Chapter 219 Wolverine, it's your turn to step up
At this time, He Zhongqiu was being interviewed by ABC TV after the game.

"Wolverine, you broke your personal single-game scoring record in the playoffs, and scored seven two-plus-ones over the heads of the two Wallaces. How did you do all this?" the reporter asked excitedly.

"If I want to, I can do it."

He Zhongqiu wiped the sweat off his face with a towel and chuckled.

"Oh, Wolverine, can you be a little more humble? This will make the Pistons very sad." The reporter said with a smile.

"My job at the Knicks doesn't include making the Pistons happy. Making them sad is what I should do," He Zhongqiu said with a smirk.

"Ha ha……"

The reporter and the people around laughed.

"Have you ever thought about sweeping the Pistons?" the reporter suddenly asked.

He Zhongqiu was startled and shook his head, "The Pistons' defense is very strong. From the management to the coaching staff, it seems that they have never talked about sweeping the Pistons."

"Where are you?" the reporter asked.

He Zhongqiu thought about it, then said with a smile: "Sweeping the opponents in the series and completely crushing them is naturally a very satisfying thing."

One hour later, the post-match press conference was held.

There were only a few reporters in the Pistons' press conference hall, while the Knicks' hall was packed with people.

"Coach Larry Brown, what do you think of your and Rick Carlisle's performance in Game 1 and Game 2?" asked a reporter from the New York Times.

Larry Brown was so angry about this question that his head hurt. He said unhappily: "We were called for too many fouls tonight. Our defensive energy was limited and we couldn't play to our full potential. Important players were sent off too early. They were tied up."

"Coach Brown, I'm asking about your and Carlisle's performance, not the players' performance," the reporter reminded.

There was a burst of laughter from below, which was quite loud and embarrassed Larry Brown. His old face was dark and he said stiffly:

"There was nothing wrong with my tactics. When I found that our players could not limit the Wolverines, I immediately adjusted my defensive strategy.

We closed the gap in the second quarter, which shows that my tactical adjustment was correct.

But unfortunately, when our tactics worked, we got called for a few fouls in a row, and then we couldn't play to our full potential on the defensive end, which was not our fault."

"Do you think the call was unfair?"

The reporter immediately asked, like a shark smelling blood.

"NO, that's not what I meant."

Larry Brown is not stupid, on the contrary he is very smart.

He knew that the Knicks were the darling of the league. David Stern wanted to bring Michael Jordan, whose contract had expired, to the Knicks and was willing to break the rules to do so.

In David Stern's mind, the Los Angeles Lakers are no match for the Knicks. If he dares to criticize the Knicks' home whistle, the Pistons will suffer in the next game.

The next questioner was a reporter from the Washington Post, who asked, "Mr. Joe Dumars, do you think it was the right decision to change the Pistons' head coach?"

Joe Dumars calmly responded, "I trust Mr. Larry Brown, he's a very serious old coach."

"If the Pistons are eliminated by the Knicks again, will you change the head coach again during the offseason?" the reporter asked.

Joe Dumars smiled bitterly in his heart, I'm afraid it's not me who changed the head coach, but the boss who changed the general manager.

He pondered and said, “For the management, any change of head coach is actually very cautious.

Because the new head coach has his own requirements and technical and tactical ideas, this means that the team's tactical system and lineup may undergo major changes.

I believe in the coaching ability of Coach Larry Brown and I will continue to support him until we can be sure that there is really no future."

Larry Brown's expression was serious, Joe Dumars was openly knocking him.

He kind of regrets coming to the Pistons. If he had contacted the Knicks during the offseason, he might have coached the Wolverines.

On the 21st, the Western Conference Finals moved to Los Angeles.

The Knicks also arrived in Detroit that afternoon.

That night, the Lakers defeated the Timberwolves at home 89:100 and took a - lead.

The Lakers' five main players scored a total of 85 points, the OK combination scored 22 points each, and O'Neal got 22 free throw opportunities, and the home advantage was very obvious.

On the 22nd, the Iron Eagle King crew arrived in New York.

That night, Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals began.

In this game, the Pistons not only continued to implement the defensive strategy of double-teaming Nash, but the intensity of the defense was so high that it even reached the level of hand-to-hand combat.

When playing away games, Detroit fans were very crazy and the Knicks players were not in good shape, with the team's shooting percentage being only 37.5%.

He Zhongqiu also had a bad touch, missing many mid-range and close shots, and only got 21 points and 11 rebounds, with a hit rate of only 48.4%.

In the end, with the home advantage, the Pistons won Game 82 86:3.

On the 23rd, Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.

Timberwolves main point guard Cassell was injured and came on as a substitute, playing only 5 minutes.

The Lakers continued their efforts and defeated the Timberwolves at home with a score of 3-1, earning the match point to advance to the finals.

On the 24th, Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

At eight o'clock, the competition begins.

Knicks: Mutombo, He Zhongqiu, Shane Battier, Bonzi Wells, Nash
Detroit Pistons: Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, Prince, Richard Hamilton, Chauncey Billups
After the jump ball, the Knicks attacked.

