The rest is just noise

Rodman's early double-team left Jordan with no choice but to pass the ball.

Four years later, facing Jordan again in the Finals, Louis felt that the opponent had changed a lot. The Jordan Rules originally prepared for Jordan had been unable to reach the Finals due to the Blazers' "unsatisfactory" performance, and the Knicks almost forgot about it.

This is what happened.

Suddenly, Louis asked to take strict precautions against Jordan and use "laws" if necessary.

Jordan's offense suddenly became difficult because the Knicks' defense actively forced him to break to the left. This was a famous rumor early in his career. Once Jordan attacks from the left, the threat will be greatly reduced.

However, Jordan has made teams that make this defensive choice pay the price.

But this is an important part of Jordan's Rules.

It is a fact that Jordan is less threatening on the left than on the right. The scouts' feeling is not wrong, but it is not completely correct.

The reason why his left attack is less threatening than his right attack is because every time he attacks from the left, his hit rate is only 48%. When he attacks from the right, his hit rate is usually over 50%.

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The efficiency difference is "up to" a few percentage points, and there is nothing wrong with saying that the threat from the left is lower than the threat from the right.

However, many coaches are prone to "diode" thinking when obtaining information. Scouts said that his offense on the left is worse than his offense on the right, but they interpreted it as "Jordan can't attack on the left."

With this understanding, of course there will be problems when arranging defense. It is normal for Jordan to kill him to prove that "the Flyers can't attack from the left is a rumor."

Louis is different from them. He likes to study data, but he has a certain suspicion of all data.

Data that is useless or inconsistent with actual results is shit in his eyes.

Strictly speaking, this is the first time Jordan has faced the complete "law".

In the 1988 Finals, due to the gap in strength between the two teams, and because Jordan was not mature enough at that time and his shooting threat was very low, there was actually no suspense in the entire series.

Louis prepared the Jordan Rules, but they didn't come in handy. It wasn't until the end of the series that he reluctantly used the "Rules" against Jordan.

In that situation, the Knicks' victory was determined and their defensive effectiveness was bound to be compromised, but they still defended Jordan.

Today, Louis repeated his old plan during regular hours.

Jordan was first double-teamed and then forced to break through from the left.

When he wants to call a pick-and-roll to help him break through, Rodman or Kemp will decisively step forward to double-team.

Double-teaming two defensive-level players is no small matter.

Even after going through countless hardships, the Knicks' defense is still a peak that Jordan has never climbed in his career.

The Knicks' double team is one of the strongest defenses in basketball.

Because the players involved in double-teaming are not mediocre defenders and need double-teaming to cover their own shortcomings.

A team has five defensive-level members, which is already sensational.

At the end of the first half, Jordan's offense was successfully contained.

As great as the Flyers, being so guarded by the Knicks, they couldn't find a way to defeat the enemy for a while.

"Coach Lu, is this a surprise you specially prepared for MJ?"

Riley asked Louie at the end of the first half.

"It can't be considered a surprise. He had already experienced this defense 4 years ago. It's just that he was still relatively immature at the time and we didn't take it seriously. It wasn't until today that he truly understood the strength of our defense." Louis said frivolously.

Said, "Please help me ask him how he feels about this defense."

To this day, Jordan's godhead has been broken in Louis' heart.

He is also a human being. Although he is the best at basketball, is he really much better than Tragedyman and Bird?

It's hard to say. If he wants to choose a core to build a team, he would definitely prefer to choose a player like Bird who has low quality but is versatile and obedient.

From a coach's perspective, players like Jordan are not easy to deal with.

He is very strong, perhaps the strongest, but there is no gap between him and other superstars. If his defense is in place, he can still be held down.

That's how Louis felt in the first half.

The Trail Blazers didn't expect the Knicks to have a complete defensive system against Jordan.

In the second half, the Trail Blazers changed their style of play and no longer focused solely on one superstar to open up their defense.

Jordan, Barkley and the underrated Xavier McDaniel work together.

These three major attackers have certain problems with each other's playing styles, but they can jointly create a complete offensive logic chain.

Because of Riley's strategy, the Trail Blazers are insulators from long range. This is the only thing he didn't learn from Louis.

Gu Shi

There may be some space between Joe and Bama, but they themselves do not have high requirements for space, and they do not need their teammates to create particularly good opportunities for them to take action.

