NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 644: Inexplicable Defeat. (Daily Chapter)
In the 2008-09 season, head coach Mike Brown demonstrated extraordinary coaching ability, insisting on superstar basketball and sticking to the main players.

No matter what the outside world said, Black Bread ignored it. Some basketball commentators were sarcastic for a whole season, but in the end, the Cavaliers won 67 games and crushed their way into the Eastern Conference Finals!

Judging only from the team's record, Mike Brown's performance is better than that of former championship coach Jeff Van Gundy, and the locker room is more united, which can be said to be a happiness visible to the naked eye.

After coming to New York, the voices that "black coaches understand players better" became louder and louder. Black Bread's reputation also reached the highest point in his coaching career, and related reports simply could not be stopped.

After all, compared with the head coaches of the other three teams, Mike Brown is a newcomer, and he is also coaching two young first-team stars, so he is obviously more talked about.

Where there are fans, there are haters. Some rational fans think that Black Bread has no real substance and is just rehashing old ideas, all thanks to Van Gundy's coaching "legacy";
But in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Mike Brown pulled out his best tactic, giving the ball to James on offense and double-teaming Li You on defense.

The seemingly simple and crude tactics actually had a significant effect. Before the end of the first half, Black Bread standing next to him could hardly hide his smile and almost made a tactical retreat on the spot:
“Move!!”

Screaming at the top of his lungs, Mike Brown immediately reminded his teammates loudly when he saw Li Youyun crossing half court in the last round.

Afflalo, who came on as a substitute, led the defense throughout the game, and Mo Williams immediately moved to double-team after receiving the instructions.

Without waiting for the two to come in front of him, Li You had already passed the ball to the right wing away from the three-point line. JR Smith, who received the ball, did not hesitate and immediately passed the ball to the inside.

Mo Williams, who had retreated to defense, couldn't hold on any longer. He participated in defense in almost every round. He only rested for 2 minutes in the first half. He made 6 of 1 shots in the second quarter, and his shooting percentage dropped significantly.

"Oh!!"

Gasol faced Howard's top defense with his back to the basket in the right blocking zone. The New York fans at the scene shouted loudly, but the big man did not rush to attack, but observed the defense again.

Afflalo was able to gain the trust of the coaching staff because he was active in defense. Black Bread freed up James on the defensive end, which was also the reason why he was trusted:
“Don’t switch.”

After completing the pass, JR Smith tried to give Li You an off-ball screen, actively delaying the defender and secretly pulling with his hands.

Afflalo could only loudly remind his teammates not to expose the thin Mo Williams.

Li You was entangled on the line. He was not slow. When JR Smith ran to the top of the arc, he was already close to the sideline. Gasol, with his back to the basket, suddenly made a fake pass, then released the ball with his left hand and easily broke through the defense with a turn.

Howard, who failed to fully concentrate, lost most of his body position and tried to slide to create physical confrontation, but as Gasol confronted him, he raised the ball and faked it at the bottom right side of the basket. The Beast could only raise his hands for fear of a foul.

Taking advantage of the time difference, the ball was steadily sent into the basket. Gasol simply clenched his fist to celebrate, while Howard behind him clapped his hands in frustration with his mouth wide open. This low-post attack looked more "beautiful" than his.
With 2.8 seconds left in the first half, Mo Williams missed a long three-pointer and the score was fixed at 56:58. The two sides were evenly matched and the game was extremely tense.

Despite being 2 points behind, head coach Mike Brown on the sidelines was very happy. While loudly encouraging the atmosphere group, he also did not forget to fist-bump with the two key players, fully demonstrating his style as a famous coach.

The Knicks fans didn't care that they didn't lead by much at halftime. After all, being anxious was better than clocking out at halftime. It seemed that they didn't support them enough, and many fans started to shout loudly again:
“Lee!”

Li You's high scores were no longer enough to excite the commentators. Instead, his mediocre performance of 10 of 6 shots in the first half, 6 of 3 from beyond the three-point line, and 15 points was more talked-about.

