Chapter 175 174. It seems easy to defend you

Old Nelson was originally planning to increase the intensity on the opponent after Baron Davis effectively consumed Felton and put the Bobcats into a one-on-one mode.

As a result, the other side saw through it!

Felton is impulsive and reckless, but he has quick strategic response and the courage to correct mistakes. He is indeed a good prospect.

Although the Warriors' average points per game are higher than those of the Bobcats, they will most likely lose if they go all out on offense.

Core player Baron Davis had a hard time playing against guards like Felton and Deron.

He can shoot three-pointers and long two-pointers but is not accurate, with a hit rate of just over 30%; he can hardly make mid-range shots; his main scoring areas are close range and under the basket; his main means of scoring are breaking through the rim and counterattacks; his way of organizing offense is to break through and score... This type of player always suffers when facing 'Emperor' Felton in singles, and the Jazz have also learned this from the Bobcats.

The Warriors have also learned this. James played against the Warriors twice this season, shooting 21 of 9 once and 31 of 13 once. Although their defense was not as good as that of the Bobcats and they lost both games, James scored mostly from off-ball cuts and counterattacks in those two games, and his performance in offense with the ball was worse than usual.

Although Felton cannot beat Baron Davis in singles, he can still play pick-and-roll. With Biedrins playing center, the Warriors cannot defend against pick-and-roll.

In that case, let’s just increase the intensity!
Nelson replaced the team with a combination of Ellis, Azubuike, Matt Barnes, Biedrins and Foyle.

Slam dunk king Richardson is often kept on the bench by old Nelson.

With Kobe Jr., the Slam Dunk King is no longer necessary.

When competing for stars, normally, Jason Richardson and Ellis each have their own advantages, the former is better at outside shooting and the latter is more sharp in breakthroughs.

But as long as there is a choice, Nelson will definitely choose Ellis.

The 26-year-old Jason Richardson's talent has reached its limit. Last season, he only averaged 23 points per game even with unlimited shooting, and he can only average or points per game with regular play.

He has poor offensive choices, poor passing and control skills, terrible shooting details, and always does unnecessary things. Throwing the ball 20 times in a game makes people feel exhausted... He may have had great potential and talent in the past, but he has been squandered by the Warriors in the past five years. Now he is at most a main scorer for a strong playoff team.

Old Nelson didn't want to repeat the mistakes of his predecessor, so he determined that Ellis was more talented and devoted all his efforts to training him.

He will not be as conflicted as Eric Muslim was in the past. In the 01-02 season, Eric Muslim was conflicted about whether to focus on training Jason Richardson or Larry Hughes, which resulted in the dunk king's rookie season being delayed. Larry Hughes ran away after the season to follow his idol Jordan.

After Larry Hughes left, the Warriors used the third pick to select Mike Dunleavy. Arenas also rose strongly in his sophomore year. Eric Muslim was struggling with which one to focus on, which delayed the Slam Dunk Championship for another year. Arenas also ran away after his rookie contract ended, and Mike Dunleavy was also in vain.

In Jason Richardson's junior season, when the newcomer Montgomery was preparing to focus on training him, he had already wasted his precious growth period of 20 and 21 years old in the first two years after entering the NBA. His skills had been fixed, and he had also contracted a lot of bad habits of a bad team. There was almost no progress in the past three years... It can be seen from the free throws. In the sixth year of his career, as a shooting guard, his free throw percentage was 6%.

This season, Jason Richardson saw that the team had dawned and could win games, so he began to adjust his playing habits and became more diligent. Old Nelson actually appreciated this very much. Although this player's playing habits were ruined by the previous head coach, he has a good personality and character, and is determined to correct his mistakes.

But the mad scientist has coached more than 2000 games in the NBA, and his heart has long been hardened. He has a soft side, but he certainly won't give it to the dunk king he just met.

Old Nelson has made up his mind to trade for more useful players for their Warriors team before Jason Richardson's six-year, $6 million contract has any trading value, so as to achieve a 7000-win level next year.

Nelson's team-building ideas were clear, but he could not have predicted that the Western Conference would enter an unprecedented era of craziness starting next season. With only 50 wins...

...

The Bobcats replaced the combination of Rondo, Zhang Yang, Gerald Wallace, Millsap and Perkins.

After Zhang Yang came on the court, he looked at the players coming over from the opposite side... Is this the lineup that defended the Mavericks so hard in the playoffs that they only scored 80+ points in a few games?
In addition to Azubuike and Barnes, two main defensive players on the outside, there is also a French Jordan Pietrus sitting on the sidelines.

