Rookie against Jordan, I became the god of basketball

Chapter 161 Rising Croats, Pioneers Driven by Dual Cores!
"Michael, I thought you were joking when I first heard the news that you would come to watch the game.

Seriously though, you should buy a ticket to a Sonics home game, star fans aren't very welcome on the road. "

Before Lu Feng warmed up, he naturally had to welcome Michael Jackson to watch the game.

Biting on the announcement list for several months, although the fans of the two were torn apart, the two became friends.Michael Jackson likes Lu Feng's music very much. After becoming friends, he has been beguiling Lu Feng to give up basketball and focus on music.

Lu Feng thought it was normal, Huxing brother himself was the number one fan of Michael Jackson, and it was normal for the other party to express his appreciation.

"It doesn't matter. I can be welcomed wherever I go. I believe I have such charm."

Michael Jackson had a very weird temper. Most of the time, he came across as a person with low self-esteem, but when faced with familiar friends, he was extremely stinky. He was sensitive inside but cared about his dignity.

"I wish you a pleasant viewing and I'm looking forward to seeing you standing and clapping and cheering loudly."

"I wouldn't do that, I hate being rude..."

After a few brief chats, Lu Feng started a normal warm-up, just as he thought, other things did not affect his shooting state, the shooting rate was the same as before, and his state was normal.

The two teams started the game, and in the jump ball session, Kemp once again won the jump ball with his reaction. .

Fortunately, Adelman has long been used to this, he does not have the obsessive-compulsive disorder of the old Nelson, the team lost the jump ball many times and it will not make him physically uncomfortable.

In the first attack at the beginning, Lu Feng broke through and cooperated with Perkins hand-in-hand. Unfortunately, Perkins didn't feel so good at the beginning and failed to score with the hook.

The impact of missing a goal is not big. Lu Feng often misses the first goal in the game, and they know in their hearts that against the Trail Blazers, defense is the most important thing!
At the beginning of the game, the Sonics needed to test the referee's penalty scale first, so they did not defend too tightly.

Lu Feng used to defend in front of Drakeles, but Drakeles didn't seem to intend to fight on his own, and silently moved to the 30° position of the three-point line. Lu Feng naturally relaxed his attention on him. , spend more energy observing other Blazers, and always be ready to help defend.

After Terry Porter dribbled to the three-point line, he lowered his center of gravity and rolled over Barros for a few steps. After finding that he couldn't get rid of the opponent, he directly distributed the ball to Peternovic.

Petrovich got the ball and made a pass fake, pretending to pass the ball to Buck Williams who was trying to make an air cut. Then when Kemp hesitated to move his feet, he immediately collected the ball and completed the shot. It comes up with a three-pointer - brush!

Kemp's excellent athletic ability allows him to keep up with Peternovic's rhythm in his position after jumping. The defense is not considered a loophole, and it definitely forms an effective interference. However, such a ball has long been used to professional players. It can also be invested in the case of interference.

Carlisle thought that Peternovich played one at the beginning just to try his hand, but after half a quarter of the game, Carlisle immediately realized that he had guessed wrong!
Six minutes into the first quarter, the score was 6:16. The SuperSonics led by 14 points and the ball was in the hands of the Trail Blazers.

During the first official timeout, Carlisle reflected on what happened in the first few minutes of the game and asked, "Did any of you notice how many goals that Croatian scored? Ya Xiaozi, he is the main attacker of the Trail Blazers in this game!"

Lu Feng was taken aback when he heard Carlisle's words. After careful recollection, he found that it was really the case. So far, Drakelus has only made two shots and only scored one air-cut layup. Because the opponent played like this, Lu Feng subconsciously I feel that the Blazers have returned to their team tactics.

As a result, after Carlisle's reminder, Lu Feng noticed that Peternovic seemed to have scored a lot of goals in the past half quarter, because he often shot directly after receiving the ball, and at most he made a shot before taking the shot. The two feints, played as usual, make people subconsciously think that he is still a normal role player in the system.

