Chapter 188 I was enjoying the scenery in the east, and heard the chaos in the west
On the evening of the 19th, Madison Square Garden was star-studded.

In the visiting team's locker room, the atmosphere was like a coffin.

Phil Jackson had a sense of powerlessness. He did a lot of work, but it was useless. He could no longer control the locker room.

In the home team's locker room, the atmosphere was completely opposite.

Most of them were changing clothes outside, while a small number were playing mahjong and laughing in the weight room, making it quite lively.

Alan Houston, dressed in a suit and tie, occupied one side. He refused to give up his seat because of his injured knee. He really made people hate him and people gave him death looks from time to time.

After He Zhongqiu won a hand of cards, he gave up his seat. Thinking of Yao Ming, the Mosaic had a good record, 7 wins and 3 losses, and ranked second in the Western Conference. It had a better start than the Spurs, Mavericks and Kings, so he called him.

"Zhongqiu, wow, you're number one in the league, the scoring champion, what do you want to do?" After the call was connected, Yao Ming said in a tone of envy and jealousy.

"This season, I'm going to punch the Nets and Pistons and kick the Lakers and Spurs, hehe!" he said with a proud smile.

"You kid, our Mosaic is only second in the Western Conference." Yao Ming said unconvinced.

"If you can make it to the finals, I'll kill you guys." He laughed.

"Fuck, He Zhongqiu, you are too arrogant! Aren't you just relying on the weakness of the East to try the West?"

Yao Ming spit out something in dissatisfaction, and then complained: "The West is full of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period. None of them are easy to mess with."

He Zhongqiu was so happy that he started to sing the Empty City Plan: "Haha, I was enjoying the scenery in the east, and I heard the chaos in the west..."

"You can be so arrogant. Even if you make it to the finals, you'll still die." Yao Ming hung up the phone in anger.

At seven o'clock, the game was over, and at half past seven, Rick Carlisle announced the starting lineup for the night.

If the Knicks can make it out of the Eastern Conference, the Lakers will be one of their most likely opponents in the finals, so the win or loss in the two regular season games against the Lakers is not important, but tactical exploration is very important, and we must find out which tactics are most suitable for playing against the Lakers.

When playing against the Nets, he arranged for Mutombo to start, and today when playing against the Lakers, he still arranged for Mutombo to start.

The remaining four are He Zhongqiu, Josh Howard, Bonzi Wells, and Nash.

Alan Houston was injured and Wells returned to the starting lineup, which was exactly what Carlisle wanted. He wanted to put Houston on the bench.

"Our defensive tactics tonight are mixed defense."

He first arranged the defensive tactics, which was a mixed defense of man-to-man and zone defense.

"Dukembe, you guard against sharks."

"Wolverine, you guard the Mailman. You are responsible for the outside defense, of course, mainly Kobe on the strong side, and Dikembe on the weak side."

"But if Shaq gets the ball under the basket, you have a chance to help defend the basket. If he gets the ball away from the basket, he doesn't need your double team."

"If Dikembe can't defend O'Neal, Doriak and Harrington will take turns to use the human shield tactics and foul tactics to deal with him."

"Outside, let's double-team Kobe."

When he just said this, Nash was a little surprised and said: "Coach, instead of double-teaming the Shaq, double-team Kobe?"

Rick Carlisle nodded and said, "The OK combination needs to be double-teamed, but we can't double-team two people, so we can only double-team Kobe.

As for why it's not O'Neal, it's because he can't digest more shots. It's hard for him to score 40+50 in a single game, but Kobe has the potential."

There is another point he didn't say. He chose to double-team Kobe because Kobe's personality is more paranoid. The more he is double-teamed, the harder he may shoot. Double-teaming Kobe is a psychological warfare.

Of course, Kobe may also explode, but the probability is very small.

Moreover, even if a regular season outbreak leads to a loss, it is actually of no consequence.

His tactics were aimed at future finals. Even if Kobe had an outburst in one game, he definitely didn't have an outburst in the entire finals series.

At eight o'clock, both sides announced their starting lineups.

Lakers: O'Neal, Karl Malone, Devin George, Kobe Bryant, Gary Payton

Knicks: Mutombo, He Zhongqiu, Josh Howard, Bonzi Wells, Nash.

"The mid-range shooting king is injured, but looking at the Knicks' outside lineup, I think it makes more sense," Barkley said.

Kenny Smith said: "Mutombo started for the second time, and rookie Josh Howard was willing to fight hard. This starting lineup has more energy on the defensive end."

