the great gatsby

Chapter 402 Leonard! (4000 chapters, please vote!)
2: 10!

Coach Spoelstra is quickly pulling tactics, mainly working hard on defense. The Knicks played a wave of 2:10 climax at the beginning, and Coach Spoelstra was very dissatisfied.

James listened to the tactics with his hips on his hips for a while. He was a little dazed. He couldn't help looking at the Knicks bench. Anthony was also listening to the tactics with his hips on his hips. James suddenly envied him—he already had a championship. .

Maybe it's good to be like him.

Fans at Madison Square Garden began to play crowd waves, lap after lap. The basketball hall is not as big as the football hall, and there are not so many people, but it is compact and interesting.

Looking around James, there are many people in the fan stands holding signs with words written on them, the most of which is Gatsby's name. Gatsby has become a symbol of the Knicks in his third year in Knicks up.

The game restarts.

James returned to the court with his hips akimbo, passed Spike Lee, and Spike Lee shouted at him: "LeBron, you can't beat Gatsby, Gatsby is the king of the Knicks!"

James looked back at Spike Lee in surprise. Spike Lee is a director and the most die-hard Knicks fan. When he came here to play games in the past, Spike Lee would always try to recruit him, but this time it was because of Spike Lee. Cibi attacked him.

After receiving the ball, Chalmers dribbled cautiously across half court. In order to prevent Gatsby from blocking him at the midline, he only walked in the middle. Coach Spoelstra also asked Bosh to escort Chalmers all the way. Just give the ball to James.

James and Bosh came up with a pick-and-roll. This pick-and-roll was to play a dislocation and pull Bogut out, and Bosh cut into the low post to catch the ball with Anthony behind his back. Bosh is a thin insider, but he still has an advantage over Anthony in terms of height and weight. Yes, after carrying it twice and seeing that no one was attacking, he turned around and made a jump shot. This is also his advantage.

The mid-range shot hit, 4:10!

The Knicks didn’t care, it’s impossible for all defenses to be successful. Gatsby caught the ball and after halftime, the Heat’s defensive alignment was adjusted. Wade defended Gatsby, and Battier defended Anthony. Now, Chalmers defended Thompson, and James stepped up to the fourth position to defend Stoudemire.

This defensive adjustment is aimed at the offensive center of gravity at the beginning. It is not easy for Stoudemire to play against James. Although Chalmers is the No. 1 position, his speed is more than enough to keep up with Thompson who plays off the ball.

Gatsby made a judgment. Stoudemire's pick-and-roll is not easy to play. James and Wei's pincer attack is too powerful. It's really hard to say whether the ball can go out at that time. Two players with such outstanding athletic talents pinch him. Cibi didn't want to take any chances.

Gatsby made a gesture, Anthony went around the baseline to the low post on the right wing to hold Battier, and Gatsby passed the ball in.

Shane Battier's nickname in the United States is Batman, because his name is similar to Batman, and also because of his excellent defense. His defense is extremely strong, but not because of his abnormal physical fitness, but He has super high basketball and excellent psychological qualities. He has been deeply influenced by Coach K for four years, and he can make up for any loopholes.

Battier did not directly push Anthony, but blocked the middle. Anthony turned to face the frame, and Battier raised his hand to keep it on top. Otherwise, Anthony would pull forward, and Anthony would break through with a tentative step. Battier would bite Anthony's rhythm. Keep in front of Anthony all the time, while pushing Anthony with strength.

Anthony had no way to get rid of Battier, so he could only pull up and shoot, but Battier interfered and missed.

James signed the rebound and went straight to the fast break, Wade shook off Thompson, James sent the ball with both hands, Wade soared into the air, and Janeway connected!
"Boom!" Wade dunked successfully!
6: 10!

"Beautiful defensive counterattack. Mr. President defended the ball really well. Cameron's rhythm was directly bitten by him. He had to take a strong shot to end it, but it was still interfered by Battier." Jeff Van Gundy praised Battier's defense.

What Van Gundy said was when Battier first entered Duke University. When Battier walked into the Duke University basketball team's training hall for the first time that year, the team director Chris Kennedy only took one look at him and said Go home and say to your wife, "I just met a kid who will be the president of the United States."

