I’m Really Playing Basketball

On May 10, 2006, after the Bobcats and Raptors took a day off, G2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the two teams continued to play at the Air Canada Center Arena.

After the last game, Jordan said that he will change his formation in this game.

And when the starting players of the two teams appeared on the court, audiences all over the world really saw the evolution of the Bobcats.

The Bobcats' starting lineup became starting center Chen Xiao, starting power forward Randolph, starting small forward Granger, starting shooting guard Lou Williams, and starting point guard Chris Paul.

Seeing this change of the Bobcats' formation, Barkley on the sidelines laughed: "I know that Michael's Bobcats have a total of five tactics, one is to let the Wonder Boy play the one position, and the other is to let the Wonder Boy play the one position. To play the second position, one way is to have the Wonder Boy play the three position, one way is to have the Wonder Boy play the four position, and the last one is to have the Wonder Boy play the five position."

"I have to say that Michael is indeed lucky. Any rookie head coach is very lucky to have the most versatile player in NBA history. Even an idiot can lead the team to win the series."

I have to say that Barkley's complaints about Jordan have always been so sharp.

However, looking at the changes in the starting lineup and tactics of the Bobcats in this game, the audience in front of the TV seemed to feel that there was no problem.

Although Barkley's complaints about Jordan in this game are "unpalatable", you can laugh at Jordan's tactical adjustment of just moving Chen Xiao's position, but you can't let it go. Jordan's simple and crude behavior is just to move Chen Xiao's position. is very useful.

Let's just say that in the first quarter of this game, the Bobcats who partnered with Randolph in a double inside line were completely different from the double inside line in Bynum and Randolph in the previous game in terms of offensive capabilities inside.

And not only the offense, but the defense has also become stronger.

Therefore, in the first quarter of this game, the Bobcats beat the Raptors 38 to 22, and beat the Raptors by 22 points in a single quarter.

In the first quarter of this game, Jordan moved Chen Xiao to the center position. This basically means that the Bobcats completely gave up on the outside line, which is not very strong, and fully exploited their inside advantage.

It has to be said that Jordan's decision was correct judging from the first quarter of the game.

Chen Xiao is being double-teamed like crazy on the outside. No matter how strong Chen Xiao is on three-pointers, his efficiency is mediocre. However, many other Bobcat players cannot make three-pointers from open spaces. In this case, Chen Xiao is outside, not only his own offense is affected, but also his three-pointers are affected. Teammates cannot be completely taken away.

If this is the case, it is better to let Chen Xiao go inside.

The offensive power of Chen Xiao and Randolph when they cooperate inside is much greater than the ability of Chen Xiao and Paul when they cooperate outside.

Moreover, after Chen Xiao and Randolph completely suppressed the Raptors inside, other Bobcats players could not only shoot, but also take the opportunity to get to the basket under the cover of Chen Xiao and Randolph for layups or dunks.

Therefore, in the first quarter of this game, the Bobcats scored 38 points, but only one three-pointer.

This is incredible.

The Bobcats shot 16 of 29 in the first quarter, and 15 of the 16 goals they hit were two-pointers. Among them, the inside line led by Chen Xiao and Randolph rushed for 17 rebounds in the first quarter, while the opposite Raptors only had 8 rebounds.

Therefore, after the first quarter of this game, the game basically entered garbage time.

Of course, the Bobcats played so wonderfully in the first quarter of this game. In addition to Jordan's gambling adjustments being very correct, the more important thing is that the Raptors themselves have physical problems.

The Raptors' physical problems didn't break out in the last game, but they did in this game.

So the entire Raptors team struggled in this game, including Nash.

In this game, the Raptors made 9 of 30 three-pointers. This shooting rate is simply ridiculously low. The Bobcats have an inside advantage, but the Raptors failed to have an outside advantage. This is what will happen.

In the end, the Bobcats defeated the Raptors 125-98 on the road, with a huge advantage of 27 points.

Chen Xiao played three quarters of this game, making 10 of 20, 1 of 3 three-pointers, and 3 of 3 free throws. He scored 24 points and 25 rebounds in the game, including 9 offensive rebounds.

In this game, Chen Xiao made a crazy second attack at the basket and made crazy offensive rebounds.

There are often back-up hook shots that are blocked by Milicic's huge body, and then he can force himself to grab the offensive rebound and succeed in the second attack.

