I’m Really Playing Basketball

The day after the Western Conference Finals, the Eastern Conference Finals between the Bucks and Bobcats were still going on in G4. The two teams had tied 2-1 in the previous two games, with the Bucks temporarily leading by one game.

And this big score of 2-1 is not that the Bucks won two games at home and lost one on the road. This 2-1 actually means that the two teams have been winning alternately.

In G2, the Bobcats defeated the Bucks in an away game, while in G3, the Bucks defeated the Bobcats in an away game.

It can be seen from this that the current strength gap between the two teams, the Bucks and Bobcats, is very close.

Let's put it this way, in this series between the Bucks and Bobcats, from starting to bench rotation, from tactics to stars, the two teams are basically on par.

The strength of these two teams is not fake, it is really strong!

Of course, relatively speaking, the Bucks' starting lineup is stronger, while the Bobcats' rotation is stronger.

Although the Western Conference finals between the Warriors and Clippers were going on before, because the intensity of the game between the Warriors and Clippers was not high, Chen Xiao and the Warriors players had actually been paying attention to the Eastern Conference finals between the Bucks and Bobcats.

As for this G4, Chen Xiao certainly cannot miss it.

Although the two teams are extremely close in strength, the 2-1 score still puts a lot of pressure on the lagging Bobcats.

After all, if the Bucks can win one game on the road, they may win the second game and lose G3. For the Bobcats, there is really no way out.

Although experts and media have said that this series is likely to be a seven-game decider, the victory in each game is not something that can be said, but falls from the sky. The victory in every game needs to be fought for.

So G4, for the Bobcats, is definitely a battle of life and death.

For the Bucks, the victory or defeat of G4 is acceptable, and the pressure is not that great.

Of course, the pressure on the Bucks is not that great. There are definitely advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that they are more relaxed, but the disadvantage is that they do not have as strong motivation as the Bobcats.

For the Bobcats, the motivation to fight hard has its advantages and disadvantages. If it is used well, it can explode into a super strong state that exceeds its own strength. If it is used poorly, it will be at a loss and collapse under pressure.

Obviously, the Bobcats are not the kind of team that can't withstand pressure.

Most of the players on this team are players who followed Chen Xiao to complete the dynasty in the NBA. The willpower of these players is definitely the best.

Especially in this game, Jordan even used his trump card and promoted the team's 32-year-old veteran Brandon Roy from the bench to the starting lineup.

Rose, Roy, Jimmy Butler, Horford and Roy Hibbert.

It can only be said that Jordan's bold adjustment did bring miraculous results.

The Bobcats' two original starters, DeRozan and Cousins, had indeed performed very well before.

But in the Eastern Conference Finals, both men struggled.

Judging from Chen Xiao's eyes, DeRozan played too gracefully when facing Iguodala's defense.

This is actually not to blame DeRozan, because DeRozan's style of play is a very gentle style. DeRozan doesn't like to draw fouls, doesn't like to shoot three-pointers, and doesn't like to roll in the mud with others. , DeRozan is actually a master of offensive skills who seems to have a mysophobia. He has the temperament of being a quiet and handsome man on the court and just being himself.

Brother Zan has such a temperament, and his offensive skills are indeed very respectable, but when playing in the playoffs, he also suffered a lot, especially when he met a fierce player like Iguodala.

Cousins's problem is different from DeRozan's. As a young player who was highly expected by Jordan to kill the Bucks, Cousins' performance in the past three playoff games with the Bucks has been very disappointing.

Facing Dreaming Green's defense, Cousins's data in the past three games is.

12 of 27, 33 points and 7 turnovers.

4 of 11, 17 points and 2 turnovers

13 of 30, 32 points and 7 turnovers.

All three games were very poor.

Especially in G1 and G3, the Bobcats' losses in G1 and G3 had a lot to do with Cousins.

Jordan and the Bobcats hoped that Cousins ​​could break down Green and the Bucks' defense.

But the final reality is that Cousins ​​can't even beat Green, let alone defeat Green and the Bucks' defense!

Cousins' mid-range and long-range shots were not stable enough, and when faced with Green's close defense, his shooting percentage was extremely unstable.

When he got to the basket, facing Green, who was extremely tough and capable of cutting and intercepting the ball, Cousins' back was equally unstable.

