The day before the game against Stanford, the Devils flew to San Francisco.
San Francisco, also known as the "Bay Area", has two NCAA Division I schools.
One is Stanford University, which they are about to play against, and the other is the University of California, Berkeley, which they have already played against before.
This is the second time the team members have come here this season. They did not hang out like last time, but practiced more spontaneously.
Although they lost the last game, they "stand" to lose, and instead of having their morale affected, they are eager to prove themselves with a victory.
The next night, Stanford University's Mapletree Arena was sold out.
The name of the Stanford University basketball team is the Cardinals, which has nothing to do with Auerbach... of course it has nothing to do with it, just because their representative color is bright red.
As a century-old strong school, Auerbach was not even born when they established the team. This is basically equivalent to the relationship between Yu Qian and Yu Qian.
You can see many people wearing bright red clothes at the scene, and some people are holding flags with a bright red background. From a distance, it looks like a sea of red.
During the opening ceremony, the enthusiasm of the fans was as warm as red flames.
After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups of both sides were announced one after another.
Cardinals: 1.85 meter point guard No. 1 Mickey Johnson, 1.93 meter shooting guard No. 4 Anthony Gus, 2.03 meter small forward No. 15 Lawrence Hill, 2.13 meter power forward Brook · Lopez, 2.13 meter center Robin Lopez.
What stands out about this lineup is its height, with the average height reaching 2.01 meters, which is considered tall in the NBA, not to mention the NCAA.
Height is recognized as the number one talent in basketball.
For the Devils, Sandek still sent out the starting lineup of Glasser, Harden, Shipp, Xu Yong and Ayers.
Except for Harden, all other positions are at a disadvantage in terms of height, especially inside. Xu Yong has to face one of the Lopez brothers, which is also a huge test for him.
The game started quickly, and Ayers jumped first, giving the Devils the opportunity to take the lead.
The red jerseys started with a 2-3 zone defense.
The 2-3 zone defense is a type of zone defense, with the focus of defense on the inside.
Harden got a three-point opportunity after picking up and rolling at the top of the arc, and decisively chose to shoot from the outside.
The easiest way to break a zone defense is to use a three-pointer, and it is a three-pointer from the front.
"Dang!"
There was no problem with Harden's choice, but it was a pity that his three-pointer missed the frame and the rebound was protected by Robin Lopez.
At this time, the Devils players did not realize the seriousness of the matter.
Looking back, Brook Lopez immediately scored the first two points through a low post on Ayers.
Then in the next round, Glasser's three-point attempt from a 45-degree angle on the right also ended in a blacksmith.
The head coach in red has a very clear idea of setting up a 2-3 zone defense at the beginning of this season, covering up the weakness of the twin tower defense, and at the same time betting on the opponent's outside touch.
Once the opponent feels bad on the outside, zone defense is the most effective way to defend. Even if the opponent feels good, they can quickly adjust back.
And tonight they got it right.
Although Harden had targeted training before the game, he did not find his touch at the start.
This feeling quickly spread to his teammates, and the members of the Devils teamed up to compose the song "The Little Blacksmith of Milan".
Looking back, Ayers also didn’t have much to do against Brook Lopez’s post attack.
Lopez is not fast at all, but his offensive skills are very solid, and his wingspan reaches an astonishing 2.27 meters. Coupled with his soft touch, Ayers is difficult to guard.
In a nutshell, Lopez completely overpowers Ayers in terms of talent.
In fact, among the Lopez brothers, Brook's talent is significantly higher than Robin's. His average of 20+10 per game is also the core of the red coach's offense.
Then the Devils fell into a situation where they couldn't make three-pointers on the offensive end, and couldn't guard the Cardinals' twin towers on the defensive end.
Even if there are occasional defensive rounds, the red-shirted head coach has the experience to foul on the spot and does not give the Devils a chance to defend and counterattack.
These details all explain why the red-shirted head coach has not yet lost a single game since the start of the season. Like UCLA, they are already a very mature team.
At 13 minutes into the first half, the score was 12-24.
Sandeck called a timeout.
Although the point difference is smaller than when playing UCLA, the same thing is that the Devils are facing huge difficulties.
If they can't hit three-pointers on the offensive end, it will be difficult for them to narrow the point difference, but things like feel are not something you just want.
Especially when you are falling behind, your shots are getting worse and worse.
"Guys, no one can score all the time, even Michael and the Bulls have their days where they struggle to shoot, but we can still do the right things, rebound and defend, just like we did last night against UCLA because it's the same thing. , and no one will ever fail to score."
After Sandek laid out the tactics, Xu Yong encouraged his teammates.
He said something similar when he played against UCLA, because the most critical thing to win in basketball, and what the players themselves can control, is rebounding and defense.
This is also what Kobe once believed to be the truth.
And when the players heard Xu Yong speak this time, the feeling was different from the last game.
Because in the last game, they came close to the point difference twice, relying on rebounds and defense.
As Xu Yong said, that is the right thing.
After the timeout, Sandek replaced all the main players in advance.
The head coach in red also responded quickly and replaced the main players in advance. The two sides entered the decisive stage of the first half.
The Cardinals continue to defend the 2-3 zone.
The Devils adjusted their offensive strategy at this time. Instead of blindly shooting three-pointers, they switched to a 1-3-1 position to crack.
Anyone who has had a little exposure to basketball should know that the key to breaking a zone defense is to form a local pattern of more play and less play.
The 1-3-1 position is one of the methods invented based on this idea.
The key to this position is the player at the free throw line in "3". As long as he can make a mid-range shot, he can punish the opponent.
After a burst of outside conduct from the Devils involved the defensive formation, Harden finally fed the ball to Ayers.
Because of the 2-3 zone defense, Ayers' position is like a nail embedded in the defense, and he is unmarked.
He chose to take a mid-range shot, and his shot also attracted interference from the Lopez brothers.
"Dang!"
His shot ended up missing the basket due to interference.
However, Xu Yong, as the "1" sinking the bottom line, quickly inserted into the basket and jumped up after accurately judging the landing point of the basketball.
"Bang!"
Compensation deduction completed directly!
This is not only getting rebounds, but also directly scoring!
The Devils' bench was in a frenzy. What convinced them most about Xu Yong was that whatever he said, he could do it on the court first.
It was like that in the last game, and it will be like that in this one!
This extra deduction also boosted the morale of the Devils team.
Ayers really used all his strength after returning to the defensive end.
Brook Lopez didn't get a good shot, so he chose a slow three-step hook that crushed Ayers.
At this time, Xu Yong abandoned Robin and attacked directly.
Lopez was interfered with when he took a shot, and the ball hit the edge of the basket and popped out.
Xu Yong has quick hands and pockets the defensive rebound.
At this time, the two Lopez brothers beside him had already committed two fouls and did not dare to commit a foul. He successfully threw the ball to Harden on the outside.
The Devils finally made a defensive counterattack.
Harden was also holding back his anger. After receiving the ball, he accelerated directly past the two of them, rushed to the frontcourt like an ejected Rocket Raccoon, and leaped high.
"Bang!"
A tomahawk dunk smashed the ball into the basket!
After dunking, Harden roared at the audience at the baseline, venting his emotions.
The Devils narrowed the point difference to 8 points!
The Cardinals immediately called a timeout.
The Devils players were excited when they came off the field, and they were all subconsciously surrounding Xu Yong.
They are doing the right thing because Xu Yong told them it is the right thing!
