"Jordan broke through the penalty area twice, once succeeded and once made a mistake, and now K has made three attempts at the basket. This is where the efficiency difference comes in." Zhang Lili shouted.
"Director Zhang, Lao K's defense just now was really good. He completely kept up with Jordan's pace." Su Qun said with a smile.
Zhang Liyi nodded and said: "If you rush in with the ball from the outside and play, you will inevitably encounter double teams. It is impossible to succeed every time.
Isn't the league now clamoring for a zone defense? This actually puts a lot of pressure on the outside."
The Bulls attacked and advanced to the frontcourt. Jordan took over all the previous attacks and did not ask for the ball this time.
Pippen attacks with the ball, and Dan Marley switches to defend him. His ability to attack with the ball is average, but he is still able to beat Thunder. He has height, tonnage and strength advantages. He can take two steps in when hit from behind, and then turn over and shoot a jumper.
"Buzz buzz..."
Every time the Bulls attack, there will be violent noises at the American West Arena. Especially at the moment of the shot, the boos will reach the highest point, thus affecting the opponent's performance.
"Bang!"
Under this strong psychological suppression, Pippen missed the shot.
Wang Tiejun controlled the backcourt rebounds and the Suns attacked.
The outside line quickly came down and advanced to the frontcourt first, but he did not rush to attack, but stabilized and waited for the inside line to be positioned. When Green pulled to the right blocking area and Wang Tiejun entered the paint area, Kevin Johnson, who was holding the ball, launched an offensive strategy.
gesture.
"Whoosh!"
When he saw Old K approaching the basket, Lightning threw the ball directly in, regardless of whether the former could reach the position.
His sudden passing also prevented Jordan from making effective predictions and timely interceptions.
As soon as he got close to the basket, Wang Tiejun saw the ball being thrown in. He immediately turned around and blocked Perdo. He blocked the player with his left elbow and caught the ball with his right hand.
The next moment, he stepped back with his left foot and hit a backward iron mountain. After knocking the defender, he turned around and stood up to dunk.
Whether it was the speed of getting up or the height of the jump, Perdo could not keep up with the rhythm. The moment he got up, he formed a diving posture towards Perdo.
"Bang!"
As the rim roared, Perdo, who was trying to take off to block the shot, was knocked directly into the air. After landing, he staggered back. He took two steps back and failed to stand still. Finally, he sat on the floor.
"yeah!"
The audience burst into violent cheers again, and the explosive momentum reached a new level.
On the sidelines, Phil Jackson finally couldn't sit still anymore. He stood up and gestured toward the court to signal a timeout. After the kickoff, BJ, who caught the ball, asked for a timeout.
Kevin Harlan said: "We should have called a timeout just now. The Suns' morale is too high. We must use the timeout to suppress it and let it cool down."
Albert said: "Now 4:8, the Bulls are 4 points behind. The Suns have K continuously attacking the basket and scoring all four attacks. This is why the Suns can win two consecutive away games. He is in the low post.
The advantage is so great that no one can compete with the Bulls."
Kevin Harlan nodded and said: "I've said it before, this Bulls can beat anyone, but they can't touch the Suns."
"Shrink! Shrink your defense from now on!"
In front of the Bulls bench, Phil Jackson shouted in a deep voice.
He really couldn't hold on any longer, so he could only use shrinking tactics. If he let Old K continue to fight, the Bulls would be defeated in the first quarter. Now it's time to surround and suppress Old K at all costs.
In the past three seasons, he has used double-teaming tactics many times to deal with the beast. Sometimes he was successful, but more often he was broken out of the double-team. Even if it was four-on-one, he was broken out of the double-team many times, so
In fact, he didn't want to double-team, especially he didn't want the outside line to participate in the double-teaming of Lao K, as that would be too easy to get injured.
But now, he can't find any other way.
As soon as he said these words, even Jordan's face turned bad.
"Hey, the four of you almost guarded me!"
Old K had said this rubbish in front of him several times, and every time it was like a knife cutting him. He remembered the feeling of being chopped clearly and would never forget it.
