When pride still matters

Chapter 214: There is a sense of beauty like Kwame Brown

Suddenly, the personal feud between Yu Fei and Hamilton and Brown became a minor episode in the game.

The Bucks have more important things to do.

If we can't find a way to break the Pistons' iron barrel formation in the regular season, we will be in even greater trouble in the playoffs.

Both Karl and Yu Fei believe that 5 OUT is the key to breaking the iron barrel formation.

Now that Ray Allen and Sprewell are out due to injuries, the Bucks cannot put together the highest quality 5 OUT lineup.

Halfway through the second quarter, the Bucks changed their formation.

Yu Fei, Reed, George, Horry, Laettner.

As far as the 5 OUT lineup is concerned, replacing George with Ray Allen is the best solution for the Bucks, but now they can only make do with it.

After all, looking at the league, the Bucks may be the only ones who can still put up a 5 OUT lineup without many outside scorers.

The Bucks' lineup has changed, but the Pistons' defense has not.

Yu Fei came up and called for a pick-and-roll at position [-].

Ben hesitated between switching to guard Yu Fei and double-teaming Yu Fei, but Yu Fei didn't hesitate at all, stepped into the right side of the free throw line and made an emergency stop jumper.

"Shh!"

Yu Fei began to realize something.

It can be said that the Pistons have the answer to the current rules.

Since Jordan dominated the world, one-on-one star play has become popular, and the four major shooting guards at the beginning of the century are all masters of this practice.

Coinciding with the lifting of the zone defense, the liberation of off-ball defenders not only changed the team's offensive method, but also brought about changes on the defensive end.

What we see now with the Pistons is to let go of offensive players who lack shooting threats, fill up the space, set up traps in a small area, and rely on Big Ben's abnormal mobility to sweep and protect the basket at the same time. A common sight in the ball era.

However, due to the shooting skills of role players, the same defense can defend most teams in the league in modern times, but in the small ball era it is extremely easy to be shot out.

The Pistons came up short in the ensuing offensive possession.

Richard Hamilton clearly carried many impure emotions.

He really wants to perform well, but the more he thinks about it, the easier it is to carry baggage with him.

Yu Fei once again challenged the Pistons' iron barrel formation.

There is already a loophole under the iron barrel of the piston.

The previous starter Memet Okur played the role of a pseudo starter for the Pistons.

But at the same time, there is no one on the Pistons' bench who can completely replace Okur's role.

Larry Brown naturally knows that in order to limit the Bucks' pick-and-roll offense, Ben needs to be pulled high frequently.But once Ben leaves the penalty area, the Pistons' paint area is no longer guaranteed.

Okur's ability to protect the basket cannot be counted on.

Okur's substitute Eldon Campbell is better than Okur on the defensive end, but he is too old to say how good he is.

Milicic was supposed to be an important reinforcement for the Pistons, but was thrown into death row by Brown because of character and style issues.

In this round, Yu Fei first called a pick-and-roll at position [-], and then called a pick-and-roll at position [-].

Campbell chose to retreat, and Yu Fei immediately passed the ball to Horry.

A three-pointer from outside and a hollow hit.

The Bucks scored in two consecutive position battles, and they were both scored in a very smooth way.

The tight iron barrel array has been loosened.

Brown's eyes were dark and he didn't know what he was thinking.

But Bucks coach Karl clenched his fists. He could foresee that zone defense would become popular in the future, and the Pistons' defensive ideas would also become popular.

He had to admire his senior brother for really understanding how to play defense.

But so what? The NBA unlocks zone defense not to make defense better. The existence of three seconds of defense makes NBA zone defense look like a emasculated version.

However, one thing is certain, within ten years, the contemporary popular one-on-one outside star will be outdated.They won't disappear, they just won't be as relevant as they are now.

Unless they have terrifying efficiency, the status currently held by these people will be replaced by tall and versatile ball-holding creators like Frye.

The Pistons once again created opportunities in Hamilton's position.

Hamilton hit a three-pointer from the outside.

"You were also traded by Michael himself, how come you are so different?" Laettner did not forget to attack the mentality of his old teammates.

The face under the mask was even more ugly.

In the frontcourt, Yu Fei showed his ability to defeat the iron barrel formation.

The Pistons under Brown have a defensive term called "Mass", which is different from the double-teaming that other teams often use when dealing with outside superstars. The Pistons use tough defense and clever positioning to attack on the offensive side. A maze is created around the space through blocking.They make great one-on-one scorers have to navigate an endless maze of defenses to take a shot or pass.This makes it difficult for scorers to react optimally.But Yu Fei has never been known for "one-on-one". He can shoot three-pointers from the outside, can make emergency jump shots when dribbling, call pick-and-rolls, and has enough vision to pass the ball to any teammate's hands to break through threats. Considered to be at the top of the league.

