Forward to the basket

An unshakable roster and an uninspired starting lineup, this is Jeff Van Gundy's coaching style. No matter how fans and the media complain about his rigidity, it will not affect this bald man.

But it's such a starting five that anyone can guess, and it can still kill many powerful enemies in the West. Regardless of whether you are satisfied with Van Gundy's old-fashioned personality, he can lead the team all the way.

Rao is the owner of the Rockets, Leslie Alexander, who is not satisfied with this, and he can't change Van Gundy's decision at all, so he, the boss, often faces his own head coach, and he is also under great pressure...

The boss can't handle the employees, so don't expect the fans and the media's unhappiness to play any role. Even the Rockets' team manager Daryl Morey can only shrug his shoulders at Van Gundy's starter sitting on the sidelines.

Although Van Gundy's old-fashioned and die-hard style does not please the media, and fans often do not appreciate any exciting games, this guy relies on that set of stable tactics to win every game.

"Jeff's tactics can be said to be nothing new, but they are very tricky." This is what Rivers and Thibodeau said when discussing the Rockets' starting lineup before the game, and it is indeed very accurate.

Nothing new, no change, but some teams are like this. You know what he is going to do, but you may not be able to stop him. Everyone in the previous Bulls knew that they should guard Joe, and how many teams have done it ?

Therefore, this matter is easy to say, but difficult to do. Generally, head coaches have a starting lineup or rotation order that they are used to, but when Van Gundy does these, it is simpler and more direct.

Rivers definitely can't change Van Gundy's rigidity, so he can only bite the bullet and fight with the bald man for internal strength.

This is definitely an occasion where there is no skill at all, or where the head coach has some magical touch. If you want to wrestle with Van Gundy's team, you have to let go of all your thoughts and rely purely on the strength of the team to fight.

Van Gundy's team has already set up their lineup, and Rivers can only choose the five-man team that he is most sure to consume with the opponent, Feng Chen, Jefferson, Pierce, Rondo, and Sprewell.

"When you play against the Houstonians, don't always think about playing fast breaks, and don't think that you can beat them with a wave of offense. These guys have a strong defense. Maybe you should be careful about the opponent's fast break and counterattack. .”

For the first time after finalizing his starting roster, Rivers cautiously listened to the ears of these wild boys and carefully warned that such opponents are different from offensive teams like the Lakers or the Suns.

It is not that the Celtics have never encountered strong teams in previous games, such as the Mavericks, the Suns, or even the Heat, but only when they met the Pistons did Rivers feel that it was difficult to fight. .

The reason is actually not complicated. Compared with those teams with strong offensive firepower, Rivers would rather meet those opponents who dare to bayonet to become famous. At least he doesn't have to worry about how to overcome the opponent's hard fortress.

The opponents the Celtics have encountered before, as long as they dare to fight for offensive firepower, this group of fierce Boston bandits dare to show their fierce side and fight to the end, they are not afraid of this kind of confrontation.

If it is really an offense, Rivers' team of animals does have the courage to show their sharpest side with anyone, especially the bald boy. As long as he is there, the Celtics' offense will be able to They played like crazy and ferociously. Even teams like the Suns and Mavericks with all their firepower would have a headache when they encountered the Celtics, let alone those opponents with insufficient offensive firepower. attack.

But if you encounter a team like the Pistons that defends the defense line and then runs with you, that is the most troublesome problem. After all, the current Celtics are far from a very mature tactical system. .

Generally, the tactical system that can be suitable for the team needs one or two seasons of running-in. Even if there are two or three All-Stars, you have to find a space suitable for them to survive, otherwise the tragedy of the Lakers will be repeated.

Losing in Detroit is a loss in tactics. Although the Bostonians won a game at home, Rivers knows how hard it is to win. Compared with the Pistons, the Celtics are not as strict as the Pistons. The tactical basis is so strict that no mistakes are allowed. They are more than brave, but they lack a lot of details.

Especially when it comes to critical moments, it is easy to make that kind of local small mistakes. Several times they lost the game, because when the score was close, the Celtics' offensive choices were a little bit sloppy.

Regarding this point, it is not that Rivers has never said it, but what he said and whether he can do it are ultimately two concepts.

So when they met the Detroit Pistons, they lost the game not because of how ugly the opponent's factory girl cheerleading team was, but because of the gap in tactical execution, the Celtics lost their initiative on the court. In terms of details and polishing his own tactical system, the time left for Rivers is still too short.

Even Auerbach said when he watched those lost games, "Although the Celtics' tradition is to knead the team according to tactics, but now the team as a whole has less than five matches." Months, even if you give Rivers a perfect framework, he can't put the team in place so quickly."