The Pistons wanted to replicate their victory in Game 3, so Larry Brown deployed a half-court press tactic starting from the first second.

As soon as Nash crossed the center line, Billups immediately stepped forward to press, and then Hamilton and Prince on the left and right wings attacked from the sides, and Nash was caught off guard and lost the ball.

"Oh, the Pistons' three outside players took the opportunity to score on fast breaks and turned the Knicks' mistakes into points," said Michael Breen.

"At home, the Pistons' defense is clearly a level more aggressive than on the road," said Bill Walton.

At this time, Nash controlled the ball again and moved forward.

"Nash is very fast. He didn't give Billups a chance to press and he crossed the center line." Yang Jian kept explaining quickly.

He Zhongqiu did not settle in the low post, but stood in the left elbow area to prepare for Nash, with Rasheed Wallace defending below.

Nash successfully advanced to the frontcourt, continued to advance quickly downward from the middle, and when he reached the right waist position, he forced Ben Wallace under the basket to take a step out.

At this moment, He Zhongqiu in the left elbow area suddenly turned downward, used his elbow to push away Rasheed Wallace's hand, and quickly cut into the penalty area.

Nash threw the ball in front of He Zhongqiu and immediately stepped back.

"boom!"

He Zhongqiu took a step forward and jumped up, caught the ball with both hands in the air, and then made a one-handed windmill dunk, slamming the ball into the basket.

"Alley-oop dunk...windmill dunk! Beautiful!"

Yang Jian shouted excitedly: "Nash's breakthrough pass + Wolverine's open cut, the tactical coordination between the Knicks' core inside and outside players is very good."

After playing for half a quarter, Nash's condition was obviously better than in Game 3. When the Pistons double-teamed him, he assisted Battier and Wells once each, and made three assists in half a quarter.

14:9, the Knicks led by 5 points on the road, forcing the Pistons to call a timeout.

"It was difficult to restrict Nash today. Will the Pistons change their defensive strategy of double-teaming Nash?" asked Michael Breen.

"I'm afraid not, because it's harder to double-team Wolverine," said Tom Howard.

Bill Walton said: "Of the Knicks' 14 points, Battier scored 3, Wells scored 2, Nash scored 2, and Mutombo scored nothing.

Wolverine scored 7 points, 4 of 3 shots, missed a mid-range shot, and caused Rasheed to foul, made 1 of 1 free throws, and blocked Rasheed once. He was in good shape today, and the Pistons should not choose to double-team him. "

After the timeout, the game continues.

Larry Brown went all the way and continued to double-team Nash.

Like in Game 2, Nash reduced his personal offense, focused on passing the ball, and accelerated the offensive tempo, using speed and flexible changes of direction to break through, resolutely not giving the Pistons the opportunity to double-team him.

The Pistons were unable to defend against Nash's elusive passes and fell into a tactical passive position.

The effect was good, and the Knicks gradually widened the score on the road.

On the other hand, the home whistle of this game did not seem to be too obvious. In the first quarter, the Pistons made two excessive defensive moves against Nash and were called for defensive fouls.

After the first quarter, the Knicks led by 27 points, 18:9.

Larry Brown knew that he could not lose this game, otherwise the next game would be at the Knicks' home court, and he would most likely be eliminated.

Under tremendous pressure, he once again adjusted the defensive strategy that he had adhered to for two games and changed to double-teaming Wolverine He Zhongqiu.

Nash just wanted to laugh. Under the Pistons' crazy double-teaming, he had to expend a huge amount of energy to speed up the offensive rhythm. His physical energy reserves were already a problem, but he didn't expect the Pistons to stop double-teaming him.

In this way, Larry Brown made a crucial tactical mistake, which freed Nash when his physical strength was about to fail.

The double-team tactic against He Zhongqiu had already been proven in Game 1. The two Wallaces were simply unable to limit He Zhongqiu, who had a mid-range shot.

In the next game, Nash slowed down the pace and started to fight a positional battle with the Pistons.

Larry Brown did not adjust the tactics, he did not see Nash's physical problems.

Because in his opinion, the Pistons' defensive system is more suitable for positional warfare. If they continue to double-team Nash, Nash will definitely continue to play a fast-paced offense.

Just like that, due to the wrong defensive tactics, the Pistons lost the crucial second home court, and the Knicks won the finals qualifying point with a big score of 3 to 1.

He Zhongqiu scored 33 points and 12 rebounds in this game, with a shooting percentage of 62.5%.

On the 25th, it is the game day of Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.

That afternoon, the Knicks returned to New York.

He Zhongqiu went to the hotel where the Iron Eagle King crew was staying. Johnson and Charlize Theron were there, as well as director Toro, action directors Yuan Heping and Lin Dian, Wu Jing and Zhang Jin, and others.

That night, the Timberwolves defeated the Lakers at home 96:98. The two sides were tied - and the Lakers still had a match point.

On the 26th, Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

In the evening, Madison Square Garden is star-studded.

