After coming off the field, Wang Zelin, who could only sit on the bench as he watched his teammates continue to work hard for victory, began to feel more and more anxious.
He originally thought that no matter what, he would play again at the end of the second quarter.
Unexpectedly, until the last minute before the end of the second quarter, coach Terry had no intention of putting him back on the court.
Because of Wang Zelin's foul problem, Aldridge had to be moved to his least favorite center position, leaving 206 Hickson to play power forward.
In the second quarter, the Blazers' offensive tactics were mainly fast breaks. Aldridge and Hickson on the inside were responsible for covering and cutting inside; Lillard and the other three on the outside were responsible for transitioning the ball and moving without the ball. Basically, who came out?
Give the opportunity to anyone.
If there is no chance to make a shot at all, the ball will be handled by either of the two German combinations.
When Wang Zelin is on the court, there will still be appropriate low-post singles tactical arrangements, but now that he is not on the court, the Blazers' inside deterrence is not as good as before. The main players' offensive methods are mainly deflection shots, supplemented by certain air cuts.
When switching from offense to defense, in addition to consciously disrupting the offensive rhythm of the ball holder, you must also retreat quickly in an organized manner and establish your defensive position in advance.
The Blazers' defensive player positioning is a common 2-1-2 position.
After halftime, the Trail Blazers relied on their fast-paced play to score 53 points. The team's overall performance was fairly smooth.
But even so, the Trail Blazers were still 7 points behind the Thunder because their opponents scored 60 points.
In terms of defense alone, the Thunder may only be ranked around the league's top level, or even below it, but if it comes to offense, with the best combination at hand, Detonator can tell everyone without hesitation: "I'm not bragging.
If we fight hard, we won’t be afraid of anyone!”
The Thunder's core tactics are quite simple and crude. It can be summed up in one sentence: Du Shao's throw is completed by Westbrook's throw, and Westbrook's throw is completed by Du Shao's throw!
In the regular season, they still have some tactical cooperation, but if it comes to the playoffs, when it comes to bayonets, the explosive combination of Durant and Westbrook, an anti-aircraft gun and a bomber, will take turns bombing the opponent's position.
.
In the NBA, if you are talented you can really do whatever you want!
At this time, Westbrook had already scored a game-high 16 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds. It seemed that the seal on the manhole cover was about to expire.
By the way, Durant also scored 13 points and 7 rebounds.
Everyone knows the principle of "good steel must be used on the blade". Now, unless the Thunder are lagging behind at the beginning, Durant has been accustomed to exerting his strength in the third and fourth quarters most of the time, leaving it to him in the early stage.
The second brother who is "invincible" will do.
While sitting on the bench, coach Terry asked Wang Zelin to focus on observing, and he also did Hickson's inside defense.
And what he saw was: when the opponent's players advanced in several rounds, since the outside position could not be defended, according to his understanding, the players inside would be the last barrier.
What he didn't understand came.
Why didn't Hickson do enough blocking and let the opponent's players go too easy? Even the final block seemed so perfunctory.
You have this ability.
What are you afraid of?
Fuck him!
Several times he stood up to invite Ying to play, but Coach Terry kept him in his position.
When asked why, the latter would only say this to him: read well and study hard!
He was very angry at first. What else could he learn? Isn't it just to avoid it in advance?
He would never be able to do this kind of defensive behavior as soon as he saw his opponent charging at him.
But after being pushed on the bench one after another by the coach and asked to observe carefully, Wang Zelin began to learn to slowly force himself to calm down. He believed that the coach must have his own reasons for doing so.
As he spent more and more time observing, he gradually discovered more and more, and his eyes became brighter and brighter.
It turns out that Hickson is not only not the softie he thought he was, but on the contrary, he is also very tough, but unlike his own toughness, Hickson's toughness appears to be very intelligent.
In other words, Hickson, who has been in the league for many years, understands the transition between giving and taking better than he does.
"Wait, I'm willing to give up, I'm willing to give up..."
Finally, when the half-time break was over, Wang Zelin suddenly had an idea in his mind, and the word "willingness" kept popping up in his mind.
That’s right, I’m willing to give it up.
Only by giving up can you gain!
In the absence of zone defense, or because of the introduction of rules such as three-second defense, five-second post-up, cancellation of headcheck, etc., zone defense has little meaning in the NBA.
Therefore, defensive players are often passed after a pick-and-roll, which can easily lead to inside players being completely exposed to the firepower of the opponent's offensive players.
A young man like Wang Zelin will charge forward regardless of the situation most of the time, trying to stop his opponent's attack no matter what.
For a veteran like Hickson, once he discovers that the opponent's outside player has already charged, he will let him come up; and if there is still time, he will block the opponent's breakthrough route in advance, or go up in time.
front interference.
No matter what, Hickson will never let himself have a one-on-one confrontation with the opponent's outside players in the air.
The attacker is active and the defender is always passive.
In a confrontation in the air, even if the opponent fails to score, it is easy to get a foul.
In their view, at worst, there is a chance to get another one in the next round, so a rash foul is not worth it.
This is the defensive strategy of veterans like Hickson: use offense instead of defense, catch the big ones and let go the small ones, and never give the opponent a chance to flourish. If the opponent really has the ability to rely on one person and kill him in one way, then he himself
I also admitted it.
It's not like the coach, Hickson and others haven't told Wang Zelin about this kind of defensive technique.
But as a young man with a strong temper, this defensive method seemed too cowardly to them, and they naturally dismissed it in their hearts.
But even if he is as strong as Howard, he cannot complete his defensive tasks in every defensive round. He must also do a good defensive job on the premise of protecting himself.
Because Howard is so important to a team's defensive system, and not to mention that this kind of aerial confrontation is most likely to cause player injuries, it is really not worth advocating to gamble on a foul just for one or two points.
The same is true for Wang Zelin's current defensive system of the Trail Blazers.
Wang Zelin's defensive method is more suitable for the big scenes of the playoffs where "every inch of mountains and rivers are one inch of blood", rather than the current regular season.
A game lasts 48 minutes, and there are 82 such regular games in the NBA. The cruel reality told him that this skill is still necessary to learn.
In the Trail Blazers locker room, Wang Zelin stood up again, his eyes shining with wisdom.
Seeing this scene, Coach Terry finally showed a happy smile on his face: "King, it seems you have gained something."
"Yes, coach, I understand!"
"Temporary withdrawal does not mean inaction, only long-term is the right way."
"Good, you can play again later, but remember to control your fouls."
Although he understood that Wang Zelin probably already understood, Coach Terry still felt that it was necessary to calm down the young man's anger.
Who makes young people always worry-free?
"Um."
Wang Zelin nodded, indicating understanding.
In fact, there was another realization in his mind that he didn't reveal: Otherwise, don't foul, or if you do, be ruthless!