Chapter 88: Such a Back Attack
Although the Heat encountered fierce defense against the Trail Blazers, the Trail Blazers had a normal rhythm overall, while the Heat's rhythm had reached an abnormal level.
Finally, Coles used up 14 seconds, and with 10 seconds left in the offensive time, Mourning entered the three-second zone, leaning against Zhang Hao, and Coles passed the ball to Mourning who was leaning against Zhang Hao under the basket.
The confrontation that Mourning felt when he leaned against Zhang Hao surprised him. It was not the kind that would send him flying as it looked like. PJ Brown double-teamed Mourning as soon as he received the ball.
Facing a double team attack, Mourning did not pass the ball. Before the double team attack by PJ Brown and Zhang Hao was about to form, he seized the time difference and the opponent's footsteps, held the ball tightly with both hands, turned around and stood between the two, raised the ball, and hooked the ball...
When Mourning turned around, Zhang Hao and P.J. Brown were forced to exert their strength to confront him. They were unable to jump. Mourning also did not jump, but stood on tiptoe to hook the shot. However, Mourning's 229-centimeter wingspan gave him an advantage!
Hook shot!
Whether it is the choice of shooting method or the basic skills of turning around and hooking the shot, it is all very beautiful.
Moreover, this style of play does not consume much physical energy. It relies on arm span and static strength, without deliberately using explosive power.
"Why not look for Alonzo Mourning for the opportunity to learn from a center?"
This thought flashed through Zhang Hao's mind, he put it aside and quickly ran to the front court.
P.J. Brown's serves and Kenny Anderson's returns also advanced quickly.
Zhang Hao, Graham and Kenny Anderson started a fast break, trying to defeat the Heat, who were not yet stable.
However, as soon as Kenny Anderson crossed the midline, he encountered a half-court press.
The opponent completely underestimated Graham's shooting ability. Kevin Willis retreated to the basket and Graham was helpless.
On the other side, Zhang Hao entered the three-point line and was bypassed by Mourning. After entering the inside, Mourning immediately let go of Zhang Hao and Owens interfered with Zhang Hao's receiving route.
And it’s full of confrontation!
It seemed as if elbows were flying all over the three-point line.
The Heat used very good coordinated defense to block the Nets' transitional play. It can be seen how crazy Pat Riley's training is. As soon as he arrived at the Heat, he adjusted the entire defense of the Heat.
This time Kenny Anderson chose to play solo, but his three-point shot was blocked tightly, there was help defense in the mid-range, and Mourning went back to the basket...
"I'm sorry, little brother!"
Seeing that Zhang Hao still couldn't get into the open space, Almon Gilliam and Graham's mid-range and long-range shots were both unsuccessful, and Kenny Anderson could only choose to pass the buck...
When Zhang Hao received the ball, he was pushed by Owens who was chasing him from behind. Owens' defensive awareness is indeed good, and it was at an ambiguous time point as to whether it was a foul. It could be regarded as a reasonable confrontation or a collision foul, but this was the Heat's home court and the referee did not blow the whistle!
When Zhang Hao was hit, he stabilized his body and lost the opportunity to receive the ball and step out directly to make a turnaround jump shot. However, he could only force a turnaround jump shot... The rhythm was off and the shot went astray!
After the offense and defense switched, the Heat attacked and continued to advance at a high tempo.
Zhang Hao signaled PJ Brown to move away and he would defend himself. The latter did not refuse because he knew that Zhang Hao wanted to try to go around the front.
Coles pushed the tempo across half court and continued to push the tempo from the midline to outside the three-point line. When he reached the three-point line, Mourning entered the three-second zone and asked Zhang Hao for the ball.
Zhang Hao stuck close to him, ready to bypass Morning and interfere from the front at any time.
It is not easy to defend in front. It requires a very good sense of judgment of the movement of the ball and the ability to fight against the opponent even if the gap is not huge.
In the last round, Mourning felt that Zhang Hao was different from an ordinary bamboo pole-type inside player. Although he had a strong strength advantage, the strength gap was not that huge. If he tried to get the ball in a normal position, he would most likely be intercepted, and the opponent would have enough strength to confront and go around him.
Feeling the direction of the force behind him, Mourning raised his hands and turned around, pulling to the baseline for a close distance. Coles quickly passed the ball to Mourning, who took a step outside the left side of the three-second zone and took a close-range jump shot...
Defense failed!
Fortunately, it didn't go in! Zhang Hao quickly grabbed the defensive rebound.
Mourning pressed forward after shooting, but he turned around and shot the ball in too much haste, and the shot seemed crooked. He originally wanted to rush for the ball, but Zhang Hao reacted quickly, so Mourning pressed forward and used his body to block Zhang Hao's pass to Kenny Anderson before quickly going down.
The Heat's full-court press sets the pace!
The Heat did not try to steal the ball. They did not counterattack. Instead, they tried to use pressure to create turnovers. Steals are not the optimal solution for defense. It is much safer to use pressure defense to create turnovers.