In this case, as long as Riley is willing to lower his requirements, the Blazers' offense can be extremely simple.

What are the benefits of simple offense?

Stable and less mistakes.

This is why the Blazers have a low turnover rate.

The turnover rate data can clearly show what Riley's requirements are for the team as a whole.

After being targeted by "The Law", Jordan chose to pass the ball to break the game.

The Knicks like to double-team, which just gives him the opportunity to link up with his teammates.

The Knicks were much more rough, taking full advantage of their inside advantage and hitting the basket when they had the chance. If the Trail Blazers dared to double-team, the shooters would already be in position on the outside.

I have been exposed to Riley's football tactics and "no layup" principle for a long time, and that's it.

The Knicks are not afraid of confrontation.

Not giving a layup is a concept. If you encounter a reckless guy like the Knicks who desperately attacks the basket, Riley's principle of not giving a layup will be in vain. Because they can't really deny the Knicks a chance to make a layup.

In the third quarter, the Knicks' "laws" spread from Jordan to Barkley.

Although many of the Jordan Rules are tailor-made for outside cores, there are also some routines that can also work for inside players under certain circumstances.

For example, Barkley is encountering a defense that "when the target man plays in the low post, three people will immediately double-team him, one will cover him, one will attack from the flank, and one will pretend to double-team, but in fact interfere with and block the passing route."

Barkley met Kemp, Ewing and Wilson.

Another defensive team composed of three defensive members.

Barkley made five turnovers in four minutes, and the Trail Blazers fell behind by 15 points.

Not only are the Knicks players very aggressive on defense, they are also unforgiving with their words.

Wilson, Ewing, and Kemp all talked trash, which made Jordan furious.

At that time, the Knicks' defensive focus was on Barkley, but not so focused on Jordan. When Jordan scored 9 points in a row on consecutive shots, Louis loudly reminded the players to pay attention to Jordan's offense.

After the timeout, Ewing confidently claimed his position.

His advantage in the paint is unparalleled, and no one is more confident than him in putting the ball into the basket.

If the Knicks need three players to defend Barkley, then the Blazers need the same number to defend Ewing.

Ewing is not afraid of double teams.

Because the Knicks' offensive system is highly modern, Louis will always arrange a bunch of high-quality shooters next to the main attacker.

At this time, Rodman was replaced, and Kemp had developed a shot from the free throw line. In addition, the three players on the outside were Chris Jackson, Miller and Wilson.

It can be said that after Louis replaced Rodman, the Knicks could hardly find any players on the court who could slow down the offensive space.

Besides Ewing, there are either deadly shooters like Miller and CJ, super attackers like Wilson who combine sudden shooting, or super finishers like Kemp.

The Knicks have the strongest shooter team in the league - this is no exaggeration. Looking at the league, no team's shooter is more threatening than the Knicks. Strictly speaking, only the Hornets, who have been sent home, have high-quality shooters.

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The Knicks' shooters are not only accurate, but also have strong running ability. They are also very good at clearing space for the main attacker, which reduces the requirements for the main attacker to change the formation a lot.

When Ewing is attacking, the Trail Blazers don't dare to double-team him easily, because they can always see players like Miller or Wilson moving to the left and right. Some of them will stop in place and wait for shooting opportunities, and some will choose

Cutting to the basket to meet Ewing.

Chris Jackson's transformation with the Knicks is one of the most amazing things about this season.

He has changed from a defender who really needs the right to take shots to maintain his touch, to one who is proficient in running without the ball and cooperating with his teammates, and is always ready to complete a cross run with the inside and then cut or pull outside, or suddenly appear at the bottom.

corner, using his quick release to punish his opponent's defensive distractions.

Ewing became the toughest player the Blazers had to face.

This fear has been deeply embedded in the Blazers' hearts since they entered the Jordan era.

In the 1980s, they were dominated by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who averaged 30 points per game in the series even if the opponent was 40 years old.

Entering the 1990s, the Lakers welcomed David Robinson. If the tragic star hadn't suddenly retired, it's still unclear who would dominate the Western Conference.

Now in the finals, the opponent is still the Knicks, and the one who dominates is still the FMVP in the 1988 Finals.

Tonight, Ewing scored 38 points, 16 rebounds and 5 blocks, leading the team to defeat the Trail Blazers and win the first game of the Finals.