Pick Westbrook

Chapter 226 The Coming Fear

Chapter 226 The Coming Fear

Westbrook advances with the ball.

Curry slipped the baseline and took away defender David West.

At this time, only Emeka Okafor was left in the entire Hornets penalty area.

Cousins ​​received the ball inside and played a low single.

Emeka Okafor's defensive steps are very good, always resisting Cousins ​​and preventing the opponent from continuing to attack the inside.

After turning back and forth in a row without getting a good chance to attack, Cousins ​​decisively chose to pass the ball back to Westbrook.

At the same time, Cousins ​​moved to the outside line, and Westbrook broke through with the ball and strode straight to the basket.

Paul's defensive awareness is very good, and he pressed Westbrook, who was carrying a dynamite pack to kill inside, one step away from the free throw line.

"The Bucks' two consecutive offensive plays ended in failure."

Kenny Smith screamed in surprise.

When did the league have such a good defense against the Bucks?

Kenny Smith has never seen such a strong defensive team except for the Celtics of the Celtics.

"The Bulls rank first in defensive efficiency in the league this season, averaging 92 points per game."

"In second place is the Lakers who got Garnett, averaging 93 points per game."

"And the fifth place is this Hornets team, which averaged 95 points per game."

"It's worth mentioning that the Heat rank fourth in the league in defensive efficiency."

"The Bucks have improved a little defensively in the second half of the regular season and are now No. 9."

Barkley's words made Kenny Smith finally understand why the Hornets can make the playoffs this season.

It's defense!

Outside Paul, Willie Green, inside David West and Emeka Okafor.

The four-man defense on the inside and outside put a lot of pressure on other teams in the league.

Regardless of the fact that the Bulls are now the team with the highest defensive efficiency in the league, they are the best in the league in terms of interior defense.

In terms of perimeter defense, the Bulls are not number one in the league, and they are even several notches lower than the number one Heat in the league.

Even the Hornets' perimeter defense can be compared with the Bulls.

In this offensive round, Westbrook still chose to attack, but the basketball hit the basket and did not make a shot.

The Hornets pushed back.

Paul holds the ball and quickly switches. David West and Emeka Okafor are both highly mobile inside players.

So in the process of pushing and switching, the two fell into the penalty area faster than Villanueva and Cousins.

boom!

Emeka Okafor scored with a one-handed empty dunk.

"The Hornets should have made sufficient preparations before the game. They have a complete understanding of our offensive tactics."

"More importantly, in addition to being fully prepared tactically, they also have players who can defend us."

Tyronn Lue was very nervous on the coach's bench, because the Hornets were a bit aggressive in this game, and they were obviously staring at the Bucks.

If they don't find a solution as soon as possible, then the Bucks' offense is likely to be suppressed all the time.

Marshall dug out a lot of the Hornets' defensive habits and defense tactics, put them in front of Li Lai one by one, and then analyzed.

"Emeka Okafor is a defensive player different from most insiders in the league. His running, jumping and moving speed are very good, and he is also very knowledgeable in protecting the rim at the basket."

"So when facing such a defensive player, it is not a good choice whether Cousins ​​​​is forced to play singles in the interior or attack with the ball from the outside."

"Cousins' final shooting percentage will definitely not be very high."

"So we should change our offensive strategy, reduce Cousins' role on the offensive end, and let him participate more in offensive rotation and defense."

Li Lai clasped his arms around him, but didn't react quickly.

Both Tyronn Lue and Marshall were stunned at the same time, a little surprised that Li Lai, who is usually very serious about every offensive and defensive round and details on the court, why did he show such a calm emotion at this time.

The corner of Li Lai's mouth turned up and he smiled suddenly, but he still didn't explain.

The regular season has come to an end, and the Bucks have also won 12 consecutive victories during this period, which has attracted the attention of the whole world, but even so, the two assistant coaches of the Bucks did not seem to relax in the slightest.

They treat every game and every offensive round very seriously and diligently, and they don't care who the opponent is, whether it is a strong team, or whether they can really beat them.

This is why the Bucks have been able to maintain a stable record after suffering a series of injuries and problems this season.

on the field.

Westbrook took the initiative to raise his hand and pressed it, indicating that Cousins ​​​​can no longer continue to fight like this.

At the same time, Artest forced a pick-and-roll inside, keeping Cousins ​​as far as possible from the singles vicious circle with Emeka Okafor.

