Basketball Dragon

Chapter 93
"Being swept away, go to **** to sweep, it's only two games, don't tell me last year..."

"We have a chance to win the game at home, and we will do the same and work hard... This is not a cliché, you will know what we will do after watching the game."

Facing the reporter's tricky question, Marbury swears directly, but Li Hai showed determination.

In the first two games, Li Hai tried his best, but if he wants to win, he has to do better.

After the first two games, the Knicks already knew very well that it was impossible to completely limit the opponent's offense, and it had to be targeted.

Compared with the Heat's perimeter, their inside players did the most damage to the Knicks.

After careful consideration, Coach Williams decided to adopt the NBA's modified version of zone defense. In fact, it was the previous compression defense, double-teaming the opponent's inside line, and reducing the space for breakthrough. The only difference was that Li Hai had to go out to mark Wade independently.

Wade is the Heat's offensive organizer. If he can disrupt Wade's rhythm, it is the best choice for the Knicks.

In other words, Li Hai's personal ability is very important for the defense in this game.

In the offense, the outside line is still the main routine, but it will increase Li Hai's chances to touch the ball. When there is no other way, Li Hai's uncertain factor as a rookie has become the coach's expectation.

To disrupt Wade's rhythm, that is, not to focus on defensive breakthroughs as before, but to stick it so that Wade cannot pass the ball easily, and would rather be broken than allow Wade to play too calmly.

But if he is always passed by, this defense is meaningless. The key is whether Li Hai can make Wade feel uncomfortable.

When the Heat attacked for the first time, Li Hai posted it and was left behind by Wade. Fortunately, the interior was crowded, and Wade failed to get to the basket and missed a mid-range shot.

The Knicks advanced to the opponent's half, and Li Hai came to the top of the arc to catch the ball.

The Heat defensive player in front of him is Eddie Jones, and Wade has to focus more on offense, so the Heat's player defending the Knicks' perimeter player, Li Hai, who has the best physical fitness, is Eddie who once entered the defensive lineup - Jones.

Eddie Jones no longer has the movement speed at his peak, but his defensive experience and awareness are still there, and he is still a powerful defender on the outside.

But Li Hai will undoubtedly take advantage of his body. He uses a tentative step to open up half a step of space, and then squeezes in with a big step. Facing the inside line of the Heat, he does not force a shot, but takes a shot. The ball returned to Kurt Thomas who was pulled out, and Kurt Thomas hit the shot.

When attacking, Kurt Thomas' mid-range shot can still pose a certain threat to the Heat. After all, O'Neal can't defend it, but Kurt Thomas is not good at the defensive end regardless of height and weight, which leads to too many fouls and cannot be marked in the regular season. long time.

The playing time is inconsistent, and the touch is unstable.

But back home, the Knicks finally got off to a good start with his mid-range shots.

Amid the cheers from the home audience, the Knicks showed the most positive attitude. Under the attack, O'Neal didn't get many opportunities. In the outside defense, Marbury also kept a close eye on Damon Jones. Although Mon-Jones has a good shot, after all, his teammates need to create opportunities. As long as Marbury concentrates, the opponent will not be able to perform as he did in the first game.

Facing Li Hai's full defense, Wade was also limited. Only Eddie Jones was on the side, and Crawford was struggling.

Wade was also a little uncomfortable with Li Hai's change in defensive methods. After breaking through with all his strength a few times, his shooting percentage was affected.

For the Knicks, the outside shooting percentage was slightly better than that of the opponent. Li Hai, Marbury and Crawford all scored. They took a 7-point lead in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the head coach of the Heat, Stan Van Gundy, also made some changes. He asked Haslem to come up to catch the ball. Fewer, O'Neill took the opportunity to attack a few, all achieved good results.

The Knicks’ offensive efficiency was similar to that in the first quarter, but it changed because the Heat’s inside line could score. Their substitute outside line Kenyon Dooling also showed a good touch, and the inside line attracted most of the attention. Next, hit long shots a few times.

The outside shooting is accurate. The Knicks can't do anything about this kind of thing. They are now determined to defend the inside. Outside, everyone can compete for scoring ability.

It's just that O'Neal's insiders can't be completely restrained, so once the Heat's insiders show off, the Knicks are immediately at a disadvantage.

At the end of halftime, the Heat had overtaken by 4 points.

"Today's defense should be the most successful. As long as we persevere, we will definitely win the game." Li Hai said loudly in the locker room, encouraging himself and his teammates with an affirmative tone.

Marbury also reminded: "Actually, when O'Neal is in a deep position, just foul directly. Don't hesitate to bet that his free throw percentage will be better."

Everyone knows he's right, but if he fouls too much, it can be troublesome.

Coach Williams didn't say much tactically, he just encouraged him.

As soon as the second half started, Li Hai beat Eddie Jones forcibly. Marking Wade was exhausting, but when necessary, he would definitely participate in the attack forcefully.

In the second half, Haslem scored first for the Heat, a typical pick-and-roll fit, and Wade added an assist.

Like the first half, the Heat still combined inside and outside, connected by Wade, with O'Neal on the inside and pitchers ambush on the outside. It is very difficult to restrict.

For the Knicks, Marbury and Crawford made quick shots to hit the opponent's unsteady footing, or Li Hai singled or responded in the half-court position.

Because of his body speed and the consideration of saving energy, Li Hai reduced his running without the ball in the offense and spent most of his energy on the defensive end.

As soon as the Heat passed halftime, Li Hai would step forward to stick to Wade, trying to increase the physical confrontation.

When Wade catches the ball and breaks through, Li Hai will try his best to follow and cover the opponent with a pair of long arms. Wade will interfere with the shot, and Wade will keep the same when he rushes in and let his teammates block up and pinch.

Under such a defense, Wade's shooting rate is average, but the pitchers ambushing outside have got a lot of opportunities. As long as the Heat can pass the ball in time, it will be difficult for the Knicks to interfere in time.

At the end of the third quarter, the Knicks were still 5 points behind. Although they were slightly better than the previous two games, it was still difficult for them to win at this pace.

Li Hai's fists clenched tightly, and he couldn't continue to lose.

(End of this chapter)