So Battier also has the nickname "Mr. President".

Gatsby glanced at D'Antoni and saw that D'Antoni didn't call a timeout and was still sitting on the chair with his arms folded. Gatsby couldn't help but laugh and curse: This old guy!

Since D'Antoni believes in him, he has to make adjustments on the court. He gestures to make everyone run. When individual offense fails, he must rely on the strength of the entire team. The strength of the Knicks lies in his There are so many routines, facing a team with strong single-defense ability like the Heat, then use pass and cut to play.

Anthony used Bogut's screen to cut out the three-point line to catch the ball. After Gatsby passed the ball and ran towards him, Anthony turned around to block Wade and handed the ball to Gatsby.

Gatsby rushed in, James could only follow Gatsby, Anthony cut down to catch the ball, attracted Bosh's help defense, Anthony passed the ball to Bogut, Bogut had a chance at the basket and wiped the board Hit!

6: 12!

The Knicks fans cheered and danced, and Coach D'Antoni laughed: This little fox!

This style of play looks complicated, but the actual principle is simple to say. It is nothing more than a hand-to-hand breakthrough on the line, but it is not simple to execute:
The difficulty lies in Gatsby's passing after the breakthrough and Anthony's handling of the ball after receiving the ball in an air cut. People who do not have enough handling ability can't play at all, in other words, their execution ability is not enough.

But for super giants like Gatsby and Anthony, they still have this ability. Naturally, Gatsby needless to say, and Anthony was trained in the Knicks.

Coach Spoelstra frowned. The Heat are not afraid of Knicks singles, whether it is Stoudemire or Anthony, even Gatsby. The Heat's single defense ability is extremely strong, and they are least afraid of that type of team. But facing the Knicks' skillful style of play is a bit numb.

The so-called not afraid of your personal ability is strong, but you are afraid of your personal ability and play the team, this is the most deadly.

The Heat's defense is changing, and the Knicks have also made some adjustments. The Knicks have shrunk their defense slightly.

The Knicks shrink, and the Heat are in trouble. Logically speaking, the Heat are not without three-pointers. Chalmers, James, and Battier actually all have three-pointers. Even Bosh can shoot, but it doesn’t mean that they can shoot. efficient.

In most cases, the Heat use the breakthrough to move to the outside to shoot open shots. The Knicks let Anthony defend James alone, Thompson defend Wade alone, and Stoudemire and Bogut protect the frame inside, without a lot of contraction. Defense, so the Heat's outside line is not easy to have a chance.

In half a quarter, the Heat trailed by 8 points.

Anthony and Stoudemire took a rest, and they had to come up in the second quarter to lead the rotation.

Leonard and Gallinari enter the game.

Gatsby felt a little excited. He had long wanted to see this scene—Let Leonard defend James!
Heat ball right.

James holds the ball at the top of the arc. Seeing that Leonard, a rookie, is guarding him, he waved his hand to prepare for a singles.

Leonard stretched out his long arms, almost covering James, and James was shocked - this rookie's arms are so long!
James' dribbling doesn't look good, but he rarely loses the ball. He adjusted a few times and suddenly started to break through. Anthony was often passed by James like this in the first half, and he had to rely on the cooperation of Stoudemire and Bogut behind him. Defense, but Leonard moved sideways in one step and followed James' footsteps. James leaned against Leonard, and Leonard took a step back and followed!

He can keep up with James!
"Pretty good defense. Leonard, a rookie, can keep up with LeBron's footsteps and strength. If he can limit LeBron, the Heat's situation will be even more difficult." Jeff Van Gundy said.

Leonard caught up with James, and with Gallinari's pincer attack, James could only pass the ball to Shane Battier. Battier was taken a step back and pulled up to make a mid-range shot. Unfortunately, he missed the shot. Bogut took the rebound .

Gatsby dribbled the ball halfway and waved to Leonard. Leonard was stunned: Why did you call me?I am also an outsider!
Gatsby and Anthony often do pick-and-rolls, but they rarely pick-and-roll with Leonard. Gatsby's sudden beckoning to him is still a little unresponsive.

Gatsby almost laughed, and quickly waved again. This time Leonard understood, and hurried up to help Gatsby block it and then slid down. Wade switched directly, and Gatsby returned the ball to Leonard.