On the TNT commentary booth, Doug Collins praised the Cavaliers' defensive arrangement, insisting on double-teaming the Knicks no matter how good their outside shooting was. Now, it seems that this defense has worked:

"Coach Mike Brown is clearly well prepared! Their defense is very targeted."

"If they can continue their defensive form in the first half, it will cause a lot of trouble for the defending champions."

Send out one defensive player to mark the opponent, and the remaining four players will perform zone defense depending on the situation.

Mike Brown, who wanted to save face, did not completely turn the defense into a strategy like Box and One, which is only used by high school students, but "improved" it on this basis.

The team increased the number of double-teams on the line, and asked Howard to actively defend and rotate positions. It was somewhat like a 32-zone defense, and somewhat like man-to-man defense. Some rounds even turned into pure zone defense.

Marv Albert felt his partner's words made no sense, because the Knicks scored 58 points, and he remembered a lot of points from cutting in along the baseline:
"It looks like they limited Lee, but didn't solve the defensive problem!"

"I am more worried about the Cavaliers' offense. Mo Williams made 11 of 3 shots in the first half, and Delonte West made 9 of 2 shots. The two made a total of 8 of 3 shots from three-point range, but compared with the previous round of games, there seems to be a significant decline."

Facing the Celtics, the Cavaliers' backcourt performed well. Whether it was Howard or James, they could score efficiently by finding them.

Although he knew that this was caused by defense, Doug Collins did not explain in detail, but took this opportunity to once again paint a big picture for the fans who support the Cavaliers:
"It's time to test the quality of the stars in the third quarter! If James and Howard can maintain their efficient performance in the first half, they have a great chance of winning this away game!"

"."

At this time, the atmosphere in the visiting team's locker room was very hot. Howard and James kept bumping fists with their teammates. If their three-point shots were more accurate in the first half, they would be in the lead.

The two core members looked at each other, and the same feeling emerged in their hearts - the difference was not big!
James noticed several outside teammates who were taking deep breaths, and immediately shouted encouragement and offered chicken soup:

"Bro, hold on a little longer! Mo, we need help, remember to remind everyone, you know, the team needs your offense."

Standing in front of everyone, the Chosen One kept encouraging his teammates. He made 15 of 8 shots in the first half, 5 of 2 from beyond the three-point line, and 2 of 2 free throws, scoring 20 points efficiently. He felt that he was in great shape!

Howard also performed efficiently, making 10 of 7 shots and scoring 16 points and 6 rebounds. He also added with his partner:
"Keep the confidence, Bro! The defense worked and we were able to take the lead in the third quarter."

The two of them kept encouraging each other, and the big brother Ilgauskas also clapped his hands. It was the most perfect half of the game.

Mike Brown, who had already mastered the "code of victory", returned to the locker room and saw the players discussing spontaneously. He felt a sense of accomplishment and knew that the defense was effective, so he naturally would not change his strategy.

When everyone had finished their discussion, Black Bread stood in front of the whiteboard and began to draw up a game plan for the second half:
"We did a good job getting the ball into LeBron's hands, paying attention to the timing of passing the ball and not making any more stupid mistakes."

No one thought something was wrong. Looking at the head coach's dark face, everyone on the Cavaliers responded in unison. Victory was just around the corner.

During the half-time break, apart from the commercial breaks, the commentators at the scene and the studio at the back were discussing why Li You was in such a "low" state and those 8 assists had been ignored.

It is rare for a player to score more points than Li You in the first half of the playoffs. The strength of the "second man" is indeed extraordinary!
Before the start of the second half, the camera was focused on D'Antoni, who was sitting steadily on the bench. The man with a mustache looked relaxed. He scored 58 points in the first half, and such a performance was impeccable in the eyes of the coaching staff.

"Let's go Knicks!."

When the ball was kicked off from the baseline, cheers immediately filled the arena. Delonte West, wearing a red headband and with a serious expression, immediately rushed to defend.

Head coach Mike Brown on the sidelines was also giving passionate instructions, reminding the backcourt players to defend first and then test the waters.

He continued to accelerate along the left sideline, and whenever the opponent reached out, Li You was always able to dodge the defense just in time.

Almost at the center line, Delonte West just turned sideways, and Li You took advantage of the situation to pass the ball behind his back, switched to his left hand again, then suddenly accelerated and easily shook off the defense.

