One Guard

Carlisle must be very glad that he did not let Yiyang go up to deal with Livingston at the end of the second quarter, because at this time, with 2 minutes and 30 seconds left before the end of the game, the Mavericks experienced a very similar experience to the last three minutes of the second quarter. moment. But what is different from the second quarter is that this time, whoever can finally take the lead will win the game!

After the start of the second half, Curry and Thompson completely distanced themselves. It's not that the Mavericks made a defensive mistake, but that the Splash Brothers' touch was truly unparalleled. Whether it is Yiyang or Tony Allen, their blocking speed is very fast. But the "Splash Brothers" were surprised to be able to hit the shot with a moment of opening.

The Warriors' three-pointers kept the Mavericks from opening up the score. Of course, the Warriors couldn't contain the Mavericks' offense. With Yiyang around, any opening the Warriors have on the court will be caught and exploited.

As a result, the tug-of-war continues until now. It wasn't until Nowitzki succeeded in beating Green in the low post that the Mavericks took a 2-point lead.

The camera showed Green picking up the basketball and preparing to serve the baseline ball. This strong man had black lines all over his face today. Nowitzki has scored 24 points and 9 rebounds so far. And what about Green? 4 points and 8 rebounds. It is no exaggeration to say that Nowitzki completely defeated Green.

"Green paid a price for his pregame remarks, a painful price. Dirk Nowitzki made him clearly realize that the game of the Western Conference Finals was not as simple as Green imagined." Seeing Dirk again Mike Breen was in awe of the goal. How much power do veterans like them still have?

During the subsequent defense, Yiyang clung to Curry, not wanting to leave any space for him. The shooting performance of Curry and Thompson today can only be described as "magical". As long as you can't pounce on it immediately, even if it's just a second late, they can make the ball!

Once the Warriors make good shots, their offensive firepower is quite terrifying. So this time, Yiyang spared no effort to prevent Curry from scoring!

Green came up with a pick-and-roll, but Yiyang had already noticed it, prepared in advance, and flexibly bypassed Green's screen, without giving Curry a chance to take action.

For a player like Curry, as long as there is a slight gap, he can complete the shot. But Yiyang didn't even leave such a gap for Curry, and it was obvious how tight his defense was.

If one pick-and-roll doesn't work, just do it twice!

This time, the screen was switched to Bogut, and Gobert was fully focused. He was not worried about Bogut, but if Yiyang couldn't get around the screen, he could make up defense at any time to prevent Curry from shooting.

But Yiyang, who had devoted all his energy to defense, still quickly bypassed the pick-and-roll. This time, Curry got a chance to shoot and he fired directly from outside the three-point line!

Fortunately, Yiyang blocked it in time, seriously interfering with the rhythm of No. 30, and Curry's shot finally hit!

But just when the Mavericks players were about to launch a fast break, Carlisle stopped the game. Now there are only two minutes left in the game and it's all over. What Carlisle has to do is to ensure that the players can resolve the battle within two minutes!

"Misplacement!" Carlisle didn't waste any words. As soon as the players came off the field, he immediately started explaining the tactics.

"Don't the Warriors like to switch defenses endlessly? Yi, I want you to find two points, Stephen Curry and Harrison Barnes. Andre, you will come on the court later to replace Tony. After playing, actively provide Yi Set a screen and force Barnes to switch. Dwayne, your task is the same. Cole wants to hide his defensive weaknesses. What we have to do now is to give him nowhere to hide!" Carlisle said on the tactical board After writing and drawing, Yiyang also knew that this game could not be delayed any longer.

For the Warriors, who are good at shooting three-pointers, the further the game drags on, the worse it will be for the Mavericks. When the opponent scores two or three three-pointers, it may change the situation of the game. So now, the Mavericks have to pull away. And Barnes and Curry,

These are the current two major weaknesses of the Warriors' defense.

In fact, the reason Carlisle deployed such a tactic now was because he only thought Curry was a defensive weakness at first. But for Curry, the entire Warriors team is protecting him, so it is not easy to penetrate Curry.

But what surprised Carlisle was that the perimeter defense of Harris Barnes, the "North Carolina Flying Eagle", was not as good as people imagined.

The Warriors faced the Grizzlies in the last series. Their fast and sharp offense was blocked by the Memphis Twin Towers. After the first three games, they trailed 1-2 with a total score. So Warriors coach Cole hopes to further increase the speed and use a faster rhythm to wear down the Grizzlies. But he encountered a problem. If Draymond Green is placed at the center position in a small lineup, who will match Randolph, who is as strong as a Grizzlies?

