Then everyone saw clearly that what Vujacic did on the offensive end of the court seemed to be what he had always done most and was best at. Dribbling the ball to the frontcourt, then handing it over, and then ambush himself in the top arc.
Ready to catch the ball and shoot at any time. Works as a three-point turret, and also takes care of the responsibility of dribbling through half court.
The point guard on the field is still Adrian, but he no longer needs to carry the ball through the half court. And when Adrian falls to the low post, prepare a relatively fixed passer for him. And Adrian
All you have to do is score, keep scoring, and use all the means at your disposal to score.
Post-ups in the low post, mid-range jumpers, fadeaway jumpers after a two-step breakthrough, post-ups in the high post, and fadeaway jumpers! Adrian showed off his scoring skills to the fullest under the indulgence of the Suns, intentionally or unintentionally.
Talented and crazy scoring momentum, it was as if the only thing left in his eyes was the basket. Other than that, his teammates had long been invisible.
When the first quarter finally ended, Adrian's score unknowingly climbed to a game-high 18 points in a single quarter. The Lakers were still six points behind the Suns at 31:37.
"Oh God, he scored 18 points in a single quarter!" Even for a top scorer, 18 points in a single quarter is a very scary number. Especially 6 of 11 shots and 6 of 8 free throws.
Among them, the scoring efficiency is also terrifying at 54.5%.
"Adrian looks very abnormal today. Is he still the Adrian we usually know?" This is undoubtedly the question in the minds of most people. The most profound impression Adrian usually gives people is that he looks ordinary first.
No surprise. But
But in D'Antoni's mind, Adrian's 18-point performance in a single quarter was indeed very exciting. But that's all. He scored a lot by himself, but the Lakers' overall performance was not good. In the situation where the team could not connect the team
If his personal score cannot drive the entire team's score, then it's not a big deal.
Moreover, the Suns still maintain the lead at this time. In particular, D'Antoni can see that the Lakers' defense did not do well in the first quarter. In the previous few games, the Lakers' defense once caused damage to the Suns
It's not a small trouble. One of the key points is that Adrian went back and forth to check and fill in the gaps without any effort.
But now, when Adrian puts the offensive responsibility on his shoulders alone, it is obviously impossible to maintain such high-intensity defensive pressure on the defensive end. This is not only a physical problem, but also an energy problem.
The problem. No matter how strong a person is, it is impossible to maintain sufficient physical strength and high mental concentration on the offensive and defensive ends at the same time. When more energy is concentrated on one aspect, the other
The spirit must be relaxed accordingly. This is a self-adjustment made by human beings in order to protect their own vitality, and it is a kind of instinctive reaction.
Therefore, when Adrian focuses more on the offensive end, he enhances his own offensive power and weakens the Lakers' overall defense. Facing such strong offensive firepower as the Suns, weakening the defense and strengthening the offense is, for the Suns
Undoubtedly very beneficial.
Of course, Adrian's terrifying personal firepower still surprised D'Antoni. He didn't think that Adrian's offensive power was not strong, but he didn't expect that Adrian's offensive power was so strong! He actually used it forcefully.
He alone closed the score gap with the Suns in the first quarter.
But that’s all!
D'Antoni thought.
Human energy has its limit, and no one can maintain a high level of performance. Even superstars like Jordan, Chamberlain, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who almost dominate the court, have ups and downs in their performance in a game.
With Adrian performing so well in the first quarter, D'Antoni didn't think Adrian's hot state could continue forever.
Therefore, he did not worry too much about the next game. He even hoped that Adrian would continue to play according to the current model.
On the other side, on the Lakers' bench.
"Ed, how do you feel?" Phil Jackson asked Adrian.
"No problem, my physical condition is very good. Playing Diaw alone won't consume much of my energy." During the conversation, Adrian's tone was slightly indifferent to Diaw. This was also Adrian's true thoughts. Diaw's defense
Those swingmen with average physical fitness may have good effects, but when defending Adrian, just use their physical fitness, and Adrian can run over him. Almost as long as Adrian hits,
Dior's feet will be unstable. Of course, there will not be too fierce a confrontation in this case. Although Adrian fights a lot, his physical exertion is really not serious.
"It's just that I couldn't attract the Suns' defensive attention, as if they were focused on letting me score." At this point, Adrian couldn't help but frowned. He felt the Suns' attitude towards him, "Jordan's Law"
', let yourself score alone, and surround your teammates. From the current point of view, the effect is not bad, but Boyce Diaw, D'Antoni really think this guy can defend me?
