I am the Warden Chapter 29: Iron Blood Legion, full defense!
Larry Brown is very angry now!
Based on the Trail Blazers' performance in the early stages, he thought that with Hamilton and Ben Wallace, one on offense and one on defense, they could suppress the opponent in the first rotation stage.
As a result, as soon as the rookie on the opposite side came up, the opponent's strength changed completely!
It’s not that the opponent is so strong that the Pistons can’t deal with it, but that they can’t deal with it when Atkins is the point guard.
Just as he was feeling angry, Larry Brown felt an expectant gaze...the Serbian center!
"You son of a bitch, look at yourself, then look at the other rookies, why are you so weak? Shit, I might as well trade the draft pick and choose you XXXX..."
Larry Brown pointed at Milicic and started cursing, the curses became more and more unpleasant...he was venting all his unhappy emotions.
Hamilton was about to step forward to say a few words for Milicic, but was stopped by Billups and Ben Wallace.
The two men shook their heads at Hamilton. Hamilton struggled internally for a moment, but had to give up.
Larry Brown made tactical arrangements after the scolding. The timeout was about to end. Hamilton left the bench and said to Billups and Ben Wallace: "The coach's scolding is too harsh, and it gets harsher each time. Dakota is too young. I'm afraid he can't bear it."
Billups shook his head: "We can't take care of him. The coach has brought us a lot of changes. We may be successful this season."
Was it successful?
Hamilton thought of the man who wore the No. 33 jersey in high school.
Ben Wallace thought of the same man, but that man had worn the No. 8 jersey.
Billups was thinking of the man who was called the "best power forward in history" after last season.
If you want to succeed, conflicts between players are not a big problem, but if there are conflicts between players and coaches... Hamilton can only sympathize with Milicic's experience.
In order to get something, you have to give up something.
Tonight, in the opening game of the new season, Hamilton gave up something, but Billups and Ben Wallace had made such a determination earlier.
Because they gave up some things and made up their minds, the three of them have a deeper desire for success!
…
After the timeout, the Trail Blazers sent out a combination of Liu Xiu, Reuben Patterson, Travis Outlaw, Randolph, and Rasheed Wallace.
The Pistons sent out a combination of Billups, Hamilton, Prince, Ben Wallace and Campbell.
Randolph walked to the free throw line and made both free throws. The game had played for 6 minutes and 52 seconds and the score was tied at 8-8!
When the Pistons attacked, Billups received the ball and advanced to the frontcourt.
Liu Xiu was guarding the top arc, excited.
This is the league's best point guard who is praised to the sky and has an invincible championship record... Liu Xiu does not agree with this title, but he highly respects Billups' abilities after he has passed his growth period.
"Chauncey Billups, 27 years old, 191 cm, 92 kg, PG, ability rating 85, offense 84, defense 88, passing ability 86, passing accuracy..."
This ability evaluation was within Liu Xiu's expectations. In the past two years, Billups has actually just secured the starting position.
Liu Xiu remembered that in the original time and space, in the 04-05 season, the second year after winning the FMVP, Billups had not yet performed at the All-Star level. It was not until the 05-06 season that his personal ability began to take off and reached the All-Star level.
Of course, there are many things that opponents can feel before their strength improves.
Liu Xiu felt from Billups what it meant to be calm, what it meant to be steady, and what it meant to be... steady?
Liu Xiu looked at Billups who was controlling the ball steadily. Is this guy playing steadily?
Unstable, right?
Liu Xiu is a little agitated now. Normally, it is difficult for him to be distracted during a round of confrontation, but countless thoughts have popped up in his mind just now.
After Billups advanced across half court, Liu Xiu pressed forward and put pressure on Billups, but Billups took a step back and controlled the ball one meter outside the top arc. Liu Xiu could only defend on the three-point line.
Finally, when 18 seconds of the 24-second offensive time had passed, Billups moved, broke through, stopped suddenly, and made a long two-point shot!
Even Liu Xiu's one-on-one defense couldn't get rid of Billups's singles... Liu Xiu was distracted for 3 moments in 10 seconds, but he came to his senses the moment he started to make the flounder move!
But this can't stop Billups' determination to shoot - he can play like Iverson!
