After the Clippers replaced a defensive lineup with one large and four small in the second quarter, the effect was actually not very good.
Because switching defenses is not a simple matter.
Unlike one-on-one defense with a clear goal, switching defenses requires a good defensive understanding among the players.
If two people lack communication and tacit understanding when defending, a defensive loophole will appear accidentally, and the opponent will seize the defense line, or give the opponent an opportunity to take an open shot.
In the past few seasons, the Clippers have always focused on one-on-one defense on the defensive end, supplemented by zone defense, while emphasizing discipline on the defensive end.
I don't particularly care about the defensive intensity and the weaving of the defensive mesh structure. After all, the Clippers mainly rely on offense to win.
Mike Malone intends to inject stronger defensive genes into the Clippers. He does not want to waste such good defensive resources among the Clippers' young people.
In the second half of the second quarter, the Warriors took advantage of the Clippers' lack of understanding on the defensive end to set off a wave of points chasing.
But the defensive talent and understanding of the Clippers' young players are really good. After half a quarter of the game, their defensive feeling on the court is getting better and better.
Especially the defensive coordination and communication between Anthony Davis, Leonard and others. Everyone is constantly communicating on the court, and the tacit understanding is getting better and better.
With Anthony Davis on the inside, outside players can boldly invade their opponents. Even if they accidentally lose position, Davis will make up for it.
Davis took advantage of his long arms and fast movement to check for leaks and fill gaps near the three-second zone.
Davis is very similar to Garnett, but the difference is that he defends more inside and protects the basket more.
Therefore, Davis is not as aggressive as Garnett in terms of defensive aggressiveness, but his blocking at the basket and drawing offensive fouls are better.
The Clippers have always implemented the "sink-and-retreat" pick-and-roll strategy set by Min Congda very well, putting basket protection first.
Anthony Davis's defensive style is undoubtedly very consistent with Min Congda's requirements - although Min Congda himself has long forgotten that he wrote an article to provide defensive inspiration for the Clippers.
A 20-point deficit is not easy to chase.
The Warriors once narrowed the point difference to 12 points.
But at the end of the second quarter, the Clippers relied on their tough defense to cause the Warriors to lose twice in a row.
Leonard and Butler succeeded in consecutive fast breaks, once again widening the point difference between the two sides to 17 points.
Butler came off the bench in the second quarter, and the Clippers' "defensive counterattack" strategy made him a fish in water.
Last season, he mainly relied on stealing chickens on the offensive end. This season, he has made great progress in dribbling, breakthroughs and fast breaks.
Moreover, despite his ugly appearance, his brain is definitely better than his appearance, and he is very smart on the court.
In terms of physical fitness, he is inferior to Leonard and George.
In counterattacks, it is difficult for him to rely on speed, wingspan and explosiveness to directly hit the basket like George and Leonard.
He is better at confronting defenders after slowing down and using his body and footsteps to complete the offense.
Although the scene was not as exciting as George and Leonard's dunks, it was a sure win.
Mike Malone also discovered that Butler has a golf intelligence that does not match his appearance. This kid is definitely underestimated.
At halftime, Mike Malone praised the players' defensive cooperation in the second quarter.
"Everyone is very capable of learning and progressing very quickly. I'm really surprised. No wonder we couldn't beat you in last year's finals."
Malone has only been with the Clippers for a short time, and sometimes he still feels like he is the coach of the Cavaliers.
As the Cavaliers coach, although his sense of the Clippers is comprehensive, it is not deep enough. After all, he is not within the team.
Only after truly getting into this team did he realize how deep the talent, the plasticity, and the huge potential the Clippers have.
Steve Kerr had similar feelings at the time, but they looked at it from different angles.
Cole looks at it from an offensive perspective and believes that the Clippers have huge offensive potential.
Mike Malone looks at it from both offensive and defensive levels, and the Clippers still have endless potential.
And there is a little difference between Malone and Cole. Mike Malone does not have as big ambitions as Cole.
Tyronn Lue was in the locker room and handed the summary pointer and brush to Malone and asked him to analyze the situation in the first half.
This made Malone a little flattered, but Tyronn Lue said: "This is the tradition of our team, and you are the protagonist tonight."
Therefore, Malone summarized and analyzed the defensive points in the first half and pointed out some of the players' mistakes and problems in their choices.
Of course, a game cannot be improved quickly. The regular season is still long, and the Clippers have enough time to make adjustments.
After the start of the second half, the Warriors entered a long chase, and the 17-point difference was really big.
Whenever the Warriors launched a counterattack, the Clippers could always respond with a strong defensive end, preventing the Warriors from scoring for a while.
