Chapter 204 203. Even the Genius Can't Do Anything

Kidd made a three-pointer and the Nets led 3-0.

The offense and defense switched, and the Bobcats attacked.

Okafor received the ball in the low post, took a step past Jason Collins, turned left to face the baseline, and made a hook shot!

The iconic Stone Buddha’s second phase of the Buddhist back-to-back attack!
Duncan suffered a serious injury before the 00 playoffs, and his explosiveness declined after his comeback. He reduced the number of times he used to play his flying style, and also reduced his strong attacks like O'Neal, and began to use technical techniques in the low post.

That period was exactly when Okafor was laying the technical foundation from grade 12 to grade , and his role model was naturally Duncan.

There is a difference in power in similar singles. Duncan's average hit rate in the three-second zone so far in his career is 71.3%, and in the 04-05 season when he suffered the most from plantar fasciitis, it was 67.4%. Okafor was praised for his "huge progress" this season and earned the title of "Duncan's successor", but his hit rate at the basket was just 67%.

But in terms of movements, timing of turning around, and the feeling of hook shot, Okafor has the charm of Duncan in his second peak period.

It was the Nets' turn to attack again, and Kidd continued to play pick-and-roll with Carter.

Gerald Wallace did not choose to press forward, and Kidd took another three-pointer without hesitation... and made it again!
All members of the Bobcats: After the pick-and-roll, he shot a three-pointer without being guarded? Is this Kidd or Nash with wax? The key is that he made it!

In the transition from offense to defense, Okafor continued to fall to the low post and was double-teamed by Mickey Moore. Okafor passed the ball...

Richard Jefferson cooperated with Mickey Moore, retreated early, and went around Millsap when Okafor passed the ball, but Okafor passed the ball very high and far!

Gerald Wallace received the ball on the left sideline and shot a three-pointer... The tactical coordination was very good, but unfortunately it didn't go in.

Fortunately, Gerald Wallace retreated immediately after the shot, and Okafor also retreated immediately, leaving only Millsap to rush for the ball.

Kidd stepped back to protect the defensive rebound, and Millsap's attempt to grab the ball was unsuccessful, but he and his teammates successfully retreated to their defensive positions.

The opponent had made excellent preparations for counterattack, and Kidd was mentally prepared for this. When they met ten days ago, the opponent had already demonstrated tactical response in this regard.

Kidd advanced to the frontcourt and continued to pick and roll with Carter.

This time, Gerald Wallace didn't dare to leave Kidd open, and stood on the three-point line after switching defense.

Without Gerald Wallace to shrink and cut off the passing line, Carter broke through and went straight to the basket, Kidd lobbed the ball... Felton was unable to block in time when switching defense, and Okafor was also a beat late in getting to the basket.

Carter received the ball at close range and jumped up, then dunked to score two points!

Okafor calls a timeout!

Kidd was playing very well, with 6 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist at the start. He was about to seize the initiative at the start, but was caught off guard by Okafor's timeout.

Kidd: It's fine if you learn to play like Duncan, but you also learn to call a timeout when things don't go your way? You guys with poker faces are too cautious when playing!

It’s no wonder Kidd reacted so strongly. Okafor’s call for a timeout was indeed a good one, better than Bickerstaff’s.

The impact of a timeout by the opponent on a team depends mainly on who calls the timeout.

For example, the Spurs:
If Duncan called a timeout like this, it would give his teammates the feeling that we need to calm down, don't panic, it's a small problem.

If Parker called a timeout like this, his teammates would feel like - something big has happened to us, I'm panicking, what should I do?
If Popovich called a timeout like this, the players would know that the head coach was helpless again.

If it was Ginobili who called a timeout... teammates: I'm panicking. Will he kill the opponent or ourselves this time?

The impact of Okafor's timeout is similar to that of Duncan's timeout.

On the way back to the bench, Gerald Wallace pulled Millsap to discuss the wing defense.

Gerald Wallace is not good at tactics and adaptability, but he is good at execution. When the coach and tactical core give him a task, he cannot say that he can complete it, but he will definitely try his best.

In the past, he rarely took the initiative to communicate with his teammates during play. He was used to motivating his teammates with practical actions, but after his younger brother was poached away, he began to do so actively.

