Basketball boy, starting to shine from the slam dunk

A group of Raptors players gathered around head coach Nick Nurse.

Coach Nurse was drawing tactics on the tactical board and said, "First of all, we have to do a good job of defense. We must show the same defensive attitude as in the Eastern Conference Finals Game 7. We must give the Lakers players enough defensive strength, especially against Zhuang Yu."

"I don't care whether you can really limit Zhuang Yu's scoring, but I ask for one thing, that is, even if Zhuang Yu can score, he must pay more energy and a greater price for each score."

Upon hearing this, a group of players responded.

This is the defensive strategy of this game and the tone of the game.

Everyone knows that Zhuang Yu is the key to the Lakers. As long as they can defend Zhuang Yu, they will win half the battle. Especially in the situation where Holiday is absent due to injury, as long as they can defend Zhuang Yu, the Raptors will win more than half the battle.

But at the same time, everyone also understands that Zhuang Yu’s scoring ability is too strong and he has many ways of scoring. It is very difficult to defend him and limit his scoring.

Almost impossible to do.

The Raptors coaching staff is naturally aware of this.

Therefore, Coach Nash did not expect his players to be able to limit Zhuang Yu's scoring. What he wanted was for Zhuang Yu to score more difficult every time and require more energy, so as to consume Zhuang Yu and reduce his offensive efficiency.

If Zhuang Yu scores 30 points in this game with a shooting percentage of over 50%, it will be difficult for the Raptors to win.

But if Zhuang Yu also scored 30 points in this game, but his shooting percentage was less than 40%, then the Raptors would have a much higher chance of winning.

Of course, it is not easy to do this, so Coach Nash asked the players to adopt the defensive attitude of the Eastern Conference Finals Game 7.

Afterwards, Coach Nash made some arrangements for the offense.

Coach Nash is not worried on the offensive end.

After all, we have two superstars, Leonard and George.

Last year, when they played against the Lakers, Zhuang Yu and Leonard were facing off. The result was that the two of them went back and forth and neither could defend the other.

The Lakers may still let Zhuang Yu face off against Leonard today, but the Lakers' Holiday is out due to injury, and they have no one who can face off against George.

Then it will be simple for the Raptors to play on the offensive end.

If Zhuang Yu and Leonard are facing each other, then let George attack; if Zhuang Yu and George are facing each other, then let Leonard play, it's that simple.

......

Here, the Lakers are also making pre-match arrangements.

Coach Scott glanced at the players one by one, then spread out the tactical board and said to the players: "The opponent is very strong, especially on the front line. We are at a disadvantage. Zhuang Yu, you will be responsible for defending George, and Cunningham will be responsible for defending Leonard. Try to limit the individual singles of these two people as much as possible and force them to pass the ball..."

Before the game, the Lakers coaching staff also studied the Raptors' game videos.

We know that the reason why the Raptors were able to reach the finals was due to the performance of two superstars, Leonard and George.

The Raptors' playing style is actually very simple. They take advantage of their advantage on the front line and the fact that their opponents cannot limit Leonard and George at the same time, allowing the two to take turns playing one-on-one and break through the opponent's defense, either to score points themselves or to create opportunities for their teammates.

This style of play is simple, but sometimes the simpler it is, the more effective it is.

After all, Leonard and George's personal abilities are there.

So Coach Scott also made targeted arrangements, which was to let Cunningham replace Kuzma in the starting lineup, let him face off against Leonard, and let Zhuang Yu and George face off, and defend these two people as well as possible.

Of course, it may be difficult for Cunningham to defend Leonard, but he is already the best defensive player on the team's front line.

If Holiday hadn't been injured, Coach Scott would have let Holiday defend George, and Zhuang Yu would have gone against Leonard, but unfortunately Holiday was injured.

However, Coach Scott also made more arrangements, which was to use Anderson and Lopez's assisting defense to help Cunningham defend Leonard.

"We have to play more resolutely on the offensive end. When there are opportunities from the outside, we have to shoot resolutely and don't hesitate."

"I'm talking about every one of you."

"Not just Zhuang Yu and Clarkson, but also Anderson, Lopez, and Cunningham. If you three have the chance to shoot a three-pointer, you must take it decisively."

Coach Scott continued to set up.

If nothing unexpected happens, the Raptors' starting lineup will be Lowry, George, Leonard, Ibaka, and Gasol Jr.

They have Ibaka and Gasol Jr. in the interior, Leonard on the front line, and George who can rotate. They have obvious height advantage and strong interior defense.

Therefore, the Lakers need to strengthen their outside offense, especially three-pointers.

In order to enhance the team's three-point shooting, Coach Scott did not let Rose start, but sent Clarkson to play the No. 2 position and Zhuang Yu to play the No. 1 position, with the aim of adding a good three-point shooting point.

Moreover, it is not just Zhuang Yu and Clarkson who need to shoot three-pointers. Anderson, Lopez, and even defensive players like Cunningham also need to shoot decisively once the opportunity arises.

It doesn't take much, just one three-pointer from any of the three of them would force the Raptors to change their defensive formation.

