The rest is just noise

Uncertainty

In the fifth game of the series between the Lakers and Trail Blazers, the plot did not go in the direction that people expected.

The Lakers continue to use Joe Dumars as the starting number one.

The Trail Blazers took Derek Fisher, who had a big heart but was too immature, and let Jordan start at the first position and Byron Russell at the second position.

When Jordan first entered the league, the Trail Blazers trained him as a ball-handling core. At that time, Louis even thought Jordan might grow into Harden.

However, the Trail Blazers have changed several coaches and used Jordan differently. If someone else were to replace him, it might lead to the kind of farce that the Kings did in juggling the training of Tyreke Evans.

However, Jordan's talent and understanding were sufficient. He mastered the basic ball-holding style in just two years. After that, any coach he met would be able to show the ability to match his system.

Today, when the Trail Blazers' lineup is declining in talent, Jordan's move to the No. 1 position is actually the trump card for the Trail Blazers to give it a try.

They entrusted everything on the offensive end to Jordan, with others assisting, and then fully defended.

As soon as the game started, the Trail Blazers established their advantage.

Jordan made a pull-up jump shot with one hand, a pick-and-roll roll call for military training with one hand, and a breakthrough floater that ended indiscriminately in the face of dislocation. He made 6 of 6 shots and led the team to a 16-7 climax in 4 minutes?

The Lakers stopped the game. Dumars was not doing well defensively tonight, so Louis decided to change his mind.

Louis replaced Liu Yuqing and asked Wilson to stand at the second position to face Jordan. Dumars stood at the first position but faced Russell. At the same time, he replaced Rodman to increase the defensive intensity and stretch.

This approach has immediate results.

After Rodman came on the court, he had an impact on the game with his excellent defense.

After Wilson faced off against Jordan, the latter's indiscriminate singles momentum was curbed.

Although Wilson can't guard Jordan, his size and physical fitness can bring far more interference than Dumars.

The presence of Rodman also made it impossible for Jordan to name names as he wished.

Originally, the Lakers could only ask Garnett to help hide their defensive weaknesses. With the addition of Rodman, the defensive resources were richer and there were more ways to exploit them.

Barkley was standing on the court, but Jordan couldn't eat it, because the Lakers could always allocate manpower to cover Barkley.

If one pick-and-roll fails, another pick-and-roll is called.

The Lakers never let Barkley come out to face Jordan.

Garnett and Rodman can switch defenses at any time, and Barkley only needs to make up the rotation in time when these two leave their opponents.

This scene looks very funny, like an eagle catching a chicken with more complicated rules.

The Lakers' defensive resources are so rich that it's hard to believe that they are an offense-oriented team.

After the Lakers recovered 5 points, the Trail Blazers requested a timeout. Riley pointed out the problems on the court and asked Jordan to find a balance between singles and organization.

"We can't beat the Lakers with you alone."

Riley's words were recognized by Jordan.

Olajuwon, who devoted himself to assisting Jordan, began to show his due power.

When Jordan is limited by the Lakers' defensive resources and cannot directly attack the defensive weakness, he can give the ball to Olajuwon.

Because whether it's Rodman or Garnett, they always have someone to block Jordan's holes, and Barkley needs to take a turn when they leave.

Therefore, Jordan frequently called for pick-and-roll tactics at the fifth position, and the Lakers were forced to send Barkley to Olajuwon.

Jordan passes the ball again.

It seems that the game has returned to the situation of the previous two games.

Olajuwon ate Barkley alive.

The scene is the same, but is the essence the same?

The answer is of course no.

In the first two games, Olajuwon was allowed to eat pork, which was the result of the game between the coaches of both sides. Louis wanted Dameng to indulge in inside singles, thereby cutting off the connection with Jordan, while Riley needed to borrow the Lakers' knife to make his players

Understand that you can't accomplish anything by working alone.

Now it's the Blazers who are using tactics to force the Lakers to use their defensive weaknesses to defend their opponents' offensive strengths.

Louis only let the Trail Blazers play like this for one round, and then without even calling a timeout, he directly instructed Ronaldo, Garfield, and Brazil on the sidelines to activate the second rotation plan.

The so-called second rotation plan is the defensive switching strategy prepared by the Lakers coaching staff to deal with the situation at hand.

The specific method is still to hide Barkley.

First responsible for matching Barkley against Clifford Robinson.

If the Trail Blazers call the fifth pick-and-roll again, Garnett will follow, then Rodman will fill in, and Barkley will remain unchanged.

In short, it is a core concept.

Anyone can switch defenses, except Barkley.

