unfinished glory

Chapter 203 Three Fields
After the first game, the Suns let go of their pride and had to face the reality that the Grizzlies are currently a stronger team than the Suns.

They originally thought that with a well-organized lineup, they could educate a group of young people.The start did follow their plan and took the lead.But Li Chongxiao stood up and led the team through the first difficult moment. After the Grizzlies players returned to normal, the Suns seemed a little powerless.

The Suns have excellent players in all positions, and it would be better to switch to other teams, but the Grizzlies lineup is somewhat restrained.

Moreover, D'Antoni's arrangement in this game was too impatient, and he attacked too hard at the beginning, intending to widen the point difference.At the beginning of the second half, he also tried his best, preparing to defeat the opponent in one fell swoop.These two attacks were resisted by Li Chongxiao, but they were unsuccessful. The Suns entered a period of decline at the final decisive moment. The team's offense became a little weak, and then they were overturned.

……

The second game came as scheduled. The Suns learned the lessons of the first game, prepared for a slow pace, and put pick-and-roll and running positions at the top of tactical training.

According to their thinking, the Grizzlies relied on their overall performance in the last game and achieved a comeback at the last minute. This game is a great opportunity to strike while the iron is hot and hone the team.

In the speculation of the Suns coaching staff, the Grizzlies will definitely adopt the overall offensive tactics of the regular season, start steadily and steadily, and will not attack violently.

The Suns prepared carefully for a long time, and the preparation was aimed at the overall offense of the Grizzlies. Unexpectedly, Carlisle did the opposite. The offensive tactic in the first quarter was Li Chongxiao's personal offense.

Li Chongxiao scored 12 points in less than half a quarter of the game, which made D'Antoni wake up like a dream.But his first thought was not to do a good job of defense, but how to use the Grizzlies' offensive routine to improve the Suns' offensive level.

D'Antoni immediately asked the players to play a fast offense, which is in line with the characteristics of the Suns, so the players on the court switched very quickly.

Their sudden change of formation caused a little confusion for the opponents and scored two goals in the round.But this wave of offensive was still fought, and it was extinguished by the Grizzlies.

In the Grizzlies' summary after the last game, the first thing they emphasized was defense.At the beginning of the last game, they were like headless chickens, giving the Suns too many opportunities.Carlisle emphasized that this game must not be like this. From beginning to end, the team must implement the mature defensive system that the team practiced and used in the regular season.

For NBA teams, defensive tactics are the basics, and each team will formulate a system and continue to use it.Whether it is the regular season or the playoffs, there will not be much change, at most it will be some corrective fine-tuning.

The establishment of such an effective defensive system is an important factor for the Grizzlies to win the first place in the regular season. It is difficult for ordinary NBA players and teams to break through.

The Suns did have this ability a few years ago, but it is indeed a little worse now.Although their lineup is relatively complete, the players are in average condition. The tacit understanding of MSN is enough, but they still need a little bit of running-in with other players.

Stoudemire's skills have indeed improved, but his athletic ability is not as good as before. Facing a big man like Gasol Jr., he is somewhat powerless.

……

In the first quarter, Li Chongxiao scored 10 points in 22 minutes, leading the team to a 31:22 lead at home.

He rested for 5 minutes, and the bench lineup also played very well. The outside combination of Lowry, Brewer and Barnes suppressed Barbosa and Dragic, helping the Grizzlies extend their lead. 13 points.

D'Antoni's adjustments have always been relatively slow. When Li Chongxiao played again, he still did not make targeted defensive adjustments, allowing Li Chongxiao to play singles with the ball.

Generally, coaches think that a player can't beat anyone to death, but Li Chongxiao, a player who can score 54 points in a single game in the playoffs, is not something the Suns can parry if he launches a ruthless attack.

When he led the team to a 20-point lead, D'Antoni woke up like a dream and arranged a double-team tactic.

But Li Chongxiao, who was getting excited, was not afraid of the Suns' targeted defense at all, and the more he defended, the more vigorous he was.At the beginning, only 9 points were scored, and then 10 points were scored in the next few minutes.

With 41 points in the first half, Li Chongxiao defeated the Suns.

In the third quarter, the Suns failed to organize an effective offense and defense, and could only watch the game's point difference gradually widen.

By the time Li Chongxiao left the field with 56 points at the end of the quarter, the Suns had already lost 62:97 by 35 points.

The game entered the garbage time ahead of time, Li Chongxiao rejected Carlisle's idea of ​​letting him play to collect statistics, and sat on the bench to watch the entire fourth quarter of the game with peace of mind.

……

Two consecutive 50+ games in the playoffs, this performance is naturally worth bragging about.Not to mention other places, the local media in Memphis blew Li Chongxiao into the sky.

After just two games, the number of restaurants that were willing to provide Li Chongxiao with free meals expanded to hundreds.

The locals are proud to wear the No. 6 jersey, and Under Armor's jerseys and sneakers are selling like crazy, and the supply is in short supply.

No matter how much everyone praised, Li Chongxiao himself didn't feel much.He thinks more about the team's victory and promotion.

The Suns back at home were much more active. D'Antoni finally learned his lesson and decided that no matter what happened to the Grizzlies, they only followed their own thinking.

From the very beginning of the game, they showed their vitality and played a fast attack that was very enjoyable to watch.

The Grizzlies are still a regular defensive method, but when applied to today's game, they acted as if they were always half a beat behind, allowing opponents to keep scoring.

In half a quarter of the game, the Suns established a 10-point lead.

The Grizzlies were not in a hurry, they thought they could win back like the first game.The current tactic is still to let Li Chongxiao stand up and support the team.

But his hand feeling today is a bit average, and he can barely guarantee that the point difference will not widen, but it can't be reduced.

After halftime, seeing the 15-point difference, he discussed with Carlisle in the locker room, preparing to attract double-teams, and then let his teammates attack to score points.

The idea is good, but the teammate's touch today is also mediocre, the score is one crop after another, and the point difference can't always be indented.

The Suns' offense today can be regarded as open. After two games, they regained the state of "small ball tactics" and played very calmly.

There was no such thing as a rush, but it allowed the Grizzlies to catch up from the start to the last second.They resisted several times, but they were all outmatched by the Suns, and they failed to cross the hurdle of 10 points.

The team lost, and Li Chongxiao only scored 43 points today, failing to complete the feat of three consecutive 50+ games in the playoffs.

(End of this chapter)