He slowed down again when approaching the three-point line and did not rush into the inside. The fans in the front row watched Li You dribble the ball between his legs in front of the defender, interspersed with changes of direction in front of his body, and began to shout loudly again.

The fancy dribbling gave Delonte West a headache. He turned his body sideways again, trying to let Li You break through with the ball in his left hand, but the sudden change of direction behind him forced him to slide upward.

When his front foot was attacked and his body was in contact, Delonte West felt that he was finished, but Li You did not squeeze through, but took the initiative to slow down. Seeing Li You moving towards the top of the arc, Mo Williams was ready to assist, but the expected breakthrough did not happen, instead JR Smith took this opportunity to slip to the left wing.

Seizing the opportunity of defense, Li You passed the ball between his legs. It was too late for Mo Williams to rush over. The three of them collided with each other, and finally JR Smith caught the ball in an open position and threw it!
"Oh!"

The basketball went into the net and cheers rang out again. Such an easy score made LeBron James frown slightly. It was the same old problem again. Li You's teammates had a higher shooting percentage than him.

56:61, JR Smith, who scored the goal, patted his chest again, appearing extremely excited.

The Cavaliers' offense still starts from Howard's low post. James has already figured out his teammates' tempers. He must let Howard be highly involved on the offensive end so that he will honestly serve as a tool on the defensive end.

On the left wing, James passed the ball to his teammate and immediately gave loud instructions, signaling Ilgauskas to move toward the free throw line so as not to give Gasol a chance to double-team him under the basket.

After receiving the ball, he immediately turned around to attack facing the basket, and made a tentative step. Then Howard released the ball with his left hand, dribbled one step, and tried to use brute force to break through from the baseline.

The simple and rough shake allowed Chandler to make an accurate prediction. The two men's muscles collided, Howard broke through the defense, and finally leaned against his opponent and forced a shot.

The basketball hit the backboard and bounced immediately, and then Gasol returned to the paint area to protect the ball. The Cavaliers had quickly retreated at this time, continuing the defensive discipline in the first half.

Delonte West slid quickly and saw Li You swing the ball with his right hand vigorously while moving, and subconsciously turned his head.

Amid the cheers of New York fans, the basketball bounced to the floor and immediately returned to Li You's hands. The change in rhythm caused Delonte West, who was trying to speed up and slide, to lose his defensive position, and for a moment he could only grit his teeth and chase.

Approaching the right wing, Li You still did not rush to attack. After the attack, he waited for the defender to return to his side and changed direction again.

The Cavaliers' defense had just gotten into position at this time, and unlike the previous three rounds, it turned into zone defense again.

Head coach Mike Brown gave a loud reminder on the sidelines. In the left elbow area, Mo Williams saw Li You accelerating laterally and hurriedly moved his feet.

Before the double-team came, Li You suddenly stopped, leaned against the defense, and knocked Delonte West away with his butt, then changed direction drastically and the basketball flew directly into the paint area.

Mo Williams lost his position as soon as he stretched out his hand, and could only watch Li You easily chase the ball and break through into the crowd with his teammates.

Howard, who was at the bottom right side of the basket, saw Li You lowering his center of gravity and rushing in, and subconsciously moved towards the basket, but Li You did not break through in a straight line, but accelerated sideways again.

When James realized something was wrong, Li You had already approached the right baseline. With the help of Gasol's big body, he suddenly exerted force with his feet and drifted to the right rear to complete a jump shot.

There was no time to block the shot, and Delonte West, who had been chasing and defending, stopped and looked at the basket, just like Howard.

"Oh!"

Amid cheers, the basketball finally went into the net, 56:63, and the score gap was still widening.

"What the hell!"

Li You easily broke through the outside defense and used the "human wall" to bypass his block. Howard could only stare and curse, and his run back was in vain.

In the offensive round, James hesitated when he saw his teammates asking for the ball in the low post again. Prince seized the opportunity and immediately stepped forward to interfere. The latter protected the ball to his side and then called for a pick-and-roll.

