Versatile Point Forward

Chapter 345 Forced to Change
Generally speaking, when the seventh game of the series is played, the fight is no longer about the tactics and lineup of the two sides, but about things that are not very controllable, such as state, will, and mental outlook. Can often play a better performance in the tiebreaker.

To be on the safe side, McMillan did not change the team's starting lineup. Although the sixth game was very intense, the physical fitness of the two veterans, Miller and Camby, was not greatly affected. It's okay to finish the game.Phil also didn't have the idea of ​​using Bynum from the bench. He still arranged a starting lineup with high frequency: Fisher, Kobe, Artest, Odom and Gasol.

At this critical moment, Phil is still more willing to trust the veteran, which is why he abandoned Blake, who averaged nearly 30 minutes per game before, and put Fisher in the starting lineup again.After all, Fisher and Kobe are already the two most experienced people on the team, and they know what needs to be done at this time.

But letting Fisher start means giving the Blazers a breakthrough that can be used. After all, his movement speed is not at its peak, and it is easy to be directly overwhelmed by Miller.But then again, it looks like Fisher wasn't doing too well in his prime...

Since the tiebreaker was held at the Staples Center, amidst the cheers of the fans, the Lakers played a mercury-laden offense at the beginning of the game, but to the Blazers' relief, the Lakers did not give up on the defensive end. Kung Fu, which allows them to also have enough space to score.

However, the Lakers quickly changed their style under Phil's command. They were not young and began to play full-court marking and one-on-one defense. The sudden increase in intensity made the Blazers very uncomfortable, and the offense was instantly lost. Fluency before.What surprised McMillan was that after holding on for most of the quarter, the Lakers players didn't seem to be tired at all. You must know that most of their veterans are veterans!

If he didn't believe in the league's management level, he would really think that the entire Lakers team had been doped...

Taking advantage of the Blazers' scoring shortage, the Lakers quickly widened the point difference to 8 points. This point difference does not seem to be large, but it has a tendency to continue to expand, and judging from the current state of the Blazers.It seems that it is difficult to equalize the score, let alone overtake it.

On the offensive end, as soon as a Blazers player gets the ball, opponents rush up like crazy, and most of the time they go directly to double-team, regardless of whether others will be emptied.With the passing ability of Ye Feng and Miller, it is indeed possible to find teammates who are in the open, but the rotation speed of the Lakers is very fast. Often the ball is passed to the teammates, and the Lakers players are reluctant to follow, and then it is the previous scene. repeat.

When some of the starting players of the Lakers began to breathe heavily, Phil would quickly replace them with more energetic substitute players, and even kept the Lakers' defense at a very high intensity. ah!

Of course, McMillan knew that the Lakers' starting lineup could not maintain such a high defensive intensity for a long time, but Phil's rotation solved this problem well.In fact, in his opinion, in order to crack the Lakers' defense, the Blazers' best choice is to run until the opponent can't keep up.Now the team's offensive rhythm is not fast, largely because there are two insiders Aldridge and Camby, so what if there is no insider on the court?

This weird idea shocked McMillan himself, but the more he thought about it, the more reliable it was.Although the team doesn't have an all-round insider with fast movement, Ye Feng can definitely be used as the fifth position in a small lineup!Perhaps strictly speaking, this lineup has no insiders at all. In terms of rebounds, it can only rely on the teamwork of the players on the court. Anyway, it can drag the Lakers down.

After making up his mind, McMillan changed into a lineup that blinded the fans, reporters and commentators 4 minutes after the start of the second quarter. The first position was Mills, the second position was Matthews, the third position was Ba Thum, Cunningham in the fourth position, and Ye Feng in the fifth position.But as long as anyone who is familiar with the Blazers knows, how can these five positions be so clearly distinguished?Even if two positions are won, this is a lineup of two defenders + three forwards.

Although McMillan chose to change passively because of the Lakers' high-intensity oppressive defense, this does not mean that his lineup is used to last time.He used such a small lineup in the last season. Of course, compared with that time, many players have been replaced, but Ye Feng, who needs to push to the inside, has not been replaced. That is enough. He needs his ability to contain the inside.

The Blazers' lineup pays attention to a quick word, otherwise it would not be the turn of Mills, a master of chaos, let alone activate Cunningham, who averaged only 7.6 minutes per game before.McMillan just hopes to use the speed of this lineup to wear down the Lakers' physical fitness, allowing them to maintain a high-intensity defense for a long time and collapse on their own, so that this game will be much easier to play.

As for Ye Feng, McMillan has unconditional trust in him. He knows how abnormal Ye Feng's ability to predict rebounds is during team training. The team doesn't need him to grab rebounds, it is enough to have Aldridge and Camby inside.But now Ye Fenghe has no chance to hide his clumsiness, he must help his teammates grab more rebounds.

It was precisely to share the pressure on Ye Feng and attract the defense that McMillan brought Cunningham up.And he has made corresponding preparations. If Cunningham can only play soy sauce on the court, he would rather sacrifice a little athletic ability and put Ayers on the court.Although Ailes is a solid inside player, it is undeniable that his movement speed and impact are not bad among players at the same position, and it is reasonable for him to be the fifth position in a small lineup.

It still depends on whether Ye Feng can compete with the Lakers players in the interior. After all, it is impossible to make every goal, and there is no rebound. Having rebounds means that Ye Feng must go up and fight Gasol and Odom. The formed Lakers are head-to-head inside, even with the support of Cunningham, it seems like an impossible task.The Blazers fans in front of the TV all stared at the No. 3 with wide eyes. Can he really do it?
(End of this chapter)