside the court.

Crawford was double-teamed, but he didn't pass the ball immediately. He made the mistake of holding onto the ball too long. Just when he wanted to create space and regroup, the two players marking him didn't give him any chance.

Before the game, under Lin Tian's guidance, the Bobcats watched countless game videos of the Knicks and Crawford, and they had an excellent understanding of Crawford's playing style!

They knew very well that the key to defending Crawford was to not give him any space, not let him dribble the ball, and not let him freely display his dribbling talent. They just needed to defend him closely, put pressure on him, and make it impossible for him to dribble.

Crawford's threat should be reduced by at least 7%.

For example, in this instance, just as Crawford retreated to create space, two Bobcats defenders rushed in. They were even faster than Crawford, completely blocking him in the blink of an eye and shutting down all his dribbling and driving space.
At that moment, Crawford tried to pass the ball, but it was too late.

Jeremy Lin seized the opportunity and slapped the basketball that Crawford was dribbling. DeRozan suddenly moved up to him, bumping into him and simultaneously shifting to the side to block Crawford.

DeRozan's header immediately made it difficult for Crawford to maintain his balance and continue controlling the ball, and he couldn't even change his angle to chase the ball.

In the blink of an eye, the basketball was out of Crawford's control and caught by Jeremy Lin. Lin then threw the ball directly to the frontcourt. Rose had already started his run and was charging at full speed. How could Felton, who was known for his weight and size, possibly catch up with him?

The entire Knicks team could only watch helplessly as Rose cut to the basket, got the ball, and unleashed a thunderous dunk!
The Bobcats' strategy this round was incredibly successful; everything they did pointed to one thing: We've been waiting for Crawford!

With a series of successful attacks and defenses, the Bobcats went on a 4-0 run in the blink of an eye, and the score difference between the two sides reached 9 points in the blink of an eye! They were just one step away from double digits.

"Old man, how will you handle this?" Lin Tian felt a mix of nervousness and excitement at this moment.

He knows better than anyone the difference between a series and a regular season game; both sides will be better prepared, have more variations, and be more targeted.

His pre-game preparations were absolutely thorough and correct, and he had already made several moves in the first quarter. Now Lin Tian was very curious about what Old Nelson would choose.

How will he adjust, and what moves will he make?

The direct confrontation with a top coach made Lin Tian quite excited and looking forward to it, because he knew better than anyone how good Old Nelson was. He knew how varied the old man's tactics were and how smart he was.

Leading by 9 points doesn't make Lin Tian relax at all; he's waiting for Old Nelson to retaliate!

Of course, Old Nelson wouldn't let Lin Tian down.

In that very possession, Don Nelson reacted quickly, standing up and shouting several things at the court before sitting back down on the bench.

There were no personnel changes, only tactical adjustments.

Less than two minutes later, Lin Tian noticed the change in Old Nelson.

His first move was to reduce Crawford's isolation plays and have him spread out to the weak side, acting as a strategic point and a spacer to create space for the rest of the team.

Crawford has the second-highest three-point shooting percentage and the most three-pointers made per game on the Knicks. When he spreads out to the weak side to wait for an opportunity, Lin Tian really doesn't dare to completely leave this guy alone.

Meanwhile, possession of the ball did not return to Felton and Stoudemire, but was instead concentrated heavily on Wallace's side!
Taking advantage of Lin Tian's decision to remove a forward and play a small lineup similar to a three-guard lineup, Old Nelson had Wallace come to the low post, repeatedly calling for the ball, and then using his back-to-the-basket moves and turnaround floaters to punish the Bobcats' lack of height in the backcourt.

DeRozan, who was matched up against Wallace, has the standard size of a shooting guard, but can barely play the small forward position.

But Wallace is a mini power forward, but he's huge when he plays small forward! He completely overwhelms DeRozan in terms of size.

With Crawford, Felton, and Okur providing space for him to post up in the low post, his success rate against DeRozan was truly remarkable.

For the last few minutes of the first quarter, the Knicks' core offensive strategy was for Wallace to bully DeRozan in the low post.

Lin Tian, ​​not to be outdone, countered by having Rose use pick-and-rolls to bully Okur or Stoudemire!
Rose repeatedly initiated pick-and-rolls with the team's interior players, then looked for opportunities to drive to the basket.

As long as the Knicks' two big men dare to come out to defend and delay, Rose will immediately accelerate and complete the attack, not giving them any chance to retreat and collapse under the basket.

