basketball hero

Chapter 646 High Expectations for the Defending Champion

Ying Xiong's self-throwing and self-defeating has completely ignited the fire of excitement in the hearts of the home fans, and the scene has completely become a sea of ​​joy.The depression in the first half accumulated too many emotions, and finally found a vent.

Players are also human beings and have emotions, so in most cases, players will perform better when playing at home with the support of the home fans than when they are away.There are really too few players who completely isolate outside interference.

The Eagles have been looking for Korver without the ball, but DeRozan has been shot a lot of 3-pointers since the first half, and in front of the home fans, he can't hold his old face anymore.So starting from the third quarter, he no longer defended in a serious manner, but started to go up his body, sticking to the defense infinitely, and occasionally used some small moves.

In this way, Korver will not be able to get an easy shot, and frequent running positions will consume a lot of energy. No matter how you say it, he is already a veteran in his 30s.

"Kyle was stuck by DeMar, and the chances are much less. He may be the best shooter in the league for open or half-open shots, but shooting against the top is not his strong point." Reggie Miller explained.

Korver didn't get a chance, the ball returned to Millsap and forced Amir Johnson.

Millsap has excellent footwork. As a representative of a short power forward, his offensive skills are very comprehensive, but he basically doesn't care about anything else. It was very difficult.Amir Johnson does not have a height advantage, but facing Millsap, this is no longer a shortcoming. As the team's starting blue-collar, his task in this round of the series is to match up with Millsap. to what extent.

Millsap went to the basket and was disturbed. He took off for the second time and was about to grab an offensive rebound. Ying Xiong, who was assisted by the defense, picked melons from the top of his head.

"Paul was too consumed by Amir, and his physical fitness has dropped significantly!" Reggie Miller said.

"Why doesn't Atlanta use the same method to let DeMar consume the response?" Craig Sager asked puzzled.

"Craig, it's like this. First, it should be an outside line, and it is not easy to consume; second, it should be the strength of MVP. Whether it is physical fitness or talent, Demar is far behind him, and it is impossible to consume ’” Reggie Miller explained.

Ying Xiong counterattacked with the ball and found that there was no chance, so he gave Jeremy Lin a half-court position.

Jeremy Lin played a high pick-and-roll, and DeRozan broke through the pick-and-roll.

DeRozan broke through 2 times, and then divided into Yingxiong.

Ying Xiong catches the ball and makes a 3-point shot—a direct hit!
"Ying's off-ball ability is the key to distinguishing many outside superstars. With him on the weak side, Jeremy and DeMar can have more room to play." Reggie Miller said.

"It seems that Toronto is going to take a big lead!" Craig Sager said.

The Raptors coach Casey on the sidelines was very satisfied with the team's performance after the start of the third quarter.He didn't think it was a bad thing for the home team to be forced like that in the first half.The road to defending the title is very difficult. To always have a fighting heart is easy to say, but it is actually very difficult to do.But he is still very satisfied with the team's performance since the third quarter.You know, once the point difference is not widened in the third quarter, the advantage is uncertain. If the scores of the two teams are still anxious in the final quarter, the pressure will be on their side.

Casey is very pleased with Yingxiong. Yingxiong has a good ability to read the game, knows when to do what, and his outstanding ability can help him accomplish what he wants to do.Most of the time, he doesn't need to deliberately remind him, the superstar has already done it silently.

The Raptors have completely taken control of the game.At this time, the gap in hard power between the two sides became apparent.Under the high-pressure defense, the tactics could not be played out, and after the team's play encountered difficulties, the Eagles did not have a player who could stand up and score points.

In this case, the home team naturally pursued the victory and took the opportunity to widen the point difference.

"Reggie, Atlanta seems to be restricted in offense and defense in the second half!" Craig Sager said.

"Yes, because Toronto has strengthened on the defensive end, and Yingxiong has started to take over the game." Reggie Miller said.

After the third quarter, the Raptors pulled the score to double digits, and the scene also had an absolute advantage.

In the final quarter of the game, even though Korver was accurate again, Ying Xiong's steady output helped the team securely win the game.

猛龙队主场获胜，拿下了季后赛首轮的G1，以大比分1:0领先。应雄全场出战39分钟，得到32分13个篮板9次助攻的“准三双”，外加4个抢断2个盖帽。

"Reggie, in the end Toronto had the last laugh. It seems that the strength gap between the two teams is still huge!" Craig Sagel said with a smile.

"Yes, there is a big gap in strength, but the gap in superstars is actually even bigger. I hope that Atlanta can play better in the next few games and make this round of the series even more exciting!" Reggie Miller said .

On April 4, the NBA officially announced the list of the best defensive player winners this season.Center Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls received the honor.Ying Xiong also received more than 22 top votes, ranking second only to Noah.

Ying Xiong is very calm about his regret that he failed to win the best defensive player. He believes that his defense is not lost to any active player, but Noah deserves the award.

On April 4, the Raptors continued to sit at home and ushered in the second game of the first round of the playoffs against the Eagles.In this game, the Eagles, who lost last game, did not change their starting lineup.

For the Raptors, not only does the opponent change their starting lineup, but they also respond to changes with the same attitude and will not change easily.The process of the last game made them put away their contempt for this seemingly weak opponent, and they took it seriously from the beginning of the game. Relying on their strength, they took the lead from the beginning until the end of the game.

In the end, the Raptors once again defeated their opponents at home, ushered in two consecutive victories since the start of the playoffs, and rewritten the big score of the series to 2:0.

The defending champion Raptors led the Eagles with a big score of 2:0, which did not cause any waves in the league.In the eyes of most people, you are the defending champion, you are the number one in the league, playing a 38-win Eagles and winning two games at home, isn't that normal?

Since the Raptors won the championship last season and continue to rank first in the league this season, the outside world requires them not only to enter the second round or the Eastern Conference finals. If you cannot enter the finals, you will be considered a failure this season.This is not only a high expectation, but also an invisible pressure on the team.

(End of this chapter)