Pick Westbrook

95 - Turn around and leave
Canada, Airline Center Stadium.

Westbrook, George Hill and others who went abroad to play for the first time were extremely excited.

The rest of the Bucks were also basking in the joy of defeating the defending champion Celtics.

Holding the information in his hand, Tyronn Lue also said with a smile on his face: "We should win tonight's game easily."

During the offseason, the Raptors introduced Jermaine O'Neal, a giant, and they announced with a high profile the moment the deal was completed that this would be the most successful deal the Raptors have made in recent years .

After all, that was Jermaine O'Neal.

A top second team, 6-time All-Star, MVP even ranked third, and only lost to the top two MVPs Duncan and Garnett that year.

Many people believed that O'Neal was the third power forward in the league at that time.

Can be traded to get such a player, no wonder the Raptors management is so excited.

More importantly, the arrival of Jermaine O'Neal will greatly enhance the inside strength of the Raptors, and the inside combination of him and Dragon King Bosh will definitely stir up a bloodbath in the entire league.

"It's just that Jermaine O'Neal, who was always used to playing in the low post, was easily injured. This season, the Raptors had to change his playing habits, allowing him to face the frame, mid-range shots and participate in penalty area defense."

"As a result, who would have thought that O'Neal was still troubled by injuries. His knee injury made him unable to exert strength on the court for a while, and the Raptors' idea of ​​building an inside double-dent was directly shattered."

This is why Tyronn Lue thinks tonight's game will be easy.

With O'Neal's current knee injury, it is impossible for him to keep up with Yi Jianlian's speed, and all the teams in the league know when they are playing the Bucks, don't let any of them open up on the court. , Otherwise, once you try to double-team, the ensuing three-point rain and breakthrough cuts will sweep down like a storm.

Li Lai nodded, but he also remembered that the original O'Neal had gradually disappeared from the crowd since this season.

It can only be said that the Raptors were unlucky. They had anticipated the possibility of injuries in advance and had allowed O'Neal to reduce the proportion of low-post singles offenses, but the result was still the same.

And from Lee's point of view, even if it's a healthy O'Neal, his arrival may indeed enhance the Raptors' internal strength, but it cannot completely solve their other problems, such as team defense and bench depth.

So this deal is not perfect no matter how you look at it, but it can be regarded as a good deal that the Raptors have done in recent years.

on the field.

Artest also wanted to say hello to his former good brother O'Neal Jr., but the other party turned his face away and left.

Artest sighed.

Except for Reggie Miller, the old brothers still haven't forgiven him, and O'Neal is the most emotional among them.

Because he thinks Artest ruined them all.

"In fact, it did ruin everyone." Li Lai also sighed.

Game start.

Bucks regular starter.

Raptors starters: point guard Jose Calderon, shooting guard Anthony Parker, small forward Jamalio Moon, power forward Chris Bosh and center Jermaine O'Neal.

Jumping the ball from the center line, Jermaine O'Neal jumped high and took the first wave of offensive ball from Yi Jianlian.

This scene made Tyronn Lue click his tongue again and again. Can this be called a patient suffering from knee injuries?

Li Lai also had a bad feeling.

He obviously found that O'Neal was completely reckless playing on the court at this time.

Calderon advances with the ball, and Bosh receives the ball at the two-point position on the right.

This is Bosh's singles spot!

Unlike other insiders or traditional power forwards like Duncan, Bosh's offense is characterized by an extremely long attack distance.

Although his three-point shooting percentage was only 28% this season, in a few special games, he also made 5 of 4 shots and 3 of 2 shots.

This has also led to the need for defensive players to keep close to Bosh for defense to prevent the opponent's sudden shooting attack.

Villanueva defended Bosh's position very well, always raising his hand and covering the opponent's shooting point.

It's just that Bosh suddenly made a big stride breakthrough and immediately passed Villanueva, and then made a steady layup.

"His speed is even faster than Yi Jianlian and Villanueva!"

Tyronn Lue screamed again and again. In his opinion, Bosh is an inside player very similar to Villanueva and Yi Jianlian, but in terms of offense, Bosh is much stronger than the two.

As for the dribble breakthrough just now, I am afraid that there are not many insiders in the entire league who can defend against it.

Artest showed his true qualities as a leader on the court, and immediately reminded everyone that Bosh couldn't be defended by himself, so he had to double-team!

In the next round, Westbrook held the ball and performed a high pick-and-roll with Yi Jianlian, but the following picture made him frown.

Jermaine O'Neal pushed Yi Jianlian frantically, forcing him to continue away from the high post to the three-point line, hindering him and Westbrook's pick-and-roll tactics.

Even if Westbrook forcibly mentions the LOGO for the pick-and-roll, but that position is too far from the basket, and the Raptors have plenty of time to rotate and help defense.

Therefore, Westbrook and Yi Jianlian's pick-and-roll was accidentally blocked.

This is also the first time the Bucks have encountered such a defense.

"So O'Neal is on the body?" Tyronn Lue was curious about this defensive tactic.

Li looked at Jay Triano on the Raptors' bench and shook his head with certainty.

The opponent is a well-known half-baked coach in his previous life, known as the ancestor of the lagging behind. Since he became the head coach of the Raptors, this team that could have made the playoffs has fallen in the playoffs for five consecutive years. Sai's gate.

Therefore, it is impossible for such a head coach to deliberately come up with such a tactic to target the Bucks.

Just saying, Jermaine O'Neal got a little excited tonight.

Faced with such a defensive change, Westbrook chose to directly break through Calderon.

A stride toward the basket, Westbrook actively looking for contact.