In this era, there is no sense of presence when playing without the ball. Not to mention that fans cannot feel it. Even opponents on the court can easily ignore each other, unless the person who chooses to play without the ball is extremely popular, such as Only when Lu Feng and Jordan are like this do people always pay attention to them.

After discovering the problem, Carlisle naturally knew that he needed to improve in this way, so he quickly made a decision: "Next... Dana, you rest, Ron, you go up, and Lark, you come to play number one."

Facing the Trail Blazers, the Sonics have three lineups to choose from. In addition to the unmovable Lu Feng, Kemp and Perkins, the other two positions can be selected from Barros, Harper and Polynes. .

Because this game is the Blazers' home court, the referee's penalty scale has been tested by the SuperSonics.

Knowing that the Supersonics can no longer fight against the defense like they did in the past two home games, Carlisle judged that the pressure on the inside will be greater in this game, so it is natural to choose to keep Polynes, who is suitable for protecting the basket, and rely on his body to complete the work of protecting the basket. Reduce the hit rate of the opponent's basket.

The replacement of Harper is naturally aimed at targeting Petronovich. Because of knee ligament repair surgery, Harper's speed and jumping can only be regarded as above-average no matter whether he is placed in the second or third position, and his defense depends more on strength and strength. Excellent static talent.

Peternovich happens to be the kind of person Harper is least afraid of. In the past few games, Harper has proved his effectiveness in defending the opponent with his actions.

On the first ball after returning from the timeout, Petronovic successfully faced off against Harper. Seeing this, Carlisle couldn't help but raise the corner of his mouth, hoping that Harper could teach Petronovic a good lesson next time!
When Lu Feng returned to the first position to face Terry Porter, he would naturally completely block the opponent's scoring ability, and crush the opponent's dynamic and static talents. It is impossible for Lu Feng to not even complete this "small job".

Seeing Terry Porter pass the ball to Petronovich, Lu Feng habitually harassed him.

"Terry, you don't seem to have scored too much in this game. You can be the second leader in the Trail Blazers at your level? If you come to the Supersonics, you are not even qualified to be my substitute. At most, you can only be Dana's substitute. .”

Every time he faced off against Lu Feng, Terry Porter was almost autistic. He couldn't make breakthroughs and didn't dare to take shots. This was the situation.

"As long as I can pass the ball, it's enough. Scoring is other people's business. Just wait and see, you bastard. Portlanders are not as fragile as you think!"

Terry Porter is a point guard known for his scoring ability, but his passing ability is actually not bad. It's just that others pay more attention to his scoring and ignore his passing.

In this era, the requirements for the No. 10 position pay more attention to organization and passing. Even Terry Porter himself thinks so. In his opinion, it doesn't matter whether he scores 20 points or [-] points. Assists are what matters.

However, Lu Feng knows that from the perspective of future generations, Terry Porter is much better than those guards who have no scoring ability. Because of his good scoring ability, he can still help his teammates by staying on the court even if he is not holding the ball. The ability to open up space will prevent you from being ignored by your opponent when receiving a pass and not daring to take action.

Just ask a "rejection" guard like Ben Simmons which teammate is not afraid?
After Peternovich got the ball, he didn't move the ball immediately, but kept the ball in his hands. Seeing this situation, Carlisle immediately lamented that his judgment was right, the Blazers were letting Peternovich play!
On the first ball against Harper, Peternovic did not catch the ball directly like before, but put the ball and dribbled it.

At the same time, the rest of the Blazers also quickly stood up, opening the position for Petronovich...Petnovich actually wanted to play singles!
Peternovic used to play the role of a catcher and shooter in the Trail Blazers. Although he also had offense with the ball, it was almost never the case that his teammates opened up to allow Peternovich to play singles like this time. Feng didn't even know whether the opponent had the ability to play singles.

Singles is different from attacking with the ball. Attacking with the ball depends on athletic ability in the final analysis. As long as you run fast enough, jump high enough, pass the confrontation, and have a certain dribbling ability, everyone can play singles with the ball.

