Nash's consecutive goals at the beginning helped the Heat bite the score and not fall behind too far.
But they still fell behind. At the end of the first quarter, they trailed the Clippers by 7 points at 17:24.
In a game like the Finals, it doesn't matter how you play, scoring is the most important thing.
Although Nash is famous as a master of organization, the ultimate goal of organization is to score points. If his teammates can't make a shot after organizing for a long time, he might as well do it himself.
The Heat have never been the kind of team that grinds out positions and plays beautiful offense, not when they won the championship in 2006.
Defense is their foundation, and on the offensive end, they have always preferred to maximize the players' personal abilities.
Riley was like this when he was with the Lakers. He didn't care about playing any set tactics. He just allowed star players to exert their energy and put the ball into the basket.
Spoelstra inherited Riley's basketball thinking to a certain extent. Tactics are only means, not ends.
The goal is to score goals. Players here are not relying on system bonuses to play easy basketball, but to squeeze their physical fitness and talent to the limit to support the team's combat effectiveness.
This is a completely utilitarian way of playing basketball, but Riley has won a lot of honors by relying on this method.
Nash is 38 years old and he is willing to drain everything he has left in exchange for a championship ring.
In the first quarter, Nash made 4 of 5 shots, scored 9 points, and only sent 1 assist.
The Heat bit, and in the second quarter they tried to counterattack. Spoelstra replaced Odom to increase the team's overall height.
Odom, Bosh, and Howard make up the Heat's top three.
Want to use offensive rebounds, the most unpretentious, yet simplest and most effective method, to break down the Clippers' defense.
Offensive rebounding is indeed the biggest X factor for the offense.
The defender formed a formation and spent a long time to prevent the opponent's shot.
As a result, the offensive team grabbed an offensive rebound and easily dunked under the basket.
This has a huge impact on the morale of the defender.
One of the Rockets' tactics back then was that they just threw the ball toward the basket when they felt they couldn't make a play.
If you throw it in, you're lucky. If you don't, Moses Malone will grab the offensive rebound and score under the basket.
Relying on this method, the Rockets eliminated the defending champion Lakers and reached the finals, only to be defeated by the Celtics.
This unpretentious routine is often the most effective because it touches on the essence of basketball: the closer you are to the basket, the easier it is to score, as well as the natural advantage of height.
As a result, the Heat grabbed consecutive offensive rebounds at the beginning of the second quarter. Howard dunked once, was sent to the free throw line once, and made two free throws.
Odom and Bosh also rushed in desperately, putting a lot of pressure on the Clippers.
The Heat once chased the score to 27:30, only 3 points behind the Clippers.
Under this situation, Tyronn Lue boldly replaced Anthony Davis, who performed averagely in the first game, and replaced Randolph.
After being tempered in the first game, Davis contributed a winning shot in the final stage of the fourth quarter. His mentality has been completely adjusted.
As soon as Davis came on the court, the Clippers' interior defense was immediately effective.
He paired with Milicic, two tall giants, plus Leonard and Butler, the Clippers' height is not inferior to the Heat.
The only shortcoming is Curry...
But Curry's role is offense, not defense.
The result of the Heat's heavy accumulation of troops inside is that the perimeter defense will definitely be empty.
Odom's defensive steps are more erratic than when he was with the Lakers.
After Curry's consecutive mismatches, he made a fake move to break through the basket and hit a throw.
Once he stepped back to the right, threw away Odom, shot a three-pointer, and hit it again!
The Heat tried to continue to attack the Clippers inside, and the Clippers players were tough.
Davis blocked Bosh, Leonard and Milicic double-teamed Howard, knocking the ball out of his hands.
The Clippers played a wave of extremely high-intensity defense in a short period of time. In conjunction with Curry's consecutive hits, an 8:0 offensive shock wave stopped the Heat again!
Spoelstra replaced Nash again, and Nash rarely received the ball with his back at a 45-degree waist position to organize the offense.
Min Congda took a look and wondered what kind of strange move this was. Did Si Bo really have no move?
In fact, this trick is not strange. Nash used to do this a lot when he was with the Mavericks.
Like Nash, the older generation of point guards who entered the league in the 1990s, sticking their butts out and hitting them is an ancestral skill, and they can more or less master it.
It's just that after entering the new era, it won't be used very much.
When it comes to the finals, as long as the tricks are usable, it doesn't matter what the era is, as long as they can score points.
Nash carried Curry with his back at 45 degrees, and Curry really didn't know how to defend him.
As a result, Nash turned around and shot from behind, scoring two points!
The Heat relied on Ray Allen in the last game, and the Heat relied on Nash in this game. The two 38-year-old veterans also fought hard for the championship.
Then, the Clippers misfired, the Heat counterattacked, and Nash once again took the ball with his back at 45 degrees.
After a few hits with his back, he turned inside, made a fake shot and passed the ball. He deceived Davis and passed the ball to Bosh. Bosh dunked with both hands!
