Chapter 150 Be Careful Not to Embrace the Wrong Leg
5:9, Pistons attack.

Ben Wallace wanted to start a fast break, but He Zhongqiu was standing in front of him. By the time he passed the ball, the other Knicks players had already returned to the backcourt.

In positional warfare, Hamilton's movement was still extremely sharp. When he ran out of open space, the Pistons' offensive tactics were completed. As for whether the ball went in or not, it had nothing to do with tactics.

Billups' passes were also very timely, and Howard Ellis had almost no restrictions on him.

Ellis is only 188 cm tall and 80 kg, while Billups is 191 cm tall and 92 kg. The difference in their confrontational abilities is too great.

In the left blocking area of ​​the left wing, which is one step inside the left corner, Hamilton received the ball and shot.

As he jumped, He Zhongqiu swooped over from the penalty area like an eagle swooping down on a rabbit, and soared into the air two meters away.

At that moment, he felt a suffocating and fierce breath coming towards him.

If someone is weak-willed, such as Kwame Brown and O'Neal Jr., they will definitely be frightened by this beast-like aura and be dominated by fear in their hearts.

Fortunately, he is also a man of strong will. He remained confident and completed the move despite tremendous psychological pressure.

The rhythm of his shot was too fast, and even though He Zhongqiu's big hand grabbed it, it was still a little short, and the ball flew over his fingertips.

"Damn it, the defensive position is wrong."

He Zhongqiu immediately reflected on himself for not blocking the ball.

Just now when Hamilton was running towards the left corner along the baseline, he should have moved one step to the left wing. If he had moved one step earlier, he would have been able to complete the block just now.

"brush!"

The next moment, there was a splash and two points were scored.

"Oh ho!"

Madison Square Garden was instantly filled with cheers and shouts.

Barkley said regretfully: "What a pity, the defense from five meters away was just a little short, Hamilton's shot was really fast!"

Kenny Smith said: "I think the Knicks should play a mixed defense of zone and man-to-man defense, and send someone to watch Hamilton."

Barkley laughed and immediately shook his head, "He can run so fast, who do you want to guard him? The mid-range shooter? The madman? Who can keep up with him?
When the Pistons played the Lakers, Kobe ran after him. Even with his great stamina, he drove him crazy. "

"Haha."

Kenny Smith and the postman laughed.

He Zhongqiu was in the left corner and did not make a fast break. After coming to the frontcourt, he was at the free throw line again.

And Kurt Thomas once again entered the basket.

This time, it was Ben Wallace who returned to defend the basket.

He turned around, took two steps down, then went around to defend, so that he could still double-team He Zhongqiu above at any time.

Two meters outside the top of the arc, Ellis didn't care about anything and just lobbed the ball to He Zhongqiu.

Clifford Robinson jumped as high as he could, trying to intercept the pass, but Ellis was hanging too high and couldn't touch him.

The ball was very high. He Zhongqiu took a step back and jumped up to catch the ball. As he fell, he turned in the air to face the basket.

At the edge of the reasonable collision zone, Ben Wallace immediately stepped forward.

He Zhongqiu turned and fell to the ground facing the basket, but was blocked by Ben Wallace. He casually threw the ball into the basket, and Kurt Thomas under the basket jumped up.

"boom!"

An alley-oop, a two-handed dunk, and Kurt Thomas smashed the Pistons' basket.

Don Cheney was very happy and kept clapping.

He also didn't expect that the tactics he hastily arranged would be executed so well by Wolverine and Kurt Thomas, and Ellis's pass was also good and very timely.

"7:11, Pistons attack." Kenny Smith said.

"There's something wrong with the Pistons," Barkley said.

"A 4-point difference is not that big," said the postman.

Barkley glanced at the postman and said with disdain: "Postman, the Pistons are a defensive team. They are now using the double-team tactic against the Wolverines, but they still can't stop the Knicks' offense. What does this mean? It means that the tactics are wrong."

Kenny Smith nodded and continued, "What's more serious is that the failure of the double-team tactic was not because we failed to defend against other players' attacks, but because we failed to defend against Wolverine.