Leonard catches the ball and breaks through the middle. His breakthrough looks unpretentious, but his physical fitness is very good. Wade really can't stop it. Leonard carries the ball from the middle to the basket with a big hand and makes a fake turn and throws it. Good shot!
"Hey! Leonard defended one and scored two points. This rookie will make a contribution as soon as he comes up!" CCTV director Zhang said in surprise.

Gatsby nodded—that's it!
Leonard's mid-range air-cutting breakthrough was specially asked by Gatsby to practice. Leonard is still not stable in three-pointers. In order to allow him to play and participate in the offense, Gatsby asked him to practice this mid-range air-cutting breakthrough. With his style of play, there may be no way to hit the inside. If he is misplaced to hit the outside, he will hit the target accurately. His long arms and big hands take advantage of him.

Leonard's ball widened the point difference to 10 points, which is the biggest lead for the Knicks since the game.

Next, James tried to play in singles in the low post, but Leonard's defense made James feel uncomfortable. It would be fine if he was excellent in single defense. He was just as murderous when counterattacking the ball as he was on offensive rebounds. He waved his long arms. Attacking everywhere, either destroying the pass, forcing the Heat to temporarily change their offensive routine, or even directly stealing the pass!
His much-maligned gambling steals played a major role in the draft!
Coach D'Antoni praised him. To be honest, when the Knicks decided to choose Thompson, he thought it was pretty good. A player with defense and three-pointers is a scarce resource everywhere.

But like Leonard, although the defense is good, he always plays reckless gamble defense. The key point is that the offense is also a mess. For such a player, he doesn't think it is worthwhile to be selected with an early round of picks.

He also went to Donny Walsh to protest. After Donny Walsh told him that this is the person Gatsby wanted, D'Antoni thought about it carefully. There are advantages, but there is no need to use it. Then go for the top picks, but he didn't look for Gatsby, he acquiesced, after all, he still trusts Gatsby's vision.

After the start of the new season, Leonard has indeed shown very good qualities. He has gradually become the team's defensive leader. The reason why he was not able to start is because Anthony is at the small forward position, and D'Antoni obviously prefers offense. So Leonard can only be aggrieved as a substitute.

It was not until today that he truly radiated his unique brilliance, on such a big stage of life and death!

"I have to admire Gatsby's vision again. He seems to know the future of every player. Looking back at the Knicks' trade in the summer, I can only praise the performance of the Knicks' rookies now!
Klay Thompson's rookie season was perfect. He is not yet a star, but he has become an excellent role player. He is perfectly embedded in the Knicks system, and his cooperation with Gatsby is extremely tacit!
As for Leonard, a rookie, he was criticized for having too many shortcomings before the draft, but Gatsby still selected him with the top pick, and even traded Stephenson, a very potential second-year combo guard.

At that time, many experts said that Gatsby might have made a loss-making business this time, but now it seems that this transaction is worth it. I think Stephenson has no way to give the Knicks on such an important stage. Such a big help.

And this is just the beginning. The future of these two rookies will be very bright. Their potential is far from being developed. When they grow up, how terrible the Knicks will be! "Mike Breen praised sincerely.

At the end of the first quarter, the Heat trailed by 16 points!
Gatsby scored 10 assists in the first quarter!
And this is the first quarter of the game. There are still three full quarters tonight. It's hard to imagine how many assists Gatsby will get tonight?
Gatsby patted Leonard on the shoulder in relief. After Leonard came on the court, the team's defense has been raised to a higher level. It's not that Anthony doesn't work hard, but that defense actually requires talent!
The boss admired himself, Leonard showed an ugly smile, and was about to hehe a few times to express his gratitude to the boss for the reward, but Gatsby stopped in time: "Stop!"

Leonard showed an embarrassed smile.

Gatsby burst into laughter.

Thompson also played very well. He hit two three-pointers in the first quarter and scored 6 points. His running position tore apart the Heat's defense, allowing other teammates to have better space to make moves.

Gates' frustration when he learned that Anthony was leaving before the game finally came to light - with the growth of Thompson and Leonard, the Knicks will still be a strong team next season!
(End of this chapter)