warrior godfather

Chapter 751 Huge Contribution

After James came on the field, he immediately helped the Cavaliers stabilize the situation.

Zhou Qi played in the first quarter, and his thin body was unable to block the impact of James. Antetokounmpo was off the court in the second quarter, and he was even more powerless.

Zhang Yu's rotation in the regular season is very bold, basically five ups and downs, used to train young players.

Zhou Qi's inside partner is Markkanen, both of whom lack confrontation, which is James' favorite type.

In just 1 minutes, James scored 5 points in a row. The Cavaliers beat the Warriors 7:2, narrowing the point difference to 6 points.

"Di-"

Zhang Yu called a timeout, and everyone thought he was going to switch back to Curry, but after the timeout ended, Curry was still sitting on the bench.

Zhang Yu replaced Antetokounmpo and Wiggins, replaced Zhou Qi and Brogdon, and formed a five-strike lineup of Bogdan, Wiggins, Covington, Markkanen and Antetokounmpo.

This is a lineup that the Warriors have never seen before this season. The Warriors only have two point guards, Curry and Brogdon, and at least one of them will be kept on the court to sort out the offense.

But today, Zhang Yu dared to use a lineup without a point guard, just to bully the Cavaliers because their defense is too bad, and they don't need to run tactics patiently.

After this five-forward lineup came on the field, James couldn't meet and break through to the basket, and he didn't have a weakness for misplaced offense.

Markkanen, who has the worst defense on the Warriors' field, is also a big striker with a height of 2 meters. Can lock James' breakthrough.

James habitually picks and rolls rolls, but finds that he can’t touch his opponent. The Warriors can switch defenses without giving James any room to break through. The 45-degree strikers on both sides immediately shrink to the middle to help defend, and the players in the corners on both sides also go to the basket. Shrink the frame and see James hard.

James sent the ball out, and the Warriors' defensive formation immediately bounced off. Everyone has advantages in mobility and size, and the rotation speed is very fast, which gives limited interference to the Cavaliers' outside shooters.

Looking back, the Warriors don't play complicated tactics. Antetokounmpo and Wiggins, as arrows, rely on their size advantage to hold the ball in singles. Covington, Bogdan, and Markkanen open up space.

The Cavaliers have a short lineup, so they can only pile up manpower on the strong side, pinch the ball holder, and completely miss the weak side shooter.

Antetokounmpo and Wiggins don't have to take the risk of crossing, looking for a corner shooter on the opposite side. The Cavaliers' rotation speed is very slow. As long as they pass through the top of the arc and then pass to the weak side, it is a big open opportunity.

Markkanen and Covington shined brilliantly. They were deliberately emptied by the Cavaliers. They seized the opportunity to jointly score 3 three-pointers. Markkanen made 2 and Covington 1, opening the gap to 11 points in one fell swoop. .

Director Lu couldn't sit still anymore, so he called a timeout and replaced all the main players. James, who had been playing for a while, was also left on the field.

The momentum of the warriors is getting stronger and stronger. The knights can't attack or defend. They are on the verge of collapse. If they drag on, they will be defeated.

The Cavaliers switched back to the main lineup, Zhang Yu also switched back to Curry, Antetokounmpo took the fifth position, Markanen stood at the fourth position, and sent a new version of the dead five.

Markkanen made 2 of 2 three-pointers, performed well, and was very active on the defensive end. This is Zhang Yu's reward for him and another test of the lineup.

After the two teams switched back to the main force, they were all four-shooters with the ultimate space, and returned to the rhythm of the confrontation. You come and go, and the score rises alternately.

At the end of the second quarter, the Warriors entered the intermission with a 77:64 lead of 13 points.

The fans in the Bay Area can’t get enough of it. The first half of the matchup was so exciting. Both sides had good space. They cleared the basket, less confrontation, less fouls, smooth game, accurate long-range shots, and sharp counterattacks—this simply refers to the Warriors. You Come and go, dizzying.

This is basketball unique to the small ball era, and it is the most advanced feast for fans in the new era.

The fly in the ointment is that the Cavaliers' defense is too poor to form a balance with the Warriors, and the score is behind the opponent. This is not a well-matched confrontation and cannot bring the most exciting feeling to the fans.

Of course, this is a good thing for Bay Area fans. They want to see the Warriors crush their opponents more than fear in a close game.

……

The battle was rekindled in the second half. The Cavaliers still had the same starting lineup and style of play in the first half, but Zhang Yu continued the new version of the dead five at the end of the second quarter, and also changed his tactics.

