Chapter 216 Wolverine's Weakness
After the start of the second quarter, the Pistons attacked.

The Knicks used a three-two zone defense, and Billups, who had the ball, was entangled by Charlie Ward, who was defending very hard.

Ward is a player from the iron-blooded Knicks era. He is a guy who elbows people at every turn and is very tough on defense.

Seeing that Billups couldn't open up the situation, Hamilton ran desperately, but under the double-team defense, the open space he created would soon disappear.

Prince came over for a screen and created a small open space for Billups, who quickly took a three-pointer from the top of the left arc.

"brush!"

It feels good and I actually won.

16:28, Knicks attack.

"Ouch, they're double-teamed in advance." Zhang Heli shouted in surprise.

Under the basket, He Zhongqiu was in the low post on the left wing, Ben Wallace was defending him, and Rasheed Wallace was very close to him.

Although there was no direct double-team, the distance was close enough to ensure that the double-team would be completed before He Zhongqiu received the ball.

Doriak was under the basket, and Rasheed Wallace on the left side of the basket was only one step away from him, so he was not in an open position. He quickly ran towards the mid-range shooting king on the right wing.

He weighs 120 kilograms and can be used as a meat shield, but on the offensive end, he mainly relies on mid-range shots. He is not good at attacking under the basket and has no low-post skills.

His withdrawal put Rasheed Wallace in a dilemma.

The tactic of following Wolverine out and double-teaming him in advance naturally failed.

If not, who will defend the 211 cm tall Doryac?

At this time, Charlie Ward passed the ball to the mid-range shooting king on the right wing. The mid-range shooting king took advantage of Doriak's pick-and-roll and made a three-pointer in a small open space.

"brush!"

A splash appeared and a three-pointer was made.

Michael Breen said: "The Knicks' players are still in good shape today. As long as the Pistons continue to double-team Wolverine in advance and the open players can make these open shots, it will be difficult for them to lose."

"Wolverine, pull it out and give it a try."

Rick Carlisle shouted to He Zhongqiu who was running over, and He Zhongqiu nodded after hearing it.

A plan for this situation had already been made. Once the two Wallaces double-teamed He Zhongqiu in advance, he would be pulled out to play as he now has the mid-range shot.

After he is pulled out, the two Wallaces cannot come out to double-team him in advance, as that would leave the basket empty. With his offensive ability, he can beat either Wallace one-on-one.

Of course, this tactic depends on his touch. If his mid-range shooting touch is not good, this tactic cannot be used, unless Mutombo is on the court and can grab offensive rebounds.

However, according to Rick Carlisle's analysis, this tactic can generally be played.

16:30, Pistons attack.

He Zhongqiu still defended Rasheed Wallace, and Ben Wallace, who was not good at attacking, was handed over to Doriak.

"Bang!"

Hamilton received the ball in a small open position and missed the jump shot.

Doriac took the initiative to tangle with Ben Wallace, and He Zhongqiu, who returned to the basket from the right waist position, took the opportunity to grab the backcourt rebound.

He Zhongqiu came to the left wing and did not enter the penalty area at all. He took a position two and a half meters away from the left waist.

When Rasheed Wallace saw this, he immediately gave up on the double-team because it was impossible to leave the basket open.

Charlie Ward passed the ball immediately. After He Zhongqiu got the ball, he carried Ben Wallace with his left elbow, stood up and threw the ball towards the backboard with his right hand.

The next moment, Ben Wallace jumped up with all his strength to block the shot.

"be cheated!"

But as soon as he jumped up, he realized something was wrong because Wolverine still had the ball in his hand.

Unfortunately, it was too late when he discovered it. When he was falling, He Zhongqiu stood up again and threw the basketball towards the backboard with his right hand.

"Bang! Swoosh!"

The basketball flew in an arc to the upper left corner of the basket, bounced downward off the backboard and crashed into the basket.