In addition to Chen Xiao, Randolph made 10 of 16 free throws, 8 of 10 free throws, and scored 28 points and 11 rebounds. 6 of the 11 rebounds were offensive rebounds.

You know, Randolph also played three quarters.

It can be said that the Raptors' inside line in this game was overwhelmed by Chen Xiao and Randolph.

With Chen Xiao and Randolph destroying the Raptors inside, the rest of the Bobcats also performed very well.

Lou Williams scored 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting.

The cannon shot 8 of 12, 2 of 2 three-pointers, and 5 of 5 free throws, and also scored 23 points.

Granger was 5 of 10 and scored 11 points.

Four of the Bobcats' five starting players scored more than 20 points, and all five of them scored in double figures. This is indeed very rare.

It can be seen that Jordan has found the best formation choice for the Raptors.

In this game, the Bobcats shot 9 three-pointers, but scored 125 points. This means that the Bobcats do not need to rely on strong three-pointers and outside offense when they beat the Raptors.

As long as the Raptors' Milicic and Josh Smith are suppressed inside, to be honest, the Raptors' three starting perimeter defenders, Nash, Wagner and Laga Bell, do have big problems. Nash is too leaky. Wagner is too short, and Lagabel can only defend alone but not help. It can be said that the Raptors' three-point line is full of loopholes outside the paint.

After losing the last game, Jordan was able to so keenly grasp the problem of the Raptors putting Wagner in the starting lineup. I have to say that this is really Jordan's basketball talent and his golf quotient is too high.

He is indeed someone who can turn Phil Jackson into a Zen master. With Phil Jackson sitting firmly on the sidelines, Jordan himself can solve most of the problems that arise on the court.

Now, Jordan brought his player's talent to the dugout.

Therefore, Jordan's current technical and tactical level is indeed not good, but his adaptability is definitely the best among all NBA head coaches.

For Chen Xiao, who has his own system and many systems, Chen Xiao's head coach actually does not need so many technical and tactical abilities. What is needed is the ability to adapt to the situation and use Chen Xiao's different systems in different situations.

At this point, Jordan has done a very good job, although Barkley has been complaining about it.

In any case, in the second playoff game between the Bobcats and the Raptors, the Bobcats successfully defeated the Raptors' home court and gained the home court advantage.

So after the game, Raptors head coach D'Antoni was helpless and full of praise for Chen Xiao and Jordan: "Chen's performance in this game reminded me of Olajuwon. His height can It's incredible to have such terrifying dominance in the paint.

As for Michael, this is his first head coaching season. I can't imagine that a rookie head coach can do such a good job. The last rookie head coach who was so good was Larry Bird. Michael and Larry Bird are the same. Human beings, they are the greatest basketball people, and their sensitivity to the basketball game is far beyond ordinary people. "

Of course, although he was helpless at losing the home court advantage in this game and was full of praise for the performance of Chen Xiao and Jordan, D'Antoni also said: "We have not failed yet. The big score now is only 1-1. We will not give up, and you all know that this season is a good opportunity for any team."

After the Bucks were eliminated, many people should understand what D'Antoni meant when he said this season is a good opportunity for any team.

Except for the Bucks, all other teams look similar this season. Now that the Bucks have been eliminated, everyone seems to have a chance to win the championship.

For the Raptors, as long as they get past the Bobcats, they are not afraid of the Heat or the Magic, and they are not afraid of the Spurs, Suns or Lakers.

The key to the problem now is how to get past Chen Xiao and the Bobcats!

In fact, this problem was also a problem for the previous Bucks.

For a run-and-gun team like the Raptors and a five-small team like the Bucks, Chen Xiao's existence is really like a BUG.

D'Antoni said that losing home court advantage is just the beginning, and this is indeed true.

The four semifinals in the East and West were all tied 1-1 at this time.

It's not just the Raptors who lost their home court advantage.

The Heat also lost the second game.

The Spurs also gave the Mavericks the second game.

The Suns also lost to the Lakers led by the explosive Kobe Bryant in the second game.

Therefore, after the Bucks were unexpectedly eliminated, all the teams still in the playoffs have really used their best efforts.

The Magic and Heat feel that they are invincible if they surpass each other.

