God's hand behind the scenes

Chapter 477 A Vulnerability That Shouldn't Be There
At the press conference before the game, Zen master still looked calm, but Brown beside him chose to believe in Chang Wei's judgment.And the Lakers proved their strength in the last game. It was just an accident to fall behind 0 to 2 in the away game. Even if Malone didn't have any problems, the Pistons would not suffer a loss if they tried him first.

Maybe it was the long training the day before that played a role, or maybe it was Brown's exhortation before the game that made everyone tense up. The Pistons quickly entered the state as soon as the game started.Taking advantage of the Lakers' unstable foothold, Hamilton hit mid-range shots for two consecutive rounds to help the team open the scoring.In this game, his running was even weirder, and his teammates were also willing to screen for him without the ball. Big Ben, Thomas and Prince had three consecutive screens to help him get the perfect shot position.

This tactic seems cumbersome, but it is what the Pistons are best at. They have a lot of engineer-style players, and it is a piece of cake to cover, and they are also willing to create opportunities for the main scorers in the team.The Lakers didn't take the matter of Hamilton hitting three screens in a row. Such a scene had happened more than once in previous games. The Lakers knew they couldn't defend, so they wanted to play on the offensive end. Come to the hall of fame.

Their offense is still handed over to the OK combination. Szczerbiak's three-pointers are of course very powerful, but his shooting percentage drops significantly when facing the defense, so he is not suitable as the main offensive point.And at the beginning of the game, it is also the Lakers' consistent strategy to let the OK combination attack with the ball first. Zen Master never believed that anyone in the league could stop Kobe and O'Neal from jointly attacking.

But today there seems to be something wrong with the linkage of the OK combination. Kobe is not willing to pass the ball aside for now. Facing O'Neal who is about to overwhelm the basket, the Pistons players have come up with the only tactic to deal with the powerful insider - around forward.More importantly, when Thomas moved forward to defend, O'Neill still had Big Ben behind him, and they completely emptied Walker. The probability is not great.

After a few tries, Payton found it really difficult to get the ball to O'Neal unless the latter pulled up high to catch the ball.However, O'Neal is not willing to directly break through with the ball from the high position. He likes to ask for the ball in the low position, and then attack the basket after a few back-up singles. Breaking through with the ball is not his first choice.In desperation, Payton could only hand the ball to Kobe.

Kobe also encountered double-teaming in this game. The Pistons chose to empty Payton and use Hamilton to entangle Szczerbiak, who also likes to run without the ball. Billups and Prince double-teamed Kobe.Now Brown's strategy is to let Payton and Walker score and guard against the other three. He does not believe that the remaining two people can work together to defeat the Pistons.

I have to say that Brown's decision is very bold, and the effect is also very good. More importantly, the physical strength of the Pistons players can support such a defense.Except for Payton's several breakthrough layups and Walker's mid-range, the Lakers had almost no other way to score. On the defensive end, they couldn't prevent the Pistons from passing and cutting, and the latter made a 15-8 start.

The Zen master quickly called a timeout, and now the three aces in his hand were restricted by the opponent, so some changes had to be made.In fact, if Payton is still at the peak of his career, he can easily teach his opponents to be a man. Unfortunately, his footsteps can no longer keep up with the speed of his opponents. His ability to break through to the inside and score baskets is entirely due to the Pistons' support for him. Do not ask.Zen Master didn't intend to let him support the team's offense, so he took advantage of the timeout to replace Malone in advance.

Although he got the chance to play, Ma Long still had an expression that the whole world owed him millions.But Brown has to admit that Zen Master's substitution is still very effective. Payton and Walker are indeed not enough to pose a threat to the Pistons, but what if it is replaced by Payton and Malone?The last game has proved one thing, as long as Malone is given room to move, his performance is not much worse than at his peak, which forces Brown to make some responses to this substitution.

But Brown quickly remembered what Chang Wei said to himself before the game. Since Malone had complaints about playing as a substitute in the last game, he should seize every opportunity to prove himself. In other words, as long as he can play singles, Nine times out of ten he won't pass the ball to someone else.On the defensive end, he may not be willing to cooperate with his teammates. Individual defense is the most likely.

Thinking of this, Brown decisively asked Thomas to take a good look at Malone. Big Ben was under the basket as the last barrier. If Malone attacked with the ball, he must be ready to help defend at any time.Of course, if Malone is willing to pass the ball to his teammates, the Pistons can also play in another way. From other perspectives, allowing Malone to appear early also reduces the pressure on the bench.

Brown's judgment was very accurate. After the game restarted, Malone would not let go as long as he got the ball. nothing.To be honest, Malone's single-player success rate in the interior is not low, but this also makes the Lakers' system a mess. Everyone just stands still and watches him play singles. What more moves are needed?What tactics do you need?Ma Long himself is a tactic!

Malone's appearance undoubtedly greatly enhanced the strength of the Lakers, but it also had a negative impact on the system.Seeing him constantly asking for the ball in the low post, Zen master can't wait to put him on the bench again, but if he really does this, the team's locker room will definitely have problems, and Malone himself will make the remaining loyalty disappear. .

Now he can only do one thing, and that is to watch Malone score. The only good news is that Malone's scoring efficiency is not low. Only he himself knows about the exhaustion of physical strength.

Ma Long's movement speed slowed down soon, but it was already very powerful for his age. Chang Wei didn't expect him to be able to last for so long, and he kept trying to fight five people on both ends of the offense and defense. work.With the "help" of Malone, the Pistons led 35 to 27 at the end of the first quarter. Although they did not lead to double digits, they were still much better than the previous game, and now the expression of the Zen master is obvious It has turned black into the bottom of the pot.

(End of this chapter)