Nine Hundred and Seventy-Eight. The Blindfold Is in Place!
Sun Ce knew long ago that it was not a good idea to rely on the speed of a center to beat Yao Ming. Howard, who has such physical fitness and runs so fast, was beaten every time he met Yao Ming. Sun Ce checked the record of Yao Ming and Howard's matchups.
Currently, Yao Ming has won 11 games and Howard has won 3 games. The cruelest thing is that Yao Ming played 36 minutes per game against Howard, while Howard, who has such good physical strength, could only play 34 minutes per game. Yao Ming averaged 225 points and 105 rebounds per game, with a hit rate of 57%, while Howard averaged 11+9 per game, with a hit rate of 45%.
Did Van Gundy not know to use Howard's speed to deal with Yao Ming? Obviously, it is impossible not to know. Sun Ce has not played with the Magic team and does not know why it does not work, but it can be guessed that it is because Yao Ming's success rate in this style of play is too high.
The Magic are similar to the Grizzlies. They don't have a lineup that can always start a fast break. Perhaps it's related to the lack of a good run-and-gun organizer, but the most important thing is that Howard can't defend Yao Ming, and he still can't defend him even though he tried his best and consumed more energy than usual.
Using run-and-gun to deal with Yao Ming, who has his current teammates, is not a success, but it is definitely not a failure. At least it is evenly matched, because they are definitely more efficient than Howard in counterattacks, after all, they have the guard combination of Nash and Sun Ce.
Moreover, Sun Ce's vision is not just on this game, but the entire series!
Even if they lose the second game, as long as the overall goal is in place, their hope of winning later will be greater and greater.
Moreover, they haven't lost yet, they are still leading by 1 point, although they are worried that the score is still close to Nowitzki at the critical moment. If he explodes, no one can compete with Nowitzki on the key ball.
But the game was less than 9 minutes in,
it's too early to worry about these things, just take it one step at a time.
Of course, adjustments must be made.
After Sun Ce and Nash discussed with Coach Hollins, they adjusted the run-and-gun. Now it should not be called run-and-gun, but defensive counterattack!
…
After the timeout, Sun Ce and Nash, Klay Thompson, Yi Jianlian, and Aaron Gray played.
Tonight, the Grizzlies put Ridnour on the inactive list and let Aaron Gray play, just to have a big center to hold up Yao Ming when Gasol rested.
The Mavericks did not make any substitutions, and the 4 attacks were very easy. Conley, Delonte West, Marion, Brandon Knight, and Yao Ming continued to play.
Yao Ming went to the free throw line and made both free throws. Sun Ce picked up the ball and passed it to Nash. Nash pushed forward at a fast pace and waited for his teammates to get into position.
After Nash reached the frontcourt, Yi Jianlian pulled out from under the basket. Brandon Knight followed him out and was firmly blocked by Aaron Gray who crossed over. Yi Jianlian used the pick-and-roll to cross the three-second zone and ran to the right side of the three-second zone. This was within the range where Yao Ming could expand out and shrink back to the basket. Yao Ming immediately followed. Yi Jianlian, who had a 45.7% long two-point shooting rate and 17 long two-point shots per game in his rookie year, has a stable team and stable playing time. Although he is not a mid-range expert, he is better than Gasol if we don’t consider his comprehensive ability and only look at his scoring methods and efficiency. Otherwise, there would not be so many opportunities for counter-running and empty cutting. He just relied on the containment of the outside line to pull the opponent out and then cut in with his athletic ability.
However, when Yao Ming followed Yi Jianlian to the right side of the three-second zone, Yi Jianlian ran out not to catch the ball and shoot himself, nor to screen for Nash, but to screen for Yi Jianlian who cut in!
Sun Ce used Yi Jianlian's screen to get rid of Marion's entanglement and rushed to the basket. If Yi Jianlian ran back, Yao Ming could barely keep up, after all, he would not expand too far, but Sun Ce cut in and Yao Ming could not keep up.
Sun Ce rushed into the basket, and the ball passed by Nash was just in place. It was a very good pass prediction. Sun Ce received the ball, and Brandon Knight did not come up to defend. Sun Ce jumped on the spot and gently put the ball into the basket.
Yao Ming shook his head and ran to the frontcourt. This ball was his fault. He should let Yi Jianlian go. Giving Sun Ce and Yi Jianlian a chance to shoot mid-range shots was better than being cut into the inside by Sun Ce.
Sun Ce's dunks under the basket are too intimidating. Except for Chandler and Yao, no one else including Mahinmi can stand it.