Regarding the Warriors' black eight, many people only remember that Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington's top defense made Nowitzki miserable and limited Nowitzki's shooting percentage to 38%, but they ignore that the Warriors' defense against Terry and Stackhouse was also very good. In several games, the Warriors almost stifled the entire Mavericks team, which allowed them to launch so many counterattacks and run the Mavericks to death.

But as the regular season MVP, Nowitzki has to bear all the blame alone.

After the timeout, the game continued and the Warriors attacked.

Perkins and Foyle are exactly the same height and weight, both 208 cm + 123 kg. The two stared at each other inside and outside the left sideline of the three-second zone.

Matt Barnes averaged 36.6 three-pointers per game with a 1.6% three-point shooting percentage this season, and Azubuike averaged 43 three-pointer per game with a 1% three-point shooting percentage, which opened up a lot of space.

Ellis received the ball and played against Rondo from the outside, then he broke into the right side of the three-second zone and made a quick stop jump shot within one step of the free throw line!

Rondo's defensive awareness is not inferior to Zhang Yang. His footwork is worse than Zhang Yang, but he is more mobile and can follow very closely. It's just that he is too short and as a rookie he weighs only 77 kilograms, so he can't hold up the defense. He can only rely on his speed to prevent Ellis from breaking into the inside, so naturally he can't interfere with Ellis's shooting much.

In the transition from offense to defense, Rondo held the ball and organized the offense.

Zhang Yang was closely followed by Azubuike, and Barnes and Biedrins on the front line also did a good job of delaying and switching defense, cutting off Rondo's passing route to the wing.

The big guy Foyle was squatting under the basket. Gerald Wallace cut in, slipped around the basket and ran out. He had no chance.

Looking back to the summer of 2004, Foyle, a center who played only 13 minutes per game and averaged only 3.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1 block per game, was sought after by many teams. The Warriors spent 6 years and 4200 million US dollars to keep him. In the next two years, the Nets, Pistons, Spurs, Mavericks... all the championship contenders except the Suns wanted to trade Foyle back. The Heat was also one of the teams that made an offer, but the Warriors were waiting for the right price. They felt it was a loss for other teams to give them a first-round pick... This year, his hands are completely ruined.

But although Foyle is not worthy of an annual salary of 800 million, he has the ability to be a rim protector. When he squats under the basket, the Warriors' No. 2 to No. 4 positions can go out and execute team defensive tactics without worry.

Old Nelson was very satisfied with his players' defense. Just when he thought that Rondo, who had broken through, could only force a shot or pull out, Rondo passed the ball!
Zhang Yang rushed to the left baseline at a 45-degree angle and took advantage of the screen from Gerald Wallace who had unsuccessfully tried to slip out of the baseline and rushed to the left baseline for a long two-point shot.

Biedrins, who was on the left sideline of the three-second zone, did not make a close pass. He and Foyle had blocked Rondo's vision and space to pass the ball. If he did, it would destroy the defensive formation. Biedrins suddenly felt a cool breeze blowing under his crotch... How did the ball get into the hands of that bad boy?
Biedrins rushed to make up for it, but it was too late.

Zhang Yang received the ball and made a long two-point shot!
Old Nelson's eyes widened in surprise.

This vision and prediction...is unlikely to be a coincidence.

Old Nelson thought of the one in the East!
He judged that the defense could not be stopped tonight. The defensive system of his defensive lineup, to put it bluntly, was to defend against singles and points, which was similar to the Bobcats' defense against James.

The difference is that the only defensive stalwart on the Bobcats' perimeter is Gerald Wallace, while the others are specialists in defense. Rondo is fast, Felton is fierce in confrontation, and Zhang Yang has strong interference ability. Alan Anderson's defensive ability is comprehensive and he can defend positions 1-3, but his ability can only be described as okay.

Under normal circumstances, the Bobcats still play conventional team defense.

The Warriors have many players who can defend on the perimeter, so he implemented such a defensive plan at the beginning of the game.

Felton discovered his defensive plan and responded on the spot in time. The other main scorers on the opposite side did not fall into the quagmire of one-on-ones, and the rhythm of team offense was still there. There was no need to confront Azubuike, Barnes, Zhang Yang and Gerald Wallace who were strong in one-on-one defense.

The plan to wear down Felton's touch also failed. They sent out a lineup to cut off the singles scoring line, and on the other side was Rondo, a rookie with amazing offensive talent...

As Nelson expected, after two more rounds, Rondo was always able to pass the ball to the right teammates. He might not get an assist, but he had successfully torn apart the Warriors' biased defensive system.

But there is still hope of winning!

