full court guidance

Chapter 49

On May 5, the Phoenix Suns slapped all the media who were swaying the wind with a violent performance.The Phoenix Suns proved to the world what kind of strength the team with the best record in the league has.

They played a smooth offense in this game, with an incredible shooting rate, and finally 135:118, beating the Rockets by 17 points!
How good is the Suns players in this game?
They shot 58% from the field, and an astonishing 67.5% from beyond the three-point line. They made 37 crazy shots and hit 25 of them. They scored 75 points just outside the three-point line!
If it wasn't for Yao Ming's defense in the interior that restricted Stoudemire's scoring in this game, the Rockets would have been beaten in the third quarter.

The three-point king Quentin Richardson was in excellent form in this game, shooting 12 of 9 from beyond the three-point line and shooting 75%.

Jim Jackson also had 8 of 5 outside performances on the outside. Marion also got a lot of shots from the outside, hitting 7 goals in 6 shots.

Only Steve Nash, who was marked late, had a poor outside shooting percentage in this game, only 10 of 3, but he used his passing organization to revitalize the entire Suns. Everyone believed that he was the number one contributor to the Suns' victory.

Richardson hit unreasonable three-pointers many times today, which brought a big blow to the Rockets' outside defensive players. Mucci Norris was beaten and cried after the game, and apologized to his teammates with tears, saying that he Did not complete the task of marking the opponent.

The Big Three on the Rockets' side performed steadily. Yao Ming's interior defense was impeccable, and he restrained Stoudemire from hitting the basket very well. He also performed well on the offensive end. He played 42 minutes and scored 28 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks.

Tracy McGrady scored another triple-double with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists.

He took 27 late outside shots, hit 15 goals, scored 45 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist, and his ability to score points is still stable.

In this game, the Suns played very resolutely on the offensive end. Although the Rockets have tried their best to suppress the offensive time, they finally let the Suns score high. If they play against the Suns, with the Suns' shooting percentage in this game, it is estimated that the score can reach 150+ !

When interviewed by the news after the game, D'Antoni praised the performance of the players, and then said that he had found a way to deal with being late, and that was to score with him!
As long as the players are in good shape, the late three-point shooting rate is not an unsolvable problem.

However, how many teams in the league have such a strong offensive power as the Suns, and such an enviable lineup depth?
Although the Rockets lost the crucial fifth game, they did not appear too frustrated, but said that they would definitely equalize the score at home and strive to enter the Western Conference Finals.

Jeff Van Gundy's employment has been questioned again. As a point guard with a height of 196cm, Bob Sura's defensive ability is not bad. Today he didn't even make the roster. Such a crazy offensive performance.

The media once again showed their unscrupulousness, and began to be optimistic about the Suns' ability to advance to the Western Conference Finals.

Their reasons are also very good. The depth of the Suns lineup is better, and the scores of the role players of the two sides are compared-uh, well, D'Antoni only rotates with 8 people. Role players actually scored a little more.

The media quickly found the reason that the Suns' main lineup was stronger-they were also the ones who said that the Rockets' Big Three were stronger.

数据显示，在7战4胜制的系列赛中，当总比分打成2-2平后，赢下第5场的球队有83%的概率最终晋级。

立刻就有休斯顿媒体列举了数据进行反击：奥拉朱旺领军的时代，火箭在93-94赛季、94-95赛季和96-97赛季三次打进了西部决赛，并获得了2次总冠军。

In the 94 playoffs, after eliminating the Trail Blazers in the first round, the Rockets faced the Suns led by Barkley in the second round. They fought in 7 games, relying on Olajuwon's 37 points, 17 rebounds and 5 assists in the tiebreaker to make a thrilling advance, and finally Eliminated the Jazz to enter the finals and won the championship.

In the 1995 playoffs, the Rockets met the Suns in the second round. They still relied on the tiebreaker to advance. What was particularly thrilling was that even in the tiebreaker, the Rockets only defeated the Suns by 1 point and advanced , They eliminated the Spurs in the Western Conference finals to enter the finals, and then won two consecutive championships.

In the 96-97 season, the Rockets traded for Barkley on the basis of Olajuwon and Drexler, forming the Big Three.In the Western Division semifinals, they also eliminated the Supersonics in the tiebreaker and advanced to the Western Conference Finals, but unfortunately lost to the Jazz led by Stockton and Malone.

