basketball player

Chapter 297 Chapter 295: Ignite

Stephenson is not a No. [-], never was a No. [-].Henson gave him the task of carrying the ball across the court, nothing more.

Sometimes, Stephenson's single-mindedness can make him perform well.When this guy has too many scruples in his mind, he will end up like this today.

Henson's roar seemed to pull Stephenson out of his panic.He stared at Henson and nodded slightly.Just take the ball across half court and hand it to Horford, no problem, even the dumbest kid in Harlem can do it!

Seeing that Stephenson's eyes turned from confusion to firmness, Henson straightened his jersey, "Don't try to calm yourself down, take that fire and blow them up, Lance."

The timeout ended quickly, and the 7-0 score made Thunder fans smug.So when the game resumed and Lance Stephenson had another half court possession, the Thunder fans even burst out laughing.

But this time, Stephenson didn't stop the ball, nor was he overwhelmed.He lowered his center of gravity and tried to protect the safety of the basketball as much as possible.Then, after Al Horford mentioned the high position, Stephenson immediately sent the ball out!

"Al Horford held the ball in a high position. This time Lance made no mistakes, but this does not mean that the Pacers' offense will definitely work."

Al Horford, this is definitely one of Perkins' most hated opponents. His strengths correspond to Perkins' weaknesses.

Accurate three-pointers, mid-range shots, and high-post support capabilities correspond to Perkins' slow pace and insufficient perimeter defensive awareness.In the finals last season, it was Horford's ability to open up space that made Perkins lose its due role as a frame protector.

This time, Henson also wanted to seize this point and make a big fuss!Of course, Horford's task is not only to open up the space, but also to organize the offense!

The moment Horford held the ball, Lance Stephenson cut in immediately!When Westbrook realized that he was going to chase and defend, he collided with Leonard, and it was an off-ball screen!The Pacers players once again demonstrated their strong tactical execution ability!
Congolese forward Serge Ibaka defended the basket. Although Stephenson is a muscle, he is not stupid.Seeing that someone was defending, Stephenson didn't challenge Ibaka with his brain, but sent the ball to David West with his favorite back pass.

Henson shook his head with a smile. Henson's unnecessary fancy movements were indeed one of his shortcomings.But sometimes, if the players are properly given some space to play, they can bring the greatest return to the coach.

Instead of a mid-range shot, West took a big step to the basket and ended the offense with a one-handed dunk.Although Ibaka's physical fitness is superb, but this cooperation was formed in a flash, and the Congolese had no time to react.

West's dunk made the cheers in the Chesapeake Energy Arena much quieter.For the first time, Stephenson carried his own bomb and blew up the Thunder's defense!

Of course, although the assist for this goal came from Stephenson.But it was Al Horford who really launched the attack.Horford has no stage fright. As a center, he bravely stood up and did a good job in organizing the offense.It seems that the few simple conversations on the plane this morning really played a role.

Running the offense with Al Horford, that's Henson's Plan A!

"Block Horford's receiving route!" On the other end, Brooks also saw Henson's strategy.Stephenson is just a cover, and the real offensive launch point is Horford.

Therefore, as long as Horford is not allowed to easily hold the ball in the high post, the Pacers' offense will become as chaotic as before.

However, the reality is not as smooth as Brooks expected.Henson Joe has long thought that the Thunder will block Horford's receiving route, so he has already made arrangements.

This time, Durant's mid-range turnaround jumper was defended by Leonard.Although Leonard's height is much lower than Durant's, his wingspan is exaggerated, and the blocking timing is very accurate, which can always interfere with Durant's shooting.

This is why Henson needs Leonard to start today. Compared with Green, although Leonard's three-point ability is worse, his defensive ability is better.If Durant is confident at the beginning of the game, it will be difficult to play the next game.So at the beginning, we have to go to a big gate to clamp him!
Durant missed a shot, and the Thunder immediately retreated.Everyone on the Thunder is full of energy and can run from the one to the five.

This time, Perkins paid close attention to Horford's positioning.Once this guy mentions the high position, Perkins will stay on Horford's chest every step of the way, blocking the route of receiving the ball.

Horford saw that Perkins was inseparable from him, so he simply didn't go to the high position.He crossed a gear, stuck Perkins with his back, and then stretched his right arm and raised his hand for the ball.

Horford asked for the ball in the low post!
"Isn't he going to be an organization?" Brooks frowned. The situation was different from what he had imagined.

Stephenson didn't hesitate, and immediately used a lob pass to send "ammunition" inside.Who stipulated that organizational offense can only be carried out at a high position?
Horford holds the ball with his back, but his eyes are watching his teammates move.The moment Horford held the ball, Paul George cut in from the right corner and made another air cut. The "Swiss Army Knife" was hard to guard against.Unless George's jersey is directly grabbed, it is impossible to force him to stop.

