Versatile Point Forward

Chapter 292 Fiasco
The locker room of the visiting team in the North Shore Garden Arena was full of gloomy clouds. McMillan stared at the technical statistics of the first half, intending to scold the players, but in the end, seeing everyone's annoyed faces, he still changed. It became a sigh.

Can this blame the Blazers players?Indeed, they have a lot of responsibility for the way the game is played, but as a player, they hope to help the team win, but the Celtics' strong defense makes them lose their souls on the court. If you come out, then you will only be the fish of the mermaid.Looking at the individual statistics, basically everyone played like a piece of shit in the second quarter, including Ye Feng.

McMillan was very emotional. No wonder many people said that offense wins the box office and defense wins the championship. The Celtics' defensive strength is not expected to be encountered in the regular season. They have improved to such a height in the finals. Obviously it's for the championship.The reason why the Blazers were able to beat the Lakers unexpectedly in the Western Conference Finals was because the Lakers did not have such a rigorous defensive system like the Celtics. Most of the time, the two sides were competing with each other on offense, so the Blazers were so aggressive. The No. 6 seed in the West broke into the finals and competed with the Celtics for the championship.

So how will the Blazers break the blockade in the second half?McMillan frowned and thought hard, his face gloomy as if it was going to rain.He knows that it is difficult to crack the Celtics' defense. At least with his ability, this is a question that has almost no answer. Is it really necessary to bet on the player's touch?
McMillan shook his head, denying his own thoughts.In the end, he still said to the players helplessly: "Our offense had problems in the second quarter, and we must work hard on it in the second half. Marcus, you should come to the high position to play pick-and-rolls with Ye Feng, and the others should be ready to catch up." The preparation of the ball. I know that the Celtics’ defense is very strong, but this is a dilemma we have to face. I hope everyone can see if their teammates are in a better position than themselves before making a shot. We don’t pursue speed, but The success rate must be played. As an offensive team, if you don’t score goals, you will die. I don’t need me to teach you this simple truth, right?”

In McMillan's view, the pick-and-roll is a tactic that will never become obsolete at any time. When there is nothing to do, the pick-and-roll is undoubtedly the best choice, at least one of them.And there is a reason why he let Cambido and Ye Feng play the pick-and-roll. Before Princeton asked Aldridge to stand in the high position, it was just because he needed his hand to pass the ball. .Not to mention that Camby's screen quality is also very high. After he screens, he can run down to the basket, and Aldridge can move to the elbow area to prepare to respond. This is a relatively comfortable scoring position for him.If Aldridge continues to cover, Camby will occupy space under the basket, and Aldridge's own impact is not enough, so Camby and Ye Feng's pick-and-roll is a better choice.

After the start of the second half, the Blazers' simplistic offense still received good results, at least keeping Garnett from taking shots to clean up the outside line.Tony Allen is not on the court. Rivers can’t always release such a guy who can be ignored. Most of the time, he still has to rely on Ray Allen, which gives the Blazers some breathing time outside. .But maybe it was because the shadow of the first half hadn't been shaken off yet. Miller and Batum did waste too many opportunities on the outside. Before halfway through the third quarter, the two together made 5 of 1 shots. unbearable.

In desperation, Ye Feng could only support the team's offense with Aldridge, which put a lot of pressure on him.The reason is simple. After the pick-and-roll, he must quickly judge the situation on the court, whether to pass the ball to Camby who is running down or Aldridge who is in the elbow area, or whether he should directly single out Perkins.If one is not careful, it doesn't matter if you shoot the ball, or you can make a direct mistake. With Garnett's long pass and Rondo's speed, a counterattack can't escape.

With their efforts, the Blazers' offense improved slightly, but it was not enough to fill the big hole dug in the first half, and the point difference was always hovering around 15 to 20 points.This is actually easy to understand. The Blazers' offense is not enough to break through the Celtics' defense, but the Celtics' offense can completely ignore the Blazers' defense, which is reflected in the score.Even though the Blazers wanted to defend against the opponent's offense and worked hard on the field, the bravery of the man had no effect on the trend of the entire game. This is the dilemma that a team with an unbalanced offense and defense may encounter .

Ye Feng has been working hard to score, he scored 12 points in the third quarter, but so what?Pierce can accompany you if you want to score points. The captain of the Celtics also scored 10 points in the third quarter, which directly offset Ye Feng's efforts.Indeed, Miller and Batum gradually regained their touch in the second half of the third quarter, but so what?Ray Allen's three-pointer was not blocked. As the player with the most three-pointers in NBA history, his outside shots can withstand the two players on the Trail Blazers side. As a player, the Blazers did not take advantage of any aspect.

Even if both sides put on the bench at the same time, the bench that the Blazers are proud of did not help the team save face.McMillan doesn't even expect them to fill in the hole, as long as they tie with the Celtics' substitute, the task is completed.The Blazers still want to win the game, but until the opponent's defensive system is settled, this is just empty talk. Judging from the current level of the Celtics, they really can't cope without thinking about some moves.

The situation in the fourth quarter still did not improve. Ye Feng's efforts alone could not save the entire team. With 8 minutes left in the game, McMillan simply replaced all the starters. Hands up in surrender.There is no way, the point difference has widened to nearly 30 points, and now there is no good way to face the Celtics' defense. It is just a dream to continue to start and want to reverse the game. It is better to leave the field early and watch from the sidelines See if there are any loopholes in the opponent's defense that can be exploited.

The Celtics also replaced the substitutes tacitly. In the end, the Blazers suffered a disastrous defeat 86-111, and fell behind 0-1 in the finals.

(End of this chapter)