Nash's shots and passes allowed the Heat to chase the point difference to single digits.
When Min Congda saw this tactic, he admired it a bit and thought: "Interesting, did the Heat really discover the weakness of unlimited defense changes?"
The Clippers switched defenses very sharply tonight. Except for Curry, everyone on the court was a strong individual defender.
Davis and Milicic had no problem guarding the small ones, and the backcourt rebounds were well protected, leaving the Heat with nothing to lose.
The best way to deal with unlimited defense changes is actually to drop one thing at a time. The traditional way of playing was one against four, and 45 degrees forced attack.
This is called no matter how much you change it, if my ball is in a stronger hand, it will be useless no matter how you change it.
As a result, the Heat asked Nash to hit Curry at a 45-degree angle. Curry was the weakest point in defense. This move actually revitalized the Heat's offense.
The Heat gradually regained their composure, Wade also hit a key mid-range jumper, and the point difference was approaching again.
However, Curry couldn't guard Nash well, and Nash couldn't do anything to Curry. He fouled twice in a row on defense, and Curry went to the free throw line.
With many soldiers and generals, Tyronn Lue, known as the "Taoist of Many Treasures", immediately adjusted and replaced Harden to increase his firepower.
Since you and I are playing singles and we can't switch defensively, then as the leading side, I might as well add my own firepower to maintain my score advantage over you.
Curry made two free throws, and the Clippers led the Heat by 7 points at 43:36.
Nash's physical energy had been greatly depleted in the first half, and Spoelstra replaced Nash with Ray Allen.
The Heat used a point guard-less lineup, letting Ray Allen and Wade partner in the backcourt, and Odom was given the ball-handling responsibility.
Odom passed a pass into the three-second zone to Wade. Wade made a layup and was blocked from behind by Anthony Davis!
Although defense depends on the overall situation, personal ability is also very important!
Especially the inside line. An inside line with strong shot-blocking ability is really a great deterrent to opponents.
This ball was originally a good pass, an unexpected cut during the counterattack, and a very good pass.
But under Davis' long arms, the offense failed, and the Clippers counterattacked.
Curry gave the ball to Harden. Harden was slow in the half, turned around and went for a fast break, and succeeded in a one-handed dunk after receiving the ball!
Subsequently, Anthony Davis misplaced himself to defend Howard alone.
Howard spent a long time in the low post, but the hook after turning around failed to score.
Davis firmly controlled the backcourt rebound and gave the ball to Curry.
The Clippers regained a large lead and were ready to finish the second quarter.
Although Howard is stronger and more experienced than Davis, his post-up play is really lame.
At his peak, he was pretty good in the regular season. In the playoffs, the Celtics, who played the Cavaliers without Garnett, were still able to kill.
In the finals, they were sluggish when facing the Lakers' top three players. Facing a talented and powerful interior combination like the Clippers, there were not many options.
Moreover, Howard is no longer at his peak. In order to prevent the recurrence of back injuries, he wore a special vest and lowered his weight last summer.
From the peak of more than 280 pounds, I have reduced to more than 260 pounds, almost 20 pounds of weight.
20 kilograms is the decisive weight in internal confrontation. If you lose 20 kilograms of meat, your low-post confrontation ability will drop by two levels.
So Howard is in the low post and doesn't even have the power he had at his peak, let alone compare with the top insiders.
In the team, Bosh's low post attacks are actually more reliable than Howard's.
It's just that his good performance in the first game gave Howard confidence, and Spoelstra's request to attack the inside with all his strength before the game gave Howard more opportunities to attack with the ball.
Obviously, the effect is not good.
After being guarded by Davis, Howard immediately rewarded Harden with a big block on the defensive end.
Harden broke through to the basket, but his speed didn't pick up. He was slapped out of the sideline by Howard's volleyball hat, and he vented his anger.
But then, Harden served the sideline ball and passed a long alley-oop pass to the inside without looking at anyone. Davis jumped high and dunked with two hands in the alley-oop!
The ball was passed and cut suddenly, and the Heat players' attention was on Curry on the outside.
Who knew Davis was planning a surprise attack?
Moreover, it is not easy to catch such a high and fast ball seriously.
The talent of the Clippers is really disappointing.
Spoelstra and Riley sighed as they watched.
Last year's defending champion also got the No. 1 pick and selected Anthony Davis.
Doesn't this allow people to live? When Davis grows up in the future, he will be the perfect replacement for Randolph.
But what qualifications does Riley have to talk about the Clippers?
The Lakers he coached were not the same, and the defending champion won the No. 1 pick.
At its peak, the team had four No. 1 picks, a No. 2 pick, and a No. 4 pick. How could other teams reason with them?
At the end of the first half, the Clippers led the Heat by 8 points 48:40.
Both teams scored very low, but the Clippers were clearly at an advantage compared to the previous game.
Had Nash not exploded, the Heat would have fallen even further behind.