What the Cardinal said is very objective. He has been the head coach of the team, so he knows how to build a qualified team. It is not impossible to knead a qualified team in a short time, but the probability is very small.

And now the Celtics team's personnel mix is ​​far from that kind of heaven-defying level. They can squeeze into the top six in the Eastern Conference, which has exceeded many people's expectations. Let's build a qualified tactical system ?That really needs to be honed for a while. What Rivers can do now is to speed up the pace as much as possible. It is not realistic to do things overnight, but fortunately, the Celtics’ tradition can provide them with a suitable atmosphere, but if you encounter an opponent like the Pistons, you still have to be careful.

In fact, no one deliberately ignores this shortcoming of the team. It’s just that the team has been formed as a whole for such a long time. Can you polish a brand new team in four or five months?It is estimated that no one will play.

Rivers is also trying his best to adapt, but now the gap is not so easy to make up, he can only try his best to drag those opponents into a state of fighting with himself, instead of running some damn tactics, simply now The offensive atmosphere in the league is indeed very strong. Most teams do not have such rigid defensive tactics. In terms of defense, they tend to complement each other and single defense capabilities. Like the Pistons, they can rely on the defensive system to kill opponents. After all, there are still a small number of teams, and Rivers doesn't have to have such a headache every game.

It's just that now regardless of whether Rivers is willing to encounter that style of play in the late 90s, he has to touch it. Van Gundy's defense follows the most traditional positional warfare, and it is completely a success rate.

And Van Gundy dared to slow down the pace and dared to fight this kind of attrition war with any opponent because he had enough chips in his hands. Whether it was inside or outside, he had stable scoring points and could withstand such consumption.

It may be too polite for Rivers to carry the small animal ear warning on the sidelines. Those guys who have played wild in the Port of Los Angeles, although the game has passed a day ago, they are still having fun.

So when Chen Feng overwhelmed Howard in the jump ball and gave the basketball to Rondo first, the Celtics' offense was as usual, advancing like the wind, without any intention of controlling it.

"These goddamn boys!" When Rivers saw this scene, he almost didn't stand on the sidelines and started cursing, because he clearly told these guys to be a little more stable when the game started!

Rivers didn't want to play with the Rockets' rhythm, but he didn't want those boys to underestimate this fifth-ranked opponent in the West, fast break?Neither the Suns nor the Mavericks can play fast break at the Toyota Center!

However, Rivers' roar can only be roared from the bottom of his heart, because the fast break of the Celtics did not show perfectly on the Houstonian's site as those guys on the court thought. .

Originally, Chen Feng gave the ball to Rondo in order to increase the speed of the entire advancement. While Rondo was receiving the ball, Chen Feng had already rushed to the basket. As long as the ball can pass, this must be a very simple move. It was a beautiful fast break, but Chen Feng rushed all the way to the basket, but he didn't wait for the pass that should have come earlier.

"Craft!", when Chen Feng turned around and looked over, he subconsciously swears, because he found that Rondo was strangled to death by Alston and McGrady before he could stabilize after receiving the ball. halftime.

Not to mention finding a suitable passing route, Rondo almost lost control of the ball. Alston's lightning hand trained on the street is really stealing the ball!The two hands are stretched long, and the speed of movement is very fast, and Alstom is very close, which makes Rondo feel uncomfortable when he controls the ball, and there is McGrady beside Alston. Cooperating with his actions, when Rondo encountered such a scene, he was caught off guard, and the basketball he just controlled was almost broken by Alston.

Thanks also to Rondo's stable ball control, he was also guarding against the opponent's pressing while catching the ball. When Alston posted it, he subconsciously pulled the ball back, and did not rush to the halfway point. field cut.

It was such a subconscious action that allowed Rondo to keep possession of the ball, and Alstom failed to succeed. Similarly, McGrady's side attack failed to steal the basketball, but the double-team defense of the two of them made Kay The entire offensive rhythm of the Walters was disrupted, and the fast break that those guys imagined failed to complete.

"Beautiful double-teaming, Tracy McGrady and Raff teamed up to defend against the Celtics' fast break! The Bostonians failed in their surprise move!" The commentary on the scene was mobilizing the fans' emotions in this way.

Although this kind of defense is not as good as a beautiful offense that can arouse the enthusiasm of the fans, this is the home court of the Rockets after all. The hot cheers began to resound through the Toyota Center, and the fans also began to cheer for their team. But for these guys on the Celtics field, this is not a good omen. Their fast break failed, not to mention, advancing to the positional battle, the feeling of being entangled is very bad.