With multiple threats, the Pistons' labyrinth was too shallow for him. Yu Fei passed through Billups' defense and used his body to hit the basket. Campbell jumped to block it, but he was knocked away by him.

"Beep!"

This is the star whistle.

Campbell's physical confrontation was sufficient, but Yu Fei made a second adjustment in the air, grabbed the ball with his left hand and threw it casually, hitting the ball with the board.

ESPN's Bill Walton said that Yu Fei's biggest change this season is that his ability to control his body has been greatly enhanced.

"Imagine if Magic used Darius Miles' body to play the game the way Dr. J would, how beautiful would that be?"

As long as Laettner and Horry can score three-pointers, the Pistons' iron barrel formation will collapse.

Moreover, the greater their threat from the outside, the harder it is for Ben to take care of the basket, so Elden Campbell's defense becomes a thank you offering for multiple players. It is clear at a glance who has the least ability.

The Pistons, who limited the Bucks' scoring to only 18 points in the first quarter, allowed the Bucks to score 30 points in the second quarter. Especially in the second half of the quarter, Yu Fei was so smooth that he scored 6 points in 22 minutes.

At halftime, the Bucks led the Pistons by 48 points 37-11.

This is a major shortcoming of the Pistons. If they can't kill their opponents on the defensive end, it will be difficult to use offense to save the situation.

Because high-pressure defense itself is a double-edged sword.

You suppress others and consume yourself. If you successfully limit your opponent, it will be fine. But if the Bucks find a way to solve it like tonight, the energy wasted on the defensive end will come back double when attacking.

The most obvious example of this was Richard Hamilton.

He is the person the Bucks focus on on the defensive end.

In addition, he had some mental problems, and his performance in the entire first half was a disaster. He made 11 of 3 shots and scored 6 points.

He couldn't make three-pointers or free throws. The defensive end is also a liability for the Pistons to a certain extent. Although his off-ball defense is not bad, his single defense can only be said to be qualified. If Yu Fei calls him out, he will also become Campbell-style. loopholes.

"Coach Brown, Frye said that he and you have some personal issues to resolve. What do you think?"

Brown always had a straight face, as if the world owed him money.

"We don't have a problem to solve, the only question I have with him is why would he not want to give the country a chance to be proud of him as a nationally recognized superstar."

"Since the beginning of the new season, the Pistons' defense has been amazing, but tonight, the Bucks successfully broke the '40-point curse'. Does this mean that your defense is failing?"

The so-called "40-point curse" is a concept developed by draft expert Chuck Ford for the Pistons.

If the Pistons limit the opponent's total score to less than 40 points in the first half, they will definitely win. If they are exceeded by 40 points, it means that the defensive system is disintegrating and may collapse.

Brown didn't believe in numbers or probabilities. His eyes were cold to the bone, and he seemed to lack the warmth inherent in human nature. He just whispered: "I don't think this is a problem."

The question is, how could it not be a problem?
Brown reflected on the first half and his team made no mistakes, filling the space, protecting the paint, controlling the rebounds and slowing down the tempo.

They did all this.

However, the Pistons who did these things at the same time could not do another thing: block the three-point line.

However, Brown does not believe that any team can strengthen the defense of the penalty area while strictly guarding the opponent's three-pointers.

The Bucks seemed to bet their money and life on the outside. In Brown's view, this was a way to die, but he did not expect that the opponent would die.

The five-out tactic worked, and the ball was kicked to Brown.

Brown still doesn't believe that the five-out lineup can be strong to the end, because the touch is floating. The key to the Pistons' problem is still that there is no one to protect the basket when Ben leaves the penalty area.

That’s about what Memet Okur and Eldon Campbell are capable of.

Back in the locker room, the first person who caught Brown's eyes was Darko Milicic, a man with golden hair.

Give it a try?Brown thought, give him one minute, swear in the name of God, give him one minute.

In the second half, Milicic, who had never played in non-garbage time so far this season, actually became the Pistons' starter.

This surprised some Pistons fans.

They thought Brown had it figured out, but it turned out that letting Milicic play at this time was too heavy a burden for him.

Milicic can't even understand garbage time now, so why should he fight the Bucks who are competing for the championship?
Milicic scored 2 fouls and 1 turnover in a minute and a half and brought the Pistons' deficit from 11 points to 16 points.

Milicic's card had the opposite effect, and the score was opened. For the Pistons, this game has already explained most of the game.

Brown replaced him and transformed into Satan, as if he was going to eat Milicic. The scene was extremely cruel.

Yu Fei stood aside with an elegant and easy-going smile.

This scene looks familiar.

How should I put it, there is a sense of beauty that Kwame Brown was bullied by Collins and Jordan.

(End of this chapter)