The rest is just noise

The Knicks' opponent in the semifinals only had to wait two days to be determined.

No surprise, they are the fourth-place Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference.

They've been a powerhouse in the East since 1980.

It was just because I happened to meet the Celtics in their prime. Occasionally one year, they eliminated the self-destructed Celtics. I originally wanted to meet the Lakers in the finals and have a game with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. "I'm standing here today."

"In front of you, you feel like I am a bit like before" reunited, but accidentally met the 1983 team of destiny "FoFofo" 76ers.

To be fair, that year was the most promising year for the Bucks in the 1980s.

They are also the only team to defeat the 76ers in the playoffs.

However, just winning one game is not enough.

Now, in 1987, Nelson and the top management are incompatible with each other, and it is basically determined that he will leave after the end of the season. Unless he can win the championship, this is bound to happen.

Louis attaches great importance to this team that has consistently posted a winning rate of at least 68% since 1980.

The Bucks are not weak inside. They traded Jake Sikma in the offseason, and with Terry Cummings already there, they have strong players at the fourth and fifth positions.

Their biggest concern is Sidney Moncrief's injury.

As the most versatile defender in the 1980s before Jordan, Moncrief was the key reason why the Bucks were strong. However, he suffered injuries during the regular season and only played 39 games, averaging 11.8 points in 25 minutes per game.

, 3.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists, all data set career lows.

On the wing line, the Bucks' players are also good enough.

Ricky Pierce and Paul Price are enough threats to any team.

May 5, 1987, New York, Madison Square Garden

After many days of truce, the semi-finals kicked off.

From the beginning of the game, the two sides faced off normally.

The Bucks start with Sikma, Cummings, John Lucas II, Moncrief and Price.

As for the Knicks, it remains unchanged.

Judging from the regular season head-to-head record, the Bucks have a more psychological advantage.

But the playoffs are different.

As soon as Louis came up, he took advantage of the Bucks' positional flaws and launched a fierce attack.

Ewing played very tough against Sikma, and every time he defended in single defense, the master of back attack was defeated.

At the same time, he also did a good job of assisting defense and rebounding protection.

This is a picture of him throughout the night.

This is also the position Louis gave him since his rookie season.

Louis really trained him as Bill Russell, and Ewing gradually became an extremely fierce defensive end, with a large coverage area, strong aggression, and proficient in single defense, double attack, high position checking and sweeping.

An all-around lock. Only Sampson and Olajuwon can defeat him in the matchup, but he can still exert his influence when helping to defend.

Louis can safely say that a healthy Ewing has the highest ceiling in the league on the defensive end.

This year his defensive performance is at the first-level defense level. Unfortunately, his competitor is Sampson, the unique "Mr. One." Unless Ewing is shameless enough to occupy the fourth position, there is a high probability that he will be second-level defense.

In addition, Moncrieff faced Wilson on both offense and defense. However, he did not show aggression when he had a greater matchup advantage. The impact of injuries on him was very obvious. Logically speaking, he should teach Wilson a lesson.

He occasionally plays some nice offense in a few rounds.

The Bucks are a team that values ​​defense, but their defense today is not as strong as it was in the regular season.

The Bucks played pick-and-rolls between Lucas and Cummings twice in a row, and Moncrief, who should have been most involved, had no sense of presence. Combined with his sluggish desire to impact throughout the game, perhaps his physical condition is indeed a key point in the series that cannot be ignored.

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On the other end of the court, the Knicks' layout and targeting were in place.

The Knicks' game principles are very clear, as can be seen from the opening few defenses. As long as the defender takes the ball and plays a pick-and-roll, he will attack very resolutely, causing the Bucks to make many forced mistakes, even if Lucas and Price

Even if they haven't called for cover yet, there will be many eyes staring at them.

The Bucks are a team with very weak spacing. To deal with this kind of team, Louis' attack has always been to ruthlessly use pocket formations to bully them to death.

When it's the Knicks' turn to attack, Stockton calls for a pick-and-roll, and the Bucks will also have their center or power forward move up to follow, and other points are also very wary of Stockton's ball.

Stockton's defense read the Bucks very well.

He can attract defenses and know who to give the ball to.

Kevin McHale entered the game midway through the second quarter.

Opposing him was Bucks scoring leader Terry Cummings.

Cummings was also a promising player in the early years, but his subsequent development was not as good as expected. His old club lacked competitiveness. When they could not produce results, they were unwilling to support him, so they traded him, which was a waste of money for Xiong.

Lu. This was before the salary cap came out.

McHale's unilateral brutal massacre of him shows his lack of confrontation.

Moreover, when McHale started attacking, he did not play at the rhythm he was accustomed to.

There were a lot of mismatches, a lot of chances.

This is a characteristic of the N.UCLA system.

As long as the insiders are smarter, they won't have to worry about being out of business.

McHale was able to go berserk this time, thanks to Stockton's sense of "dislocation". The Bucks did not dare to give him too much space to shoot, so McHale often suffered from mismatches under the basket, which made him

Very easy to finish or get rebounds.

Occasionally, in a few rounds, the Bucks' interior defense was in place.

The defender standing in front of McHale is Cummings or Sikma.

Before the Bucks fans in front of the TV could breathe a sigh of relief, they appreciated how McHale used his outstanding skills to eat up the two defenses alive.

this is the truth.

McHale likes to eat cake and play out of position, but that is a tactical arrangement. If the Knicks' tactics are not implemented and he is asked to solve it one-on-one, he can easily eat any opponent who appears in front of him.

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Most of the time, watching is easier than eating.

Tonight, McHale was in high spirits. When several 2+1s were completed, he would wave his arms excitedly, show off his armpit hair to the fans, and scratch it with his hands.

It's disgusting to do this, but fans like to see him like this.

If McHale himself doesn't feel disgusted, if the fans don't feel disgusted either, and if even his teammates are used to it, then he can only disgust his opponents by doing this.

In this game, the Knicks are the better prepared team.

This is true on both offense and defense.

The Bucks seemed to be still in the regular season. They thought the Knicks were a team they could manipulate at will, but that was not the case.

McHale played at an MVP level, scoring 32 points and 15 rebounds.

Stockton had 4 points, 5 rebounds and 20 assists. His passing today felt very good.

Ewing had 20 points, 14 rebounds, 3 steals and 6 blocks. It can be said that he is the reason for the Bucks' offensive sluggishness.

In Wilson's semifinal debut, he scored 18 points against a strong opponent like Moncrief, which was a good performance.

A total of five players from the Knicks team scored in double figures, while only three players from the Bucks opposite them scored in double figures.

The Bucks are a team that relies heavily on inside offense. Their top scorer Cummings and third scorer Sikma all scored in single digits tonight. This is the power of the pocket formation.

Even if they receive the ball in a good position, they still have to face the Knicks' attack, and then they are forced to pass the ball outside, and then their teammates cannot grasp the open three-pointer.

A tragic defeat made Don Nelson think a lot.

"The first game is just a test, the fun will come later," Nelson told reporters.