The first game of the finals ended with a dramatic ending, which also kicked off the series.
After the game, insiders such as Spoelstra and Tyronn Lue did not disclose to the media the reason for Ray Allen's abnormal performance at the last moment.
Secrets like this usually won't be known to fans until the column decrypts them many years later, or the person involved comes forward to give his own account.
It's like Paul Pierce's "Return of the King" in the 2008 Finals.
After the pain was over, he left in a wheelchair, but a few minutes later he returned with full health and hit a three-pointer, which shocked people's hearts.
Later I found out that the reason why he was able to return so quickly was because the guy wasn't injured at all, but was running thin.
My stomach is already so noisy that I can't walk. If I take one more step, I will poop directly on the field. I can only use a wheelchair to push me to the toilet to poop.
Then he fabricated a lie to encourage fans and teammates, and the Celtics won the first game in one go and won the championship.
If Pierce wasn't so cunning and pooped on the spot, if he were a Lakers player, wearing a yellow home jersey would be okay, you can't tell when he poops, but if he wears a white home jersey, his buttocks are all yellow, what's wrong with this Celtics ball? beat?
The color of the Green Army Soul is originally yellow?
Not to mention, Pierce was a Lakers fan when he was a kid and grew up in Inglewood.
In short, he will definitely die on the spot, and all the fans will be petrified. From now on, he will be nailed to the pillar of shame in the yellow-green war, and the team's morale will be completely depleted.
The championship is still unknown.
Therefore, just such a small detail changed the ending of the 2008 finals.
Min Congda's paper ball may have the same purpose.
In short, the Clippers, who won the first game, have taken the lead, and the situation has become difficult for the Heat.
There are two days of rest between the first and second games, so both teams can make adjustments to the situation in the first game.
As for the Heat, their strategy proved to be correct, but it was the final accident that caused them to lose a good game.
Spoelstra knows that the team has lost the opportunity, and the second game will become extremely important. It is best to use more tricks to win by surprise.
However, Spoelstra is not a master of strange moves, and when his overall strength is inferior to that of his opponents, if he rashly makes strange moves or tricks, he may be disrupted.
Based on the situation in the first game, Spoelstra and the coaching staff believe that perhaps the Heat can do more inside and should further expand their inside advantage.
On the Clippers side, the coaching staff also stayed up late and worked overtime in the training center to watch videos and re-formulate game strategies.
Tyronn Lue believes that perhaps the team should replace the starting lineup and use Harden to play the second position to strengthen the team's offense.
Mike Malone believes that since he won the first game, it is better for the starting lineup to remain unchanged, but the team's defensive strategy needs to change and the offense must also be adjusted.
"Our defense has to be as fast as our offense."
Mike Malone raised this point. The Clippers' defensive changes in the first game were not active, which resulted in many opportunities for the Heat from the outside.
Of course, the strong performance of Howard and Bosh is one of the reasons, and the Clippers had to appropriately shrink their defense.
If it were Steve Kerr, he would definitely have to step up his offense in the second game, while Malone would be more balanced.
Tyronn Lue has always been good at what he does, and he thinks Malone's decision makes sense.
In fact, with the strength of the Clippers, as long as they play normally without making strange moves or playing randomly, they will be the dominant side regardless of whether they focus on offense or defense.
It's just that when it comes to defense, it seems to have fallen into the Heat's rhythm.
However, Mike Malone did not see it that way. In the pre-game planning meeting, he pointed out: "When we did not perform well in the first game, we focused on defense. The first was to seek stability, and the second was to use defense to unite the team. People's hearts, to prevent being too laissez-faire in the offense and losing morale, and thirdly, it is also a surprise, so that the Heat can't expect it. We are actually a very good defensive team."
Malone's second point is what really convinced Tyronn Lue. Having experienced the championship season, he knows that defense can indeed unite people.
Because in a basketball game, defense requires more cooperation and tacit understanding than offense, and as the passive side, it has to bear a lot of pressure. Without unity, it is impossible to build a good defense.
The offense is different. The offense can rely on personal heroism, it can look at one against four, and it can create miracles with the outstanding performance of one person.
But once the players fall into this cage of personal heroism, and everyone wants to focus on expressing themselves, and want good-looking statistics, and some people even want to win the MVP, then the team's morale and the atmosphere within the team may be bad.
