Vol 3 Chapter 717: crucial moment

"Super Heavy Artillery (
Donovan's idea is simple, it is to play defensive counterattacks. Shrink the defense to the inside and put the Lakers player to end the offense outside the three-point line. Then scrambled for rebounds, and Westbrook pushed forward quickly, Anlo and Gallinari were responsible for scoring the ball into the basket.
Of course, there are many screens and running positions interspersed in the middle, and there are two very critical places.
Rebounding is a very important part. Whether the Lakers can grab enough rebounds on the inside line is the guarantee of whether the Thunder can launch a counterattack. In fact, this is the reason why Donovan didn't want to play like this in the beginning. Gallinari obviously can't provide much help to Adams. It is not a problem for him to open up the space in the game, but it is difficult for him to go to the basket to grab rebounds. Besides, what the Thunder need Gallinari to do is not rebounds.
Therefore, the Thunder have been suppressed by the Lakers in the first half, which has a great relationship with their inability to control rebounds. But in the second half, the Lakers themselves exposed some problems inside.
Davis can't be so tough all the time. Although he has been in good physical condition with the Lakers in the past few months, there are still people with "glass attributes" blessings. Vogel dare not let him play too risky. In addition, the Lakers need Davis to do a lot in the game, and spending too much energy on rebounds is indeed not worth the gain.
McGee is not bad, but he is wrestling with Adams more often, and it is basically difficult to get a better position. After all, Adams is still quite good at getting stuck in the basket.
In fact, in terms of rebounding alone, Howard is the best choice. Howard this season is exactly like a basket looking back. Howard, who has long since faded the label of a super star, has worked hard in every game to help the team do those dirty jobs. More importantly, he tends to do very well. After all, although he is older, he still has a solid foundation. With so many years of experience accumulation, he often performs better than the Lakers' starting No. 5 McGee.
If you treat him as the core of the team, he still has the strength to average a double-double. But now he is just a substitute player and can't get too many opportunities. Of course, this is not because the Lakers and Vogel are unwilling to give him a chance, but because of personal technical characteristics. Howard has always been the traditional fifth position, and has not been able to transform into a big player suitable for the small ball era. In the game, his defense against the Lakers is a big bonus, especially the defensive deterrence of the paint zone, so that most teams have to weigh.
However, Howard's shortcomings are also obvious.
When Howard is on the court, he can only play his best role if he stays inside. But in that case, Davis and James will encounter the Thunder's double-team when they cut into the low singles and cannot play the level they should. Howard does not have the ability to shoot, and it is difficult to integrate into the system when playing with Davis and James. On the contrary, when rotating the lineup, he cooperated much better with Rondo. What annoys Vogel most is that Howard's performance is even more disappointing when he encounters a team that can bombard the Rockets and the Thunder. After all, when I get older, my athletic ability and physical strength drop drastically, and I can't run or jump.
These are the reasons why the Lakers are unable to fully display Howard's outstanding defensive ability. Coupled with the current problem of the league’s penalties for defensive actions, it is difficult for a center player like Howard who has experienced melee inside to control his fouls. Therefore, he simply cannot play too long in the game.
In this way, under Westbrook's tough fight, the Thunder have the absolute upper hand in rebounding. Although Vogel quickly found a solution to the problem, in the previous period of time, the Thunder have completed the transition from falling behind to leading.
In the following period of time, the Lakers and the Thunder entered a tug of war between you and me. Vogel decided to replace McGee with Howard after weighing it up. While strengthening defense and rebounding, with the help of James and Rondo, this man who was once able to change James suddenly became a Los Angeles "pie." "Emperor", played quite joyfully in the basket.
The Thunder's defensive counterattack has become more difficult, but their series of tactics built around the two three-point shooters Anlo and Gallinari have shown their power. With the tacit cooperation of the players, the Lakers players Can only follow them to run non-stop on the court. Of course, the effect is not bad, but the physical exertion is too serious. There are a lot of veterans in the Lakers, which is naturally the Thunder dominate.
The decisive moment of the two sides has been dragged to the second half of the last quarter. In fact, after the third quarter, everyone knew in their hearts that this game would be played to the last minute. Therefore, both Donovan and Vogel chose to put their main players on the bench to rest. So that the entire first half of the fourth quarter is time for the rotation.
It has to be said that the reason why these two teams can be recognized by everyone is really not difficult under the reputation. Needless to say, there are four All-Star players in this game, and three of them are very likely to become All-Star starters. The stack of stars alone is comparable to most teams in this league.
Whether it is the Lakers or the Thunder, their rotations are quite strong. At least in this game, the Chesapeake Energy Arena audience was not disappointed.
However, these guys' performances are just appetizers. Although wonderful, it has nothing to do with the outcome. Everyone knows that the real decisive battle will not start until the players who are sitting on the sidelines and accumulating strength are back on the court.
This moment did not make everyone wait too long. In fact, in the first half of the fourth quarter, under the tacit understanding of the coaches of both sides, there was no twists and turns, nor did they ever interrupt the rhythm of the game. It feels like this half of the game is used to rest the big bulls like James and Westbrook.
When the last quarter of the game was halfway through, the atmosphere in the Chesapeake Energy Arena suddenly became tense.
