Chapter 76: Confrontation with Hill!
From the coaching staff to teammates, everyone placed their hopes on Zhang Hao playing.
It’s not that people think Zhang Hao can turn the situation around on his own, but people with discerning eyes can see that they have the strength to compete with the Pistons, a newly promoted playoff-level team, but this is a strength they can only achieve if they perform at their best.
Zhang Hao is the best off-ball shooter in their team. In addition, Zhang Hao demonstrated rim protection ability in the first quarter that no other inside player in the team had.
They are not that good when they are separated, they need to be combined together.
"Aix, you are responsible for protecting the basket on the defensive end. You don't need to help defend. Don't worry about those things. Save your energy for the offensive end..."
The task that Randy Whitman assigned to Zhang Hao was simple, but it was exactly what the Nets lacked most.
The combination of Kenny Anderson, Edwards, Almon Gilliam, Zhang Hao and PJ Brown were substituted on.
Although the pressure from the whole team is high, Zhang Hao is more confident now than at the beginning of the game. He once again confirmed that his mid-range shooting ability is definitely the best in the league. With his height and wingspan, the effect is even stronger in this era when power forwards are generally 204-206 cm tall! If he plays as a small forward, even a big small forward like Grant Hill, his physical condition will be even more advantageous!
However, Grant Hill on the opposite side scored 14 points... surpassing Zhang's original game-high 10 points!
After the timeout, the Pistons re-arranged their starting lineup, with Joe Dumars, Alan Houston, Grant Hill, Edith Thorpe, and Ratliff taking the court.
The Nets attack and serve from the center line.
Zhang Hao came onto the court and discovered that the person defending him was Edith Thorpe, so he started moving immediately.
Almon Gilliam was fighting with Grant Hill, and his task changed. If Grant Hill was defending him, he would actively go to the basket, actively seek confrontation, and consume Grant Hill.
Kenny Anderson did not force the shot in the face of Joe Dumars' defense and passed the ball to Edwards.
This choice was a great one. Zhang Hao, who scored 10 points in the first quarter, and Almon Gilliam, who scored 8 points in the first half, are undoubtedly the two most threatening players for the Nets. Kenny Anderson himself is the Nets' strongest outside scorer. Edwards will have a good chance to single out Alan Houston!
Edwards is a very balanced player, a versatile outside player who can score, organize offense, and defend, but he is not strong in any of these areas. With an ability rating of 75, his role on the court is far less than that of P.J. Brown, who has the same ability rating.
However, a player's scoring ability can sometimes be enhanced by defensive players. Haven't you seen that the company commander scored 50+ points in a single game against the first point guard?
There is a type of player who is very active on the defensive end, but his aggressiveness is of no use at all. He might as well just stand there like a stake.
Look, under Alan Houston's defense, Edwards played like an All-Star, easily breaking through to close range, and while Zhang Hao slipped out from the baseline to take away Edith Thorpe, and PJ Brown rushed into the basket to pin down Ratliff, the rookie center with excellent defensive awareness, Edwards made a close-range layup.
Freehand and beautiful!
It's rare for Edwards to play such a beautiful offense.
When it was the Pistons' turn to attack, Grant Hill attacked fiercely for more than a quarter and needed a break, standing in the weak side mid-range with Almon Gilliam.
Joe Dumars holds the ball and organizes the game.
Joe Dumars had excellent offensive organization skills and made a beautiful ground pass to the baseline. Alan Houston received the ball and made a jump shot to return the favor to Edwards.
Edwards actually did a good job in defense, mainly because Kenny Anderson failed to interfere with Joe Dumars' pass.
Looking at Kenny Anderson's physique... Zhang Hao said to his two teammates in the backcourt when he picked up the ball and served it: "Boss Kenny, go chase Houston later, you run faster, Kevin, you go against Dumars and put pressure on defense."
A rookie was instructing two veteran players. Zhang Hao felt a little regretful when he passed the ball. Kenny Anderson, who received the ball, was also stunned for a moment, but did not refuse and nodded.
This is what he said. Zhang Hao should just say whatever he thinks and don't hesitate.
Also, when it comes to defense, Kenny Anderson really doesn't understand it.
Kevin Edwards didn't say anything when he saw this and ran to the frontcourt with Zhang Hao.