Of course it's good to be able to defend him, but not able to defend him? I'm afraid that bastard won't waste the opportunity to taunt him and hit him, and he will be chopped again when the time comes.
"Or, let AC Green go?" Phil Jackson's assistant coach Tex Winter said at this time.
Winter is a 73-year-old veteran coach who was exposed to the triangle offense when he was at the University of Southern California. It can be said that he is the founder of the triangle offense.
He coached the Mosaic team in the 1970s, and came to the Bulls as an assistant in 1985, where he remains today. It was only through his and Phil Jackson's indoctrination that Jordan accepted the triangle tactic.
He has a high status in the American basketball community, is also a member of the future Hall of Fame, and is also very respected among the Bulls.
"Tex, what's your opinion?" Phil Jackson asked seriously.
Winter said unhurriedly: "Old K's passing is very powerful. We should not shrink our defense unless we have to.
We took out the side kicks of the man without the ball and let Green go. His offensive ability is limited, especially when Old K is under the basket, plus our two inside players, there are three of us. He has no chance to score.
, we can only shoot from the outside. If we strengthen the control of backcourt rebounds and improve the speed of outside defense, he will not be a concern.
Now some people want to promote zone defense. When we can double-team people without the ball, we also have to defend against behemoths like Old K. We always have to leave one person alone, so why not try it now."
There was not much time left, so Phil Jackson only thought about it for three seconds before agreeing to the suggestion.
At this time, the timeout was over. He gave a few hurried instructions, which meant that Jordan and others should speed up the defense on the outside and pay attention to filling in positions. Players began to take the field and the game started again.
"brush!"
When the Bulls attacked, BJ pulled outside the three-point line on the left wing, took advantage of Pippen's pick-and-roll three-pointer, and made the first shot of the day.
7:8, Suns attack.
"Pass it in and hit."
On the sidelines, Westphal almost walked to the Bulls bench, pointed at the front basket and shouted firmly.
Although he had already decided on the tactics, he was still worried about the outsiders throwing around, so he kept a close eye on them.
"You bastard, you've gone too far to bully others! If you come here again, I'll kick you."
Phil Jackson looked at Westphal, who was invading his territory two meters away, and the veins on his forehead twitched.
The two are familiar with each other. They are both players. They were rivals throughout the 1970s and played many games.
"Hey, Kerry shorted Green?" Zhang Lili shouted in surprise.
In the Suns' frontcourt, in the low post on the right wing, Clifford placed Green three meters away and stepped on the right side of the paint area. He could return to the basket at any time, or even double-team the low post on the left wing.
At this time, the ball was passed to Dan Marley on the right wing, and BJ switched to guard him. Seeing Green's wide open space, he did not hesitate and passed the ball.
Following his pass, bj quickly turned around and pounced on Green in the right block.
Green caught the ball and glanced at the basket. Kerry, who let him go, did not return to defense, but went directly to the basket. Was this asking him to shoot?
He didn't hesitate, dribbling forward and taking a step closer to the basket before calmly taking off and shooting.
As for bj's supplementary defense, he didn't notice it at all. How could a point guard whose height and wingspan were nearly 30 centimeters shorter than him be able to defend him?
"brush!"
The water splashed and he hit a two-pointer.
7:10, Bulls attack.
Zhang Lili immediately analyzed: "Now the Bulls are playing the edge ball according to the rules. They are actually double-teaming the Tiejun without the ball in advance. This requires the person who is left open to shoot the ball. Otherwise, the Bulls' early double-teaming strategy will become more and more difficult."
Determined.”
Su Qun said: "Bj is too short. Even if the defense is in place, it may be difficult for him to prevent Green's shot."
On the sidelines, Phil Jackson immediately made some adjustments based on this defense and moved Pippen to the side of Green. If the ball was given to Green again, Pippen would go down to make up the defense.
When the Bulls attacked, Clifford Robinson and Jordan were pulled out to play a pick-and-roll. After cutting outside, he shot a three-pointer from the 45-degree three-point line on the right wing, but missed. The rebound was still protected by Wang Tiejun, and the Suns attacked.
