I’m Really Playing Basketball

On April 19, 2009, the second day of the 2008-2009 season NBA playoffs, the Bobcats sat at the Charlotte Bobcat Arena at home and ushered in the challenge of the fifth Cleveland Cavaliers in the East.

Before the start of the game, when Chen Xiao and Xiao Zhan were exchanging pleasantries, even now Xiao Zhan was aggrieved at the fact that Pat Riley cheated him and the Cavaliers.

For Xiao Zhan, meeting Chen Xiao in this playoffs was an unexpected encounter, and he was actually not so willing.

"Xiao Chen, I was overthinking at the time, since I didn't want to meet you so early, I shouldn't care about the second round of the heat, retreat to sixth early, and the seventh is over!

Xiao Chen, I fell into Pat Riley’s trap this time! "

Chen Xiao could only sympathize with this.

Xiao Zhan is actually a very smart person, but to be honest, Xiao Zhan, who is only 24 years old, is indeed a little green.

When it comes to things like Pat Riley, it's basically a giveaway.

In the end, he was actually sent to the Bobcats.

If the Cavaliers beat Chen Xiao, it won't be as sure as if Howard beat Yao Ming.

But because Chen Xiao is extremely familiar with the Cavaliers, if possible, the Cavaliers are least willing to play the Heat, followed by the Bobcats.

Now, the Cavaliers will play the Bobcats in the first round, and if possible, the Heat in the second round. This is too devilish.

This makes it difficult for anyone who encounters him to feel at ease.

Of course, for many neutral viewers, the confrontation between the Bobcats and the Cavaliers is actually not so meaningful. The only difference is who falls in the first round and who falls in the second round.

When the Cavaliers had Chen Xiao, they couldn't even beat the Heat.

When the Bobcats met the current Heat, they also gave away most of the time.

The Cavaliers and Bobcats are definitely one of the teams most afraid of the Heat among all the strong teams in the Eastern Conference, and they are also one of the Heat's most restrained teams.

Of course, one thing that is better about the Bobcats than the Cavaliers is that the Bobcats also have a five-year-old who only appears once. Maybe the Bobcats can still have a little fighting power.

But after watching the last game of the regular season between the Heat and the Bucks, although the five teams restrained the Heat, the Heat also restrained the five teams, and the Heat were still stable.

So, before the start of the game, Barkley and Kenny Smith, the commentators of the game, were even discussing a group of hot rookies in 2009 who appeared on the sidelines of the game.

Beasley, Griffin, Thabeet, Tyreke Evans, James Harden, DeRozan, Jordan Hill and others.

Why is this so?

Because both the Bobcats and Cavaliers are likely to get the No. 1 pick this year.

The Bobcats won't talk about it, because of Bynum's deal, they got N first-round picks.

As for the Cavaliers, it was because of the original trade of Crawford and others that they still had the 2009 Knicks' first-round draft pick.

And this is why this playoff battle between the Cavaliers and Bobcats will attract the attention of so many popular rookies.

Therefore, before the start of this game, Barkley and Kenny Smith were discussing what kind of players the Bobcats and Cavaliers should choose in the draft, so as to complete the next stage of the team's strength, and slowly become A team like the Heat.

Because of Chen Xiao and Xiao Zhan, many people in the United States still think that after the era of the Heat and the Lakers, the league is likely to enter the era of Chen Xiao and James.

The current NBA hegemon is the Heat, and after the Heat, it is likely to be the Bobcats and Cavaliers.

After all, Xiao Zhan is 24 years old this year, almost 25 years old.

Chen Xiao is 26 years old this year, almost 27 years old.

Both have reached the peak of their career strength.

Therefore, regardless of the fact that this series between the Bobcats and the Cavaliers is of little significance now, whoever wins will get it with the Heat anyway.

But for the future of the NBA, it is still of great significance.

Let everyone see whether the next generation of NBA dominance will be the Cavaliers or the Bobcats.

While Barkley and Kenny Smith were focusing their attention on the outside of the game, after the Bobcats and Cavaliers warmed up on the court, the starting ten players of the two teams had all stood on the court .