Curry took the initiative to raise his hand to signal that he would stand up and take over the team's offense at this time.

The tactical play of the Bucks on the field has changed in an orderly manner.

Curry circled the bottom line, and Cousins ​​and Villanueva made a 45° angle to the right of the elevator door.

Curry went out through the door, and Westbrook passed the ball steadily.

Swish!

Three point hit.

Curry, who scored a three-pointer, looked at Paul who was chasing him and could only be blocked from the wall, shaking his shoulders arrogantly.

On-site commentary desk.

Barkley and Kenny Smith stared at the scene on the court.

Originally, the two thought that the Bucks would encounter great trouble tonight, and the Hornets seemed to want to pull down the team that has recently achieved a 12-game winning streak.

result.

Before the coaching staff of the Bucks called a timeout to adjust, the players on the field had already made changes tacitly and solved the problem.

"The Hornets still owe a little to defend the Bucks."

Bucks coaching bench.

It wasn't until this time that Li Lai was ready to explain the slight smile he had raised at the corner of his mouth just now.

It was a very confident smile.

The picture of Cousins ​​failing in singles actually did not appear before the season.

But at that time Cousins ​​still chose to be unscrupulous and reckless on the court, and neither Westbrook nor Curry chose to stand up to stop the other party.

Li Lai was very angry after the game. Instead of scolding Cousins ​​for beating him on the court, Li Lai reprimanded Westbrook and Artest.

The two are the leaders of the Bucks, but they tolerated the misconduct of their teammates on the court. What kind of leader can this be called?

"A real leader should not worry about whether his actions will embarrass his teammates, but always lead the team in the right direction."

"Artest, Westbrook and Curry, the three of them now understand this truth."

So after Cousins ​​failed in singles just now, Li Lai had expected that Westbrook would stop the opponent in advance and lead his teammates to solve the team's current troubles on their own.

Curry confidently took the initiative to assume the responsibility of the offensive end at this time, and Westbrook and Artest executed the opponent's offensive tactics very quickly.

Especially Curry and Westbrook, they have almost reached a perfect state in terms of running-in and tactical cooperation this season.

From Li's point of view, the cooperation between the two can even be compared with the Heat's Janeway connection.

Hornets under the restricted area.

Cousins ​​is desperately trying to get a spot with Emeka Okafuka.

If Curry misses a shot, the rebounding of the two will be extremely critical.

But with the sound of a clear basketball entering the net, Cousins, who had already got stuck in an excellent position, turned and left without looking back.

Artest stretched out his hand, encouraged the teammate who had the same temper as himself and said: "This is a good rebounding position."

Cousins ​​nodded, but his expression was still a little lonely.

This rebound card position will not be recorded in the post-game data. Compared with fighting for offensive rebounds, he wants to be the one who completes the offense.

Artest saw what Cousins ​​was thinking, and said seriously: "There is no data for this slot, but I saw it, and Stephen saw it."

"It is precisely because you are desperately stuck at the basket that he dared to shoot so resolutely."

"More importantly, the coach must see it."

Cousins ​​subconsciously shifted his gaze to his coach's bench.

Li Lai stretched out his right thumb and gave Cousins ​​a very positive look.

Cousins ​​smiled smugly, even running back to defense more aggressively.

The other two on the Bucks bench.

Both Tyronn Lue and Marshall were amazed at the pictures on the court.

They didn't think about the extremely troublesome trouble in their own eyes at all, and they were solved by the players on the field in such an understatement.

Looking at the head coach Li Lai who was still standing on the sidelines, both of them said in unison.

"Coach, awesome!"

"The remote operation directly cracked the Hornets' defensive tactics."

"I just kept staring at the coach. He didn't say anything or make any tactical gestures, but Curry, Cousins ​​and others on the court could understand it."

"This is the same mind!"

"The whole league only has one incomprehensible ability, which belongs to our coach Li Lai."

Li Lai frowned speechlessly, watching the two teaching assistants next to him blowing nonsense, the two nodded while talking, it seemed that they were speaking clearly and logically.

Looking at the appearance of the two, Mai Di couldn't help being curious and leaned over to listen carefully for a while.

But after hearing the ability to communicate with each other, McGrady wanted to slap the two coaches.

"Fuck you! You dare to say that you have a similar heart! Why don't you say that the coach can go to heaven!"

The last attack of the first quarter.

Chris Paul singled out Curry and hit a three-pointer with a very difficult step back.