"Beautiful! Mid-range two-point shot, very accurate." Zhang Heli praised happily.

"The fake moves are also very realistic." Xu Jicheng said with a smile.

"Ben Wallace can't defend Wolverine alone, whether under the basket or away from the basket," Yang Jian said.

Zhang Heli said: "Before Zhongqiu didn't have a mid-range shot, he could defend outside and prevent Zhongqiu from getting close to the penalty area.

But now it’s no longer possible. Zhongqiu’s mid-range shot has been trained. He is so short, and Zhongqiu also has fake moves, so it’s impossible to defend against him.”

Xu Jicheng smiled and said, "Ben Wallace might be better at defending the Sharks, after all, the Sharks don't have mid-range shots."

When Larry Brown saw the Knicks' attack, his heart sank.

A center with greater strength, explosiveness, jumping ability and mobility than O'Neal actually has the ability to shoot from mid-range. How can we defend against him?
If he faces O'Neal, he thinks he can defend against both Wallaces by preventing O'Neal from getting close to the basket, but how can he defend against Wolverine who has mid-range shooting skills now?
Next, He Zhongqiu used his 5-for-3 mid-range shooting to tell Larry Brown that your early double-team tactics are useless to me. I don’t need to force an attack under the basket or consume my physical strength to easily break your tactics.

"Phil, how are you going to defend against him?"

In a hotel in Minnesota, all the Lakers members were watching the Eastern Conference Finals together, and Kobe suddenly asked.

Phil Jackson did not answer the question immediately. His eyes hidden behind his glasses were staring at the TV. He looked calm on the surface, but there was a hint of shock deep in his eyes.

If we face the Knicks in the finals and Wolverine is also called out to play, will O'Neal be able to keep up?
He knew very well that the one who could follow up in that situation was not the current O'Neal, but the O'Neal during his Magic period.

If O'Neal is forced to follow out, with Wolverine's mobility and agility, and then breaks in to attack, will O'Neal still be able to return to defense?
Absolutely not possible, unless it was O'Neal during his Magic period.

In this situation, if the Postman Karl Malone is asked to defend the Wolverines, I am afraid the same thing will happen. The Postman with a serious knee injury will not be able to keep up with the rhythm of the Wolverines.

"Carl, if Shaq is penetrated, you must immediately return to the basket to defend." He slowly turned his head and looked at the mailman and said.

The Postman exhaled through his nose, nodded vigorously, and said, "For the championship, I will stop Wolverine."

There was a flash of disdain in Kobe's eyes, but no one noticed.

Everyone can brag, but he doesn't think the current Mailman can withstand Wolverine's cut-in dunk.

Wolverine's current impact force is definitely comparable to that of O'Neal in his prime. The Mailman will be knocked away, and perhaps one attack will cause the Mailman to be injured and leave the field.

His eyes returned to the television, half expecting Wolverine to launch an attack like that.

That is, first break through Ben Wallace, then cut in and dunk on Rasheed Wallace, letting Phil Jackson and the Mailman see how ridiculous their ideas are.

The Pistons called a timeout, and after the timeout, all the main players still came on the court.

The Knicks also replaced almost all of their main players, but Josh Howard, who performed well, was still on the court, but Wells did not come on.

After the Pistons made a shot, the point difference was reduced to 18 points, and then the Knicks attacked.

He Zhongqiu was positioning himself two meters away from the left waist, and the Pistons replaced him with Rasheed Wallace to defend him.

He received the ball with his back against Roaring Heavenly Master, and the moment he received the ball, he turned around and broke through with the ball.

"Don't even think about it."

Rasheed Wallace was blocked by He Zhongqiu on the offensive end today and had the ball intercepted several times. He was also powerless on the defensive end. This time he made a small move, secretly grabbing He Zhongqiu's jersey to try to stop him from breaking through.

But He Zhongqiu's first step was too fast and his explosive power was too strong. He failed to catch it and was still forced to break through.

