Chapter 960 959. A Different Pistons Team
"The change of head coach, excellent regular season record, and improvement of players' own strength have brought great confidence to the players of Detroit Pistons. They try to resist the host's oppression for many years. The Avengers series mission: The resistance of the oppressed Esterliers is triggered."
"The resistance of the oppressed Esterliers: The players of Detroit Pistons carry out the belief of defeating the host in this round of the series. Mission goal: The host needs to defeat the Detroit Pistons within six games to win the series. Mission reward: Random star card of Detroit Pistons in the 04-05 season. Failure penalty: Randomly deduct one existing star card."
The Pistons have been pressed to the bed, and they still want to struggle?
Liu Mang looked at the opponent's strength.
"Chauncey Billups, 28 years old, ability rating 91 (peak), offense 87, defense 93, three-pointer 89, mid-range shot 85, layup 83, speed 89, strength 88...average 16.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 8.1 assists, shooting 41.8%, 2.1 three-pointers per game, shooting 42.6%..."
Liu Mang was speechless when he saw Billups' ability evaluation, it was too weird!
The three-pointer hit rate is higher than the shooting hit rate! Layups are the worst.
Billups is also 28 years old...Liu Mang had never noticed it before. In the regular season, the Pistons played by pressing, and the opponent did not make any substantial counterattack. Liu Mang did not notice that Billups' three-pointer was already at the same level as Jason Terry. The key is that Billups' shooting is the same as Jason Terry, a waste, and this kind of play still has a 42.6% three-pointer hit rate, which is quite amazing.
"Richard Hamilton, 27 years old, ability rating 86, offense 90, defense 81, three-pointer 68, mid-range shooting 95, layup 91, speed 90, strength 77, endurance 100...average 20.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists per game, hit rate 49.1%, three-pointer 0.5 per game, hit rate 30.3%..."
95 mid-range shooting...Liu Mang is so envious, he is worthy of being the second best mid-range shooting expert in the league after Nowitzki, and his three-pointer score accounts for less than 10%...The ability of mid-range shooting is not the first in the league or even the second. Kobe's mid-range shooting ability is stronger, but Hamilton can make better use of open shots and play at the same level as Nowitzki's shooting based on height and position.
"Carlos Delfino, 24 years old, ability rating 73, offense 69, defense 80, three-pointer 79, mid-range shooting 65, layup 83..."
Prince's super poor version of the substitute.
"Chris Bosh, 21 years old, ability rating 88, offense 91, defense 79, three-pointer 79, mid-range shot 86, layup 92, speed 83, strength 87, rebound 86, ... averaging 19.6 points, 8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, shooting 51%, three-pointer shooting 33%..."
"Ben Wallace, 30 years old, ability rating 84 (peak), offense 59, defense 99, three-pointer 40, mid-range shot 40, layup 80, speed 82, strength 99, rebound 99..."
This inside combination... is so weird, the weirdest inside combination Liu Mang has ever seen, two completely different types of players put together, the effect is really good, one is responsible for offense and the other is responsible for defense.
The first five of the 03 generation are all very cool.
Ben Wallace is not regarded as a first-class star by the system, mainly because of this offense, which is too eye-catching! Except for the dunk and the second attack tip-in, which are a little bit of offensive threat under the basket, other offensive means are basically equal to zero.
It is not a lie to get 63 wins, the third-best record in the regular season!
The Pistons averaged 101 points per game this season, ranking seventh in the league, and 93 points lost per game, ranking sixth in the league. They are both excellent, and coach Philip Saunders has made great contributions.
Liu Mang was even more excited after seeing the ability evaluation of the Pistons' five starting players.
It is more motivated to play against such opponents! The Heat were defeated by the Bulls, and the Bulls could not resist at all. Liu Mang felt very sorry. Fortunately, there are now the Pistons, so this year's Eastern Conference playoff journey will not be lonely.
Before the Heat's magic calculation and the signings of the Heat enter the peak period, the Pistons are Liu Mang's biggest fun in the East!
…
Today, the Phillips Arena is very lively. Dominique Wilkins and DiBakken Mutombo, two famous players, and the former Hawks players who had nothing to do after the Rockets playoffs came to the scene to watch the game, winning a lot of cheers.
The fans knew about Mutombo's visit to the game in the news at noon. Mutombo took a group photo with the Hawks players before the Hawks practice in the morning and was on the news. When Liu Mang and others were interviewed by the court station, Xu Jicheng of Xinhua News Agency invited him to participate in the interview.
Many fans held signs with words like "Go home, DiBakken" and "Come back, African mountains".
Mutombo spent his best years with the Hawks and was very popular in Atlanta.
