Bulldozer of the NBA’s Restricted Area

The Mavericks lost the first game of the first round desperately.

Although it is a high probability event that the Mavericks lose the game, the score of 26 points is still really ugly. Counting the Eastern and Western Conferences in the first round, the Mavericks lost the most in the first eight games.

You know, the regular season and the playoffs are two different worlds.

The regular season is okay, but in the playoffs, when the exposure rate is greatly increased, every team and every player will be at their best. After all, the highlight of a season is in these two months. Yeah, and the Jazz are the same. They are gearing up to win the championship this season. Judging from Jerry Sloan's meticulous attitude and not wanting to give up even in garbage time, his expectations are quite high and he doesn't want to give up to the Mavericks. , giving Li Shengli any chance to make a comeback.

There is nothing wrong with being cautious, but Jerry Sloan is really overly worried and overestimates the current Mavericks.

18 points behind in 6 minutes!

How to turn this around?

Li Shengli couldn't think of a way to make a comeback. Even though he was double-teamed, he still scored 23 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks. This was already approaching the limit, and he didn't attack his teammates outside. Even gods can't save him.

The loser is not unjust!

Even if Li Shengli doesn't want to admit it, the Mavericks are still far behind the Jazz in terms of the team's strength, and this was clearly demonstrated in the second game of the first round...

…

It's still the Jazz's home court, and it's still the same routine.

Malone and Felton tried their best to block Li Shengli. Because the first game proved the feasibility of this double-teaming plan, Jerry Sloan, who has always been pragmatic, had no reason not to continue to use it, and the facts also proved... a novel trick, Eating everything is real.

No one is a fool. The Jazz tasted the sweetness in the first game, and the Mavericks also suffered enough. So when faced with a double-team in G2, it was Li Shengli who grabbed the time difference and beat Felton with a turn-over jump shot without asking for a violent dunk. Pleasure, just to score steadily, of course... If the Jazz double-team is formed too quickly, the ball will still have to be scored, and Kidd and Curry performed much better than in the first game.

Throughout the first half, the main players of both teams were on the court at the same time, and the game was quite back-and-forth. The score was so tight that each team's temporary lead would not exceed 2 points, and the score increased alternately.

But in the second half, both sides faced rotation issues. Here we not only have to consider the feel and status of the players on the court, but also physical fitness and the number of fouls. At this point... the key to the confrontation of the game appears again.

The Jazz duo is the absolute main force. The partnership between Malone and Stockton is amazing. Even if they are separated, they can still play a huge role. Therefore, Jerry Sloan's rotation staggered the two, and each led the team for a few minutes. , there is no need to worry about the rotation of other positions.

But on the Mavericks side, as soon as Li Shengli took a break, the team's offensive rhythm came to an abrupt halt.

At this time, Kidd, who was leading the team alone, wanted to cry. After all, he needed teammates who were strong in attack and good at running to create opportunities for his teammates. But on this point... he was thinking too much, because the Jazz The defense was very good, even if a few of his passes were quite exquisite, but the defender would block him in the blink of an eye, and without the ability to attack, it was completely useless.

Pick-and-roll to break defense?

It's basically useless. Kidd is not Stockton. The offensive efficiency of the two is very different. Their offensive shortcomings restrict the use of pick-and-rolls. The defense only needs to focus on the inside players who perform pick-and-roll actions. That's ok, otherwise playing a high pick-and-roll with Li Shengli... the effect would be great.

Back to the game.

It was back and forth in the first half, but the rotation in the second half was a scam.

In just 6 minutes, the Mavericks lost by 6 points. With this point difference behind, when Li Shengli came on the court again, he could not get back even if he risked his life. The point difference would always be stuck at 6 points until the game. At the last second, they couldn't even hold on to 6 points, and lost another 8 points in the G2 game.

…

Match point?

The Jazz got the match point!

To be honest, except for the tiebreaker of the Finals with the Bulls, Li Shengli has never had the experience of being snatched by others in the playoffs. Almost all the pressure was brought back to the base camp of Dallas by him and his teammates, waiting for them. Game 3 is coming.

Is it a fine-tuning of conventional tactics?

Or is it a major change in tactics and a last-ditch counterattack?

The Mavericks don't have many choices, because what can be seen in the first two games is enough, and what can be expected is... in the Jazz rhythm of slow positional warfare, their hope is still slim, and the only way is to speed up. Break through the firing line and break out of the constraints of slow positional warfare.

For this reason, before the third game, Gordon brought out the "positional ambiguity" concept boasted by former coach Motta and created a starting lineup with one midfielder and four quick-shooters.

…

Change is the inevitable law of the development of things.

Starting with one hit and four quick shots cannot be said to be risky, because the Mavericks have already stepped on the edge of elimination. If you don't fight once, you will be sorry for yourself, and this tactical idea is also traceable... because if you really fight hard to defend, the Mavericks can't defend. Instead of using the Jazz's benchmark pick-and-roll, it would be better to sacrifice this defensive part directly, increase the speed of offensive and defensive transitions to the extreme, and turn the original positional warfare offense into a fast break. The problem of Li Shengli being double-teamed will be easily solved.

The first quarter was extremely effective, as the Mavericks caught the Jazz off guard.

Kidd was completely released in the first quarter of this game. The assists he is good at are not the moment when he blocks the split, but the vision control and opportunity distribution during the fast break. However, the defensive rebounds controlled by Li Shengli created too much for him. Many frontcourt '4X100 meters' relay fast break.

As a result, the Mavericks rarely led the Jazz in a single quarter. Even though this fast break system was still in its infancy, the Jazz were numbed by this ultra-fast combat rhythm.

However, there is no concept of unsolvable tactics. The only difference is whether there are enough capable players to deal with it. The Jazz have it. Jerry Sloan, who holds the match point, can also clearly see that the Mavericks will eventually take a hit.

The Mavericks are fast, but the Jazz can't be fast?

Obviously, the Jazz have also increased their speed since the second quarter. It is not to increase the speed of attack, but to improve the speed of defense. They do not seek stable marking, but seek to interfere when taking action.

For a moment, the Mavericks' offense was in chaos in the second quarter. The four-speed shooting in the established tactical system required speed and accuracy. But when the Jazz also increased their speed, no one's shots were crisp anymore. It was Li Shengli and Ji. Germany was completely unable to control the field.

The watershed in the game comes too soon!

All the Mavericks' paths forward are blocked!

From the beginning of the second quarter to the complete collapse in the fourth quarter, the Mavericks entered the playoffs again after four years and stopped in the first round, and they were swept out 3:0.

…

For Li Shengli, this result is definitely the worst one expected. This season is also his worst result so far, but at the same time, he also knows... It is unrealistic for the Mavericks to win the championship this season. The gap between strength and weakness is sometimes really difficult to make up for on his own.

Fortunately, everything is developing for the better now.

The atmosphere within the team is harmonious, the relationship between the generals is good, and the management is also interested in strengthening the team in the future. The Dallas Mavericks went from last place in the Western Conference to the playoffs last season. This span is already huge and exceeded everyone's expectations.

It’s always good to make progress and keep improving.

Li Shengli is now waiting for a strong man to stand next to him. Next season will definitely go further than this season, and what he is thinking about is... the young brother who is the high pick in this draft.