Basketball Dragon

Chapter 175 Mastering the Initiative
The Mavericks Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard have problems with their hands, but another of their scorers, Jason Terry, feels very good.

Not long after the opening, Jason Terry hit two consecutive three-pointers, and he always maintained the lead in the score even though his teammates felt bad.

The Mavericks brought on Stackhouse before halfway through the first quarter, starting their rotation earlier than any other team.

The Knicks were unmoved, and taking advantage of the opponent's touch problem, Li Hai, Marbury and Francis tried their best to attack. The Mavericks' defense was neither good nor bad, but it was a bit difficult for the three of them to make consecutive breakthroughs. Can't bear it.

In the second half of the first quarter, the Knicks took the lead.

Seeing that the situation was wrong, Nowitzki immediately changed his style of play and began to force Channing Frye in the paint. This trick indeed gave him a chance to win free throws, but the problem of hand feeling could not be solved for the time being.

The Mavericks implemented their rotation tactics in an orderly manner. Even Terry, who had a good touch, would be replaced. The Knicks did not replace Crawford until the last 2 minutes.

Both sides played according to their own tactics, but in this case, the Knicks seized the opportunity to lead without hesitation.

At the end of the first quarter, Crawford's three-pointer helped the team extend the lead to 8 points.

Entering the second quarter, the Mavericks strengthened their defense, and Terry was still the best offensively. Terry's shots were fast, and his long-range shooting was also difficult to defend.

However, Terry's defense is not as good as the offense, and it is not difficult for Francis to attack him, but the Mavericks' inside defense is not bad, and it is not so easy to hit the basket.

In this section of the game, the two sides were almost in a mid-range shooting battle. The Knicks had a decent shooting rate, the Mavericks Terry felt hot, and Nowitzki still didn't find the touch, but the Mavericks still had a slightly higher shooting rate on average.

At the end of the first half, the Knicks also led by 50 points 45:5.

During the halftime break, the Knicks targeted Terry, but Nowitzki continued to defend with Channing Frye. Nowitzki had a problem with his hand, and Channing Frye Still barely able to hold on.

The Mavericks were unable to make any targeted defense. Although Li Hai had exploded with strong offensive power before, the Knicks' offense did not need him to support it alone. After the tempering of the playoffs, the five of them The scoring strengths are all threatening.

Mavericks coach Avery Johnson wants to achieve a balance of offense and defense. He talked more about the problems that occurred in the first half of the offense. He felt that as long as the team calmed down their excitement, the advantage was still on their side.

In the second half, Nowitzki really began to flourish, and Channing Frye also worked hard, but when he stood in front of Nowitzki, it was easy for people to ignore his height of 2 meters, because Nowitzki's shot made him Basically no interference.

But fortunately, Terry, who felt overwhelmed before, was a little bit stalled, and the Knicks still had a lead. They were trying to use offense to maintain a small score advantage.

Lehi caused Josh Howard to foul twice, which shattered the Mavericks' hope that Josh Howard could handle Li Hai alone.

Josh Howard is really okay with his physical fitness and hard work in defense, but he is not as good as Li Hai, who has been baptized in the playoffs. His defensive experience and judgment are comparable to those of the top defenders. There is still a gap.

Compared with Li Hai's restriction, he protected the Mavericks' backcourt rebounds better.

Under the influence of Li Hai's explosive 10 points in the third quarter, the Mavericks' idea of ​​turning the score in the third quarter failed, and the Knicks continued to lead 74:69.

The pressure of the finals is indeed different from that of ordinary games, but Li Hai has also experienced many big stages, and he has a personality that the bigger the scene, the more excited he is. He did not let the pressure affect his competitive state.

At the beginning of the last quarter, Nowitzki of the Mavericks rested off the court. When Terry led the team to play, Terry showed his high shooting percentage and once led the team to tie the score.

But the Knicks immediately retaliated, and when Li Hai played again, they still maintained the 5-point lead.

This is a hurdle, or a score stalemate, which often happens in basketball games. Whoever gets over it first is likely to gain an advantage in the next stage.

In the last 7 minutes of the game, Terry hit two unreasonable three-pointers again. At 81:82, the Mavericks took the lead in breaking the stalemate and completing the overtake.

The Knicks are very familiar with this kind of ball, and Crawford often throws it, leaving the opponent helpless. Unexpectedly, in the finals, the opponent hit them once.

Nix asked for a timeout, and Li Hai took a deep breath to calm down, "It's okay, we can call back again."

Back on the court, Li Hai asked for the ball from beyond the three-point line, and then called Channing Frye to come up to cover. As soon as Channing Frye took his position, Li Hai suddenly started and rushed into the inside lane of the Mavericks. Dampier subconsciously As soon as he reached out, he was immediately called a foul.

In the Mavericks' offense, Francis also became ruthless, staring at Terry, not giving Terry any space even outside the three-point line.

The Mavericks still handed the ball to Nowitzki. Nowitzki squeezed in with his back to Channing Frye, then turned around and squeezed past Channing Frye to the basket.

Eddie Curry and Li Hai immediately rushed over together. Even if Nowitzki didn't feel good in this game, he was also the most important figure for the Knicks to mark. The reason why Terry scored so many points before was because of the Knicks' defense. The lack of attention on him is also a reason.

Nowitzki faced the double-team and still jumped up to complete the shot.

But he didn't hit the board, and Nowitzki shook his arm angrily. His height leaned on someone and he jumped up and shot without being really disturbed. If he should go in normally, his body feels stiff now. some.

Nowitzki missed, but Li Hai made a mid-range shot under the cover of his teammates, and the score was close again.

In the following attack of the Mavericks, Josh Howard made an emergency stop against Li Hai twice. He did not restrain Li Hai on the defensive end, and he also wanted to get it back.

This is the problem with Josh Howard. He is very versatile, but he takes it for granted.

If he insists on singles or jump shots when his hand feels average, Li Hai will certainly not give him a chance.

At 4 minutes and 46 seconds, Li Hai assisted Marbury, who hit a three-pointer, and the Knicks led by 6 points.

In the away game, the Knicks once again took the initiative in their own hands. This is their strength.

(End of this chapter)