I was determined to be bad, but I went straight to the Basketball Hall of Fame

Chapter 568 Don't give up easily
After the Clippers switched to a defensive lineup of one big and four small in the second quarter, the effect was not very good.

Because switching defenses is not a simple matter.

Unlike one-on-one single defense with a clear goal, switching defenses requires a good defensive understanding among the players.

If two people lack communication and tacit understanding when defending, one will accidentally have a defensive loophole, be caught by the opponent and tear the line of defense, or give the opponent an open shot.

In the past few seasons, the Clippers have always focused on one-on-one defense on the defensive end, supplemented by zone defense, and at the same time emphasized the discipline of the defensive end.

I don't particularly care about the defensive strength and the weaving of the defensive mesh structure. After all, the Clippers mainly rely on offense to win.

Mike Malone intends to inject stronger defensive genes into the Clippers. He doesn't want to waste such good defensive resources for the Clippers' young people.

In the second half of the second quarter, the Warriors took advantage of the Clippers' incomprehension on the defensive end to set off a wave of chasing points.

But the defensive talents and savvy of the Clippers' young players are really good. After half a quarter of the game, their defense on the court feels better and better.

Especially the defensive match and communication between Anthony Davis, Leonard and others. Everyone kept communicating on the court, and the sense of tacit understanding was getting better and better.

With Anthony Davis on the inside, outside players can boldly attack their opponents. Even if they accidentally lose their position, Davis will make up for it.

Davis took advantage of his long arms and fast movement to check for gaps near the three-second zone.

Davis is similar to Garnett, but the difference is that his defense is more inside and more partial to the basket.

Therefore, Davis is not as aggressive as Garnett in defense, but he is better at blocking shots at the basket and drawing offensive fouls.

The Clippers have always implemented the "sinking and retreating" pick-and-roll defense strategy set by Min Congda very well, putting basket protection first.

Anthony Davis' defensive style undoubtedly fits Min Congda's requirements very well-although Min Congda himself has long forgotten that he wrote an article to provide the Clippers with defensive inspiration.

20 points behind is not so easy to chase.

The Warriors once narrowed the point difference to 12 points.

But at the end of the second quarter, the Clippers relied on tough defense and caused the Warriors to lose twice in a row.

Leonard and Butler succeeded in consecutive fast breaks, once again widening the difference between the two sides to 17 points.

Butler came off the bench in the second quarter, and the Clippers' "defensive counterattack" strategy made him a duck to water.

Last season, he mainly relied on stealing chickens on the offensive end. This season, he has made great progress in dribbling, breakthroughs, and fast breaks.

And with his ugly appearance, his brain is definitely stronger than his appearance, and he plays quite smartly on the court.

In terms of physical fitness, he is not as good as Leonard and George.

In his counterattack, it is difficult for him to rely on speed, wingspan and explosive power to directly hit the basket like George and Leonard.

He is better at confronting defenders after slowing down, using his body and footwork to complete the offense.

Although the scene was not as exciting as the dunks of George and Leonard, the victory was a solid word.

Mike Malone also discovered that Butler has a golf quotient that does not match his appearance. This kid is definitely underestimated.

At halftime, Mike Malone praised the players' defensive coordination in the second quarter.

"Everyone is very capable of learning and improving very fast. I am surprised, really. No wonder we couldn't beat you in the finals last year."

Malone has only been with the Clippers for a short time, and sometimes he still feels that he is the coach of the Cavaliers.

As the coach of the Cavaliers, although his sense of the Clippers is comprehensive, it is not deep enough. After all, he is not inside the team.

It was only when he really went deep into this team that he felt how deep the talent, how malleable, and how huge the potential of the Clippers are.

Steve Kerr had a similar feeling at the beginning, but the two looked at it from different angles.

Cole looks at it from an offensive point of view and believes that the Clippers have huge offensive potential.

Mike Malone looked at both offense and defense at the same time, and the Clippers still have unlimited potential.

And Malone is a little different from Cole. Mike Malone does not have as much ambition as Cole.

Tyronn Lue was in the locker room, and handed over the summary pointer and paintbrush to Ma Long, asking him to analyze the situation in the first half.

This made Ma Long a little flattered, but Tyronn Lue said: "This is the tradition of our team, and you are the protagonist tonight."

Therefore, Ma Long made a summary and analysis of the defensive points in the first half, pointing out some mistakes and problems in the players' choices.

Of course, there is no way to improve a game quickly. The regular season is still long, and the Clippers have enough time to make adjustments.

After the start of the second half of the game, the Warriors entered a long way to chase points, and the 17-point difference is really a bit big.