The Cavaliers' starters for this game are center Oden, power forward Scola, small forward James, shooting guard Korver, and point guard Conley.

For the Bobcats, Lopez will be the starting center, Aldridge will be the power forward, Granger will be the small forward, Chen Xiao will be the shooting guard, and Rose will be the point guard.

This game is the first time Lopez and Rose have played in the playoffs.

So the two of them seemed quite nervous.

In this regard, the Cavaliers are much better. The Cavaliers also have two young players, Oden and Conley, but they made their playoff debuts last season.

This season, the two have become more mature after going through the playoffs.

Especially Oden, after experiencing the rise of Durant and the failure of the US team, with the help of Xiao Zhan and the Cavaliers, Oden has come out of the feelings of loss and worrying about gains and losses, and the whole person does not seem so impetuous Now, I am more down-to-earth.

As a person who has been considered the chosen one since he was a child, it is difficult to accept the fact that he is no longer as good as his peers.

This sense of loss is really not something everyone can accept and come out of.

There are not many people in the entire NBA who can help Oden in this regard. Historically, Oden was ruined mostly due to injuries. Another big reason is that Durant's rapid rise put too much pressure on him. .

But in this time and space, because of James' help, Oden's psychological problems have been resolved.

The most advanced medicine in Cleveland in the United States cured his body, and James, the person who understands his situation best in the NBA, healed his psychology.

After all, Xiao Zhan really has a deep understanding of Auden's loss and worrying about gains and losses.

He is also the chosen one, but there is a person named Chen Xiao among his contemporaries.

So he told Oden that he needed to learn to accept all this, and then work hard to be himself. Once Durant could regard you as a target, and you could also regard Durant as a goal. Durant could surpass you through hard work, and you You can also surpass Durant through hard work.

Xiao Zhan compared all his interactions with Chen Xiao to Auden. Although he has a proud side, he is indeed not the kind of stubborn genius who cannot listen to words or advice.

Auden can still let go of his airs as the chosen one.

Therefore, Oden, who did not pay attention to the media for a season and focused on improving his skills, is definitely not the same as he was in the playoffs last season.

The same goes for Conley. This season, after James has focused more on scoring difficult points that his teammates can't get, James is no longer so sticky with the ball, and he no longer makes moves like dancing in the high post. It was giving the ball to Conley.

Xiao Zhan also trusted Xiao Mo before, but after being tricked by Xiao Mo, Xiao Zhan was really afraid of the well rope for ten years.

It can be said that Xiao Zhan made a lot of determination to listen to Chen Xiao's persuasion, change his style of play again, and trust the team's other young point guard.

Fortunately, Conley did not disappoint Xiao Zhan.

With Xiao Zhan's decentralization, Conley organized the team's organization in an orderly manner, especially in cooperation with Oden, who played very well.

After all, Conley and Oden have played together for so many years. They were together in high school, college, and NBA. This kind of tacit understanding is really not something that ordinary people can compare with.

And Conley is not as sticky as Xiao Mo. He can attack when the team needs him to attack, and he can run when the team doesn't need him to attack. He can be a shooter, defend, and organize. He is simply a weakened version. Small cannon.

This season, Conley's three-point shooting percentage exceeded 40%. It can be seen how calmly Conley's offense played because James and Oden attracted the defense.

So, don't look at the Cavaliers' record this season is only a good 50 wins, but this team is much stronger than last season.

Because of the pressure of the Heat, the records of the four teams after fifth in the Eastern Conference this season are simply not credible.

The Cavaliers are not a 50-win team.

And the Nets are not a team with less than 50 wins.

Let's put it this way, this season, the Cavaliers have never shown their full strength in the NBA.

Of course, the same goes for the Bobcats.

Because of the pressure of the Heat, the Eastern Conference starts with the Bobcats in fourth place, and these teams are all waiting for the playoffs.

Therefore, although Chen Xiao is indeed familiar with the Cavaliers, Chen Xiao is actually not that familiar with the current Cavaliers.

At least, when Chen Xiao was still in the Cavaliers, the team did not have an inside attack killer like Oden, and all the inside attacks relied on Chen Xiao.

Oden was a slut last season, so the Cavaliers' routine is still James' routine, which Chen Xiao is familiar with.