Rondo didn't let the ball in his hand drop, but he could only choose to let Sprewell around him help him to advance to the Rockets' half court smoothly, and the whole speed has dropped, and Alston kept on Sao harassment around him, although it may not be able to break the ball in his hand, it makes Rondo feel a kind of pressure.

This is not because of Alstom's reputation on the street basketball court, but the Rockets' overall defensive formation is moving, not simply man-to-man, but following Alstom's defensive position.

It was an invisible danger, and Rondo didn't dare to act easily because he could smell the potential threat.

But not being able to break through Alston's entanglement does not mean that there is no danger. After all, Alstom is also an old fritter who has been on the street and the NBA for several years. If Rondo hesitates a little, he can be caught by him.

But here Rondo has not waited to get rid of Alston's entanglement, or find a suitable space where he can pass the ball. He just wanted to stabilize his rhythm and look for offensive opportunities as Rivers explained.

As a result, just as Rondo's hand slowed down the ball control, a ghostly hand touched from the side. Alston had been putting pressure on Rondo from the front, and Rondo was patronizing to guard against this street ball. Wang's sao was harassing, but he didn't prepare for someone who would suddenly come out to double-team him at this time.

His hand was empty, this was the only feeling Rondo felt before the basketball was released. When he turned around to look, he saw a guy in a red team uniform flying past his eyes, and quickly rushed towards Celtic. In the human half, the speed of stealing the ball was too fast, so fast that no one on the Celtics side reflected it.

Rondo may be the only guy who reacted and then ran back to the defense, but his speed is far less than that of the red figure who spread his legs and ran all the way, and he can only watch the opponent slam dunk with one hand .

There is no one blocking it, there is only an empty basket waiting to be ravaged. It is estimated that any offensive player in the nba can come up with many tricks to please the fans, let alone an nba scoring champion Guys, he even had a chance to let the home fans see his ability to stay in the air.

Stepped into the free throw line and started to jump, and then all the reporters on the scene pointed their cameras at the gliding figure and pressed the shutter desperately. It is estimated that these guys wish they had four hands to record more accurately. At this moment, it was a very beautiful one-hand split button, and it was very elegant in the air.

"Tracey!!! Mac~Grady~!!! Our great No. [-]! Beautiful dunk, fast break after the steal! Perfect! This is definitely a wonderful performance, this It is the strength of the nba scoring leader! See it! Those guys from Boston! This is not Los Angeles where you can run wild! Houston is undefeated at home! You will definitely learn a deep lesson here!"

It is obvious that McGrady's attack detonated the whole Toyota Center. Their bursting roars and growls began to reach a climax with the fast-paced commentary of the live DJ, and the red se1 who succeeded in the fast break did not What arrogant demonstration gestures, just like the sleepy eyes at the beginning.

But Rondo looked at this guy who just broke his possession of the ball and then played a one-stop slam dunk. All he could feel was a threat. Don't look at McGrady's sleepy look. Everyone knows how big this guy is. Explosive power, once his firepower is fully fired, he is not inferior to Kobe's destructive power. Even in the choice of offensive timing, McGrady's shooting may be more accurate than "Black Mamba", especially outside the three-point line.

A guy who can win the scoring title for two consecutive years is definitely not so easy to mess with. Although he works under Van Gundy, McGrady's offensive level in Houston has not declined at all. Instead, he pays more attention to practicality. Cooperating with him is far more terrifying than this guy doing it alone when he was in the Magic.

Just like the fast break just now, when he was in the Magic, it was McGrady who singled out the opponent's swingman. It was rare to see him take the initiative to execute any double-team tactics with his teammates, but just now, this The guy was in the middle of the entanglement between Alston and Rondo, suddenly flashed, made an accurate attack, and broke the basketball.

Rondo's stability can be counted in the Eastern Conference. It is rare to see this guy being intercepted, but just now, even Rondo couldn't react to McGrady's sudden attack. You can imagine how fast this shot is. quick.

It was really a lightning attack, as accurate as an eagle in the desert of Texas. Even a steady guy like Rondo couldn't stand it. He was knocked down by a paw and could only watch The opponent scores.

Looking at the cheering fans in the Toyota Center, Rivers has nothing to do with such a loss. He needs the team to stabilize, but the opponent didn't give him this opportunity. McGrady's personal ability determines the suddenness of this attack. Not to mention that Rondo didn't respond, even Rivers and Thibodeau who saw this scene on the sidelines had nothing to do. They could see clearly, but you couldn't guard against it. This is the personal ability of a star player.

McGrady's one-stop offense allowed the Rockets to open the scoring first, which made Rondo feel annoyed, but there was no way to fight back. After all, compared with McGrady's personal ability, he was still a level behind.

