Junior Basketball says

Chapter 464 Choking Defense
Before taking the field, McHale gave one last warning: "My requirements for you tonight are a little different from those in past games. You must remember to defend first and then think about offense. I don't care how ugly the game is. As long as you can win, obviously defense is easier to succeed than offense, and I also hope you can play championship-level defense."

Everyone was shocked that when the starting lineup changed, they had roughly guessed what the coach was thinking.Rubio has no objection to this. Although his defensive ability is good, his greater value to the team is in organizing offense. In terms of defense alone, he is obviously not as good as Ellington. Let the latter go to the Heat's star player. It's not bad to cause trouble.

At the request of McHale, the Timberwolves showed a suffocating and oppressive defense from the beginning of the game.You must know that at this time, their field lineup has four outstanding defensive players. Jordan is sitting under the basket. Xu Hao, Ellington and Kirilenko spare no effort to chase and intercept from the outside. Together with Love's enthusiasm in defense, It has also improved a lot.

Faced with the Timberwolves, who suddenly changed their style, the Heat seemed very uncomfortable. James and Wade encountered endless personal marking on the outside, so they could only give the ball more to Chalmers to deal with.The former NCAA star point guard did not complete the tasks assigned by the big guys, but kept mechanically handing the ball to Bosh inside for him to play singles.

If it is against other teams, Bosh's singles with the ball may still have some effect, but the effect of doing so in front of the Timberwolves is not very good.Love can often rely on his stronger body to block Bosh's route, and Jordan can wait for the opportunity to complete the block defense. If Bosh also pulls to the outside to shoot, what is the same as handing the ball to Wade and James What is the difference?Soon the Heat's offense was at a stalemate, and the rebounds were almost taken away by the Timberwolves' inside line.

At the same time, their own defense was not very good. Chalmers faced almost everyone outside the Timberwolves at a disadvantage. Xu Hao and Ellington shot three-pointers on his head without any problems.Just after the half quarter, Chalmers had already eaten his second personal foul, and Spoelstra had to replace him with Cole, hoping that he could calm down on the bench.

When the opponent did not form a defensive threat, the Timberwolves quickly opened up the three-pointer, and they quickly opened the point difference to 8 points, forcing the Heat to call a timeout.Looking at the frowning players, Spoelstra could only hold back his anger and tell them how to fight next, although he wanted to scold these guys severely in his heart.

After the game restarted, the Heat gradually returned to normal, but they still couldn't stop the fiery Timberwolves players.At the end of the first quarter, the Timberwolves led 33 to 27. It would be a great shame for the Heat not to score 30 points in the first quarter. If the current opponent is the Pacers, they would recognize it, but standing in front of them is the Timberwolves!
What the Heat general didn't know was that McHale was still dissatisfied with the Timberwolves' defense in the first quarter. He asked the players not to be afraid of fouls, but to use more intense confrontation to disrupt the opponent's game rhythm. combination.Uh... Xu Hao said that it is very difficult to do so, anyway, everyone should do their best on the defensive end.

In the second quarter, the Heat strengthened their breakthroughs. They have realized that entangled with the Timberwolves on the outside will not end well, but Xu Hao and the others still maintained sufficient physical confrontation and continued to put pressure on the Heat players.DeAndre Jordan, guarding the basket, has become the star on the court. He interferes with the opponent's shots time and time again and blocks them to keep them away.

It has to be said that Jordan has made great progress in the past few seasons playing for the Timberwolves. Although he still has not developed his own offensive ability, he can be said to be the league's top insider in terms of frame protection.The most important thing is that Jordan will try more to interfere rather than pursue actual blocking data, which also allows him to maintain his position on the defensive end.

With Jordan building an iron wall under the basket, the Heat's breakthrough will not have much effect.However, the Timberwolves did not widen the point difference, perhaps because a large number of shots in the first quarter consumed their touch. Now their shooting percentage has declined visible to the naked eye. leading edge.

Of course, when the offense cannot be opened, defense has naturally become the foundation of the Timberwolves.For a while the confrontation on the court became very ugly, filled with a lot of physical confrontation and fouls, and the referee's whistle made the game fragmented.The Heat also became angry and began to fight against the Timberwolves. It is normal to have too many fouls.

The free throw percentages of both sides are not bad, but the Timberwolves are better. Except for Jordan, the other four players have made more than 75% of their free throws this season, and Xu Hao is as high as 92%. send points.

In the second quarter, the two sides almost drew a tie, and the Timberwolves led slightly by 3 points, but for them, who already had the upper hand, it is gratifying to continue to expand the point difference, even if the increase in point difference is not particularly large.The faces of the Heat players are very ugly, and Spoelstra's anger can't be covered. Presumably, the players will usher in a violent storm during the intermission.Indeed, for them who were determined to win the championship, this blow came too soon.

Not to mention how Spoelstra scolded the players under his command, the locker room of the home team at the Target Center was full of joy, and everyone did not expect that this game could be played so smoothly.McHale couldn't bear to calm down these guys. In fact, he also felt very surprised. After all, for the Big Three of the Heat, this year is almost their last chance.

Of course, another reason why McHale didn't stop everyone was that Xu Hao sat in his seat and sipped his sports drink, completely ignoring his teammates' antics.It's not that he doesn't fit in, but that he hopes to maintain the calmest state of mind to face the game at all times. It's good to leave things like being slapped in the face to other people to enjoy, as long as he wins the game.

In McHale's view, as long as the team's commander can keep calm, it doesn't matter. Xu Hao's meaning to the entire team is the steering wheel, brakes, gas pedal and other things. It was great.When he's at a normal level, his teammates can't get any crazy, and he knows when to brake.

(End of this chapter)