Calderon, who was relatively weak, could not restrain the opponent at all. Bosh quickly returned to the inside to help defend. Westbrook took off from the free throw line with one step. Facing Bosh's defense, he was a rider dunk.

"This should be the third player to be dunked by Westbrook this season. This kid is really good enough physically."

Bosh spread his hands helplessly, he really didn't have an advantage in protecting the frame.

O'Neal Jr. on the outside line also discovered this problem. Tonight, he said directly to Bosh, "Let me guard the inside line against Villanueva."

Bosh was still a little worried and said: "Jermaine, your knee."

O'Neal waved his hand and said, "Even if I break this knee, I will win this game tonight, because I have a reason why I can't lose!"

The game continues.

On the offensive end, Bosh continued to single Villanueva, and Artest chose to double-team the defense. At the same time, the three outsiders of the Bucks immediately carried out a rotation defense and played a partial zone defense.

Jay Triano, who was off the court, was envious and thought to himself: It would be great if the Raptors players also had such defensive enthusiasm.

Bosh, who was double-teamed, could only pass the ball to Jamalio Moon in the high post.

This is an older rookie who participated in the draft in 2001.

The reason why he is a rookie is because the 07-year-old Jamalio Moon did not join the NBA until the 08-27 season last year, and the Raptors gave him a chance to realize his dream.

So this is Jamario Moon's second season.

"While Jamalio Moon's story is worthy of attention, his strength and talent can only be regarded as marginal figures in the NBA.

The Raptors actually let him play the starting small forward. It is conceivable how bad their bench strength has become. "

Jamario Moon quickly handed the ball to O'Neal.

Tonight, O'Neal, who was burning all over his body, immediately launched an attack towards the inside after receiving the ball in his hand, but Yi Jianlian blocked his path very well, and his speed was really not fast enough. .

O'Neal played Yi Jianlian with his back, which was the offensive method he was most proud of.

Although his weight is not dominant, relying on his nimble footwork and strong core strength, he also used back singles to gain a great reputation in the league.

boom!
The sound of muscle-to-muscle collision sounded, and O'Neal hit back with all his strength, but Yi Jianlian remained motionless in the paint. In the end, he could only turn around and end the round with a familiar mid-range.

Snapped!
Yi Jianlian soared into the air, and sent him a powerful fan cap.

Looking at the young and strong Yi Jianlian and the high-flying basketball, Jermaine O'Neal's face was full of disappointment. He wanted to return to the defense desperately, but he couldn't use his legs no matter what.

Yi Jianlian made a fast break, Westbrook made a wonderful pass, and Yi Jianlian received a dunk in the air.

"This wave of counterattacks is really smooth."

Tyronn Lue breathed a sigh of relief, just as he expected before the game, the Raptors were not their opponents at all.

Originally, this team still had hopes of entering the playoffs at the beginning of the season, and at its best record, it once reached sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

It's just that as O'Neal's injury worsened, the inside double-pronged sword the Raptors hoped to build gradually lost its power, and their strength plummeted.

"If this continues, the Raptors may miss the playoffs." Tyronn Lue said shaking his head.

Li Lai agrees with this very much.

In fact, the Raptors have all but lost their playoff hopes.

Bosh is not the kind of player who can strongly improve the overall strength of the team by himself. His technical characteristics are more suitable for being a second-in-command.

At this time, Li Lai still kept his eyes on O'Neill. After seeing the other party's gritted teeth and persistence, his bad premonition became more and more serious.

Artest also noticed this situation, and took the initiative to walk over and said: "Jermaine, don't insist anymore, the current Bucks are not something you can compete with."

O'Neal still didn't look at Artest, but continued to play on the court.

Jay Triano wanted to take care of O'Neal and planned to replace him early to rest, but was firmly rejected by the opponent.

"In this game, he has a reason why he absolutely cannot lose."

The game continues.

The Bucks began to focus on Yi Jianlian's high-position card dealing tactics.

Since Li Lai lifted the ban on Yi Jianlian's ultra-long three-pointer and Westbrook's three-pointer in the last game, the two have been very eager to continue to display such skills.

He even wanted to show his abilities to every team in the league.

And Yi Jianlian, who was one step away from the three-point line, now re-implemented the high-position card dealing tactic, and the offensive space on the field was also stretched to the extreme.

The Raptors took the initiative to switch defenses on the two inside lines.

Bosh against the easy link.

Bosh, who is also young and energetic, still has some unbelief at this time, and takes the initiative to let Yi Jianlian take a step away.

Yi Jianlian shot directly without hesitation.

Swish!
The basketball hit the rim, then stumbled and fell in again.

"Super three-pointer scored again!"

Bosh on the field was still unconvinced, and raised his neck high and said: "I just said that your super distance is luck!"

Yi Jianlian is no longer the quiet young man he was last season, and he sprayed back the trash talk without being weak.

"Then just keep shooting, I can shoot you straight to the floor."

In the next round, Yi Jianlian really did what he said, and once again taught Bosh to be a man with a super long three-pointer.

After two consecutive ultra-long three-pointers, Bosh finally believed in this evil and began to defend Yi Jianlian closely.

Only then, the Bucks' familiar baseline cut-in tactics around the screen came out.

Yi Jianlian dealt the cards steadily, and Artest cut to catch the ball. Just as he was laying up, O'Neal rushed over.

A pushing foul almost at the man sent Artest far away.

At the same time as the referee blew his whistle, he rushed over to stop the two of them.

Unexpectedly, the players on both sides were very calm. Even Artest, who has always been known for his violent temper, just stood up flatly and patted his jersey.

It's just that the emotions in his eyes are a bit complicated.

O'Neal still didn't look at Artest, and didn't worry about his injury, so he turned and left.

(End of this chapter)