no shortcuts in basketball

Chapter 26 The Right Thing
The day before the game against Stanford, the Devils flew to San Francisco.

San Francisco, commonly known as the "Bay Area", has two NCAA Division I colleges.

One is Stanford University, where they are about to play, and the other is UC Berkeley, where they have played before.

This is the second time the players have come here this season. Instead of hanging out like last time, they spontaneously practiced extra.

Although they lost in the last game, the morale of those who "stand" and lose has not been affected, but are eager to prove themselves with a victory.

The next night, Stanford University's Maple Arena was packed.

The Stanford University basketball team is called the Cardinals, which has nothing to do with Auerbach... of course not half a dime, just because their representative color is red.

As a century-old strong school, Auerbach was not even born when they established the team, which is basically equivalent to the relationship between Yu Qian and Yu Qian.

You can see many people wearing bright red clothes at the scene, and the background color of some people holding flags is also bright red, which looks like a sea of ​​red from a distance.

At the opening ceremony, the enthusiasm of the fans was as warm as a red flame.

After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups of both sides were released one after another.

红衣主教队：1米85控球后卫1号米奇·约翰逊、1米93的得分后卫4号安东尼·古斯、2米03的小前锋15号劳伦斯·希尔、2米13的大前锋布鲁克·洛佩斯、2米13的中锋罗宾·洛佩斯。

What stands out about this lineup is the height, with an average height of 2 meters, not to mention the NCAA, and the NBA belongs to the category of height.

And height is recognized as the number one talent in basketball.

For the Devils, Sandek still sent a starting lineup of Glasser, Harden, Shipp, Xu Yong and Ayers.

Except for Harden, all other positions are at a disadvantage in terms of height, especially the inside line. Xu Yong will face one of the Lopez brothers, which is also a huge test for him.

The game started quickly, and Ailes took the lead, giving the Devils the opportunity to attack first.

The red clothes defended the 2-3 zone defense at the beginning.

2-3 zone defense is a kind of zone defense, and the defense focuses on the inside.

Harden got a three-pointer after the pick-and-roll at the top of the arc, and decisively chose an outside shot.

The easiest way to break the zone defense is a three-pointer, and it is a positive three-pointer.

"when!"

There is no problem with Harden's choice, but it is a pity that his three-pointer hit the frame and the rebound was protected by Robin Lopez.

At this time, the members of the Devils did not realize the seriousness of the matter.

Looking back, Brook Lopez immediately scored two points with a low post on Ayers.

Then the next round, Glasser's 45-point attempt from a [-]-degree angle on the right also ended in a strike.

The head coach of the red coats started this season with a very clear idea of ​​a 2-3 zone defense, covering up the weakness of the two towers that cannot be defended, and at the same time betting on the opponent's outside touch.

Once the opponent feels bad on the outside, then zone defense is the most effective defensive method. Even if the opponent feels good, they can quickly adjust back.

And tonight they bet right.

Although Harden had targeted training before the game, he didn't find the touch at the beginning.

And this feeling quickly spread to his teammates, and the members of the Devils jointly composed a song "The Little Blacksmith of Milan".

In retrospect, Ayers also doesn't have much to do with Brook Lopez's low post offense.

Lopez's speed is not fast at all, but his offensive skills are very solid, and his wingspan reaches an astonishing 2 meters, coupled with a soft touch, it is difficult for Ayers to defend.

In a word, Lopez completely suppressed Ayers in terms of talent.

In fact, among the Lopez brothers, Brook's talent is significantly higher than Robin's. His average 20+10 per game is also the core of the Redcoats coach's offense.

Then the Devils fell into a situation where they couldn't make three-pointers on the offensive end, and they couldn't defend the Cardinals' twin towers on the defensive end.

Even if there are occasional defensive rounds, the head coach of the Red Jackets also chooses to foul on the spot with rich experience, and does not give the Devils a chance to defend and counterattack.

These details all explain why the head coach of the red jacket has not yet lost a game. Like UCLA, they are already a very mature team.

At 13 minutes into the first half, the score was 12-24.

Sandek called a timeout.

Although the point difference is smaller than when they played UCLA, the same is that the Devils are facing huge difficulties.

If they can't make three-pointers on the offensive end, it will be difficult for them to narrow the point difference, but such things as touch are not something they want to have.

Especially when you are behind, it is really impossible to make more shots.

"Guys, no one can score all the time, even Michael and the Bulls struggled shooting, but we can still do the right thing, rebound and defend, like we did against UCLA in the last game, because the same , and no one will never score goals."

After Sandek finished setting up his tactics, Xu Yong encouraged his teammates.

He also said similar things when he played against UCLA, because the most important thing in basketball to win, and also the players can control it, is rebounding and defense.

This is what Kobe once regarded as the truth.

And at this time, the feeling of the players hearing Xu Yong's words this time is also different from the previous game.

Because in the last game, they were close to the point difference twice, relying on rebounding and defense.

As Xu Yong said, that's the right thing to do.

Back from the timeout, Sandek replaced all the main players on the field ahead of schedule.

The head coach in red also reacted quickly and replaced the main players in advance, and the two sides entered the decisive stage of the first half.

The Cardinals continued to defend the 2-3 zone defense.

The Devils adjusted their offensive strategy at this time, instead of blindly shooting three-pointers, they switched to a 1-3-1 position to crack.

Anyone who has been in touch with basketball a little bit should know that the key to cracking the zone defense is to form local overplay and underplay.

The 1-3-1 station is one of the methods invented according to this idea.

The key to this position is the player at the free throw line inside the "3". As long as he can make a mid-range shot, he can punish the opponent.

After the Devils' outside transmission involved the defensive formation, Harden finally fed the ball into Ayers' hands.

Because of the position of the 2-3 zone defense, Ailes' position is like a nail embedded in the defense, and it is unmarked.

He chose a mid-range shot, and his shot also attracted the intervention of the Lopez brothers.

"when!"

His shot finally missed the basket under interference.

However, Xu Yong, as the "1" sinking to the bottom line, quickly inserted into the basket, and jumped up after accurately judging the basketball's landing point.

"Oh!"

Completed the deduction directly!
This is not just a rebound, but a direct score!
The devil team's bench was boiling, and what Xu Yong convinced them most was that he could take the lead in doing what he said on the court.

It was like that last time, and it's the same this time!
This supplementary deduction also boosted the morale of the Devils.

After Ayres returned to the defensive end, he really used all his breastfeeding strength.

Brook Lopez didn't get a good shot. He chose a slow three-step hook that crushed Ailes.

At this time, Xu Yong abandoned Robin and attacked directly.

Lopez was interfered when he shot, and the ball hit the front of the basket and popped out.

Xu Yong was quick and pocketed the defensive rebound.

At this time, the two Lopez brothers beside him had already committed two fouls and did not dare to make fouls. He successfully threw the ball to Harden on the outside.

The Devils finally played a defensive counterattack.

Harden was also suffocated, and after receiving the ball, he accelerated and even passed the two of them, rushing to the frontcourt like a rocket raccoon ejected, and leaping high.

"Oh!"

A tomahawk dunk smashed the ball into the basket!

After the dunk, Harden roared at the audience on the bottom line, venting his emotions.

The Devils narrowed the point difference to 8 points!
The Cardinals immediately called a timeout.

The members of the devil team looked excited when they left the court, and they all surrounded Xu Yong subconsciously.

They're doing the right thing because Seo Young told them that's the right thing to do!
(End of this chapter)