In addition to the above-mentioned things, there is another key to the one-on-one singles after the teammates are separated-skills!
In the later years of Kobe's career and when Jordan came back for the second time, his athletic ability was gone, and there was only one confrontation left, but they still scored 30+ or ​​even higher scores with high efficiency by relying on their own skills. Scoring depends on technology and experience.

Naturally, Petronovic's confrontation cannot be compared with the previous two, but he is a young player after all, and his athletic ability is better than that of the two at the end of his career. Moreover, as a professional player who has entered the NBA, his confrontation ability is no worse. Not much worse.Peternovic's sudden change caught people off guard. The Sonics did not expect this situation at all. Who would have thought that a catcher and pitcher would play one-on-one in an important game like the Western Conference Finals?

It has to be said that letting Peter Norwich play Harper in singles is definitely a risky move by Adelman. Whether it will work depends on Peter Norwich's efficiency in singles!
Peternovic suddenly played a single, catching Harper off guard. Because he was not familiar with the opponent's offensive rhythm, Harper failed to guard the first goal of Peternovic's single and allowed the opponent to score the ball!

In the next few rounds, the two faced each other several times. In the second half of the quarter, Petronovich singled Harper 5 times and succeeded 3 times.

At the end of the first quarter, the score came to 30:30, and the two teams drew in the first quarter!
It can be seen from the score that after the venue was moved from Seattle to Portland, the scores of both teams in a single quarter have increased. The so-called tightening of the penalty scale is actually taking care of the Trail Blazers.

After the Sonics' defensive intensity decreased, the Blazers' efficiency improved dramatically compared to the first two games, and the team's scoring efficiency was improving!
Petrovic made 11 of 5 shots in the first quarter and scored 14 points in the quarter including free throws. He was an absolute contributor to the Blazers.

Derekles played back to his more familiar off-ball, took 5 shots, 4 of which were air cuts, scored 8 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists, and was the second hero of the Blazers.

Although Terry Porter didn't score a point, he got 3 assists and 1 steal in a single quarter. He is an excellent setter and organizer.

After Adelman changed the core of the team's offense from Drakeles to Peternovich, the Blazers team magically opened up, once again showing the charm of team basketball!
Harper played the best in the first quarter of the Supersonics. Although he failed to defend Peter Novich, the opponent also failed to defend him. He scored 10 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist in a single quarter. Harper's efficiency is not counted. Low.

Of course, Harper's ability to get such data is also related to Lu Feng's special help with the ball to help Harper regain face. The two of them exploded in this quarter.

Carlisle didn't find it strange that Harper failed to defend against Peternovich. After all, they faced each other so many times in the first quarter.

"How about Ron, can I trust you next, can you guard against that kid?"

Harper didn't respond immediately, his expression was struggling. He really didn't get used to Peternovich's rhythm.

But after thinking about it, Harper hesitated and replied: "Let me try again, that kid will pass the ball if he has a bad chance, like a loach, please pay more attention."

Everyone knows this simple truth, but it can't be solved, because the whole team of the Trail Blazers can pass the ball. Among them, Terry Porter and Derekles are both excellent passers. He is proficient in organization, but when it comes to simply passing the ball to his teammates, he does a good job.

Either of the two can receive the ball at random, and can either attack by themselves or act as a setter, which solves the weakness of Peternovich's poor organization. How to solve this problem will not be solved by Carlisle for a while.

After halftime in the second quarter, the score was deadlocked at 46:48, and the point difference was kept within 2 points, and it couldn't be opened!

The effect of Harper's defense against Peternovich can already be concluded, he just can't defend Peternovich!

His athletic ability is a little bit worse due to injuries, but just that little bit of difference is the key!
Harper is even more helpless, who made him unlucky to stay in that cursed Clippers...

Sterling of the Clippers is not as well-known in later generations. He was banned by the league for racially insensitive remarks and asked to sell the team. He has always been talked about.

But in the 90s and [-]s, Sterling actually worked hard to run the team and did not regard the team purely as an investment.

