Jordan players play very hard.
If you can shoot by yourself, you won't split the ball, make quick offensive decisions, shoot when you need to, and pass when you need to pass.
This style of play occupies a lot of shot rights, but not a lot of ball rights, and the ball holding rate is not high.
Finley is a standard Jordan player, the favorite of the head coach of the championship-level team.
But this type of player has a flaw - if they are allowed to organize the offense, 90% of them will be singles.
Let them take control and it will become a one-on-one game. The teammates will stand and watch. If they play a few more rounds, their teammates will lose their running rhythm.
Now the Mavericks have this problem!
There is no problem with Finley's playing style, but he is not Jordan or Kobe. His mid- and long-range singles are his strengths, but there is still a gap compared to those two.
Jordan and Kobe encountered a close defense in the mid-range. If conditions allowed them to continue one-on-one, they had the ability to use steps back, fade away, and emergency stops to score, but Finley could not.
Jordan and Kobe really have no choice in mid-range and long-range, so they will choose to attack the frame. They have better close-range scoring ability than the inside. Most seasons, the shooting rate is around 45%, and there are even occasional seasons with a shooting rate of over 50%. Top insiders All beyond reach.
Finley chose to rush forward when faced with a tight defense, but his 37% short-range shooting rate was enough to shoot. When Li Ao shrank and O'Neal Jr. defended, he did not dare to take action.
Wanting to pass the ball, my teammates lost their rhythm on the offensive end!
As a result, Finley made mistakes and was forced to force shots.
At the beginning, the Mavericks relied on Finley to suppress the Clippers for more than two minutes. After scoring 6-5, they were beaten 7-3 by the Clippers.
The Clippers counterattacked 3 times in 4 rounds!
The score came to 12-8, and the Clippers stopped the Mavericks!
Nelson was caught off guard, and Gentry was also quite surprised.
The counterattack score was within Gentry's expectation, but Big Q's three-pointer and Odom's throw over Bradley's head after receiving the pass were beyond his expectation.
He also didn't expect that their Spider-Man, who had always been a steady passer, would pass the ball so wildly when it came time to 'freely decide to attack in the high post'.
Are you afraid that you have studied Kings games too much?
2 assists and 2 turnovers, both of which were out of bounds...
Fortunately, Spider-Man was still very stable when he was not given the 'unlimited passing rights'.
The two mistakes also proved that their Spider-Man vision is really good, but if they play normally, they will feel that the conditions are not good for passing the ball, and they will not pass it like that.
Gentry's lineup adjustment was purely to play defense and just hold on to the score. Disrupting the opponent's rhythm was the goal of the change, and the extra five points was an unexpected surprise.
But that's not the case in Nelson's eyes.
He believes that the fan opposite him combines his offensive ideas with Larry Brown's defensive ideas!
It's been a long time since he encountered such an interesting opponent. Nelson missed the opponents in the 1980s and early 1990s. Each of those opponents has faded out of the league. Those who are still in the league are like Pat Riley. Go on the defensive.
Even Adelman's coaching style is based on defense. Princeton is very gorgeous, but it is a pure positional warfare style.
Since the NBA lockout, Nelson has been very low-key in coaching because no one in the league can touch his string.
Tonight, he felt aroused!
His sensitive lead ignites at the touch!
…
After the timeout, the Clippers made no substitutions. Since the tactics were effective and the effect was better than expected, Gentry was ready to see how the opponent responded.
He looked at the opposite lineup rotation...
(_)
Howard Ellis, Nash, Finley, Juwan Howard, Nowitzki.
What kind of lineup is this?
Stop being defensive?
After all, they are a top-notch defensive team that ranks eleventh in the league in defense. What kind of trick is this?
Soon, nine seconds after the game restarted, Gentry understood what the opponent was up to.
Nash and Juwan Howard broke into a pick-and-roll, quickly circled from the baseline to a 45-degree angle on the right side, caught the ball and hit Big Q for a three-pointer!
Gentry is so familiar with this combination!
He dreams that the league can return to that era, that era of offense!
The run-and-gun style of play that has been missing from the league for many years!
When the Clippers attack, Juwan Howard's defense against Odom's breakthrough is not as good as Nowitzki's. At least Nowitzki is strong enough.
Odom broke into the paint, took a European step, swayed Nowitzki, who was defending, and went behind Nowitzki for a layup.
Seeing O'Neal open his hands and chirping, Odom laughed loudly: "Haha, I'll pass it to you for a dunk next time!"
The clay figurine is also very angry, let alone the Silver Horned King.
When the Mavericks attack, Nowitzki moves more actively.