On the defensive end of the Warriors, no matter who faces Crowder, he should properly empty Crowder and be ready to help defend at any time.

Crowder's three-point shooting rate this season is only 28.9%. After the entire first half, he is also the most inaccurate shooter in the Cavaliers.

There was one more person on James' breakthrough route, which was severely blocked. He distributed the ball to Crowder, and he couldn't make a three-pointer.

Director Lu quickly made adjustments, replacing Claude and Korver. The Cavaliers' defense further declined, but the space was further improved. Korver immediately made a three-pointer and a long two-pointer to help the Cavaliers stop the bleeding .

Zhang Yu followed closely and made adjustments. The Warriors no longer simply shorted out a point, but gave priority to shrinking the basket and rotating outside to make up for it.

The Cavaliers changed their offensive method in the first round when the Warriors strengthened their contraction. After James broke through, he was ready to split the ball at any time.

This is their favorite defense, which can give full play to the space advantage of the Cavaliers' perimeter.

However, when James broke through, those Warriors players who did not go to the basket to help defend were ready to steal the pass that James was forced to pass to the outside teammates.

The Warriors and the Cavaliers played against each other twice in the finals, and they know each other well. The Cavaliers' tactics have not changed in the past two years, and the Warriors know how to defend.

When James is flanked, he likes to distribute it to his teammate in the corner of the weak side on the other side, which is often the weakest part of the opponent's rotation.

The Warriors did the opposite. A striker stuck to James from the side, "escorted" him all the way in, and did not give him a chance to pass the ball back. One person stood at the basket to block, and the weak side defender blocked James. Between the corner and the corner, cut off James' passing line.

It is impossible for James to jump up and turn 180 degrees to the weak side to score the ball at 45 degrees. His only way to score the ball is to go to the bottom corner of the strong side and 45 degrees to the strong side.

The Warriors have a highly mobile striker on the strong side, usually Covington or Wiggins, taking into account these two points, and after James scores the ball, he immediately fills the position with the advantage of mobility.

At this time, if you stick to James' striker, you will go to another one to prevent the Cavaliers from passing the ball. You can only make a strong shot against the defense, or pass it out again to organize the offense. The Warriors' defense will be successful.

Sometimes, if James' pass is slightly weaker, it will be cut off by the Warriors' long arms. He must be extremely careful, and he must use his eyes and movements to deceive the defender before he has the opportunity to distribute the ball to an open teammate. .

At other times, he can only attack by himself, or after receiving the ball, there are no open teammates to attack, trying to challenge the Warriors' penalty area, and the result often ends in failure.

In the third quarter, the Warriors sent out 4 blocks, the Cavaliers only scored 6 points inside, and the inside shooting rate was only 18.4%.

The Warriors' contraction tactics also inevitably missed a few outside three-pointers. The Cavaliers made five three-pointers, but the basket was completely locked, and a bunch of shooters had no mid-range. Only Thomas Jr. and James scored He made a mid-range shot and only scored 5 points in the third quarter.

The Cavaliers' offense was weak, but the Warriors' offense in the third quarter was smooth.

The space of the dead five is better. Without Looney who drags the space, the Cavaliers' defense is even more difficult.

Markkanen and Covington's space threats are too great. The Cavaliers still insist on the tactic of pinching the ball holder, but they are hesitant to execute it, and the rotation often makes mistakes.

Sometimes the bottom corner did not shrink in time to protect the frame, allowing Curry to rush in and easily go to the basket. Sometimes the weak side 45-degree defender shrank too aggressively, and the rotation of the bottom corner was not in place, leaving Markkanen open, and the Finnish skater started When the knife falls, an arrow pierces the heart.

What's more deadly is that James' defensive participation is very low, and he also rotates, but it is not the same as other Cavaliers' rotations.

The rotation range of others is from the three-point line to the penalty area. After shrinking the frame, they have to go to the outside to block the three-pointer immediately, non-stop, without a moment's rest, but James' rotation range is from the free throw line to the basket.

Curry and Antetokounmpo played a pick-and-roll at the top of the arc, and James stood one step in front of the free throw line and watched, as if preparing to help defend in advance, and released Markkanen two steps.

Curry passed Markkanen to shoot an open three-pointer, and he made a symbolic pounce. As soon as Markkanen made a shot, he turned around and prepared to grab a rebound.

If Markkanen made a shot, he frowned, shook his head, said nothing, and glanced at his teammates one by one, as if he was very dissatisfied with the defense.

When Curry goes to the basket after a pick-and-roll, James will take a few more steps and shrink to the basket, but at this time, he will instead take into account Markanen behind him, and only run two steps without even reaching out , Watching Curry layup.