He has performed such operations as botching the draft, clearing management moths, and spending money to introduce stars. Under his operations, the Clippers' lineup has never been weak.

But the problem is that the Clippers have never played well. Since 82, the core of the team must have been reimbursed for at least one season. In the most exaggerated year, all three cores of the team have been reimbursed for the season!

The curse of the Clippers is not just talking. Before Harper went to the Clippers, he was also an iron man. He suffered a torn ligament after only a few months in the Clippers. After leaving the Clippers, he became alive again.

The score difference could not be widened and the score fell behind at halftime. Such a result was absolutely unacceptable to the Supersonics. Carlisle finally decided to let Lu Feng face Peternovic. He didn't want to see that arrogant Croatian in front of him again. Put on an arrogant expression.

In the 4th minute of the third quarter, after the starters rested, Carlisle put on what he thought was the best lineup: Burrows, Lu Feng, Harper, Kemp, Clifford.

The absence of Perkins and Polynes was to preserve their strength. As the inside pillars of the Supersonics, Carlisle wanted to give them more rest time to ensure that they could hold the Supersonics inside at critical moments in the fourth quarter.

After the third quarter, the score came to 90:96. Instead of narrowing the point difference, it was stretched to 6 points!
Carlisle originally wanted to let Lu Feng restrict Peternovich, who knew that Petronovich would stop fighting when he saw Lu Feng personally defending him!
As a European player, Peternovic has never paid attention to the so-called face issues on the court and will not feel embarrassed by passing the ball. He does not want to let Lu Feng figure out his offensive habits too early. At the same time, because of the team's tactical needs, he is decisive on the court. Played a blue-collar role for his teammates.

The tougher question for the Sonics: Derekles is starting to score!

As a well-known talent monster in the league, Harper naturally couldn't defend Drakeles one-on-one. Drakeles could score and pass the ball, and he became the one that the Blazers could hold or even widen the point difference in the third quarter. The essential!
In the fourth quarter of the game, although they were behind by 6 points, Carlisle felt that the Sonics still had a great chance, because the Sonics still had a useless hole card - Fang Lufeng!

However, just when Carlisle thought that the Sonics still had a chance, Adelman finally released his third trick - against Barros!

The key to targeting Barros is not to make him make mistakes, but to prevent him from passing the ball to Lu Feng!
Adelman discovered early on that although Lu Feng had a lot of assists in the regular season, he mostly acted as a setter, and Barros was the one who had the most possession time for the Supersonics.

The Blazers' tactics changed again. Lu Feng had to go back to getting the ball from the backcourt as he did when he first entered the NBA last season. He got used to it, but his teammates didn't.

Although Lu Feng's return to the No. [-] position has solved the offense, a new problem has also been exposed: he can no longer continue to take care of the defense!
Jordan has to give up part of his defense when he plays point guard, let alone Lu Feng, who is not as defensive as Jordan?

In the end, the Trail Blazers, who found the key to breaking the game, relied on a desperate attempt to catch the SuperSonics off guard, and finally won the key third game 118:124, bringing the score back to one!
Lu Feng scored 40 points, 8 rebounds and 11 assists, and almost had another 40+ triple-double, but he was not happy at all after the game, because this game reminded him of the three seasons when he faced the Trail Blazers. The powerlessness, the feeling that no matter how well he played, the Sonics couldn't win.

Adelman showed his profound coaching skills to the outside world. By tapping Peter Norwich, he successfully allowed the Blazers to find a balance between individuals and teams. While making good use of the players' individual abilities, the Blazers team's The offensive rhythm is also extremely smooth.

彼得诺维奇31+3+3，德拉克斯勒27+7+7，全队送出28次助攻……外线双核驱动的开拓者，确实打出了让人眼前的篮球。

"Yes, I have found a solution to the problem. Although we are still one point behind, I believe that we will be the ones who can advance to the finals!

It took Michael two years to cross over to the Celtics and three years to cross over to the Pistons. Luck is not even an MVP. How could he cross over from us in just one year! "

(End of this chapter)