The Pistons continued to slow down the tempo, preventing two speed players, Zhang Hao and Kenny Anderson, from picking up the tempo.
Compared to the Pistons, who had a clear plan to utilize the rules, the Nets were actually fighting a positional battle passively and had no tactics to speed up. After all, it was a mess before, and they only started to work hard in the preseason. It's good enough to be able to do what they are doing now.
The good thing is that they all tried very hard, and even when they got into a positional battle, they didn't get impatient and just fought the way they should.
Edwards was still the main attacker in this offense and got another chance to shoot. Alan Houston's one-on-one defense was a good offensive buff for the opponent, but it was a pity that the mid-range shot in this good opportunity missed.
However, this has put a lot of pressure on the Pistons. Alan Houston really explodes no matter who he defends.
When it was the Pistons' turn to attack, Joe Dumars continued to hold the ball and organize the offense, but this time, as soon as he reached the three-point line in the frontcourt, he was pressed down by Edwards to defend!
Unlike Kenny Anderson's small body, Edwards has the standard shooting guard build, 191 cm tall. Although he is not very athletic, Joe Dumars's explosiveness has long declined at his age. Edwards' defense cannot be said to be strong, but he rarely makes mistakes. His oppressive defense has had a significant impact on Joe Dumars of this age.
On the other side, Kenny Anderson was much faster than Edwards, and it was difficult for Alan Houston to get the ball as easily as when facing Edwards' defense. After finally running out of the opportunity, Edwards' influence on Joe Dumars made Joe Dumars dare not easily pass the ball that would risk being stolen.
Joe Dumars couldn't break through and had no chance to pass the ball, so he chose to pass to Edith Thorpe who moved to the mid-range to receive the ball. Edith Thorpe used his strong body to turn around and push away P.J. Brown, breaking through to the right side of the three-second zone and shooting... Zhang Hao jumped up with all his might and stretched out his hand to interfere, successfully interfering!
Edith Thorpe's shot missed, and Almon Gilliam came in to grab the defensive rebound.
Successful defense!
Just like the Pistons changed their coaching staff and made better use of their players' abilities, the Nets made a small adjustment, which may not improve the overall defense much, but is just right for defending the cooperation between Alan Houston and the aging Joe Dumars.
In the transition between offense and defense, Kenny Anderson tried to speed up but failed and passed the ball to Edwards again. This time, the Pistons obviously paid more attention to Edwards' defense.
Edith Thorpe lost weight after getting older, but his speed is still pretty good. He has the height, so it is not so easy the ball and shoot opportunities from mid-range, and Edwards' passing is not as good as Kenny Anderson and Charles, so when Edwards plays one-on-one, Zhang Hao mainly stands away to make space.
This time when Edwards broke through, Edith Thorpe made a move to the right side of the free throw line. Zhang Hao immediately saw the opportunity and cut into the basket!
Edwards saw the opportunity of the front pass and passed the ball to Zhang Hao who was cutting in from the high and low post. Zhang Hao received the ball without dribbling. He took a step forward, stepped on the right sideline of the three-second zone, jumped up and slammed the ball into the basket with one hand!
39 to 41, the difference is only two points!
When it was the Pistons' turn to attack, Joe Dumars chose to force a breakthrough this time, but he failed to get rid of Edwards' defense and was closely guarded. Alan Houston had no chance to receive the ball. Grant Hill's current off-ball play is usually to stand still and shoot. Edith Thorpe was bypassed by P.J. Brown, and there was only Ratliff near the three-second zone... During the breakthrough, Joe Dumars ruled out these options and directly broke through to the basket, facing Zhang Hao who was making up for him, and shot with his body tilted sideways...
Joe Dumars' eyes widened as he saw Zhang Hao jump high and slap the ball on the backboard before it touched the backboard!
This is not calm. Joe Dumars's shot was just a random one in the eyes of others. The commentator of the American cable TV station commented: "Joe is too confident in himself. He still thinks he is the FMVP of that year..."
Edwards grabbed the ball that bounced off the backboard and immediately passed it to Kenny Anderson. Kenny Anderson had already rushed outside the three-point line, and Zhang Hao immediately followed after landing.
This time, the speed was increased successfully!
Grant Hill caught up with Kenny Anderson, and Zhang Hao was closely chasing Alan Houston.