In this way, Zhuang Yu and Clarkson will be able to score better.

After some arrangements, Coach Scott put away the tactical board and clapped his hands: "Go ahead, come on!"

......

Players from both sides came to the court and the game officially started.

The starting lineup for the Lakers is Zhuang Yu, Clarkson, Cunningham, Anderson, and Lopez.

The Raptors' starting lineup was just as Coach Scott expected, with Lowry, George, Leonard, Ibaka and Gasol Jr.

First the jump ball.

Gasol touched the ball first and sent it to the backcourt. George controlled the ball and passed it to Lowry, who advanced with the ball.

After arriving at the frontcourt, Lowry first glanced at the Lakers' defensive formation, then gestured to Gasol Jr. to come up for a screen. He took the opportunity to get rid of it, then passed the ball to Leonard, ran to the other side, and let the others move away to give Leonard a one-on-one game.

The Raptors also anticipated the Lakers' defensive formation, either Zhuang Yu and Leonard would face off, or Zhuang Yu and George would face off.

As long as Zhuang Yu and George are facing each other, no matter who is facing Leonard, they need to give the ball to Leonard and let him initiate the attack.

Leonard held the ball at his waist, his eyes fixed on the basket. He first stepped out with his right foot and made a tentative step. Cunningham stared at Leonard closely, ready for action.

The next moment, Leonard suddenly raised the ball.

Cunningham subconsciously moved forward and raised his right hand high, but did not jump rashly.

Sure enough, Leonard was not going to shoot. He then pushed the ball forward, broke through and moved to the right.

"right."

Cunningham reacted quickly, moving back and sideways, trying to get into position first.

But then Leonard dribbled the ball between his legs again, switched the ball to his left hand, and broke through to the left. Just as Cunningham adjusted his steps again and tried to block the position, Leonard took the initiative to lean towards him and found a physical confrontation.

While Cunningham's feet were still unstable, a confrontation forced Cunningham to stagger, and Leonard took the opportunity to accelerate and pass him.

"This guy's playing style is still so simple and unpretentious." Zhuang Yu thought to himself and called his teammates, "Defense."

Leonard's playing style was as simple and unpretentious as ever, without any fancy moves, but it was very effective. He passed Cunningham without even making any moves.

However, the Lakers were well prepared. Lopez quickly stepped forward to help Cunningham with defense.

Leonard did not choose to shoot himself, but instead passed the ball to Gasol Jr.

Anderson pounced on Gasol Jr., but Gasol Jr. did not choose to shoot himself. Instead, he threw the ball into the basket and assisted Ibaka for an alley-oop dunk.

With a "clang" sound, Ibaka hung his hands on the basket, and the huge force pulled the basket out of shape, which looked exaggerated.

The score became 2:0.

"The Raptors still have an advantage in the interior."

"Anderson's size is more suitable for the 3 position, and he will be at a disadvantage against an inside player like Ibaka at the 4 position."

"The key is still Leonard. Cunningham obviously can't defend Leonard, and once Leonard breaks through, Lopez must go up to defend. Even if Gasol didn't pass the ball to Ibaka, he is quite confident in singles against Anderson..."

In the auditorium, fans were discussing.

This is indeed a problem. The Lakers are not only at a disadvantage on the front line, but also at the No. 4 position, especially on the defensive end.

It’s not that the Lakers’ defense is bad, but it’s because of the lineup configuration of both sides.

In the previous Western Conference Finals, the Lakers played against the Rockets. The Lakers had the upper hand in terms of lineup configuration. Even though Holiday was absent due to injury, the Lakers were still able to limit the Rockets' offense well on the defensive end.

But facing the Raptors, a team with an excellent inside combination and two super forwards, the Lakers are at a disadvantage in terms of lineup configuration.

In fact, Coach Scott has also considered letting others replace Anderson, such as Nance Jr., or Zubac, letting Zubac and Lopez form a twin tower.

But that would slow the team down, and without Anderson, there would also be a lack of someone who could handle the ball.

Once the Raptors double-team Zhuang Yu and defend him tightly, Anderson will be responsible for handling the ball and organizing the connection.

This is not something Nance Jr. and Zubac can do.

Of course, you can also replace Rose, who can be responsible for organizing the connection, but his three-pointer is not as good as Clarkson...

After weighing the pros and cons, Coach Scott still sent out such a starting lineup.

......

The ball changed and the Lakers attacked.

Zhuang Yu advanced with the ball in the backcourt. When he came to the frontcourt, George came up to him, stood in front of Zhuang Yu, opened his arms, and stared at Zhuang Yu closely.

The Raptors' defensive strategy is to let George or Leonard defend Zhuang Yu, and both of them are excellent in defense.

As for who will defend, it depends on who Zhuang Yu is defending on the defensive end.

If Zhuang Yu is defending Leonard on the defensive end, then when the Raptors come to the defensive end, Leonard will defend Zhuang Yu. Just now, Zhuang Yu was defending George on the defensive end, so when the Raptors come to the defensive end, it will be George who will defend Zhuang Yu.

Of course, it's not just one-on-one defense...