enjoyebooks Chapter 169 Defense is the foundation, the Western Conference champion
Chapter 169 Defense is the foundation, the Western Conference champion
Chapter 169 Defense is the foundation, the Western Conference champion
On May 5, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, G22 of the Western Conference Finals.
The Clippers, leading 3 to 1, has pushed the Mavericks to the edge of a cliff, and the Mavericks, who do not want to end their playoff journey, have to fight with their backs.
Today's starting lineup, Carlisle was forced to make a final attempt and adjustment.
Knowing that there are more offensive players on the field to have a chance of winning points, the answers given by Carlisle are Kidd, Stevenson, Peja, Nowitzki, and Tyson Chandler.
The Clippers are still the two-game winning lineup, Gordon, Lui, Ariza, Boozer, Camby.
It has been proved that this lineup can win the game, so why change the lineup indiscriminately?
As soon as the game started, Tyson Chandler jumped and won the ball to the cheers of the home fans to help the Mavericks get the first attack opportunity.
Kidd dribbled the ball across half court under Gordon's strict defense, then found a pick-and-roll and began to look for opportunities inside.
In the past, Kidd would go in and not come out.
But this time, Kidd followed Carlisle's instructions and pretended to kill inside. In fact, he mobilized the Clippers' defensive resources, attracted outside defense, and created opportunities for Stevenson and Peja.
Stevenson's performance in the first few games has been very stable-can't make shots, can't defend.
If it weren't for Marion not being able to keep up with Lu Yi, the Mavericks might have to substitute someone to defend against Lu Yi.
Therefore, Stevenson can't count on this point. What can be counted on can only be Peja, who is a surprise player and starts the game.
Peja's ability to run without the ball is top-notch, even though he is a bit older now and his athletic ability has declined.
However, taking advantage of Ariza's likes to help defend, Peja still ran out of space.
Kidd's pass was in place quickly, and Peja didn't hesitate, and directly shot a three-pointer.
Ariza reacted, it was too late.
brush--
The goal was scored, and the Mavericks scored a three-pointer at the beginning. Compared with the past, it is undoubtedly good news.
Seeing this, the Clippers didn't pay much attention to it, grabbed the baseline ball, made a fast break, and ran.
Although it was still a positional battle in the end, the Mavericks, who was in a hurry, were quickly picked and rolled by the Clippers.
Gordon moved to Peja with the ball, Luigi to Kidd, Ariza to Stevenson.
The Clippers had three misplaced opportunities on the outside. The Mavericks wanted to switch back, but Lu Yi stood outside the three-point line and fully opened up the space.
Therefore, at this time, I can only watch Gordon singles Peja.
As a white player, Peja was not known for his physical fitness, let alone now that he is older.
Gordon quickly passed Peja by relying on his footsteps and dribbling rhythm. Before Tyson Chandler could defend him, Gordon made a throw while walking.
Tyson Chandler tries to block but misses the ball.
The ball fell into the net quickly and accurately.
2 to 3, the Clippers scored a goal and are still behind by this point.
The Mavericks regained the ball, and Kidd wanted to play as before, but this time the Clippers chose to change.
Ariza led the defense against Kidd, Gordon switched to Stevenson, and Lui was eyeing Peja who had just scored a three-pointer not long ago.
Although Dunleavy is not a famous head coach, he has been in the league for more than ten years and has accumulated a lot of coaching experience.
Besides, although the Clippers assistant team is small, there are still people working.
The Clippers reached the Western Conference semifinals last season, and they will strengthen this season. It has long been expected that this season will go further.
Therefore, there is more or less research on the strong teams in the West.
Not to mention, now that the Western Conference Finals has been played for more than a week, and they have all reached G5, how can the Clippers not study the Mavericks thoroughly?
The Clippers have tried, and Lu Yi's defense against Kidd is better.
That's because Lu Yi's defense is the best outside the Clippers.
Who told Lu Yi to have a top-ranked physical talent?Lu Yi's talent is not only useful on the offensive end, but also on the defensive end.
Lu Yi was originally a swingman, so it is not impossible to defend a small forward like Peja this time.
After all, Peja is old, and he is not as good as a top offensive player in attacking with the ball. After a serious injury, he is now a pure shooter.
No matter how exquisitely Peja ran without the ball, Lu Yi watched a little carefully and followed.
As long as Peja can't get rid of Lu Yi, even if he is half a head taller than Lu Yi, it will be difficult to take a shot against Lu Yi's defense.
For the Mavericks' starting lineup right now, the variable lies in Peja.
Lu Yi locked up Peja, and the Maverick was completely reduced to a turtle in a urn, unable to fly without wings.
The only possibility for the Mavericks to break the prison built by the Clippers lies in Stevenson who has been mixed for four games.
However, they have reached G5. Will the Mavericks dare to hand the ball to Stevenson, who played badly in the previous four games?