At 7:40, the starting players of both teams entered the court. After waiting for another five or six days, the fans of the Hawks could not wait to watch the game. The atmosphere was very enthusiastic.
Liu Mang, McGrady, Rasheed Wallace, Kwame Brown, Jason Terry, and Mourning came to the technical table to greet Billups, Ben Wallace, Hamilton, and Bosh.
Prince was so unsociable and went to study the opening dance moves by himself. The little prince was quite cold.
We simply greeted and chatted, asking about what we had for dinner, the sun being relatively bright in Atlanta these past two days, and other topics, and then went our separate ways to prepare for the game.
The main players on the Hawks felt the confidence of the Pistons after they made it to the Eastern Conference Finals this year, and their vigilance and enthusiasm were greatly increased, especially McGrady and Mourning, who had never defeated the Pistons, and regarded the Pistons as a strong opponent from the beginning.
They didn't understand why their teammates were so proud of not taking a 63-win team seriously, so they started preparing for the game with all their heart after the game against the Bulls.
…
The TV station's seat at the Phillips Arena was next to the commentary seats of ESPN and Time Warner's Imperial Channel. After the players of both teams entered the court, the live broadcast began.
"Chaoting TV, Chaoting TV, welcome to watch the first game of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals between the Atlanta Hawks and the Detroit Pistons brought to you by Chaoting TV Sports Channel. I am the commentator Yu Jia. Our guests today are Zhang Weiping and Xu Jicheng. Please help us analyze today's game. What are the highlights? What should Ace pay attention to in this game?" "Then I'll go first," Xu Jicheng's Qingdao Mandarin is very standard. "The Pistons can be regarded as Ace's old rival. This is the fourth consecutive year that they have met in the playoffs, which is more than Ace has met the Nets in the playoffs. And from the current point of view, the Pistons have a good lineup, with a complete structure of three generations of players. In the future, they may be one of Ace's main opponents in the East. And I think the Pistons are stronger than the Nets. It's just that Ace and the Hawks were not as strong as they have been in the past two years. The Hawks are not strong, so they were blocked from the finals by the Nets for two consecutive years. The Hawks cannot underestimate the Pistons. This is very important. I think the Hawks are stronger than the Pistons in terms of strength. "
"Old Xu is right," Coach Zhang took over the conversation with his Beijing dialect, "The Heat and the Pistons are the only two teams in the East that can pose a threat to Ace. Ace should be careful not to be careless. I think it is not a big problem for the Hawks to reach the finals. The main thing is not to be careless! The Pistons are definitely stronger than the playoff opponents the Hawks have encountered in the past two years. The main thing is not to be careless!"
"The two teachers' analysis is very reasonable," Yu Jia didn't care about anything else, and flattery was the most important thing. "Oh, the game is about to start, let's switch the screen to the game..."
……
……
After the two basketball veterans of the court TV praised the strength of the Hawks, the screen of the court TV switched from the commentary seat to Prince who was dancing square dance on the sidelines, and the lights on the scene dimmed.
The screen switched from Prince dancing on the sidelines to the big screen, Rasheed Wallace's rough face appeared in the screen, and a passionate roar reached the ears of the audience in front of the TV.
After the lights on the scene came on, the screen quickly switched to the sidelines, Liu Mang sprinkled magnesium powder into the air, and then the screen switched to the fanatical fans at the scene.
The director was very tired from this operation, and there couldn't be any mistakes in half a second. Fans love to watch this.
Domestic fans couldn't help cheering when they saw the scene of Liu Mang scattering magnesium powder after Rasheed Wallace roared.
Wang Zhizhi failed to enter the playoffs, Yao Ming was eliminated in the first round, and only one game was broadcast in the second round. The fans mainly focused on the Hawks. The Suns were also popular, but they couldn't compare with the Hawks.
The Eastern Conference Finals were broadcast live by the court TV station. The real-time ratings broke 3 before the game started! There are also many middle-aged women who like to watch the opening of the Hawks game. They get up early in the morning to watch the live broadcast just to see Prince's new dance steps and get the first-hand dance moves to show off in the evening...
...
"Ding... The Hawks' devil home court is triggered, and the opponent's team's morale is declining. It comes from Rasheed Wallace and the fans of the Phillips Arena."
"Ding... The talent skill Big Ben field level 5 is triggered. The Pistons players offset the away pressure. It comes from Ben Wallace."
Liu Mang expected that Ben Wallace is the soul of Detroit. The Pistons, who have regained some confidence, now have much less psychological pressure.
After Liu Mang sprinkled magnesium powder, he came to the court with McGrady. The game was about to start.
Bosh and Kwame Brown came to the center circle and prepared to jump the ball.
Bosh is one of the most talented offensive players among the new generation of inside players, and Kwame Brown is one of the most talented defensive players among the new generation of inside players. One offense and one defense, the two will keep competing every time they play against each other.
