NBA Old Age Star System

With the match and tactical coordination during this period, Marc Gasol has integrated well into the game, which to a certain extent has made up for the vacancies on the defensive end of the thick eyebrows, preventing the Lakers' inside line from being riddled with holes.

And the price of all this is just a veteran's basic salary, which is great value for money.

It's just that Gasol's speed is too slow and he can easily become a target. The team also needs to practice tactics to match Gasol's performance to avoid Gasol becoming a target.

After everyone on the Lakers returned to Los Angeles, they had only two days to rest before playing again.

On December 12, the Lakers played against the Celtics at home.

The current Celtics' double pick combination is enough to dominate the Eastern Conference. Some experts and commentators even believe that the Celtics have the temperament to win the championship and have been promoted to a championship-level team.

But in fact, the Green Army is still a little behind.

This game further proved that the Celtics are strong on the outside but capable on the inside.

In the first quarter, the two players came aggressively, taking turns holding the ball in singles. The offensive level of the two players was above the league average, but the Lakers' forwards and defenders were not idlers.

Dort, Johnson, and George all have very good defensive standards.

Coupled with Marc Gasol, who is a pillar inside, the Lakers' entire defensive system is very three-dimensional. The Celtics were once in a deadlock and had a scoring drought of 5 minutes.

The Lakers also took advantage of these 5 minutes to immediately widen the point difference, and kept the score at double digits for two minutes.

The Lakers' high-quality defense also brought high-quality offense and defense transitions, making the Lakers' offense smoother. Su Tian was also happy to pass the ball and assist his teammates, and took off with his teammates.

At the end of the game, Su Tian scored 28 points, 16 assists, 10 rebounds and 3 steals.

The Lakers easily defeated the Celtics and did not cause too many waves, but some teams interested in competing for the championship noticed something was wrong with the Lakers.

It seems, seems, probably, that the Lakers are back in contention? And the only supplement is Marc Gasol?
Many teams said they didn't understand, but there were also some smart people who saw the essence.

The arrival of Marc Gasol has filled in the last link of the Lakers' defensive system, allowing the defensive strength of the Lakers' front and back lines to be unleashed.

Among them, Popovich, Cole, Tyronn Lue and others have seen these ways.

On December 12, the Lakers played against the Denver Nuggets at home.

This game is a tough battle for the Lakers. Both Su Tian and Walton are worried about whether Gasol can stop Jokic's performance.

However, what the two are worried about is not this regular season game, but what they will do if they encounter the Nuggets in the playoffs.

Either the Lakers prepare early and try to avoid the Nuggets in the playoffs, or the thick eyebrows can recover from injury before the playoffs arrive.

Game time soon came. Gasol and Jokic stepped into the center circle for a jump ball, and the Nuggets grabbed the first ball.

Murray got the ball and advanced to the frontcourt.

The Nuggets' starting lineup is Murray, Pope, Bruce Brown, Gordon, and Jokic.

When Murray came to the frontcourt with the ball, he encountered Su Tian's defense. Murray knew that he would not perform well against Su Tian in this game. He also knew that the team's advantage was in the paint, and under Jokic body, so when Jokic mentioned near the free throw line, Murray immediately passed the ball to him.

After the ball was released, Murray immediately turned around and started running without the ball, while Jokic started to organize the offense after getting the ball.

Gasol naturally has to follow Jokic closely and cannot give Jokic a chance to shoot directly. After all, Jokic's shooting range can extend to the three-point line.

After the Nuggets made continuous tactical moves, Jokic passed a ground-breaking pass to Gordon who was cutting in the air.

Gordon received the ball and went straight to the basket. George, who was chasing after him, was obviously delayed. At this time, Gasol was too late to return to defend the basket.

boom--

Gordon succeeded directly with a dunk, and the Nuggets scored first.

0-2
"The Lakers' internal flaws have been exposed. Gasol can stand up well, but he is still not good at quickly assisting and making up for defense. Anthony Davis is better at this."

"There is nothing that can be done about it. You must know that Mark is just a veteran player with a minimum salary, and Davis is a player with a maximum salary."

"Anthony can get the maximum salary because he can attack and defend well. He is very good on both the offensive and defensive ends. Now Marc Gasol can only make up for the previous role of Davis on the defensive end. As for the offensive end, It’s putting pressure on other players, especially Su.”