Cousins ​​is indeed very comprehensive, with athletic ability and ball control ability, and can also shoot from long range and post up, but every one of his skills is not top-notch.

His all-round opponent Green happens to be a very versatile defensive player, and he is also a top defensive player in all aspects.

This is embarrassing, and it also makes Cousins ​​struggle quite a bit.

In this case, Cousins ​​has become a somewhat useless player.

The Bobcats won one game, precisely in the game where Cousins ​​didn't attack.

In this case, Jordan decisively changed the team's starting center from Cousins ​​to Roy Hibbert. This was indeed the right thing to do.

Roy Hibbert is indeed not as strong as Cousins, but Hibbert's defense is very good, especially at the basket. Although his offense is not as comprehensive as Cousins, Hibbert's mid-range shooting is stable. , especially the kind of open mid-range and short-range shots, very accurate.

The Bobcats use this aspect of Hibbert. His defense can block Antetokounmpo and Durant while Curry attacks the basket.

As long as Roy Hibbert is guarding the basket, Roy, Rose, and Butler can all defend their opponents more tightly without having to worry about the defense behind them being broken through and collapsing.

On the offensive end, his shooting can open up space for Rose and connect with Rose on the side.

It can only be said that Boss Qiao's change of formation is indeed immediate.

In the first quarter of G4, the Bobcats beat the Bucks by 11 points, 29-18.

Facing the Bobcats' extremely strong perimeter defense, the Bucks made 0 of 8 three-pointers in the first quarter of this game. They missed the outside shot and were blocked by Roy Hibbert on the inside, making it difficult to attack.

This forced the Bucks' offense to press the nuclear button in the end and rely on Durant's stick singles.

Durant is strong, but the Bobcats' defense is not bad either.

However, I have to say that the Bucks are still very strong. The Bobcats' defense lasted only for the first quarter. After that, the Bucks had to attack when they should. Antetokounmpo didn't care about Hibernian under the basket. He is so difficult to fight, but he is really fierce when he kills him.

But no matter what, it is a fact that the Bobcats locked the Bucks' outside line through changes in this game. When both teams fell into position, although the Bucks had Durant, but With stable singles play, the Bobcats are definitely the better team.

Both Rose and Roy are very strong in position singles. I won’t talk about Rose’s first position breakthrough in the NBA, but let’s talk about Roy.

The 32-year-old Roy's offensive skills have really reached their peak.

If you want to regard the 32-year-old Roy as another Kobe, it really doesn't feel inconsistent at all.

Iguodala's defense is actually very good, but Roy can still have a very stable output. In this game, he scored 10 of 17 and 27 points, which supported Rose very well.

In the end, the Bobcats changed their formation and won a game at home 109-103, and also tied the score to 2-2.

The Bucks were indeed not blown away. Even though they were beaten so hard in the first quarter of this game, the Bucks almost caught up in the end.

This is indeed strong, especially the pick-and-roll between Curry and Antetokounmpo of the Bucks in this game, it is really strong!

If the defense is switched, Curry will be a small player on the outside. Removing Rose from Curry and letting Curry face Horford will be an absolute nightmare for the Bobcats.

Similarly, if the defense is not switched, Antetokounmpo will directly get rid of Horford after the pick-and-roll. Antetokounmpo is really unstoppable when he rushes forward. Even Roy Hibbert has to block Antetokounmpo. Beau also had to pay a price.

At the end of the game, Hibbert had 5 fouls on his body, 4 of which were caused by Antetokounmpo.

Let's put it this way, if the Bucks had used the pick-and-roll between Curry and Antetokounmpo earlier, giving Antetokounmpo more offensive and impact opportunities, Hibbert might have been in a foul crisis.

Although the Bucks lost this game, Antetokounmpo left a deep impression on Chen Xiao.

This third-year young forward has very good physical condition and is extremely capable of finding opportunities. What is the ability to find opportunities?

It is to steal points during regular time when the defensive players are not so focused.

If you are the boss of a team and most of your points are stolen points, and everyone is focused at critical moments and you cannot score, then you are not a qualified boss.

But is Antetokounmpo the boss?

In the Bucks, he is not even the third player, at best he is the fifth player.

The Warriors have Durant, Curry and Iguodala at critical moments, and even Green's key goals are also very good.

Antetokounmpo doesn’t need to think about key balls at all.

In this case, Antetokounmpo's usual super ability to steal points is even stronger.