This time, the Bulls still firmly double-teamed Wang Tiejun in advance. Kerry released AC Green and stood under the basket, keeping a very close distance from Wang Tiejun in the low post on the left wing, ready to complete the double-team at any time.
On the right wing was Pippen, who did not leave Dan Malley open and defended very tightly, even trying to cut off his passing and receiving line with the top of the key.
Outside the top of the arc, Jordan no longer defended Kevin Johnson who was holding the ball in front of him. He now stood to the right and mainly blocked the passing line between the ball holder and Green and Dan Marley. Instead, he let go of the pass with Kevin Johnson.
Old K’s passing and receiving line.
In particular, the direct passing line between the Lightning and the Ironman is blocked, so that if the Lightning wants to pass to Green's wide open space, it must first go through Dan Malley's transition.
But in this way, he must first block the ball, then Pippen block Dan Marley, and finally he and Pippen can form a double-team on Dan Marley who is receiving the ball.
Kevin Johnson was experienced and saw the Bulls' defensive trap. He did not fall for it. Instead, he retreated first to open a distance from Jordan, and at the same time signaled Dan Mulley to come over for a pick-and-roll.
As Thunder approached the top of the arc, the distance between Pippen and Green was getting farther and farther. At this time, the Lightning suddenly passed the ball to Green when Jordan was pressing forward.
His calm handling of the ball made Westphal nod from the sidelines.
"Well done!"
Some commentators such as Albert also praised the pass.
"Bang!"
It's a pity that Green, who received the ball, missed the jump shot in this wide open space.
It turned out to be Pippen's fault. Although he was pulled toward the top of the key, the lightning pass had a higher arc in order to avoid him and Jordan. It looked like a lob, giving him some time to defend, and formed a negative impact on Green's shot.
He faced a certain threat and ultimately missed the shot.
One meter directly in front of the basket, Wang Tiejun pressed his left elbow against Perdo and his right elbow against Clifford Robinson. He squatted down slightly and stared up at the basketball flying towards the basket.
"Short!"
At this moment, he made a prediction.
The next moment, he stepped out with his right foot and immediately moved a small step to the right side of the basket, squeezing Kerry away. At this time, the basketball hit the basket and rebounded. As his body suddenly rose, his right hand would bounce up.
basketball holding down.
"Bang!"
The next moment, he completed a make-up deduction.
"yeah!"
The moment the ball was scored, the audience stood up with cheers.
"It's beautiful. The Bulls were two on one under the basket, but they still couldn't beat Old K." Su Qun shouted excitedly.
Zhang Lijia said with a smile: "Kerry was squeezed out of his position as soon as the Tiejun came into contact. He has no ability to carry on. The Bulls are at an absolute disadvantage under the basket."
"It's 7:12 now, and the Bulls are 5 points behind. Old K made five of his five shots in the beginning, which is so efficient!" Su Qun said excitedly.
Zhang Lianda said: "The Bulls missed two shots from outside, made one turnover, and wasted the ball three times. The Suns also made one mistake and missed one shot.
In comparison, the current advantage is not that big. The game has just begun. The Bulls are only 5 points behind and still have the ball in their hands.
But overall, the Suns' advantage is very stable, and stability lies in their strong and efficient low-post offensive capabilities.
On the other hand, the Bulls have basically no independent offensive attack by their two big men, let alone low-post offense. This disadvantage cannot be made up for in any case.
Therefore, as long as the Suns focus on attacking in the low post and strengthen the protection of rebounds, they can steadily push the Bulls."
Next, the Bulls still implemented the established tactics and took advantage of the situation.
The tactical purpose was indeed achieved. When Perdo followed Wang Tiejun closely and Clifford Robinson was watching from the near side, he received fewer balls and passed many balls to the open space.
Kevin Johnson once passed the ball to him. As soon as the ball was released, Kerry completed the pass. Under the tug from behind, Perdo failed to complete the ball and the ball was intercepted by Kerry.
