Chapter 1397 1396. Misunderstanding

Garnett, Ben Wallace, and Big Z rotate inside, and their defense is extremely strong. They can defend against people and assist.

On the Hawks side, Kwame Brown and Marion's inside combination, plus Liu Mang's assist, and Battier, McGrady, Rondo, and Granger, who defend seriously against the Bulls, are also very good on the outside.

Marion is indeed two levels behind Garnett on the defensive end, but his switching ability is better. He can defend the power forward and switch to the point guard position. His swing ability on the defensive end is a little stronger. His role is not as strong as Garnett, but he cooperates with Liu Mang. The two top mobile assists, coupled with Kwame Brown, the meat shield under the basket, and the Hawks' high-speed rotation defense system, barely compete with the Bulls on the defensive side.

As the game progresses, the two teams have a better understanding of each other's offensive tactics, and their defense is becoming more and more disciplined... This makes the game... more and more ugly.

In the East, except for those tank teams that are ranked at the bottom of the list with poor offense and defense, the Bulls' games can be said to be the ugliest. They are iron-blooded. If it weren't for Garnett's many fans, the Bulls would probably become a team that David Stern hates, just like the Pistons in the original time and space.

Even the game against the Hawks was so ugly, so you can imagine how ugly the Bulls' iron-blooded play is usually.

The score continued to fall. Because Liu Mang and his teammates and the coaching staff were ready to defend the Bulls in this game, they studied it for a long time and were very active. In addition, the Bulls' offense was outside, and the inside was blocked by Liu Mang, Marion, Kwame Brown and others, so they really defended the Bulls.

The Bulls were also well prepared and defended the Hawks.

At the end of the first quarter, the Hawks led the Bulls by two points, 17 to 15...

There was no big change in the second quarter. Jason Terry was replaced from the eighth minute of the first quarter to the tenth minute of the second quarter. He only made two shots and scored 5 points...

Liu Mang made 4 of 11 shots in the first half, only scored 11 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 blocks. The Hawks only scored 36 points in the first half.

The Bulls also only scored 37 points in the first half. The highest scorer was Chris Duhon, who came off the bench and scored 10 points in the first half.

But in the second quarter, the Bulls clearly had the upper hand. After all, the Hawks only played like this occasionally, while the Bulls were the first defensive team in the new century, limiting their opponents' average points per game to less than 85. They played like this every day. As time went on, the Bulls, who were more adapted to this style of play, began to gain the upper hand.

In the second quarter, the Bulls scored 22 to 19 in a single quarter, overtaking by one point into the halftime break.

...

Impeccable!

Today, the Hawks' defense was exceptional, and there was nothing wrong with it.

As for the offense... Coach Kruger could only wait for his players to score if they couldn't make a shot.

In the first half, the Hawks made 16 of 41 shots, mainly because they couldn't score.

When they came back from the halftime break, Coach Kruger didn't send Rondo on the court. Although his defense was better, Rondo's offense was worse under the defense of the two teams.

The Hawks sent out a rotation of Blake, Liu Mang, Battier, David Lee, and Kwame Brown.

On the Bulls side, Garnett stayed on the court, Chris Duhon and Sefolosha, who performed well in the first half, stayed on the court, and Big Z was replaced at the center position. Veteran Adrian Griffin replaced British Jordan, who was almost broken by McGrady on both offense and defense today.

In the third quarter, the Hawks attacked first, and Battier came over and missed a three-pointer from the bottom corner.

When it was the Bulls' turn to attack, with Liu Mang, Battier, and Kwame Brown, the defense was still very strong against the Bulls' offense with a rotating lineup.

Battier's single defense, Liu Mang's assist defense, and Kwame Brown's defense under the basket were all done very well.

Garnett chose to ask for the ball when he couldn't play the running tactics on the offensive end at the beginning of the third quarter, and singled out David Lee, but his turnaround jump shot missed, and Kwame Brown beat Big Z to grab the defensive rebound.

Liu Mang received the ball from Kwame Brown and immediately gave it to Blake. After Liu Mang ran to the frontcourt, he went to the high position on the left side of the free throw line to ask for the ball from Sefolosha.

Du Hong saw Liu Mang go to the high position with his back to the body, and unconsciously began to take a step back, preparing to assist defense. Garnett, who was near the left baseline, also had the tendency to move to the high position to assist defense.