After scoring the three-pointer, Paul took the initiative to find Curry and responded with a wave of shoulder shaking.

In this game, Curry scored 3 three-pointers in a single quarter, which has already made the entire Hornets' scalp numb.

More importantly, because of Curry's unsolvable offense from beyond the three-point line, the Hornets' entire defense was in chaos.

This led to the Bucks playing an extremely strong offense in the first quarter.

So Paul, who is the first to win, looked at Curry very angrily at this time, "You can shake your shoulders, right? Me too!"

At 32:26, ​​the Bucks took the lead into the second quarter.

Westbrook, Curry and others who were off the court walked to the players' bench very excitedly.

"coach."

Artest looked at Li Lai proudly, raising his head arrogantly.

The Bucks didn't call a timeout in the first quarter, but everyone on the floor was playing the right way.

This is the players' own adjustment ability, and this is also their extremely serious attitude towards the game.

Li Lai looked at all the Bucks players in front of him, nodded with certainty and said.

"I see in you the strength and ability that the defending champion should have, and more importantly, the attitude you show."

"Don't choose to slack or risk your life because of the strength of the opponent. This is the way the championship team should have the game."

"Guys, I think we're ready for the playoffs!"

Westbrook smiled triumphantly when he heard this, and Curry twisted his butt happily from the sidelines.

All the Bucks players said in unison: "Bucks! let's go!"

The Bucks' bench was so imposing that it shocked the entire Hornets' bench.

Chris Paul looked at the status of the opposite Bucks players eagerly, his eyes filled with envy.

It was an aura he had never personally experienced in his entire career.

"This is the defending champion."

Maddie also had the same emotion as Paul.

After yelling with his teammates, McGrady's heartbeat accelerated wildly, and his whole state became extremely excited.

"This is the championship Bucks."

"The previous Rockets were too far behind."

The second game.

The Bucks took a proud bench lineup, Dragic, George Hill, McGrady, O'Neal and Yi Jianlian.

The Hornets' bench is Carl Landry, Jarrett Jack, Jerry Bayless, Jason Smith and Quincy Pondexter.

"With Carl Landry and Jarrett Jack leading the team, the Hornets' rotation is not bad, especially on offense."

"It's the complete opposite of the top Hornets starting lineup in the league defensively."

Li Lai nodded.

Since the Bucks defeated the Celtics last season and became the champion, many teams in the league have begun to try to form offensive lineups and imitate the Bucks to design many offensive tactics.

This season, Li Lai has seen more than one team with completely different offensive and defensive systems in the starting lineup and rotation.

Of course, a head coach who coaches a team but is responsible for two different offensive and defensive systems at the same time will face great challenges in this regard.

Especially a head coach like D'Antoni who is only good at tuning offensive tactics will face great difficulties under such challenges.

That's where the Knicks are right now.

The head coach of the Hornets is Monty Williams, a head coach with a very balanced offense and defense, and his reaction speed in coaching is also not slow.

Already known that the Bucks' bench lineup has very fierce offensive firepower, so Monty Williams set the tone before the game to fight the Bucks' offense.

Monty Williams knows it's hard to beat the Bucks defensively.

After all, even a top defensive team like the Celtics has failed. Except for the Pistons, Monty Williams can't think of any other team that can hope to beat the Bucks on defense .

So if the Hornets want to win the Bucks, they can only fight against the opponent.

But with the start of the second quarter, Yi Jianlian's high position attracted defensive attention, and Dragic and McGrady scored consecutive points in the Hornets' penalty area.

Monty Williams suddenly felt that he wanted to rely on offense to beat the Bucks team, which was also an extravagant hope.

"The offensive firepower of the Bucks is really scary."

What shocked Monty Williams even more was how well the Bucks' rotation played on the defensive end.

It is said that Dragic is thin and not good at defense, but the opponent can always appear in the most correct defensive position.

Even if it is still difficult for him to defend Jarrett-Jack's offense, Dragic will still bring great defensive pressure to the latter.

This makes Jarrett Jack's offense look extremely unstable. Even if the latter scores this goal with a layup, it will also make Monty Williams feel that it will be difficult to score the next goal.

And McGrady, who has been questioned defensively throughout his career, is even more dedicated on the defensive end, which is completely opposite to his previous performance in his career.

"What kind of magic does this team have that allows all players to play correctly on the court?"

"The playoffs are about to start. I really want to see what kind of fear those teams in the East will face when they face this Bucks team."

(End of this chapter)