eurekapd Chapter 144 Withstood the Test
Chapter 144 Withstood the Test
Chapter 144 Withstood the Test
In the game against the Hawks, Joe Johnson hit six three-pointers, which shocked the Knicks players into a cold sweat.
At the last moment, with Crawford's three-pointer, the Knicks narrowly beat their opponents 98:97.
This game also reminded them that they should not be taken lightly because of the improvement in strength. Even the weak teams in the league may beat them, let alone the strong teams in the east and west that have not passed the test.
Head coach Larry Brown also taught them a good lesson, asking them to realize that it is not enough to rely on talent alone to attack. To go far in the playoffs, the defense must be in place, and the offense cannot be arbitrary.
As a result, the Knicks have stricter defensive drills in training. All the players are suffering and happy. The training is very tiring, but it will be great if they can win, and it will increase the value of the players.
In the NBA, winning is money, and who would have trouble with money.
On March 3, the Knicks played against the Pistons at home. The Pistons' record is still the first in the league. This is also the test they have to face.
Whether it is a real strong team or a fake strong team, you need to play against the league's top teams to know.
The Pistons have had an excellent season this season, but the style is different from when Larry Brown was coaching.
The offensive power of several main players is more ferocious, but the role players play less.
In the first quarter of the game, Billups also made an unexpectedly strong offense. Coupled with the Pistons' regular weapon Hamilton, the Pistons showed a strong offensive power.
The Knicks are still trying to combine the inside and the outside. Even if Larry Brown reminds them from time to time, the Knicks players also have strong personal characteristics on the offensive end, so their style is the same as that of other teams coached by Larry Brown. Different, being able to honestly integrate internal and external is already progress.
Although the Pistons are stronger inside, Eddie Curry is actually not afraid of a short and strong insider like Ben Wallace. In the previous defeat to the Pistons, he also performed well on the offensive end.
At the beginning of the game, Eddie Curry also attacked Ben Wallace a few times in a row, and then Li Hai, Marbury, and Francis assisted each other a few times.
This is what the team is trying to do well. If the organizational skills of the three starting players in the backcourt can be superimposed positively, it will be difficult for the Knicks to defend. After all, all three are capable, whether it is singles or passing. There is a threat.
The two sides almost finished the first quarter with the main force. The game against the Pistons not only encouraged the players, but also the head coaches of both sides, wanting to prove that their coaching philosophy can make the team stronger.
In the end, Hamilton's three-pointer helped the Pistons lead by 29 points at 26:3 to end the first quarter. The biggest difference between the two teams and the beginning of the season is that their offensive power is better, but in general, the Knicks have grown more. They are Growth is both offensive and defensive, and the Pistons are focused on improving offense, but this has weakened some defenses, so I don't know if it is a blessing or a curse.
The bench lineup of the two sides obviously has more people who can score for the Knicks, but the inside substitute Antonio McDyess of the Pistons is more threatening.
After he came up, Channing Frye couldn't stand it at all, allowing the opponent to score in double figures easily.
Rasheed Wallace also hit two three-pointers, which is hard to guard against.
Li Hai didn't play for a long time in the second quarter, but after he came up, he beat McDyess 2+1. McDyess couldn't jump high at all now, and after Li Hai broke through, he basically could only sigh.
At the end of the half, the Knicks fell behind by 6 points.
When the intermission came to the locker room, head coach Larry Brown put forward a lot of requirements for meticulous defense. The Pistons basically had no personnel changes when he was coaching. He really knows those people too well.
High pick-and-roll and baseline cross-screening are the routines that the Pistons use the most, because their stars rarely play alone, and the top scorer Hamilton often runs without the ball, so the defense of the Pistons requires team defense.
Li Hai can limit Hamilton, but the height of other backcourt teams is far from that of Prince, and if Li Hai marks the man, he will not make a substitution when the opponent's player is covering. The overall defense of the Knicks is There will be problems, after all, not everyone can do man-to-man like Li Hai.
Therefore, when competing with teams like the Pistons, it is different from competing with other teams. Even if Li Hai is to mark the opponent's arrows, it is often only at the last critical moment.
When the head coach explained the defense in the first half and then asked for the details of the defense, most of the Knicks still understood.
Because he was facing the Pistons, Larry Brown explained the details in more detail.
In the second half, the Knicks' defense was very good at the beginning, allowing the Pistons to return without success several times in a row, and the 6-point gap was quickly reversed.
But as the game progressed, this tight defense was not so easy to maintain.
After all, people are not machines, and the Pistons are constantly making adjustments. After all, the Pistons this season are still different from last season.
However, the goal of the Knicks has been achieved. In the third quarter, they caught up with the lagging game, and the two sides stood on the same starting line again.
And in the fourth quarter, this is the time to test the stars of the team. In many cases, advocating a reasonable team play style is not as good as the star's singles. That's why some people in this league get a basic salary and some get tens of millions. contract.
When Li Hai was on the court, the Knicks had already led by 5 points because of Crawford's unreasonable convulsions a few times, and to maintain the lead, the Knicks' main lineup was still guaranteed.
The Knicks directly let Li Hai get the ball at the top of the arc. At this time, Li Hai didn't go to the basket. After all, there are two powerful insiders in the Pistons, and the possibility of rushing in and being interfered is too great.
He just took advantage of his strength and strength to sit inside with Prince on his shoulders. If the Pistons hadn't flanked him, he would have been almost sure to be hit by Li Hai sitting near the three-second zone. The rate is not vegetarian, especially when Crawford feels good, as long as there is a little chance, he can kill with one blow.
At this time, the Pistons had no solution. The Knicks' five players could not only score, but all of them had the ability to play singles, which was the only one in the entire league.
In desperation, the Pistons and the Knicks fought together to attack, and they also began to try star singles. Billups tried several times to make three-pointers against the defense.
The result of this game was doomed. With only 38 seconds left in the game, Li Hai assisted Crawford to make a shot. The Knicks led by 8 points. The situation was already obvious.
(End of this chapter)