Whenever the Warriors set off a wave of counterattacks, the Clippers can always give a strong response on the defensive end, keeping the Warriors from scoring for a while.

For a young team like the Warriors that focuses on shooting, the lack of rhythm is very uncomfortable. The shooting touch of Thompson and Lillard has been worn out.

Min Congda sat on the sidelines with his arms crossed, anxious to see that, and thought: "If I had known that you, Mark Jackson, were so stupid, I would have let you come to the Clippers as the head coach! To break such a defense, it is very simple to switch defenses. Pull the low post and it’s over! Do it one ball at a time, and slowly chase back, idiot!”

Not to mention that Min Congda has a high basketball talent. He saw the Clippers' defensive tricks in a short period of time and found a way to deal with it-low singles.

It has to be said that NBA tactics are sometimes a kind of cycle, mutual generation and mutual restraint.

Since the birth and prosperity of basketball, low-post offense has always been the mainstream on the court.

After all, the closer you are to the basket, the easier it is to score.

However, with the continuous development of basketball skills and tactics, the status of low-post offense is also constantly decreasing.

In the 80s, almost every team on the court, from the center to the guards, played the low post attack.

Even point guards can poke their butts in and push the defenders in the low post with their backs alone.

Most of the tactics are initiated when the player holds the ball with his back in the low position and disturbs the opponent's defensive formation.

By the 90s, especially in the seasons when the three-point line was shortened from 1995 to 1997, the low post became exclusive to the core players of the team, and other players mainly focused on facing the basket and fixed-point shooting.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the low post has gradually become the exclusive secret skill of superstars, special skills for the playoffs, and specific tactics at certain moments, rather than conventional tactical routines, let alone tactical starting moves.

By the second decade of the 21st century, the low-post monsters in the inside line basically withdrew from the stage of history.

The fluidity of the court offense has become stronger and stronger, and Flow tactics have emerged as the times require.

Correspondingly, many coaches, including Mike Malone, began to gradually think about and use large-scale defenses, zone defenses, and even unlimited defenses to deal with the tearing effect of the current large number of pick-and-roll and pass-and-cut tactics on the defensive formation.

When the offensive side moves, the defensive side will naturally follow suit.

Constantly switching defenses can minimize gaps and being torn apart in the defensive formation.

But correspondingly, what kind of offense can best deal with a large number of defenses?
In fact, everything has turned around and returned to the original point. The best strategy to deal with a large number of defensive changes is low-post singles with the ball.

Because the attacking side is always the one taking the initiative, don’t you like to move, and you like to change, I just don’t move.

This is called Yijing braking. At the same time, because the opponent switches defenses a lot, or even switches defenses infinitely, there will inevitably be defensive dislocations.

In an era when the low-post offense is strong and the low-post behemoths are everywhere, switching defenses a lot is simply not feasible.

You're giving your opponent opportunities for mismatched singles.

Now with the demise of the low singles and the rise of the all-around striker at the third position, the position on the field is blurred, and the defense has become more and more effective.

So, just like fashion is a cycle, those things discarded by history are not completely useless, they are just temporarily hidden.

The wheel of history will turn back one day, even if it doesn't turn back, those seemingly outdated things can still play a huge role.

Mark - Jackson obviously does not have such sensitivity, he does not have such adaptability.

Faced with the Clippers' flexible and fast defense changes, Jackson can only hope that the players' pick-and-rolls will be stronger, move the ball faster, and shoot more accurately.

At the same time, Jackson also intends to make a fuss on the defensive end, because Jackson really wants to make the Warriors a team with a balanced offense and defense.

But brother, you are 17 points behind, the key is to score first.

The Clippers are not in a hurry at all, and they will drag you from the beginning of the third quarter.

Anyway, the Clippers' positional battle offense is very simple, that is, Dragic plays pick-and-roll.

In this game tonight, Dragic has had enough of the ball in his hands.

The ball is played from a high pick-and-roll, burst or score, go inside and throw it in the air, allowing Milicic or Anthony Davis to relay.

If you can't get in, Leonard, Butler or Bazemore, etc., come out, catch the ball, have a chance to shoot, but have no chance to make a hard shot.

After the shot, the Clippers never competed for offensive rebounds, and quickly returned to defense, not giving the Warriors a chance to counterattack quickly.

In this case, the Clippers' lead is very stable.

And the Warriors have no room for error.

But if there is a misfire in their offense and a few mistakes, all the previous efforts to fill the hole will be in vain.

Time is consumed, and more importantly, morale and confidence are consumed.

After the third quarter, the Warriors were still 15 points behind the Clippers, and the Warriors gradually lost confidence.

