Chapter 113 Eastern Conference Finals, vs. Celtics

Author: Aiying Shutan

Chapter 113 Eastern Conference Finals, vs. Celtics

In the next few rounds, the Magic team used elevator door tactics to help Wang Chao cover and occupy space, and the effect was outstanding. Wang Chao also lived up to the high expectations of this extreme tactic of three guarantees and one, shooting 3 from 3 from beyond the arc.

In the middle, he scored 9 points in a row and recovered the 8-point difference in the blink of an eye.

Seeing that the situation was not going well, the Pistons immediately called a timeout to adjust. However, the unsolvable part of the elevator door tactic is that even if they know that the opponent is going to play like this, there is no way. Apart from moving the pick-and-roll violation, the only thing they can bet on is the shooter's poor touch.

You can't score a goal, but this is simply not true for Wang Chao.

The Magic also knew how to give up when things were good. After taking the lead, they did not continue to use this trick frequently. Instead, they returned to normal Wang Chao and Howard's pick-and-roll cooperation to consolidate their lead.

The advantage they had finally established was reversed and the Pistons' morale plummeted. More importantly, the debut of the elevator door tactic left them a bit confused and had no idea how to deal with this tactic.

104:97, this was the final score after the game. The Magic defeated the Pistons and won the first game of the series, with a total score of 1:0.

"Congratulations to the Magic for winning this game. Although the game had ups and downs and the Magic fell behind by 8 points in the fourth quarter, under the leadership of Wang Chao's 13 points in a single quarter, the team successfully reversed and won the game.

Contest."

Director Yu said: "Wang Chao shouldered the team's offensive banner in this game, scoring a game-high 31 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists, shooting 56% from the field and 52% from the three-point range, especially in the fourth quarter.

The three consecutive three-pointers in the process were the key for the Magic to overtake the score!"

For the Magic, in addition to Wang Chao's 31 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists, Howard also had 27 points and 13 rebounds. Wang Chao's 6 assists were all obtained by cooperating with Howard in the pick-and-roll and then passing to the opponent's basket.

The Super Magic combination scored 58 points, which was also the key to the Magic winning the game.

After the game, Pistons head coach Flip Saunders looked unhappy. It didn't matter if he lost a game. After all, the playoffs were 4 wins out of 7 games.

But what made him feel tremendous pressure was the elevator door tactic used by the Magic in the fourth quarter.

If there is no way to break this tactic, then in the subsequent games, once the game reaches a deadlock and the Magic uses this trick again, the Pistons will be unable to resist and will only face defeat!

At the post-game press conference, Sanders vaguely mentioned that during the game, the Magic were suspected of moving the pick-and-roll, but the referee did not call it, which made him very dissatisfied.

I have to admit that although they were the team that succeeded Larry Brown, during their coaching of the Pistons, especially after Ben Wallace left the team, they were still able to lead the Pistons to the Eastern Conference finals every year. Sanders' coaching

The level is quite good.

Although it was the first time he saw the elevator door tactic, he immediately noticed the problem with this tactic, which was the suspicion of a mobile pick-and-roll with a double pick-and-roll screen.

But this kind of thing itself is a question of the intensity of penalties. Even the Warriors won 73 games in the regular season and acquired Durant in the summer to form an unprecedented luxury lineup, which caused great dissatisfaction among all teams in the league.

After that, they joined forces to put pressure on the league, forcing referees to become stricter in calling mobile pick-and-rolls.

In contrast, the Magic have just started to use it, and they use it very carefully. They only use it a few times at critical moments. In addition, the Magic itself is not the top team in the league, so there is no need to brag about it.

To say the least, for the league, between the Magic and the Pistons, the former is definitely more favored by Stern.

Wang Chao and Howard are both popular superstars in the league. Although the Magic is also a strong defensive team, its offense is not as sluggish as the Pistons. When the Magic's offense with the original version of Magic Ball starts flowing smoothly, the offense is also very gorgeous.

Therefore, the Magic entering the Eastern Conference Finals and the winner's showdown between the Celtics and Cavaliers will definitely gain more ratings than the Pistons entering the Eastern Conference Finals.

In order to promote James, the league can ignore even a six-step layup. What's the point of fussing about a mere suspected moving pick-and-roll?

The day after Sanders publicly questioned the referee's call, the league publicly stated that there was no problem with the referee's call in the G1 game between the Magic and the Pistons, and it was completely reasonable and compliant. The Pistons head coach publicly criticized the referee's call.

For inappropriate remarks, he was fined $50,000 as a warning.

The league's tough attitude forced the Pistons to shut up and prepare for the next game.

On May 5, in the second game of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the competition venue was still at the home court of the Magic. Facing the Pistons, who had already lost one game but were still aggressive, the Magic once again won the game 100:93.

The score is 2:0 leading the opponent.

Wang Chao had 22 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, Howard had 25 points and 18 rebounds, and Nelson had 20 points and 4 assists.

Three players from the Magic team scored 20+ points and five players scored in double figures to win the game.

When the score was stalemate at the last moment, the Magic followed the same pattern and resorted to the elevator door tactic again. The Pistons, who had been prepared for this tactic, still had no choice but to watch the victory leave them again.

There is really no way around this.

Apart from the screen foul, there is only one possibility to prevent the elevator door tactic, and that is the touch of the player who executes the shot.

Why did the tactic that was born as early as the 1980s begin to gradually show its power until the 13-14 season? Because before that, there was no team that could use this tactic to its maximum effect.