The rule prohibiting double-teaming someone without the ball. The judgment of this foul standard is actually very subjective and it all depends on how the referee makes the decision.
Generally speaking, when the person who is helping to defend is within an arm's length, the call will generally not be made.
This is just a side kick based on this rule, but the actual effect of double-teaming is similar to double-teaming someone without the ball in advance. The double-team is formed before the ball is passed.
The Bulls' assistant coach Winter knows the league's intentions very well and does not want the Bulls to be swept. President Stern even hopes that the Bulls can complete the defense of the championship. Therefore, even if this is the Suns' home court, I am afraid it will be difficult for the Suns to get as obvious as the Bulls.
home whistle.
And this kind of situation is very suitable for playing around the rules.
This is also true. The first quarter lasted until the 10th minute, and the three referees did not call a single illegal defense violation.
At 24:26, the Bulls were still two points behind. The Suns had the ball and called a timeout after serving.
Albert analyzed: "Old K made five out of five shots in the first few minutes. In the next few minutes, he only passed three balls to him. He made two mistakes in passing and receiving. The one he received was a strong hit and he also hit a two-plus-one.
In total, he made 6 of 6 shots, one free throw, and scored 13 points.
AC Green made 2 of 4 shots, a 50% shooting percentage, which is not bad, but he is open, which is actually not very high.
In addition, the Bulls strengthened their perimeter defense. In the past few minutes, the Suns made two turnovers from the perimeter, while the Bulls only made one. This is also one of the important reasons why the point difference did not widen."
Kevin Harlan said: "It can be said that the Bulls' tactical purpose has been achieved. Judging from the shots in the first two games, Old K's shots have decreased, and the Suns' overall shooting rate has dropped. Moreover, the Bulls held on to the score and scored points.
The gap has narrowed.”
"Now let's see how the Suns deal with it. If Old K's offense decreases, there will be a little trouble." Albert said.
But at this point, he changed the topic again and analyzed: "However, with the strength of Old K and the Suns, they must be able to solve this problem. The situation between the two teams should not change significantly.
The Bulls may be able to take advantage temporarily, but they can't change the general trend."
In the CCTV commentary box, Zhang Lili analyzed: "The situation in the first quarter was not too bad. The Tiejun played well in the front. Fortunately, it was like this. Otherwise, the Bulls might have fallen behind if they defended like this from the beginning.
Now, the Suns should give the ball to Glider and let him play. When the Bulls switch defenses, let Pippen guard Dan Marley and BJ guard Glider. This is a complete mismatch!
Of course, if the Glider is playing, Jordan will definitely come over to switch defense, so let the Lightning play. He also has an advantage in playing BJ.
I think the open space on Green's side should serve the Iron Army, go in and set up pick-and-rolls, and entangle Kerry or Perdo, so that the Iron Army can get the opportunity to catch the ball.
If you keep hitting Green's open space, once Pippen plays a high-quality defensive effect, it will be a little outweighed by the gain, and the two superstar-level attack points of the Iron Army and the Glider here are completely wasted, which is definitely not feasible."
"Yes, yes, it should be like this." Su Qun said repeatedly.
On the Suns bench, Westphal was arranging offensive tactics.
"The ball must be passed in. Even if Old K is double-teamed in advance, it must be passed in. Don't stop passing it if you see one or two mistakes in passing and receiving. Do you hear me? I will not change the tactics. Our ball must be passed.
It has to go through Lao K’s hands first.”
After repeatedly emphasizing this point to several outsiders, he then said to Green: "AC, Pippen's defense is very fast. You have to run and set a pick-and-roll for the breakthrough outside teammates, or the shooting position is closer to the basket.
When Kerry returns to defense, give the ball to Old K."
He handed over the others and then said to Lao Wang: "Lao K, you did a good job just now. You used running to get rid of Perdo. He is not as fast as you, and Kerry can't stop you, so just do it."
"Okay, I'll keep doing this."
Lao Wang nodded repeatedly. The ball he received behind him was moved in this way, and then he scored two plus one.