"The team couldn't play much originally, but now another inside pillar has been injured. Su can only carry the banner of the team's offense."

At this time, the game on the court was still going on. Su Tian came to the frontcourt with the ball and reached out to call Gasol to come forward and cooperate with the pick-and-roll.

Gasol's steps are slow, and Jokic's steps are not much faster.

Jokic himself knew that his pace was slow, so he didn't dare to follow him and only walked one step behind the free throw line.

Pop, who was responsible for defending Su Tian, ​​naturally did not dare to give Su Tian a three-point chance, so he chose to go forward.

Su Tian took two steps forward with the help of Gasol's pick-and-roll. Upon seeing this, Jokic immediately retreated to protect the basket, while Su Tian directly stopped and shot a jumper.

Swah——

Su Tian's mid-range shot was a solid hit.

2-2
"Actually, the Nuggets' defensive strategy can't be wrong. They strictly guard against three-pointers and the basket, leaving the mid-range to Su. However, this kind of defensive intensity is very easy for Su. There is no obstruction at all. Even mid-range shots can be done. Played with good efficiency.”

"Actually, everyone has overlooked that Su Tian's mid-range shooting is very stable, but Su has too many offensive methods, and no one is aware of it."

"Capture the big ones and let go the small ones. There is no problem with the Nuggets' defensive strategy. The problem is that Su's offensive efficiency is too high!"

In the next few rounds, the Nuggets stuck to this strategy, grabbing three-pointers and the basket, and giving the Lakers mid-range shots.

The fact that there was basically no defense in the mid-range made Su Tian happy to shoot directly.

In the first quarter, Su Tian hit 11 of 9 shots, plus two free throws, and scored 20 points in a single quarter.

The Lakers also led the Nuggets by 35 points 27-8 in a single quarter.

"Didn't you say that the Nuggets have an absolute advantage over the Lakers? What is going on?"

"That's right, where are the Nuggets fans? Why don't you come out and speak?"

"Why are you so anxious? It just feels good now. Su can't always feel this good!"

"Jokic is the stronger one! The Nuggets will overtake sooner or later!" "Winning first does not count as winning! Winning later will crush you!"

The fans' discussion was not over yet, the second quarter of the game began.

In the second quarter, both sides made substitution adjustments and came up with a semi-main lineup leading the substitute lineup.

However, because both teams are considered championship-level teams, even the semi-main lineup played very well and the scene was very beautiful.

However, the 8-point difference between the two teams has not changed much. Obviously, neither of them can win the other.

Halfway through the second quarter, the main players on both sides began to take the field.

Su Tian also came on the court immediately. After Su Tian came on the court, he first hit a three-pointer, widening the point difference to double digits.

But then the Nuggets made two strong attacks under the basket.

Su Tian attacked again, still hitting the mid-range that the Nuggets had let go, and hit consecutive mid-range shots, widening the point difference to double digits again.

Logically speaking, the shooting rate at the basket is higher than the mid-range shot, but with Gasol, the Lakers have a defensive barrier at the basket.

On the other hand, in the mid-range, the Nuggets neither have the appropriate defensive strength nor can they block Su Tian's shooting. This makes Su Tian's shooting extremely efficient, and his shooting rate even exceeds that of the strong attack at the basket.

At the end of the second quarter, the score difference between the two teams reached 12 points as expected, and the score difference was still controlled to double digits.

In the Lakers locker room, Walton held a tactical board and continued to explain the tactics of the second half.

"Although we took the lead in the first half, this was achieved by relying on Su's personal ability and high shooting percentage. In the second half, we can't count on Su alone! We have to show our defensive strength! Control the Nuggets' scoring trend. !”

"In terms of the inside, Mark, Ade, and DeMarcus, I don't require you to guard Jokic's performance, but at the very least, you must show your fighting spirit and enthusiasm! Let me see !”

After saying this, Walton immediately began to arrange the team's relevant tactics. Soon the halftime break ended and the third quarter began.

In the third quarter, the two sides again used the starting lineup to compete.

With the starting lineup, Jokic began to exert his strength again, not only hitting singles under the basket, but also hitting long shots, and he could also pass the ball to assist his teammates in layups.

Su Tian saw it clearly from the side and couldn't help but sigh secretly in his heart.

"He deserves to be the MVP of the regular season. His overall strength is strong. Except for his slow pace, everything else is basically first-rate or top-notch in the league."