"Because he thinks your scoring ability is not decisive, and..." Phil Jackson smiled disdainfully: "He is too superstitious about the Suns' offensive firepower."
Phil Jackson briefly explained to Adrian, and Adrian immediately understood the root of D'Antoni's thoughts. The key is the different mentality. The Detroit Pistons have always been a grassroots defensive team.
Strong teams, Billups, and the Detroit Pistons who won the double Wallace championship were like this, and the Bad Boys Legion back then were like this. Defense is their foundation and the cornerstone of their foothold in the NBA. But the Suns are completely different. The Suns
The foundation is offense, and the superstitious belief that one's offensive firepower is enough to destroy any defense!
The difference in fundamental concepts means that even if D'Antoni uses the "Jordan Rules", the implementation is still not very thorough. The "Jordan Rules" of the Detroit Pistons are to guard Jordan's teammates to death, and then send a person to guard Jordan at all costs.
They interrupted Jordan's offensive rhythm and organized Jordan's scoring, even resorting to violent means.
The Suns' so-called 'Jordan Rule' is to allow Adrian to attack, and Boyce-Diaw doesn't put much energy into defense, using the Suns' entire team's offense to compete with Adrian's one-man offense.
Anthony is superstitious about the Suns' offensive firepower and believes that no team or individual can compare with the Suns' overall offensive power. Therefore, he also believes that in the competition of offense vs. offense, the Suns will definitely have the last laugh!
This is a difference in defensive strategies caused by different ideological concepts, even if the same set of tactics is run. More importantly, it is not only D'Antoni who is superstitious about the Suns' offensive power, but the Suns themselves are also superstitious.
With this kind of attack power, in a competition of offense, who is the Sun more afraid of?
"Ed, you don't need to think so much." Seeing the look of surprise on Adrian's face, Phil Jackson then said: "Since the Suns have determined that your passing is a greater threat than your offense,
If they don't want to double-team you, then you can attack as much as you want, let everyone see your attack power, and let everyone know how terrifying you are!"
Phil Jackson loudly encouraged Adrian, his words were a little pale, but Adrian felt his blood boiling. Yes, at this time, there was no need to think about what the Suns thought, since his
The chance is the greatest, then let go of everything and attack. Since the Sun is so superstitious about its own attack power, then use their most superstitious attack to completely defeat them!
Then, Phil Jackson arranged another tactic: "Andrew, Ronnie, you two will partner in the post later, protect the backcourt rebounds, and open up space under the basket for Ed on the offensive end. Vladimir,
You come down and take a rest first, while Farmar warms up and prepares to go on the court. You act as the point guard and hand the basketball over to Ed immediately after halftime. If Ed's offense is blocked, you must be ready to respond to him.
And immediately launched a second attack. Sasha, you are here, this, and here, these three points of activity, ready to catch and shoot at any time, don't hesitate after receiving the basketball, you know? Even if you are blocked
It doesn’t matter, but you must not hesitate and take action immediately.”
The rest time passed quickly. Adrian, who played for nearly 10 minutes in the first quarter, unexpectedly appeared on the court again at the beginning of the game. Seeing this, D'Antoni had a smile on his face.
In his opinion, this is a sign that no one is available for the Lakers. Letting Adrian play early is equivalent to a waste of Adrian's physical energy. If Adrian's physical energy is exhausted, then what else does the Lakers have?
Worth noting?
As for Adrian’s personal offense?
To be honest, D'Antoni doesn't really care.
No matter how strong Adrian's offensive power is, can he be stronger than Kobe?
Just now, Phil Jackson was adjusting his tactics, and he completely saw it. But he was not worried. A clever woman can't make a cake without rice, and Phil Jackson only had two or three chess pieces in his hand. No matter how he adjusted,
, and it is impossible to make the Lakers stronger.
But as soon as he came up, Adrian gave the Suns a powerful blow.
Adrian, who was made clear that his first responsibility was to score, received unreserved support from the entire team for the first time at the request of Phil Jackson. (To be continued...)
ps: ps. I stayed in the countryside for three days, with no electricity but no internet. I had a lot of ideas in my head, but I only had an abacus and no keyboard. I was short of 15,000 words. I'll see if I have time to make up for it. The perfect attendance award is