Obviously not, Carlisle did not dare, Kidd did not dare.
Ever since, Kidd can only find an opportunity to pass the ball to Nowitzki.
In the regular season, Nowitzki hits four or five goals in each quarter.
In the playoffs, Nowitzki occasionally has more possessions, but more often he still plays team basketball.
If the team concentrates a lot of the ball in his hands from the first quarter, Nowitzki can maintain high efficiency for a period of time, but if he keeps playing, he will definitely not be able to bear it.
In the last game, the Clippers have already tried it, and it is acceptable for Nowitzki to shoot immediately when he gets the ball.
With the current style of play of the Mavericks, it can only be said that the Clippers are happy to see it, and the Mavericks are already at the end of their ropes.
Next, the scores of the two teams rose alternately.
The Mavericks have a slight three-to-five-point advantage, but they don't have much.
The main reason is that Nowitzki's scoring efficiency is really terrifying. Regardless of physical factors, Nowitzki's mid-range is at the Jordan level.
Of course, the Clippers temporarily fell behind in scoring, mainly because Lu Yi didn't make many shots.
Lu Yi's physical strength in the first quarter was mainly explained on the defensive end.
Some people may think that Lu Yi worked hard to defend and the team is still behind. Is this a bit unworthy?
Hey, the team is behind, not passive.
Considering the physical consumption of the main players of the two teams, the current situation is completely acceptable to the Clippers.
When almost 9 minutes into the first quarter, Nowitzki was replaced by Carlisle.
Although Nowitzki is a Germanic chariot, he is not made of iron after all.
After Nowitzki left the court, the Clippers slowly recovered the point difference.
The main reason is that the Mavericks lacked Nowitzki, so they lacked a stable scoring point. As the scoring efficiency declined, it was normal for the Clippers to chase points back.
Because he wanted to end the series in this game, Lu Yi had already planned to play 40+ minutes today.
In the first quarter, defending off the ball did not consume a lot of energy, so I didn't feel too tired after playing the first quarter.
Lu Yi's physical attributes are not bad.
In the second quarter, Lu Yi began to lead the team to attack.
In the first quarter, Lu Yi made a mid-range shot, a three-pointer, and two free throws, scoring 7 points.
In the second quarter, Lu Yi had to score at least a dozen points before he could use offense to put pressure on the Mavericks and create more opportunities for other teammates.
Of course, Lu Yi also used the ball to attack, creating time for his teammates to rest.
In the first quarter, the Clippers mainly relied on other players to attack, and when Lu Yi attacked with the ball, even if he turned back and ran on the field, he could get a little rest time when he cooperated with the offense.
Lu Yi deserves to be Lu Yi, and his offensive efficiency in the second quarter is terrifying.
The Mavericks knew that Lu Yi was going to go crazy, so he specially asked Stevenson and Marion to double-team Lu Yi.
As a result, Lu Yi had rich experience, and before the two of them joined forces, he scored a super long three-pointer.
When he was really facing double-teaming, Lu Yi distributed the ball ahead of time, then ran without the ball, made a big circle, and then caught the ball at a 45-degree angle on the right.
The ball naturally fell into the basket without missing a point.
Lu Yi's series of offenses, runs, catches and shots are really amazing and amazing.
Peja off the court saw Lu Yi attacking like this, and also recalled every bit of the king four years ago.
He is also an international player, and he played like this back then.
Maybe not as accurate as Lu Yi, but better than Lu Yi!
At the beginning, he was also a favorable contender for the scoring champion and regular season MVP.
However, Lu Yi has succeeded in all aspects.
On the stage of the Western Conference finals, he missed a move and lost to the Lakers led by the peak OK combination.
"No way, Los Angeles is a hurdle I can't get past?" Peja suddenly woke up.
I saw that at this moment, the Clippers had already taken the lead on the field, pressing down on the Mavericks.
Not much lead, just three to five points.
But the Mavericks were two rounds behind, and they couldn't catch up even if they tried their best.
It's not that Nowitzki is not on the court, but he can score equally efficiently. There is indeed some gap between two-pointers and three-pointers.
In addition, Lu Yi is the new favorite of the league, and the on-site referees did not specifically target the Clippers. It is understandable that the Mavericks could not get help from the whistle and were eventually beaten by the Clippers.
In this series, the Clippers did a good job of limiting the performance of other Mavericks players.
The reason why the Lakers lost to the Mavericks was that they did not pay enough attention to the three scoring points of the role players, especially the substitutes.
The Clippers are different. Knowing that the Mavericks need to rely on the strength of the team to win, they directly take precautions.
I would rather let Lu Yi not shoot, but also use Lu Yi to do a good job of perimeter defense and strangle the Mavericks to score points from the outside.
Now Mavericks Terry did not come up, and Peja proved through the first half of the first quarter that the effect of playing was mediocre, so he was also let go.