For a young team like the Warriors that focuses on shooting, the lack of rhythm is very uncomfortable. The shooting touch of Thompson and Lillard has been worn away.
Min Congda sat on the sidelines with his hands folded, looking anxious and thinking: "If I had known you, Mark Jackson, were so stupid, I would have made you the head coach of the Clippers! To break such a defense, it is very simple to switch defenses. Just pull it low and do it! Do it one ball at a time, slowly chase back, you idiot!"
Not to mention that Min Congda is very talented in basketball. He saw the Clippers' defensive tricks in a short period of time and found a way to deal with them-low singles.
It has to be said that NBA tactics are sometimes a cycle, with each other reinforcing each other.
Since the birth and prosperity of basketball, low-post offense has always been the mainstream on the court.
After all, the closer you are to the basket, the easier it is to score.
However, as basketball techniques and tactics continue to develop, the status of low-post offense is also constantly decreasing.
In the 1980s, almost every team on the court, from center to defender, would post up and attack in the low post.
Even the point guard can push in with his butt stuck out and post up in the low post to beat the defender alone.
Most tactics start with players holding the ball behind their backs in the low post, disrupting the opponent's defensive formation.
By the 1990s, especially in the seasons when the three-point line was shortened from 1995 to 1997, the low post became exclusive to the team's core players, while other players mainly faced the basket and fixed-point shooting.
Since the beginning of the 21st century, the low post has gradually become an exclusive secret skill for superstars, a special skill for the playoffs, and a specific tactic at certain moments, rather than a conventional tactical routine, let alone a tactical starting move.
By the second decade of the 21st century, low-post monsters in the interior have basically exited the stage of history.
The offense on the court has become more and more fluid, and Flow tactics have emerged as a result.
Accordingly, many coaches, including Mike Malone, began to gradually think about and use large-scale defense changes, zone defenses, and even unlimited defense changes to deal with the tearing effect of the current large number of pick-and-roll and pass-and-cut tactics on the defensive formation.
When the offensive side moves, the defensive side will naturally follow suit.
Constantly switching defenses can minimize gaps and tears in the defensive formation.
But correspondingly, what kind of offense can best deal with a large number of defense changes?
In fact, everything has come full circle and returned to its original point. The best strategy to deal with a large number of defense changes is to play singles with the ball in the low post.
Because the attacking side is always the one taking the initiative. Don't you like to move and follow suit? I simply won't move.
This is called static braking. At the same time, because the opponent changes defenses a lot or even infinitely, there will inevitably be defensive dislocations.
In an era when low-post offense is strong and low-post behemoths are everywhere in the interior, a large number of defense changes are simply not feasible.
You are creating opportunities for your opponent to play mismatched singles.
Nowadays, with the death of low-post singles and the rise of all-around forwards at the third position, the positions on the court are blurred, and defense switches have become more and more common and easier to use.
So, just like fashion is a cycle, those things discarded by history are not completely useless, they are just temporarily hidden.
The wheel of history will one day turn back. Even if it doesn't, those seemingly outdated things can still play a huge role.
Mark Jackson obviously does not have such sensitivity, nor does he have such adaptability.
Facing the Clippers' flexible and quick defense changes, Jackson can only hope that the players' pick-and-rolls can be stronger, the ball can be moved faster, and the shots can be more accurate.
At the same time, Jackson also intends to make a fuss on the defensive end, because Jackson really wants to build the Warriors into a balanced offensive and defensive team.
But brother, you are already 17 points behind. The key is to score first.
The Clippers are not in a hurry at all and will stall you from the beginning of the third quarter.
Anyway, the Clippers' positional warfare offense is very simple, with Dragic playing the pick-and-roll.
In tonight's game, Dragic has had enough of the ball in his hands.
The ball is played from a high pick-and-roll, broken out or broken up, penetrated into the paint and thrown into the air, allowing Milicic or Anthony Davis to pick up the ball.
If you can't get in, Leonard, Butler or Bazemore and others will come out, catch the ball, and have a chance to shoot, but not a hard shot.
After the shot, the Clippers never competed for offensive rebounds and quickly returned to defense, denying the Warriors a chance to counterattack quickly.
In this case, the Clippers' lead is very stable.
The Warriors have no room for error.
Whenever there is a misfire or a few mistakes in their offense, all the previous efforts to fill the hole will be in vain.
Time is consumed, and more importantly, morale and confidence are consumed.
As the third quarter ended, the Warriors were still 15 points behind the Clippers, and the Warriors gradually lost confidence.
In fact, chasing 15 points in a game is not a fantasy. In the NBA, anything can happen.
The key is not to give up early. Once you give up early, the game is over.
Before the fourth quarter started, Mark Jackson looked confused and didn't know how to play.
After playing for several rounds, Jackson still couldn't find a good way to break the Clippers' iron barrel formation.
In fact, the Clippers have not yet formed a mature system, but the individual defensive capabilities of the players are indeed strong, while the Warriors players are all young and have too little experience in playing against the wind.
They are also mainly young players. After all, this group of Clippers boys have experienced the baptism of the finals and won the championship, and their mentality is completely different.
By the middle of the fourth quarter, the score between the two sides was 84:71, with the Clippers leading the Warriors by 13 points.
There are still 5 minutes left in the game, so it stands to reason that the Warriors still have a chance.
But during an attack, Lillard double-covered in the high post and was suddenly double-teamed by Leonard and Butler!
This double attack was so fierce that it could be said that Lillard was caught off guard. The ball in his hand was snatched away by Leonard and passed to Butler.
Then Butler and Leonard went downhill in tandem. Butler didn't take any credit, but hit the ball on the ground. The ball bounced into the air. Leonard jumped high and made a one-handed alley-oop dunk!
The Staples Center was in jubilation and the fans were cheering like crazy.
Leonard's face was expressionless, and Butler stepped forward and shouted: "You fucking smile!"
Leonard grinned slightly, his smile uglier than his cry.
If the Warriors score this goal, such as a three-pointer or something, then they can still score.
As a result, a mistake was made and the Clippers counterattacked again. The point difference returned to 15 points. It really felt like there was no chance.
Jackson didn't want to waste the players' energy anymore. He should go back and sum up. This game was unbeatable.
So, the Warriors called a timeout, replaced the main players and replaced them with garbage substitute players.
When Min Congda saw Jackson giving up, he cursed in his heart: "You idiot, you don't know how to adjust tactics, so you give up at the critical moment. How can you lead the team well like this! If I had known you were asked to lead the Clippers, you would be worse than Tyronn Lue.”
Director Lu, if nothing else, said that he is definitely qualified to not give up or give up.
His nerves are strong enough and he has an iron will at critical moments, able to withstand pressure and inspire players.
Of course, now that the team is leading and basically about to win, Coach Lu sits on the bench with a blank look on his face, feeling as if he has not played any role.
Today, the Clippers' commander-in-chief is Malone. He is the team's director of winning games. Director Lu is the field manager and is responsible for handing over tactical boards.
Most of the fans at the scene were spectators of this good show, applauding the Clippers' special performance that was different from the past.
It turns out that they can not only play beautiful offense, but also use steel-like defense to strangle their opponents.
Min Congda, who wanted to watch a good show before the game, felt as unhappy as he wanted.
But he didn't give up at the last moment, thinking that miracles would always happen in the NBA.
Didn’t Tracy McGrady have the miracle of 35 seconds and 13 minutes?
The Warriors are a strong three-point team, and maybe a miracle will happen in the last few minutes.
But the problem is that the Warriors are playing a garbage lineup, and the Clippers' third lineup on the court may not even be able to beat the Warriors' first lineup.
The Los Angeles Clippers don't raise idlers.
As time goes by, the Warriors' hope of winning is disappearing.
The players on the field played loosely and had no intention of creating miracles.
A random pass was not connected properly and flew directly towards the Clippers bench on the sideline.
At this time, a Warriors player wearing No. 23 jersey rushed towards the sideline, jumped up suddenly, and pounced on the ball that came out of the sideline.
With a clang, the whole person rushed into the auditorium and happened to be near Min Congda. Fortunately, Min Congda had quick eyesight and quick hands and got up to avoid it.
However, he was still rubbed and almost fell down by the huge inertia. He held on to the handle of the seat and stabilized himself.
The young player wearing No. 23 got up from the bench with difficulty and said sorry to Min Congda.
Min Congda picked up the ball and returned it to him, saying: "Don't give up easily. If you give up, the game will end early."
The young black man with Green on his jersey looked at Min Congda. Of course he knew the Clippers' general manager, who was famous in the league.
He took the ball handed over by Min Congda and didn't know what to say. He was suddenly moved by an inexplicable feeling.
Green nodded and said, "I understand, thank you."
Green then threw the ball back to the referee and the game continued.
Of course, even if you don't give up easily, the game will still end.
In the end, the Clippers defeated the Warriors at home with an 11-point advantage 96:85, and taught their opponents a lesson with defense.
Min Congda's dream came to nothing once again.
(End of chapter)