Su Tian still admires Jokic's performance very much, and both Jokic and Su Tian were rookies in 2014. Now both of them have grown into regular season MVP-level players. Su Tian can't help but think that if the two What kind of sparks will there be if we can join forces.

But then Su Tian shook his head and threw out this idea. Both of them are ball-carrying and core-playing styles, and they both need the ball very much. When they are together, 1+1 will be less than 2, and the most is 1+. 1=2.

The third quarter passed quickly, and the Nuggets performed very well. Relying on Jokic's strong performance, the Nuggets caught up with many scores.

At this time, the point difference between the two teams was only 5 points. The Nuggets began to make substitutions and adjusted Jokic. According to the usual practice, Su Tian should also come off the court to rest now, but the point difference between the Lakers and the Lakers was too small to be safe. Su Tian Actively apply to continue playing.

With Su Tian in charge, the Lakers' offense is still strong, and with the help of young player Rivers, the Lakers' offense is even more deterrent.

Within a few rounds, the point difference between the two teams reached double digits again. Mike Malone on the sidelines saw something was wrong and immediately called a timeout, bringing Jokic onto the court again.

The Nuggets seem to have a backbone now that Jokic is on the court.

As a result, the score difference, which had a tendency to continue to widen, fell into a stalemate again, and the score difference began to hover around 10 points.

This kind of game rhythm is the Lakers' favorite rhythm, so the Lakers fans on the sidelines seemed very confident, as if they had already won the Nuggets.

Two minutes before the end of the third quarter, the Lakers made substitution adjustments and Su Tian came off the court to rest and prepare for the fourth quarter.

When the Nuggets saw Su Tian off the court, they immediately took down Jokic. Jokic originally had average physical reserves, but after playing for such a long time, he was already sweating profusely and panting.

The substitute players on the field continued to fight hard, and soon the third quarter was over, and the score difference between the two teams came to 8 points.

"At the end of the third quarter, the Lakers led by 8 points. I think the Lakers are going to win this game." Barkley said.

Kenny Smith said: "Really, but we predicted before that the Nuggets would definitely win the Lakers."

"It's bad, one moment and the other. At that time, the Lakers' inside line was riddled with holes. The Lakers had no chance of winning against Jokic. But it's different now. Now the Lakers have Marc Gasol as a barrier. Although Gasol's ability has declined a lot, his defense at the basket is still absolutely no problem."

"The next thing to see is whether the Nuggets can break through the Lakers' defense in the fourth quarter, or whether they can find a way to contain Su Tian's performance." Kenny Smith said.

"Control Su's performance? Stop making trouble. The other 28 teams want to do this, but who has done it? It's better to find ways to improve your offense and still have a chance to compete with the Lakers." Buckley said.

Soon the intersection ended and the fourth quarter began.

In the fourth quarter, the Lakers took out Su Tian and George, and it seemed that they wanted to win the game in one wave.

But the Nuggets didn't expect the Lakers to be so determined. They just arranged for Murray to lead a semi-main lineup and put Jokic on the bench to rest.

The first ball possession of the fourth quarter was given to the Nuggets. Murray came to the frontcourt with the ball, and Su Tian's defense immediately reached out to call for pick-and-roll cooperation.

But when Murray wanted to use the pick-and-roll to break through to the basket, Su Tian actually took action directly to complete the steal!
After directly stealing the ball, Su Tian immediately turned around and ran towards the frontcourt without any hesitation.

After quickly coming to the frontcourt, he dunked with both hands. At this time, Murray, who was chasing behind him, was still three steps away.

The score difference came to 10 points.

"Look at me, it's basically impossible to contain Su's performance. The only way to open up the situation is to improve your offense." Barkley said.

The ball was given to the Nuggets again, and Malone was already standing on the sidelines, ready to take Jokic up again if something went wrong at any time.

Murray came to the frontcourt with the ball and faced Su Tian's defense again. This time he was much more cautious and passed the ball to his teammates for tactical movement.

After continuous tactical moves, the ball was given to Gordon who was cutting through the air. Gordon got the ball and rushed straight to the basket.

But at this time, Cousins ​​​​had already established his position under the basket, but Gordon was not afraid at all, and the two directly had a close contact!
boom--

drop--

The basketball was hitting the iron, and at the same time, the referee blew the whistle and reached out to signal Gordon for an offensive foul. (End of chapter)