In terms of tactics, Tyronn Lue is not a master, but in terms of mastering the psychology of players, Tyronn Lue has something.
After more detailed discussions, Tyronn Lue decided on the strategy for the second game, which was to start with defense.
Ray Allen must never be allowed to have a strong performance like the first game, which almost killed the Clippers.
After making the decision, Mike Malone felt a little guilty and asked, "Would you like to ask Mr. Smart for advice?"
Tyronn Lue waved his hand and said: "Forget it, don't ask Mr. Smart for instructions. If you have to rely on him all the time, what do you want our coach to do? You don't want to be scolded anymore, right?"
Everyone shook their heads, no one wanted to be scolded.
It's not that Min Congda curses badly, but that if a person is always gentle to you, even if he loses, he will be very tolerant and never say anything, and he will be very kind to you.
But one day he gets very angry and scolds you. For the person being scolded, he feels more guilty and thinks, "What a terrible thing I did to get scolded like this."
The Clippers players also had the same idea. Although they won the first game, they gave everyone a blow. The Heat were really not that easy to deal with.
Min Congda was sulky at home for two days, so he went to Santa Monica Beach to have two drinks, watch the sunset, strike up a conversation with a beautiful woman, and dance under the bonfire at night.
Then this guy is fine! It’s okay, just win if you win, it’s not like you haven’t won before!
I am not living a good life yet. Although I have been deducted tens of thousands of dollars in this playoff, the money earned by Red Boots Restaurant in the playoffs is enough to cover this loss.
The Apple stock that Min Congda had decided to invest in reached its peak in November 2012, rising to more than 700 US dollars. Min Congda decisively sold part of it to cash out.
Starting in 2013, the stock price began to decline. By June, it fell to more than 400 US dollars per share, and Min Congda began to buy it again.
He has long-term optimism and only buys and trades Apple stock, which effectively preserves and increases the value of his wealth.
Now he is worth close to tens of millions, but Min Congda cannot be satisfied with tens of millions. After this season, it is certain that the Clippers' market value will exceed US$500 million.
Thinking on the bright side, it's like the prize pool in the Lotto lottery. Because no one has won the prize, the amount of the prize has accumulated higher and higher, so the prize money for the subsequent winners will be extremely generous.
As for the person participating in this lottery draw, as long as Min Congda does not let the Clippers go bankrupt for a year, the bonus pool will continue to accumulate, and by then the income from completing his mission will be higher.
Thinking about it this way, Min Congda gained a balance in his mind and felt that winning the championship was not a completely bad thing, so he should just use it as a way to accumulate credits for future mission rewards.
Two days passed in a flash, and the discussion between the Heat and Clippers was also in full swing.
But no matter how fierce and heated the debate is, the two sides still have to go to the arena to see the truth, whether it is a mule or a horse.
The second battle was quite stressful for both sides.
Needless to say, the Heat never want to return to Miami with a score of 0:2 behind.
Although they made a comeback in 2006, and although the Clippers also made a comeback last year, comebacks are always hard to come by.
The Clippers almost lost the first game, so they don't dare to be careless this time. If they lose this game, the home court advantage will be completely lost.
Going to the South Coast for three consecutive away games was really a tough day.
Before the game started, both sides looked very serious, not as relaxed as the first game.
The players on both sides no longer hugged each other to greet each other as before the start of the first game, but looked at each other with murderous looks.
This is not a friendly match, every game is a life and death battle.
Although ESPN reported that Min Congda said in an interview before the game that "friendship comes first, competition comes second," no one believed his lies.
ESPN also gave a report saying, "At the last moment, Smart handed Tyronn Lue a small note, and this note was the key to the Clippers' comeback in adversity."
As for the contents of the note, no one knows until now.
There were no changes to the starting lineups of both sides, and the Clippers did not let Harden return to the starting lineup.
It is really taboo to change players on the spot, and the Clippers won the first game after all. A stable lineup is conducive to the players' stable mentality and performance.
Tonight, the highlight of the Clippers is defense. Paul George and Leonard, the two haphazard generals, were warned by Mike Malone before the game. They must be quick-sighted and use their abilities as all-round defenders to defeat the Heat. The advantages of the small forward are brought into play.