All four teammates can pass the ball. As long as he has a chance, he will definitely catch the ball.
Others had the same idea. Nelson did not correct the problem of positioning at the beginning. Instead, he changed his playing style and lineup, and the problem was solved.
Nash breaks through the pick-and-roll with brisk speed and excellent vision. If he encounters a defense, he will distribute the ball. If not, he will shoot from mid-to-long distance.
His terrifying long two-point shooting rate of 52%, 48% mid-range shooting rate, and 40.6% three-point shooting rate. Under this style of play, his effect is maximized!
The Clippers' defense had to improve, and with O'Neal squatting under the basket to protect the frame from close range, the Mavericks had a lot of mid-to-long-range shooting opportunities from the wings.
Finley, Juwan Howard, and Nowitzki are very good at shooting in this area. With their excellent touch tonight, their offense soared!
The Clippers also played well offensively. Odom broke through the frame and connected with O'Neal, forcing the Mavericks to shrink their defense. Li Ao, Matt Halprin, and Big Q also had more mid- and long-range opportunities.
But when it comes to the shooting firepower of COSCO's three perimeter players, there is a gap compared to the Mavericks' three frontcourt players...
At the official timeout of the first quarter, the Mavericks tied the score 20-20 and defeated the Clippers 12-8!
Entering the official timeout, Gentry's first reaction was to strengthen defense.
After playing defense for half a season, I developed an instinct.
But he did not make a hasty decision. After discussing it with Larry LaRue, he felt that strengthening defense was a bit overwhelming.
Even strong defensive teams such as the Magic, Heat, and Kings have poor defensive results when they are really pushed up by their opponents.
If you want an iron-blooded defense to limit your opponent, you have to do it from the beginning.
Gentry was very annoyed that the response was too slow this time. After the opponent played two rounds of running and gunning, he should have directly used one large and four small to counterattack, bringing Matt Halprin and Li Ao to the front line, and also sent two to the back line. A strong man, going to fight in hand-to-hand combat...
Gentry suddenly woke up. Why was he becoming more and more like the person he hated most back then?
He quickly shook his head, put aside the thought of regret, and looked ahead.
What is certain now is that the opponent will not suddenly change their playing style anymore, even if the opponent is a mad scientist.
The opponent has already made a sudden adjustment. If it changes again, the players will go crazy, and there is no need to change if they are playing so well.
Therefore, their offensive efficiency can be guaranteed...attack...
Gentry sprinkled some gunpowder on the fuse that was more difficult to light...
…
The official timeout ends and players from both teams return to the court.
Old Nelson looked at the opposing lineup of Brevin Knight, Li Ao, Maggette, Matt Halprin, and Odom and smiled.
Just as Gentry expected, he didn't change his playing style or even change his players!
It's been a long time since he's played a game like this, he wants to have a good time!
The game continues and the Clippers attack.
Brevin Knight easily broke into the inside facing Howard Ellis's defense and reached the right baseline.
After attracting Nowitzki to move his position, Blevins Knight scored the ball!
Li Ao used Matt Halprin's pick-and-roll to cut in and catch the ball, and took off against Juwan Howard... "Bang"... He put his legs on Juwan Howard's waist and smashed the ball into the frame!
Violence! Cruel!
Wang Zhizhi's eyes widened when he saw Li Ao, who was originally running and passing the ball, suddenly transformed into a beast and ravaged the basket.
This was not the first time he was dunked or blocked by Spider-Man. Juwan Howard got angry and put his anger on the offensive end.
Nash broke through the pick-and-roll, and the ball passed the hands of Howard Ellis on the baseline and came to the hands of Juwan Howard.
Juwan Howard took a two-point shot from the left side of the free throw line...hit!
The two sides started fighting again!
When the opponent's perimeter defense ability is poor, the wing defense ability is insufficient, and the basket defense ability is not good, Brevin Knight can be used even more effectively than Nash.
Because of his speed, he is 178 centimeters tall and only strives for speed. Only three players in the league, including Flying Squirrel, Iverson and Boykins, can be one point faster than him.
Coupled with Odom's baseline support and support for the ball, Maggette's cutting into the frame, Matt Hapley's side screen and catch-and-shoot, Li Ao's running support and support... the Clippers' offensive firepower has soared!
On the Mavericks' side, the offensive firepower continued. Nash and Juwan Howard's pick-and-roll attack was quite fierce. Although Nash's breakthrough was not as fast as Brevin Knight's, he faced Li Ao and Matt Halprin's attack. The performance of the forward defensive combination is not inferior to the performance of Blevins Knight, which is quite amazing.
In the second half of the first quarter, the two teams scored 18-18.