Ilgauskas immediately came to the top line, Gasol took the initiative to switch defense, leaving space for James to jump shot, but the latter accelerated laterally and immediately cut into the middle.

James blocked the ball in front and chased after it, then crashed into the defense and accelerated with all his strength. Facing the shrinking defense, he did not choose to pass the ball. Finally, at the bottom right side of the basket, he leaned back and threw the ball towards the backboard.

At 58:63, there was a sudden cheer from the Cavaliers bench. James, who had fallen to the ground, quickly stood up and called on his teammates to retreat again.

Li You, who received the ball at the baseline, made a tactical gesture at this time, indicating that everyone should shrink their defense in the next round. Then he suddenly sent the ball forward with his left hand, quickly pulled the ball with his right hand, suddenly changed direction, and accelerated with all his strength.

"Oh"

With a low cry, Delonte West, who had just slid to the right rear, tried to twist his body forcibly. Before he could chase him again, he tripped and fell to the ground.

The Cavaliers players who had completed their defensive matchups saw their teammates fall and moved away, trying to go online to rotate and defend, but with no one defending, Li You came near the logo and immediately slowed down and passed the ball.

James rushed out with big strides but was still a step too slow. He only had time to stretch out his right arm before Li You made a jump shot!
"A signature three-pointer! Lee seems to have found his game again!"

Doug Collins, who suffered a relapse of amnesia, completely forgot what he said at halftime. After praising James once, he no longer praised his performance and in the blink of an eye he became a "Li fan".

"Great defensive awareness! Good job, man!"

After resting for a half-time, Li You regained his vitality with his physical attributes beyond his limit. He smiled and patted James beside him, and the latter forced out a smile.

Unlike his good brother Wade who was stubborn, James had no intention of confronting him. He loudly encouraged his teammates to continue defending and, on offense, to continue calling for pick-and-rolls.

Howard was a little unhappy because he didn't get the ball. James, who was left open, missed the quick stop jump shot at the free throw line after the pick-and-roll.
Chandler caught the rebound, and Howard could only turn around and run hard, while the Cavaliers' backcourt immediately stepped forward to delay Li You.

Marv Albert saw Li You first receive the ball and turn around to avoid Delonte West's defense, then use his right hand to pass the ball under his crotch and break through Mo Williams's block. He subconsciously praised loudly:

"Lee is starting to speed up! God! A wonderful pass!"

The dribbling speed increased visibly, and Li You completed a series of fancy moves in the blink of an eye. When he rushed across half court, he had already caught up with several people who were retreating.

Howard saw Li You push the ball and change direction to his left hand, and subconsciously adjusted his pace. When he approached the three-point line, he thought he would break through with the ball, but he found that Li You lowered his shoulders and accelerated, then he threw the ball with great force and then took a step sideways.

The huge stride forced Howard to adjust his center of gravity and watch the shot. He tried his best to throw himself outside the three-point line near the left wing, but it didn't have any effect.

“Bang.”

The basketball hit the back edge of the basket and went into the basket accurately. As Li You waved his arms, Madison Square Garden was boiling again.

58:69, the score difference suddenly reached 11 points. Mike Brown on the sidelines subconsciously looked at the scoreboard and immediately requested a timeout.

Black Bread felt confused at this time. They just didn't respond in time for two rounds, and as a result, the game situation was on the verge of collapse.

Watching the Knicks' atmosphere group jumping and jumping into the field to celebrate passionately, James, who was walking to the bench, felt extremely frustrated. It was a pity that he had made so much chicken soup during the halftime break.
After the timeout, in the crucial round, LeBron James again forced his way to the basket, and Prince sent the opponent to the free throw line;
Looking back, James personally cooperated with his teammates to double-team, but the Knicks continued to pass the ball, and finally Gasol found Prince who cut in from the baseline. The latter broke away from the defense and sneaked into the basket to score.

As time passed, the game situation completely reversed in the third quarter. No matter how James continued to attack, the score difference did not narrow.

The Cavaliers only scored 19 points in a single quarter. During the intermission, Howard looked at the 16-point difference and sat on the bench without saying a word. There was no smile on his face at all:
“Why did we suddenly lose the game?”

(End of this chapter)