"With the injury of a mid-range shooting king, the bench lineup is a little weaker," Barkley said.

Kenny Smith said: "Substitutes? McDyess can play for ten minutes, plus Harrington, Doriak and Li Nailong, the inside substitute lineup is still sufficient.

On the outside, Witherspoon, Shandon Anderson, Charlie Ward, and Frank Williams, four people rotate to cover three positions, so there are still enough people. "

Barkley analyzed: "The Lakers' bench lineup is much worse, and their aging lineup last season has not changed.

After strengthening the team with the postman and the glove, there were no major changes in other positions, with the exception of the aging Cobra Grant, and the average age further increased.

I can say with certainty that after this season, whether or not they win a championship, this Lakers team will be a completely different team."

In the player tunnel, the starting lineups of both teams met.

It's okay that He Zhongqiu and Kobe don't get along, but there's definitely nothing they can say to each other because their personalities are too different.

I played two games with O'Neal. We elbowed each other and pinched each other. We were not very close, but we could still talk to each other.

The other three people have never spoken to Payton, let alone Devin George, but they were able to say a few words to Postman Malone.

"Hey, Doc, we have a lot in common. Why did you go to the Lakers instead of coming to help me?" he shouted at the postman as soon as they met.

"Fuck you, who the hell is so like you?"

When Karl Malone heard the doctor's name and the similar words, his face fell immediately and he cursed inwardly.

Damn Wolverine, my, Karl Malone's reputation was ruined by you. You have no shame, but I still have some.

O'Neill asked curiously, "Wolverine, why do you say you and the postman have similar tastes?"

Kobe and others also felt strange, and Mutombo, Nash and others all looked over.

He Zhongqiu said seriously: "Because we all like to bully the weak, and we are not good people."

"Ha ha……"

O'Neal was the first one who couldn't control himself and burst into laughter.

The others were also laughing secretly, but they didn't laugh out loud because of the postman's face.

"My reputation has been ruined like this? Wolverine, I'll kill your ancestors!" Upon hearing this, the postman looked up to the sky and his face twitched.

Gary Payton was very emotional, because in this league, among the hundreds of people, including those who retired in the 1980s and 1990s, only Wolverine dared to tease the Postman so unscrupulously, and the Postman didn't react at all.

He couldn't help but think of what Wolverine had just said. If he and the Postman chose the Knicks, it might be a good choice.

The game starts at half past eight.

Mutombo declared that he did not want to jump the ball, saying that he could not jump anymore, so He Zhongqiu had to do it for him and jump the ball with O'Neal.

The ball thrown by the referee was a little off and was caught by O'Neal, and the Lakers attacked.

The Knicks quickly retreated and played man-to-man defense.

On the outside, Nash and Payton, Bonzi Wells and Kobe, Josh Howard and Devin George.

Inside, He Zhongqiu caught up with the postman.

The old postman was not as strong as others, and his pace was even slower than others. He couldn't squeeze in, and he couldn't get in around, so he simply pulled to the right wing.

"ball."

Kobe asked for the ball across half court, but Payton refused to give it to him. If Kobe could ignore him for a week, their relationship would definitely get worse.

The Postman is not good at building relationships. Now the Lakers locker room relies on him to maintain relationships, and the same goes for the court. He feels that he is the only one supporting the Lakers.

“It’s so hard for me!”

He passed it on anyway.

Kobe received the ball on the right wing and Wells immediately defended him closely.

He Zhongqiu is below, only one step away from Wells, and can double-team Kobe at any time. If Kobe breaks through with the ball, he will be the second line of defense.

Kobe grabbed the ball with both hands on his right side, suddenly turned right and dribbled from the inside. Wells turned around to defend him, but was half a step slower.

He Zhongqiu quickly moved to the right elbow area and made a backup defense.

But at this time, Kobe, who had just taken two steps forward and was one step into the three-point line, suddenly stopped.

Wells also stopped immediately, but Kobe's fadeaway jump shot had already come out at a very fast pace. He jumped to block the shot, but his hand only reached Kobe's forearm.

"brush!"

The basketball went through the hoop and splashed water.

"Kobe? He made a quick stop and fade away jump shot and hit a long two-pointer." Barkley said.

Rick Carlisle on the sidelines nodded. The defense was actually pretty good this time. Wells followed very closely and the Wolverines made timely backup.

Kobe's ability to make this shot is a reflection of his personal ability, and there is no problem with the Knicks' defensive tactics.

The Knicks' perimeter defense is still weak at Nash's point. Kobe broke through from the inside, obviously trying to stay away from Wolverine.