The two men are the same height, both 2.11 meters. Bosh is more flexible and a little weaker in strength. Kwame Brown weighs more than ten kilograms, but he is faster and stronger. Their jumping ability is similar. They are both top physical fitness men.
The referee came to the center circle and pointed to the positions on both sides. After a few seconds, he counted the time and it was exactly eight o'clock. He blew the whistle to start the game and threw the ball into the air.
Bosh and Kwame Brown jumped up at the same time when the ball reached the sky!
Bosh touched the ball first, but Kwame Brown touched the ball immediately after Bosh touched the ball, and directly slapped the ball out of Bosh's hand!
"Oh..."
There was an exclamation at the scene. Are jump balls so violent? Kwame Brown slapped the ball to the bottom corner of the right rear.
"Damn!"
Liu Mang ran a long way before he caught the ball on the right sideline. He jumped up to catch the ball and threw it in the air towards McGrady. McGrady received the ball and controlled it, advancing to the front court waiting for Liu Mang to run over.
Liu Mang arrived at the frontcourt, and the Pistons' defense had already taken position.
Hamilton followed Liu Mang to prevent Liu Mang from running.
McGrady saw that it was Billups who was defending him and Hamilton who was defending Liu Mang, and immediately decided not to play tactics. He gestured to Liu Mang to go to the top arc, and then passed the ball to Liu Mang.
Liu Mang came to the top arc to receive the ball. Hamilton saw Liu Mang receiving the ball and was ready to defend Liu Mang's explosive breakthrough. They watched the video of the first game between the Hawks and the Bulls and were very afraid of Liu Mang's super fast first step.
Liu Mang saw Hamilton's quick steps and immediately saw through the opponent's defensive intentions. He made a move of bending his knee with his left foot and suddenly took a step forward with his right foot.
Hamilton nervously took a step back immediately. He was fooled!
Liu Mang retracted his foot and shot a three-pointer from the top arc!
"Ding... Level 5 of the sharpshooter is triggered. This time the shooting space is perfect and the rhythm is ignored."
Liu Mang's three-pointer hits in a big gap!
Hamilton patted his head in annoyance. He was too nervous about the opponent's breakthrough defense!
After Liu Mang scored, he immediately turned back to defend. After the breakthrough threat became greater, the opponent dared not to stare at him so closely. Think about Wade's more explosive first step. Fortunately, this guy doesn't have a three-pointer, otherwise it would be really difficult to deal with.
Attack and defense switch, the Pistons attack.
Liu Mang waited for Hamilton to come over and chased Hamilton.
When Liu Mang ran with Hamilton, he found something wrong. The person who came to help Hamilton block him became Ben Wallace, not Bosh!
When Hamilton and Ben Wallace's off-ball pick-and-roll attracted Kwame Brown and Liu Mang to switch defense, Billups on the other side broke through Prince. After reaching the left side of the three-second zone, Bosh pulled out to the left mid-range and ran close to Billups. Billups passed the ball to Bosh and then blocked Rasheed Wallace. Prince quickly switched defense, but the height difference was too big. Bosh dribbled and shot a mid-range jumper!
He also hit it!
The Pistons played a new tactic!
Using Hamilton's running position and Ben Wallace's off-ball pick-and-roll to attack the basket, Bosh created a shooting threat.
Isn't this the Timberwolves' common tactic last season?
The Detroit Big Hammer's iron-blooded mid-range shot easily hit, and the tactical play was beyond the Hawks' expectations.
The opening offense of both sides was effective.
Because the Pistons' team defense was strong, the Hawks chose Hamilton to defend whoever he would play singles at the beginning.
In the rough confrontation of the playoffs, Hamilton had a hard time running out of space, and so did Liu Mang. The two defensive teams could not play conventional tactics, so the Pistons used Hamilton's threat to give Bosh a chance. The Hawks were more direct, and Liu Mang and McGrady started to play one-on-one.
When the official timeout came in the first quarter, the two scorers of the Hawks had already scored 11 points together, and helped their teammates score 6 points together, and scored 17 points in half a quarter.
But the Pistons also scored 15 points. The Pistons' offensive tactics have become quite diverse. In the regular season, the Pistons did not fight hard with the Hawks. They had not accumulated confidence at that time, so Coach Sanders did not use all the tactics at the bottom of the box.
Now the Pistons have entered the Eastern Conference Finals, and the 63 wins in the regular season have also accumulated confidence. Coach Sanders took out some new tactics before the start of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Pistons played a completely different offensive performance from last year's Eastern Conference Finals!
6 minutes and 27 seconds, a little more than half a quarter, played a high score of 17 to 15!