The rest is just noise

Chapter 327 You only have one chance

The current head coach of the 76ers, Matt Guokas, looked anxiously at his two assistant coaches, wanting to hear their opinions and thoughts on the current game.

"We can't let the game go on like this."

Guokas took over the reins from Billy Cunningham this summer after two years of service to his predecessor.

This is his first regular season game as an NBA head coach, and he doesn't want to lose.

His two assistant coaches, John Gabriel and Jim Lynam, looked at each other.

Gabriel was helpless about the situation.

Lynam said: "Patrick Ewing's lower body strength is not strong. Maybe we can let Moses challenge him in the interior and then find ways to find some players who can hit long-range shots."

It's a crazy idea to let Malone play Ewing in isolation. He is a terrifying opponent when grabbing rebounds. What about attacking with the ball? The effect is hard to say.

If he plays well, his shooting percentage will be very poor. Note that it is very poor, because what he is best at is not a strong hit, but a second attack after failing to score an offensive rebound. He can score this kind of ball.

The more there are, the more frustrated the opponent becomes.

In the past few years, Malone could beat his opponents like this in every game.

Now, Guokas is not sure.

This was no longer a solution. As for the pitcher, Guokas looked around and selected second-year player Leon Wood (PG).

Wood is the only player on the 76ers who can consistently hit three-pointers.

This is a bold substitution, because Cheeks can tear Stockton apart in the matchup. What he lacks is the judgment of the defensive formation.

It is true that Wood can score three points, but he has his problems.

The 76ers called a timeout, and Guokas adopted two suggestions from Lenam. In addition to replacing Cheeks, he also asked Malone to boldly attack the Knicks' inside line.

"Don't be fooled by Patrick's appearance, he is much softer than you think!" Guo Kas hoped that Ewing was really as vulnerable as they thought.

For the Knicks, Louis asked Tomjanovich: "Do they have a reliable shooter now?"

"Statistically... none," Tomjanovich said.

This is not Tomjanovich's fault. Wood developed three-pointers in the offseason. In his rookie season, he averaged only 0.1 three-pointers per game.

The 76ers know how much he has improved internally, so they dare to let him play.

Louis was not idle and also made a rotation, replacing Oakley.

Because the two players on the opponent's court were Bowie and Malone, although Bowie was a rebounding threat, Louis wanted to try a combination of Ewing and another person.

"Whoa! Ladies and gentlemen! Here comes the seven-foot-six-inch Manute Bol from Sudan!"

shouted Groom Albert.

"Patrick!" Louis discovered that the 76ers had replaced a player named Leon Wood. "If they use a breakthrough and distribution tactic, you have to pounce on the defender who just replaced him as soon as possible!"

"Leon, I know him," Ewing said. "He shoots the ball very accurately."

"you sure?"

"He went to the Olympics with me," Ewing affirmed.

"Then, no matter how accurate his shooting is, how fast you will pounce on him!" Louis's order was not a fatal one. "Once he completes the shot, you should return to the basket as quickly as possible to protect the rebound!"

As for protecting the basket, Louis and Ewing have no concerns.

That's what Bol came here to do.

This is a rim-protecting monster who will average 5 blocks per game in the future. Questioning his shot-blocking ability is like watching a Westbrook game and questioning his inability to get a triple-double.

Blocking shots/triple doubles is too easy for players like them.

One does nothing except protect the basket, and the other does everything except win.

Louis could think of many of the 76ers' strategies, but letting Malone challenge Ewing alone was something Louis couldn't think of.

If he had the conditions to achieve a one-on-one shooting percentage among superstars, Louis would be willing to bet all his wealth that Malone would definitely be the one with the lowest efficiency.

In the future, when Spurs fans describe their team's desperate situation, they will say that Duncan took over the game.

If the fans of Moses Malone's team want to describe the feeling of despair, it must be when they rely on Malone to attack. Unlike Duncan, Duncan's attack is to win, Malone's attack is more like a kind of performance art on the court.

Once he catches the ball and attacks, he won't be able to maintain a good rebounding position after taking the shot. As a result, his speed, bounce speed, and blocking strength are all useless.

He doesn't have the advantages of height and wingspan, so the result of letting him attack tough situations is to see him lead the team to a dead end with a one-on-one shooting rate of less than 40%.

Seeing Ma Long insisting on taking the position without hesitation, the most unexpected surprise happened to Louis.

Ewing aggressively tried to intercept Wood's pass to Malone.

As a result, he was knocked to the ground by Ma Long's concealed hip-lifting and abdominal-pressing movement.

Wood got the ball, and Ewing sat on the ground and watched. Malone was about to attack the basket when his teammates' reminders were already approaching his ears.

"Be careful~~~"

That was Bowie's cry.