The Raptors felt they were invincible even after passing the Bobcats.

And Kobe and the Lakers felt that they were invincible even after surpassing the Suns.

In this case, this year's division semifinals will be very cruel visible to the naked eye.

It looks like every team, except the Bobcats, has a shot at winning the championship.

In such a cruel atmosphere, Chen Xiao and Bobcats returned home with a big score of 1 to 1.

On May 12, 2006, the Bobcats back at home played against the away Raptors at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena.

The two teams still only have one day's rest in this game, and because both teams have returned from a long cross-country trip, the status of both teams in this game is problematic.

Especially for the Bobcats with a bunch of young players, it is especially challenging.

Let's put it this way, it is difficult for most young players to handle such a schedule, let alone rookies. In this regular season, the Bobcats have basically not won back-to-back games.

Therefore, in this G3 of the two teams, the offensive status of the two teams can be described as poor.

The Raptors frantically pinched Chen Xiao, and most of the balls passed by Chen Xiao were transformed into pieces of steel.

In the end, in a frenzied iron fight, the Bobcats lost 91 to 97 at home to the Raptors.

Don't talk about skills and tactics in this game, it's just iron. Even if you use tactics and get opportunities, if the final result is still iron, it will be of no use.

In this game, with everyone so determined, the Suns finally won. The main reason is that the Suns shot well from three-pointers.

In this game, the Suns made 12 three-pointers, while the Bobcats only made 6. This is very fatal.

The Bobcats lost the equivalent of 3-pointers by 18 points.

If your two-pointer is still iron, this score is basically difficult to catch up.

Compared with his teammates, Chen Xiao's shooting percentage in this game was okay, 13 of 25, 5 of 6 three-pointers, and 7 of 9 free throws. He scored 38 points, 13 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, and 5 blocks in the game.

Chen Xiao only took 6 three-pointers with such a high shooting percentage. The reason is that as long as Chen Xiao gets the ball outside the three-point line, the Suns will not care about the attack. Chen Xiao's chance of making three-pointers in this game is very bad.

Basically, it's a matter of survival in the cracks.

This is also the scary thing about NBA double-teaming. It can greatly limit your scoring limit. You can be very efficient, but it is not easy to balance production.

If NBA teams would attack Chen Xiao like crazy during the regular season, it would be impossible for Chen Xiao to average 44 points per game.

It can only be said that most teams are very relaxed during the regular season.

Of course, there are also rookie head coaches like Terry Porter who don't like double-teaming.

Therefore, this series between Chen Xiao and the Raptors can be regarded as the first time this season that they have encountered a crazy attack on a large scale.

Facing the crazy attack, Chen Xiao had no problem handling it.

The only problem is that my teammates are not in good condition and they are not winning.

Teammates can't always be iron-clad, so as long as you have no problem handling the ball, there's no need to worry.

So soon, in Game 4 between the Bobcats and the Raptors, Chen Xiao and the Bobcats won again.

On May 14, 2006, when the timer at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena returned to zero seconds and the final score was fixed at 120-107 on the scoreboard, the Bobcats fans at the scene were cheering crazily for Chen Xiao. and applause.

Why is this happening?

Because of this season's playoffs, Chen Xiao had a 40+ triple-double in the second game!

In this G4 game with the Raptors, Jordan's tactics did not change at all. Chen Xiao's scoring did not change much either, with 16 of 35, 3 of 6 three-pointers, and 5 of 6 free throws. He won the whole game. He scored 40 points, which was 2 points more than the previous game.

But in this game, Chen Xiao grabbed 20 rebounds, 8 offensive rebounds, and 12 assists.

Because his teammates had a better shooting percentage, Milicic paid more attention to some help defenses, which gave Chen Xiao the opportunity to grab offensive rebounds.

Therefore, from the perspective of the tactics formulated by Jordan, against the Raptors, the Bobcats' tactics of attacking the inside are not wrong.

The defeat in the last game cannot be said to be a tactical failure.

When the two teams scored 2-2 in this round of the series, the series also became confusing.

Why do you say that?

Because the other three groups, Heat and Magic, Suns and Lakers, Spurs and Mavericks, are all 2 to 2!

This staggering score...

“The playoffs are about to usher in four Tianwangshan games!

Incredible! "

"The teams that are still in the playoffs are all crazy!"