If Curry scored a goal, James would also frown, but this time, he would also spread his hands and look at his teammates who were really shrinking to the basket with very dissatisfied eyes.

It is not without benefits for James to do this, it can strengthen the protection of rebounds.

Although he will not participate in the rebounding position, but one more person in the penalty area is an extra point advantage.

After all, the rebound always bounces to James' side. If he doesn't stand in this position, he will give the Warriors a chance to grab the rebound. This is also a huge contribution!

It's just that James' castrated version of the rotation has only this advantage, which greatly strengthens the defensive burden on teammates.

In order to fill the vacancy left by James, a group of old and short people can only squeeze their own physical fitness, fill up their seats everywhere, and run around exhausted, which has not had much effect.

However, James did this for the sake of the overall situation. He is the only playmaker of the Cavaliers-in the case of ignoring Thomas Jr., all the physical energy he saved on the defensive end was released on the offensive end.

Especially when the Cavaliers have the opportunity to push the fast break, James is always going forward, bursting out with all his energy, rushing up without losing to the young Antetokounmpo, and contributed the most exciting free throw line of the game in the third quarter The one-step tomahawk-style split buckle was praised by ESPN's commentary as "the sword is not old".

It's a pity that the Cavaliers have too few fast break opportunities, which are not enough for James to use. He only has this chance for fast break dunks. At other times, he can only break through under the tight defense of the Warriors, rush into the penalty area and get blocked, or pass the ball. Teammates can't make a shot when they come out.

The precious physical energy saved by James from the defensive end is useless.

At the same time, Curry was killing all directions. He got Zhang Yu's advice to close the game at the beginning of the third quarter. Make a quick decision, don't delay, and give Bay Area fans a perfect Christmas gift.

Zhang Yu gave Curry unlimited firepower, and Curry is not polite. He is no longer limited to pick-and-roll military training Love. Korver, Thomas Jr., and Smith are all his goals, even James. undifferentiated singles.

Only at this time, James will get serious, leave the free throw line area, and come to Curry.

With braces in his mouth, Curry took small steps, every move was a feint, and he played patiently with James.

He first looked up at the basket, and James, being cautious, took half a step up, ready to block Curry's shot.

If other people did this, James would not move, but when Curry did this, he dared not remain indifferent.

The moment James moved up, Curry lowered his head and walked to the right to break through.

This can only create a little positional advantage for him, James immediately reacted, retreated and moved sideways, blocking Curry's breakthrough.

Curry then made an emergency stop, dribbled the ball, and looked up at the frame again. James subconsciously took a big step up and raised his hand to block it. Curry suddenly started, a backhand dribble, wiped past James, passed Get clean, break through to the inside line, and succeed in riding and archery.

This is just a microcosm of Curry singled out James. In front of Curry, James looked a little clumsy, which set off Curry's dexterity and quick response.

After the third quarter, Curry scored 15 points in a single quarter and only made 2 three-pointers. The rest were all breakthroughs.

Markkanen scored 11 points in a single quarter, made 3 three-pointers, and an empty cut dunk that took advantage of Lao Zhan's unpreparedness. Antetokounmpo, Wiggins and Covington also scored. The Warriors scored 34 points in a single quarter, leading the Cavaliers by 111 points 89:22.

During the holiday break, the DJ played Christmas songs, and thousands of fans sang along. The festive atmosphere in Chase Center became more and more intense, and everyone was laughing and laughing.

After the start of the fourth quarter, James did not take a rest and continued to stay on the court to lead the team to chase points.

The defense did not consume much physical energy of James, and the offense did not play out. He was not tired at all, and he took the initiative to apply to stay on the court.

He has accepted the result of losing to the Warriors today, but he can't accept losing so many points.

On the Cavaliers' bench, Thomas Jr. took a towel and wiped the sweat off his face, with a blank expression, watching James kill all directions on the court.

He is not tired either. The disadvantage of being short is that he cannot interfere with shooting. The advantage is that the model is small and consumes less energy.

Thomas Jr. and James came in opposite directions. The offensive end couldn't touch the ball, so they could only stand in the bottom corner, and the defensive end rotated to make up for it.

He didn't have many opportunities to attack with the ball in the first three quarters, and he still wanted to play in the fourth quarter to show his progress to the Bay Area fans.

But James didn't leave the field, and it didn't make sense for him to play. He simply didn't say anything, just sat on the bench and watched James' performance.

That seems to be the fate of every Cavs point guard -- and that of the Heat's.

(End of this chapter)