The day after the Lakers advanced to the Finals, the Knicks didn't keep the Lakers waiting.
Led by Wang Shuo's disciple Mike Brown, the Knicks defeated the Celtics in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals and successfully met the Lakers in the Finals with a 4-1 score.
According to the schedule, the finals will start on June 2. The Lakers, who have the superior regular season record, will play home first and then away.
Since the NBA entered the 21st century, people's attention and enthusiasm for the finals this year have far exceeded those in the past.
After all, the feud between the largest city in the United States and the second largest city in the United States is enough to make the United States focus on this year's NBA Finals.
In addition, in every sense, this is also a topic-rich finals round.
The first is the master-disciple showdown between Wang Shuo and Brown.
Followed by another collision between Wang Shuo and his old club in the finals.
And the Chinese derby between Wang Shuo and Xiao Yao.
After the decisive battle between the East and the West, before the start of the G1 game of the finals, the sports media in China and the United States used various gimmicks in just a few days to make this round of finals a hot search several times.
In this era of increasingly developed Internet, to be honest, this round of the finals is also likely to be the decisive game under Stern.
Because these days, even a mediocre pre-match analysis article can attract the attention of the world.
Perhaps, the Super Bowl is the "Spring Festival Gala" in the minds of American people.
But even NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in an interview that this year's NBA Finals has already made the NFL feel a serious sense of crisis.
ESPN's usual program of inviting experts to predict the scores of this year's finals easily set a new viewing record.
In ESPN's prediction program, seven of the fifteen experts were optimistic that the Knicks would win the championship, seven were optimistic that the Lakers could win the cup again after an absence of nine years, and one person chose to give up.
But without exception, fifteen experts all believe that this series will reach a tiebreaker to determine the winner.
This year's TNT TV station's finals preview program also set a new ratings record.
Charles Barkley, "former Wang Shuo's deputy and legendary coach's legendary assistant", brought a game to the fans in the show, from the personnel composition of the Knicks and Lakers to the tactics that the two teams may choose in the finals. Comprehensive and professional analysis.
“The inside is undoubtedly the Knicks’ biggest advantage in this round of the Finals.
But in my opinion, Wang must have already thought of a response.
Shaq, who has not played in the Western Conference finals before, will join Mark in this round of finals and become the Lakers' internal barrier against Yao.
This year, before the start of the playoffs, Wang excluded Marcus and Ronny from the playoff roster, but retained Rasheed, who only played 25 games for the Lakers in the regular season due to injury.
I think that in the finals, Rasheed will undoubtedly become the Lakers' surprise weapon against Tim! "
As an ecological chain, it is a very interesting alliance.
Of course, historically, Duncan has always had the upper hand in battles with the "Roaring God".
But even in the later years of his career, Wallace is one of the inside players who knows Duncan best in the league.
If Wang Shuo remembers correctly, Duncan only had an overall shooting percentage of 45.5% in his career matches with Wallace.
Wallace's familiarity and understanding of Duncan determines that he will be the only player on the Lakers team who can compete with Duncan in this round of finals.
Wang Shuo knows better than anyone that in this upcoming finals, there is no possibility that the Lakers can guard the Knicks inside.
In Wang Shuo's view, the only thing the Lakers need to do is to find ways to reduce the Knicks' hard-hitting efficiency inside and use higher offensive efficiency to shoot for the future.
"In this round of the finals, I want Monta and Stephen to start together." Wang Shuo said to Malone and others at the Lakers' pre-match tactical preparation meeting before the start of the finals.
Hearing this, Coach Lu, who thought that Wang Shuo was just deliberately shuffling things during the regular season to allow Curry and Ellis, the "crouching dragon and phoenix chicks", to partner together many times in the game, suddenly realized... ..
It turns out that during the regular season, Wang Shuo has been training through competitions.
Yes, you are not mistaken.
It is precisely to play against this Knicks that Wang Shuo will let Ellis and Curry play together many times in the regular season.
Although when facing most opponents in this league, Ellis and Curry's defense will become the opponent's defender's dream.
But this Knicks has no chance of defeating this pair of "crouching dragons and phoenixes".
It is true that Rondo's defensive ability determines that neither Curry nor Ellis will be too comfortable playing against him.
Can......