Finally, in this round, after Zhang Hao went around the baseline and PJ Brown blocked Kevin Willis in time, and Mourning judged that Zhang Hao had a chance to receive the ball and followed him out, Almon Gilliam had the courage to play one-on-one. He received the ball and broke into the inside, relying on Kevin Willis to cause the opponent to foul, and made both free throws.
But such opportunities are obviously rare!
The slow-paced tug-of-war has begun.
The Heat's offense is one-on-one. After Mourning played one-on-one for two rounds, it was Owens' turn. If he encountered a double-team with space for passing the ball, he would pass the ball. If not, he would play one-on-one. If there is no first pass, the person playing one-on-one will basically waste time until there are only a few seconds left to shoot. Only with a first pass can there be offensive coordination.
The pace is shockingly slow.
The Nets' offense was forced to slow down, and they had few opportunities to successfully counterattack. They fell into a positional battle, which became even more difficult. Zhang Hao became the scapegoat, taking 5 shots in half a quarter.
Zhang Hao forced himself to regard this as the trust of his teammates. Perhaps under the current defense, he was the only one who had the ability to make a strong shot.
Zhang Hao made 2 of 5 shots in the first half, plus 1 of 2 free throws, and scored 5 points and 3 rebounds in 5 minutes and 38 seconds, and the Nets team scored 9 points!
This score is shockingly low compared to previous years!
The Heat took the initiative in the rhythm, with their strongest star making 3 of 4 singles and 1 of 2 free throws to score 7 points, which was also the highest in the game.
But the Heat did not really create a clear lead. When Zhang Hao failed to pass the ball to the inside and was hit out of bounds by Kevin Willis and entered the timeout phase, the Heat only scored 11 points!
Entering the timeout phase, the players of both teams returned to the bench. Randy Whitman felt like his head was about to explode. The change in the Heat's defense was beyond expectations! Far beyond expectations!
Like the Trail Blazers in the previous game, they only strengthened the defensive movement in the mid-range and used the shortened three-point line to strengthen the mid-range and inside defense, but they did not slow down the tempo in this way.
But it's not that there is no chance. At this pace, the opponent's attack will be very difficult.
You have to waste time, drag the enemy out, and lower the opponent's attack success rate.
But how to suppress it?
The Nets really don't have the conditions to suppress the rhythm of defense!
At this time, a tall and thin team member came to Randy Whitman.
Randy Whitman looked up at the person who came, as if asking a question.
Zhang Hao learned from Butch Baird that Randy Whitman didn't like his players to interfere in the coach's affairs, so he said hesitantly, "Coach, I have something to say but I'm not sure if I should say it or not."
Whether you like the players to interfere in matters related to the coach depends on the person, right?
If Robert Wardan had done this, Randy Whitman would definitely not like it.
But when playing against the Pistons, P.J. Brown, a favorite inside player of the coaching staff, made a suggestion, which was immediately adopted.
Randy Whitman nodded, wanting to hear Zhang Hao's thoughts.
Zhang Hao immediately said: "We do this and that, this and that..."
What kind of weird defense is this? Randy Whitman's eyes were full of doubt.
"With our current lineup, even if you come up with a solution, you can't implement it. It won't help if you try."
…
The key point is the sentence "Coach, even if you think of a solution, our lineup still can't be played out", which made Randy Whitman very happy. This means that it is not that he has no coaching talent and ability, but that a good cook cannot cook without rice.
Just give it a try. It doesn’t matter if you lose. What if it works?
PJ Brown and Graham were replaced by Edwards and Jason Williams.
Zhang Hao came to the court and recalled the first half of the quarter. All of his five shots were blocked shots. During one fast break, the opponent paid special attention to him and the opportunity fell to Graham. Fortunately, Graham seized the opportunity and scored two points with a fast break dunk.
But he also understood that in this situation, they really only rely on his mid-range shooting. Among all the players on the Nets, except for some players whose close-range attack rating exceeds 90, his offensive ability in other areas is only at the top level of 90 in his mid-range shooting.
Edwards came on next and Kenny Anderson was not replaced, so his one-on-one ability will be greatly improved... Anyway, he just needs to continue to be prepared to take the blame.
The Heat sent out a lineup of Coles, Keith Askins, Owens, rookie Kurt Thomas and Mourning.
The timeout ended and the Nets continued their attack.
As soon as Zhang Hao entered the court, he was confronted by Kurt Thomas who was defending him .
He's so active even before the ball is even kicked... Oh, by the way, this guy was the 10th pick this year, and was selected by the Heat just after him, Zhang.
Zhang Hao suddenly remembered that this was Dirty Kurt, one of the future two Thomases.
It seems that he is still learning trash talk and dirty defensive moves from the future group of people in the New York nursing home, but his defensive enthusiasm has been there since he entered the NBA.
However, for Zhang Hao, dealing with Kurt Thomas is much easier than dealing with the experienced Kevin Willis.