The shot hit the rim with a clang and bounced out... Randolph tried his best to defend the rebound.
At the moment Billups shot, only Ben Wallace rushed to grab the ball, and the other three Pistons players retreated directly.
Liu Xiu received the ball from Randolph and only then came back to his senses from Billups' outrageous one-on-one play.
Just now, Hamilton didn't run into an open space, so Billups chose a one-on-one play.
Hamilton was given 18 seconds to run, and it seemed that only Ben Wallace was trying to do a pick-and-roll on the wing, and there was no tactical support... Liu Xiu had long anticipated that the Pistons would play very easily after Larry Brown joined the team, but he didn't expect it to be this easy.
Liu Xiu advanced to the frontcourt, and unlike the Pistons' outrageous sluggishness on the offensive end, the Trail Blazers immediately launched an attack.
Liu Xiu did not choose to launch the attack from Randolph.
No matter how powerful Randolph is in low-post singles, he will be defeated if he encounters the low-post defense of Campbell, who is 213 cm and 127 kg!
This is Campbell! The rim protector who can turn O'Neal before he gained weight into an All-Star fringe center!
The ball was passed to Rasheed Wallace who was on the right side of the free throw line. Travis Outlaw cut in from the middle and passed the ball to Randolph on the left baseline. Randolph turned flexibly to avoid Hamilton who came up to defend, entered the basket, avoided Campbell on the second line of defense, and flew for a layup...
"Snapped!"
“Bang!”
Ben Wallace's block shot!
Ben Wallace pressed the ball on the backboard and grabbed it directly when Randolph's shot reached the highest point!
After landing, he grabbed the ball with both hands, raised his elbows, and his face was full of ferocity, as if it was written on his face - No Flying Here!
The Trail Blazers had good discipline on the court and retreated quickly, stopping Billups from starting a fast break after receiving the ball.
But the Trail Blazers are still nervous about the attack just now!
Everyone has felt the changes in the Pistons—the inside is airtight!
Elden Campbell guards the rim, Ben Wallace is in tandem defense, Billups defends Liu Xiu at the top of the arc, Prince and Ben Wallace switch defense unlimitedly, and Prince can switch to the number one position... The Pistons' defense is at its best!
The only shortcoming of the Pistons' starting five - rim protector, was made up by Campbell!
When it was the Pistons' turn to attack, Hamilton got the chance this time, received the ball, turned around and shot... He ran for 12 seconds, his shooting was very stable, his sense of rhythm was there, and he made a long two-point shot!
10 to 8, the Pistons regained the lead.
When the Trail Blazers attacked, the tactical coordination was really unsuccessful! The ball finally returned to Liu Xiu!
At this time, the defender in front of Liu Xiu was Hamilton. With a height difference of 10 cm, Liu Xiu chose to force a breakthrough!
With a huge advantage in weight and strength, Hamilton could not defend against Liu Xiu's crushing breakthrough.
Liu Xiu broke through to the basket, Campbell made up for him, and Liu Xiu made a strong shot under the confrontation... but missed!
If there was any highlight in this game, it was Liu Xiu's ability to maintain stability under confrontation.
He was already strong in this aspect, and now with the bonus of Richardson's "pursuit", he was even more stable, but it was a pity that he didn't score.
After two rounds, Maurice Cheeks on the sidelines was overwhelmed!
Ben Wallace is an excellent rim protector, but his height means that he is not a top-notch rim protector. Assisting in rim protection, providing help defense, and connecting defense are what he is good at.
Okur is a rim protector and can still do well against some opponents, but facing the twin towers like Randolph and Rasheed Wallace, it is indeed not enough. As long as the Trail Blazers' twin towers can perform normally and are not dragged down by the Little Flying Squirrel, Ben Wallace and Okur will be unstoppable . Even if Ben Wallace is the C on the defensive end, he can't stop Fat Randolph + Tianzun.
Last season, the extremely mobile short twin towers of Clifford Robinson and Ben Wallace barely covered up this problem from the perspective of unlimited switching defense, but didn’t Clifford Robinson leave?
So, during the timeout, Maurice Cheeks's strategy was to strengthen the offense.