What if Wang Shuo chooses to let Curry and Ellis play together?
The Knicks want to use the defense of Curry and Ellis to make a fuss. In Wang Shuo's view, they can only replace Smith and Douglas to partner in the backcourt.
But then...
How should the Knicks' perimeter defend the Lakers' perimeter offense?
In the tactical conference room, Director Lu thought for a while and then said: "Wang, when we played the Thunder before...were we also preparing for this round of the finals?"
Wang Shuo nodded and said: "I have been preparing for this round of finals throughout the regular season and playoffs this year."
At this moment, looking at Wang Shuo, Director Lu finally understood why Wang Shuo was always able to make every move.
Why can this man stand at the top of all basketball coaches!
"Monta and Steph playing together will be more conducive to us using the Jerry Sloan pick-and-roll on the court.
In addition, I plan to put Danilo and Lamar in the second team at the same time.
One of them can support and the other can attack. Mike is likely to use Trevor and Wilson to confront Kobe.
Once in the rotation, no one on the Knicks' forward line will be able to stop Danilo. "After a pause, Wang Shuo continued.
Looking at Wang Shuo from the side, Mike Malone said: "Do you want Rasheed and Mark to partner inside?"
Wang Shuo said: "Yes, Mike."
Malone added: "But in this way, our transition offense has to rely entirely on the defender to advance."
Wang Shuo smiled and said: "I trust my judgment, Mike.
I don't think the Knicks have a way to deal with our 'Jerry Sloan pick-and-roll' after falling into deep territory. "
Since receiving the gift from coach Sloan, Wang Shuo has never let the Lakers use Sloan's pick-and-roll in an actual game.
As for the reason.
Of course, it's because Wang Shuo doesn't want to give Mike Brown time to think about how to crack this offensive system that combines modern basketball off-ball coverage tactics.
Those who think Wang Shuo has already solved the Knicks' century-old problem may not believe it.
In fact, it wasn't until I got a gift from coach Sloan.
Wang Shuo finally found a way to crack the Knicks inside.
Of course, if they want to strictly implement Sloan's pick-and-roll on the court, the Lakers also need Kobe to continue to make sacrifices for the team in this year's finals.
Therefore, before the finals started, Wang Shuo also treated Kobe and Vanessa to a meal alone.
Can......
Why does this mamba snake need Wang Shuo's enlightenment now?
During the meal, looking at Wang Shuo, Kobe smiled and said: "As long as I can win the finals, I don't care about my personal data."
Seeing this, Wang Shuo was also happy and said to Kobe: "In the past, every year at the beginning of the finals, I would think of a slogan for my team.
Kobe, do you want to guess what the slogan I have prepared for the Lakers this year? "
Kobe thought for a while and then complained: "You also said before, I am a person who lacks creativity, so...
Wang, you'd better tell me the answer directly. "
Wang Shuo smiled slightly and said: "This year, the slogan I thought of for you and the Lakers is called 'Ascending to the Gods'.
As long as you are willing to sacrifice for this Lakers, Kobe...
I believe that the Lakers will be able to achieve long-term success under your leadership in this year's finals.
Be prepared for the world to pay homage to you! "
Although someone keeps saying that he is not good at Chicken Soup for the Soul and pie painting.
but......
In a sense, Wang Shuo is definitely the strongest "chicken soup coach" and "picture cake coach" in the league today.
You see, after dinner with Wang Shuo today...
Kobe wouldn't even walk.
At this moment, all Kobe could think about was:
No fear of scars, he will eventually become a victor and ascend to the gods for a long time. Who cares about the sun, moon and stars?
…
On the evening of the 2nd, celebrities from all over the United States gathered at the Staples Center.
Above the dome, the thirteen championship flags fluttering in the wind are looking forward to adding a new partner next season more than ever.
At the invitation of Buss Jr., Lakers legend Jerry West also came to the scene.
In the CCTV live commentary box, when a close-up shot of West was shown, Director Zhang complained: "Oh, this is a true 'iconic' figure in the NBA."
Tonight, little Bas, who was sitting next to old Bas, was in high spirits.
In contrast, the "Lakers girl" who in Wang Shuo's memory would confiscate West, an "iconic" figure in the NBA, from his permanent free tickets to the Lakers in the future, looked at her with a sly smile. Sitting next to his father and brother with a smiling expression.