When necessary, it is not impossible to have Dumars misplaced to defend Olajuwon. Although such a defensive switch is not much different from having Barkley face Olajuwon directly, but in summary, there is only one thing to do, make every effort to make the opponent's

Strategic intent goes bankrupt.

If you want to eat pork, I won't let you eat it.

It's that simple.

However, switching defenses in this way also tests the defensive understanding between players and their personal awareness of filling positions.

The Lakers are still an offensive team.

Therefore, mistakes on the defensive end are inevitable.

When unplanned vulnerabilities arise, pioneers often seize the opportunity.

Then, the pressure came on the Trail Blazers' role players.

Only when they can seize these opportunity balls can the Trail Blazers break through the Lakers' iron net.

Rex Chapman continued his good form in previous games.

Byron Russell only made accurate three-pointers from the corner, and ended up hitting two three-pointers from the right tonight.

Perhaps because other teammates missed their shots, Robinson, whose accuracy has always plummeted in the playoffs, also found his touch.

As the Trail Blazers' main player who the Lakers are most willing to let go on the defensive end, he severely punished his opponents tonight.

In the first half, the Lakers trailed the Trail Blazers by 16 points.

"We need to change our thinking," Louis told reporters.

What really needs to change its thinking is the coaching staff.

Although the league is still in an era where defense is king, the Lakers are not a team that is good at defense.

All the defensive players in the Lakers team have been brought out.

However, Wilson cannot put all his strength on the defensive end, Garnett still needs to grow, Dumars and Rodman are both past their prime, and their embryonic giants cannot provide much help.

Facing the Trail Blazers, who have come to their senses, the Lakers must defeat them with a game that truly belongs to their own style.

In the second half, Louis removed Barkley and Dumars from the starting lineup, then replaced Rodman with Burrows, Liu Yuqing and Tragedy.

Just looking at the Lakers lineup, there are four Cavaliers members.

Do you want to play "beautiful basketball"?

Riley was defensive like this, but the Lakers' starting style was a double high screen inside.

Barros took advantage of the pick-and-roll and hit a three-pointer.

In the next round, the Lakers played the "shooting star" tactic.

Liu Yuqing caught the ball and hit a three-pointer after running.

For the Trail Blazers, Jordan and Olajuwon are their basic base. If the Lakers score a goal, they can also respond quickly.

With a 16-point lead, Portland didn't panic at all.

Starting from the second half, the two sides changed from the tit-for-tat confrontation in the first half and turned the game into an offensive battle.

Although the Lakers looked more team-oriented and smooth overall, they only narrowed the point difference by 9 points in the end.

Jordan and Olajuwon played steadily, tenaciously helping the team hold on to the lead, and finally won the fifth game.

The big score is 3 to 2.

When Louis was interviewed after the game, he seemed calm on the surface, but actually there was a huge wave in his heart.

As long as the Feimeng team maintains their playing style tonight, they will be the strongest duo in the league.

Moreover, this Blazers will find more ways to play as the playoffs progress, and Feimeng's trust in each other will also grow rapidly.

To some extent, the Trail Blazers may have become the most terrifying team in the playoffs.

Because the Knicks, who represent the highest ceiling, have self-destructed, the Celtics look good, but they have an ultra-high ceiling, while what the Trail Blazers have shown is an ultra-high ceiling.

What about the Lakers? What advantages do the Lakers have?

Louis thought to himself that although they had veterans and superstars, the backbone of the team was made up of young people.

There is so much uncertainty for this Generation X generation.

By the way, uncertainty is this uncertainty.

The Lakers' upper limit can be very high, and the lower limit can also be very low. Louis is very sure of two things. They cannot play tiebreaker with the Trail Blazers. This kind of pressure is too terrible for young people, and, with Jordan, Ola

It would be too risky for Zhu Wang's team to play the seventh game.

Therefore, they must end the series in Game 6.

Louis still holds a trump card in his hand, and this trump card is the biggest uncertainty factor for the Lakers and the thing that the Blazers fear the most - beautiful basketball.

Tonight, Louis did not send out all members of the Cavaliers to start "Beautiful Basketball" to chase points when they were 16 points behind. The main reason was to consider the following games.

When behind by a big score, if "Beautiful Basketball" cannot be used to turn defeat into victory, it will be a serious blow to the team's morale. After that, the Lakers swung back and forth between regular tactics and "Beautiful Basketball" and played an excellent offense.

Performance, in the end still lost to the Trail Blazers by 7 points, which indirectly confirmed Louis' concerns.

Even if you play "beautiful basketball" throughout the game, the effect will not be better than now, and losing is a high probability.

As the team with a big lead, Louis bet on the sixth game.

PS: Take a half-day off today

PS: Take a half-day off today