Although Sun Ce's mid-range shots are also very powerful, averaging 48 mid-range shots + mid-range hooks in the regular season, in terms of deterrence, with the skill of Overlord Dunk and the explosive impact force increased to A+ level, the opponent's inside line is very reluctant to let Sun Ce enter the basket.
Look, Brandon Knight doesn't dare to press on.
After Yao Ming came to the frontcourt, he continued to drop to the low post. Yi Jianlian did not double-team him, so he used Aaron Gray to defend him.
He still failed to defend, but Aaron Gray had enough weight to defend. Although he did not have the defensive skills of Gasol, he had more weight than Gasol. He just held on and did not jump. Yao Ming turned over, stood on his tiptoes and shot... It was still very stable, and he made a close-range shot.
But it took more effort than playing against Jordan. For Yao Ming, it was much easier to roll in and dunk than to turn over.
Just when Yao Ming made the shot, Yi Jianlian, who was blocking Brandon Knight on the other side of the three-second zone and preparing to rush for the rebound, immediately picked up the ball and passed it to Nash, and then Yi Jianlian rushed to the opposite side.
Four people fast break!
The Mavericks, from Conley to Brandon Knight, retreated quickly. The Grizzlies went to the frontcourt 4 vs. 4. Nash didn't have the chance to score as easily as in the first three rounds, such as making a shot and passing a three-pointer to Klay Thompson.
But playing fast offense is definitely easier for Nash than playing positional warfare. Nash found an opportunity in the offense-defense transition and passed the ball to Yi Jianlian. Yi Jianlian attracted Marion and Brandon Knight's double-teaming and hung on the right sideline during the cut. Sun Ce took the ball and took a step forward, and took a long two-point shot... hit!
Although the Grizzlies changed to a 4-man fast break, the Mavericks' defense was well disciplined and there was no panic. They clearly understood Carlisle's defensive strategy, mainly blocking the basket and three-pointers, and 4 defending 4 was obviously easier to defend than 4 defending 5. Nash and Klay Thompson were blocked very tightly, and now it depends on Sun Ce's mid-range shot.
From the last 3 minutes of the first quarter to the first 4 minutes of the second quarter, the Grizzlies insisted on playing the same style when Yao Ming was on the court. They would not fall into positional battles if they could avoid it, and they would stick to single defense on the defensive end.
In the fast break counterattack, Sun Ce would shoot whenever he had the chance. If he had the chance to screen and roll for Nash or Klay Thompson, he would also do it, trying to do his best in 4 vs. 4.
When Yao Ming had the energy to play singles, he was still unstoppable, and his efficiency in mid-range shooting was higher than Sun Ce's.
But he couldn't play singles all the time. When Yao Ming played two or three, he had to slow down. Conley and Brandon Knight began to use Yao Ming's mid-range shooting threat to play pick-and-roll cooperation.
Every time Yao Ming rested, the Grizzlies created a little lead, but they were unable to pull away.
At 4:06 in the second quarter, the Mavericks made a substitution, with Barea, Jason Terry, DeShawn Stevenson, Nowitzki, and Chandler on the court.
The Grizzlies also made a substitution, with Sun Ce, Tony Allen, Paul George, Randolph, and Gasol on the court.
Sun Ce's offensive efforts today were no less desperate than in the previous game. So far, he has played for 16 minutes, 6 of 11 shots, including 1 of 3 three-pointers, 1 of 2 free throws, and scored 14 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal. His performance was very good, helping the team to only lag behind the Mavericks by one point with a score of 32 to 33 after playing for 16 minutes.
In the next 10 minutes, Sun Ce scored 12 points, helping the Grizzlies to survive the 10 minutes when Yao Ming was on the court, and scored 18 to 20. Although they were two points behind, the Grizzlies had the ball next.
Since the Grizzlies have mainly used Aaron Gray to consume Yao Ming on defense since the second half of the first quarter, and have tried to play fast breaks on offense, Sun Ce's defense consumption is smaller, and he estimates that he can play the entire first half.
Watching the Mavericks' 5-on-5-off, Sun Ce felt that many old coaches in the league had learned bad things, and he didn't know who came up with the 5-on-5-off trick, which was too annoying.
…
After the timeout, the Mavericks started the offense with Barea + Chandler's pick-and-roll as the core of the offense, Jason Terry's singles, Nowitzki's containment, and DeShawn Stevenson's catch-and-shoot.
Compared to the Mavericks' starting lineup today, this lineup is better in offense, but much worse in defense. Only the inside defense is good, and the death double dwarfs of Barea and Jason Terry on the outside have strong offensive firepower, but the defense is much worse.