If Nash in the high position can go over and clamp Kobe in time, it is likely to form a double-team, and Kobe's hit rate in the double-team will be reduced again.

It was the Knicks' turn to attack. He Zhongqiu began to intentionally increase his close-range shooting. Since his mid-range shooting ability couldn't be improved now, he would first improve his close-range shooting ability and bring it to first-class level.

He received the ball in the low post on the right wing, then immediately turned around, using his left foot as the axis, stepped his right foot on the right waist, and then immediately jumped up and hit the rebound.

The Postman Karl Malone's feet didn't keep up, and the defense didn't keep up with the rhythm.

"Wolverine? Forty-five degree shot." Kenny Smith shouted.

"Oh!"

"Bang!"

Unfortunately, when the opportunity came, his shot failed to go in.

"Wolverine hit the board with two points to go, missed the shot, O'Neal grabbed the rebound, and the Lakers attacked," Barkley said.

The Lakers attack and fight a positional battle.

On the sidelines, Rick Carlisle instructed Nash and Josh Howard to switch defensive positions, with Nash defending Devin George and Howard defending Payton.

Josh Howard has good mobility and is a forward-guard swingman. With a height of 201 cm, he can barely defend against the 193 cm tall Payton.

As for Nash, if you ask him to defend Payton and Devin George, the result will be the same, he can't defend them anyway.

Because it was the regular season, the Sharks had no intention of competing with Mutombo. He wanted to save his energy for the playoffs, so he did not force his way to the basket.

After Payton reached the top of the arc, he saw O'Neal asking for the ball in the low post on the left wing and prepared to pass the ball.

But Josh Howard, with a wingspan of 218 cm, waved his arms repeatedly, and with his height advantage, he was prevented from passing the ball in the first place.

He first took a step to the right wing and pretended to pass the ball to Kobe. When Josh Howard caught up, he suddenly turned around and passed the ball to O'Neal.

He Zhongqiu did not provide assisting defense, which was Rick Carlisle's request. His main target of assisting defense was Kobe, on the outside.

After catching the ball, O'Neal immediately performed his signature shark turn.

Turn down, then turn up again, jump from the right waist position and make a front hook shot.

But Mutombo kept up with the rhythm, and O'Neal's shark turn did not shake him. He moved sideways in time and jumped to block the shot, forcing O'Neal to adjust the shooting angle.

"Bang!"

The basketball hit the rim and was caught by He Zhongqiu who returned to the penalty area.

"Clap clap clap..."

Rick Carlisle applauded.

In his opinion, the defense was successful and worth celebrating.

O'Neal's career offense accounted for 54% of the basket, close shots accounted for 40%, and 94% of the offense occurred in the restricted area.

His close-range shooting percentage is 42.7%, which is not bad, but much lower than his efficiency in attacking the basket. If double-teaming can force O'Neal to take more close-range shots, it will undoubtedly be a success.

It's easy to defend O'Neal, just don't let him get close to the basket.

Even if Mutombo is not good enough, there are still Doriak and Harrington to consume the energy. If that doesn't work, let Wolverine, the strongest player in the league, go up. The increasingly aging O'Neal can't make much waves against the Knicks.

His defense against the Lakers is not just about O'Neal, but the fact that the Lakers have four superstars, which is the most difficult to defend.

If these four points are opened, Jordan's Bulls would have to kneel down, let alone this Knicks?

Fortunately, this Lakers team has many problems, such as internal strife and a seriously aging lineup, all of which can be exploited.

When playing against the Lakers in the regular season, one of his jobs was to observe Karl Malone and Gary Payton, to see how good their condition was, how much gas was left in their tanks, and what their tactical position was on the Lakers.

During the transition from offense to defense, Nash faced Payton's defense and quickly pushed across the center line at a very fast speed.

He Zhongqiu also accelerated and left behind the three inside players, Mutombo, O'Neal and Karl Malone.

"The Knicks are on a fast break," Barkley explained.

“Four on three up front,” Kenny Smith said.

He Zhongqiu quickly entered the frontcourt, and the Lakers' two inside players were behind him, so small forward Devin George had to come over to defend.

But George didn't dare to stop He Zhongqiu head-on and could only follow from the side.

At this time, Josh Howard stopped outside the three-point line on the left wing and got a large open space. He looked at Nash and prepared to receive the ball.

Nash knows that the rookie's three-point shooting is not very good now, and he is not very accurate in small open spaces, but he can shoot in large open spaces. Even if he misses, the Wolverines can still grab the frontcourt rebounds and launch a second offense.