When George ran past Horford, Sefoloza stretched his arms!As a seasoned defensive specialist, he knows that this is the best time for the inside to feed the ball to the outside in the low post.However, Horford did not pass the ball, and Horford remained indifferent until George had run behind Horford.

"Feint?" Sefolosa was a little confused, but at this moment, the basketball suddenly caught Sefolosa's eyes and was firmly caught by George!

"What!? When did you pass the ball!"

With his back to the basket, Al Horford threw the basketball behind his head without looking at anyone, and delivered it to George!A look behind your back pass!

"This is!?" Charles Barkley suddenly had goosebumps all over his body. This ball is simply a replica of Sabonis and Yao Ming passing the ball without looking behind their backs!
Paul George received the basketball. At this time, the "Swiss Army Knife" was still behind him, but there was no one in front of George.There is no doubt that this dynamic No. 24 will not waste this kind of opportunity to bomb the rim.

When Perkins, who was covered in cold sweat, turned around, he saw that Paul George had already hanged his hands!Horford casually pointed to the big screen at the scene, and immediately returned to defense!
"Comprehensive, so fucking comprehensive!" Brooks gritted his teeth, Horford is really one of the most underrated stars!

He thought that preventing Horford from holding the ball in a high position would prevent the Pacers from playing a smooth offense, but he was wrong. Horford can see six directions in any position on the court!

"Al Horford made another beautiful goal. We always thought that Coach Henson used Stephenson to replace Chris Paul. However, we all guessed wrong. The real point guard in Coach Henson's lineup is Al Horford. He is a point center!"

Barkley shook his head, organization center, this kind of word would never appear in the 90s.It can only be said that modern basketball has increasingly developed in the direction that Pat Riley thought.The boundaries between the positions of the players have also become increasingly blurred.And Henson is just such a coach who does not bend to convention.

After two dunks in a row, the morale of the Pacers revived after the 7-0 opening.

The next time the Thunder attacked, Serge Ibaka's mid-range shot was blocked by West to his fingertips, and he made a direct shot.Stephenson rushed to the basket to catch the air ball, and then made a long pass from the backcourt!
The camera followed the orange-red afterimage and moved quickly, and the fans realized that Paul George had already run near the midfield line!

"Damn Lance, it's only two rounds!" Henson saw that the long pass was high and floating, and he knew that it was impossible for George to pass comfortably.

This is Stephenson, if you want to have his good, you must accept his bad.Frizzy, he often passes some very thoughtful, but equally difficult balls.

Durant jumped up, as if a wall had been put between George and the basketball.

But the pass was so high that even Durant couldn't reach it.Seeing that the basketball was about to fly to the technical stage, George came from behind, leaning back slightly in the air, holding the basketball with one hand, and then dialed it into the court.

Leonard just arrived, received the basketball and continued to fast break!But at this time, the Thunder's defense is almost in place, and Ibaka has already rushed into the three-second zone.However, after Leonard rushed up, he didn't intend to slow down. I saw this No. 2 with an unusually long arm slamming into the penalty area to challenge Ibaka!

Ibaka's calf muscles contracted rapidly, and then he bounced his body violently!If it is an ordinary third position, it is absolutely impossible to escape the fate of being taken by volleyball.However, in the air, Ibaka was surprised to find that there was still a small gap between his fingers and the basketball in Leonard's hand!Leonard didn't dodge at all, but used his wingspan advantage to abruptly avoid the block!
With a flick of his wrist, Leonard threw the ball to the backboard, and the basketball "obediently" hit the backboard and refracted into the net.Because Leonard did not dodge, he was also knocked down by Ibaka at the same time. The referee's whistle rang through the audience, like a siren!
"2+1, Leonard is really a sharp knife in transition offense! His scoring ability has improved a lot this season, and this is undoubtedly a beautiful counterattack!"

West and Stephenson immediately ran over to pull Leonard up, which was a request made by Henson at the beginning of the season.

"Everyone, don't rush to get up after you fall, wait for your brothers to come and pull you."

In doing so, it can prevent players from being injured, and secondly, it can enhance the cohesion of the team.

After being pulled up by his teammates, Leonard didn't celebrate or show any expression. Instead, he stood directly on the free throw line. Amidst the boos of the Thunder fans, he made a free throw!

Henson applauded silently off the court, all the "dynamite packs" he threw up exploded!

The Pacers went all out and returned a 7-0 to the Oklahoma City Thunder!Want to test the depth of the defending champion's bench?Then you have to be stricter!
Plan A has succeeded for the time being, but Henson hopes that Plan B will not be used in this game in the end
(End of this chapter)