Ma Long glanced out of the corner of his eye, and his pupils were as shocked as a character in Conan when he saw a corpse.

The scrawny Bol blocked all his scoring routes with his 2.59-meter wingspan.

The only thing Malone can do is pass the ball to Wood outside.

The 76ers thought their strategy was successful. Wood caught the ball at the three-point point where he was most confident. Just as he was about to take the shot, Ewing, who ran over at an unknown time, had already taken off at a speed that surpassed everything and blocked Wood's ball.

, landed before Wood, accelerated forward, ran, chased the ball, and finally smashed the ball violently with both hands like a silverback gorilla.

"Basketball is really back in New York! Look how lethal Patrick is this time!"

The 76ers' coaching staff has changed.

Ewing had never defended in that position before. The Knicks' attitude towards the 76ers' outside shots was accurate.

You vote as you wish.

Therefore, they need to replace players who can shoot.

Why did Ewing suddenly come out? In that case, he must have been informed in advance. Only when the coaching staff reminds the players will they change their strategies. Ewing is an obedient player.

Guokas didn't want to admit it, but he had to admit that the timeout they just called was in vain.

Louis easily saw the 76ers' tactical intentions. Even replacing Bol in order to test the lineup had an unexpected effect in protecting the rim.

Bol's height and length can block all shots in the paint without confrontation.

15 to 9

It’s halfway through the first quarter.

Louis looked at Ewing's active performance and was glad that his weaknesses had not yet been exposed.

The 76ers, who were lagging behind and a little helpless, encountered the Knicks' pocket formation. With Ball protecting the basket, Ewing could attack at will.

The trap of the pocket formation and Ewing's league-leading delay caused the Knicks' defensive pressure to rise sharply.

From the outside, Dr. J dribbled awkwardly, and Tony Campbell put him two meters away.

Dr. J was forced to be anxious, and he stopped suddenly to force a shot, but suddenly saw that Malone was firmly holding the position under the basket.

Shots with 0 shot confidence are changed to passes.

Malone caught the ball too close to the basket. The strength of his lower body completely overwhelmed Ewing, and coupled with the secret skill of raising his hips, he pushed Ewing's body far away.

Ewing, who lost his defensive position, could no longer pose a threat to Malone's defense.

Malone stormed and was interfered by Boll.

He grabbed the offensive rebound at the speed of the ball, but he was too close to the basket. Ball's height did not work. Malone grabbed two offensive rebounds and then scored hard.

"You...%@!￥!"

Malone actually trash-talked Ewing.

"What?" Ewing asked.

"That's all you have?" Ma Long mocked, "Moses can beat you to death without @%#... pressure!"

When the other party talks trash, things become different.

Ewing was about to go to the low post when he was suddenly yelled at by Louis.

"Patrick, that's not your place!" Louie yelled, "Go somewhere else!"

Ewing suddenly remembered that under Louis, they (the inside line) no longer had offensive autonomy.

Feeling frustrated, Ewing ran to the high post and provided a cross screen for Campbell.

Campbell cut to the basket and Stockton passed the ball, giving him an easy layup opportunity.

The UCLA-style offensive scoring was exciting, but Ewing was not relieved.

When he returned to defense dully, Stockton said: "Cheer up, I will help you fight back later!"

"Do you promise?" Ewing asked.

Stockton's confidence and leadership on the court are completely different from his off-court: "I promise, but I will only give you one chance. If you can do it, you can do it. If you don't, you will be pulled down!"

Ewing wanted to say that once was too little, but Stockton was willing to give him a chance, which was already contrary to Louis' tactical intention.

If he does it, Louis will naturally have nothing to say. If he doesn't, that bastard's bad mouth will probably drag everyone (Ewing) and his mouth (Stockton) to scold him.

The arrangement of the 76ers coaching staff is for Malone to play in the low post.

This time, Malone didn't go to the hinterland, but just outside the paint area. His teammates' distrust of his offensive ability outweighed their trust in the coaching staff.

Wood passes the ball to Tony.

Tony pulled up and played another tactic, "Oh my God, Moses is getting ready under the basket, let's just shoot the ball and let the big guy kick their ass."

Malone immediately said, "God of QNM, I will teach you a lesson today like a warrior." He once again used his little moves to push away Ewing, who was clearly stuck in a good position, soared up and grabbed the offensive rebound.

After he landed, everyone was shocked.

Malone didn't know how to deal with it, so he made an ugly half-shot layup.

"Whoosh!"

Malone and Ewing ran on each other: "With this little skill, is it worth 3 million? Moses doesn't like you!"

Ewing was furious and said to Stockton: "Give me the ball next possession!"

"Don't forget what I said, you only have one chance." Stockton reminded.