Generally speaking, when a backup point guard meets a star player asking for the ball, he will definitely pass it over immediately.

But Blake didn't... He calmly looked at the opponent's position, and while Liu Mang's back-to-the-basket action attracted the opponent's defensive attention, he started the "lightning step"!

Blake rushed to the basket and shot a one-step shot from the free throw line...

Hit!

Blake, who had no breakthrough ability, used his "slow" breakthrough steps to get two points.

The Bulls didn't expect Blake to attack on his own. Whether it was in the Wizards, Bucks, or now in the Hawks, Blake's scoring was mainly open shots, and there was almost no breakthrough. Therefore, the Bulls didn't pay attention to him. They were all guarding against Kwame Brown's cut-in, David Lee might go to Liu Mang's high pick-and-roll, and Battier's bottom corner three-pointer. Blake's breakthrough score was beyond the Bulls' expectations!

38 to 37, relying on Blake's sudden breakthrough and jump shot, the Hawks overtook by one point.

This ball... Overtaking is secondary. There is still half a game. Overtaking by one point now does not mean that they can still lead by one point at the end.

But this ball gave Liu Mang a great revelation!

The human brain has a habit of thinking deeply about things that have been done successfully. For things that cannot be solved, they will be placed behind things that are easier to solve.

The last time the Hawks played the Bulls, they were broken into the Bulls' rhythm, but this time, it was the Hawks who took the initiative to enter the Bulls' rhythm and grind the Bulls' defense.

Obviously, it was an unwise choice to compete with the Bulls on defense. In the second quarter, they were gradually suppressed by the Bulls.

And whether it was Liu Mang or the Hawks coaching staff, after seeing the effect on the defensive end, they adjusted the defensive end. It was indeed difficult to get better from the tactical aspect on the offensive end, and they could only start from personal ability. So Liu Mang was ready to use mid-range singles in the third quarter to help himself or his teammates create opportunities.

But in this way, there was no difference from the first half. The offensive end could not run, and they could not play team tactics, so they could only grind positional battles.

However, Blake suddenly made a quick shot, which made Liu Mang feel something different!

This is what Rondo can't give, experience and big heart!

Faced with the Bulls' defense, Rondo didn't dare to shoot, but Blake dared to break through and throw, just like the one in Liu Mang's memory who was called "Flash" when facing the league's top shooting guard!

When the Bulls attacked, Big Z raised his head and shot high, causing David Lee, who was defending, to foul and go to the free throw line.

Both free throws were made, and the Bulls overtook the score 39 to 38.

Just as Big Z made the free throw, Liu Mang immediately asked Kwame Brown under the basket for the ball.

Kwame Brown quickly retreated and passed the ball to Liu Mang. Liu Mang received the ball at the three-point line and quickly advanced to the frontcourt.

Except for Big Z, the other four players of the Bulls retreated quickly. When Liu Mang arrived at the frontcourt, Garnett, Duhon, and Sefolosha had already retreated to their positions. Sefolosha blocked Liu Mang's way to the three-point line. Liu Mang made an Iverson-style large change of direction, leaving Sefolosha behind and going straight to the inside.

At this time, Du Hong and Garnett had already secured their positions. Liu Mang's movements slowed down and he took the steps of human creeping essence. Garnett was hiding from Liu Mang's foul and concentrating on judging the moment when Liu Mang really shot. But Du Hong was a little impatient and jumped up to block the shot!

Liu Mang took the first step and was about to change direction in the second step when he saw Du Hong jumping up and decisively rubbed up...

"Ding... Level 5 of the Master of Touching Porcelain was triggered. The host's chance of fouling the referee for this time has increased significantly..."

"Beep..."

The referee's whistle and the system prompt came together. The referee was a little hesitant about whether it was a normal foul or a shooting foul. Liu Mang made a temporary foul action and did not have a clear shooting action in his hand.

But in the end, he still gave two free throws.

"That's it!" Liu Mang found that he had fallen into a misunderstanding before!

Liu Mang tried many ways to limit Garnett, and many of them didn't work, such as fouling. After Garnett was prepared, it was not easy to foul him.

From a technical perspective, Liu Mang thinks that Garnett is indeed a unique talent in NBA history.

Playing team defense with Garnett... Prince couldn't match him before, let alone now.

It's better to stick to your normal style of play. Of course, you have to try your best on the defensive end, but there's no need to grind with the opponent on the offensive end.