"Big Ben, how can you stop me?"

He Zhongqiu rushed into the penalty area in the second step, took the third step while passing the ball, and after landing, he suddenly jumped up and flew towards Ben Wallace under the basket.

"I will never give in!"

Ben Wallace felt the huge pressure coming with the strong wind, and then he gritted his teeth and jumped to block the shot.

He knew very well that his chances of blocking shots were almost zero, because his defensive height was not enough to reach the Wolverine's ball, and blocking shots was never his strong point. But he didn't dare to quit. He was able to play in the league because of his tough defensive attitude. If he quit, someone would definitely call him a softie, and his career would be over.

The next moment, his left hand hit Wolverine's right arm holding the ball.

The next moment, the meteor hit the earth.

"boom!"

"Oh!"

He Zhongqiu swooped down, knocking Ben Wallace over with a terrifying impact force, and at the same time, he slammed the ball into the basket with one hand, pressing down Ben Wallace's hand.

"Oh ho!"

The whole audience was boiling, and countless people in Madison Square Garden stood up and cheered.

"How to prevent it?"

Kobe asked a second time in a hotel in Minnesota.

There was no other sound in the room except the sound from the TV.

Phil Jackson adjusted his glasses and looked at the Postman Malone with a stiff neck.

Ma Long's face was stiff, his eyes twitched, and he didn't say anything.

If it was him just now, he would have been knocked over by Wolverine in the same way.

Of course, he can also choose to knock Wolverine down with one elbow, and then... then he might be crippled by Wolverine, or have his neck torn open, like those vampires in Blade 3.

"How stupid! Why didn't I choose Wolverine?" He wanted to bang his head against the wall.

Behind the postman, Payton also looked very unhappy.

Beating the Timberwolves away made him very happy. It seemed that he saw the finals and the championship waving at him.

But can O'Neal really beat Wolverine, who has mastered mid-range shooting?
Judging from the postman's attitude, Phil Jackson could not see the belief that he could win.

He could see the belief in winning in Kobe anytime and anywhere. Even if the game was certain to be lost, Kobe would not admit defeat. This was what he admired about Kobe.

Between O'Neal and Kobe, he supports O'Neal more, but Kobe also has things he admires, especially this one.

"Kobe, what do you think if we play the Knicks in the Finals?" he asked.

Kobe snorted coldly: "Either defend Wolverine or defend Nash. As long as we can lock one of them, we will win."

Phil Jackson showed admiration in his eyes. When Kobe is not paranoid and horny, he is still full of wisdom.

At Madison Square Garden, Ben Wallace was substituted out.

Although he is like an iron man, he is not an iron man after all. He has injuries on his body. When he was knocked over, he injured his waist.

For someone like him who relies on his physical strength to play, his condition will plummet once an injury occurs.

With Ben Wallace's departure, the outcome of the game was decided.

More than an hour later, the Knicks won Game 1 at home.

And it was a landslide victory, 65:107, a 42-point win. The Pistons surrendered after three quarters, and the final quarter became garbage time.

After Mutombo left the game, he also left the game.

贺中秋三节打卡，28分钟之内19投12中，命中率63%，6罚5中，轰下29分9篮板4助攻5抢断3盖帽的数据。

He made 7 of 4 mid-range shots, accounting for 36.8% of his offense, and his shooting percentage was as high as 57.1%, which was higher than his close shot percentage today.

In addition, five Knicks players scored in double digits, including Nash with 17 points, Alan Houston with 16 points, Wells with 11 points, Josh Howard with 10 points, and Battier with 10 points.

This overwhelming victory made everyone on the Knicks ecstatic, as if they could see the finals just around the corner.

After the game, the Pistons' performance was criticized by the media, and many Detroit people scolded him on the Internet.

"It was a poor defensive performance. The Pistons completely failed to display their previous suffocating defensive energy. Larry Brown's tactics did not bring out the Pistons' defensive strength," ABC reported.