Before Donovan made up his mind to enter the decisive battle, it was the Lakers' offensive round. Rondo got the ball to the top of the arc, and Alexander was facing him. For Rondo's defense, just stand one meter away. Even if this guy can always make some three-pointers in the game, no one treats him as someone who is good at scoring, especially outside the three-point line, and no one focuses on "care".
Over the years, Rondo has given the impression that he can barely make three-pointers. Including himself thinks so. So in the game, everyone can often see such a picture: Rondo is holding the ball at the three-point line, and the other 9 people on the field are entangled, no one cares about him. This is also the way all teams treat Rondo, preventing surprises and shots. In fact, the defensive side really wants Rondo to shoot. In this way, the equivalent of limiting Rondo's 4 teammates.
This may be a bit risky, but it is definitely a very successful defense. After all, give the ball to the opponent with the lowest percentage to shoot, so that the defense is successful. When Rondo was in the Celtics, it was definitely the peak of his career. When facing the Heat in the playoffs, Rondo took the ball from beyond the three-point line, with no one in front of it 3 meters.
In the long run, Rondo himself is not willing to shoot three-pointers. However, this round he had to choose to shoot. Other Lakers players are very limited by the Thunder, but his chances are the best. Even if he knows that the Thunder just want him to shoot three-pointers and score, there is no way. Teammates have a bad chance, so you can't pass the ball forcibly! How does that approach differ from "sweeping the pot"?
"Huh!"
Although the shooting posture is not very good, but after all, he made a shot.
Anlow and Westbrook sitting on the bench were speechless. Donovan's defensive strategy was fine, but now the situation has changed. Rondo seems to have developed a fairly good three-pointer. It seems that when dealing with Rondo in the future, he has to change his mind.
Of course, Rondo's three-pointer didn't have much impact on the game. He is a player who can influence the game, but not in this way.
During the suspension, Donovan began his final mobilization:
We lost here the other day, and the fans here did not blame us. But we all know how much they hope to see a victory tonight. Disappointing others is not a beautiful thing, letting yourself down is even less. So, guys, take out our toughest defense and sharpest offense to defeat the opponent. Tell those people whose place is here!
Soon, the main players from both sides returned to the arena.
For the Thunder's possession of the ball, Westbrook found Anlow as soon as he came up, who caught the ball and returned the Lakers with a three-pointer.
It's not that Donovan devised any excellent tactics, in fact he didn't say much during the timeout. At this time, Westbrook, as the team's offensive engine, knew very well how to help the team win the game.
An Luo entered a state of running without the ball as soon as he came up. He circled the three-point line and the baseline, interspersed in the elbow zone and the two bottom corners. With the screen of other Thunder players, he struggled to get rid of the chasers behind him, and then received a pass from Westbrook and directly shot the ball. The ball goes into the basket.
Westbrook rushed in, still holding the ball. Adams pulled to the top of the arc to cover him, but Westbrook gave him a false shot and pulled the ball from the crotch to the left when Bradley started to go around, and then rushed in from the left. However, the Lakers' strong inside defense gave him too much pressure and made him give up his idea of ​​scoring. Of course, he himself was prepared with two hands. Whether it is a breakthrough or a score, the decision is quite decisive.
Looking back, James made a high toss from the right side of the three-point line to Davis's hands. The latter made a fake move and shook Adams, who had hurried back to defense, and flew up and dunked with one hand. .
I have to say that this kind of ball is really not something anyone can hit. James hurried to pass, Davis dared to take it. The tacit understanding between the two did not seem to have been in a partnership for less than three months.
Basically, the offensive tactics of the two teams have not changed much. The Thunder still chose to open the situation from the outside, while the Lakers seized their inside advantage and continued to create damage to their opponents.
As a result, the two sides once again entered a difficult time for the game. This is very similar to the first half of this quarter. But the difference is that the cooperation between these players, the offensive and defensive performance, and the individual technical capabilities demonstrated are much better than the previous players on the bench ~ EbookFREE.me ~ offensive efficiency is also higher. Both the Lakers and the Thunder are strong defensive teams, so the defensive quality of both sides is still very good. But it is really based on this point to better reflect the powerful offensive capabilities of these players. In the NBA circle, the reputation of players is always linked to their strength.
Without any accidents, this game reached the final moments.
119:118
This is the score on the court 32 seconds before the end of the game, with the Lakers ahead and the Thunder behind. More importantly, the ball in the next round is still in the hands of the Lakers.
Donovan handed over his last chance to time out and arranged the team's defensive tactics very solemnly. If the Thunder want to win the game, this time the defense must be effective. The Lakers are naturally unwilling to give them that opportunity.
James held the ball at a critical moment, and after he controlled the time almost, he got to the basket under the cover of Davis, and then forced a layup against Adams.
Adams tried his best to prevent James from scoring this time, but unfortunately, his foul allowed James to stand on the free throw line. Adams is very angry! He held his head in his hands with a look of helplessness. In fact, he did his best in this defense. But the opponent is James, not being labeled "2+1" is a blessing in misfortune.
For the Thunder, the current situation has not changed, and it is even worse. After all, for James, letting him take a free throw at this time is no different from sending points.
"boom!"
Just when everyone thought the Lakers would be invincible, James missed the ball. Although the second shot was made, their lead was only 2 points. The Thunder can kill the game with a three-pointer!