This season, Wang Shuo, who has always had a tacit understanding with Bass, usually praises Jim Buss a lot.
Although Wang Shuo has no intention of the palace fight in the Buss family, in order to prevent Jenny Buss from smashing the statue that the old Buss has been preparing for herself in the future...
Wang Shuo didn't mind and gave Jim Bass a few more pieces of his prestige cake that he could no longer eat.
Kupchak, who won the best general manager this year, also benefited from this.
Because Wang Shuo did not take all the credit for the Lakers' revival after just one summer, he always praised Kupchak by name in interviews for his outstanding contributions to the Lakers.
In the eyes of Kupchak and Buss Jr., the only fly in the ointment is that Wang Shuo had clearly told them when he decided to take over the Lakers that the Lakers would not be the last stop of his coaching career.
However, Kupchak and Buss have also made up their minds about this.
That is, after Wang Shuo leaves in the future, they can completely follow the Knicks' example and select a champion assistant coach from Wang Shuo's family to continue to run the Lakers.
On the court, after the passionate opening dance of the Lakers cheerleading girls, the Lakers' carefully designed appearance ceremony for this year's finals also attracted bursts of cheers from the fans at the scene.
At the scene, every time a Lakers player came on the court, Staples lights spelled out that player's name on the floor.
Kobe received the most applause and cheers when he came out.
CCTV, Yu Jia commented when Kobe Bryant appeared: "Tonight, Yao Ming and Duncan will join forces to face the NBA's recognized best perimeter player, Kobe Bryant!"
With Yao Ming participating in the finals, most Chinese fans will naturally hope that the Knicks can win.
But in the NBA, there has never been such a saying as to who needs a championship more.
Because for competitive sports, championship is undoubtedly the biggest desire of every athlete.
The Knicks hope to win more championships under the leadership of Yao Ming and Duncan.
The Lakers are also eager to taste the taste of a championship again after an absence of nine years.
When the largest city in the United States meets the second largest city in the United States in the finals.
It’s the Big Apple that’s sweet in the end.
Or can the City of Angels clear the clouds and see the light?
At the scene, with the big screen showing the starting lineups of the two teams tonight, basketball fans from all over the world were holding their breath at this moment.
Knicks: Yao Ming, Duncan, Hill, Finley, Rondo.
Lakers: Marc, Wallace, Kobe, Ellis, Curry.
In the center of the court, during the jump ball session, a certain Tyrannosaurus rex jumped very powerfully for the Knicks' opening shot.
After Rondo escorted the basketball past half-court, Duncan quickly lifted up and formed a triangle with Yao Ming and Hill, with Yao sitting in the low post to beat Kawhi.
Xiaojia's first top defense after the opening was quite successful.
As one of the few insiders in the league who can make Xiao Yao pay some price when attacking...
Xiaojia was not cut open by Yao Ming in this offensive round, but forced Xiaoyao to use his turn back.
when--!
On the court, Yao Ming made the first attack, and the Lakers' insider, Wallace, also blocked his old rival Duncan at the first opportunity.
As he gets older, Duncan's offensive rebounding ability has declined to a certain extent compared to the Knicks dynasty.
but......
As the best offensive rebounding team in the NBA after entering the playoffs, the Knicks' offensive rebounding relies on more than just Duncan.
However, just when the Knicks' "hidden center" Rondo was about to rush for an offensive rebound...
The Lakers' "hidden center" Curry stepped forward!
You may not believe it.
Curry not only returned the ball to the basket immediately, but his positioning movements were even more professional than many centers in the league.
By rushing for offensive rebounds, forcing the opponent to not make a quick move in advance, thereby avoiding being beaten by the opponent in transition, this is a routine that Wang Shuo used when he was still coaching the Knicks.
Therefore, in this game, Wang Shuo never thought that the Lakers could speed up the pace of the game by getting a lot of transition offense like they did when they played against the Knicks in the regular season.
Because the Knicks in the finals and the Knicks in the regular season are two completely different concepts.
In the penalty area, Kobe protected this backcourt rebound for the Lakers under the blocking of Wallace and Curry.
Upon seeing this, the Lakers fans at Staples Center immediately burst into applause for Kobe.