Who knew that Campbell, a 35-year-old veteran center, could transform the Pistons’ defense!
You know, when the Pistons offered Campbell a two-year, $8.4 million contract in the summer, the media were saying that the Pistons were crazy.
But with just these two goals, Maurice Cheeks felt that the Pistons made a great deal on this signing!
Fortunately, Campbell is already 35 years old. If he could have the ability to play 30 minutes per game like he did two or three years ago on the Hornets, his opponents would go crazy!
Maurice Cheeks shook his head and decided not to think too much and just focus on the current situation.
Maurice Cheeks was thinking about expanding his advantage on the offensive end, and thinking about the possible solutions from the Pistons. He wanted to see how the Pistons would break the situation when they were in an unfavorable offensive situation...
In the end, no one thought about breaking the deadlock!
Maurice Cheeks seemed to see the iron-blooded defense of the Heat in the mid-to-late 1990s! And it was a deluxe version!
It’s been two years since the league added the defensive three seconds in 2001 to limit O’Neal’s rim-protecting ability. No team has been able to defend like the Pistons.
Some people say that the league's addition of the three-second defense has made it easier for O'Neal to score. This statement... In his prime, O'Neal would never need three seconds to play one-on-one against anyone.
While adding the three-second defense, in order to limit O'Neal's successful reception of the ball, early double-teaming was allowed; in order to increase the difficulty for O'Neal to score, the three-second zone was expanded.
No matter who these rules finally affect, the viewing experience of the game has been greatly improved. Now, after the Pistons sent out their strongest defensive lineup, all the viewing experience has been killed!
Larry Brown never thought about playing the game of countering the Trail Blazers' moves!
In the entire second half of the first quarter, the Pistons only scored 9 points, which was even lower than the scoring efficiency in the first half of the first quarter.
but!
After the official timeout, the Trail Blazers only scored 8 points, including Randolph's two free throws!
Liu Xiu tried hard to organize the offense. Randolph and Rasheed Wallace played the entire first quarter and tried their best on the offensive end, but they just couldn't make a move!
As for the shooters, whether it was Reuben Patterson's high-post spot shot or Wesley Person's wing three-pointer, they were all locked down.
After the first quarter, the Trail Blazers trailed the Pistons by 3 points at 14 to 17 and entered the intermission!
…
"Oh, Xiate, oh, Fako..."
Randolph began his rhythmic cursing again.
The game was going well, but suddenly it exploded!
It’s not a problem of touch or condition, it’s just that I was blocked by the opponent’s strong defense!
After the players rested for a minute, Maurice Cheeks called the players together and said, "Don't worry too much, we are only three points behind. Campbell on the opposite side is about to go down. Without him, the Pistons' defense will be greatly weakened! Derek, Reuben, Quinter, Dell, Vladimir, you go on..."
Morris Cheeks was calmly making arrangements for the intermission, but Liu Xiu next to him felt that something was not quite right!
Are their current adjustments based on the decline in the opponent's defensive strength? Obviously not!
He didn't say much, just sat down and had a good rest. It was a little early for him to go on the court tonight, and the more than half a quarter consumed more time than he had in the past.
Next, he needs to think of ways to provide more help to the team when he is on the court.
After the intermission, as expected, Maurice Cheeks just wanted to calm the players down.
After the start of the second quarter, Campbell of the Pistons went down to rest, but the Pistons' defensive efficiency did not drop too much!
The Trail Blazers players became more and more aggressive. Although the Pistons had no way to widen the score gap, the Trail Blazers were unable to narrow the gap by a few points.
What made the Trail Blazers players even more irritated was not only the score, but also the sudden intensification of the confrontational actions by the Pistons after they returned from the official timeout in the first quarter.
At the beginning, the Pistons also increased the confrontation, but at first they were just tentative and increasing the confrontation little by little. This was nothing special for a defensive team, but after that conflict, the Pistons increased the confrontation speed significantly!
The Trail Blazers' originally good game and shooting form were gradually consumed by the Pistons!
By the middle of the second quarter, the Trail Blazers were no longer able to score stably! It was only after the inside combination of Rasheed Wallace and Dale Davis was replaced, and the stronger Liu Xiu was replaced on the outside to control the ball steadily, and Rasheed Wallace began to attack, that the Trail Blazers had such a stable point as Rasheed Wallace.