When everyone was racking their brains to score a point, Antetokounmpo made a cut and ran back. He used his super athletic ability and height to catch the ball under the basket and dunk for two points, completing the steal. This is quite a blow to the opponent.

As far as this game is concerned, the Bucks have never opened up the starting three-pointer, the substitute rotation is a little inferior, and the stand-up singles cannot take advantage of Rose and Roy. The Bucks can still chase the point difference. Close, relying on Antetokounmpo's ubiquitous chicken stealing.

When the Bobcats' defensive attention was focused on Durant and Curry, Antetokounmpo, who was given more trust by Ray Allen, really enjoyed the game.

It's just obvious that although Antetokounmpo left a deep impression on Chen Xiao, Chen Xiao was thinking about something else after the game, and that was...

"Curry and Antetokounmpo's pick-and-roll are so powerful, so what if Curry and Durant pick-and-roll?"

Chen Xiao frowned as he watched Durant and Curry high-fiving on the TV.

The Bucks haven't tried their best yet!

Ray Allen replaced Terry Porter, the Bucks' meritorious head coach, as the Bucks' head coach last season. It was not simply a case of a famous man replacing a meritorious coach.

Ray Allen has changed in the Bucks in the past two seasons. The biggest change is that Ray Allen is not as obsessed with the team's passing and cutting cooperation as Terry Porter.

Ray Allen knows how to use the team's super giant better.

Although Terry Porter's NBA career was successful, he did not have such a high status. Ray Allen is different. As a top five player in Barkley's beast list, Ray Allen will always be in the top five. Even if he does not win a championship, he will always be in the top five. After retiring, Ray Allen has never fallen out of the top 25 in any historical ranking.

There is no doubt that Ray Allen is the NBA's historical superstar.

Ray Allen doesn't need to prove himself.

There is no need to suppress the team's super giant like Terry Porter to show his importance and authority.

In the Bucks, neither Durant nor Curry can challenge the authority of big brother Ray Allen.

In this case, Ray Allen's tactical play is more utilitarian and flexible.

Naturally, the current Bucks are also more difficult to deal with.

After the G4 game between the Bucks and Bobcats, the two teams once again returned to the same starting line.

This makes many experts who predict that this series will enter a tiebreaker are also very excited.

Judging from the situation in this playoffs, the Eastern Conference finals are likely to enter a tiebreaker.

But for Chen Xiao, after watching G4 between the Bucks and Bobcats, Chen Xiao felt that this series might not reach the tiebreaker.

In G5, after returning to the home court, Curry, who was very uncomfortable by Rose and the Bucks in the last game, returned to the home court. He made 8 of 17 three-pointers and led the Bobcats with 38 points in the game. Defeated the Bobcats 115 to 110 and won the most important battle of Tianwang Mountain.

And G6 once again came to the home court of the Bobcats. Many people said in this game that the Bobcats would win the game again and then drag this series into a tiebreaker.

But the final result was disappointing.

The pick-and-roll between Durant and Curry, which Chen Xiao and the Warriors have been paying close attention to these days, appeared in this game.

In this game, the Bucks and Bobcats scored 97 to 95 in the first three quarters. This score directly turned the fourth quarter into a decisive battle.

In the decisive battle, the Bobcats, who had the singles advantage, naturally had the advantage, so just when Boss Qiao was gearing up and waiting to make the score 3-3.

Dooku's pick-and-roll suddenly came.

Then, Boss Qiao and Bobcat suddenly passed away!

Throughout the fourth quarter, the Bucks scored a total of 36 points, while Durant scored 15 points on 5 of 6 three-pointers, 2 of 2 three-pointers, and 3 of 3 free throws.

In addition, Curry scored 6 of 8 and 3 of 5 three-pointers, also scoring 15 points.

This score, this shooting percentage, to be honest, the Bobcats did not collapse, which is really amazing.

In the end, the Warriors defeated the Bobcats 133-127 on the road in G6 and advanced to the finals with a big score of 4-2, severely slapping the experts and media in the face who predicted that this game would be a tiebreaker.

At this point, Durant and Curry led the Bucks to the Finals for the second time in their careers.

At the same time, this is also the first time in their careers that Chen Xiao and Dooku have met in the finals.

"Steve, I have a hunch that this buck may be the strongest opponent I have ever faced in the finals in my career!"