Except for the first attack that was intercepted, the Knicks succeeded in the next five attacks, and Wolverine participated in all five of them. "

Barkley continued: “On the first play, the Wolverines did a pick-and-roll at the top of the key, and Howard Ellis made a three-pointer.

The second ball was a fast break dunk by Wolverine. The third ball was a double team attracted by Wolverine in a fast break, and Kurt Thomas made an open mid-range shot.

The fourth goal was a dunk by Wolverine in a halftime battle, and the fifth goal was an assist by Wolverine to Kurt Thomas in a halftime battle.”

Kenny Smith said: "They scored five out of six attacks, which definitely cannot be said to be a success in the Pistons' defensive tactics."

The postman could only nod and say, "Then tell me, why did the Pistons' defensive tactics fail?"

Barkley chuckled and said, "In these five attacks, Wolverine successively made pick-and-roll screens, scored on fast breaks, attracted double teams to create open space for teammates, attacked in positional battles, and assisted. He showed five offensive functions. What does this show?"

"It shows that as his tactical ability improves, he begins to integrate more into the team system, participates in the offense in various forms, and his contribution increases," Kenny Smith said.

Barkley put away the smile on his face and said: "When a more versatile Wolverine appears, the restriction of the double-teaming tactic on him will inevitably be reduced.

The Pistons can limit his attack under the basket, so he can play fast breaks, assist teammates, cover teammates' offense, create open space for teammates, and even cooperate with teammates to attack the basket. "

At this time, the game was in the sixth minute of the first quarter, 10:17, the Knicks led by 7 points, and the Pistons called the second timeout.

Rick Carlisle's mental state was not stable. Sweat began to appear on his head, his tie loosened, and the collar of his shirt was unbuttoned.

The defensive tactics completely failed, allowing the Knicks to score 17 points in half a quarter. This was an absolute failure on defense, and he was well aware of it.

Under the double-team tactic in advance, the Wolverines made 2 of 2 shots in half a quarter, just made another successful offensive screen, then slapped Hamilton and grabbed a backcourt rebound.

4 points, 1 assist, 3 rebounds, and 1 block. These data are not enough to reflect Wolverine's role on the offensive end. With this kind of performance, he can no longer use the double-team tactic in advance.

At this time, he realized more differences between Wolverine and the Great Shark.

On the offensive end, when O'Neal was double-teamed in advance, due to his huge weight, he usually waited for opportunities in the low post and did not do much in terms of offensive screens, fast breaks, defensive counterattacks, etc.

In this case, the early double-team tactic is useful for O'Neal, and to a certain extent it can exclude him from the Lakers' offensive system.

Of course, once O'Neal received the ball at the basket, there was no strategy.

The Wolverine is different. After being double-teamed in advance, he can do more than O'Neal. The double-team in advance can only reduce his offense under the basket, but cannot prevent him from helping the team in other aspects.

"From now on, we will play defensively."

"Ben is responsible for defending him. If he doesn't get to the basket, no one else needs to help defend."

"If he enters the basket, immediately shrink the defense. They don't have much ability to break through with the ball. They can give the outside line a small space, but not a large space."

"Remember, whoever has a good touch on the Knicks, lock him down and leave the others with small open spots."

There was one more thing Rick Carlisle didn't say, which was, let's bet on the Knicks' outside shooting.

After the timeout, Prince came on for Michael Curry.

The Knicks replaced Charlie Ward and Ellis took a rest.

In the following first quarter, He Zhongqiu was still under strict guard.

Without being double-teamed in advance, he entered the basket three times within three or four minutes, but only scored once by dunk, was fouled once, and had a turnover, and was substituted in the tenth minute of the first quarter.

首节上场10分钟，3投3中，2罚1中，得到7分4篮板1助攻1盖帽1失误。

The Pistons' defensive tactics worked well, and the Knicks' outside shots were not accurate in the small open spaces.

After the first quarter, the score was 22:25 and the Knicks were only leading by 3 points.

