Basketball Dragon

Chapter 170 The strength to become stronger

When the Pistons fall behind, they have to increase their offense, because even if they increase their defense, they will never be able to catch up if they are not good on the offensive end.

And their head coach Philip Sanders actually advocates offense more than Larry Brown. Defense is what the Pistons rely on for survival. Their change this season is offense.

However, things like changes often don't go as expected. Perhaps it's because you can't have both. The Pistons' offense and defense can't always be balanced. This is why they played seven games with the Cavaliers and almost said goodbye.

And now the Knicks are undoubtedly stronger than the Cavaliers.

The first offense of the Pistons in the fourth quarter was a double screen, and Hamilton caught the ball and completed the shot.

Li Hai's response to the other party was to go straight in and hit 2+1.

With the exhaustion of both sides' physical strength, the Pistons' interior is no longer a no-fly zone. Although the two Wallaces are strong in interior defense, they will move a little slower when they are tired.

As long as there is a gap, it is an opportunity for a player like Li Hai.

After all the main players from both sides came back, Li Hai chose to switch defenses with his teammates to deal with Hamilton with all his strength.

Li Hai has better physical fitness, and the key to dealing with an off-ball running master like Hamilton is concentration.

It just so happens that Li Hai is also top-notch in this respect, and Hamilton's next time will not be so comfortable.

However, the quality of the Pistons' cover was indeed very high. Even if Li Hai tried his best to stick to Hamilton, he would always bump into the opponent's muscular stick.

In this case, the best defensive method should be the rotation between defensive players, but with the Knicks' defensive skills, it is impossible to achieve a seamless rotation. In that case, Hamilton, a master who seizes opportunities, will not be restricted at all.

Therefore, for Hamilton, Li Hai's single defense ability is still needed.

Fortunately, Li Hai is also very familiar with this kind of cover routine against the Pistons. Not only has he played against them, but he also often encountered the Knicks during internal training. After all, Larry Brown also likes this kind of routine very much.

After bumping into it a few times, Li Hai had a memory of the current changes in the Pistons.

When encountering a screen, he can get rid of it in the fastest time. Moreover, the Pistons' pass cannot be achieved every time. The other Knicks players are not just decorations. If they choose, they will also cause trouble.

At 5 minutes and 15 seconds, Hamilton shot and hit the iron under the interference of Li Hai. The Knicks quickly counterattacked and Li Hai scored a layup.

At 3 minutes and 57 seconds, Crawford, who had just been replaced, made a steal and attack. The Knicks made a fast break on the third line. Crawford hit 2 points and the Knicks led by 9 points.

After entering 2 points, the Pistons began to try three-pointers, but Rasheed Wallace missed a three-pointer. As a big man inside, he has a wide range of activities, and now he is also feeling tired.

Then the Pistons tried foul tactics, Marbury made two free throws and Billups quickly hit a three-pointer, helping the Pistons narrow the gap to 4 points, and they saw hope again.

Next, Li Hai made two free throws and Billups missed another three-pointer. The Knicks won their first away game in the Eastern Conference Finals at 92:86.

Li Hai scored 25 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists. Compared with the previous games, although he scored fairly well, he showed his excellent organizational skills again.

The Knicks were able to enter the Eastern Conference finals. The outside world generally believed that the weakness of the Heat's small forward gave them a chance, but when they met the Pistons, the Knicks no longer had this advantage. They may have problems when they meet the old-fashioned Pistons.

But in fact, the Pistons can't limit the Cavaliers perfectly, so it is impossible to limit the Knicks well. The Knicks' attack power is stronger than the Cavaliers.

As a result, the media who had spoken with certainty before began to laugh at the Pistons' basketball as outdated.

In the west, the Suns turned against the Mavericks, and the limelight was all robbed by the small player Boris Diaw. The Frenchman became the hero of the team.

The Knicks don't have any heroes, they played at the level they should have, and they won the game.

In the second game two days later, the Knicks had problems with their outside touch and lost by 3 points. The score between the two sides became 1:1.

The Western Mavericks and the Suns also fought 1:1. The difference is that Josh Howard, who was injured in the first game, played with an injury, and the Mavericks showed strength that is stronger than their opponents.

Back at home, the Knicks team felt much better, and fatigue seemed to be swept away.

They are full of fighting spirit, but the previous defeat also made them more cautious.

Amidst the cheers from the home audience, Li Hai was unreserved and showed enough firepower in the first quarter.

The same is true for Billups. He changed his routine to attack first, and Hamilton became a pair of Pistons. The Knicks have not changed at home except that Le Hai has strengthened their offense. They still insist on combining inside and outside.

The first quarter was when the two sides had the best physical strength. They both played their own tactics. At the end, the Knicks only had a 2-point lead.

The Pistons increased the playing time of the bench players in the second game. After winning that game, they felt that the tactical changes had an effect. This game also increased the rotation personnel.

It is a good idea to allow the main players to rest more during the game and adjust their physical strength for the final decisive battle at the last moment, but the Pistons' substitutes are far from the main players.

The previous game was not so much a show off from the bench as it was a problem with the Knicks themselves.

Because their substitute players didn't even get 10 in total. If they can't help the team, they don't know if the few minutes of rest for the main players are worth it.

So when they were still unable to score as substitutes in this game, the situation was different.

Crawford scored 5 points in a row, leading the rotation to instantly expand the lead.

By the time the Pistons returned to the starting lineup, the gap between the two sides had reached double digits.

The Pistons are not scoring explosively. When they encounter a team like the Knicks who are very familiar with them, once they fall behind by double digits, it will be extremely difficult to catch up.

Billups was originally the organizer of the team, already a big heart at critical moments, but now he has to put the organization in second place, trying to get the score back with his own offensive power.

But the Knicks will not give the Pistons this opportunity. On the offensive end, they have completely played out several sets of pick-and-roll tactics, making it difficult for the Pistons to guard against.

At 49:38, at the end of the first half, the Knicks led by 11 points.

The Pistons failed to play both offensively and defensively. At the Knicks' home court, they were a little at a loss.

(End of this chapter)