The rest is just noise

, the rest is only noise

Although the Blazers' Verdun Line of Defense was designed to imitate the Knicks' murderous press, its use and effect are quite different from its original version.

Murderous Pressure is just like its name. Once it is used, there is no intention of leaving a way for the opponent to survive.

You can feel its intensity just by looking at the name.

The Verdun defense was different. Riley made progress while learning. He regarded all changes in the game as coaching opportunities, and he hoped to seize opportunities as accurately as Louis did.

Therefore, he would stand on the sidelines and remotely control the Verdun defense line.

When the Verdun defense was unable to defeat the Knicks with normal intensity, Riley requested a timeout.

At that time, there was only one good news for the Trail Blazers, and that was that Jordan was feeling hot in the second quarter and had already made two three-pointers.

Tonight's Jordan reminded Louis of his previous life, Jordan, who set a Finals halftime three-point shooting record against the Trail Blazers in Game 1 of the 1992 Finals.

In this case, we can't let him vote.

Facing the players, Louis arranged in detail; "I don't want Mitch to get an open shot again. If he lands outside the three-point line, no matter what position he is in, our defense must catch up immediately. If

He holds the ball and directly activates the 'law'. Our principle is to prevent Mickey from scoring at all costs. Secondly, when dealing with Portland's outside players, try to use rotation to interfere. If they want to shoot, let them shoot, and the interference is in place.

, never let them dribble to the basket."

On the Trail Blazers side, Riley asked Jordan directly: "MJ, do you believe in your teammates?"

Jordan replied without hesitation: "They are the best teammates!"

"Then believe them!"

"How can you believe that?" Jordan asked.

Riley said calmly: "You only need to shoot your three-pointers and leave the breakthrough to your teammates. You just need to wait for them to deliver the ball to your hands."

Riley did not let the four main players Thomas, Barkley, Sabonis, and Nance play.

Jordan still leads four substitutes.

But Riley still made some adjustments in the lineup.

Mason was replaced because his defense was not active enough, and Riley was not confident in defeating the Knicks simply by relying on defensive intensity.

Replacing Mason doesn't mean the Blazers will give up on the Verdun defense.

Riley was replaced by Alvin Robertson.

He controls the ball, Jordan returns to the two position, Cosey moves to the three position, McDaniel rotates to the four position, and Clifford Robinson naturally moves to the five position.

Riley's rotation was wonderful. He successfully changed the Blazers' Verdun defense from only four people with unlimited defense changes to five people.

The only problem is Robertson's chemistry with his teammates.

But now that we have reached the finals, no matter how many personal thoughts we have, they can all be put aside.

For Robertson, he is not sure if this year is his only chance to win the championship. He must fight for it.

The Knicks' lineup also changed, with Louis replacing the exhausted Yu Tiancan.

This kind of rhythm on the court is really not suitable for a big center. Yu Tiancan played 5 minutes in the second quarter and made no other contributions except picking up 3 rebounds.

It was like he was on the outside, transformed into a robot that kept running back and forth.

Back in the second quarter, 37 to 34, the difference between the two sides was only 3 points.

Riley's insistence on using the Verdun defense line was something Louis could have expected, but letting Jordan become a full-time shooter and leaving full power to Robertson for the offensive planning of this lineup was something Louis did not expect.

Because Robertson was kicked out of this lineup by Riley because he could not integrate into the Verdun defense.

Now that he is back, what does it mean?

Riley's disease requires urgent medical attention? But now the Trail Blazers are in the lead, so no matter what, it's not the Blazers' turn to get sick.

After the timeout, the Blazers have the ball.

Robertson controlled the ball from the backcourt, and Stockton didn't want him to have an easy time, so he took the initiative to lead the defense from the frontcourt.

It's a good idea, but a bit reckless.

It doesn't matter if the opponent is someone else, Robertson's physical fitness crushes Stockton.

Stockton's strength is dominant, but that alone is not enough.

Jordan and Robertson ran forward together.

The Flyers could respond at any time, and Stockton seemed to be afraid of this. As a result, after halftime, Robertson didn't give the ball to Jordan.

Until Jordan was positioned, Miller's defensive pace kept up, but he subconsciously regarded Jordan as a loophole without a three-pointer and chose to enlarge the space by half a meter.

This deadly defensive habit has been accumulated over many years.

Before this year, Jordan's three-pointers were not worthy of attention.

Even if Louis focused on this matter during the timeout, Miller still left room for defense.

Robertson expertly threw the ball to Jordan.

Miller lowered his center of gravity and prepared to prevent breakthroughs. As a result, Jordan had no intention of breaking through him. He held the ball and shot?

As soon as Miller was in a daze, the ball in Jordan's hand had already flown out.

"Whoosh!"

"In the second quarter, Michael made 3 of 3 outside shots!"

"His outside shot was as decisive as if he'd ever lost something from that position."