But he still didn't pass the ball because O'Neal and Karl Malone had already arrived and he had to give it to the Wolverine under the basket first.

If the ball is given to Howard first and he misses, O'Neal and his teammates will return to defend the basket and they will have no advantage in frontcourt rebounds.

The ball flew towards the basket, and He Zhongqiu ignored Devin George beside him and soared into the sky.

"boom!"

The next moment, he caught the ball in the air, dunked it, and slammed it into the basket.

"alley-oop!"

Amid the cheers of the packed Madison Square Garden, Barkley excitedly shouted, "Nash assisted Wolverine and completed an aerial oop dunk.

You know what? This is a normal performance for the two of them. This season, New York is becoming a city of alley-oops. "

"Yes."

Kenny Smith nodded and analyzed, "The Knicks' fast break was very good this time. They successfully took advantage of the speed of Wolverine and the speed disadvantage of the Sharks and the Mailman, forming a situation of outnumbering the defense in the frontcourt."

"This should be a powerful tactic for the Knicks against the Lakers," Barkley said.

2:2, the Lakers' third attack.

Payton noticed that the Knicks had switched defense, replacing Nash with rookie Josh Howard.

Although the Knicks played man-to-man defense, he immediately felt keenly that the Knicks' switching defense was not to better defend him, but to better double-team Kobe through Josh Howard's defense.

At this time, Kobe asked for the ball for the second time, and he hesitated.

Josh Howard immediately took the opportunity to force the ball forward, but the rookie was very fast and had long arms, and he almost stabbed him.

Kobe continued to ask for the ball and ran to the top of the arc.

He felt that with Kobe's strength, he would be able to handle the attack from rookies, so he passed the ball.

In accordance with the requirements of the defensive tactics, Josh Howard quickly turned around and rushed towards Kobe who was three meters away from him.

At the same time, Wells intensified his close pressure on Kobe, creating opportunities for Howard's double-teaming.

"really!"

Payton quickly retreated, ready to receive Kobe's return pass.

But who is Kobe? Could a double-team by a rookie who hasn't even reached the right position force him to pass the ball back?

After receiving the ball, he turned left, dribbled with his right hand, and hit Wells' chest with his left elbow. Then he took the opportunity to break through from the outside and crossed the three-point line.

He Zhongqiu, who was on the right wing, immediately made up for the defense and blocked Kobe's breakthrough.

The Postman was one step inside the 30-degree three-point line on the right wing and had an open space, but Kobe did not pass the ball, but stopped suddenly.

He Zhongqiu took a step forward, jumped up quickly, and blocked the air in front of Kobe with his big hands.

But Kobe suddenly twisted his waist in the air, threw the basketball with both hands, and it flew towards the postman.

"Beautifully passed on!"

Barkley's eyes lit up. Who said Kobe couldn't pass the ball?

The pass was indeed beautiful and sudden. He Zhongqiu was fooled, and the postman was not mentally prepared enough to catch the ball.

In these games, Kobe seldom passed the ball to him, and the ball was too fast, so when he hurried to catch it, he lost his hands.

After He Zhongqiu landed, he squatted down, then quickly turned around and pounced on the postman two steps away. With his terrifying explosive power, he took the first step at an extremely fast speed in an instant.

As soon as he took the first step, his big hand was about to touch the postman.

When the postman regained control of the ball, He Zhongqiu had already returned to him and slapped him, knocking the ball away.

"Wolverine? He stole the ball, and Nash is fast running! He passed it." Kenny Smith explained quickly.

He Zhongqiu has a very good vision. After grabbing the ball from the floor, he stood up and immediately saw Nash starting to run down the right wing. He quickly lobbed the ball in front of Nash.

Nash received the ball across the center line and took a few steps to the right wing three-point line. Devin George fell behind him.

He saw that Payton had returned to the top of the arc from the middle, so he did not rush in again. Instead, he made a sudden stop outside the three-point line and then took a three-point shot.

"brush!"

A splash appeared and a three-pointer was made.

"Steve Nash hit a three-pointer from a fifty-degree angle on the right wing, and Wolverine got an assist." Barkley shouted.

Kenny Smith said: "The inside-outside combination of Nash and Wolverine is very suitable for fast breaks."

Barkley nodded thoughtfully and said, "Both of them are very fast, have good vision, and have good passing and receiving skills. Wolverine is also good at launching fast breaks. He does have the ability to play fast breaks."

(End of this chapter)