NBA Legends Manager

Chapter 435 The Arrival of All Stars

After entering February, the state of the Pelicans is still stable, and there are basically no major injuries to the players. Presti is very serious about protecting the players. As long as the game is guaranteed to win, Presti will resolutely make substitutions.
Therefore, the rookies of each year are the fastest-growing among the Pelicans. Except for some bad teams who try their best to cultivate rookies, the Pelicans have the most playing time among rookies.

去年的新秀波尔津吉斯现在尝尽18.8分钟已经能砍下9.5分6.5篮板0.9助攻1，1盖帽，比上个赛季进步非常明显，不过要是让球迷知道前世波尔津吉斯在第一个赛季就能场均14.3分7.3篮板1.3助攻1.9盖帽时，不知道作何感想。

But there is no way to do this. There are too many excellent players in the team, and the playing time can only be given to this. Although the playing time is less, Presti has carefully designed tactics based on their characteristics in the previous life, so their growth is absolutely not delayed, especially in terms of awareness.

During this period of time, the team was able to score 113.8 points per game and conceded only 103.5 points. The reason is that the Pelicans' defensive players are too good.
The defense of the Pelicans' bench is not too bad. The lineup composed of Bradley, Antetokounmpo, Harrell, and Porzingis also made the opponent suffer.

Before the All-Star Game, the Pelicans have their last game against the Thunder!

This game can be regarded as a battle of focus, so both sides tried their best to win the game.In the opening game, the Pelicans met Durant and the No. 1 pick-and-roll on the line, and the two delayed the return, resolutely preventing Durant from directly facing Curry;

When the Thunder encountered Curry and the 4th and 5th pick-and-roll, Jordan Goff Jr. shrunk the penalty area, and Gibson replaced Jordan Goff Jr. and switched to the three-point line.

The Thunder's positional battle pays close attention to the misplaced offense. Durant uses the pick-and-roll to force Davis to single out, linking inside and outside with sudden points; the Pelicans mainly play Curry + Green's high-post pick-and-roll, and Curry uses a single block to grab a three-pointer or chase Gibson.
The Thunder exposed the loopholes in the Pelicans' individual defense through a misplaced attack, and the Pelicans exposed the Thunder's lack of defensive mobility inside.

During the rotation period, the Thunder led the pick-and-roll offense with Durant, and singled out Bradley and Barea in a misplaced position.

The Pelicans' main player, Paul George, was dislocated and singled out. The Thunder attacked and cut the passing route in time, forcing the Pelicans to make 3 consecutive turnovers.

首节战罢，雷霆28-27领先鹈鹕1分。雷霆投篮命中率为54.0%，三分球5中2；鹈鹕投篮命中率为57.0%，三分球7中2。杜兰特则打满首节，6投4中砍下11分3助攻，库里则单节10分2助攻。

The second team of the Pelicans mainly played high positions to support the weak side without the ball and cut to the basket. Harrell and Bradley penetrated the penalty area, while the Thunder relied on Tristan Thompson's athletic vitality to continuously rush for rebounds.
Presti suspended adjustments and replaced: Antetokounmpo + Green + Paul George + Thompson + Curry, Curry led the counterattack opportunity;Harden made 5 of 2 open shots.

After Durant rested in the second quarter, the Thunder switched to Harden to lead the pick-and-roll offense. With Gibson's low-post singles as the main attacker, the Thunder actually took the lead;

Durant only rested for 2 minutes, returned to the court and continued to single out Curry, connecting the whole team with sudden points.Presti used Antetokounmpo to limit Durant's breakthrough and protect the backcourt rebounds. The Pelicans relied on the backcourt rebounds to counterattack, and these counterattacks also made Curry and Paul George hit three-pointers!

半场结束，双方战55平。雷霆投篮命中率为51.4%，三分球12中3；鹈鹕投篮命中率为50.2%，三分球16中6。鹈鹕助攻16次，雷霆助攻10次。

In the second half, Presti started with Jokic instead of Davis, focusing on protecting the rebounds in the backcourt. Rebounds are the source of the Pelicans' offensive and defensive transitions.

The Thunder prescribes the right medicine: Durant used the pick-and-roll dislocation to single Jokic, but Jokic relied on his height, wingspan and athleticism to continuously force Durant to stop the ball. The Pelicans once overtook the Thunder by successfully defending and counterattacking! .

The Thunder suspended adjustments, and the Thunder relied on pick-and-rolls and counterattacks to come back to life: Durant + Gibson initiated a high-position pick-and-roll, Gibson chased Clay in a low position, Durant faced Paul George and Clay consecutively chased three-pointers,

Durant tied with his own strength, but Durant's physical strength had problems. He was blocked and intercepted by Green, who assisted in the defense, for two consecutive rounds. .

Presti's defensive defense made Durant very uncomfortable. The Pelicans had a big delay when Durant and the 1st and 2nd pick-and-rolls were on the line, forcing the rest of the Thunder to handle the ball;
Once Durant received the ball with his back in the low post, the Pelicans decisively double-teamed to force Durant out of the ball. This forced Durant to reduce the chance of easily misplaced and singled out Curry.

Compared with the last game, the Pelicans changed their approach. In the last game they lost, the Pelicans were always single-handed, that is, Paul George faced Durant, and tried to lock everyone else.
And Durant scored 43 points, sent 7 assists and only made 2 turnovers. Durant's offensive firepower is unquestionable, and now in this game, the Pelicans used pincers to limit Durant's singles, trying to force the Thunder.

Tonight, the Pelicans forced Westbrook to take a mid-range, Harden to a mid-range, and Oladipo to a three-pointer. The effect is very obvious.

The astonishing destructive power of Durant singled out forced Presti to change his tactics: the other Thunder generals made 21 of 8 three-pointers, and only Harden, Oladipo, and Westbrook scored in double figures.

Paul George, Curry, and Thompson used the pick-and-roll to force Jordan into a one-on-one matchup, chasing Jordan with the ball from the three-point line and tearing apart the Thunder's defensive line. In the end, the Pelicans easily defeated the Thunder with this tactic. This game also showed that although the Thunder have become stronger this summer, they are still a little far away from the Pelicans.

(End of this chapter)