Louis looked livid and roared at Miller: "Reggie, if you give Mickey another fucking shot, get out of here and stop fighting!"

Miller knew he had made a mistake and was scolded by Louis on the spot, but he did not complain.

In addition to admitting your mistakes, you also need to correct them.

Real men should take responsibility for themselves.

Miller is completely unafraid of Jordan, but if the Knicks want to advance the ball into the frontcourt, they still need to break through the Verdun defense.

The person originally facing Stockton was Jordan, but now it's Robertson.

In Robertson's prime, averaging 3 steals per game was as easy as drinking water for him.

Due to his poor personal life and irregular training, Robertson, also an 84-level player, has fallen from his peak, but his single defense ability is still reliable.

It can even be said that single defense is his only defensive skill now that can be compared with that in his peak period.

Stockton suffered a big loss in front of him. If he wasn't careful, the ball was intercepted.

Robertson intercepted Stockton's pass and scored a fast break layup.

42 to 34

"General, I'm right by your side!"

Reggie Williams shouted.

What he meant was, if Stockton wasn't feeling good, pass the ball to him.

But Stockton didn't feel bad just now. Robertson's stealing technique was too weird.

After that, Stockton honestly chose to push his hips forward slowly.

It took the Knicks an ugly seven seconds to get the ball downfield.

Falling into a positional battle, the Trail Blazers' Verdun defense was equally outstanding, making it impossible for the Knicks to use their tactics and had to find players to play in isolation.

Reggie Williams took the ball and faced off against Cosey.

Williams and Cosey happen to be bench toughs on both teams. Although they are not, they are very important players on the bench.

Williams has a more star-like demeanor, changing direction in front of his body, shaking quickly, and his explosive power is amazing, knocking Cauchy's defense away by two positions, and making a sudden jump shot.

36 to 42

Williams scored beautifully, but Louis couldn't be happier.

The offense of this lineup has a ceiling. Rauf, Wilson, Ewing, and Kemp are all gone, so the offense can only be instigated by Stockton.

If Stockton is misfired, there won't be any useful tactics.

This kind of singles looks interesting, but it doesn't last long.

The Knicks have encountered a series of problems.

The Trail Blazers let Jordan play as an off-ball shooter, which is equivalent to handing control of the game into the hands of role players.

Whether players other than Jordan can seize the opportunity will determine Riley's tactical trend and the direction of the entire game.

Jerome Cosey is no less impressive than Reggie Williams. After Jordan was double-teamed, he distributed the ball to him.

Kexi's hands were not soft and he easily hit a three-pointer.

Cosey set an example for his teammates. After him, the Blazers would shoot decisively whenever there was an open space.

Clifford Robinson, the big center, was the one who responded most actively. His three-point threat from the corner surprised the Knicks.

Realizing that the enemy's offensive was fierce, Louis had to make arrangements on the spot, allowing players to rotate quickly and not leaving any open space. This was the key.

Robinson lost the opportunity for a three-pointer from the corner, Rodman's sweeping area was amazing, and Cosey also had trouble getting open on the outside because Reggie Williams' defensive attention was always online.

But if they are just open shooters, they will not be able to afford the stage that Jordan has vacated for them as a full-time off-ball shooter.

In the past, the Trail Blazers always let their core players drive the role players. This time, Kesi and the others decided to become the masters and take the initiative to handle the ball.

In addition to Cosey, Robertson can also play the ball, Robinson also has high post support, and even McDaniel, a rough guy, can launch an offense with the ball from the baseline.

Suddenly, everyone in the Trail Blazers is a ball handler, and everyone can score with the ball. This is the most basic, simplest, and most primitive tactic on the basketball court, and it is also the most damaging tactic to the defense.

A tight and neat line of defense can withstand two attacks at most.

No matter how good the defense is, if three opponents take turns holding the ball to attack, it will turn into a mess.

His teammates were vigorously destroying the Knicks' defense, but Jordan was the only one who had a quiet time on the outside.

I saw the Trail Blazers complete three sudden points in the position battle, and this third time, they passed the ball to Jordan's hands.

The flying man lifted the ball and knocked away Stockton who was turning.

Adjust one step and make an emergency stop and jump on the left side.

The basketball passed through Jordan's fingertips and fell straight into the center of the basket. This was Jordan's fourth three-pointer in the second quarter.

Jordan is quiet in positional battles. He silently shows off his training results over the past year, letting the world know that his three-point ability is no longer what it used to be.

Then, entering the defensive end, the energy hidden in Jordan's body will burst out.

The ball is in the hands of Reggie Williams, and the Knicks must get past Jerome Cauchy if they want to break through the Verdun defense.

However, Jordan suddenly appeared, flashing past the wing like a phantom.

When Williams reacted, the ball was already in Jordan's hands.

The Knicks tried to foul Jordan, but it was ineffective and instead gave away 2+1.

Jordan exploded like a rocket, went straight to the basket, and made an elegant Liberty dunk that moved the discerning New York fans.