But now, Chen Xiao is really not that familiar.

Therefore, at the beginning of the first quarter of this game, the Cavaliers' big center put tremendous pressure on Lopez and the Bobcats' inside line under the basket.

Whether it's Lopez or Aldridge, no one can stand up to Oden one-on-one.

Oden's inside attack skills were still rough last season.

Now, although I can't say that I am proficient, I already have a good model.

Coupled with his physical talent and strength, and the fact that Lopez and Aldridge are really not suitable to defend heavy insiders like Oden, Oden really played like a combination of O'Neal and Duncan in this game. The body is the same.

In fact, if you use height and weight to classify centers, Lopez is actually a heavy center. Lopez and Oden are about the same height, but Lopez is even a few kilograms heavier than Oden.

However, the difference in athletic ability between the two is too great. Even if Oden fails to attack Lopez under the basket, he can immediately turn around and start grabbing offensive rebounds.

It has been said before that Lopez's rebounding ability is among the best in the league, and his offensive rebounding rate is even better than Howard.

In terms of offensive rebound rate, there are not many NBA players better than Lopez.

And Auden is exactly one of them.

Historically, Oden's offensive rebound rate in his rookie season was 40%, which was 5% more than Lopez's in his rookie season. Oden's offensive rebound rate in his career was 39%, which was 5% more than Lopez's career. Close to 6%!

You know, this is Oden whose career has been affected by injuries.

And now Oden is Oden who has not been affected by injuries.

What is the concept of an offensive rebound rate of more than 40%?

Rodman, one of the strongest offensive rebounders in NBA history, has a career offensive rebound rate of almost 37%.

Oden's offensive rebounding is better than Rodman's.

Of course, Rodman is stronger in absolute numbers, so the two should be about the same.

However, because Oden is taller, he is more threatening at the basket. After grabbing offensive rebounds, he can immediately attack the basket.

Therefore, Oden's shooting percentage this season is as high as 60%, averaging 35 minutes per game, 16.7 points, 12.8 rebounds and 3.4 rebounds per game.

This season, 72% of Oden's offense was all at the basket. The remaining 28% of his offense, 24%, was in the circle around the paint area, which is the so-called inside post-up area. In this area, Oden His shooting rate is 35%, while Yao Ming's shooting rate in this area is 56%, which seems far behind.

But why did Oden have a higher shooting percentage than Yao Ming in the end?

That's because, after Oden hits the back, if he misses, he can immediately turn around to grab the rebound and then make a tip-in.

Oden's move was very powerful against the Bobcats. Jordan had defended against this move before the game and had made key arrangements.

But seeing Oden always grabbing offensive rebounds between Lopez and Aldridge, Jordan was helpless.

Among the new generation of centers, Howard and Oden now look similar in style, but in fact they are very different.

Howard's offensive rebounding ability is not as strong as Oden's, mainly because Howard is too neat, and Oden is really strong!

He is so strong, has good athletic talent, and has a strong rebounding awareness. He can grab 5.2 offensive rebounds per game, which is really incredible.

The Cavaliers focused on Oden from the beginning of the first quarter.

Because Oden suppressed the Bobcats' inside line as soon as he came up, which made it difficult for the Bobcats to play their own rhythm.

Oden is so brave at the basket, the Bobcats must continue to shrink, and this gives James, Conley Korver and Scola a lot of opportunities to attack from the outside.

The Cavaliers are so strong inside and have a high shooting percentage from the outside. This makes the Bobcats unable to seize many counterattack opportunities and can only stay in position and fight the Cavaliers.

Although the Bobcats were very strong in one-on-one positioning, because Xiao Zhan was the best player in the league in defending Chen Xiao, Oden, the big man who ranked second in blocks, held on to the basket. In the end, the other players of the Bobcats Players can only be forced to test mid- and long-range shots.

Although Aldridge, Lopez, and Granger are all very good in the mid-range.

But compared with the Cavaliers' internal and external blossoming, this kind of outside shooting is still a little worse.

So after the first quarter, the away Cavaliers led the Bobcats by 30 to 25 by 5 points.