38 to 38, the two teams played a terrifying single quarter score and entered the second quarter!
Nowitzki scored 7 points, Finley had 11 points, and Juwan Howard had 8 points. The Mavericks' frontcourt trio combined for 26 points in a single quarter.
Li Ao scored 10 points in a single quarter, Odom scored 11 points, and the Clippers' leading scorers inside and outside also scored 20+ points combined.
In the second quarter, the two sides entered the rotation stage. Except for Nash and Brevin Knight, other positions were gradually adjusted.
At this time, both Nelson and Gentry discovered a problem - there were not that many players who were good at running and gunning!
Bradley, O'Neal Jr., Courtney Alexander, Greg Smith, Mark Bryant, Chris Mihm... most of the main rotations of the two teams cannot play fast.
But the pace of the game has reached this point, and it is difficult to suppress it, and it may give the opponent an advantage.
Nelson doesn't do this kind of loss-making business, and neither do his fans.
Keep attacking!
The score was 32-28 in the second quarter, and the Mavericks took a 4-point lead at halftime, but the Clippers responded with a 30-25 score in the third quarter.
At the end of three quarters, the score reached 96-95, with the Clippers leading the Mavericks by 1 point.
Old Nelson found out that he was at a disadvantage!
Suffered the loss of the lineup!
Nowitzki played the entire first quarter, rested for 3 minutes in the second quarter, and only rested for two minutes in the third quarter. He played running and playing for 31 minutes in the first three quarters!
Finley and Juwan Howard also played 30 minutes, and Nash even played 34 minutes.
On the opposite side, although Brevin Knight and Odom played for a long time, after Li Ao played the first quarter, he played 6 minutes in the second quarter and only 5 minutes in the third quarter!
The Clippers scored 18-12 in the second half of the third quarter, which was achieved after Li Ao, a new force, came on the court!
There is such a big difference in playing time because the Clippers are younger!
Although both teams have several main rotations that are not suitable for playing fast, the Clippers have more players who can play fast. Big Q, Maggette, Odom, Matt Halpring, plus In a game like this, Kenyon Dulin, who played well at the shooting guard position, created a rest opportunity for Li Ao!
At the end of the quarter, Nelson was forced to choose a positional battle, and he really couldn't run away.
Gentry did not force himself. He sent a combination of Boykins, Li Ao, Maggette, Matt Halprin, and O'Neal, and he also fell into a positional battle.
The position battle between the two teams in the final quarter was a chaotic battle.
After three quarters of fast attack, they fell into a slow-paced positional battle and went into chaos.
At this time, Boykins, an expert in chaos, came into play.
Li Ao, who only played 23 minutes in the first three quarters, became Boykins' best response point.
O'Neal Jr., who also has little playing time, actively moves along the baseline to find opportunities to eat. Relying on the threat of Maggette's cutting and the movement control of Matt Halprin, O'Neal has many opportunities.
For the Mavericks, Nowitzki, who scored 31 points in three quarters, languished under Matt Halprin's rough defense in the final quarter.
After half a quarter, Nowitzki made 1 of 4 shots and only scored 2 points. Old Nelson replaced Juwan Howard as a replacement, and the effect was not good. In terms of tough battles, Juwan Howard is better than Nowitzki, who is still in the growth stage. The base is far behind.
The Mavericks can only rely on the mid-to-long-range singles of Nash and Finley.
At 9 minutes and 31 seconds into the final quarter, Nash used Juwan Howard's screen to hit Matt Halprin's pick-and-roll three-pointer, chasing the score to 112-120.
The point difference narrowed to less than 10 points, with two and a half minutes left, and the Mavericks felt there was still hope!
When the Clippers attacked, Li Ao received the ball from a high position. Finley, who was inspired by Nash's three-pointer, stayed close to him. The rest of the Mavericks actively moved forward and did not give Li Ao a chance to pass the ball.
Li Ao leaned sideways against Finley and grabbed the ball with one hand to avoid being intercepted.
Seeing this action, his teammates began to move around Spider-Man's back attack position.
Li Ao continued to turn around, leaning his back against Finley, knocking Finley back with a sudden step, turned over, and jumped...
Finley wanted to pounce, but his legs gave out and he was exhausted.
He just stared blankly at Li Ao's turning movement, which was very similar to his idol.
'High Lord Level 1' is triggered, Li Ao's bounce +2 is temporarily increased to 88, and mid-range shot +2 is temporarily increased to the top level of 90.
Li Ao hit a back-up jumper from the top corner on the right side of the free throw line!
122 to 112, the score difference reached double digits again!
Li Ao's goal shattered the opponent's belief in a comeback!
(End of chapter)