In fact, chasing 15 points in a game is not a fantasy. In the NBA, anything can happen.

The key is not to give up early, once you give up early, the game will be over.

Before the start of the fourth quarter, Mark Jackson looked dazed and didn't know how to play.

After playing a few rounds, Jackson still couldn't find a good way to break the Clippers' iron barrel formation.

In fact, the Clippers have not yet formed a mature system, but the players' personal defensive ability is indeed strong, while the Warriors players are very young and have too little experience in playing against the wind.

They are also mainly young players. After all, the Clippers have experienced the baptism of the finals and won the championship, and their hearts are completely different.

By the middle of the fourth quarter, the score between the two sides was 84:71, and the Clippers led the Warriors by 13 points.

There are still 5 minutes to the end of the game, and it stands to reason that the Warriors still have a chance.

But in an attack, Lillard double-screened in a high position, and was suddenly double-clamped by Leonard and Butler!

The attack was extremely fierce this time, and it can be said that Lillard was caught off guard. The ball in Leonard's hand was taken away by Leonard and passed to Butler.

Then Butler and Leonard went down the double lane quickly. Butler didn't take credit, but hit the ground and smashed the ball. The ball rebounded in the air. Leonard jumped high and succeeded in a one-handed alley-oop dunk!

The Staples Center erupted, and the fans cheered like crazy.

Leonard was expressionless, but Butler stepped forward and shouted, "You fucking smile!"

Leonard grinned slightly, his smile was uglier than crying.

If the Warriors score this goal, such as a three-pointer or something, then there are still some hits.

As a result, a mistake was made by the Clippers into a counterattack again, and the point difference returned to 15 points. It really felt like a dead end.

Jackson also didn't want to waste the players' physical strength, so let's go back and sum up, this game is too much to beat.

So, the Warriors called a timeout, replaced the main players, and replaced them with junk players.

Min Congda gave up when he saw Jackson, and scolded in his heart: "You idiot, you don't know how to adjust tactics, and you give up at the critical moment. How can you lead the team well like this! If I knew you were asked to lead the Clippers, you would be inferior Tyronn Lou."

Director Lu didn't say anything else, if he said that he would not give up or give up, this guy was definitely qualified.

The nerves are strong enough, and he has a steel-like will at critical moments, able to withstand pressure and inspire players.

Of course, now that the team is in the lead and basically going to win, Director Lu sat on the bench with a dazed face, feeling as if he hadn't played any role.

Today, the Clippers' commander-in-chief is Ma Long. He is the director of the team's win. Director Lu is the field manager and is responsible for handing over the tactical board.

Most of the fans at the scene were the audience of this good show, applauding the special performance of the Clippers that was different from the past.

It turns out that they can not only play a beautiful offense, but also use a steel-like defense to strangle their opponents.

And Min Congda, who wanted to watch a good show before the game, felt as upset as he wanted.

But he didn't give up at the last moment, he thought, there will always be miracles in the NBA.

Doesn't McGrady have a miracle of 35 seconds and 13 minutes?
The Warriors are a strong three-point team, maybe a miracle will happen in the last few minutes.

But the problem is that the Warriors are on a garbage lineup, and the Clippers' third team on the court may not even be able to beat the Warriors' first team.

The Los Angeles Clippers don't support idlers.

As time goes by, the Warriors' hopes of winning are disappearing little by little.

The players on the court played loosely and had no intention of creating miracles.

A random pass was missed, and it flew directly towards the Clippers bench on the sideline.

At this time, a Warriors player wearing the No. 23 jersey rushed towards the sideline, jumped up suddenly, and flew towards the ball that went out of the sideline.

With a bang, the whole person rushed into the auditorium, just in time to rush to the vicinity of Min Congda, but fortunately Min Congda got up and dodged with quick eyesight and quick hands.

However, he was still scratched and was almost brought down by the huge inertia. He held onto the handle of the seat and stabilized himself.

The young player wearing No. 23 struggled to get up from the bench and apologized to Min Congda.

Min Congda picked up the ball, returned it to him, and said, "Don't give up lightly. If you give up, the game will end early."

The young black man with Green on the jersey looked at Min Congda, of course he knew the Clippers, the well-known general manager of the league.

He took the ball from Min Congda and didn't know what to say, he was suddenly moved by an inexplicable feeling.

Green nodded and said, "I see, thank you."

Green then threw the ball back to the referee and the game continued.

Of course, even if you don't give up lightly, the game will still be over.

In the end, the Clippers defeated the Warriors at home with an advantage of 96:85 and 11 points, and used defense to teach their opponents a lesson.

Min Congda's delusion once again came to nothing.

(End of this chapter)