In the end, Cole chose Barnes, a 2.03-meter-tall small forward. From a physical point of view, Barnes and Randolph are not of the same size at all.

The Warriors took a risk and changed their formation, but Barnes was able to hold Randolph on his back. Barnes used his strength far beyond the expectations of the outside world to block Randolph's back. The scene of Randolph crushing Barnes that the Memphis media envisioned never materialized. Instead, Randolph lost his rhythm under Barnes' head-on defense. Barnes demolished Randolph's inside tower, and the Warriors boldly accelerated, winning three consecutive games to eliminate the Grizzlies.

The small lineup is the essence of the Warriors' tactics, and if you want to execute this style of play perfectly, you must be equipped with a third-position warrior who can defend inside players. Barnes is that impeccable choice. In fact, as early as when the Warriors drafted Barnes in 2012, the then team coach Mark Jackson made a judgment: "Barnes can defend five positions on the field."

If you look at it from this point of view, Harrison Barnes is definitely a defensive strong point that the Mavericks need to avoid. Carlisle did the same thing in previous games.

But Barnes didn't seem to be that focused on the defensive end today. Maybe it was because he didn't have a strong defensive task, or maybe he relaxed his vigilance because he often faced off against Tony Allen. In short, Barnes was distracted frequently today, even allowing Tony Allen to cut inside several times. Moreover, the Warriors protect Curry very well, but they have no protection for Barnes, because most teams would not think of specifically attacking Barnes.

Most young players have this problem. Occasionally lack of concentration is the biggest obstacle that limits their performance. Likewise, it is also the most fatal shortcoming.

Mark Jackson once said that Barnes can defend five positions, but Carlisle wants to see if he can defend the No. 1 position!

After the timeout, although Iguodala replaced Tony Allen, Barnes' vigilance still did not increase. He knew that at critical moments like the last two minutes, the ball would either go to Yiyang, the German or Wade. Iguodala plays more of a containment role.

However, when Iguodala set up a screen for Yiyang just after halftime, and Barnes was inexplicably pushed in front of Yiyang, he didn't even realize what happened.

Yiyang was not polite to Barnes, he accelerated and passed by Barnes in one step. Since the Warriors' focus of protection was on Curry, when Barnes was penetrated, others had no time to cover Yiyang.

Yiyang stopped in the mid-range position and took a jump shot. Although Klay Thompson rushed forward actively, he was still just a hair away from Yiyang. The basketball went hollow into the net and the Mavericks took a four-point lead!

"How did that kid guard Randolph in the first place!?" Even Armstrong found it incredible. Yiyang killed Barnes so easily?

"Randolph kept trash-talking Barnes during the offense. Before the game started, Cole and Luke Walton kept reminding him that you must withstand it! These pressures will make Barn Si took it seriously in his mind. But I bet that before this game started, no one told him that you would play against Yi!" Carlisle smiled. The physical fitness of this guy Barnes is actually Excellent, strong enough, powerful, and very agile.

But he won't be able to concentrate on defense every time on the court, unless the environment gives him a huge psychological hint. In an environment like the game against the Grizzlies, Barnes will definitely do his best to defend in the face of Randolph's provocations and the coaching staff's constant instructions. But facing Yiyang, and facing a game where there was no heavy defensive task in the first 46 minutes, Barnes had already relaxed.

Subsequently, Curry assisted Green to hit a goal from beyond the three-point line. This was also Green's first three-pointer today under Nowitzki's defense. But even so, the Warriors trailed by one with just over a minute. At this moment, a one-point difference is often enough to change the outcome.

The Mavericks repeated their old tricks, Iguodala covered for Yiyang, Thompson could not get around, and Barnes blocked it.

Facing Randolph, Barnes only needs to use his body to fight. The fat black man had no mobility advantage in front of Barnes. So as long as you withstand his impact, the defense will be more than half successful.

But defending Yiyang is not that simple. Fighting with him is obviously not a wise decision.

Barnes opened his arms, took a step away from Yiyang, and was ready to go. Yiyang had to admit that Barnes' physical condition was very good. When he opened his arms, a wide wall seemed to appear out of thin air in front of Yiyang's eyes.

But in the face of Barnes' blockage, Yiyang instead of being afraid, actually smiled. Then, Yiyang pushed the ball hard with one hand, and the basketball flew past Barnes' scalp and into the hands of Wade, who got rid of Curry and cut inside to the basket.

Barnes gave Yiyang too much space, and Yiyang's passing was simply arbitrary.

After receiving the basketball and facing Bogut's defense, Wade slid down the baseline and made a layup, extending his advantage to 3 points!