The Heat relied on Ray Allen in the last game and Nash in the second game. It seems that the Heat have to sacrifice a veteran in each game to maintain competition with the Clippers.
Although the Heat are lagging behind, it must be admitted that the Heat have been quite successful compared to the Western Conference teams.
The Clippers didn't put in much effort at all in the Western Conference semifinals and finals. They basically played like they did in the regular season and in the playoffs. They tied with A all the way and won.
Beat the Lakers, manipulate Paul into the palm of your hand, target him crazily, and magnify the killer Kobe to kill, but you can't kill the Clippers.
When it comes to beating a Grizzly Bear, you can hit it however you want. The Grizzly Bear is like a clay doll that the Clippers can knead at will.
In the finals, the Heat really pushed the Clippers. The coaching staff tried to find a way, and the players gritted their teeth and defended in the game, using the safest way to compete with the Heat.
Director Lue and Mike Malone are generally conservative, and their thinking about the finals is still based on the traditional concept of "intensity and defense" to win.
At this time, Steve Kerr, who was sitting in front of the TV watching the Clippers and Heat finals, watched the first half of the second game and shook his head at the Clippers' tactics.
In his opinion, the Clippers did not use such good offensive resources. They did not use space and speed to dismember the Heat. Instead, they stopped and slowed down and competed with the Heat on defense. It was really a bit of a disadvantage to avoid their strengths.
Although the Clippers' defensive resources are also very good, in Cole's view, offense is the foundation of the Clippers.
If he were still the Clippers assistant coach now, he would definitely support the Clippers to play a smaller lineup, using one large, four small, or five small.
However, this style of play has greater risks, and it may lead to a huge victory in some games and turn the tide.
But once your opponent seizes your lifeblood and drags you into a quagmire battle, and your offense feels lost, it is very likely that the situation will take a turn for the worse and the advantage in the series will be lost.
This requires the head coach to have superior field control ability, to deal with various emergencies, to maintain the confidence of the whole team, to still complete breakthroughs in adversity, and to maintain the advantage to the end.
To be honest, from this point of view, there is still a gap between Cole and his teacher Phil Jackson.
Tyronn Lue and Michael Malone do not have this kind of control ability, so the current strategy is the most appropriate.
If Min Congda led the Clippers to play like this, it would be okay.
It's a pity that Min Congda is a traitor.
During halftime, the traitor really wanted to pass a note to the Heat.
He saw that Spoelstra had already thought of a way to deal with the Clippers' quick defense changes.
Unfortunately, due to the age of Nash and Ray Allen, there is no way to maintain it.
If these two could be 3 years younger, the Heat's situation would be much better.
The Heat still have one point that can break the game, and that is Chris Bosh.
If Spoelstra can make good use of Bosh and further stimulate Bosh's offensive potential, the Heat will still be able to play.
It's a pity that Min Congda really has no way to deliver a note to the Heat. Doing so in the Staples Center is too conspicuous. Besides, who do you want to deliver it?
The intermission ended quickly, and in the second half and third quarter, the confrontation between the two sides became intense.
In the first three minutes of the third quarter, neither side scored, and the defensive intensity increased to the extreme.
The competition on the field was also extremely fierce, and it became difficult for players on both sides to dribble. It was hard to imagine that this was the second game of the finals, and it was played like a tiebreaker.
As a result, the game became more and more explosive. Randolph and Howard were entangled in the three-second zone, and a physical conflict soon broke out. Their arms were twisted together and they pushed each other.
The referee calmed down the conflict by giving one person a technical foul.
Later, Wade used the Foshan Shadowless Kick in the attack and kneed George in the lower abdomen. It took George a long time to recover.
Are the Clippers a team that can be bullied and slaughtered?
Coach Lu immediately replaced the team's top hitter, Milicic.
The time for Milicic to play his role finally arrived. As soon as he stood in the paint, the Heat's breakthrough was immediately not as fierce as before.
And Milicic also coincidentally gave Bosh an elbow in defense, almost breaking Bosh's long neck.
Nearly halfway through the third quarter, the score between the two sides was only 53:46, with the Clippers leading the Heat by 7 points.
The two sides did not score more than double digits in the third quarter, spending all their energy on physical combat.
This is undoubtedly beneficial to the Heat, and it was the Heat who first provoked this kind of physical confrontation.
Seeing the moves between the two sides getting bigger and bigger, Min Congda was eager to try, and he couldn't hold his gun anymore.
At this time, Ada gently pressed Min Congda's hand and said, "Mr. Smart, you need to calm down, or you will have to see a doctor again."
When Ada said this, Min Congda took a deep breath and suppressed his active heart.
At this moment, a conflict suddenly broke out on the court, and Haslem and Randolph struggled.
They grabbed each other's collars from the three-second zone and hugged each other all the way to the bench on the sidelines.
At this moment, no one can suppress Min Chongda's Saiyan blood!
He jumped up, jumped over the bench, and rushed towards Randolph and Haslem.
"No one can stop me from imposing a fine!"
(End of chapter)