Malone is right about this. The Heat's forward line is their biggest weakness, but in the first game, the Clippers' forward line played too little.
Most of the energy is spent competing with the Heat's inside line and the Heat's backcourt. The forward line seems dispensable.
This is the position with the Clippers' most abundant resources.
As soon as the game started, the Heat's offense was blocked by the Clippers.
At the beginning, the Clippers defended a zone defense, which prevented the Heat from entering. In the end, Wade forced a three-pointer from the outside and missed.
Randolph got the backcourt rebound and passed the ball to Curry, starting the Clippers' first offense.
The Clippers started with a midline pick-and-roll, and Gasol moved to a high position to cover the pick-and-roll.
Randolph didn't go to the low post, but came to the free throw line, completely emptying the inside.
Curry accelerated, hit the basket with the ball, changed hands in the air to dodge Howard's block, and succeeded in a difficult underhand layup!
A very beautiful goal at the beginning. After all, Howard's physical fitness is not at its peak. Moreover, Curry was prepared for this goal and made a difficult change of hands, showing his strong core strength.
Then the Heat tried to feed Howard alone in the low post. Leonard suddenly double-teamed, cut off Howard's ball, and then passed it to Curry, who passed a long pass to George.
George went on a fast break and made a layup that caused Wade's foul and went to the free throw line.
The Clippers started with full aggression, both defensively and offensively.
George made two free throws, and the Clippers had taken the lead.
Then, the Clippers once again defended the zone, and Nash found a gap and passed the ball to Lewis in the bottom corner.
Lewis made a three-pointer, but due to Leonard's interference, he missed.
It was obviously a zone defense, but Leonard was still able to kill in time to interfere.
He has quick feet, long arms and big hands, and his defensive coverage is quite large.
In the paint, Gasol blocked Howard, Randolph blocked Bosh, and George grabbed the backboard.
In the last game, the Clippers were robbed of too many offensive rebounds by the Heat, resulting in a very passive defense.
In this game, Gasol and Randolph were desperately stuck, leaving the task of rebounding to George and Leonard.
Rebounding data is not important, what is important is that the ball must be in the hands of your own team.
Some players, in order to look good at their own statistics, never get stuck when grabbing rebounds, waiting for their teammates to get stuck and pick the peaches for themselves.
It not only saves physical energy, but also improves the data, and also controls the ball. It kills three birds with one stone, but this makes it easy for the opponent to take advantage of the loopholes.
George firmly controlled the rebound. He did not launch a fast break for this ball, but gave it to Curry, slowly crossing the half court to take position.
But the Clippers' positional battles have never been about regular positioning and strong attacks in the low post. They are still very high-position pick-and-rolls, starting to block after passing the center circle.
Curry got rid of Nash's defense and cut into the three-point line from the center. Howard had to follow, but Curry gave a ball to Randolph who cut through.
After Randolph caught the ball, he dunked hard with both hands! At the beginning, the Clippers beat the Heat 6:0, and Spoelstra called a timeout.
The Heat were completely suppressed by the Clippers at the beginning. They didn't get any of their own stuff and were beaten up by the Clippers.
Returning to the court after the timeout, Nash scored the Heat's first point with a lay-down shot after a single block.
Then, the Clippers gave the ball to Randolph in the low post. Randolph did not carry Howard like he did in the previous game, and the result was poor performance.
In this game, Randolph was more on the outside. Once Howard's attention was drawn away, Randolph took the opportunity to sink low. The Heat had to dislocate and Bosh came to defend.
Bosh was on guard, but Randolph was not afraid anymore. He thrust his big butt in and then turned around and made a small hook with his left hand. He hit two points and the point difference was solid.
But the Heat are still Nash. After a single block, he suddenly stepped back, shot a three-pointer from the outside, and hit!
Nash scored 5 points in a row! Nash, who has always been known for his assists and strong organization, has always been underestimated in his scoring ability.
After all, Nash is a player who scored 48 points in the playoffs. This score is not something ordinary players can get.
Kobe, known as a scoring maniac, only scored 50 points in a single game in the playoffs, two points more than Nash.
Seeing Nash hitting consecutive hits in the opening game, a certain 183-year-old man in Los Angeles will definitely think, "Why not target him instead of me! You won't let me shoot even a comfortable mid-range shot!"
(End of chapter)