In this game, the Pistons were forced into a corner and had no way out, and neither did Larry Brown.

He arranged a three-two zone defense and no longer double-teamed a fixed person, but only double-teamed the person with the ball.

From the beginning of the game, the Pistons' defensive intensity reached its highest level, even higher than in G3 and G4. Their actions were so aggressive that they didn't care about the referee at all.

In the first three minutes, Nash fell twice. Once he was knocked down by Billups while defending, and once he was squeezed down while breaking through, but the referee did not blow the whistle.

"It shouldn't be a fake fall. Just like the Pistons in Game 4, the Knicks' home whistle didn't seem obvious today." Zhang Heli said thoughtfully.

"The alliance needs to make money, it's not shameful." Xu Jicheng suddenly said.

"Ha ha……"

Zhang Heli and Yang Jian burst into laughter.

In the ABC commentary booth nearby, Bill Walton and the other two looked over here curiously.

In the 9th minute, the official timeout began.

Under the Pistons' suffocating defense, Battier made 2 of 0 shots, Wells made 4 of 1 shots, and Nash made 3 of 1 shots. They all had poor outside shooting and missed some shots, making only 9 of 2 shots.

In the interior, Mutombo made a second attack, He Zhongqiu made 6 of 4 shots and 1 of 1 free throws, scoring 9 points.

Fortunately, the Pistons' energy was mainly consumed on the defensive end, and their offense was even worse. He Zhongqiu blocked two shots, and the Knicks were still leading by 14 point at 15:1.

After the pause, both sides entered the main rotation stage.

Mutombo went off the court, but He Zhongqiu couldn't leave and had to continue playing.

The Pistons replaced Rasheed Wallace with Campbell, who partnered with Ben Wallace in the interior, but fouled when they couldn't hold on.

After the first quarter, the Knicks led by 17 points, 21:4.

In the last three minutes, while Rasheed Wallace was away, He Zhongqiu attacked the basket with all his strength, made 1 of 1 shots and 4 of 3 free throws, scoring 5 points, 14 points in the whole quarter, and also stole the ball from Campbell once.

After the start of the second quarter, the Pistons continued their toughest defense, and even He Zhongqiu was knocked over once by the two Wallaces under the basket.

Such fierce defense really scared the Knicks. Even Wells, who played with an aggressive style of play, seemed afraid to rush in.

Nash has fallen four times, but was called for the Pistons' poor defense only once. There are still the finals to come, and he is afraid of getting injured, so he dare not go in.

In the 8th minute of the second quarter, the score was 32:32, and the Pistons tied the score and stopped the Knicks.

"Out of 32 points, Zhongqiu scored 20 points alone, making 9 of 6 shots and 9 of 8 free throws. The other players lost their touch and the team's shooting percentage was only 33%," said Yang Jian.

Zhang Heli analyzed: "The Pistons' defense is like a millstone, grinding everyone's touch to pieces. The Pistons' own offense is just so-so, with a hit rate of only 34%."

Xu Jicheng said: "Today's home whistle was indeed not very obvious. Only Zhongqiu's whistle was good. Other Knicks players did not get any whistles and had very few free throws."

Zhang Heli laughed and said, "The Pistons don't have many whistles."

In front of the Knicks bench, Rick Carlisle squatted in front of He Zhongqiu and said, "Wolverine, the Pistons are fighting hard, so we have to fight too. Others can't make shots. You are the leader, you have to stand up. I hope you can absorb more shots."

"it is good."

He Zhongqiu nodded heavily.

Rick Carlisle said: "Now both of us have a shooting percentage of less than 40%, Wolverine, what does this mean?"

He Zhongqiu thought for a moment and said, "It means that as long as the hit rate of the extra shots I digest reaches 40%, we can win."

"That's it."

Rick Carlisle nodded repeatedly in appreciation, and then said to Nash and others: "Next, you guys start playing, first pass the ball to Wolverine.

After the Wolverines attract the defense, you will have more space, the defensive pressure you face will be reduced, and then you can shoot. "

"OK."

Everyone nodded quickly.

Rick Carlisle then said to He Zhongqiu: “Wolverine, if other players can’t make shots, the Pistons’ defense will probably focus on you.

So your hit rate is likely to drop significantly, but as long as it reaches 40%, you should shoot boldly. "

He then said to others: "The Pistons' defense is too strong, so we should defend in the same way. We must make sure that they can't attack. This is the premise.

Gentlemen, remember this: when everyone's offense is down, we have a Wolverine, but they don't."

On the Pistons bench, Larry Brown saw hope of winning and said sternly: "Our defensive tactics are effective. We must continue to double-team the ball handler."

He thought that he had made a mistake in the first four games, either double-teaming Wolverine or double-teaming Nash, which was actually wrong.

But until now in tonight's game, he realized what real zone defense is.

The real zone defense is to double-team the ball handler. Whoever has the ball will be double-teamed, making every attack of the Knicks fall into the quagmire of defense.

(End of this chapter)