It's just that the following Celtics' offense also failed to achieve the smooth feeling they wanted. The Rockets' defensive strength was far stronger than Rivers estimated, especially when these guys When the lineup is in order, the defensive system that Van Gundy carefully built can produce extraordinary effects.

Rondo has always been looking for passing routes and opportunities in the movement of possession of the ball, but this time Alstom's entanglement is to stick to him and prevent him from stabilizing. Start sticking.

Alstom simply does not allow Rondo to have the opportunity to speed up and get rid of himself, especially this kind of defense makes it impossible for Rondo to launch a fast break. Alstom has also made a famous street ball in the street. Wang, if it is more than one-on-one experience, he obviously knows how to harass the opponent better than Rondo. Besides, he just wants to slow down the Celtics' rhythm and make the opponent play more awkwardly.

Rivers definitely doesn't know what Van Gundy explained before the game. If he knew, he definitely wouldn't just whisper in the ears of those wild boys, he would definitely warn those guys, pay attention to those guys The tough style of the Houstonians, don't be easily caught by the opponent's fast break opportunity for defensive counterattack.

Maybe if Rivers was a prophet, he would warn his wild boys in advance, but he is not God, Allah, Tathagata after all, so he just hopes that the rhythm of this game will not be included in the Rockets' most comfortable one Feeling, but ignoring the wildness of their own players, as long as those boys are provoked by the opponent's teasing, they will definitely find a way to fight back. Often their methods are very simple and direct, such as Rondo When he can't break through, he may choose to give the ball to the inside!

And Rivers may not have noticed this situation, but after Van Gundy watched the Celtics' past dozen game videos, he found that whenever the Celtics' offensive momentum was suppressed, they must They will find a way to counterattack in the simplest and most direct way, and inside offense is often their first choice.

This is also because the Celtics' interior offense is quite powerful. Not only is Jefferson's post-up singles now a bit proficient, but more importantly, they also have Chen Feng in the interior. The machete, that bald boy can cut through anyone who blocks him, even a strong guy like O'Neill, sometimes he can't do anything against Feng Chen's fierce attack, so the Celtics' counterattacks are often concentrated at the basket , When they want to fight back, the basket must be the main battlefield.

You can't say that Van Gundy is a genius. He is wiser than Jackson or Riley. It can only be said that this guy cares more about his opponents, and this guy still has a commanding height to use in the battle for the basket.

Rondo really couldn't find a suitable cut-in route under the entanglement of Alstom, and Pierce was also followed closely by Battier. In this case, Rondo's pass choice was only left with the ball to the basket.

Accurate pass, a standard hit pass, at the moment of dodging Alston with continuous fake moves, Rondo threw the ball to the man who was already stuck near the three-second zone and was opening his hands for the ball Jefferson.

Jefferson's strength may not be as wild and unruly as Chen Feng's, but this guy's post-up singles technique is as delicate as any insider in the league, especially his footwork is also very flexible.

Even if the guy behind Jefferson's defense is Juwan Howard, a guy who has been selected as an All-Star, it can't stop Jefferson from trying to squeeze his defense away with his footsteps and his strong body. At the moment of receiving the ball, Jefferson has completed his sideways cut with the ball.

Without the slightest hesitation, after getting stuck in Howard's position, Jefferson turned around and made a very standard small hook. That posture was all about hitting the board and scoring, so that he could quickly recover the lost points just now!

Jefferson's technical moves were absolutely standard, and even the coherence of the small hook gave Howard no chance to chase and block the block, but at the moment Jefferson shot, he saw a slap that wasn't too big Facing the basketball, he took a picture, and the basketball that had just left his hand was slapped away by a slap!

"Damn it!" Jefferson, who usually doesn't scold the street very much, also swears when he saw the basketball being blown away, but this does not change the fact that the basketball has already flown into the auditorium, and what Jefferson saw was nothing but In addition to the basketball being blown away, he also saw a huge figure passing in front of his eyes. Although his movements were not so flexible, the oncoming figure made Jefferson feel an unprecedented pressure.

"Cao! Damn it!", Rivers also growled in an uncivilized voice on the sidelines, and at the same time he hammered the tactical board in front of him fiercely. The offensive line he was drawing on it was just now The whole process of Rondo and Jefferson's cooperation, but the Rockets responded to him in a more direct way.

The big guy passing Jefferson's eyes, his No. 11 red jersey also made Rivers feel a little dazzling, just like McGrady's elegant one-handed buckle just now, as Van Gundy's subordinate The most important dual core, whether it is No. 1 or No. 11, has begun to cause trouble for the Celtics...