If they don't rush out, or have their guards go around screens to chase Rose, then Rose, who was forced by Lin Tian to practice his mid-range shooting all summer, will teach them a lesson!

In short, in the last few minutes of the first quarter, both sides entered a phase where neither could defend the other. Although both sides made some substitutions as time went on, the overall rhythm remained unchanged.

This rhythm even continued into the first half of the second quarter.

After Rose, Stoudemire, and others took a break, both sides used their starters and substitutes in the first half of the second quarter, and neither side could stop the other.

Strategically and tactically, both sides had their successes and also suffered heavy blows when their opponents exploited their weaknesses.

For example, Crawford, who was highly anticipated by Knicks fans, did not score any points during his playing time except for a long-range two-pointer after receiving the ball and pulling up for it. On the contrary, he was chased down and beaten by the Bobcats' guards several times!
Whether it's Jeremy Lin, Derrick Rose, or DeMar DeRozan, as long as you match up against them, you'll definitely show them what you're capable of.

However, Wallace, who averaged only 14 points per game in the regular season, was boldly given a heavy responsibility by Don Nelson at this time, taking over the offensive banner for the Knicks, and had already scored 14 points with 7 minutes left in the second quarter.

Wallace's rampage was beyond Lin Tian's expectations, but he also adhered to his belief that as long as his opponent had a weakness, he would definitely pursue him relentlessly until he completely collapsed.

Lin Tian consistently exploited the Knicks' slow interior speed, poor defense, and Crawford's near-negative defensive ability, targeting these two weaknesses. The Knicks clearly had no way to counter his tactics.

The back-and-forth attacking each other's weaknesses only came to an end when Don Nelson called a timeout and made substitutions near the halfway point of the second quarter.

35: 43!

The Bobcats, playing at home, maintained an 8-point lead.

“Old Nelson definitely won’t dare to let Crawford play again anytime soon.” During the timeout, Lin Tian said to his players, “They will definitely stick to the same old tactics: Felton initiates the offense with a pick-and-roll, and then Stoudemire finds an opportunity to receive the ball and attack.”

"Wallace has been playing for a long time, and he only rested for 2 minutes in total. Regardless of whether he goes on or not, he will definitely have some stamina issues."

"So they'll definitely be focusing on Felton from now on! I noticed Amar'e has only taken four shots so far, which proves our defense has been quite successful! If they run pick-and-rolls, then keep defending like that! Keep cutting off their connections!"

“Carlos, if we can continue to cut off the connection between Felton and Amare, it means your pressure will increase significantly! Because Amare is not the kind of player who can only catch and shoot or make layups.”

"His ability to create his own offense should not be underestimated. His face-up offense is definitely among the top three in the entire league for power forwards!"

"He will most likely challenge you to a one-on-one match next and use his individual skills to win the game, so you must hold on! You have to keep him in check."

"Everyone else, be ready to help with defense at any time. Amare's passing ability is not very good either, but his offense is simple and direct. He usually won't dribble more than twice in an offensive possession, so when double-teaming him, remember: be steady, accurate and ruthless!"

"If we wait until he accelerates before we help defend, it might be too late. So, don't give him the chance! At the same time, don't over-help defend; their shooters have performed quite well tonight."

"Let Carlos guard us for the first few rounds. We need to trust our buddy! If Amare has a hot hand tonight, then we'll step in to help defend!"

"Alright, that's it. Any questions? Great! Go! Take them down!"

Just as Lin Tian gave the order, the timeout ended, and the players returned to the court with great momentum.

The Bobcats and the Knicks, or rather Lin Tian and Don Nelson, once again demonstrated their chemistry, with both teams fielding their starting lineups.

The first offensive possession after the timeout was the Knicks'. Felton brought the ball to the frontcourt, but to Lin Tian's surprise, he didn't run a pick-and-roll or attack on his own!

Instead, he dribbled steadily, and only after his teammates had all run away and taken their positions did he suddenly pass the ball to Ariza. Then Ariza lobbed the ball to Stoudemire, who was on the same side as him.

"That old man's reaction is pretty quick!" Lin Tian said excitedly when he saw this scene. "I originally thought he would try out a couple of pick-and-rolls first, and then go straight for Amare!"

"I didn't expect him to use this move so directly! Now it's going to be difficult for me to pull ahead by more than 10 points! From here on out, we can only see how well Amaré plays tonight and how much interference Carlos can give him!" (End of Chapter)