On the Knicks bench, Brown, who knew that he could not grab offensive rebounds every time, kept reminding the Knicks players on the sidelines to put pressure on the Lakers' ball carrier as soon as possible. .
This is also the same routine Wang Shuo played back then.
By putting pressure on the ball holder, you can buy your own insider time to return to defense.
On the court, Kobe dribbled the ball past half court and handed it to Curry.
It's up to the elementary school kids to launch the Lakers' first Jerry Sloan pick-and-roll tonight.
At the top of the arc, Wallace moved up to the high post to ask for the ball and provided a screen for Curry.
At the same time, on the left side of the court, Kobe also provided an off-ball screen for Ellis on the wing.
Then, Ellis continued to run and used the cover of Xiaojia from the bottom line to go around to a 45-degree angle on the right side of the court.
At this time, as Ellis opened up the space...
When Curry returned to the high post to ask for the ball, Wallace only made a simple hand-to-hand coordination and successfully replaced Yao Ming in front of Curry.
In the live commentary booth, before the Chinese and American commentators could review the Lakers' tactical design just now...
After getting the ball, Curry used two behind-the-back dribbles on the outside to separate him from Yao Ming, and scored the Lakers' first three-pointer tonight in front of Yao!
On the sidelines, Mike Brown, who saw this scene, always felt that the Lakers' opening tactics were very similar to the Spanish pick-and-roll, but after thinking about it carefully in his mind, Brown knew very well...
The tactics the Lakers played tonight were not the traditional Spanish pick-and-roll.
In front of the TV, Jerry Sloan, who was watching the game, showed an excited smile.
because......
The man who keeps his promises the most in the NBA really didn't lie to this bad old man!
In the Finals, the Lakers played an offensive tactic that due to personnel restrictions, he has never been able to let the Jazz players execute perfectly on the court!
So the question is, how did the Lakers replace Yao Ming in front of Curry through a series of off-ball screens?
Answer: The key lies in Ellis' running route.
Because when he was using Kobe's screen to run towards the bottom line, Hill, who was responsible for marking him, was already half a body away from him...
Therefore, when Ellis uses the pick-and-roll set by Garfield in advance to go to a 45-degree angle on the right side, someone on the Knicks' inside line must help Hill delay Ellis.
This time on defense, the Knicks chose Duncan and Yao Ming to switch defenses, with Duncan delaying Ellis.
Duncan managed to do just that.
But because of the left side of the court, Kobe also gained half a position for Curry through an off-ball screen...
Therefore, at this time, Yao Ming must expand outward and protect his outside teammates by expanding his defense zone.
But it is different from ordinary outside lines.
Because Curry's shooting range is too outrageous...
Therefore, once Curry gets the ball from the outside through a pick-and-roll, the opponent's inside players who rotate in front of him will, in most cases, not be able to immediately choose to return to their own defense zone after the delay.
But at this moment, someone must want to say.
Do the Lakers need to waste so much effort to replace Yao Ming in front of Curry?
This is a good question.
But is it possible that the Lakers were forced to play a complete Sloan pick-and-roll precisely because the Knicks defended so well?
In fact, when Sloan's pick-and-roll is strictly implemented, there are many points for launching offenses.
It's just that the Knicks showed their best defensive attitude in the Finals.
This tacit understanding of the dynasty's team just blocked the Lakers' previous offensive launch point.
Come back and the Knicks attack.
After Rondo held the ball for half the game, Yao Ming and Duncan both moved up to the high position to double-cover him.
On this ball, Duncan blocked the defender for Rondo and then quickly passed down, while Yao Ming on the other side also bounced out at the same time.
Rondo's ball-handling assault and Duncan's downward cuts played a role in compressing the Lakers' defense.
Although the Lakers successfully blocked the space for Duncan to pass down, the help of Kevin Garnett also led to Yao Ming being inevitably let go by the Lakers in this offense.
Fortunately, Kobe read the Knicks' offensive ideas in time and immediately rotated from the wing to Yao Ming.
Rondo, who had already burst into the Lakers' hinterland, could not choose to pass the ball back at this time.
Because his return line has been blocked by Kobe, if he returns the ball rashly, there will be a high probability of making a mistake.
Hey, wait a minute!
Since Kobe's help is in front of Yao Ming...