"Larry Brown's roar from the sidelines couldn't change the outcome. There was nothing he and his team could do against the Wolverines," The Washington Post reported.

"Rick Carlisle versus Larry Brown, the former wins," ESPN reported.

"The two Wallaces can't double-team the Wolverines who have mid-range shooting ability. The Pistons are bound to lose this series," reported the New York Times.

"In the middle shot, Wolverine has mastered the weapon of God." The New York Sports Daily reported.

"Mastering the throw-in mid-range jumper is the biggest improvement for the Wolverines so far, an incredible improvement." Los Angeles Times.

"Wolverine performed hidden weapon kung fu on the NBA All-Star Game. This is the secret of his unique throwing shot. We can name it Wolverine-style shooting, or hidden weapon shooting." Hollywood Reporter.

Larry Brown was under a lot of pressure. He didn't dare to sleep after returning to the hotel. He called a group of assistant coaches and spent the whole night studying defensive tactics.

In fact, before the Eastern Conference Finals, he had already studied every aspect of the Knicks and believed that there would be no problem in defeating the Knicks with this Pistons team.

But Wolverine shattered all his tactical arrangements with just one ability, and that was the mid-range shot.

It’s not that Wolverine didn’t have mid-range shots before, but they were few and their hit rate was low, so they were not a conventional weapon.

In all his tactical arrangements, there was no tactical deployment aimed at the Wolverines' mid-range shots.

But Wolverine took 7 mid-range shots in this game and made 4 of them.

Even if it's just because of a good touch and good luck, it's enough to show that Wolverine's mid-range shot has become his regular weapon.

Mid-range shot, God’s weapon.

The Wolverines, who have mid-range shots, are more difficult to deal with than before.

The key to being difficult to deal with is that it is difficult to double-team, because the Wolverines can retreat from the basket, making it more difficult for the double Wallaces to double-team.

"Double-team on the wing? Who should we use to double-team?"

He thought about it over and over again, until his eyes turned dark and his head ached.

Once the Wolverines move to the wing, they can only use three outside players to double-team if the two Wallaces cannot do so.

But can the thin outside line's double-teaming strength limit the Wolverines? Can the Wolverines pass the ball to the open Knicks players in the double-team?
"Coach Brown, I noticed that every time the Wolverines pulled to the wing for a mid-range shot, it was always the left wing, never the right wing once." An assistant coach reminded.

"What do you mean?" he asked, staring at the other person.

The assistant coach said, "And he only shot the mid-range shot with his right hand, not his left one."

Larry Brown was stunned and quickly started watching the video.

Sure enough, what his assistant coach said was right. The Wolverines' seven mid-range shots were all from the left wing and all with the right hand.

The assistant coach added: "I've studied it. In the close shooting area, he can hit the rebound with both hands, and the hit rate of his left hand is not lower than that of his right hand.

But in the mid-range area, whether he is only good at hitting the backboard with his right hand is possible at present, but more data support is needed. "

"I know, let's plan our tactics based on this first," said Larry Brown.

He knew what the assistant coach meant. Perhaps this was just a trap set by Wolverine. In fact, Wolverine might be equally good at rebounding with both hands in the mid-range shooting area.

He dared to conclude that the Wolverines did not use mid-range shots to rebound in the regular season and the first two rounds of the series on purpose, just to keep a trick up their sleeve.

Now, he may also hold back and deliberately create the illusion that he is not good at left-handed shooting in the mid-range area.

But in fact, he guessed partly wrong. He Zhongqiu's locust stone was only upgraded on April 4. He really didn't have a mid-range shot before that. It was not intentional.

But in the first two rounds of the playoffs, he did hold back and didn't use mid-range shots much.

Therefore, this finding still needs to be verified in the G2 game. If the Wolverines are really not good at left-handed shooting in the mid-range area, then targeted defense can be used.

(End of this chapter)