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After the start of the game, the young players were obviously a little nervous and their shots were not firm enough. In addition, the Knicks returned to defense quickly and failed to play a sharp fast break. It was not until three minutes before Carter scored a layup. ?

The Knicks players also felt bad. Ewing and Sprewell hit the iron consecutively. Only Houston scored 3 points, so the game was not one-sided.

Ewing missed Carter's three misplaced shots and missed the basket. Seeing this, Yang Rui smiled and said to Thibodeau beside him, "Tom, our chance has come."

Thibodeau nodded.

Ewing played 47 games in the regular season. In this series, he played more than 35 minutes in each game. The season was shortened. Many young people couldn't hold on, let alone the veteran who suffered from knee injuries?

Van Gundy let Ewing play the whole quarter, only 4 points and 3 rebounds on 2 of 7 shots.

Billups is the Raptors' best player. He beat Ward twice during the counterattack. He made 4 of 5 shots in a single quarter, 1 of 1 three-pointers, and scored 9 points and 1 assist.

Relying on tenacious defense, the Knicks did not let the score open, and the Raptors led 18 to 16.

In the second quarter, Yang Rui sent a surprising lineup, Billups, DiBron, Carter, Tracy McGrady, Willis, no power forward.

Yang Rui didn't think there would be loopholes in the defense. Larry Johnson was shorter than a small forward. Although he was heavy, Carter was not a vegetarian and he would definitely be able to resist.

Four points capable of shooting three-pointers, the lineup was stretched, Billups and DiBron both stood in the bottom corner, Carter was on the side, McGrady was holding the ball in the middle.

Johnson defended McGrady, with a size disadvantage and a speed disadvantage. However, McGrady hadn't played singles yet. According to the coach's arrangement, he waited for Willis to pull out the pick-and-roll, get rid of Johnson with the ball, and break through from the left.

McGrady's first step was astonishingly fast and misplaced, easily getting rid of Johnson, and Knicks substitute center Ben Wallace hurriedly switched defenses.

McGrady reached 45 degrees, jumped up and passed the ball from Ben Wallace's head to the basket, Willis cut the ball, leaned close to Johnson, and hit a small hook in the middle. 2o to 16.

The Knicks' bench is still the same, with two guards, Sprewell, and Johnson and Ben Wallace inside.

The two point guards' scoring ability is poor, and they can't open space inside. The Raptors don't need to switch defenses quickly, as long as they block the penalty area, it is enough to force them to shoot from mid-range and long-range.

Johnson singled out Carter, forced the inside and was double-teamed, and Ben Wallace was unable to shoot and missed a good opportunity to drive to the basket. The ball was passed back and forth, and almost 24 seconds were used up. Sprewell forced a shot and missed it under McGrady's interference. Willis grabbed the rebound.

Zhang He explained: "The Knicks players returned to defense very quickly. In the previous games, they used two guards to limit the Raptors' fast break, but today the Raptors slowed down and the positional battle opened up."

Sun Zhengping said: "Yang Rui said that he found a way to deal with the Knicks, and he would blow up the Knicks' bench. He really adjusted it today. Carter is probably a power forward today, but when the Knicks are defending, Johnson and Tracy McGrady."

McGrady held the ball in the middle and then played a pick-and-roll. He dribbled two steps from the left to pass the ball to his teammates. Willis caught the ball in the middle and leaned on Johnson to turn to the right and hit a hook. 22 to 16.

Once Big Ben switches defenses and breaks through, the Knicks' protection of the penalty area is not good enough. Johnson has no height, has been injured many times, and his jumping ability is not as good as before. One-on-one, he can't prevent the "grand man hook" in the low post.

On the offensive end, Johnson couldn't single-handedly beat Carter, and his average shooting percentage in the playoffs was only 43.3%.

Sprewell and Ben Wallace hit the pick and roll,

Being double-teamed by Willis and McGrady, this time Sprewell took the ball and found an open pass to the middle. Big Ben was hugged by Billups before he could take off.

Daben made two free throws and made one, and this round was basically defended. 22 to 17.

Yang Rui took out a bag of potato chips on the sidelines and ate it. He was full of confidence in the players. He knew that the Knicks would never be able to defend if they did not make substitutions.

In this series, he did not let Cato play, increasing the playing time of the veteran, and no longer has any reservations. Willis and Detref began to play in full swing.

McGrady played a pick-and-roll with Willis again. This time Daben was not so resolute in switching defenses. McGrady directly broke through and scored a layup. 24 to 17.

Van Gundy couldn't help thinking of what Yang Rui said after the last game, and his ominous premonition became stronger and stronger. It seems that the Knicks really can't prevent the Raptors from the bench, and the offense is equally bad.

In the next round, Big Ben was emptied again. This time, Sprewell's pass was too casual. Di Brown directly intercepted the air-cut Ward and quickly counterattacked.

Carter sprinted to get rid of Johnson, caught the ball and scored with a single fast-break Tomahawk dunk! 26 to 17.

Van Gundy couldn't see it, so he replaced Ward with Ewing, and Johnson went to the small forward position.

Yang Rui smiled even wider, and said to Thibodeau: "I think this game is guaranteed to win, why do you think?"

His question is like a test, Thibodeau is not angry at all, he likes to discuss tactics with Yang Rui like this, and he can learn something.

"Jeff's purpose is to prevent Willis' strong play at the basket and McGrady's breakthrough, but at the expense of the team's offense. And Wallace and Ewing are not suitable to play together, they can't open up space."

"That's right, besides, doing so may not necessarily prevent it." Yang Rui laughed.

Only with Ben Wallace on the court, Yang Rui dared to lead the four juniors like this, because it is too simple to defend against the big Ben, and the perimeter is empty, and he goes deep into the basket and fouls him and sends him a free throw.

Van Gundy only needs to replace Big Ben for a break, and the Raptors' defense may have problems, but Van Gundy's substitutions are often based on the time, not the opponent's lineup.

The Raptors had the upper hand, and the two-guard combination was not responsible for the breakthrough. When they brought the ball to the frontcourt, they handed the ball to McGrady, pulling away to attract the defense.

McGrady and Willis played a pick-and-roll, Ewing switched defenses, Big Ben was ready to dislocate Willis, but McGrady did not pass, but dribbled the ball from the crotch to the back and opened a position with Ewing on the left , 5o degrees emergency stop jump shot into the ball.

Ewing was half a beat slow, and when he jumped up, the ball had already flown to the basket. 28 to 17.

Van Gundy was immediately stunned, and wanted to ask Yang Rui on the other side: "Are you not going inside?"

Yang Rui would tell him: "Well, I'm afraid. I'm afraid the old man will be covered."

Ewing and Sprewell's pick-and-roll threat is not great. Ewing is misplaced against Tracy McGrady and supports the pass to the bottom line. The Raptors are now using DiBron to defend against Big Ben, which is simply ridiculous.

As soon as Big Ben received the ball, Di Brown immediately fouled him.

With Daben's height, unless he directly catches and dunks, the opponent has a chance to foul. It's just that his offensive threat is too small, so few people use foul tactics against him throughout the game.

A foul caused a dead ball, and Yang Rui replaced Di Brown with Detref.

Even if he doesn't arrange it deliberately, the two veterans know what they should do. This is the importance of playoff experience.

Detlef began to cover Carter without the ball from the side, Billups attracted the defense in the bottom corner, McGrady and Willis' pick-and-roll routines in the middle remained unchanged.

Ewing's defense against the pick-and-roll against McGrady, and his defense against Carter against the side screen are both opportunities for dislocation breakthroughs. Attacking against Ewing will consume more energy on him. 8