Veterans can still play a role in the playoffs, especially the two veterans in the Heat's backcourt, Ray Allen and Nash, who are both representatives of self-disciplined players.
Nash had been active in the league for more than ten years despite having average running and jumping qualities. He reached his peak after the age of 30. Until he was 38, he still had some gas in the tank.
And Ray Allen is not just a simple self-discipline, he is a complete obsessive-compulsive disorder, and he is harsh on his body, living habits, etc.
Before the start of this game, he came to the Staples Center early for warm-up training. He would ask himself to shoot three-pointers at every hot spot, including zero-degree angles, two 45-degree angles and the top of the arc.
After completing these three-point tasks, Ray Allen will practice an additional 100 free throws to ensure his feel. Rain or shine, he must complete it.
If Nash, Curry and other players can do this, then Ray Allen still has some habits that are completely sick.
For example, if two people are walking side by side on the street and there is an obstacle in front of them, they have to go around. Under normal circumstances, the two people can separate and walk one to the left and the other to the right.
But this situation will make Ray Allen very uncomfortable. He can't sleep because of the discomfort. He wakes up in the middle of the night and thinks, both of them should go to the right.
Also, on the plane, he always has to sit in his fixed position. It doesn’t matter if he asks himself to do this. If his teammates sit in the wrong position, he will be uncomfortable and go crazy. He must make his teammates sit in his own position. It'll take a while.
The most painful game Ray Allen has ever experienced was not the tiebreaker in the 2010 Finals, but an ordinary game early in his career.
After the game started, Ray Allen found a hole in his socks, which made him extremely uncomfortable because the game was about to start and it was impossible for him to go back to the locker room to change his socks.
As a result, Ray Allen was sleepwalking on the court in the first half and his performance was a mess because his mind was not on the game at all, but on his socks.
Finally, at halftime, Ray Allen could go back to the locker room and change the socks with holes, and then returned to normal in the second half.
And these are just the tip of the iceberg of Ray Allen's "disease" of obsessive-compulsive disorder. This obsessive-compulsive disorder has brought him trouble and pain, but it has also given him an extremely self-disciplined life and training.
Now 38 years old, he and Nash were both rookies in the 1996 class, but he still maintains an excellent figure and a very good competitive state.
His daily life time is the same. He must get up at six o'clock and go to training at seven o'clock. If he gets up late or gets up a little early, he will be tortured by the thought "Why should I get up 10 minutes late?" for a long time.
The Heat's strict and even harsh training atmosphere made Ray Allen feel comfortable and very adaptable.
Spoelstra also saw the energy in Ray Allen, so in the regular season or regular time in the playoffs, Bosh is the team's second ball-holding attack point.
As a substitute, Ray Allen may be ranked behind Nash and Howard in terms of ball-handling options.
But in the playoffs, at the critical moment of the playoffs, when the energy is needed, Ray Allen is the second choice.
Spoelstra repeatedly emphasized this point in the pre-game tactical arrangements, and everyone else in the Heat was also very convinced.
This is a recognition of Ray Allen's performance at critical moments in his more than ten years of career, and it is also the heartfelt admiration of his teammates after seeing his self-discipline.
From this point of view, the Heat have a very good team culture, which is positive, positive and progressive, and the team is the most important.
Such a team is enough to compete with the Clippers in the finals.
The two sides started a fierce battle and tug-of-war in the second quarter. After Ray Allen scored, the difference between the two sides narrowed to 3 points.
Then, Howard interfered with Curry's throw in the paint and grabbed a backcourt rebound. The Heat counterattacked, and Ray Allen caught the ball from the outside and shot a quick three-pointer!
Almost no one in the league can imitate Ray Allen's three-point shot. His shooting method requires too much physical fitness.
Most players' three-point shots are essentially reverse shots, from the legs to the body to the hands, gradually exerting force to throw the ball toward the basket.
Only in this way can there be enough force to support the ball flying in the air. Relying only on the strength of the arm and wrist, it is difficult for the ball to fly that far accurately.
But Ray Allen has a superior body. He always takes off with his stallion-like calves, lets himself fly into the air, and then throws the ball simply by relying on the power of his arms.
This requires a player to have extremely strong waist strength to maintain stability, as well as good upper limbs to promote the flight of the ball.
There are some players in the league who can shoot after taking off like Ray Allen, but none can be as straight as him in the air, and his shots are as precise as a machine.
"Uh-huh!"
The ball went hollow into the net, Ray Allen counterattacked and hit a three-pointer, and the Heat equalized the score.
Junzi Lei is reliable at critical moments. If these two goals were given to Bosh, there is a high probability that they will be lost.
The Clippers players also calmed down and devoted themselves to the offense. Bonner kept picking and rolling his teammates from the outside.
The Clippers' empty operation inside gave Curry, Harden and Butler space and opportunities to attack the basket.
Howard was restrained by Bonner and could not completely stay in the three-second zone. Curry changed hands in the air to avoid the block and succeeded in picking up the basket.
On the Heat's side, Howard suddenly turned around and cut inside. Nash lobbed a pass to the basket. Howard received the ball and was about to explode.
Being pulled down by Bonner, he would rather send Howard to the free throw line than allow Howard to score easily at the basket.
Howard lived up to expectations and made one of two free throws, which was already a normal performance.
On the Clippers' side, there suddenly came a 45-degree left side, a pick-and-roll cooperation between Gasol and Curry.
Gasol passed down, Curry passed the ball to the inside, and Gasol succeeded in a layup with his left hand.
After the goal, Xiaojia and Curry high-fived each other lightly. This cooperation usually played very little between the two.
Because the common cooperation is for Gasol to hold the ball in the high post to provide support, rather than following the pick-and-roll.
But there is no fixed formula for good coordination. The Clippers now focus on a player who can do everything and can play anything.
The players on the field will make judgments based on the actual situation, which tactics to use and how to play them.
The head coach doesn’t know much about it anyway, so he might as well discuss it on the field himself. This good habit will continue.
The Heat, on the other hand, are clenching their teeth and holding on to the score. When tactics fail to produce any results, it depends on the players' personal abilities.
Wade made continuous cross-steps in the middle, drove to the basket from the left, and made a layup that caused Gasol's foul and went to the free throw line.
Heat players still consume a lot of physical energy. They use most of their energy on defense, and the offensive end is inevitably heavy.
In this case, superstar singles is a good choice. Watch four against one to save energy and have a good rest.
Wade stood on the free throw line, slowed down the pace of free throws, and gave himself and his teammates more time to rest.
It can be said that the Heat tried their best to do every detail well just to win this game.
Wade made two free throws, scored two points, and continued to hold on to the score.
But then, Curry made a single screen from the outside, fired a three-pointer, and hit!
Defender Cole failed to keep up. As the game progressed, the Heat's defensive pace gradually slowed down.
Then, Gasol defended Howard's attack in the low post, and the Clippers counterattacked.
Curry catches the ball, attracts the defense from outside the three-point line, breaks through, and distributes the ball to the basket in the middle.
Harden broke in and dunked with his left hand!
After scoring the goal, Harden raised his arms and roared, and the atmosphere at the scene was completely ignited.
The Clippers have a strong scoring power, and the Heat are gradually struggling on the defensive end.
Spoelstra immediately called a timeout, knowing he couldn't let the Clippers get going.
When teams in the Western Conference played against the Clippers before, they basically couldn't hold on in the second half of the second quarter.
If we trailed by less than 10 points in the first half, we can say we played well.
The Heat have polished the details to perfection, but they still feel like they can't beat it.
Talent, foundation, and the tacit understanding cultivated in four seasons are all here, and the advantages are still obvious.
However, during the timeout, Tyronn Lue still reminded the players to be careful, concentrate, and be careful of the Heat's counterattack.
A player-type coach like Tyronn Lue is not a professional, and his tactics are mediocre. He is good at building a good relationship with players, building a team, and feeding chicken soup.
In fact, Tyronn Lue has another hidden advantage, which is that he is very sensitive to the rhythm and status of both sides of the game.
It's like people who have fought in a war, really fought on the battlefield, experienced life and death, and have that feeling when danger comes.
When Coach Lu played against the Lakers and Grizzlies, he could notice that the opponents did not have a strong will to win. Once the Clippers gained the upper hand, the opponent's will to fight quickly disintegrated.
Basically, after a quarter or a half, I couldn't hold it anymore, so I lost and went home to fish.
But the Heat are obviously different. From the details of the game, he can feel that the Heat are armed to every pore.
