basketball pope

Chapter 373 [The total score is 2 to 2, no one knows you]

The Wizards won the first game by surprise, and the Bulls found a way to deal with it in the second game.

The Wizards lost 90-106, with a total score of 1-1.

Thibodeau adjusted his defensive tactics, letting Przybilla play the bench, playing small-ball tactics and defending man-to-man at the start.Players return to defense quickly and switch defenses quickly, limiting the Wizards' outside shooting.

The Wizards' two three-pointers were prevented from becoming blacksmiths.Marshall's touch was erratic, 7-of-1 from the perimeter; Wesley was even worse, 5-of-0.

It is difficult to win by only shooting two points. The Wizards hit the basket again and again, and the two sides were physically confronted and motivated, full of gunpowder.

The NBA is actually quite contradictory. On the one hand, President David Stern wants to attack and win the game to make the game better, but in the playoffs, he always promotes a different defensive intensity and more intense confrontation.

The playoff confrontation is indeed much stronger than the regular season, and the field often turns into a wrestling match.This problem has not been resolved until Adam Silva becomes the president in the future, and stars are injured and absent in the playoffs every year.

In Yang Rui's previous life, after Silva became the president, it was even more serious. The foul problem for two consecutive years determined the championship.

In the 2015 finals, the Cavaliers were almost all injured; in 2016, the Warriors chased Egg Green and chased Adams in the semifinals, and they chased James in the finals. They were suspended and the Warriors were reversed; Slag - Pachulia, the Spurs' core Leonard, who was another foot in the Western Finals, was out of control.

The defensive actions of the Bulls players are very clean. Winning is not based on confrontation and fouls, but on internal and external dual-core Brand and McGrady.

Brand scored 19 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists, and scored another double-double. The stability is terrible.

麦迪则上演了恐怖的投篮表演，出战42分钟, 27投18中，三分球7中4，罚球11中8，砍下48分7篮板4助攻2抢断2盖帽，创下了个人季后赛得分纪录。

It's a pity that McGrady has no strength in the second half of the last quarter, his hit rate has dropped, and his shots have been reduced, otherwise he would have won 50+.

Jordan and McGrady didn't have many matchups. They continued to play off the bench and scored 13 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists.Regardless of whether or not to advance, McGrady's personal performance in this series is far better than Jordan's.

Barkley praised when explaining the game: "The Bulls' pick-and-roll offense is excellent. McGrady only needs a screen, and everyone is out of position. Brand's skills are becoming more and more comprehensive."

Smith said: "McGrady's strength is not lower than Carter, Kobe, and Iverson. The scoring efficiency in the regular season is the highest among the four shooting guards. If he shoots more, he should be able to win the scoring championship."

Everyone can see the strength of McGrady. Facing the defense of the defender, he can catch the ball and pull it directly is an opportunity, and he can also rely on his strength to eat hard.

Against the physically strong Wallace, McGrady looked for a pick-and-roll to get rid of. Once he turned into an inside switch, he broke through with the ball, and the first step was extremely fast.Boozer and Laettner couldn't keep up with McGrady, and Stoudamire could easily catch up with him.The weaknesses of the Wizards' interior defense were exposed.

The third Bulls played at home, morale was like a rainbow, and they had the upper hand at the beginning.

Thibodeau and Yang Rui arranged small ball tactics to speed up the counterattack.

Yang Rui's small-ball tactics are to increase the movement without the ball, let Bell and Hamilton with good physical strength go together, consume the physical strength of the core Bulls players, and gain an advantage in the fourth quarter.

In this game, Thibodeau arranged for Artest to quickly attack and bully Hamilton with his body.

Artest is 201cm tall and weighs 113kg, with obvious strength advantages.Not only does he defend well, he can also score on jumpers and slow threes.In Yang Rui's previous life, Artest was selected as an All-Star at his peak and averaged 20+ points per game.

If the Bulls players are all at their peak, this lineup can be regarded as the "Big Three", with a balanced offense and defense. It would be really strange if Thibodeau couldn't get results. The overall strength of the team is better than that of the Rockets in the Yao Mai period.

In the second quarter, the Wizards did not defend, and Crawford was convulsed. He hit three three-pointers in a single quarter, including a 4-point success.It is Crawford's unique skill to cheat foul shots from beyond the three-point line and still make them.

At the end of the half, the Wizards trailed by 22 points on the road. In the second half, the players chased hard and played better than the Bulls. They still lost the game 97-104, with a total score of 1-2.

The next day, the major media began to be optimistic about the Bulls advancing to the Eastern Conference finals, because the Wizards lost home field advantage.

Wizards manager Unseld called Yang Rui and asked, "Is Michael's new promo going to play in Game [-]? I think it's about time."

"No need for the time being, I will notify you when necessary." Yang Rui said easily.

"But we are behind, in case this series is eliminated, wouldn't the preliminary work be done in vain?" Unseld said angrily.He never liked to listen to Yang Rui's arrangements, not only because Yang Rui was young, but also because he was dissatisfied with Yang Rui and lost many of his rights.

In fact, Yang Rui has always been a lazy person, unwilling to care about minor things, otherwise he can completely oversell Unseld.Just like when Unseld recommended two people to play in the preseason after the team decided on 14 players last summer, Yang Rui could completely reject it without giving him any face.

Yang Rui is solely responsible for transactions, drafts and other work, and the rest of the management team only needs to implement them. The same is true for publicity. This is written in black and white in the contract.

Yang Rui smiled and said: "Don't tell me you are optimistic about the Bulls now. Although they are ahead, they have no cards left. I can guarantee that the Wizards will be promoted. You just have to wait and see."

"I will report to the boss truthfully. In case of losing a series of games, I will not be responsible." Unseld's first thought was to clear the relationship.

Yang Rui smiled and said, "Don't worry, who will put you in charge? It's like we reached the second round of the playoffs. Do you think any media mentioned your name? Everyone doesn't know you."

The last sentence echoed in Unseld's ears repeatedly, and Yang Rui expounded a cruel fact.He opened his mouth again and again, and finally didn't know how to answer, snorted coldly, and hung up the phone.

Yang Rui didn't care. If he was the boss and fired Unseld long ago, what responsibility did Unseld take for the rotten Wizards a few years ago?
After working together for a season, he felt that the Wizards' way of operating was strange.The boss, Abel Paulin, is like an old and faint-hearted emperor who is reluctant to abdicate.Unseld was a popular man beside the emperor. As long as he made the emperor happy, his seat was very stable.On the contrary, it is Jordan, who really wants to make the team better, is suspected everywhere, for fear that the general's power will shake the master.

David Stern didn't want Jordan to be eliminated so quickly. The Bulls lost their home whistle in the fourth game. Maggette and Stoudemire started to play at the basket and made a lot of free throws.

David Wesley and Marshall provided outside firepower. Wesley made 9 of 5 three-pointers, Marshall made 9 of 4, and Hamilton also made two three-pointers in the final quarter, 5 of 2.

Jordan continued to play soy sauce, 14 of 4 shots, no free throws, only 8 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists.

The Wizards officially announced that Jordan was injured, but Jordan knew that his knee was not a big problem.

Jordan wanted to perform very much. He took more shots in the third quarter and made a low hit rate.

As a result, Yang Rui directly put Jordan on the bench at the end of the quarter. Maggette served as the small forward and scored 10 points in a single quarter, helping the team to have the last laugh 110-102, with a total score of 2-2.

(End of this chapter)