Kenny Anderson passed the ball while moving, and Zhang Hao came to the left side of the free throw line in the front court. The two ignored Alan Houston. Kenny Anderson passed the ball to Zhang Hao over Alan Houston's head, and Zhang Hao took the ball and shot...
The mid-range shot was made!
Yan page body inch!
Alan Houston felt his face get wet!
41 square meters!
The Pistons called a timeout and entered the official timeout phase.
After this timeout, Grant Hill started to control the ball again.
This is exactly what Zhang Hao wants. It is easy to see that Grant Hill plays more than 40 minutes in a game, and it is definitely impossible for him to attack in every round because he does not have that much durability.
He definitely needs other people to help him continue. What the Nets should do is to try their best to defend other people when Grant Hill wants to rest. It happens that Grant Hill is not very good without the ball, and he is not the role player who will play without the ball in the future. The Pistons are similar to the Nets. The role players are not that good, especially the ball-handling point guard is not as good as the Nets.
After two rounds of successful defense, Grant Hill was forced back to control the ball again.
I have to say, the All-Star voting leader is the All-Star voting leader. With Grant Hill in control of the ball, the Pistons' offense immediately rises to a higher level.
Before entering the NBA, Iverson had the league's fastest first step, super change of direction breakthroughs, accurate mid-range shots, top-level scoring ability at the basket, outstanding vision... The improvement in the coaching staff's capabilities is the reason why the Pistons have undergone earth-shaking changes compared to last season and have playoff strength, but the fundamental reason is Grant Hill's personal ability!
The importance of a superstar to a team is well demonstrated in Grant Hill.
The Nets' playing style is clear: in positional battles, Zhang Hao and Edwards cooperate with each other; in counterattacks, Zhang Hao and Kenny Anderson cooperate with each other.
The Pistons attach great importance to Zhang Hao, as their assistant coach Scott Collins has repeatedly emphasized.
But no matter how much we emphasize it, common sense and concepts are two points that cannot be changed.
It's true that the Pistons players value Zhang Hao, but they didn't expect that Zhang Hao's mid-range shot could be compared with Alan Houston, and this rookie is not even 19 years old!
Judging from his appearance, from the perspective of Europeans and Americans, people would believe that he is a junior high school student. But who would have thought that his CJI can be compared with Alan Houston ?
Zhang Hao's outstanding positioning awareness and ability are beyond their understanding of players of this age.
They have all gone through this age, and they have very deep-rooted ideas about what they were like back then and what players of this age they have seen are like.
Therefore, the Pistons were in a mess again because of Zhang Hao, just like in the second half of the first quarter!
Facing the Pistons' defense, Zhang Hao played more and more freely and specifically.
When Edith Thorpe was defending him, he waited for Edwards to make a choice, did not move casually, conserved his energy, and acted when he should move and exert force.
If Grant Hill guarded him, he would run freely.
Consume Grant Hill's energy on offense.
Zhang Hao's scoring rate was not as fast as in the second half of the first quarter, but they Nets played better.
On the defensive end, Zhang Hao had just a sudden idea at first, but as the game went on, his goal became clearer.
It doesn't matter if they can't defend, the key is to let Grant Hill control the ball. As long as Joe Dumars and Lynch Hunter, who came on as a substitute, have control of the ball, they will defend desperately. It happens that these two people's independent offensive ability is poor, the former is old, and the latter is already poor, forcing Grant Hill to return to control the ball.
Two-pronged approach!
Even someone as strong as Grant Hill can't take care of both the front and the back.
As the game went on, Grant Hill gave up defending Zhang Hao. He had already seen through the Nets' conspiracy, but there was nothing he could do. The Pistons had a strength advantage, but it was not big. When the opponent made an effective response first, they fell into a passive position.
Knowing that entering an offensive state would be more advantageous for the opponent, Grant Hill had to jump in at this time.
The scores of the two teams rose alternately. At the end of the first half, thanks to Alan Houston's forced mid-range shot, the Pistons tied the score to 58!
9 of 12 in the first half...
Zhang Hao himself was stunned by this shooting efficiency.
It's a pity that he only made one of the two free throws, otherwise he could have scored 20+ in the first half of his career.
After playing for less than 20 minutes in the first half, Zhang Hao scored 19 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 blocks!