Zhang Hao did not continue to run. He easily withstood the confrontation with Kurt Thomas. He just needed to keep away from the defense and do job as a receiver. He no longer thought about getting space to receive the ball and shoot. He just needed to keep away from the defense.
The new force Edwards received the pass from Kenny Anderson and started to single out Keith Askins.
Having an all-around guard like Edwards who can do a little bit of everything is particularly important for the current Nets team. He came off the bench and made a long two-pointer with a quick stop jump shot.
11 flats!
The offense and defense switched, and the Heat attacked.
After a short break, it was definitely Mourning who played one-on-one first. Mourning had already broken through Zhang Hao's front defense in the first half of the quarter. Seeing Jason Williams standing at attention under the basket, Mourning estimated that the opponent would not double-team him again, so he leaned against Zhang Hao to ask for the ball. As long as he got the ball, it would be difficult for these two people together to stop him.
The moment Mourning received the ball, at a moment when he would no longer be called for a premature double-team violation, Almon Gilliam, Jason Williams, and Edwards surrounded Mourning together!
Zhang Hao, Jason Williams, and Almon Gilliam confronted but did not take action. They raised their arms to interfere. Edwards tried to steal the ball from below, forcing Mourning to hold the ball up and unable to make any moves!
Mourning’s brain froze—what was going on?
Passing is not what Mourning is good at. He can pass the ball in the low post, but he has to do it in the low post!
Now there are two people at the back and two people in the front, how do we divide them?
At this time, Mourning was panicking. He received the ball and did not shoot for three seconds. The referee blew the whistle, and it was a three-second violation in offense!
It was really defended. Not to mention the Heat players, four Nets players on the field didn't know what to say.
But this is a good thing, just prevent it!
Nets backcourt ball.
The Nets are not in a hurry anymore. Just keep fighting. Who’s afraid of who?
The Heat don't have more capable players than the Nets.
When Zhang Hao reached the frontcourt, he continued to face the fierce resistance of Kurt Thomas. He did not choose to run. He felt that it was better to stand and wait for the ball to be passed, as he could not get out of the position anyway.
Zhang Hao stood at the left baseline for two consecutive rounds waiting to receive the ball and shoot, which surprised Heat head coach Pat Riley very much, even more than the Nets .
The Nets' defense is just a gambling defense, which can be easily cracked if Mourning doesn't play alone.
But if Zhang Hao stands still, he won't affect the defense, nor will he cause a large number of people to move within the three-point line, so there will be space, whether it is high or low post passing or breakthrough space. This is very beneficial for the two ball-holding guards of the Nets' back line!
Look, although Edwards missed the close-range jump shot, he has successfully broken through!
Edwards' jump shot hit the rim and he jumped high. Mourning, who had just finished defending Edwards, was about to grab the rebound. Jason Williams judged where the rebound would land, moved into position in advance, jumped high, and slapped the ball away before Kurt Thomas, who also had an excellent sense of rebounding!
Kurt Thomas rushed towards the ball very actively. As soon as Zhang Hao grabbed the ball, Kurt Thomas was in position.
Pass the ball to the outside...it's not easy!
The Heat players are quick to react or have strict defensive discipline. No matter who they face, strong or weak, Pat Riley demands high-intensity defense. They have done sufficient research on Zhang Hao, a rookie who has become increasingly popular since the preseason. Knowing that Zhang Hao is not good at passing the ball, they chose to defend the pass.
Almon Guillem had no chance to receive the ball, so he took the initiative to cut into the basket to avoid Zhang Hao being double-teamed.
Almon Gilliam was so timid in front of the big center that he completely forgot about Zhang Hao's poor ability to attack with the ball.
Zhang Hao couldn't care less about so many things. The opponent was so close to him, and it was not easy to turn over. With a determined heart, Zhang Hao protected the ball with his left hand, hit the ball with his right hand, and pushed it backwards.
Originally, Zhang Hao wanted to push his opponent to see if he could have a chance for a turnaround jump shot. He also learned the move of a back-to-the-basket turnaround jump shot, but he only learned the moves.
Unexpectedly, he pushed the opponent back a step!
But this position, one step closer, is only one step within the free throw line...
"84 strength, 97 kg weight, 206 cm tall... beat him!"
Do it when you think of it!
So, everyone watched helplessly as Zhang Hao pushed Kurt Thomas from the free throw line to the edge of the three-second zone step by step...
Zhang Hao had been paying attention to whether anyone was coming to double-team him. He was terrified. When he reached this area, Zhang Hao immediately turned over and shot a jump shot...
"The King of Turnaround Jump Shot (Bronze) is triggered. Special signed player Zhang Hao's turnaround jump shot has +1 strength and +1 bounce. The impact of the turnaround on the shot is ignored..."
Good luck! The bonus of strength and bounce is very small, and it is difficult to even affect Zhang Hao's shooting feeling. It doesn't need to be adapted, but the 10% probability of ignoring the shooting impact brought by the turn is very useful!
Perfect shooting feeling, it goes in!