The Houston media is more optimistic. They believe that the performance of the Suns in Game 67.5 is atypical and cannot be sustained. The [-]% shooting rate from outside the three-point line is just their luck. They really think they are outside Is everyone late?
In fact, the supporters of the Rockets almost think this way. The Suns' hit in the fifth game is too bad. Even if they know that their defense is in place, they still can't defend against their opponents. I have experienced it many times during team training, and this is not enough to hit the Rockets players.

Sure enough, in the G5 game that started on May 20th, the Suns' shooting percentage was no longer miraculous. They had no way to limit McGrady's playmaking style. Unable to stop Yao Ming's ups and downs in the paint, Tracy McGrady made a breakthrough in the middle distance.

In the end, the Rockets firmly took the initiative. Yao Ming scored 41 points, Tracy McGrady scored 21 points, and Late scored 21 points. The Rockets tied the score 115:106.

The Rockets' new Big Three offensive system has matured day by day. Yao Ming has been praised by the media many times this season, saying that he has made rapid progress since the second half of the season, playing smarter and smarter, and his dominance has become stronger and stronger.

After McGrady changed his style of play, he got more open shot opportunities and his efficiency value increased significantly. During the playoffs, his shooting percentage reached more than 50%. The influence of the team has declined.

Being late is the biggest reward for the Rockets. This undrafted rookie who sent himself to the door has become one of the most important giants of the Rockets. Even though he has a single role and only has one amazing three-pointer, he still uses himself advantage, became the rocket's deadliest killer.

The Suns did not find an effective way to effectively target the Big Three of the Rockets. The victory over the Rockets in the fifth game was more like a flash in the pan.

In the seventh game, the Suns tried their best, and their five starting players almost all played the whole game. However, they still failed to defeat the Rockets in the end, and could only watch the Rockets break into the Western Conference Finals.

In the end, the Rockets reversed and eliminated the Suns 4-3, and they will face the Spurs who eliminated the Supersonics 4-2 in the Western Conference Finals.

In the East, the Heat swept the Wizards, the Pistons overturned the Pacers 4-2, and joined the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Pacers have become the most regrettable team this season. After losing Artest, the core of the team's perimeter defense, they still broke into the second round of the Eastern Conference, but they lost in front of the impregnable defense of the Pistons .

After the defeat in G6, the legendary shooter Reggie Miller announced his retirement in public. The legendary shooter who once staged a peak duel with Jordan and completed the "Miller Moment" of 8.5 seconds and 8 minutes has come to an end. step.

The Western Conference finals predict that more media are optimistic about the Spurs. After all, in the history of the league, the team that won the championship as the bottom half (last 4) has only appeared once. Coincidentally, this team is the Rockets!
Since getting Tim Duncan, a historic power forward, the Spurs have been a strong contender for the league championship.

When the OK combination swept the league and established the Lakers dynasty, it was the Spurs who could pose a threat to the Lakers.

It can be said that as long as Duncan is there, the Spurs will not be weak.

Their coach Popovich is also an excellent head coach. Whether it is tactical adjustment ability or on-the-spot command ability, he has been widely recognized by the entire league.

But some people obviously don't think so. "Sports Illustrated" Edward Benedict Ke pointed out in his column that the Rockets are the nemesis of the Spurs, and the Western Conference Finals will be the least suspenseful game in the playoffs.

He cited various statistics. This season, the two sides played against each other in the regular season with a record of 2-2. It seemed to be a tie, but in fact the Rockets had a clear advantage. The two teams played against each other twice in the second half of the season. Victory, but don't ignore it, being late was banned!

The Rockets who are late and the Rockets who are not late are two completely different styles of teams, and the difference between the two is completely one dimension.

When there is no delay, the Rockets attack slowly and win with defense.

When Late is on the court, the Rockets' defensive quality will not drop much, but their offensive power has been greatly improved. Also as a defensive team, the Spurs are very close to the Rockets in terms of defensive efficiency, but the Spurs' offensive ability Obviously not as good as having a late rocket.

Benedict Ke asserted in his column that being late will inevitably become a killer against the Spurs. If the Spurs cannot limit his three-point shooting percentage to less than 50%, they will undoubtedly lose!
In addition to being late, Duncan didn't have much advantage against Yao Ming!

Many people only see that Duncan is a historical power forward, and think that he can break the league, but Duncan's advantage in facing Yao Ming is not as great as imagined.

Duncan's rebound shooting is his unique skill, but his shooting range is not as far as everyone thinks. His scoring is mainly concentrated at the basket and close range. , Duncan's free throws are not stable, this season his free throw percentage is only 40%!

(End of this chapter)