Felton, Zhang Yang and Okafor also gathered together on their way back to the bench.

Felton: "Strengthen defense?"

Okafor looked at Zhang Yang: "Defense?"

Zhang Yang thought back to the information and videos about Kidd that he had studied over the past two days.

Kidd's playing style tonight surprised him, but it was not without reason.

03-04赛季季后赛第二轮，篮网队和当季总冠军活塞队在系列赛前5场其实占了很大优势，3比2领先，如果不是基德那次系列赛三分球场均4.9投0.7中，篮网队5场就已经解决活塞队。

In Game 6, the Nets were trailing by two points with one minute left, and Kidd was left open again. He didn't even dare to shoot.

抢七大战基德打出了生涯最糟糕的一场季后赛比赛，8投0中，拿到0分5板7助攻3抢断，篮网队在3比2领先的情况下被活塞队逆转。

So, in the summer of 04, Kidd learned from his mistakes and made up his mind to practice three-pointers. In the 04-05 season, he ranked 36th in the league in three-point shooting, averaging two three-pointers per game with a % hit rate... and then met O'Neal, who was the most restrained among them, in the playoffs.

In the four playoff games against the Heat, Kidd averaged 4 three-pointers per game with a 36.8% three-point shooting percentage, trying to break the deadlock with three-pointers, but of course he failed and the Nets were swept.

Although he failed that time, when Kidd encountered the situation of being at a disadvantage in the interior and his starting interior players were not as good as the opponent's substitutes, he still chose to break the situation with a three-pointer... It is not difficult to analyze, because now Kidd only has this trick if he wants to attack independently to open the situation. The 34-year-old can no longer break through the basket like he did four or five years ago.

After a quick analysis, Zhang Yang shook his head and said, "Attack!"

Felton looked at Okafor: "Attack?" Okafor thought about it and nodded.

Felton looked at the five players walking back to the bench and said, "Emeka, let's play pick-and-roll...Paul, come here!"

When Millsap heard the boss calling him, he ran over immediately.

Gerald Wallace: o(╥﹏╥)o
My little brother has flown away...

When Zhang Yang saw this scene, he felt that sometimes whether one could win recognition and respect from teammates did not entirely depend on one's strength.

He remembered that Millsap had been at odds with Deron during the four years he played as a substitute for the Jazz. After joining the Hawks in 13, he said that Jeff Teague was the best point guard he had ever partnered with, although Teague, who weighed only 88 kilograms, was beaten by Deron in the next game against the Nets.

Having played against Deron four times, Zhang Yang can probably guess why Millsap doesn't like Deron - he likes to complain, blame others, often compares his own team with other teams, and even uses other players to put down his teammates...

Although Felton is not as strong as Deron, he can take on tasks without complaining.

...

Back on the bench, Felton communicated with Bickerstaff, who suggested fine-tuning the offensive play.

The timeout was called by the players, so Bickerstaff naturally had to make adjustments based on the players' on-the-spot responses.

After the timeout, neither team made any substitutions. The Bobcats had the ball and served in the frontcourt.

Zhang Yang passed the ball to Felton and then ran to the left baseline.

Felton and Okafor launched a pick-and-roll attack. Felton broke away from Kidd and broke into the inside. Okafor went to the right and followed Felton into the inside.

On the other side, Zhang Yang moved up from the left baseline, and Millsap cut to the basket from a 45-degree angle on the left. On the way, he helped Zhang Yang block Carter who was chasing him. After breaking up, they continued to move down. The two successfully pinned Carter and Mickey Moore on the left side of the three-second zone.

Felton broke through to close range and made a layup before Richard Jefferson, who came in from the right baseline, could make a defensive move!

In the offense and defense transition, Kidd continued to play pick-and-roll with Carter, Gerald Wallace pressed forward to defend the three-pointer, Kidd passed the ball to Carter who cut in, Millsap retreated to defend in advance, and Zhang Yang also went around the baseline to defend Mickey Moore who followed up.

Carter passed the ball to Richard Jefferson in the low post, who received the ball at a 45-degree angle and made a long two-pointer!
When Kidd was able to contain Gerald Wallace, the Nets' offense ran very smoothly.