During the intermission, Barkley analyzed: "The Knicks' offensive tactics in the second half were not as good as in the first half when the Wolverines were double-teamed. Don Cheney did not adjust the offensive tactics in time, called a timeout, and did not play a targeted offense. He only scored 8 points in the second half."

Kenny Smith said: "When the Pistons shrink their defense, the Knicks have more opportunities from the outside and often get small open shots.

They shot directly a lot of times, but their touch was average. Kurt Thomas and Alan Houston each made one shot, but the Madman made 3 of 0 shots. "

The madman returned to the bench and looked back at the TNT commentary booth, wanting only to grab Kenny Smith's throat and shut him up.

The Postman said: "We should add some pick-and-roll tactics, so that small spaces can be turned into large spaces. The Knicks' outside offense is not patient enough."

"When it comes to pick-and-roll, you're an expert, Mailman," Kenny Smith said with a smile.

“No matter how good I was at pick-and-roll, I didn’t win a championship.”

Barkley blurted out this sentence, but as soon as he said it, he knew it was wrong.

Sure enough, the postman immediately counterattacked: "I finally have a chance, Feizhu, you don't."

"Be careful not to cling to the wrong people." Barkley retorted unhappily and depressedly.

"Haha."

Kenny Smith laughed and shook his left hand, revealing two golden rings on his index and middle fingers.

As the main point guard of two championships, he is really qualified to show off in front of these two guys without championships.

"damn it!"

Barkley immediately pressed Kenny Smith's left hand under the table.

The light from the championship ring was so dazzling that the postman turned his head away angrily.

The two of them looked at Michael Jordan not far away at the same time. It was this guy who shattered their championship dreams.

The following game was a bit tense. In the final quarter, the Pistons tied the score and took the lead.

Although they were playing away, the Pistons, with no room for retreat, played quite resolutely and put up a good attack.

On the contrary, apart from a good start, the Knicks' offense did not play well afterwards.

Don Cheney's offensive tactical arrangement was still to coordinate inside and outside, but under the Pistons' shrinking defense, the connection between the inside and outside lines was cut off, and they fell into a situation of fighting alone, with many mistakes both inside and outside.

With two minutes left in the final quarter, the Pistons led by two points, 84:82, and the Knicks called the third timeout of the quarter.

Zhang Heli analyzed: "The Knicks lack people who can break through with the ball. The outside line can't really connect with the Mid-Autumn Festival under the basket. They lack a Kobe."

Xu Jicheng said: "I think Zhongqiu doesn't need to go to the basket all the time. The confrontation after going in consumes a lot of physical energy. Now I can't play anymore.

Just like when you are double-teamed in the first quarter, you may not have much offense, but you can contribute in other ways. "

Sun Zhenping said: "He is the strongest in attacking the basket, so he will definitely go in and play if he has the chance. In addition, it must be the head coach's request.

Zhang Heli analyzed: "Going to the basket to take a position can attract double-teaming to the greatest extent and create open space for teammates on the outside.

But the Pistons' defense was really good. When the defense was shrunk, the Knicks couldn't get a big open shot from the outside, and their shooting was average today."

孙真平看了一下贺中秋的数据，说道：“中秋打了38分钟了，9投7中，10罚6中，20分10篮板2助攻1抢断2盖帽4失误3犯规。

The statistics are still good, but I didn’t play the same crazy performance as in the previous game, especially the contribution on the defensive end was far less than in the previous game.”

Zhang Heli said: "He had many opportunities to get the ball under the basket, and his offense was good and efficient, but under the Pistons' shrinking defense, he made many mistakes in passing and receiving the ball, and was cut off. It is very good to be able to play this data.

Like the defensive performance in the last game, that was a super performance, it is impossible to play such a super performance in every game. "

Xu Jicheng said: "We are only two points behind now. Although the Knicks' performance tonight is not as good as in Game 5, it is still good and they have a chance to win."

At this time, the timeout ended, the game resumed, and the Knicks served the ball from the sideline.

