Grab Curry at the start

Chapter 338 Still Strong
"We can't let the opponent speed up unscrupulously. To do this well, we don't have to follow the opponent and enter the rhythm of the opponent..."

Zhang Sixin took out the first half record of the coaching staff and marked it on the tactical board.

"These points are the shooting points that the opponent's main scorer is best at. We must stand in these positions for defensive positioning; this is their tactical choice for habitual shooting, and it is the habit of breaking through... the defense must also take care of the details."

"On the offensive end, we should be better than the Nuggets at playing the overall game well. We have to believe in our teammates and ourselves."

On the Nuggets side, their head coach George Karl is also speaking out, and they will soon get their wish to win the victory.

After some targeted arrangements by both sides, the second half began.

The Nuggets are also a team with a good offense, but they didn't feel the tactical execution of the defending champion until the beginning of the third quarter.

Because Love is no longer on the field, Zhang Sixin adjusted the starting lineup, going directly to one big and four small, not afraid of the opponent running.

It's not just the defensive end that has played a role, the Timberwolves have also shown their flexibility on the offensive end.

The Nuggets were shocked when they ran, but they suddenly realized that with the cooperation of the Timberwolves' tactics, they couldn't keep up.

In fact, being able to run and jump for a long time is not as good as a few good conduction balls. Can people be faster than balls?

Not only the main lineup, the good state of the Timberwolves has continued into the rotation period.

In this game, the Timberwolves rested two people in rotation, and the choice of substitutes should be less, but everyone found that the Timberwolves seem to be able to play even if they are marginal substitutes.

There is also the ebb and flow, the Nuggets bench group who performed well in the first half suddenly became silent in the second half.

In fact, it is easy to understand that the players of the Nuggets are not so strong in personal ability. Their offense often relies on the impact of rhythm, such as five players rushing together in a counterattack.

The Timberwolves' offensive efficiency improved in the second half, and the Nuggets had fewer opportunities.

When falling into a positional battle, the Timberwolves' defense can better limit opponents, and the Nuggets' lack of outstanding personal ability will be exposed.

So in many cases, competitive sports is a trade-off, and one side is good and the other side will be affected.

Especially basketball, football and other group confrontation competitions, the performance is more obvious.

So at the end of the quarter, after the Timberwolves gained the advantage, the Nuggets played worse and worse.

On the contrary, DeRozan and Leonard are playing better and better.

They also rely on physical fitness, but the Nuggets' defense is not as good as the Timberwolves, and they can also rush in on the ground. This is the difference between the two teams.

At the last moment, Leonard hit a three-pointer, the Timberwolves led by more than 5 points, and the game was settled.

The Timberwolves play against a playoff-level team in the Western Conference. Even so, they can still win with a few players.

The next day they played back-to-back Timberwolves and returned to the home court. DeRozan and Love had a truce.

Zhang Sixin let Green and Leonard start, and Pekovic was still used at the fifth position.

The Clippers seemed to score a lot from the inside, but it was mainly Griffin's impact. Faced with this, it would be good to have a big man in the penalty area. There is no need to help defend, because the Clippers are not outside players. Zhang Sixin thinks it is better to have strength.

Of course, Whiteside will also get a lot of opportunities, and leveling will not be delayed.

The current Clippers are the strongest configuration they can come up with.

Starting outside Paul, Foye and Butler, inside Griffin and Jordan Jr., and Maurice Williams, Nick Young and Kenyon Martin on the bench, the lineup is absolutely fine.

But why their strength is only the second tier in the West, and their offensive strength is not good enough. The main reason is that the Clippers' rhythm is a bit slow, and they are used to positional warfare.

There are reasons for the head coach's tactical arrangements, and there are also reasons for the team's core Paul's habit of stabilizing the rhythm.

Sometimes stability can also be a double-edged sword. If you are stable and do not have enough personal ability to score points, it will definitely affect the team's offense.

Of course, this is a problem that the Clippers will encounter only when they encounter a strong team. If they play against an ordinary team, their opponents will feel desperate, and Paul's control of the field is too strong.

In this game, the Timberwolves' starting lineup is a very good defensive lineup, which can be said to be stronger than their real starting defense.

After all, DeRozan and Love are not particularly good at defense. Now the flanks Green, Leonard and Paul George, and the inside Milicic, if they play positional battles, no matter which team in the league, they will find it difficult.

If these guys were all at their peak, the opponent would just stop fighting. There is still a little hope now.

Facing the Timberwolves with few players, the Clippers naturally want to win, but they are also back to back, and it is not easy to take advantage.

Moreover, they are also worried about the team's injuries.

Paul is also a little bit injury prone and can't be fucked up.

The Clippers thought that the Timberwolves had two All-Stars, and they could handle it relatively easily.

As for civilian teams like the Nuggets, there is still not much reference value.

The Clippers' record this season did not meet expectations, but their spirits are still high.

The team has Paul and Griffin, two All-Stars with good strength and popularity. This is a solid capital that the team has never had before, and it can really hit the championship.

The poor record must be due to running-in problems, and the competitors in the West are old and young, and they are very promising.

The Timberwolves don't pay too much attention to them now, and it's normal to overthrow them.

The Clippers can't catch up with the Timberwolves in record now, but if they can overwhelm the Lakers in the same city and enter the top four in the Western Conference, they will be very happy.

So from the beginning of the game, they were very aggressive.

But after a period of offense, the Clippers were surprised. The Timberwolves' lineup actually restrained them. They couldn't play their due combat effectiveness either outside or inside.

Zhang Sixin is satisfied with his performance. In fact, the Timberwolves lineup can almost reach the league's first-tier defensive level. At the beginning of the season, they couldn't do it, but now Leonard and Paul George have improved. With the upgraded version of Milicic, they are indeed very strong.

On offense, Paul's defense did not have much impact on Curry. With two consecutive three-pointers, the Timberwolves directly took the lead.

If Curry holds the ball in front of Paul for a long time, it will definitely be affected. Paul's defense must be good, with good anticipation and sufficient strength.

But if Curry just shoots, Paul can only sulk, height is an eternal pain.

In many cases, defeating a powerful opponent requires only the simplest moves.

Curry is an All-Star player who has achieved the ultimate three-pointer. During the game, the defensive players cannot relax for a moment, not just a three-pointer, but it is too difficult to not relax for a moment, and the consumption is too great. How can it be possible for a player who has to coordinate the offense.

(End of this chapter)