Indeed, with the Bulls' defense, the Hawks may not have a high success rate in offense, but grinding... the efficiency is just as poor. In this case, it's better to choose the offensive style that your team is better at.

At least you can't be restricted by the Bulls everywhere, and you can't be led by them!

Before Liu Mang's free throw, he called his teammates together, gave a few instructions, and then went to the free throw line. He made both free throws, 40 to 39, and the Hawks overtook again by 1 point.

Liu Mang didn't know whether his idea was right or not, but he had to try it. Otherwise, facing the Bulls' defense, it would be like entering a dead end. He had to try it.

After Liu Mang made tactical adjustments, the Bulls felt that the Hawks' style of play had changed significantly.

If the Bulls shot from mid-range or long-range, Liu Mang would immediately counterattack, and Kwame Brown and David Lee would compete for defensive rebounds. If the Bulls scored, it would be another matter. If they didn't, Liu Mang could counterattack.

Of course, the Bulls were not so easy to deal with. Liu Mang didn't score directly from counterattacks very often, and his scoring efficiency was not qualitatively improved compared to the first half.

But...

At least, the Hawks' offense followed their own rhythm!

If the Hawks stayed in position, the Bulls could defend easily, but Liu Mang rushed forward without caring about anything. Not to mention the Bulls, Liu Mang himself didn't know what offensive choice he would make until the last moment of shooting, and it all depended on his on-the-spot reaction.

Apart from anything else, Liu Mang's random rushes made the game much more interesting from the scene.

After Blake's perhaps subconscious breakthrough layup, the Hawks made a very positive change. Coach Kruger also understood this after seeing Liu Mang's accelerated counterattack brought some different feelings. Rondo, McGrady, and Jason Terry, who rotated into the game, mainly launched counterattacks after defense.

Although the Hawks played very averagely on offense because of the Bulls' strong defense, Liu Mang scored 11 points in the third quarter, while the Hawks only scored 23 points. At the end of the three quarters, they tied with the Bulls at 59, but at least... Liu Mang ran and played, threw more and counterattacked more, and slowly got a feel for the game!

...

The game entered an uncontrollable situation!

Garnett felt that he had lost control of the game!

They did make the Hawks only score 59 points in three quarters, and they defended very well, but starting from the third quarter, I don't know when it started in the third quarter, Garnett felt that he had lost control of the game, and he didn't have the feeling of holding the game in the first half today and the last time he played against the Hawks.

22 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 blocks, 1 steal.

Liu Mang's statistics in the three quarters looked impressive, but the Bulls actually defended very well. Liu Mang scored 22 points and took 21 shots in total, only 7 of 21 shots. They restricted Liu Mang's three-pointers very well. Liu Mang only forced two three-pointers in three quarters, and Liu Mang only got 6 free throws.

But... even if the Bulls defended so well, limiting Liu Mang and the other players of the Hawks, who only scored 37 points in three quarters, the Bulls did not have the feeling of winning as before.

...

After the break, the atmosphere of both teams was very tense.

In the crucial fourth quarter, the two teams scored the same points and returned to the same starting line, and the final showdown was about to begin.

On the Hawks side, the strongest lineup of Liu Mang, Jason Terry, McGrady, Marion, and Kwame Brown played.

On the Bulls side, Hinrich and Luol Deng are back. Nocioni is indeed not as talented as Sefolosha. In the crucial fourth quarter, rookie Sefolosha got a chance to play, and the inside line was replaced by the super inside defense combination of Garnett and Ben Wallace.

Liu Mang watched Hinrich push forward and wiped the sweat from his palms on his trouser legs.

After fighting to this extent, if they can't win in the last quarter, it will definitely hurt the morale of the team. But if they win, they will have more confidence when they meet the Bulls next time!

It feels like a do-or-die battle.

Liu Mang glanced behind him from time to time. Sure enough, Garnett had moved over when Hinrich approached the three-point line. There was no need for Hinrich to pick and roll, Garnett took the initiative to block.

Liu Mang was ready to switch defense to Garnett, while Marion was ready to switch defense to defend against Hinrich's breakthrough after the pick-and-roll...

Who knew that Hinrich would use Liu Mang and Garnett as "gun racks", go one step inside the three-point line, and throw it directly!

Hinrich made a long two-pointer, a Stockton-style pick-and-roll offense!