Oden made 6 of 10 shots in the first quarter and scored 12 points and 5 rebounds in a single quarter, 4 of which were offensive rebounds. It can be said that he maxed out the Bobcats' inside line.

Fortunately, in the second quarter, the rotation led by Roy, Shane Battier, Daniel Gibson, Barnes, and Roy Hibbert was a huge advantage for the Bobcats.

Although the Bobcats were at a disadvantage in the starting lineup in this game, due to the huge advantage of rotation, after the first half, the Bobcats were 4 points behind 52 to 57.

The second half of the game started. Because Lopez was outplayed by Oden in the first half, Jordan decisively let Lopez start in the third quarter.

Although Lopez Jr. is not Oden's opponent, he is better at protecting backcourt rebounds than his brother.

Lopez doesn't need to defend Oden's back-up, as long as he doesn't grab offensive rebounds so fiercely.

Although Oden is very strong this season, he played like O'Neal in the first half. Oden has not played a few games this season.

I have to say that Lopez's appearance did have an immediate impact.

Oden still has an advantage, but it's not that big anymore.

Both the Cavaliers and Bobcats fell into a positional battle. Because the Cavaliers had an inside advantage and Lopez did not attack, although the Bobcats were stronger in positional battles in singles, the two sides played a 50-50 tie in the third quarter.

In the final quarter of the game, the Cavaliers will definitely not let Oden in the first five minutes.

During the period without Oden, the Bobcats, led by Chen Xiao, Roy, Rose, Granger, and Aldridge, successfully recovered the points they were lagging behind. The Bobcats also took the lead when Den was forced to play early.

Although in the last few minutes of the fourth quarter, James and Oden still wanted to rush forward.

But just like Xiao Zhan is the best player to defend Chen Xiao, Chen Xiao is also the best player to defend Xiao Zhan.

In this game, Chen Xiao and Xiao Zhan looked at each other very hard on the defensive end. If Xiao Zhan wants to make a charge, can he do it?

This is of course too naive.

With both teams falling into positions, and with the bosses of the two teams competing against each other, the Bobcats' offense was still more stable.

Even if Chen Xiao and Xiao Zhan compete, Chen Xiao's offense is more stable than Xiao Zhan's. Xiao Zhan's hit rate is 40% when facing Chen Xiao's defense. Generally speaking, Chen Xiao's hit rate is 45% when facing Xiao Zhan's defense. The hit rate is still there, but of course the hand iron is another factor.

So in the end, in the game between the Bobcats and the Cavaliers at home, the Bobcats finally defeated the Cavaliers 114-112 at home.

It seemed that the score was only two points, but the Bobcats actually had no defense against the Cavaliers in the last attack. When the Cavaliers made the last attack, the Bobcats were already leading by 5 points.

In the end, it was meaningless whether Xiao Zhan shot a three-pointer or a 2-pointer. In the end, Xiao Zhan hit an open three-pointer, and the game ended.

In this game, Zhan scored 10 of 22, 2 of 8 three-pointers, 2 of 6 free throws, 24 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.

And Chen Xiao was 11 of 19, 3 of 7 three-pointers, 6 of 6 free throws, and scored 31 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks in the game.

Chen Xiao and Xiao Zhan are not the two highest scorers in this game. Oden has the highest score in this game.

Oden made 13 of 20 shots and 7 of 10 free throws in the game. He scored 33 points and 18 rebounds in the game. In fact, Oden scored 22 points in the first half.

In other words, Boss Joe made a decisive change in the second half.

Otherwise, the Bobcats are likely to kneel in this game.

Even if the change is successful in the end, if it weren't for Xiao Zhan's free throws in this game, it would not be easy for the Bobcats to win.

It can be seen how embarrassing the inside line of the Bobcats was by Oden in this game.

This is just Oden.

What if it is the latest version of Milicic, and the current NBA center Yao Ming?

After this match, thinking of their next opponent, Chen Xiao and Boss Qiao shook their heads in their hearts.

I can’t imagine it.

The current strength of the Bobcats is actually not weak, and it is also at the historical level in history.

So are the knights.

It's just...the current league has a group of unimaginable teams!

Not one, but a group!