"Dwayne showed no mercy at the critical moment! Barnes shouldn't have given him so much space. He should have stayed close to him like Klay Thompson!" Mike Breen shook his head. Being able to guard Randolph well, in addition to being extremely focused, is also because Kerr and Walton Jr. assigned him detailed defensive strategies, and Barnes just had to follow them.

But now, no one is telling him how to guard the Dallas No. 1 who just won the MVP. And Barnes' own defensive judgment is a bit too immature.

The 3-point difference is just a three-pointer. But it may not be that easy for Curry and Thompson to find three-point shooting opportunities now.

At the end of the game, the Mavericks had no energy left to save. Yiyang and Iguodala spared no effort in their pursuit of death, denying the two top three-point shooters in the league any chance.

Pick-and-rolls can't get rid of them, and changes of direction can't get rid of them. How scary is it when Yiyang and Iguodala defend with all their strength? Curry and Thompson certainly feel it.

Finally, Harrison Barnes had a chance in the right corner. Wade's knees still make him a little weak on the defensive end. Curry's pass was delivered quickly, and Barnes received the basketball steadily. He controls the fate of the Warriors!

Is Harrison Barnes a good three-point shooter? Judging from his 40.5% three-point shooting rate this season, not only is he, but he is also doing a good job! But the immature Barnes may not be ready for the critical moment.

The arc of the basketball was very high and it avoided Wade's block. But in the end, it hit the left side of the basket, and the Warriors' key attack failed!

Seeing this situation, Yiyang jumped up and ran towards the front court. He believes that Gobert can definitely grab rebounds and pass the ball.

As Yiyang expected, Gobert steadily protected the defensive rebound, and then passed a long pass directly from the backcourt, and the Mavericks counterattacked!

Curry is a player with a high IQ. He followed Yiyang the moment he started, without giving Yiyang the slightest chance.

But Yiyang wasn't stupid either. Curry was very close to him, so Yiyang pushed him with his butt and knocked away Curry who was following him. After gaining space for himself, he easily succeeded in a layup.

The game between two players with high IQs is often intertwined.

After this goal, there were only 58 seconds left in the game, but the Mavericks had already gained a 5-point lead! Cole could see that Harrison Barnes was completely targeted. So the Warriors coach called a timeout. He needed to tell Barnes what you should pay attention to when defending Yiyang.

But when the game restarted, Yiyang stopped looking for Barnes, he started looking for Curry!

After being prompted by Cole, Barnes is now full of passion, eager to knock Yiyang to the ground. But helplessly, Yiyang just didn't give him the chance to show off.

After Yiyang once again used a screen to get rid of Curry, Barnes couldn't wait to cover up the defense without permission, hoping to clear his name. But in fact, Clay should be the one to make up the defense this time!

Barnes' reckless defense allowed Iguodala to quickly run away and get a chance in the right corner, exactly where Barnes was. Seeing this, Clay quickly chased Iguodala. But no matter how fast he was, he couldn't pass the ball faster than Yiyang.

This scene is almost a replica of the ball scored by Barnes just now. Yiyang feeds the ball and Iguodala catches the ball and shoots. The only difference is that Barnes hit a shot that led to a counterattack by the Mavericks. And Iguodala hit a three-pointer, extending the Mavericks' advantage to 8 points!

Chasing 8 points in 38 seconds is already very difficult even for the Warriors.

Cole crossed his hands and shook his head. If he could have a small forward as mature as Iguodala, the Warriors would probably be able to reach a higher level... What a pity, Iguodala. The summer before last, the Dallas Mavericks were chosen over the Golden State Warriors.

Afterwards, although Curry finally hit a three-pointer, it was too late. The Warriors fell behind by 5 points and had to resort to foul tactics. And Yiyang, a big-hearted player, made all 4 free throws at the critical moment, completely closing the Warriors' door to victory.

In the end, the 9-point gap was maintained until the end of the game.

118 to 109, Yiyang had 33 points and 13 assists, Nowitzki had 24 points and 9 rebounds, Iguodala had 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, Wade had 17 points, Gobert had 3 blocks, Tony A. Lun had 3 steals... The Mavericks used their performance to prove the strength of a truly top team. The Warriors lost Livingston in the second quarter, but the Mavericks also have many players who can make a difference!

Cole walked back to the tunnel helplessly, insisting that where the Warriors lost in this game was because of Barnes.

In a confrontation like this at the highest level, all aspects must be the best to win. As long as one link is missing, it is quite fatal.

How should I play the small forward position? It seems that Cole will be busy for a while.

Please remember the first domain name of this book: . 4Novel.com mobile version reading URL: