Chapter 1491 1490. Sniper Kills the Super Center!
It was Liu Mang who called the timeout!
Diligent Shark is not a joke. If O'Neal is as diligent as Duncan in his career, he will have no problem playing for 20 years. Liu Mang has always felt this way. However, if he is Diligent Shark, he can only be a thin version of O'Neal. It is too difficult for this body type to be diligent and healthy.
O'Neal was thin during the Magic period, and his mobility was better than those tall and thin centers with physical fitness. In his more than ten years of professional career, O'Neal's second and third highest average points per game were in his sophomore and junior years; his highest average rebounds per game of 13.9 was in his rookie season, and his highest average blocks per game of 3.5 was also in his rookie season. That was when he was the thinnest when he entered the NBA, and it was also the time when he could run the most and worked the hardest. But at that time, he did not have a particularly strong dominance. His regular season data often exploded, and his playoff data dived sharply compared to the regular season.
But when the Lakers became fat, O'Neal's regular season data was not as good as the Magic period, but his playoff data soared compared to the regular season, and he played an average of 30+ points per game in the playoffs, which had never been played in the Magic period, and the finals were a level stronger than the playoffs...
Hardworking O'Neal can easily lose weight, just like he lost 4 kilograms, nearly 10 pounds, last summer. But if O'Neal had worked so hard from the beginning, he might have fewer injuries, but at the same time, if O'Neal had been working hard and losing weight, he would not have such a strong dominance.
You can't have your cake and eat it too, and O'Neal is most praised for his ability to fly and play at a weight of more than 140 kilograms, and he has played for so many seasons. At the age of 36, he is still rated as one of the top three centers in the league.
Look at Yao Ming, who weighs 138 kilograms and dares not to increase his weight to 140 kilograms, and look at Gasol, who also weighs 138 kilograms...
"Boss, do we really want to do that?" Kwame Brown asked with relief but a little shame when he saw Liu Mang call a timeout.
"Then you should continue to defend O'Neal, who is in the best condition and has the most physical strength after losing four kilograms at the beginning of the season!"
"..." Kwame Brown was tongue-tied and didn't know how to respond, so he simply walked to the bench and sat down.
Liu Mang felt that Rasheed Wallace was more interesting in some aspects and could bicker with him, but Kwame Brown had the advantages of Kwame Brown and was also a very interesting teammate.
In addition to the Suns players who were confused, Hawks assistant coach Van Gundy didn't know what to say. He thought Liu Mang was joking when he said this in the morning tactical meeting, but he didn't expect that he would call a timeout after only one round!
Seeing Coach Kruger's expression of interest in that matter, Van Gundy could only get up and arrange the defense...
...
The 20-second short timeout was quick, and the Hawks quickly arranged it.
After the timeout, the Hawks had a sideline ball, and McGrady passed the ball to Rondo.
The people present saw a fat guy came to the baseline and stood with O'Neal.
The Hawks only changed one person, replacing Kwame Brown with rookie Marc Gasol.
Gasol stood next to O'Neal, both were 2.16 meters tall, and their body shapes looked similar!
Although O'Neal was fat, he still had a lot of muscles. Gasol was really too fat. In addition, he had gained some muscle and lost weight in the past few months. He gained some muscle, but the fat content did not decrease significantly. This is a gradual process and cannot be achieved overnight. Because of the growth of muscles, Gasol's body shape looked more bulging. The 138-kilogram Gasol looked about the same as the 143-kilogram O'Neal...
O'Neal turned his head and looked at Gasol several times. He was still wondering when he saw the news that the Hawks drafted a fat guy. Now he knows that it is used to deal with him!
But this is a rookie! And such a bloated rookie, the Hawks actually played for less than a minute and used a rookie to replace the league's strongest center in single defense!
With a center who can shoot in the middle, Rondo waved to Liu Mang to go to the top arc. When Liu Mang came to the top arc, Rondo handed the ball to Liu Mang to help Liu Mang block Raja Bell.
Liu Mang and Rondo developed a tacit understanding last season. They completed the pick-and-roll cooperation after the hand-to-hand pass very smoothly. Liu Mang took advantage of Rondo's pick-and-roll to explode and crush Nash who switched defense. At the same time, Marion helped McGrady to pick and roll without the ball. McGrady cut into the inside. Raja Bell and Nash both went to block Liu Mang. O'Neal saw McGrady cut in and Josh Smith was a beat slower. Seeing the big mass of Gasol, O'Neal chose to shrink to the inside. Liu Mang passed the ball to Gasol on the left baseline!
Gasol was not afraid when he received the ball, and he made a mid-range jump shot from the baseline...
He was not afraid, but he was too excited. He missed the open mid-range shot!
However, Rondo, who was not controlled by anyone, cut in, tapped the ball in the air, tapped the ball into the basket, and made a second attack tip-in!
After Rondo scored, Gasol retreated with a more desperate posture than O'Neal, shaking off his fat body. The Suns felt incredible about the Hawks' offensive tactics. Using a rookie as the end point and a 1.85-meter point guard to attack the offensive rebound?
The Hawks' tactics are changeable, which is nothing new, but the Hawks' current playstyle selection is too weird!
This is a tactic that Kwame Brown can't play! Gortat could have played, but Gortat was still young last season, stage fright in the playoffs, and didn't dare to shoot from mid-range, so he didn't play well last year.
Mid-range shooting, height, and passing are the few advantages that Gasol has on the offensive end at this stage, especially mid-range shooting and height, which are the key to the Hawks' tactics just now.
The focus is still on defense. Van Gundy is worried. Although he arranged the defensive tactics according to Gasol's characteristics, he doesn't know how far Gasol can go.
Nash pushed forward to the frontcourt. The game had just begun, and the ball had to be given to O'Neal. He had to maximize the time when O'Neal's physical strength was still sufficient.
O'Neal's position was still very simple. Gasol couldn't squeeze O'Neal, and his heavy body couldn't go around, so Gasol was behind him.
Nash easily passed the ball to O'Neal, but... O'Neal couldn't push back after receiving the ball!
Ostertag was once one of the best centers to defend against O'Neal. Ostertag was 2.18 meters tall and weighed 130 kilograms, and he defended O'Neal very well. O'Neal rarely had an average hit rate of less than 50% in a round of the playoffs. There was such a time when he played against the Jazz in 1997.
Ostertag is tall, heavy, and has a large horizontal area. O'Neal couldn't hit him and had no space for hook shots. In 1997 and 1998, O'Neal met the Jazz for two consecutive years and had a playoff record of 1 win and 8 losses. It was because of this limitation that he could only run and score.
And Gasol, with a height of 2.16 meters and the same as O'Neal, has an even better arm span. He has no disadvantages in height and arm span. He weighs 138 kilograms and has a wider horizontal area than O'Neal... and his tonnage is one level heavier than Ostertag back then!
O'Neal hit the opponent twice and didn't retreat much. He wanted to turn around but there was no space on the right baseline, and he couldn't open the front basket. O'Neal was stunned!
If it was O'Neal at his peak, even if he couldn't hit the space, he could at least knock Gasol back a little, at least he would have some face.
But now O'Neal can't get off the stage!
There was no other way. O'Neal hit him hard and forced a throw against Gasol's huge body...
This was a few random shots, and the ball didn't touch the baseline!
The fans at the scene were excited!
They felt puzzled when they saw Gasol on the court. They didn't expect that Gasol could restrain O'Neal! 36-year-old O'Neal, that's still O'Neal!
Coach Zhang, the guest commentator of the court station, felt a little bad, but he still said: "This is the European white bear of the Hawks. They have the conditions to defend the super center!"
Van Gundy stood up when Gasol defended O'Neal. Although it was imagined that there was such a possibility, Gasol was a rookie after all. Whether he dared to defend and whether he could play the defensive awareness in the game like in training were all problems. Many college players and European players who performed well before entering the NCAA were stage fright in the NBA. It has always been a big problem, especially in the inside. Since the new century, most potential inside players have taken two or three years to show their talents. Milicic of the Raptors is an example.
But Gasol did it!
Liu Mang looked at Gasol clenching his fist and cheering, and felt that something was missing. Thinking of Gasol with a big beard in Los Angeles, Liu Mang thought that Gasol could also grow a beard.
O'Neal returned to defense in shame and anger, and the Suns players could do nothing. If O'Neal was three years younger, it would be much easier to play, but after all, he was already 36.
The game continued. The Hawks had a group of 2.16 meters tall guys standing in the interior who dared to shoot mid-range shots and could withstand O'Neal, which was really troublesome for the Suns' positional offense.
Marion could keep up with Josh Smith, and the confrontation was also the same. The main lineup of the Hawks only changed the center from a cake eater to a mid-range shooter, and the other four starters cooperated tacitly...
Nash didn't expect the game to be different from what he expected from the beginning!
O'Neal is the most important part of their positional offense. It is because of O'Neal who is still in good shape that they have positional tactics. O'Neal can't open up the interior, and the Suns' positional offense stagnated!
On the Hawks side, whether O'Neal was pulling away or going out to block, Gasol was counting the time in the three-second zone. He would go out when it was almost three seconds, and stay in the paint at other times. If O'Neal didn't go in the paint, the Hawks could defend the basket with 5 against 4!
After playing for more than four minutes, except for O'Neal's opening shot of Kwame Brown, only Nash scored a mid-range single shot against Liu Mang, and scored one in more than four minutes!
The Hawks scored 9 points!
When Liu Mang and McGrady made a three-pointer after the pick-and-roll, the score was 9 to 4. When the difference reached 5 points, the Suns called a timeout!