Facing the two old enemies, Stevenson and Marion, Lu Yi didn't hesitate at all, just kept attacking and firing wantonly.
During the period, other Clippers players also stepped up to share some possessions.
The Clippers' offensive pressure did not focus on Lu Yi alone.
The Mavericks are different and have to rely on Nowitzki's stable output ability.
The Clippers relied on Lu Yi to withstand Nowitzki's firepower. After Nowitzki's scoring efficiency declined, Boozer came out to take over the game.
Lu Yi returned to the mode of concentrating on defense and no longer participating in offense.
The Mavericks knew that Lu Yi would not attack much, but they could not relax their defense against Lu Yi.
After all, Lu Yi is not really not attacking. Once the opportunity appears on Lu Yi's side, other Clippers players will definitely pass the ball.
Facts have proved time and time again that as long as Lu Yi is not exhausted, Lu Yi's open shots have a higher hit rate than anyone else.
However, the vast majority of people in the league shoot more two-pointers due to openness, while Lu Yi shoots more three-pointers.
The Clippers players know Lu Yi's ability and always pay attention to Lu Yi on the court.
The Mavericks are also aware of Lu Yi's ability, so when Lu Yi takes a walk on the court, the Mavericks' defensive energy should also be allocated to Lu Yi's side.
"It looks like we have a better chance of winning, but now is definitely not the time to let our guard down.
Win the game tonight and come back to Los Angeles tomorrow so we can celebrate.
We will have ample rest time then.
Therefore, I don't want to consume more energy, waste more time, and delay the opportunity to get together with my family.
Then please continue to be aggressive and continue to play well in this game.
Victory, we just need tonight's victory.
So, please everyone! "
After the first half, 58 to 52, the Clippers took a 6-point lead.
The rhythm of the game in the second quarter was like this. The Clippers kept taking the lead. The Mavericks tried to establish several counterattacks, but they were still suppressed by the Clippers.
In the end, the Mavericks couldn't make any waves, and the Clippers moved forward steadily, with no waves.
However, there is still half the distance to the finish line.
The Clippers' lead is temporary. For a game like the Western Conference Finals, if you relax for a while, there may be a fatal loophole and be penetrated by the opponent.
Dunleavy continued to emphasize the importance of winning, and also drew a cake for the players.
Being locked up in a hotel for the playoffs was tough, especially for a group of undisciplined black players.
Of course, for collective honor, for more benefits after winning.
We all can tolerate temporary unpleasant encounters.
As the team's general manager and head coach, Dunleavy promised everyone a short period of celebration and vacation time after winning the game.
This will naturally give people a sudden strength and make everyone more motivated to win tonight's game.
In fact, at the same time, not only the Clippers, but the Mavericks also began to enter the bloody link.
Unlike the fierceness of the Clippers, the Mavericks are more tragic and exciting.
But whether it's aggressive or morale-boosting, in the end it depends on the strength of the players.
The Clippers' defense limited most of the Mavericks' scoring points, and the Mavericks wanted to score, but had to accept the lack of defense.
In the third quarter, the Clippers made Iverson, who had been sitting for a long time, the main attack point. Iverson played very efficiently with the help of Lu Yi's ability to attract defense.
At this time, what made the Mavericks even worse was that Nowitzki's offense was suddenly cut off, and was limited by Scola who was replaced by the substitute.
Scola joined the Clippers as early as last year and is an important part of the Clippers' signings.
This year because of Boozer's arrival, Scola's role was rapidly reduced.
Even because Scola's contract is not small, it makes people feel that this is a contract that the Clippers and Scola lost.
But in the playoffs, the Clippers have such a powerful substitute in the lineup, which really makes people wonder what to say.
Switch to Scola, who is physically strong on the field, and bite Nowitzki as much as possible on the defensive end.
On the offensive end, he can replace Boozer for a long time, because facing Nowitzki's defense, his playing efficiency is not bad.
One ebb and flow, the Clippers took a further lead.
The light in Nowitzki's eyes is getting darker, and the future of the Mavericks is getting more and more bleak.
84 to 73, the third quarter ended quickly, and the Clippers have taken an 11-point lead.
The game entered the fourth quarter, and Lu Yi showed his power as soon as he came up. At the most time, he opened the point difference to 19 points, almost scaring Cuban's high blood pressure out.
Fortunately, at the critical moment, Kidd completed a steal against Iverson.
The Mavericks organized a wave of effective counterattacks, through simple offensive conversions, scored in sports battles, and recovered blood with this.
Still, even that little hiccup doesn't help.
Relying on the advantages established in front, the Clippers relied on Iverson to control the rhythm of the game, and finally won the game with a 6-point advantage without any risk.
"Haha, we won!"
"We are the champions! This year's Western Conference champions!"
"Finals, finally made it to the finals!"
(End of this chapter)