When it was the Bobcats' turn to attack, Felton and Okafor continued to launch pick-and-roll attacks.

Facing Millsap and Felton attacking from both sides, the Nets chose to protect the rim this time.

Okafor received the pass from Felton at the right elbow and passed it again. Zhang Yang went around the free throw line and made a mid-range shot!

6 to 10, the Bobcats are keeping the score close!

Kidd received the ball and pushed forward, but he couldn't make a good transition from offense to defense. Although he was still leading by 4 points, he was already overwhelmed.

How to fight this?
He threw the three-pointer at the beginning, not only to take advantage of the opponent's unpreparedness to launch a fierce attack and seize the initiative, but more importantly, to make the Bobcats strengthen their defense.

If the defense is strengthened, the offense will inevitably decline, and the Nets will face less pressure on the defensive end.

As for the impact of the Bobcats' enhanced defense on their Nets offense... Kidd is confident that he can lead his team to score against any defense.

But the opponent not only took advantage of the fact that Okafor's timeout would not affect the team's morale, but also made adjustments that were different from what he desired. The opponent actually launched a fierce attack... Damn O'Neal!
In Game 1 of the second round last season, Kidd also implemented this strategy. He made 17 of 9 shots in that game, including 6 of 4 three-pointers, and scored 22 points, forcing the Heat to play hard defense. He successfully found offensive opportunities in the iron-blooded battle and snatched the home advantage right away.

But the Heat didn't fall for it in G2. They scored over 4 points in four consecutive games and won four games in a gentleman's sweep.

Obviously, the Bobcats referred to the Heat's response and were not fooled at all!

Kidd advanced to the frontcourt and stared fiercely at Felton who was guarding the top arc: Little thief, don't give me the chance. If my teammates are better one day, I will beat the shit out of you!
He saw that it was this sophomore student who went to the legendary coach to discuss and adjust!
As the game progressed, as Kidd expected, their offensive firepower gradually declined.

He doesn't have the ability to score 40+ points like Nash does when given the chance. Richard Jefferson, the first receiving point in the tactics, tried his best to shoot, but only scored 20 points in a game.

A few rounds later, Gerald Wallace cut in and hit Mickey Moore for a 2+1. With his free throw, the Bobcats narrowed the score to 16-17, narrowing the gap to 1 point! Kidd called a timeout!
They attacked recklessly, but they couldn't beat the Bobcats because their interior defense was too bad.

After losing Kenyon Martin, they lost an average of 04 points per game before the All-Star Weekend in the 05-98 season. The league average for that season was only 94 points. The interior defense collapsed and they only had a record of 21 wins and 31 losses.

It was not until after the All-Star Weekend that the team traded for the evergreen Clifford Robinson that their interior defense improved. After the All-Star Weekend, the team had a record of 21 wins and 9 losses and made a comeback into the playoffs.

Clifford Robinson also performed well last season, but this year, the 40-year-old Clifford Robinson can no longer hold on. He missed less than 17 games in the first 20 years, but missed 30 games in the regular season this season, and his form plummeted...

Now Kidd can only rely on Carter.

It's not that he looks down on Carter. Carter is already the best shooting guard he has ever partnered with in his more than ten years in the NBA.

But after Carter was seriously injured, he was left behind by those shooting guards who were on par with him. Kobe, McGrady, and Iverson still hold a position each in the first, second, and third teams, while Carter has long been out of touch with the best lineup. In terms of offensive ability, let alone compared with those three, even Ray Allen, whom Carter looked down upon back then, is now stronger than him.

Not to mention the four top shooting guards in the league today, Kidd feels that in terms of attacking, Carter may not be as good as the bad boy on the other side...

Kidd looked at the opposing bench, and just as he thought, the bad boy who was pushing forward for a counterattack looked eager to try.

After the team's offensive showdown, if they want to continue the offensive firepower, they have to rely on the personal abilities of the stars.

In singles, the Bobcats' first choice will definitely be Zhang Yang, and the Nets' first choice will undoubtedly be Carter. Facing the former flying man, Zhang Yang is not afraid at all, but extremely excited!

(End of this chapter)