Looking at the entire league, before the emergence of Curry and Thompson, only Ray Allen's three-point shooting ability could support the requirements of this tactic.

Wang Chao, whose three-point shooting ability values ​​are all 99 and has the talents of a sharpshooter, quick shooter and sniper, is obviously a player who is more suitable for this tactic than Curry.

This is why Wang Chao is very cautious and tries to avoid using elevator door tactics extensively. If possible, he wants to enjoy the convenience brought to him by elevator door tactics as much as possible. This tactic is whistled for moving pick-and-rolls for longer.

The later the better, especially in the playoffs, it is just like a bug and a killer with no solution.

The big score was 2:0, which caught many people by surprise.

Even with the home court advantage, it was still surprising that the Magic could defeat the Pistons in two consecutive games so cleanly. After all, the playoff experience of the two teams is very different.

With two games won, the Magic headed to Detroit with great momentum. The next two games will all be played at the Pistons' home court.

On May 7, the Pistons' home court was packed with people. For Detroit, a city that is experiencing economic turmoil, with a large number of unemployment and bankruptcies, it is really rare because the Pistons fans firmly believe that the loss of the first two games was due to away games.

For the sake of fighting, returning to their home court, the Pistons will definitely win two games in a row, tie the score to 2:2, and then defeat the Magic in one go, advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals for the sixth consecutive year.

However, the Pistons fans never expected that they came to the home court enthusiastically to cheer for the team, but what they got in return was a group of disappointed and early departures before the third quarter of the game.

What is the magic ball tactic?

This term was born when D'Antoni was coaching the Rockets.

The so-called magic ball, explained in the simplest way, is to abandon the traditional mid-range shot and limit the main scoring methods to three-pointers and basket attacks, focusing on maximizing efficiency.

Why is this style of play called magic ball? It’s also because this style of play is very magical. It’s either super god or super ghost. When it’s powerful, even the King of Heaven will be defeated, but

If a player feels cold, he will not be able to beat the weakest team in the league.

When Howard was at his peak, the Magic's playing philosophy was the prototype of the Magic Ball strategy. The offense relied on a large number of long-range three-pointers. Except for Howard, who guarded the basket, all four positions on the field could shoot three-pointers.

The G3 game between the Magic and the Pistons happened to coincide with a time when the entire Magic team was feeling great from the outside.

Not only Wang Chao, but also players such as Turkoglu, Nelson, Maurice Evans, Bogans, etc. can shoot from beyond the three-point line.

In the first half alone, the Magic made an insane 7 of 15 shots from beyond the three-point line, with a three-point shooting rate of 46.7%!

Facts have proven that three-pointers can really kill people.

Halfway through the third quarter, the point difference between the two teams exceeded 30 points. The Pistons' defensive system completely collapsed and they were completely defenseless.

By this time, many fans at the Pistons' home court had left.

Pistons head coach Flip Saunders stood expressionless on the sidelines.

He doesn't have to worry about the elevator door tactic in this game, because the Magic don't use the elevator door tactic to create shooting space at all, but...

"3:0."

Although the game is not over yet, with the 30-point difference, with the Pistons' scoring ability, it is extremely difficult to catch up in the final fourth quarter. Throughout the regular season, the Pistons scored more than 30 points in a single quarter.

There are very few games, not to mention that they still can't limit the Magic's outside shooting.

121:86.

The Magic unexpectedly won the game at the Pistons' home court with a huge 35-point lead. Not only did they turn the total score into 3:0 and take the lead in winning the match point, but they also completely defeated the Pistons and the ball in a heart-wrenching manner.

The confidence of the team's fans.

Throughout NBA history, no team has ever been able to win four consecutive games and come back from behind 3-0 in the playoffs.

The Pistons will also have a hard time doing it.

After the Magic took a 3-0 lead, the team's tight strings suddenly relaxed.

Once loose, a big problem immediately arose.

On May 10, in the fourth game of the series, the Magic were completely suppressed at the Pistons' home court. The shooting touch they had in the previous game was gone in this game. Only two players in the team scored in double figures, respectively.

It was Howard's 21 points and 12 rebounds and Wang Chao's 24 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists.

72:91, the Pistons won at home by 19 points, finally regained a little bit and saved some face.

If this defeat hadn't made the Magic wary yet, then on May 13, the Magic lost another home game at 88:95, with the total score being chased to 3:2, making everyone wary.

The Pistons are indeed no rookies. The team that has been able to reach the Eastern Conference Finals for many years in a row is one of the top first-class teams in the Eastern Conference and even the league. If you underestimate the opponent, you will definitely regret it.

Two defeats made Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy furious and the entire team practiced extra hours after the game.

"We have no way out. If we lose the G6 game again, the score will be 3:3! If we are really pulled and lose 4 games in a row while leading 3:0, we will really be nailed.

On the pillar of shame in history, whenever a playoff matchup reaches 3-0, it will be dragged out and used as a classic example and whipped over and over again!"

No one wants to become a classic case, just like the Mavericks who won 67 games in the 2006-07 regular season but were defeated by the Warriors in the first round of the playoffs. They are often mentioned.

The Magic, feeling tremendous pressure, finally rose to prominence in the G6 series on May 15, winning the game at the Pistons' home court 97:92, rejecting a tiebreaker and settling the score at 4:2.

Pistons fans who originally had a little hope because the team won two games in a row ended up disappointed.

The Magic team was cheering.

Before the start of the regular season, who would have thought that the Magic would actually achieve 62 wins in the regular season? Who would have thought that they would go all the way and even defeat the Pistons to enter the Eastern Conference finals?
To be continued...