On the Knicks side, Charlie Ward and the four main starters.

On the Pistons side, there are Prince and the four main starters.

When he came on the court, Ewing said to He Zhongqiu: "Wolverine, be careful when you pass the ball, don't make any more mistakes."

Michael Jordan, who was sitting in the back, heard this. As a good friend of Ewing, he laughed and said:

"Patrick, at critical moments, you have to be brave enough to take on the pressure. When you're standing under the basket, don't just think about passing the ball."

Ewing couldn't help but choke; Jordan's words hit the sore spot.

When He Zhongqiu heard Jordan's words, his eyes lit up.

This statement reflects his character and thinking at a critical moment. Why should he give the ball to others? Isn't it good enough for him to be in the spotlight?
Just now, Coach Don Cheney still asked the outside players to pass the ball to him firmly and let him attack the basket, so offense is his task, not passing the ball to the outside players for random shots.

At the start of the game, he ran towards the basket and was defended by Ben Wallace.

It doesn't matter. He immediately made an arc and drew a quarter circle in the paint area. Despite Ben Wallace's top defense, he went right in front of the basket, to the edge of the reasonable collision zone, nearly two meters away from the basket.

Ben Wallace moved inside, covering a shorter distance, but he just couldn't stop Wolverine's aggressive cuts.

He felt very frustrated. Wolverine's stride was longer than his, he could take three steps instead of two, and his step frequency was faster than his, but his strength was also greater than his. He could not keep up and could not push him.

Billups' defense was too good, so for safety reasons, Charlie Ward chose to stay farther away from him and lobbed the ball in.

This is also the reason why the Knicks made many passing errors today. Considering Billups' defense, the passing distance was too long, which gave the Pistons a very good opportunity and time to assist and double-team.

It was the same this time. Before He Zhongqiu received the ball, Billups, who was defending in a high position, had already pounced in front of him and completed the double-team.

He double-teamed the opponent in front, preventing He Zhongqiu from passing the ball to the top of the arc after he received the ball.

In addition to Billups, Clifford Robinson in the low post on the right wing also completed the double-team.

He double-teamed on the right side, and also cut off He Zhongqiu's passing angle to the right wing.

In addition, Prince on the left wing also sandwiched the left waist position, cutting off He Zhongqiu's connection with the left wing.

"Four people attacking?"

Zhang Heli said in great surprise.

This had never happened before today. Although they had tightened their defense before, there was usually only one person going down for a double team. Now, there was no need for a three-man double team, but a four-man double team was used directly. He couldn't believe it.

He Zhongqiu leaned his back against Ben Wallace, pressed Clifford Robinson with his left elbow, and pressed Billups in front of him with his right elbow, buying himself some breathing space, then jumped with all his strength and grabbed the basketball with both hands.

Clifford Robinson and Billups also jumped up, trying to steal the ball, but none of them jumped as high as He Zhongqiu.

"Snapped!"

He Zhongqiu grabbed the ball with both hands, turned left in the air while falling, and landed facing the right wing.

After landing, Prince hit his back and Ben Wallace hit his left side.

But the four-sided encirclement was not formed, because Clifford Robinson and Billups jumped to steal the ball and did not have the opportunity to close in time to form a encirclement.

The next moment, he jumped up with all his strength and rushed into the sky again.

"boom!"

There was a loud bang and Ben Wallace staggered back under the basket.

"Oh ho!"

A huge cheer rang out in Madison Square Garden, and tens of thousands of people cheered and cheered.

"Beautiful! He Zhongqiu made a slam dunk while being double-teamed by four people, and the score was tied at 84." Zhang Heli shouted excitedly.

"This dunk really boosts morale!" Xu Jicheng said excitedly.

"Zhongqiu was able to score even with four people double-teaming him. The Pistons' morale will definitely be hit," Sun Zhenping said happily.

Indeed, the morale of the Pistons took a hit, and even the determined Ben Wallace felt a little frustrated when he saw that the four of them were unable to stop Wolverine's dunk.

(End of this chapter)