Wasn't the old Hill let go by the Lakers?
Yes.
Hill was indeed in an absolutely vacant position at this moment.
Can......
With the Lakers full of people in the middle, how can Rondo, who has limited vision, pass the ball to Hill on the other side of the court?
On the basketball court, when many fans see players of the team they support in the open space through God's perspective, they often complain that the players responsible for holding the ball cannot pass the ball to their teammates in the first time.
However, if these people have really played 2K games, they will definitely find...
Players who also have a God's perspective in the game often get the ball intercepted because they want to pass it to teammates controlled by the computer.
Without absolute certainty.
In a basketball game, large-scale cross-pass transfers are taboo at any time.
On the court, in desperation, Rondo could only pass the ball back to Finley, who was closer to him.
Duncan was responsible for defusing the bomb by moving around to this side to catch the ball.
The Knicks' offensive organization also showed their calmness and rationality as a dynasty team.
Wang Shuo, who saw this scene on the sidelines, couldn't help but sigh in his heart:
——This is indeed a team that I have led. This tactical quality is different from ordinary teams!
Of course, at this moment, Ma Long and others did not know Wang Shuo's thoughts.
Otherwise, they will definitely ask Wang Shuo:
What about the sun?
On the court, Duncan's sideways hook shot after getting the ball missed.
But Xiao Yao, who had already moved from the outside to the inside, made a tip-in, successfully scoring the first two points for the Knicks after tonight's start.
Wallace, who is very familiar with Duncan's game characteristics, headed the ball well.
But without the timely assistance of Xiaojia, Duncan's sideways hook would have been a sure success.
only......
After Marc helped Wallace defend, the Lakers had no choice but to bet that Duncan's sideways hook would bounce back to the side of the Lakers' basket with more people on it.
But it turns out...
Just like Duncan is good at grabbing those shots that Yao Ming misses.
Yao Ming is also good at catching Duncan's missed shots on the court.
Come back, the Lakers have the ball.
This time it was replaced by Plush and moved to a high position to join forces with Curry to initiate the Sloan pick-and-roll.
The Knicks' first few pick-and-roll defenses were fine.
However, as an offensive system that tests the adaptability of players on the court, Kobe used his reading of the game to remove the wall in advance when Curry was on the wing, and quickly cut into the Knicks' basket.
Seeing this, Garfield didn't hesitate and immediately threw the ball into the Knicks' penalty area.
The Lakers scored two points from Kobe, 2-5.
On TNT TV, Smith looked at the "tactician" Barkley with curiosity and asked: "The Lakers' first two offenses tonight were both like Princeton and Spanish pick-and-rolls.
Charles, do you know the name of this tactic? "
Upon hearing this, Barkley was immediately stunned by Smith.
Fortunately, a few minutes later, when the game entered an official timeout, the host answered everyone's doubts through an interview with Wang Shuo.
“The system we played tonight was an offense invented and created by legendary coach Jerry Sloan.
When we practice, we usually call it the Jerry Sloan pick-and-roll. '" Wang Shuo laughed during an interview with the live host.
However, due to limited time for on-site interviews...
So even though they know the name of this tactical system, people still need to wait until after the game to learn more about this tactic and why it will be presented to the world by the Lakers through interviews with Wang Shuo.
However, through the live broadcast, people learned the name of the offensive system the Lakers played tonight.
Jerry Sloan, the name of this legendary NBA coach, will surely be immortalized along with this tactical system.
That is, on the Knicks bench, for a moment, Mike Brown felt that Wang Shuo was too bullying.
Because no matter how resourceful Brown was, he couldn't have thought of...
His mentor Wang Shuo actually had the ultimate skill of "off-field assistance".
Too much.
It's really too much.
Does this mean that a group of Zhuge Liang came to beat me, a cobbler?
However, this night, Wang Shuo's surprise for Brown was not just the Sloan pick-and-roll?
On the court, with 4 minutes left in the first quarter, Wang Shuo adjusted the Lakers' lineup to O'Neal, McRoberts, Odom, Kobe, and Curry.
At this moment, the Knicks bench looked at Ellis, who had been replaced by Wang Shuo in advance, and Gallinari, who had not yet appeared in this game...
Brown screamed something bad in his heart, and his brows immediately knitted together.
…