In the last 8 minutes of the first half, Sun Ce got 6 high-post or low-post post-up opportunities. He played high-post post-up against DeShawn Stevenson, and went to the low post if he encountered a switch defense against Barea and Jason Terry. He made 3 of 5 shots, 2 of 2 free throws, and a three-pointer with 24 seconds left after Randolph's pass. Sun Ce scored 11 points in 8 minutes, helping the team score 19 points in the last 8 minutes of the second quarter.
The defense against the Mavericks was not as good as in the first half of the first quarter, and the Mavericks scored 17 points, but the Grizzlies played better on offense.
After the first half, with Nash's 4-man fast break, Gasol's hard work in passing the ball and making mid-range shots, the whole team's hard work in implementing the defensive strategy, and Sun Ce's performance of playing 24 minutes in the first half and getting 25 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal, the Grizzlies led the Mavericks by 1 point with 51 to 50 and entered the halftime break.
……
Back in the locker room, Sun Ce went to the bathroom immediately, exhausted!
On the defensive side, due to the opponent's tactical adjustments and on-the-spot adjustments, the Grizzlies had to implement the consumption plan again, and the defense was not as good as the previous game.
Fortunately, the offensive end played better, and it was the kind of good that Sun Ce wanted!
He scored 25 points in the first half, and he didn't need to allocate physical strength to selectively attack like other players. His playing style is similar to Kobe who was two or three years younger. He worked hard when he had the chance and didn't care about physical strength at all.
Of course, if there were no unexpected circumstances, he would be useless after halftime if he played like this, and the Mavericks would be happy.
Sun Ce sat on the toilet in a cubicle and took a breath. He also realized that the Mavericks wanted to play slowly and wear down their spirit.
But this was relative. The Grizzlies also wanted to consume the physical strength of several Mavericks veterans.
And Sun Ce also realized that no matter Yao Ming, Nowitzki or Jason Terry, they no longer had the ability to widen the gap with a single attack like in last season's playoffs.
It is true that their overall performance is not inferior to last season, but the explosive scoring ability is gone. For example, Yao Ming no longer has the explosive ability to help the Mavericks narrow the gap to less than 10 points after three quarters when he was 15 points behind the Trail Blazers and help Nowitzki create a super performance in the fourth quarter. Jason Terry no longer has the explosive ability to make 8 three-pointers in a single game.
It is hard to say about Nowitzki, but in the fourth quarter of the last game, when Sun led the team to overtake the score, Nowitzki failed to stand up immediately. It was only after Carlisle called a timeout in the last 55 seconds that he arranged a catch-and-shoot three-pointer tactic for Nowitzki. Nowitzki tied the score, and then Jason Terry made a near-game winning shot.
After the half, Sun Ce felt that the strategy they implemented was correct, and the targeted discussions from yesterday noon to today noon were not in vain.
But that is all later. Now Sun Ce needs to explode and win this game!
He knew that the Mavericks were definitely betting on whether he could play the same performance in the second half as he did in the first half. After all, he had a fierce performance in the previous game and was targeted in the next game.
With such a possibility, the Mavericks must try.
Sun Ce knew that the Grizzlies had a high lower limit because of their strong overall lineup. If they had not met the Lakers, the Mavericks and the Bulls in advance, they would have no problem reaching the Western Conference Finals.
But the only one who raised the upper limit was him!
He fought so hard in the first half of these two games just to raise the team's upper limit, so that the team would have real championship-level strength. It was just that the Mavericks were too strong. They were also championship-level teams, so the last game plus the first half of this game were evenly matched.
Looking at the prop space, Sun Ce considered which card to use.
Lin's opponent player card may be a pitfall. If you get the lonely god randomly... S-level point guard card, this is definitely one of Sun Ce's best star experience cards at present, but it's not a life-and-death game yet. If you use it in advance and really encounter difficulties, it will be difficult.
Sun Ce gritted his teeth. Although the team's consumption strategy was well executed, they must win tonight, otherwise it would be miserable to go to the away game with a 0-2 deficit. If they really lose the third game by accident, they will be finished.
Sun Ce made a decision-now he can only use the turtle card instead!
The current Westbrook is definitely not as good as Rose who has the strength to impact VP, but this is the only way. Originally, Sun Ce wanted to collect four turtle cards and exchange them for the blessing of Magic or Payton.
But now he can only use it. The poor version of Rose is the poor version. In the first half, he ran and played high-post backs with his life and made 5 mid-range shots. The threat has emerged. Now he just needs to attack the basket!
Take out the eye mask you got from Zugoose before returning to the lounge and put it on...
"Master of the learning machine, use the Westbrook star experience card!"