Maybe their performance on the court didn't look particularly exciting and they were suppressed by the Clippers, but they would never be defeated easily.
Tyronn Lue's feeling was very accurate. After returning to the court after the timeout, Wade caught the ball at the free throw line and made a mid-range jumper, scoring two points.
As a player, Wade may not be as comprehensive as Kobe Bryant, but when he needs to be energetic, he can really work hard and have a big heart.
Taking his shooting as an example, his level is definitely not as good as Kobe's, and three-point shooting is his shortcoming.
Judging from the data, both output and accuracy are far behind Kobe.
In today's game, Wade also made a low-level shot like three-point shooting, which is very embarrassing.
But every time he needs to score at a critical moment, Wade can ignore the defense and get the ball into the basket.
At this time, his mid-range shots and three-pointers are always quite accurate.
And no matter what defensive formation, defensive status, or defensive strategy you have, one-on-one, it's very simple to take a shot and make a shot.
It may seem like an understatement, but it always plays a role in stabilizing the morale of the military, and also gives the opponent's coach a headache.
Wade may not be an efficient scorer. He is limited by his body and his output is average.
But at critical moments in important playoff games, he has always been trustworthy.
After that, the Heat suddenly defended a zone defense on the defensive end, which made the Clippers a little uncomfortable.
Harden missed a three-point shot from the outside, Howard got a backcourt rebound, and Nash controlled the ball for half the game.
Slow down and hand the ball to Wade, who passes it to Ray Allen. Ray Allen breaks through from the right with the ball, and then hits a mid-range jumper off the board.
The Heat's offense is so unpretentious. They move the ball, and then move it again. The players feel that there is an opening, and they go in and find a way to score.
They continue to focus more on the defensive end to consume the Clippers and resolutely prevent the game from turning into an offensive battle between the two sides. That is not the rhythm that the Heat are good at.
At the end of the first half, the Clippers led the Heat by 3 points 46:43. The two sides did not play well in the first half.
Although the Clippers occasionally broke out, every time they wanted to connect and go all out, the Heat could always suppress it in time.
The game is a process in which the two sides are constantly playing games. One is ebbing and the other is ebbing. You suppress me, and I suppress you.
Although trailing by 3 points, Spoelstra knew that the team's three basic problems in the first half were solved well.
The inside had the advantage, allowing the game to enter a rhythm that the Heat adapted to. In the end, the main player was in good shape and performance.
All three points were accomplished, and the Heat barely managed to beat the Clippers, but what should they do in the third quarter?
Everyone knows that the Clippers' strength in the third quarter is about 1.5 times that of the first two quarters, and they are always in full firepower mode.
Some teams met the Clippers in the regular season and struggled for a while in the first half, but were inextricably tied. In the third quarter, the Clippers made a strong effort and were immediately taken away in a wave.
Spoelstra has done so much research and preparation before the game. Of course he knows this, so the third quarter is the top priority. It is the stage when both sides start to make bigger moves after the initial game.
The intensity and rhythm of the game will further increase, and often the third quarter is the decisive battle in advance.
Of course Spoelstra has a trick up his sleeve, one that the Heat never used in the first half.
On the Clippers side, in the halftime locker room, Tyronn Lue made a rare criticism of the players.
"The offense was too casual and we wasted a lot of opportunities that shouldn't have been wasted!"
"The rhythm of the game has not been driven at all. This is not the rhythm we like and are good at. Our defense is indeed better than in the past, but offense is still our biggest weapon!"
"There are also three-pointers. We only made three three-pointers in the first half. Whether it is shots or shooting percentage, your performance is not satisfactory to me. Please take more decisive shots and at the same time open up our space. Pull wider and run faster!”
"The Heat want to fight a fatigue battle with us. They are also constantly running and attacking defensively, because this is the finals and this is the last series of the season."
"If you want to rest, go home and have a good sleep after the game, but definitely not now. Now, you run away and die on the court!"
Tyronn Lue doesn't usually argue with the players because everyone plays well, and besides, there is no pressure on him, and Smart has no demands on him.
But tonight, everyone from coaches to players began to feel the pressure, the huge pressure from strong opponents, and the fear of losing the series.
This kind of fear has not enveloped the Clippers players for a long time. After all, they were really smooth before and did not encounter any decent resistance.
(End of chapter)