With three minutes left in the second quarter, the Trail Blazers replaced the starting inside combination of Randolph and Rasheed Wallace, and they were able to barely maintain their scoring stability for the next few minutes.
But at this time, something strange happened to the Trail Blazers players who were playing against this Pistons team for the first time and had no idea about the new Pistons team ...
As the confrontation escalated and the Pistons accelerated, the ordinary players of both teams suffered great consumption. Even stars like Randolph and Rasheed Wallace's mid-range and long-range shots were greatly affected. Tianzun was okay, but Randolph, who was far from his peak, could only survive under the basket.
On the Pistons side, Billups and Hamilton's original scoring performance was definitely not as good as Randolph and Rasheed Wallace. The performance of the two duos was a level lower.
but!
As the game progressed, the offensive efficiency of these two players hardly changed!
At 11 minutes and 55 seconds into the second quarter, Billups singled out Liu Xiu and took a three-pointer... Hit! Billups' first three-pointer of the game, 37 to 32, the Pistons widened the gap to 5 points!
As Liu Xiu missed the long-distance buzzer-beating three-pointer after receiving the serve, the Trail Blazers entered the halftime break with a 5-point disadvantage!
…
Return to the locker room.
Although the score difference was not big in this half, the coaching staff of the Trail Blazers were all worried about the situation.
There really is no other way! They tried many methods in the second quarter, but they still couldn't beat them when the opponent didn't send Campbell in the second quarter.
In a single game, once the confrontation starts, it really starts, and it can be devastating to the role players.
Liu Xiu played for 12 minutes in the first half. He felt that the coaching staff attached great importance to him, but at least for now, they never placed any expectations on him.
And he also deeply felt how weak he was during these 12 minutes...
2 of 5 shots, 4 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists, the statistics are good, but he has already tried his best, and the effect of changing the situation of the game was minimal.
Liu Xiu closed his eyes and reviewed the situation of the game. He not only considered his own side, but also analyzed the opponent's side...
During the half-time break, in the first 5 minutes, the players can do some activities on their own. Some can do some boxing to relax, some can have a drink, and those who are quick can find a place to be manly for 5 seconds.
Liu Xiu thought for a while, opened his eyes, and saw that the coaches who were discussing the situation were still anxious. Seeing that his teammates had returned one after another... He didn't know whether his idea would succeed, but he wanted to win.
But he didn't want to offend the coaching staff, so Liu Xiu glanced at the positions of his teammates who were returning to the locker room one after another... Got it!
…
Maurice Cheeks was feeling overwhelmed, and he glanced at his teammates... Knock! A handsome guy appeared next to him out of nowhere!
If he wasn't really handsome, he would have slapped someone in the face for his sudden scary look when he was playing in the NBA in the 1970s.
"Coach, I found something."
"What's up?" Maurice Cheeks asked.
"The player on the other side, Billups, seems to be very stable in high-confrontation situations. What's going on?"
Maurice Cheeks thought Liu Xiu didn't know Billups... Indeed, these days, few young players would know Billups, who was once considered a washed-up third pick.
But as a coach, he must have an understanding of a team's stable starting point guard.
After thinking for a while, Maurice Cheeks replied: "This is related to Billups' playing style. He loves to shoot, and no matter when to shoot, he will shoot when he thinks it is an opportunity. Such a player, if his basic skills are not good enough and his shooting stability is not strong enough, will be very bad. You may not know that he was often abandoned by his team in his early years. Last season, he was 26 years old and entered the golden age of basketball players. His basic skills were solid and his shooting stability improved, so he was able to secure a starting position. His playing style may make him an inefficient scorer in another team, but now, he has to shoot regardless of the intensity of the defense. In this game, it worked wonders... Eh?"
Liu Xiu seemed not to have heard Maurice Cheeks's "eh" and continued to ask, "So that's how it is. Does our team have such a person?"
Yes, of course!
Maurice Cheeks looked at Damon Stoudemire, who seemed to have his ears perked up as he was getting closer and closer to them!
