ebookland Chapter 650 If the joint defense isn't working, maybe we should change it.
Chapter 650 If the joint defense isn't working, maybe we should change it.
Jia Fei brought the ball over to the left wing, and just when the Heat thought he was going to pass to Olynyk, he suddenly pulled up for a three-pointer over Olynyk...
Before he could even react, he was shot in the face...
The ball hit the net!
13:17, a difference of 4 points!
The Heat were on offense, and JB tried to use the same trick again, but this time he didn't!
Dilraba's putback attempt failed!
Jia Fei grabbed the rebound, dribbled the ball over, and when the Heat players thought he was going to shoot again at the top of the left wing, he made a one-handed through pass without looking!
Dillon was unguarded under the basket, and upon receiving the ball, he unleashed a powerful two-handed dunk!
At 13:19, the score difference has reached 6 points, and the Heat have called a timeout!
从11:11开始到13:19，快船又打了一波8:2的小高潮。
During this period, Jia Fei continued his outstanding performance, and the Heat's league strategy essentially became ineffective...
"Jia Fei is amazing! He actually managed to resist shooting that ball. That's incredible!" Wang Zixing said with admiration.
"Everyone thought Jia Fei was going to shoot this ball himself, after all, he had already made two three-pointers in a row, but he still found a teammate with a better opportunity. This ability to read the game is something that our domestic players should really learn from!" Su Qun said.
After the timeout, both teams made personnel adjustments. For the Clippers, Gallinari was replaced by Bridges, while for the Heat, Cheeks was replaced by Herro.
Herro is also a shooter, but he's better than Duncan Robinson in that he has some ball-handling and offensive ability. As the 13th overall pick in the first round, Herro was chosen by the Heat following their principle of "if you don't know who to pick with the 13th pick, then pick a shooting guard." He performed exceptionally well in the Eastern Conference playoffs and was one of the key contributors to the Heat's run to the NBA Finals.
While Herro is handsome and plays well, his strengths mainly lie on offense; defensively, he's not exactly an elite player. His defense isn't much better than Duncan Robinson's; they're about equal, both frequently criticized for their defensive shortcomings.
After the Heat returned, they continued to use a zone defense. If the reason they used a zone defense at the beginning was because the starting lineup's overall defense was weak, now it's something they have to do. Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro are two defensive sieves; the other three need to be Defensive Player of the Year caliber players to even scratch them. Using a zone defense can protect them to the greatest extent possible, preventing them from being directly targeted by the Clippers' stars.
The Heat's zone defense positioning is quite interesting. They positioned Crowder and JB at the top line, Herro and Duncan Robinson at the bottom line, with Adebayo naturally in the center. The purpose of this was obviously to prevent Robinson and Robinson from being directly attacked by Jerry West and Paul George at the top line. But the question is, does this positioning guarantee they won't be attacked?
Jia Fei gave a textbook demonstration of how to attack these two Ronaldos. He simply dribbled the ball forward, called to Olynyk in the high position, and then went to the midfield to receive the ball.
After Olynyk passed the ball, Jia Fei pushed Deng Luo directly to the basket before Ariel Lin's help defense arrived, drew a double team, and then assisted Bridges in the corner to complete a three-pointer.
In the next possession, he used the same tactic again, this time calling for the ball with his back to the basket on the right wing, targeting Herro, and once again dominating to the basket before making a brilliant pass to Olynyk at the top of the key.
While zone defense can quickly double-team, it may not be effective if the opponent spreads out quickly and attacks immediately after receiving the ball.
After the Clippers brought in Bridges, they started switching defensively aggressively. JB couldn't find anyone to target, so he had to rely on Olynyk.
The Clippers couldn't find any good shooting opportunities against the aggressive switching defense of Deng Luo and Herro. Jia Fei and Paul George's defense was much stronger than the two young stars. The Clippers also didn't play like the Bucks, who were aggressively defending and giving the Heat a lot of open three-pointers.
With neither Ronaldo nor Russell able to score from three-point range, they became nothing more than a burden on the court, allowing the Clippers to quickly widen the gap.
The Heat's second unit isn't strong either; players like Nunn, Jones Jr., and Solomon Hill can't gain any advantage against the Clippers' second unit.
At the end of the first quarter, the Clippers led by 9 points, with a score of 27:36.
In the second quarter, the Heat continued to play zone defense, but the Clippers' role players improved their three-point shooting, and a run of three-pointers widened the gap to 17 points.
At halftime, the score was 50-67, a difference of 17 points.
The Heat's offense was poor, and their defense failed to keep up either; they couldn't manage either aspect effectively.
Halftime break, Tencent Meeting Room.
"Mr. Su, what adjustments do you think the Heat need to make in the second half to change this unfavorable situation?" Wang Zixing asked.
"If the Heat keep playing zone defense, it looks like it will be very difficult for them to turn this game around. I think we should adjust our defensive strategy and try man-to-man defense. If that doesn't work, we can always switch back. Anyway, it's only the first game, and losing one game won't mean we lose the championship," Su Qun said, sharing his thoughts.
The third quarter began quickly, with the Clippers taking the lead on offense.
Beverley dribbled over and immediately passed the ball to Jia Fei.
Beverley was holding back a lot of anger. He had the worst performance of any player on the team in the first half, with the lowest plus-minus rating. He wanted to get revenge, and the best way to do that was to lock down his opponent on the defensive end. If anyone tried to call on him again, he would shut them down!
At the start of the third quarter, the Heat did not continue to play zone defense as they had in the first half. Instead, they played man-to-man defense, with JB guarding Jia Fei!
JB is the Heat's primary perimeter defender, so having him guard Jia Fei is the most suitable option.
On this side, Crowder is defending Paul George. Jia Fei passes the ball to Paul George so that his partner can go and deal with Crowder.
Although Crowder plays the power forward position, he is actually only 198cm tall. He played small forward for the Celtics, and was called a 3-and-D player, but his 3 and D skills were actually average.
Paul George dribbled past Jae Crowder with a series of smooth dribbles, drove in, pulled up for a jump shot—and it went in cleanly!
Paul George is truly outstanding when he's shooting, but the problem is when he keeps dribbling and driving recklessly; his shooting percentage becomes unreliable. He's essentially a shooter, not a penetrator, but he has better ball-handling and offensive skills than most 3-and-D players.
50:69, a 19-point lead...
On the Heat's side, Adebayo drove hard to the basket and scored a layup, responding in kind.
Beverley brought the ball over and passed it to Jia Fei.
Jia Fei has the ball and passes it to Pao Jiao.
The Heat were also helpless. They hoped that Jia Fei would play against JB, but he refused and let his teammates play instead.
Paul George attacked Crowder, drawing a double team, and then made a brilliant pass to Gallinari, who scored a layup!
52:71, still a 19-point difference.
During a Heat offensive possession, Adebayo made a strong drive to the basket, knocking Olynyk down, and was called for an offensive foul by the referee!
But then, Jia Fei used Olynyk's screen to break through the middle and made a brilliant pass to Paul George for a layup!
52:73, the score difference has reached 21 points!