Gerald Wallace, Felton, and Alan Anderson are not fast enough to defend Ellis, Rondo is not tall enough and lacks confrontation, and Ellis will be out of position no matter who he plays against. With Biedrins providing support in the interior and two high-quality 3D players on both sides, the Warriors' offensive firepower is still fierce and they still have a chance of winning.

Old Nelson is more unrestrained and optimistic than most coaches. No matter whether the situation is stable or not, he will just go for it when there is a chance!
However, it was the bad boy Zhang San's defense against Ellis before the official timeout that made old Nelson a little afraid.

But the bad boys are responsible for offense, throwing the ball 25 or 26 times per game, and won't spend too much energy on defense, otherwise they won't be able to sustain their physical strength...

Something beyond old Nelson's expectations happened again!
At 9 minutes and 11 seconds, the score was 24 to 26. Ellis, who was in an angry state, led the team to narrow the gap to only two points, and the Warriors had the ball.

It was the Warriors' turn to attack again. Ellis advanced to the frontcourt, ready to overtake the score in one fell swoop... Zhang Yang guarded at the top arc!
Seeing Zhang Yang's face, Ellis became furious, but also more excited.

He wants to overtake Zhang Yang!
Ellis came to the three-point line to face Zhang Yang, observed the opponent's defense, leaned forward to make a breakthrough gesture, suddenly grabbed the ball, and shot! But!
Zhang Yang also jumped up and stretched out his hand at the first moment!

Although Ellis jumped much higher than Zhang Yang, with his 191cm height and 190cm standard wingspan for a Warriors core point guard, he was completely overshadowed by Zhang Yang, who is 195cm tall and has a 210cm wingspan.

This time, before Ellis could push the ball out, Zhang Yang pressed the ball down with his palm... a direct block from outside the three-point line!
Ellis was knocked to the ground by the force of the ball, and the ball flew outside the three-point line.

After Zhang Yang landed, he immediately rushed forward, picked up the ball and launched a counterattack.

It was too late for Ellis to get up and chase, and Barnes and Azubuike on both sides of the sidelines could not catch up.

Zhang Yang rushed into the paint and jumped, then slammed the ball into the basket with his left hand amid cheers and boos.

28 to 24, the Bobcats lead by 4 points!
Ellis ran back to receive the serve. He was extremely angry. It was so embarrassing to be blocked just now.

When he passed by Zhang Yang, Zhang Yang's words made him even angrier.

"It seems easy to defend against you."

Ellis wanted to throw a punch...but he didn't dare.

The video and animated picture of the bad boy Zhang San slapping Raja Bell unconscious are still circulating on the Internet and have become the most popular emoticons in the sports world.

This big boy who looks sunny, gentle and humble, can be cruel, vicious and insidious once he gets angry... When he really gets angry, his teammates don't know how to protect him.

If you are timid, you can either escape or cover it up with anger.

When the Warriors attacked, the anger of being teased + the anger of being blocked + the anger of covering up cowardice... Ellis had completely lost his mind.

Faced with Zhang Yang's defense that interfered with mid-range and long-range shots, Ellis rushed straight to the inside and shook off Zhang Yang after entering the three-second zone, but Millsap and Perkins surrounded him. He jumped and made a layup in the confrontation... Ellis has a very good waist, but he couldn't withstand the tossing of two muscular men, and missed the layup!
Rondo bypassed Biedrins to protect the defensive rebound, turned his head to look at the opposing formation, and launched a counterattack!
Rushing to the opposite three-point line, Rondo passed the ball to Zhang Yang, who received the ball and hoisted it to the other side of the three-second zone. Gerald Wallace received the ball, took a step and jumped directly... Barnes who retreated had to dodge, and Gerald Wallace dunked the ball into the frame with both hands.

The score difference is 6 points!

In the next few possessions, Ellis rushed into the paint like crazy, but his shots were terrible.

In fact, with the space so wide, it was not so easy for Zhang Yang to defend Ellis in one-on-one defense. Ellis would definitely find a better shooting opportunity than attacking the basket, but Ellis was already blinded by anger and played mindlessly.

Rondo continuously instigated counterattacks. If the counterattack failed, he could pass the ball to Zhang Yang, Gerald Wallace and Millsap when they were in a better position, creating better offensive conditions for the three.

埃利斯率队在3分钟时间内打了山猫队一波10比7后，山猫队在3分钟时间内还了勇士队一波11比3！

Ellis took all of the Warriors' shots in the last three minutes and only made one. Although it was a 3+1, it could not cover up his poor performance during this period.

After the first quarter, the Bobcats led the Warriors by 37 points, 27 to 10, and the score difference widened to double digits!

(End of this chapter)